1. Kissing

Danielle shivered, trying to stay warm in the early autumn nights was one of the most difficult things for her to adjust to. She was used to sleeping in her big, comfy, cushy California King bed. Sleeping on the cold, hard ground was like a punishment to her. She knew she could trust Randy's instincts though. He'd deemed this small coastal cave the safest place for them to stay for the night.

Danielle shivered again. She bolted upright, sudden frustration overwhelming her entire being. She didn't want to be cold anymore, no matter what. She was done with it. She heard Randy snore softly, of course he didn't mind the cold. He was trained to not mind the cold. She hugged herself and rubbed her arms, trying to warm her blood enough to make an actual difference. Randy must've been disturbed by the sound of her sleeping bag because he rolled over to face her and opened his eyes, woken unintentionally by her noisy attempt to warm up.

"You okay?" he asked her, concern laced throughout his smooth voice.

"I'm cold." Her answer was short, uninviting of any other conversation.

"It's not safe to have a fire. We'd easily be spotted. C'mere," he ushered her over to him as he unzipped his sleeping bag. "You'll be warmer in here with me. Can't have the good doctor freeze to death." He sighed sleepily and waited for her to join him. The dark masked his expression, leaving her unable to determine what his true feelings about the sharing of his warmth really were.

Danielle, herself, wasn't sure it was a good idea. She had a hard enough time controlling her thoughts around him as it was, to be so close to him would be torture. Feeling his muscular frame pressed against hers, it made her tremble and she hadn't even moved yet. Randy had made it clear that romance would not be something that would be possible.

She hesitated before finally crawling out of her sleeping bag and into his. It was an awkward affair, trying to scramble in without hurting him in the very limited space available. "What's the best way to fit in here?" she asked, hoping he would help her get a little more comfortable.

"Just lay on your side, facing away from me." His voice reverberated through her entire body, like the vibrations in a guitar. She couldn't help the way her body reacted to him, couldn't stop the goosebumps that rose up on every inch of her skin when she felt his warm breath on her skin.

"Uh, okay." She rolled carefully onto her side. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tightly against his body. The warmth rolled off his muscular body in waves.

"Warmer?" he asked as his breath tickled her ear.

"Mhmm," she whispered. If she'd said actual words she'd have betrayed herself and given away how she was feeling, absolutely and positively burning alive from her arousal. She felt him shift slightly, and could have sworn she felt him move closer to her, if that had been possible with how close they already were.

"Are you sure? You have goosebumps," he said as he ran a hand up and down her arm slowly with just his fingertips touching her skin and setting it ablaze. He knew he shouldn't touch her like he was, he shouldn't give into the urges he felt whenever she came near him. It was him who had said romance wasn't in the cards, after all.

"Randy…" her voice barely a whisper trailed off into silence, his touch making every thought leave her mind as quickly as it had entered. He couldn't help the thrill he felt as she said his name, it had never sounded so good before.

"Yeah, Dani?" he asked, urging her to continue her sentence, without stopping his hand from following the curve of her waist and to pause briefly on her hip before it made it's slow journey back up her arm.

"Please don't stop," she said, a simple command in a whisper that could barely be heard. Randy's hand reached Danielle's shoulder and followed the curve of her neck and stopped on her cheek to turn her to face him just enough to touch his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. Danielle savored the softness of his lips, which left hers too quickly. The way she had arched her neck and back to be able to kiss Randy had also caused her to press her backside into his groin, where she felt his hardness growing. She pressed against him, grinding into him, making him involuntarily press closer to her.

"We can't, it's not safe."

"Will it ever be?" she asked sincerely as she rolled over to face him. He pulled her in tightly with an arm around her waist.

"Eventually," he said, a promise to her within himself. He would help make this world safe for her again, no matter what it took, because he'd go to the ends of the Earth for this woman he realized in that moment. He pressed another kiss to her lips and slowly pulled away. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face and stroked her cheek with his thumb. "For now, just rest. I'll keep you warm." He watched as she closed her eyes, a small smile evident on her face. As barbaric as it was, all he wanted to do was set her up on a pedestal and defend her from any form of danger, like a knight in shining armor. Randy had never thought of himself as romantic, but he'd be whatever she needed him to be. Tonight, it was warm. What would tomorrow be? He thought to himself as he felt himself starting to drift to sleep.