Blissfully Undone (2 page)

Her own teeth chattering woke her back up a short time later. She had never felt so cold in her life. Jenny wrapped the blankets tighter around herself, but it didn’t help. She stared at the wooden slats above her. How did the pioneers do it? This was fucking nuts. She curled her toes under her and put her hands in her armpits. She tried to fall asleep, but woke up to her own moaning. It was just too damn cold!

She cried out when she saw movement in the doorway. “It’s just me,” Dan said. “I heard you whimpering.”

Jenny’s teeth chattered when she answered. “I’m so cold.”

“Me, too. If you are not opposed, I think we should share our heat.” She nodded vigorously, desperately needing his warmth. “My room feels a little warmer than yours,” he offered.

Jenny pulled the blankets off the bed and followed him to the other bedroom. They piled all the covers onto his bed and she slipped under them. Jenny tried not to think how weird it was to be spooning Dan. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed up close. When she shifted to get more comfortable, she heard him catch his breath. Spooning Dan was definitely weird, but she was grateful for his body heat. Eventually his warmth radiated through her and her teeth stopped chattering.

“Better?” he asked.

“Much,” Jenny said drowsily, falling asleep soon after. The blizzard continued to swirl around the little cabin, but she survived the night in relative comfort.

Dan was the first to stir the next morning. “I don’t want to do this.”

“Do what?” she asked groggily.

“Get out of this warm bed.”

Jenny laughed. “I don’t blame you.”

“Yeah, but unless I get the firewood, we’ll have to stay here all day.”

“I’ll cheer you on from the bed.”

“That’s big of you,” he grumbled good-naturedly just before making the mad dash. Jenny heard him zip up his coat and stomp his boots several times. Then she heard the creak of the door and a loud, “Oh shit!”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“This is bad.”

Curiosity made her brave the cold. Jenny gasped when she saw the doorway completely blocked by snow, from top to bottom. “What the heck?”

“Yeah, we’re, like, literally snowed in.”

“What are we going to do?” she asked, trying to keep calm as she shivered in the frigid air. The thought of being snowed in completely freaked her out. With no electricity and no way to leave, she wasn’t sure how they would survive the cold.

He confirmed her fears when he said, “I have to get that firewood, Jenny. We’re not going to survive without it.” Dan grabbed a pot and scooped out a pan full of snow. She followed him as he walked to the bathroom and tossed it in the tub. Jenny quickly put on her coat, shoes, and gloves and grabbed another pot. The two began the arduous task of digging out. The positive in helping Dan was that Jenny got exceedingly warm working so hard.

Once they broke through the top layer of the snow, they were hit with blowing winds. The blizzard was still raging on. It took hours before they were able to dig their way to the woodpile. When Jenny hit the first log, she grabbed onto Dan, jumping up and down enthusiastically. “I found it! We’re saved!”

He hugged her and laughed with relief. “I never thought we would see that damn wood.” After digging out the woodpile, she helped him carry the logs into the cabin. The wood completely lined one wall. Lucky for them, there was a healthy supply. “I bet this will last at least a week,” Dan assured her.

By the time they finished stacking the last of it, both were starving. Jenny got out the donuts, precooked bacon and chocolate milk, grateful that they had chosen food that didn’t need preparation. After he got a fire going, she took a cast-iron pot and filled it with snow. “Coffee soon,” she announced, putting it on the edge of the fire.

“Great. By the way, thanks for all the help.”

“Of course.”

“Kelly would have sat on the sidelines and told me I was taking too long.”

Jenny chuckled. “Yeah, she probably would have. Nice thing about working together is that we get to drink hot coffee sooner.”

“Yep, can’t wait.” Dan put his hands next to the fire, rubbing them together vigorously.

As she stared into the flames, she started thinking about Ryan and fear gripped her heart. “You don’t think they are stuck out there, do you?” Tears threatened to run down her cheeks when she thought of Ryan freezing in his car.

Dan walked over and put his arm around her. “No. I’m confident both are fine. Thankfully, we have enough supplies to wait out the storm. There’s no need to worry, Jenny. Trust me.”

She hesitantly pressed her head on his chest. For just a moment, she allowed herself to receive comfort in Dan’s embrace. Then Jenny grabbed a hot pad and poured the boiling water into two cups, stirring in the instant coffee. “Here you go, made fresh by me.”

“Nice.” He cupped the mug in his hands. “Nothing like a cup of hot coffee.”

“Agreed.” Jenny took a sip and cried out. “Hot! Too hot!”

Dan got up and opened the door. He came back with a handful of snow. He broke it in half, plopping one in her cup and handing her the other. “For your tongue.”

Jenny took it gratefully, stuffing the icy snow into her burning mouth. “
Aww
…
bewwer
,” she mumbled.

They spent the afternoon chatting about random stuff, trying to pass the time. After a few games of poker using pretzel sticks as money, Jenny started a more personal conversation. “So, when are you and Kelly planning on tying the knot?”

“Not sure it’ll ever happen.”

“Why not?” she asked, taken aback by his answer. She had naturally assumed the two of them would get married.

“I talked about marriage once but Kelly told me it wasn’t her thing. She doesn’t want to ruin what we have going. I’ve decided it’s for the best.”

“Oh! Well, I guess I can understand that. Her parents’ divorce did a number on Kelly. I suppose it is not too surprising she’s scared to give it a try.”

“What about you guys?”

“Ryan wants to wait until he makes junior partner. You know him,
gotta
have all his ducks in a row before we can officially announce an engagement.”

Dan nodded his head knowingly. “That sounds about right. He does like everything planned out.”

“Yep, that’s my Ryan!” Jenny got up and brought back a bottle of wine. “I think we deserve to drink after such hard work this morning.”

“Sure, pour me a glass while I throw another log on the fire.” When Dan came back, Jenny had taken over the couch. She lifted her legs to make room for him. When he sat down, she put her feet in his lap. “What’s this, couch hog?” he asked with amusement.

“Just wanted to put my feet up. Got a problem with that?” She lifted her glass and took a sip of merlot.

“You sounded suspiciously like Kelly just now.”

Jenny choked on her wine and sputtered. “After years of being friends, I guess she’s bound to rub off on me.”

Dan asked casually, “You ever wonder what would have happened if you and I had met when we were single?”

“Um… no.” Jenny quickly took her feet off Dan’s lap and sat up. “Why?”

“No reason.”

“You aren’t getting off that easy. You brought it up, so speak.”

Dan gazed at her with his dark brown eyes shining in the firelight. “I don’t know. We seem to click, don’t you think? I’ve always thought we’d make a good couple.”

“Where’s this coming from, Dan? We’re both taken.”

“Yeah, I know. Still, I’m attracted to you.”

“Are you making a pass at me?” she asked incredulously.

“No, just stating a fact. It’s obvious the attraction is one-sided. Don’t give it another thought.”

The Seduction

After that revelation, what else
could
she think about? Jenny jumped off the couch and stood next to the fireplace. Her face was flushed and she didn’t want Dan to see it. Of course she thought he was attractive. Who wouldn’t? Kelly had great taste in men and Dan was her crowning glory.

At six feet five, Dan was a striking hunk of manhood. Although he didn’t have a muscular frame, he was definitely fit. Jenny liked the adorable way his blond hair fell in his eyes when he got excited and the cute way he brushed it back with his fingers. Up to this point, she really hadn’t thought about him romantically. Well, that wasn’t quite true. She had fantasized about Dan a couple of times, but nothing serious. He was Kelly’s guy.

“Didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Dan said from the couch.

“That’s okay. Like you said, we’ll just forget it. So, how long do you think it will take before the bulldozers come to rescue us?”

“I don’t know. All depends on if this blizzard was local or widespread.”

“But you said we’ll be okay.”

“Yes, Jenny. Of that, I have no doubt.”

She turned back to Dan. Even though her face was still flushed, he’d assume it was from the heat of the fire. “Okay, then I’ll try not to worry… too much.”

“Up for another game of poker? I’m ahead of you by five pretzels.”

Her competitive streak took over and she joined him in a four-hour battle. Unfortunately, she was still behind at the end, but vowed total annihilation the next day. “I think I’ll sleep out here tonight,” she told Dan as they readied for bed.

“Okay. If you can, keep the logs on the fire so we don’t freeze during the night.”

“Not a problem.” Jenny gathered her blankets off his bed and wrapped them around her as she lay on the couch. Things felt different now. After Dan’s declaration, she needed to stay clear of him for her own good. Being close would only ignite something neither of them needed.

Naturally, Jenny slept so soundly that the fire went out. She woke to Dan starting it back up. She rolled off the couch wanting to help. “I’m sorry, Dan.”

“No problem. Go back to bed. I was just freezing and figured you were asleep.” He got a roaring fire going and headed back to his room.

She knew he was cold and took pity on him. “Wait.”

Dan turned around. “Yeah?”

“Come over until your room gets warm.” She sat up and lifted the blankets. Dan walked over and she threw the covers over him. They sat there in the dark watching the fire. Jenny was exceedingly aware of his body being so close to hers. Even though they weren’t touching, she could feel the cold radiating off his skin. She moved over and pressed against him, giving him some of her warmth. It was the least she could do after letting the fire die.

“Thanks,” he said, not moving a muscle.

The crackle of the fire was soothing. The way the light shifted and flickered over the walls had a hypnotic quality to it. “Dan?”

He turned his head towards her. Jenny felt the sudden urge to kiss him. She lifted her chin so that their lips met. An exhilarating thrill coursed through her body when he pressed his mouth against hers. She pulled away in shock, having never felt that before.

“Wow,” he murmured. After a few seconds he asked, “Was it good for you?”

“Yeah, like scary good.”

“Likewise.”

They sat staring at the flames again. Jenny was unsure what to do. A kiss was excusable. Not good, but excusable. More than that and they were asking for trouble.

“I think my room is warm enough,” Dan said, getting up and moving away from her. She noticed he walked stiffly.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Jenny called after him.

Dan waved his hand without looking back. He closed the door, shutting out any chance of warmth. Why would he do that?

She lay back down on the couch, trying to forget the way his kiss made her feel. The growing wetness between her legs belied her attempt. Maybe Dan was in that room jerking off while thinking of her. The thought turned her on. A short time later, he cracked the door open and went back to bed.

She was jealous of a man’s ability to do that. Just a simple hand motion on their hard member and they could find release. Her? Masturbation never worked, but tonight she was desperate. Jenny fumbled with her clit, getting her fingers all wet in the process. She rubbed it this way and that, but all it ever produced was more tension, not blessed release. Finally, she gave up in frustration. She squeezed her legs tightly shut and forced herself to think about work. It was hours before she was able to fall back to sleep. It seemed like only moments later when she heard Dan moving logs onto the fire.