he breathes in my ear. His one arm is wrapped low around my belly below my navel and the other is just under my breasts. My whole body is pressed firmly against his and I feel his heart beating and his chest moving as he breathes.
I do as he says. I don’t move and I actually try to also keep my breathing to a minimum. The bear lifts its head and – oh, yep! – it has seen us. It has definitely seen us and now it’s coming slowly towards us, sniffing the air as it does. I press further into Damon and his hold on me tightens. Does he have a way to defend us? I don’t think I’ve seen anything other than the axe around the cabin and I doubt he has it with him. Oh my God, we’re going to die.
“Damon—”
“Ssh.” His mouth presses against the shell of my ear and I shudder. Really, body? Now? “Just watch. No matter what, don’t move.”
How could I? How could I move when he’s the only thing that’s keeping me from fainting?
The bear sniffs around, taking steps towards us and stopping. A little further forward and stops again. It sniffs the air, the ground, the trees. It grunts low and I whimper again in response. There’s no possible way for me to get any closer to Damon but I do and his hold tightens even more. Does he do it to comfort me or keep me still? Or maybe both?
The bear gets so close that I can feel the warmth emanating from its fur. Damon’s hand moves from my lower waist and he turns his palm slowly towards the beast. Oh my God, what is he doing? The bear’s muzzle gets closer and then it’s pressing against Damon’s palm. My mouth drops open but no sound comes out. The bear is smelling him and… nuzzling his hand? Is it a pet bear or something?
I think I about die when the bear’s attention turns to me and it presses its nose to my belly. It sniffs me and its exhalations feel like they’re burning my skin they’re so hot. But that’s all it does. Just smells me. It turns its head to the side and opens its mouth in a big, loud yawn. I press my lips together and close my eyes tight. Please, please let it go away soon. I’m too young to die of heart attack.
Finally I hear its paws thudding away lightly. I don’t open my eyes until all I can hear is the birds chirping and, when I do, the bear is nowhere to be seen. Damon’s arms are still wrapped around me, his face right next to my ear. I’m breathing in short gasps and it takes me a while to realize I’m alive and not bear-chow.
I let out a small whimper and spin around, circling my arms around Damon’s neck and pulling him down to me. “Oh my God!” I breathe, unable to get my voice to sound any louder. “Oh my God!” It’s all I seem to be able to say.
Damon’s arms are still around me and he holds me to him. I think the way I’m holding him – bent a little low to accommodate my height as I press my face into the crook of his neck – might be uncomfortable for him but he doesn’t protest. He just holds me back and then his hands smooth softly over my back.
I don’t know how long it takes me to calm down but he still hasn’t moved. I think we could have become a hefty meal to other wild animals during the time I’m holding him there but I really don’t care. He makes me feel safe and that’s the only thing I need right now. And he smells safe too. Clean, earthy, fresh. Of course there’s no sign of cologne or deodorant out here but even if there was he wouldn’t need it. He smells so good the cologne making industries should ask him for a sample.
It’s not long though after I calm down that my body begins to react. My heartbeat accelerates when I realize his one hand is very close to my backside. His face is pressed in the crook of my neck too and I feel his breath fanning my skin. He is taking deep breaths as if he is smelling me too and it makes something inside me melt.
But it’s not the main thing that suddenly has me all hot and bothered. It’s the steel rod I feel pressing into my hip. Oh, wow.
I do as he says. I don’t move and I actually try to also keep my breathing to a minimum. The bear lifts its head and – oh, yep! – it has seen us. It has definitely seen us and now it’s coming slowly towards us, sniffing the air as it does. I press further into Damon and his hold on me tightens. Does he have a way to defend us? I don’t think I’ve seen anything other than the axe around the cabin and I doubt he has it with him. Oh my God, we’re going to die.
“Damon—”
“Ssh.” His mouth presses against the shell of my ear and I shudder. Really, body? Now? “Just watch. No matter what, don’t move.”
How could I? How could I move when he’s the only thing that’s keeping me from fainting?
The bear sniffs around, taking steps towards us and stopping. A little further forward and stops again. It sniffs the air, the ground, the trees. It grunts low and I whimper again in response. There’s no possible way for me to get any closer to Damon but I do and his hold tightens even more. Does he do it to comfort me or keep me still? Or maybe both?
The bear gets so close that I can feel the warmth emanating from its fur. Damon’s hand moves from my lower waist and he turns his palm slowly towards the beast. Oh my God, what is he doing? The bear’s muzzle gets closer and then it’s pressing against Damon’s palm. My mouth drops open but no sound comes out. The bear is smelling him and… nuzzling his hand? Is it a pet bear or something?
I think I about die when the bear’s attention turns to me and it presses its nose to my belly. It sniffs me and its exhalations feel like they’re burning my skin they’re so hot. But that’s all it does. Just smells me. It turns its head to the side and opens its mouth in a big, loud yawn. I press my lips together and close my eyes tight. Please, please let it go away soon. I’m too young to die of heart attack.
Finally I hear its paws thudding away lightly. I don’t open my eyes until all I can hear is the birds chirping and, when I do, the bear is nowhere to be seen. Damon’s arms are still wrapped around me, his face right next to my ear. I’m breathing in short gasps and it takes me a while to realize I’m alive and not bear-chow.
I let out a small whimper and spin around, circling my arms around Damon’s neck and pulling him down to me. “Oh my God!” I breathe, unable to get my voice to sound any louder. “Oh my God!” It’s all I seem to be able to say.
Damon’s arms are still around me and he holds me to him. I think the way I’m holding him – bent a little low to accommodate my height as I press my face into the crook of his neck – might be uncomfortable for him but he doesn’t protest. He just holds me back and then his hands smooth softly over my back.
I don’t know how long it takes me to calm down but he still hasn’t moved. I think we could have become a hefty meal to other wild animals during the time I’m holding him there but I really don’t care. He makes me feel safe and that’s the only thing I need right now. And he smells safe too. Clean, earthy, fresh. Of course there’s no sign of cologne or deodorant out here but even if there was he wouldn’t need it. He smells so good the cologne making industries should ask him for a sample.
It’s not long though after I calm down that my body begins to react. My heartbeat accelerates when I realize his one hand is very close to my backside. His face is pressed in the crook of my neck too and I feel his breath fanning my skin. He is taking deep breaths as if he is smelling me too and it makes something inside me melt.
But it’s not the main thing that suddenly has me all hot and bothered. It’s the steel rod I feel pressing into my hip. Oh, wow.
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