Snowbound

"Assholes, I suppose," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I have a thing for that type."

"You should be with someone who treats you well. Don't you want to be with someone who actually cares about you? Cares FOR you?" Katrina thought of how Daniel had rescued her and taken care of her last night. She couldn't imagine any of her exes going to that kind of trouble for her, let alone a perfect stranger.

"I guess I should really re-evaluate," she said, turning her attention to the food. Daniel stepped closer, resting a hand gently on her arm.

"I'm sorry," he said. "It's really not my place. I just hate guys like that. They give us all a bad name. Are you with someone like that now?"

"I'm between assholes at the moment," said Katrina, offering him a wry grin. "But perhaps I can do better on the next one."

"I hope so," muttered Daniel, and returned his attention to the eggs.

They had breakfast at the kitchen table, Katrina making polite inquiries about the cabin. It had been his grandfather's, left to Daniel in a will. He used it every once in a while when he needed to get away from civilization for a time. Katrina was thankful he'd been visiting the cabin this weekend. Just imagine where she'd be if he had been at home in the city! Dead and buried beneath a pile of snow, no doubt. After breakfast, she tried to help with the dishes, but found she was more of a hindrance than a help with her broken arm. Daniel suggested she take a cup of coffee and sit in front of the fire while he finished up. She still felt chilled from last nigh; no doubt it was mostly in her head, but she eagerly agreed, warming her bare toes in front of the open flames. Daniel appeared a few minutes later.

"I'm not really set up for entertaining guests," he apologized. "I usually read or go out for walks... cook...I don't have much in the way of amusement, not even a TV. Sorry."

"I think I'll skip the nature walk," Katrina said dryly. "But I wouldn't turn down a book." She smiled at Daniel. He indicated the bookshelf on the far wall.

"Help yourself. I'm going outside for a bit, just to take a look around, maybe check the roads. Stay here." Katrina nodded. No fear of her venturing outside alone.

She watched as he bundled up in coat, gloves, boots and scarf, secretly admiring his butt as he bent to lace up his boots. As if he could feel her gaze, he back at her sharply, and she hastily stood and walked to the bookcase, pretending to peruse titles as she felt his eyes on her. Aware again of how handsome he was, she idly plucked a title at random and pretended to read the back of it.

"An avid thesaurus reader?" Daniel inquired, and Katrina flushed as she realized which book she'd grabbed. He was standing close to her, but she hadn't heard him cross the room. She was suddenly aware of how close to her he was. Leaning across her, he pulled a book from the shelf and held it out to her. "You might like this one." Katrina was extremely aware of how close to her he was, his hand brushing against hers. Clearly her body was craving male attention; it had been a while, for sure. His shoulder had brushed lightly over her breast when he reached in front of her, and her nipple was tingling slightly from the contact, a pleasant tingling, not like the pins and needles of her feet last night.

She took a deep breath, accepted the book, and thanked him. He stepped back and continued getting ready to venture outside. She returned to the couch, settling in with the blanket again. She watched him from the corner of her eye still, as he opened the door and left. Whew. She supposed it was natural to feel some sort of hero worship or adoration for the man who'd rescued her. After all, he had truly saved her from death. He probably thought she was an idiot, he'd basically said as much last night, so there was no point in working things up in her head. Tomorrow she'd be on her way and though she would be forever grateful, she'd doubtless never see this man again. Resolving to behave more like a sensible adult and less like a love-struck teenager, she opened the book and found it was actually quite good. Action-based plots like this weren't her usual fare, but she found herself enjoying it anyway, and made quick progress.

After a time, Daniel returned, with no news. The roads were as bad as should be expected, with no sign of a plow or even other traffic coming through. Katrina was the only one crazy enough to even attempt it, apparently. Daniel suggested lunch, and though she wasn't really hungry yet, she agreed, guessing that he was probably ready for food after expending energy traipsing through the cold snow. He showed her the cupboard that was his pantry, cheerfully declaring that she could have whatever flavor of canned soup she liked.

"Nothing but the finest gourmet options for my guests," he said, and his infectious grin soon had Katrina smiling and laughing with him. She made her selection, and like a true gentleman he insisted on preparing hers first, though she knew he must have been hungry and eager for a hot bowl of his own. She spooned her soup, blowing on it to cool it as he hummed and stirred his own. He moved around the kitchen very naturally, which was a strange sight to Katrina. Most of the men she'd dated were only familiar with the fridge - it held the beers- and the microwave, but Daniel obviously was at home here. He had a fully stocked spice cupboard and he added a shake of this and that to his soup, to "jazz it up a little," as he told her when he saw her watching.

"Tonight though, you're in a for a real treat: my world-famous hunter's stew." He brought his bowl of soup to the table and sat down. "A secret recipe, handed down for generations," he lowered his voice and leaned in, whispering confidentially, "the real secret, of course, is that we make it differently every time and no two people agree on the recipe. But," he continued in a normal voice, "It's nearly always edible, if you like a hodgepodge of meat and miscellaneous vegetables." Katrina found herself grinning at him again, and wondered what such a charming man was doing out here alone. The question left her lips before she could stop it.

"Ah. Well, you see my most recent motivation for coming out here to clear my head happens to be the reason I'm alone as well. My girlfriend - ex-girlfriend , I should say - didn't find my company nearly as charming as the company of others. I came home early from work one day to surprise her, heard noises coming from the bedroom, and well, it's so cliché I hardly need to go on. So here I am, giving her the chance to move all her shit out while I'm gone so I don't have to deal with her." Daniel stared down at his food, and Katrina was sorry she'd asked such a probing question and forced him to relive the negative feelings. She reached her good hand across the table, gently covering the back of his.

"I'm sorry. I know how that feels." She did too, unfortunately she'd encountered a cheating boyfriend more than once. Daniel flipped his hand over and held hers, as if taking comfort from it. She left it there, and they shared a moment, making eye contact and drawing understanding from each other before Daniel let it go.

"I'm sorry, here I am holding on to your only functioning hand when you must be wanting to eat! You should just tell me when I'm being a whiny sap and keeping you from your sustenance."As if to prove his point, he began to dig into his own soup. Katrina found that hers had cooled enough now, and ate it.

"Well now," said Daniel, when they had finished. "I'd better get started on dinner, it takes a few hours of slow cooking. We'll be cooking it up in the true rustic way, over the fire. Mostly because I have little faith in the power holding out if this snowstorm keeps up, but we can pretend it's so we're being authentic." He winked at her over the last part. "Go, make yourself comfortable, read, maybe take a nap, I'll be along shortly." Knowing that she would be no help with one arm, Katrina did as she was bid. The couch looked incredibly inviting, and though she'd been planning on returning to the book, her exhausted, healing body insisted on a nap instead, and she was out like a light.

*

It was darker when she woke up, though impossible to tell how late, given how short the days were now. There was a pot on a hook extended over the fire, and the smell of meat and vegetables was just beginning to waft from it. Daniel was seated in the armchair next to the couch,and her stirring drew his attention.

"Sleeping beauty awakes," he said. "Feeling alright?" Katrina couldn't help but be touched by his concern for her well-being.

"Fine, just a bit stiff," she said. Daniel nodded.

"To be expected after yesterday. Would you like a massage?"

"Oh, it's not that bad, I'm fine..." Katrina's voice trailed off. Her aching muscles were dying for a massage.

"Don't be stubborn, I don't bite, you know. Come, sit." He indicated the floor in front of the armchair, and Katrina shrugged and smiled before sitting down in front of him. His hands brushed her hair gently over her shoulder and out of the way, and then his thumbs began to knead into her stiff upper shoulders. She sighed and relaxed, enjoying the feeling. His hands were firm but gentle, taking care to ease up if she stiffened or showed signs of discomfort. Katrina couldn't remember the last time a man had given her a massage. Her exes, if they even bothered to make the gesture, would massage for roughly thirty seconds before sliding their hands around to her breasts and trying to get to bed. Daniel worked slowly and patiently down her back.

He leaned down to reach the small of her back, his hands caressing her curves. His head was close to hers now, she could feel his warm breath on her neck, and the graze of his stubble against it when he leaned further down. She shivered slightly at the feeling, her body responding. Her neck had always been a very sensitive spot. Being kissed on the neck from behind was enough to make her go weak at the knees. For a moment she allowed herself to imagine Daniel leaning in farther and softly kissing her neck...

"Are you cold?" asked Daniel, and Katrina realized she had shivered again. Not from cold though, as Daniel thought.

"No, I'm fine," she reassured him. "Just, uh, a ticklish spot."

"Ah. Well, consider yourself lucky. If you didn't have bruised ribs and a broken arm, I'd take that as an invitation to find your ticklish spot and torment you." His voice was playful. "You get off easy, this time." Katrina wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved. "Is that better?" he'd finished his massage.

"Yes, much. Thank you." She smiled at him over her shoulder.

"Good. So, I was exploring the old closets while you were napping, trying to find a game or something to amuse us, and unfortunately my family appears to have cleaned us out. However," he said, "I did manage to find some very old jigsaw puzzles, if you think you're up for that kind of excitement after your ordeal. I wouldn't want you over-exert yourself."

"Jigsaw puzzles?" she laughed. "Sure, why not." she hadn't done puzzles since she was a kid, but it would be something different, and the idea of working closely next to him appealed to her more than it should.

"Excellent!" He got up and led her to the a card table he'd set up behind the couch. He swept out a chair for her so she could sit. "Now, would you prefer the field of flowers, the field of flowers, or the wood scene?" she chuckled at the three remarkably similar puzzles he'd set out.

"Oh, the field of flowers, of course," she said, pointing at the first one. "The other just can't compare."

"Mmm, the lady has impeccable taste in puzzles," complimented Daniel. "The field of flowers it is!" Opening the puzzle, he upended the pieces all over the table. "I call the yellow flowers, you can have all the other colors."

"ALL the flowers are yellow," she laughed. This man made her laugh more in one day of being with him than she had in months.

"Only to those with no imagination," teased Daniel. "These ones are yellow, yes, but THOSE ones are clearly goldenrod, and these over here, electric lemon."

"Electric lemon?" snorted Katrina. "Well then, I call the electric lemon ones." She picked up a piece.

"Well then I'll thank you to keep your grubby little hands OFF of my yellow ones," said Daniel, plucking the piece from her hand and mashing it into another one, though it clearly didn't fit. Katrina giggled again, and they spent a happy hour or so bantering over the yellow pieces. After a while Daniel came and stood behind her, presumably admiring her work.

"You've got this whole section upside down," he said, leaning in and flipping the piece she was working on. "Obviously it goes that way." He didn't move right away, his chest touching her shoulder as she worked. His head was so close to hers. Her heart pounded and she thrilled at being so close to him. Slowly, she turned her head to see him gazing at her, and not the puzzle.

"You're so beautiful, Katrina," he said. Her heart beat faster as he hesitantly leaned in, bringing his face closer to hers. Their lips were mere inches apart. She tilted her face slightly upwards, inviting him, and he took it, bringing his mouth down over hers. His warm lips kissed hers, gently opening them, and his tongue met hers, the kiss growing more intense and heated. His hands encircled her waist, drawing her closer to him. He pulled her upward from the chair, never breaking the contact of the kiss. Her good hand sought his neck and closed around the back, holding him close to her. The kiss seemed endless, and Katrina's body was responding. For that matter, so was Daniel's; she could feel his erection pressing into her. He swept her up in his hands and carefully laid her on the card table, leaning over her and finally breaking the kiss, only to kiss her neck instead. Katrina squirmed with pleasure, the feeling sending a jolt right to her core. He leaned into her harder.

"Ah!" Katrina was unable to stop herself from crying out as he put too much weight on her bruised ribs. Daniel jumped off of her like she was on fire.

"Shit, what did I do? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she reassured him. "Just my ribs." Damn her ribs, she'd really been getting into that, too. She wondered if he'd resume kissing her again, but the moment seemed to have passed, for Daniel declared it was dinner time. He dished them both up hearty bowls of his specialty, and Katrina ate with relish; it was warm and filling, and her body was demanding sustenance, probably because of all the energy it was expending healing itself. After dinner, they resumed work on the puzzle, though not much work was getting done, as they spend more time casting glances at each other and smiling than actually fitting pieces together. Abruptly, the power went out and they were plunged into near darkness, save the fire.

"Oh," said Katrina, "I guess that's it for the puzzle then." In the dim light all the pieces looked the same.

"Maybe we should get to bed," suggested Daniel. If the weather breaks, we should probably get an early start tomorrow. Get that arm looked at." Katrina had a fleeting fantasy of sharing a bed with him, but she quickly dismissed it. The kiss had been fun, but she didn't want to form an emotional attachment to this man. She was probably never going to hear from him again, and anyway he was probably on the rebound. She nodded agreement, and Daniel helped escort her through the dark room. "You're sure you'll be comfortable on the couch again?" he asked. Katrina nodded. "I don't suppose you'd want to... never mind. Sleep well." He leaned and kissed her cheek, then was gone. Katrina wondered what he'd almost said. To share his bed? She had to admit to herself that yes, she would want that. Good thing he hadn't left it up to her. She snuggled into the couch and closed her eyes.

*

The morning dawned crisp and cold, and Katrina raced to the window upon waking, only to find that the snow had stopped, but hadn't melted in the least and was still far too high for traveling.

"I guess you're stuck with me another day," said Daniel behind her. She turned and they exchanged half-hearted shrugs. Part of her was excited to spend more time with him, but the logical part of her brain was sighing and chiding her, warning her to be careful. "Breakfast?" asked Daniel, and she nodded, following him to the kitchen again. "Pancakes." Daniel said, and Katrina raised an eyebrow at him. "For breakfast, we're having pancakes. You can make the coffee, but you'll have to leave the pancake flipping to the experts." Katrina started for the electric coffee maker before she remembered the power was out. "Here." Daniel handed her a metal kettle. "Put it over the fire and get it hot." She filled it with water and hooked it over the arm like she'd seen the pot of stew yesterday. Daniel came into the room behind her, whisking a bowl of batter and holding a cast iron skillet. He positioned the skillet over the fire on a little metal stand that had been next to the fireplace.

"We'll let that get nice and hot," he said. When the kettle began to boil, he pulled it off the fire and took it back to the kitchen, pouring it over the grounds inside the filter so it ran to the pot below. "Just like back in the olden days," he joked.

"Yes, the olden days when they had fancy plastic and glass electronic coffee contraptions made useless by a snowstorm... just like those days."

"If you're going to complain about the coffee you don't get any," he mock-threatened, and Katrina made a big show of apologizing, rolling her eyes and eyeing the coffee pot the whole time.

"I suppose I can forgive you and share my sacred coffee... for a fee." Daniel leaned in, his breath surprisingly fresh as he whispered into her ear. "Can you pay the price?" Katrina shivered as his lips brushed against her neck. Then his face was in front of hers, his eyes asking the question, and she saved him having to wait for an answer by lifting her lips to his and meeting him in a warm embrace. The kiss was short but intense. Daniel pulled back, smiling. "Ok, coffee for you," he said. He herded her out of the kitchen with two coffee cups in hand, urging her to rest on the couch while he cooked pancakes.

"It's all about the artistry," he informed her as he dispensed batter onto the skillet. "Artistry and of course, the flipping skill." He loosened the edges of the pancake, and then, holding the handle with an oven mitt, expertly jerked the pan so the pancake flipped over onto the other side, revealing its golden brown bottom. Katrina gave him a slow clap, smiling. "Thank you, thank you," said Daniel, making a mock half-bow. He put on a fake Russian accent. "I heff studied menny, menny years at fancy academy to leern secret of pencake flipping. My pencakery ees widely edmired by my lowly waffle comrades." he broke into a laugh, unable to keep a straight face, and Katrina joined him. He served her up the first pancake, liberally doused in maple syrup and she dug in, watching as he tried to flip the pancakes higher and higher to impress her, until one flipped straight into the fire. She snorted with laughter around her food. Shrugging it off, Daniel piled his own plate high and joined her on the couch.

"I'll walk down to the road after this and check it out," he said, shoveling pancakes into his mouth. "I'm pretty sure we're stuck here all day, but I'll make sure." Strangely, Katrina felt a little disappointed with how he seemed to want to get rid of her. She knew it was silly, but they really had so much fun together, she'd sort of hoped he was enjoying it as well. But of course she needed to get back, her friends were probably worried sick about her, and she needed to call them and tell them she was alright. She nodded at Daniel, and sure enough after breakfast he was bundling up again. She watched him again, admiring his strong arms until he covered them with his jacket and coat.