SMUT WARNING

"You were lucky." The healer's voice was cool and Hawke fought not to shiver with obvious revulsion when she felt his warm, moist palm on her cheeks and forehead. "He was using too much of the potion, it was making your heart dangerously sluggish, your blood too slow. I've purged it from your system but it will still be a while before your core temperature comes up to normal. A hot bath would help."

He – Anders, she forced herself to think - stepped away from the bed. "The mighty Hawke kidnapped and held prisoner."

An unpleasant smirk twisted his mouth and his mocking tone reminded her of her brother. "It happens to the best of us," she murmured, sleepily.

"Don't close your eyes, Hawke, you need to stay awake." He went to the door and spoke in low urgent tones.

Seconds later, Hawke was scooped up, sheet and all, into hard, warm arms and cradled against a startlingly familiar, bare chest.

"What are you doing?"

"There's a bath ready. You should get in it before it gets cold."

At Maraas's comforting rumble, Hawke relaxed in his hold and let her eyes slide shut. She let out a yelp of protest when she was lowered, still wrapped in her sheet, into water that felt perilously hot to her chilled body.

Maraas's strong hands unwound the sheet and, with a wet splat, it landed on the floor. "You are too cold," he grunted, studying her uncoordinated body intently for a moment. Without bothering to remove his breeches, he stepped into the tub behind her and sat down, shoulder deep in the steaming water, drawing her unresisting body with his so that she ended up sitting between his thighs, his broad arms wrapped about her body, immersed up to her chin.

Hawke sighed in contentment as she felt the delicious heat of the hot water spread across her skin like a balm and sink into her bones. She had wondered if she would ever be warm again during the hours she had spent in that cellar, naked and freezing. She let herself relax completely and melt into the hard chest at her back. She was safe now and beginning to feel warm, more alert.

"I was terrified we would be too late," Maraas whispered, breaking a long silence. "Did he …?"

Hawke shook her head. "No, he didn't get that far." The arms around her tightened painfully for a brief moment and she felt the whisper of lips on her hair. "Thank you for finding me," she added, softly.

"Any time," he said, unable to say any more.

When Maraas was sure she was warm, he stood up, smoothly sweeping her into his arms, as he stepped out of the tub and set her on unsteady feet. He wrapped her in a towel that covered her from chest to ankle and hoisted her into his arms again.

"I could walk," she protested, mildly, and smiled as the Kossith muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'I don't care' and strode through her house, leaving a trail of dripping water from his sopping breeches with her still cradled tenderly against his huge chest.

"Take off those wet things and hang them over there to dry," Hawke ordered as Maraas carried her into her room and deposited her on her bed. She swiftly dried herself and slid under the heavy covers, the cotton sheets were cool against her skin but it didn't matter; She was finally warm.

Maraas had peeled off his breeches and set them carefully over the back of a chair. They had little chance of drying before morning.

Hawke watched the play of muscle under his skin as he finally turned and walked back towards the bed; his naked body was all contoured definition, his cock hung down his thigh, impressive even when flaccid. She shivered slightly; she definitely had a thing about Kossiths. Well, this one anyway.

Maraas took her hand gently in his two huge ones as he sat carefully on the edge of her bed, angling his leg to cover himself, and looked into her still too pale face. "When I saw you being taken, my mind filled with such a rage, I couldn't think." His lips pulled downward. "When the rage subsided, there was a fear left inside me that I have never felt before, never want to feel again." Hawke's forehead wrinkled into a frown. "I know I should never have gone behind your back, that I shouldn't have pushed you," Maraas rushed on before she could speak and ruin it. "It was stupid, but I didn't know what to do, and I had to do something. Please forgive me," he finished, ducking his head.

"Why?"

Maraas's shoulders stiffened. He hadn't expected such a harsh response. He felt her gently insistent fingers under his chin until he lifted his face to hers once more.

"I mean why should I forgive you when you haven't said what else you want from me." Her green eyes were strangely challenging.

He stared at her, confused and feeling adrift. "I don't understand."

Hawke sighed impatiently as she realised that he was telling the truth. "If I forgive you, what will you do then? What do you want to do then?"

He looked searchingly into her face for a long moment. "If you forgave me," his voice was slow, uncertain, "I think I would like to climb into this bed beside you and hold you until we both fall asleep." He was encouraged by the small smile that curved her lips.

"And tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow I would spend with you. And the day after that, if you let me."

"Hmm, I see." Her voice was tinged with something he didn't understand, the challenge in her eyes had melted into a glint. Then her face broke into a smile and she flipped the covers back beside her. "Get in."

"I am forgiven?" He gently released her hand and uncoiled.

"Maybe."

"You are teasing me. Why?" He reached his goal and slid into the wide bed, shifting across until the line of his body met hers and something inside him melted in relief.

Hawke turned her head, eyes shining. "I may give you a bit of a hard time but you're forgiven. You were the second I woke up and realised that it was you holding me and not that mad bastard." She rolled onto her side, tucking her body into the contour of his, her arm slid across his chest and she sighed as Maraas curled his arm about her body, and laid her cheek on his shoulder. "So, you would spend tomorrow with me, what about tomorrow night?" she asked, her voice light.

"Hawke, if you wish me to be here then here is where I will be. For as long as you want me beside you. I could be your bodyguard. You certainly need one."

His breath stirred her hair sending a shiver through her body that had nothing to do with being cold. Her fingers began to idly trace gentle circles on his chest and she felt him shudder slightly under her touch and a hand capture hers.

"You need to sleep," he chided, gently, his fingers entwining with hers. A throaty chuckle trickled from his lips. "I did understand that though."

Hawke laughed softly against his chest. "If you're going to spend nights with me, there are things to do,"

"Yes, but not tonight. Sleep, woman," he said, in a tone that brooked no argument.

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Hawke moaned as her body twisted, caught in a vivid dream of muscular arms wrapped around her thighs, a tongue delicately teasing with whispering caresses that slowly became more urgently insistent until she was writhing.

"Oh." Hawke's eyes flew open as her back bowed against the sweet, steady pressure between her legs. When she subsided into the mattress again, she looked down the line of her body into Maraas's eyes, quivering when he deliberately licked the line of her sex and drew back, pulling a groan of discontent from her throat.

"Is this all right?" he asked and she felt his hot breath on her.

"Don't stop," she moaned, arching as his tongue plunged into her and busy fingers found her clitoris and began to circle and tease the hard little nub until Hawke thought she would explode. The muscles in her thighs started to tremble, straining wider as an intense ache began to build deep within in her. Her breath came in gasping pants turning to a long wail as the skilful fingers and tongue pushed her over the edge into bone-shattering, brain-exploding pleasure.

Maraas's body was suddenly heavy on hers, pinning her, and she felt the head of his cock blindly nuzzling at her. She angled her hips up, heard him grunt in relief as he found her entrance and pushed slowly into her hot, still-convulsing depths until he was completely buried within her and he let out a long, shuddering sigh, stilling for a long moment before his arms snaked under her body pressing her close to him as his hips began to move, thrusting him into her in firm, steady strokes and she thought she might die, it felt so good.

Maraas closed his eyes, gritting his teeth against the need for completion that was threatening to crash over him, he didn't want it to end yet. He wanted the woman in his arms to scream for him again, he wanted to feel her insides constrict, molten, around his cock.

Her legs lifting and encircling his waist, forcing him even deeper into her nearly undid his control, he felt the tell-tale trembling begin in her thighs and increased his pace, losing his careful rhythm as he heard her cry out and she was writhing under him, whimpering, as he pounded into her until his world splintered and flew apart and he was comprised only of the intense pleasure that roared through his body and overflowed, spilling into hers.

They remained still for a long while, breathing slowly returning to normal, still locked together before Maraas reluctantly withdrew from her and rolled onto his side, his arm immediately finding her waist and drawing her closer. He leant over her, his mouth finding hers in a gentle kiss.

"Good morning," he said, a small smile curving his lips as he drew back to look at her face. "Is that an acceptable way to be awoken?"

Hawke grinned. "It's a good start to the day." Her hand roamed across his taut chest, stilling as an urgent knock sounded on the door.

"Mistress?" The knocking sounded again. "Mistress! There is somebody here to see Maraas."

Maraas's brow drew into a frown as he untangled himself from Hawke's body and rolled out of bed. He grabbed his mostly dry breeches off the back of the chair.

"I'll be right there, Orana."