Snowbound

"Any deeper and we'll only be getting out of here on snow-shoes," he grumbled as he opened the door and disappeared into the white.

Katrina pulled out the book she'd been reading yesterday, but found herself unable to focus. Her thoughts were fixed on Daniel. She'd never met a man like him before. He was so gentle, so caring, and yet so wonderfully fun. He was the antithesis of every man she'd ever dated before - not that they were dating. She was very aware that a couple of kisses did not make a binding commitment. Her mind wandered, and she thought about what life with Daniel would be like. If she got the waitressing job, she could stay here with him overnight and go to work up the mountain the next day. She bit her lip as she thought about staying the night with him. Doubtless he would be as thoughtful and conscious of her pleasure in the bedroom as he was outside of it. She had seen his shirt rise up his torso as he did various activities around the cabin, and the glimpses she'd seen were enough to fuel her fantasies of shirtless Daniel, striding toward the bed with her on it, kissing and caressing her...

She sighed, rousing herself from her thoughts. She was starting to get turned on, and she needed to have better control of herself when Daniel came back. He was still in rebound mode and it would be a mistake to get involved. Besides, if she didn't get the waitressing gig she'd never be by this way again; it was a good 45 minutes out of her way and she didn't ski. The tips would make it worth the drive if she got the job, but there was no other reason to come all the way out here. Especially without a car to drive in, she reminded herself. She returned her attention to her book, only half paying attention, as she waited for Daniel to come back.

He returned within a half hour, stomping snow from his boots and grumbling about the cold. Her heart leaped at the sight of him, and she had to stop herself from rising to embrace him. Calm down, Katrina, she told herself. Be cool.

"Roads are still impassable, no big surprise there, but it's stopped snowing and it's starting to melt. If it keeps up we can probably make it to town tomorrow. How's your arm holding up?" Surprised, she glanced down at it.

"It still hurts, but not terribly, and mostly only when I think about it or accidentally use it. And my ribs are definitely healing." She gingerly prodded them, feeling for the bruise. They were tender, but not as sensitive as yesterday. Daniel nodded, looking relieved.

"Good. Still, the sooner we get you to a doctor, the better."

"Yeah..." her voice trailed off. She was touched by his concern, but still reluctant to have this end. Was she crazy, to enjoy being snowbound?

"Let's see it," said Daniel, crossing the room and holding out his hands. Katrina obediently gave him her arm, and he poked and prodded at it, causing her to wince. "It doesn't look infected to me," he said, "But I'm no doctor. Still it's a good sign it's not puss filled and green." He grinned up at her. "No back-woods cabin amputations for you, my dear." She frowned, the joke hitting a little too close to home. "I'm joking, I'm joking. I'd carry you on my back through the snow all the way to town before I'd let it come to that," he promised, and Katrina believed him.

They spent the rest of the morning working on the puzzle in the light from the windows. By lunchtime, they had made considerable progress, but Katrina was beginning to get cabin fever. She'd been spending the past two days living in basically one room, with occasional trips to the kitchen and bathroom. Telling Daniel she was going to the bathroom, she went down the hall. She was nosy and bored, and after she'd used the bathroom, she poked her head around the corner of his bedroom. The bed was covered with a fur blanket of some kind, the walls decorated with wintry wood scenes depicted in oils and watercolor. She wondered how he didn't get tired of it, with the same scenery right outside the window.

"I would have given you a tour, if I knew you wanted one." Daniel's voice behind her made her jump, and she spun around, face red with embarrassment at being caught.

"Sorry," she said, keeping her eyes on the floor. "It's just such a lovely home, I was curious to see the whole thing."

"Katrina, it's fine. Here," he took her hand and led her into the bedroom. "I offered you the bed, remember, it's not as if I have anything sinister to hide in here. So, here we are." He extended his arms wide in a sweeping gesture. "My bedroom." Katrina wandered to the sliding glass doors on the side of the room, peering out. There was a small little patio there. It was buried beneath snow right now, but she was sure it was lovely in the summertime. She walked along the walls, looking at the painting, and stopped by his bed, running her hand over the incredibly soft blanket.

"Ooh, that's lovely," she said. "I could snuggle up under that all day."

"I don't generally hold with fur things, seems a shame to kill an innocent animal for its coat, but this one came with the house so I see no reason not to enjoy it. The damage is already done."

Katrina leaned over the bed, running her hands along the blanket and pressing her face into it.

"You should be careful, posing like that. You look far too good on my bed." For once there was no playful undercurrent to his voice, and Katrina met his gaze, seeing the lust burning in his eyes. She should get up, assume an un-sexy pose and bring them both back to earth, but instead, she climbed up onto his bed, rolling onto her side.

"How about now?" she asked. He crossed the room in a second and was up on the bed with her. His lips found hers and they were kissing again. His tongue parted her lips and she moaned into his mouth as his hand grazed against her nipple. He slipped his hand up under her shirt and cupped her breast, his thumb gently rubbing across her nipple till it hardened. Wanting more, Katrina broke the kiss and pulled the shirt up and over her head. Daniel's eyes roamed over her torso, taking in her bare breasts and taut stomach.

"You're so beautiful," he said. Careful not to put any weight on her ribs, he kissed his way from her neck to her breast, sucking her nipple into his mouth and rolling it gently with his tongue. Katrina sighed with pleasure. He kissed his way across her chest to her other nipple and repeated the process, while his hand roved down her torso to between her legs, where she was already aching and ready for him. He caressed her through the pajamas. She'd discarded the underwear yesterday, uncomfortable with the thought of wearing the same pair for too long, and his fingers were so close to her skin. He eased a finger into the loop of the drawstring, pulling the bow.

Katrina suddenly became aware of what she was doing.

"Wait," she began. He practically leaped off of her, his face a mass of concern.

"What is it? Your ribs again? Your arm?" She shook her head.

"I just - I just don't think we should do this. You know, we barely know each other, and I'll probably never see you again..." She hoped he didn't think she was a tease. She didn't mean to be, but her lust had gotten the better of her before her brain kicked in.

"Right." He blew out a sigh. "Of course, you're right." He rolled off the bed, clearly frustrated but too much of a gentleman to show it.

"Sorry..." she whispered.

"It's fine, Katrina. You're right. Come on, let's get out of here." He held out a hand and led her back to to the main room. "I'm going out to get some logs," he said, and headed out the back door in nothing more than his jeans a a shirt. He was gone far longer than necessary, and Katrina figured he'd been cooling off after that hot little session in the bedroom. She just needed to maintain control for a little while longer, then she'd be back in civilization.

Daniel stoked up the fire and decided it was dinner time: leftover stew for both of them, reheated over the fire. He made inane small talk with her while he worked on dinner: her family, her job, her hobbies. She asked the same questions of him and they both pretended that nothing strange had happened in his bedroom. After dinner, he suddenly remembered that he had a deck of cards in his room, and they played stupid games like 'go fish' and 'war' by the light of the fire. His playful nature soon returned and he was obviously trying to cheat whenever he thought he could get away with it, making elaborate excuses to get her to look away. Katrina kept calling him out on it, and the mood lightened, returning to the easy conversation flow they'd had before.

Soon she was yawning, her body still insisting that she get extra rest. Seeing it, Daniel packed up the cards, and stoked the fire up.

"I'll be in my room if you need anything," he told her, and she sleepily nodded before drifting off. Her last conscious thought was that he was pulling the blanket up over her, tucking her in.

*

Katrina woke at some point in the night. It was still dark, and she wondered what had woken her up. The cabin was quiet, even the fire was banked to a low and slow burn, scarcely making a pop. She tried to get back to sleep, but her restless mind was wandering, inevitably, to the scene in Daniel's bedroom earlier. His mouth had been so hot and urgent on her body. She couldn't help but think of what it would be like other places, or how he would feel nestled between her legs. Her body was aching for him, her thighs squeezing together and her hands balling up into tense little fists as she thought about it. Would it be so wrong to see if they might have something? There were no hard and fast rules that said a man always had to have a rebound and could never make a genuine connection with a new girl right away. Even if it meant nothing, at least she'd have a hot night of sex. Unable to bear the longing anymore, she rose from the couch and stumbled through the dark halls to Daniel's bedroom. His door was open and she walked in, the glow of the moon through the window illuminating his bed. She climbed up onto the bed, causing it to shake slightly under her. Daniel woke up.

"Katrina?" he mumbled sleepily. "Is everything ok?" She silenced him with a kiss, positioning herself over his body, straddling it. Her hands were on his face, pulling him close to her, and beneath the blanket she felt him grow hard. He rolled her off of him, crawling out from the covers. His body was over hers immediately, kissing her hard and pressing his cock into her. There was a sense of urgency in his kisses that hadn't been there this afternoon, and Katrina returned it, eager to be joined with him. His hands tugged her shirt over and up, and his mouth found her nipples again. Katrina moaned, and his hands were on the pajama pants, pulling them down till her bottom half was exposed. She writhed with pleasure as his hand slipped into her slick folds, circling her clit and then sliding a finger into her wet center.

"Yes," she whispered, arching into it. There would be no stopping this time. He was pressing against her thigh, hard and insistent, and she started to rub him with her good hand, smiling when he groaned with pleasure. He pulled his pants down and he spilled out into her hand, warm and hard. She gripped his shaft and stroked him as he returned to her breasts and neck, lavishing kisses up and down them.

"I want you," she said softly, staring into his eyes. He nodded, and rolled off of her. She was distraught until she realized what he was going for. He produced the little foil packet from his nightstand drawer and slipped the condom onto his cock. He lowered his mouth to hers again as he pressed into her, her thighs wrapped around his middle. She was so slick there was little resistance, and Daniel plunged into her. They both cried out as his cock slid all the way in, his body coming to rest against her swollen clit.

"Fuck, Katrina, you feel amazing." She whimpered with bliss as he began to move in and out of her. Her hand roved up and down his body, feeling his muscles as he carefully held himself above her ribs and then drifting her grip lower, his butt cheeks clenching and un-clenching as he drove in and out. He lowered his body closer, still careful not to put weight on her, and she raised her head to his neck, kissing her way to his earlobe. She sucked it into her mouth, her teeth just barely grazing it, and he shuddered with pleasure, still maintaining his rhythm. Katrina let her head loll back and focused on the feelings, her legs quivering as they tried to pull him in closer and tighter, her ribs be damned. She could feel her orgasm building and her moans must have reflected it, for Daniel noticed.

"Cum for me, sweetheart. Let me make you cum." He was supporting his weight on his elbows now, and moved his lips to her neck, kissing it and softly biting it. The sensations were driving Katrina over the edge. Her nipples rubbed against his chest with every thrust, tingling, and his teeth nipped at the delicate flesh of her neck. She panted, and moved her hips upward to meet his, and then she was crying out, her back arching and hips rising completely off the bed as she came. She collapsed on the bed afterward, lost in the warm afterglow, her legs still trying to draw Daniel in closer.

"Fuck, Katrina," he whispered, and then his body jerked and his hips slammed hard into her, his cock twitching inside her as he came. He didn't move off of her right away, his lips sought hers and he kissed her deeply. Eventually though, he rolled off and excused himself to the bathroom to clean up.

Katrina was glowing with happiness. She liked this man, she liked him a lot, and it had felt amazing to finally culminate the event they'd been slowly building to over two days. Daniel returned to the room, slipping under the covers and pulling her in with him. They lay on their sides, Daniel pulling her back in close to him as he protectively kept an arm over her.

"How can I let you go now?" he mumbled into her hair. "I don't know if I can stand this empty place without you." She nestled into him, and felt his burgeoning hardness pressing into her back.

"Again?" she whispered.

"Again," he said, and slipped a hand between her legs.

*

Katrina woke up on next to Daniel, her injured arm strewn across his chest and her leg flung over his, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Hey, you. Good morning." Daniel kissed the top of her head.

"Good morning," she said, smiling to herself.

"No regrets about last night?" Daniel was always concerned for her.

"No," she said. "No regrets." She smiled up at him.

"Well, I suppose we should check the roads, get you into town," he said reluctantly. Katrina rolled onto her back, freeing her good hand and letting it drift down his torso.

"There's no hurry," she said, and they both grinned.

*

*

Thanks for reading! This was my first Romance story and I'd really love some feedback or even constructive criticism. Sorry Daniel ended up being so goofy, he was supposed to be more serious, but he just wouldn't cooperate... Characters, eh? :)