The Dance

Chapter 168 Coming Clean

Red awoke in the middle of the night pleased to see Bear was still asleep next to her. For someone who lived in the bush, she admired how soundly he slept. Maybe the comfort of knowing that he didn't have to worry about becoming a meal for a real bear made him sleep more deeply or maybe it was just sheer exhaustion from their amorous activities. Either way, Red felt a contentment that she had not experienced before. There were no preconceived expectations. Everything played out naturally and comfortably but most importantly, he didn't see her as broken.

Red slid out the bed grabbing Bear's shirt to wear as her pajama top. His scent was all over her and she breathed it in like oxygen. She quietly made her way to the kitchen pouring herself the remains of the sparkling cider and wandered back into the bedroom. She watched Bear sleep from where she stood, sipping her drink. His hair was a wild mess and he was wrapped in a tangle of sheets. She smiled, feeling her own blush, as her eyes traced the outline of his arms to his chest and down to his bare leg that peeked out from the covers. She finished her drink and slipped back into bed nestling herself in the crook of his arm and quietly drifted into slumber again.

Bear woke as soon the sun broke the corners of Red's bedroom windows. He found Red in all her glorious slumber wearing his shirt and hugging a pillow as tightly as she had hugged him the night before. Her long auburn hair covered her eyes and he admired his sleeping beauty. His shirt never looked better but then he didn't usually find himself in situations where a girl was wearing it. She looked perfect to him. He didn't see her as flawed or scarred or broken. He saw her as a fighter, a survivor and a woman of many talents. The hardest part of the week would be his return home, but for the first time in a very long time, he didn't miss home nor did he want to go home.

Bear turned the handles in the shower beginning a long hot shower which was a luxury to him. Not since bunking with Jill and Matt had he experienced a long uninterrupted shower and with the ability to control the temperature. He slipped under the pulsating water letting the flow run over his tired shoulders. He turned to face the shower head soaking his hair. He felt a momentary breeze as the shower curtain pulled back and a bare naked lady joined him in the heat of shower.

"Starting without me?" Red wrapped an arm around Bear's waist kissing his back.

"I didn't want to wake you." Bear turned to face Red pushing his hair back from his face. If he thought she looked sexy in bed, she looked even more beautiful wet and being naked didn't hurt her appeal.

Her sexiness belied her eyes. Maybe it was her sly smile or the way she touched him but it didn't take him long to fall under her spell yet again and he quickly found himself wanting her all over. She pulled him closer to her wrapping her leg around his. He pressed her closer to the cold tile wall sending a shiver down her spine.

She whispered in his ear. "Do you need an invitation, Mr. Brown?"

He wasted no time in responding with deeds not words. The shower drowned out her guttural response  as he made love to her. They stayed in the shower long past the time that the water had run cold, never noticing the change. They were lost in the moment creating their own heat.

Major-Why I love you