Free Ask No Tomorrows by Rita Hestand Page A

right
direction.”
    Riley reached
for him before he knew what she was doing when a crashing sound had
the door nearly bursting open.
    “ Easy there, it’s okay, nothin’s gonna hurt you. I won’t let
it,” Sam whispered near her ear.
    Sam steadied
himself but let her cling, knowing she wasn’t faking as her whole
body was shaking against his now. The crashing noises from above
drowned his thudding heart as he pulled her ever closer. An
intangible thread stretched between them. She was warm and soft in
all the right places and it pleased him that she reached for him
for security.
    “ What’s in your pocket?” she gasped, pulling away to
look.
    “ Just the dream catcher. Thought maybe it’s powers would help
us a little.”
    “ Good thinking; sure wouldn’t hurt, would it?”
    Sam
smiled.
    “ Please Sam, please hold me…” she cried. “I’m so
scared.”
    Sam started to
shove her away, but when her hands reached to pull him against her,
he held her tight. Her head rested just below his chin; she’d lost
her hat long ago so her hair tickled his chin, a soft tickle. She
pulled him tighter. “Oh God Sam, are we gonna die?”
    The roar from
the storm was nearing overhead.
    The frantic
quality of her voice had him suddenly calming.
    “ No…not yet…Just shut it out, don’t listen to what’s goin’ on
out there. Don’t think on it. You’re gonna feel a real
decompression, and it’s gonna pull everything, even your skin, but
don’t be scared. Just don’t think on it.” Sam managed to sound calm
although holding her sent new awareness through him. “Think on
something good, something warm and cozy, like a fire.” He was
totally unaccustomed to having a fully grown woman hang onto him
so. His body began to respond to hers and his arms went about her
for reassurance, resting just below her breast. A thumb absently
stroked her there, absently feeling the small swell of her breast
before he realized what he was touching. But she grabbed him even
closer and clung. “I’m so scared, Sam.”
    “ Hush now, I won’t let it hurt you,” he whispered somewhere
near her ear. “You gotta trust me on that. I got a feelin’ it ain’t
our time yet.”
    But there was
more than just arms wrapping around arms. His protective nature
sprang forward, and yet the reality of it hit Sam square in the
face. Riley was a special person, and he had to protect her, for
Riley had done the impossible. She had reached some inner core in
him, broken and shattered his well protected heart.
    But when she
moved her head to look up at him through the darkness, she seemed
to stretch the distance to find him. Her lips touched his chin
first, by accident, bumping, lingering, then bumping, and he
thought it was his imagination, until he heard her indrawn breath,
and Sam was unprepared, for her gasp when he felt the soft breath
she sighed and at last their lips met. He didn’t know if he kissed
her or she kissed him, but it was as natural as breathing when it
happened. A soft coming together, his mind whirled as her lips
moved slowly, tentatively over his, as though searching for
something. He savored the sweetness of her innocence as they
quickly created a dreamy intimacy, shutting out the world and the
turmoil of it. If he could put the storm out of her mind, he would,
but was that why he enjoyed kissing her so much?
    Sam shucked
his inhibitions, this was as good as any a distraction, he decided
and maybe a little better than he planned.
    He
reached to pull her arms away, but instead his hands rested there,
but he did manage to pull away just a tad. He stared through the
darkness at her, waiting so his eyes adjusted to the darkness and
her. He wanted to tell her there would be no more of that. But it
never happened. Instead, gradually his fingers slid slowly to touch
her soft cheeks, stoking her into a calm, as though he’d never
touched a girl there. Her skin was soft to the touch, as her head
bent to cuddle against his fingers. He