Into the Cold
Chapter 7

“Caleb,” she cried, “what do I do? I can’t pull you up, I’m not strong enough.”

Still trying to catch his breath, Caleb looked for his unghaq. Seeing it a few feet away where it had slid after he dropped it, he pointed.

“The unghaq,” he managed to gasp.

Making sure Caleb’s grip on the ice was secure, Amelia crawled back across the ice and grabbed for it. She pulled it with her as she made her way back towards him, her shoulder burning with the effort.

By the now Caleb was in trouble fighting desperately to remain conscious, the cold of the water working its way deep into his bones. Amelia moved as fast as she could, the unghaq dragging behind her.

Reaching Caleb, she maneuvered the stick around so that he could grab it. With numb hands he placed it lengthwise across the hole making sure it was solidly braced before trying to pull himself out. Wth the last of his strength he heaved himself out of the water, Amelia grabbing desperately at his clothes and limbs, anything she could reach to help him out.

Together, they managed to creep back across the creaking ice towards the shore. When her nails dug into frozen mud, Amelia took Caleb’s arm and, helping him stand, began the arduous walk back up the hill to the cabin, slipping and sliding on the icy snow, their wet clothes chilling them to the bone. It was torturous and surreal how quickly everything had gone wrong.

Once inside, she stripped Caleb down, blushing as she pulled off his undergarments, leaving him naked and shivering. His body was amazing even chilled, his muscles tensed and well defined under his goosebump covered bronze skin. Grabbing a blanket from the foot of the bed, she wrapped him in it, ignoring the burning pain in her shoulder and her cheeks.

With shaking hands, cold from delving into the water searching for Caleb, Amelia helped him lay down on the bed that, until that morning, she had used.

Quickly, she stoked the stove, feeding it wood as quickly as her numb hands would let her. When she thought it was full enough that it would burn through the night, she filled the kettle with water, placing it on the stove to heat.

Stripping off her own damp clothes, and crawled in next to Caleb pulling open the blanket around him so their bodies could share warmth. Wrapping it and another heavy down blanket over them both she manuvered Caleb into her arms.

Amelia wrapped her chilled body around his freezing one and held him tightly, running her hands up and down his muscular frame trying desperately to warm his body with the friction, the only thing she could think of to do.

Every muscle of his body strained under her touch as she rubbed vigorously against his skin.

Unconsciously, Caleb nuzzled into her embrace reveling in the blessed warmth Amelia was providing. His own arms snaked around Amelia’s body, pulling her closer.

The warmth from her body was intoxicating, he needed more. He felt himself becoming aroused against her leg, an animalistic need deep inside of him taking over. His lips trailed small kisses across her shoulder, up her neck, seeking her mouth.

Amelia noticed Caleb’s arousal, and quickly tried to extricate herself from his arms, but his embrace tightened.

“Caleb,” she breathed, fighting her own arousal. Hadn’t she just fantasized about this very thing?

He barely heard her, too intent on her warmth, her closeness, the feel of her softness against him. He wanted more, so much more. It had been years since he’d held a woman in his arms like this, years of denying himself the simple pleasures of sex and companionship.

His hands began searching, his mouth replaceing hers, sweet and supple. Oh how wonderful it felt, being flesh on flesh. Amelia couldn’t replace the words or the will to stop him, her hands doing their own searching as his beard scratched a trail over her skin.

It wasn’t until Amelia cried out in pain when he crawled on top of her that they were both brought back to the present.

Caleb stopped abruptly. Opening his eyes he saw the pain on Amelia’s face.

Amelia looked up at him, her eyes moist with tears, her hand pushing against his chest trying to get his weight off her burning shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” he breathed, rolling off of her.

Amelia rolled out of the bed, her arm dragging behind her.

“Please, come back,” he begged, the chill returning to his body. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”

“I can’t,” she breathed, her shoulder burning in pain.

“I need you,” he said, his body shaking with returning cold.

Seeing Caleb’s quivering lips turning blue again, Amelia hastily grabbed a dry shirt off a peg. She struggled into it before slipping back under the blanket with him, using a quilt as a barrier between them.

Gingerly he wrapped his arms around her body once more making sure he wasn’t putting unnecessary pressure on her, Caleb molded himself against her. She could still feel his manhood, as erect as ever, pressing against her hip, but tried to ignore it. Caleb was right, he needed her body heat. If he died from this, she wouldn’t survive.

Amelia knew without a doubt that she didn’t have the skills required to live in the Alaskan bush without him. This accident had made that more than evident. If an experienced outdoors man like Caleb could get hurt, she was doomed if he died.

Finally his trembling subsided and he drifted off into a deep sleep, still clinging tightly to her.