Nothing had changed and yet everything was different. For him. For her. Maybe forever. He thought he should speak, but he his feelings overwhelmed him, and he couldn’t find the words he wanted to say.
“No,” Lilly interrupted before he could try. “Just this. Now.”
She pulled off her shirt and Alex forgot everything else anyway. She stood in front of him in a simple white bra, her skin like alabaster in the dim light. Her pants rode low on her hips, below the rounded belly. For a moment he could only stare. Gently, he touched the silky curve of her breast. The softness, the weight of it. It unhinged his mind and all thought fell into the void it left behind.
She unbuttoned his shirt and he shrugged out of it, pulling his undershirt over his head while she unfastened her bra. When she pressed against him again, skin to skin, he groaned.
Lilly took his hand, palm snug in his, and lead him to the bedroom, where the covers were still mussed from their morning. So many things had changed in the few hours that had passed. Grateful for another chance to be with Lilly, Alex made long, slow love to her and he didn’t even try to pretend it was anything less.
***
They dozed for a while, holding each other in the cool shadows of the bedroom. There was no pulling away, this time. No emotional withdrawal by either of them. They said very little, and yet Alex felt at peace. If he could have found a way to freeze those moment for eternity, he would have gladly committed to living them over and over again.
Much later, Lilly slipped from the bed, donned his flannel shirt, and went out to the kitchen. She returned after a minute with two glasses of water and concern on her face. “Have you seen Belle?”
Worried, Alex got up and helped her search. Belle wasn’t on her bed or by the couch or the door. Lilly finally found her in the closet off the bedroom, circling as she hunted for a place to lie down, but the closet was too small for such a massive creature.
Lilly watched with bewilderment. “What does she want?”
Alex put his arm around her shoulders. “I don’t know much about dogs either, but most animals need to feel safe when they have their offspring.”
Lilly looked at him with shock. “She’s having the puppies? Now?”
He shrugged. “That’d be my guess.”
The cabin was small with few isolated places, and none big enough for the Great Dane. At last, Alex turned the coffee table on its side and pushed its legs up against a corner of the wall, creating a triangular box just large enough for Belle to stretch out. Lilly lined it with old towels, talking to Belle in a soothing voice as she coaxed her over. The corner was cozy and away from the other dogs, and after a few apprehensive sniffs, Belle seemed to give it her approval.
Before the big dog could climb in, though, a loud thump came from outside and the other dogs began to bark again. More hellhounds? Dreading what she’d see, Lilly followed Alex to the window to look out. Two massive paws with long, jointed digits held onto the sill and a black head with blue eyes looked in.
Lilly recoiled and Alex cursed softly. They both turned in surprise as Belle hobbled over to where they stood. The dog groaned as she went up on her hind legs, resting her paws on the window sill. On the other side, the hellhound lowered its head and pressed its nose to the glass. Belle did the same.
“Are you seeing this?” Alex whispered.
Lilly nodded. She saw. She even understood in a strange and twisted way.
“Alex, what if that hellhound is the father?”
She knew he’d come to the same conclusion. There was no surprise in his eyes as he stared from one animal to the other. The hellhound made a low, whining sound and Belle yipped in response before lowering her paws and making a slow, pained path to the enclosure they’d made for her.
Lilly turned away from the window and went to assist Belle. She put water near the dog and stroked her fur as Belle moaned through the start of her labor. Alex paced, moving from one window to another, worried that the hellhounds would come back. Worried that one of his fellow soldiers might have heard the gunshots from earlier and follow the sound to the cabin.
They should talk about that. About what he planned to do once the snow stopped coming down. But Lilly couldn’t bring herself to broach the subject. She was afraid she might cry and beg this man who was as much a stranger as a lover, to never leave her. She knew it was ridiculous to feel so passionately about him.
They’d only met two days ago. Next week, they might not even like each other. Yet Lilly couldn’t make herself believe any of it. She didn’t make instant connections with people, especially men. But from the moment he’d touched her on the trail, she’d been connected to Alex. He’d become a part of her and she wanted the chance to know if he might become a permanent piece of her life.