Excerpt from “The Gale Winds” Ch. 2

First light found Mira groggy and sore and stubbornly resisting the call of the morning. Sleep seemed to want to smother her in its embrace, but a chill in the air spurred her to consciousness. This was beginning to feel like the start of a very unpleasant day, she thought. Shivering, she curled up into herself. The next thing she felt was a warm and gentle touch on her bare shoulder that sent another shiver through her, but this time the sensation was a great deal more pleasurable.

"Cold?" a soft voice inquired behind her. Without opening her eyes, Mira smiled and turned towards that voice which happened to be the source of that gentle warmth on her shoulder. As she snuggled into a pair of strong arms, her numb nose brushed something especially toasty, and the voice gasped, "You're freezing!"

"Whose fault is that?" Mira yawned. The arms wrapped around her and squeezed her in closer. Now it was her turn to gasp as her bare skin met with heat along the length of her body.

The voice sighed, "Sorry, I don't mean to take all the blankets for myself. Why don't you ever say anything?"

Mira was almost too busy lavishing in the fire of the warm body beside her to respond, but she managed to whisper, "Why should I be the one to wake to fix your mistakes?"

She heard a scoff. "Well, after last night's," they paused, "activity, I think any man would be a bit done in, right?" Mira gave a soft moan and another shudder of happiness as she pressed herself against the owner of the voice.

A light touch lifted her chin, and she finally opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the outline of a familiar face framed with ringlets of ginger hair and set with a pair of dark eyes. Those eyes were fixed on hers with a soft intensity even as an easy smile graced his lips.

He leaned in, brushed his lips to her ear, and whispered, "Speaking of activity..."

Mira forgot the cold all she could feel was his breath against her skin. She smiled and likewise whispered, "Don't you have work to do?"

"Not for hours yet. And you?"

"None, my lady is away."

"Well," he placed a kiss on her neck, "my lady is right here, where she belongs, and I'd like to take advantage of that."

Mira reached up to touch his face, "What did you have in--"

His lips had claimed hers before the words were all out, and she responded with her whole body.