Chasing Fire

Kissing Fire - Part 5

The early morning fell away softly into a brilliant, bright morning as they watched the sun slide into her glorious throne in the sky. Even though it was cold, and Noralee sat on the log with her sleeping bag wrapped around her arms, she could hardly feel the cold with Bear's warm body radiating heat in all directions. He was hot. Plain and simple. She had never met a person with so much warmth in his body and personality. He was like his own personal sun, ready to give life giving vigor to anyone he decided to deem a smile. Just being next to him made her smile and he asked her what was making her smile.

"You. I bet your never have a bad day. You are always so happy and positive." She liked the way the morning sun caught the fiery highlights in his hair. A thick mane of pure fire. It was alive with layers of shimmering shades of red erupting around his handsome face making his blue eyes an electric blue. It was impossible to get enough of the sight of him.

"I have bad days, but they don't last long. There is always a tomorrow, if we are lucky enough to see it." There it was again, that irrepressible grin and the merry twinkling in his eyes. He went to bed happy and woke up happy like a young child.

She could hear a beautiful Opus of an operatic chorus in her head as she watched him make their fire. The music was clear and fine, much like him, and it had her floating on a soft wave of infatuation. Why was she so drawn to him after only a day? It didn't make any rational sense. Maybe it was the matter of him rescuing her when she was scared, lonely, lost, cold and hungry. Perhaps survival is the ultimate aphrodisiac, an unparalleled elixir to the heart propelled by the mind's precocious intent to survive.  An irresistible light in the presence of darkness. Whatever was causing the attraction was pulling her along like a lazy butterfly following the sweet notes playing in her mind. He moved with a curious momentum, as if carried along by an internal motor that never shut down or lay idle. He was swift, lithe and sure as he took his time babying the kindling and tiny spark.

"There is an art to making fire. I respect it above all things in the world. It is dangerous and comforting. It can warm you, keep you alive, or burn you if you get too close. It can heal or destroy." He blew on the fine wood shavings and tiny flame he held in his palms. It was like he was kissing the fire to bring it back to life. Whispering sweet nothings to it and coaxing it to awake and breathe for him. The fire, with his kiss, became alive.

"Sounds like love." She looked into his eyes as he looked up from his palms and smiled while he continued blowing on the tiny fire he held in his hands. The way he pursed his full lips made her dizzy and she had to look away. Strangely erotic, the way he held his face so close to the flame. He wasn't afraid to burn his sensuous lips with its hot kiss. All thoughts of proper decorum were chased away with images of her kissing him madly. Now, she was too warm for the sleeping bag and slipped it off her shoulders. She resisted the all-consuming urges to grab him by his glorious mane and kiss him, blaming the close quarters and romantic wilderness. Whatever it was, she was like Krispie Kreme Donuts, the light is on;  Hot and Ready. Deciding it was a bad idea to find herself at the point of no return, she was on the verge of a wildfire inside her. She slipped off the log and went to the river to cool herself off.

The river was refreshing to her burning cheeks as she splashed the frigid, clear water on her face and neck. She looked around at the beautiful landscape growing wild and unfettered, bending only to nature's, not man's, will. She brushed her tangled, long hair with the beautiful aria still playing in head and the thought of him kissing the tender fire that he was tending inside her. She wished she was the fire in his hands.

 He suddenly came lunging into the river, arms and legs splashing wildly and caught a fat trout with his bare hands.  Noralee couldn't help but laugh helplessly. It was comical and amazing the way he could catch fish with his hands. He grinned a wide, boyish grin and again, the aria sang out in her mind. He was poetry in motion, a symphony of the wild land and a tribute to all things natural and simple. He was nature itself, untamed and wild, with a streak of lightning running through his veins. Magnetic and rustically charming, drawing her closer to him. 

"I love the way you fish." She was still giggling at him as the fish tried its best to wiggle free and slapped him in the face with its tail. She started laughing uncontrollably at the sight and the face he made from the protesting fish.

"He doesn't want to be our breakfast." He placed the fish on a rock and began punching it. Noralee was still not used to his methods to incapacitate a caught fish. She had to look away. However, breakfast was tasty and she appreciated his skills and the fish's sacrifice. It was strange seeing her food alive before eating it. The thought made her think twice before wasting any of it. Bear was an excellent cook and knew how to get the fish tasting juicy and not dry. The freshness and the spices he used created a symphony in her mouth. She had never tasted something so good before.

"So, I guess you will show me the way back today?" She asked him as they cleaned the breakfast dishes in the river, feeling a little sad that she had to leave him.

He straightened his back and said happily, "Why don't you let me show you the most breathtaking view you have ever seen before you go?"

Noralee agreed to go with him wherever he took her, but in the back of her mind she thought, "I am already looking at it."