Chapter 4 - Keeping Warm
"Must be an old cabin people used for going hunting or something," Georg commented as he looked around the room at the simple wooden chairs and open fireplace.
"Well, whatever it was, it obviously hasn't been used in years. Look at the filth!" Maria pointed to a window, which had no drapes, but was still quite impossible to see through.
She put the picnic basket down and shook out her skirt. Water dripped all around her. Georg turned to look at her and laughed as he saw the slightly annoyed expression on her face.
"Don't you laugh at me," she told him, but looking up, she couldn't stop herself from laughing as well.
"You look like a drowned cat," she told him, hiccoughing with giggles, as she eyed his dripping hair and shirt which clung to his chest. When she saw him raise his eyebrows at her remark in mock warming, she couldn't help but double over in laughter.
"You seem to think this is rather funny," he asked, trying to hide his own amusement.
Maria kept giggling. "Well, look at us," she gestured at their dripping clothes. Still laughing a bit, she took her soaked jacket off and looked around for somewhere to put it. One of the dirty chairs would have to do, she decided, hanging it over the chair's back.
She turned to Georg. "Why don't you take off your jacket... " she began, but stopped when she saw the intense look he was giving her.
"What is it?"
She followed his stare and looked down at herself. Her white blouse and thin silk slip were clinging to her body, completely soaked, and - as she discovered with a small stab of embarrassment - also completely see- through.
Wrapping her arms around herself in a vain attempt to stop him from staring, she looked back into his eyes. He saw that she was blushing, which he found greatly amusing.
"My my, Fräulein," he clicked his tongue as he walked up to her. "What a pity you weren't wearing this the first time you fell into the lake!" He laughed as he saw her colouring even more, turning crimson.
"I thought I made both you and myself quite uncomfortable enough that day, without such a revealing outfit," she muttered back at him, vividly remembering the fight they'd had over the children.
"Well, let's say that you opened my eyes, and that had nothing to do with your clothing," he told her, suddenly serious. "I still thank you for that, Maria."
Maria shook her head in silence. She still thought Georg gave her far too much credit for the way his relationship with the children had changed.
"All you needed was a little push in the right direction," she insisted.
"Mmmm," he murmured noncommittally. He would always be grateful to her and she'd always insist he greatly overestimated what she had done, and he knew he would just have to accept her modesty on the subject.
"Well, let's try to get comfortable," Georg changed the subject, tearing his eyes away from Maria. "There's wood in the fireplace, I'll see if I can get a fire going."
While Georg rummaged around in the fireplace, Maria investigated the cabin. It wasn't very big, and most of the furniture had been cleaned out, apart from the chairs and a rough wooden table. There was a small bed, but it was only a wooden frame - no mattress. She did find a few pillows and stuffy blankets at the bottom of a closet though. They were a little smelly and the dust circled around her as she pulled them out of the closet, but at least they were dry - which was quite an improvement on what they were wearing at the moment.
She walked back to the fireplace, where Georg had managed to get a small, smoking fire going.
"The wood is dank, it's not really burning well, but it'll have to do," he said, turning round to face her.
"I found these. Not much, but we'll be able to get warm." She held out the blankets to him.
He pulled a face in disgust at the dusty things and sighed. "Well, it's better than nothing," he agreed with Maria.
He took the pillows out of her hands and spread them over the floor in front of the fire, then covered them with one of the blankets, trying to make the best of what they had.
When he was done, he looked up at Maria and saw a small smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. Glad that she was able to see the humour in their situation, he made a grand gesture with his arm toward the floor.
"Voila, Madame.. Your bed is made," he said with a fake French accent and a twinkle in his eyes.
"Ah, merci monsieur," she answered, eyes equally twinkling. She walked up to him and kissed him. He put his arms around her, but grimaced when he felt how cold she had become.
"We should get out of these wet clothes," he said rightly, and putting the deed to the word, started unbuttoning Maria's blouse. He peeled the wet material away from her and flung it over another chair. He saw her shiver.
"Are you cold?" he asked suggestively, knowing the shiver had not been caused by the temperature.
"I'm heating up," she answered with a straight face, and started fussing with the buttons of his shirt. He grinned and quickly helped her to get the rest of their wet clothes off.
When the last items of clothing had fallen to the floor in front of the fireplace, Georg scooped Maria up in his arms and laid her down on the makeshift bed. He grabbed one of the blankets and pulled it over them, snuggling close to her in the process.
"I'm sorry it's not more comfortable," he apologized, his nose buried in her neck.
"With you in it, any bed is comfortable to me," she murmured, pressing her lips to his face.
He smiled and kissed her back, sliding his hand round her waist, but was unhappy when he felt how cold her skin still was under his hands.
"Let me rub you warm," he said, and started moving his hands over her arms and shoulders. She sighed in contentment at his touch. However, he was quickly done with her arms, and moved his attention elsewhere. Her stomach, her thighs, her sides, her breasts all warmed up under the caress of his gentle hands.
By now she wasn't at all cold at all anymore, but made no protests. On the contrary, her breathing fastened and she moved even closer toward him, their mouths finding each other in a passionate kiss. She put her arms around him and pulled him close to her, completely forgetting the little cabin and dusty blankets.
And while the rain and wind tormented the outside world, the temperature inside the cabin rose as Georg and Maria found the perfect way to keep each other warm.
"Must be an old cabin people used for going hunting or something," Georg commented as he looked around the room at the simple wooden chairs and open fireplace.
"Well, whatever it was, it obviously hasn't been used in years. Look at the filth!" Maria pointed to a window, which had no drapes, but was still quite impossible to see through.
She put the picnic basket down and shook out her skirt. Water dripped all around her. Georg turned to look at her and laughed as he saw the slightly annoyed expression on her face.
"Don't you laugh at me," she told him, but looking up, she couldn't stop herself from laughing as well.
"You look like a drowned cat," she told him, hiccoughing with giggles, as she eyed his dripping hair and shirt which clung to his chest. When she saw him raise his eyebrows at her remark in mock warming, she couldn't help but double over in laughter.
"You seem to think this is rather funny," he asked, trying to hide his own amusement.
Maria kept giggling. "Well, look at us," she gestured at their dripping clothes. Still laughing a bit, she took her soaked jacket off and looked around for somewhere to put it. One of the dirty chairs would have to do, she decided, hanging it over the chair's back.
She turned to Georg. "Why don't you take off your jacket... " she began, but stopped when she saw the intense look he was giving her.
"What is it?"
She followed his stare and looked down at herself. Her white blouse and thin silk slip were clinging to her body, completely soaked, and - as she discovered with a small stab of embarrassment - also completely see- through.
Wrapping her arms around herself in a vain attempt to stop him from staring, she looked back into his eyes. He saw that she was blushing, which he found greatly amusing.
"My my, Fräulein," he clicked his tongue as he walked up to her. "What a pity you weren't wearing this the first time you fell into the lake!" He laughed as he saw her colouring even more, turning crimson.
"I thought I made both you and myself quite uncomfortable enough that day, without such a revealing outfit," she muttered back at him, vividly remembering the fight they'd had over the children.
"Well, let's say that you opened my eyes, and that had nothing to do with your clothing," he told her, suddenly serious. "I still thank you for that, Maria."
Maria shook her head in silence. She still thought Georg gave her far too much credit for the way his relationship with the children had changed.
"All you needed was a little push in the right direction," she insisted.
"Mmmm," he murmured noncommittally. He would always be grateful to her and she'd always insist he greatly overestimated what she had done, and he knew he would just have to accept her modesty on the subject.
"Well, let's try to get comfortable," Georg changed the subject, tearing his eyes away from Maria. "There's wood in the fireplace, I'll see if I can get a fire going."
While Georg rummaged around in the fireplace, Maria investigated the cabin. It wasn't very big, and most of the furniture had been cleaned out, apart from the chairs and a rough wooden table. There was a small bed, but it was only a wooden frame - no mattress. She did find a few pillows and stuffy blankets at the bottom of a closet though. They were a little smelly and the dust circled around her as she pulled them out of the closet, but at least they were dry - which was quite an improvement on what they were wearing at the moment.
She walked back to the fireplace, where Georg had managed to get a small, smoking fire going.
"The wood is dank, it's not really burning well, but it'll have to do," he said, turning round to face her.
"I found these. Not much, but we'll be able to get warm." She held out the blankets to him.
He pulled a face in disgust at the dusty things and sighed. "Well, it's better than nothing," he agreed with Maria.
He took the pillows out of her hands and spread them over the floor in front of the fire, then covered them with one of the blankets, trying to make the best of what they had.
When he was done, he looked up at Maria and saw a small smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. Glad that she was able to see the humour in their situation, he made a grand gesture with his arm toward the floor.
"Voila, Madame.. Your bed is made," he said with a fake French accent and a twinkle in his eyes.
"Ah, merci monsieur," she answered, eyes equally twinkling. She walked up to him and kissed him. He put his arms around her, but grimaced when he felt how cold she had become.
"We should get out of these wet clothes," he said rightly, and putting the deed to the word, started unbuttoning Maria's blouse. He peeled the wet material away from her and flung it over another chair. He saw her shiver.
"Are you cold?" he asked suggestively, knowing the shiver had not been caused by the temperature.
"I'm heating up," she answered with a straight face, and started fussing with the buttons of his shirt. He grinned and quickly helped her to get the rest of their wet clothes off.
When the last items of clothing had fallen to the floor in front of the fireplace, Georg scooped Maria up in his arms and laid her down on the makeshift bed. He grabbed one of the blankets and pulled it over them, snuggling close to her in the process.
"I'm sorry it's not more comfortable," he apologized, his nose buried in her neck.
"With you in it, any bed is comfortable to me," she murmured, pressing her lips to his face.
He smiled and kissed her back, sliding his hand round her waist, but was unhappy when he felt how cold her skin still was under his hands.
"Let me rub you warm," he said, and started moving his hands over her arms and shoulders. She sighed in contentment at his touch. However, he was quickly done with her arms, and moved his attention elsewhere. Her stomach, her thighs, her sides, her breasts all warmed up under the caress of his gentle hands.
By now she wasn't at all cold at all anymore, but made no protests. On the contrary, her breathing fastened and she moved even closer toward him, their mouths finding each other in a passionate kiss. She put her arms around him and pulled him close to her, completely forgetting the little cabin and dusty blankets.
And while the rain and wind tormented the outside world, the temperature inside the cabin rose as Georg and Maria found the perfect way to keep each other warm.