Page 23 of Trapped with the Ice Queen

Alex stood there, her broad shoulders tense, one hand gripping the back of her neck. Her hesitation was palpable, an almost physical barrier in the charged air. The firelight played tricks, highlighting the hard lines of her jaw and the slight twitch in her fingers.

Vivienne shifted slightly, propping herself up on one elbow. Her voice, when she spoke, was soft, coaxing. “It’s just a bed, Alex. Not a declaration of war.”

Alex glanced at her, the faintest quirk of her lips betraying a reluctant amusement. “Feels like one.”

Vivienne smiled, letting her fingers trail across the edge of the quilt. “You think too much.” Her tone held a playful lilt, but the look in her eyes was unguarded. “Come here.”

Alex didn’t move right away, her gaze dropping to the floor. For a moment, Vivienne thought she might walk away and go back to the couch. But then Alex exhaled, a slow, deliberate sound, and crossed the space between them in two long strides.

She paused at the edge of the bed, her weight shifting from one foot to the other. “I don’t...” Alex started, but her voice trailed off, the words faltering.

Vivienne reached for her hand, her fingers brushing against Alex’s calloused palm. “You don’t have to explain,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Just be here.”

That seemed to break something in Alex. She sat down slowly, the mattress dipping under her weight. Her shoulders were still taut, her body coiled with a tension Vivienne could feel from inches away.

Vivienne moved closer, her hand sliding up Alex’s arm. Her touch was light, almost hesitant, as though afraid to spook her. “It’sokay,” she murmured, her lips curving into a faint smile. “I don’t bite, remember?”

Alex huffed a laugh, the sound low and almost reluctant. “I remember,” she said, her voice rough around the edges.

The air between them thickened, the quiet amplifying every shift, every breath. Vivienne’s hand moved to Alex’s cheek, caressing circles on her smooth skin. Alex turned slightly into the touch, her eyes closing for just a moment before they met Vivienne’s.

“Why are you doing this?” Alex asked, her voice barely audible.

Vivienne’s heart clenched at the vulnerability in the question, the unspoken weight behind it. “Because I want to,” she said simply, her hand falling to Alex’s chest. She could feel the steady thrum of her heartbeat beneath her palm, a grounding rhythm that steadied her own nerves.

When Alex finally leaned in, it was tentative, as though she still wasn’t sure this was allowed. Vivienne met her halfway, her lips brushing softly against Alex’s. The kiss was gentle at first, exploratory, but it deepened quickly, the heatbetween them sparking to life like the fire that warmed the room.

Vivienne shifted, pulling Alex down onto the bed with her. The quilt tangled around them as their bodies pressed together, the warmth of Alex’s skin seeping into her own. There was an urgency to Alex’s movements, a different type of hunger that Vivienne hadn’t seen before but welcomed all the same.

She tugged at the hem of Alex’s shirt, her fingers brushing against the bare skin beneath. Alex shuddered under her touch, her breath hitching as Vivienne’s hands explored the planes of her back.

“You’re so tense,” Vivienne murmured against Alex’s lips, her tone teasing.

“Hard to relax,” Alex muttered, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Vivienne’s laugh was soft, a low, warm sound that filled the space between them. “Let me help with that,” she said, her voice tinged with both playfulness and promise. "Stay with me tonight. Not because it's practical or because the couch is uncomfortable, but because you want to."

For a long moment, Alex just looked ather, searching her face for something. Whatever she found there must have convinced her, because the tension in her shoulders finally eased.

"I want to," Alex admitted, the words carrying the weight of confession.

Vivienne lifted Alex’s shirt above her head and pulled it off then slid out of her nightgown, discarding the garments on the floor next to them. She pulled her down to lay next to her, acutely aware of all the points their skin touched.

They lay like that in silence, Vivienne trying to match her breathing with Alex’s. Vivienne rested her head on Alex’s chest, the rise and fall of her breathing lulling her into a sense of peace she hadn’t felt in... well, longer than she could remember.

Alex’s hand moved to her back, her fingers drawing slow, aimless patterns there. “You okay?” she asked, her voice rough but tender.

Vivienne smiled, her eyes drifting closed. “More than okay,” she murmured.

The rhythmic sound of Alex’s heartbeat filled her ears, grounding her in the moment, and the shared intimacy—different from what they had experienced together so far—felt like a welcome change. For the first time, the cabin didn’t feel quite so cold, and the storm outside seemed a distant memory. Whatever lay beyond this night, Vivienne found she wasn’t afraid to face it. Not anymore.

8

ALEX

The first thing Alex noticed was the warmth. It radiated through the heavy quilt, seeped into her limbs, and pooled in her chest. For a moment, she didn’t move, caught in the hazy pull of dawn where sleep and wakefulness blended into one. The pale light filtering through the windows cast a golden glow over the cabin, softening the edges of their rough surroundings.

Then she realized the warmth had a shape. Her arm rested over Vivienne’s waist, the curve of her body tucked neatly against Alex’s own. A strand of long brown hair tickled her nose.

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