A Christmas Abduction by Madeline Hunter

Author:Madeline Hunter [Hunter, Madeline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zebra Books
Published: 2019-08-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

He all but carried her up the stairs, and lifted her completely once they made the top. “Which door?” he asked.

She pointed to her chamber door. She would have answered with words, but her teeth would not allow it, they gritted so hard in order not to shake her whole head. She had never before been so glad to see this house, or so grateful to be alive. But she still felt as if she were submerged in that water.

Cold. So very cold. She wondered if she would ever be warm again.

He carried her in, kicked a chair near the fireplace, and set her down. He bent and built up the fire, adding fuel until the flames reached high.

He rose and turned to her. “Can you stand?”

She shook her head. She did not want to stand. She wanted to huddle here in his greatcoat because if she removed it she would freeze.

He set her on her feet. “You have to get out of those garments. They only hold the cold close to your body.” He peeled away the greatcoat.

She tried to unbutton the coat she wore, but her fingers would not cooperate. He took her hands in his, holding them in a little shelter of warmth that felt wonderful. Then he went to work on the buttons himself.

“I should . . . You should not . . .” she murmured while she watched his fine hands do their work.

“Hush now. I do not importune women close to freezing to death. As it happens, my skill at undressing women is vast, and my innumerable views of feminine bodies have jaded me. You are safer with me than with a physician.”

The cold seemed to be worse and deeper, down to her bones. She would do anything to stop it. She allowed him to strip away the coat, then the shirt and pantaloons. Somehow her nakedness became clothed in her nightdress. He wrapped her in a blanket he stripped off her bed.

Removing the wet clothes helped, but not enough. She still shook. And she was still so tired and cold. She started to weep.

He moved the chair closer to the fire. “Come here.” He sat in it and reached for her. “It will help, I promise you.” He set her on his lap and wrapped his arms around the bundle she had become. He made sure her feet were swaddled, then reached within the blanket for her hands. He took them both in his right one so his own warmth would seep into her.

She cried hard then, out of fear for her close call and misery at her chills, out of relief that he had saved her and gratitude for the care he gave her now. He said not a word but let her weep until her emotions found some peace.

Then she just gazed at the flames as very slowly, bit by bit, the worst of the cold began to pass.

* * *

She fell asleep in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder and her breath teasing his ear.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.