Instinct

Chapter 3

I was woken up by the sound of the howling wind and the chill that was now surrounding my body. I dragged myself upwards and noticed that the fire had gone out sometime during my unexpected nap. The small rectangular windows were covered with worn out curtains and tried to let in some light from outside but seeing as how it was pretty much still dark outside as well as due to the positioning of the cabin not much light was let into the cabin. From what I could tell I could safely assume that it was either the early AMs or it was late in the evening.

I let my eyes adjust to the darkness of the cabin before I carefully stood up and stretched my stiff body and then I made my way to the silhouette of the man that laid fast asleep on the bed.

His breathing seemed normal which made me feel a whole bunch of relief and at the moment he didn't sound or seem like anyone who was in pain.

My gaze moved downwards to his covered legs. The sweatpants that he was wearing prevented me from seeing the bandage, but I was glad to see that it didn't seem as though he's thigh was bleeding.

With a tired and quiet sigh I made my way to a nearby chair and plopped myself on it.

This place felt pretty cold, and as much as the clothes that I was wearing were trying to provide me with heat, they weren't completely helping. I wanted more than anything to curl up into a ball but I couldn't, not while I wasn't sitting on this chair anyway, and the was no way that I was going back to the floor. I really wished that I could get a blanket or some sort of additional layor of clothing but there was no way that I was going going wake up an injured man just for that.

This was going to be a long, probably sleepless night. I tried relaxing my back onto the chair and closing my eyes just to take my chances.

"You're probably freezing over there." My eyes snapped open and looked in the direction of where the voice came from. "Come here."

"I'm okay, really." I tried to protest.

"We both know that you're not." He replied in his still sleep intoxicated, groggy voice.

"It's nothing I can't handle." I gently said in a hopefully reassuring way.

"You don't want me to stand up and bring you over here myself, do you." He threatened in a controlled and soft voice that held promise that he would get up to get me if I didn't comply.

"Alright, I'm coming. Just don't stand or do anything that could injure you even further." I said with a sigh as I dragged myself upwards and made my way over to bed.

"Climb in." He said pulling over his blankets in a way that made room for me to get under the blankets and slowly, and carefully moving over to make some room for me to get in.

"Oh no, no, no. There is no need, you can just tell me where I can find another blanket or something, that should be more than enough, the chair is really not that bad." I tried to protest with my hands also moving in a side to side motion as I took an uncontrolled step backwards only for a calloused hand to grip onto my wrist.

"Stubborn woman." He said gently tugging me over to him.

Well this was definitely not how I was expecting everything to turn out.

"You're injured and sleeping together would not be very appropriate." I rambled, trying to get him to listen to reason, but of course it was to no avail.

"It'll be fine." He simply said as my butt landed on the bed below.

"What if I accidentally kick you in the middle of the night or something like that?" I tried to protest for the last time.

"I highly doubt it," He said now sounding amused more than anything, "Now lay down and sleep, I promise that I don't bite."

"How can I be sure." I asked even though I was already settling onto the bed and laying on my side. I could literally feel his body heat engulfing my being, even though he was no longer touching me.