Her Arranged Alpha Husband by Alicia Banks
Chapter 20
Teri
She came to and it was warmer than she remembered. Teri looked around and it looked like she was inside of a log cabin, but she didn’t know where. It took a few seconds for her to remember what happened last. She had been lost in the snow going on a walk to clear her head. She had been turned around so quickly, and the home that was warm and inviting was gone. She had trudged around until she’d given up, leaning up against a tree. She had felt desperate, but tired as well. As soon as she had moved to the ground and leaned up against the tree, she had felt peace. It had been disconcerting and now Teri wasn’t sure where she was.
After a moment, she got her wits about her and started to get up. She was achy, but alive. Teri tried to speak, called to someone to see who had saved her, but nothing came out. Her throat was raw and dry. She felt horrible, a headache coming when she lifted her head up. It was as if Teri had been there longer than she thought. What was wrong? Why was she feeling the way that she was? How long had she been there?
Since she couldn’t get up, Teri started to look around more closely. She could see that someone else was there next to her. It didn’t occur to her it was someone she knew. Teri was convinced that it was a complete stranger that had run across her in the storm and saved her. It made more sense when she heard the door open and saw Ben. She sighed, leaning back onto the pillows.
“It is good to see you up, Teri. I was wondering when you were going to get warm enough.”
It felt like some kind of inside joke that she was privy to. “Where are we?”
“We are at an old cabin that our people keep. When we are traveling or hunting, it’s good to have some of these around. There is no telling what happens if we get stuck out here this far from the village. You had wandered a couple of miles away, Teri. Out here, especially now in the winter, it’s not safe to be out here for long. You should never come out alone.”
Teri felt chastised and she didn’t like the feeling that it gave her at all. It wasn’t her fault that she had gotten turned around. She had been bored, left to her own devices, and no one had given her a warning. Teri was defensive and he told her that there was no reason to be.
“I don’t care what happened, Teri, really I don’t. As long as you are okay, that’s all that matters to me. You scared me, that’s all.”
Teri said that she was doing her best to get used to the cold, but it had hit her hard. She felt embarrassed that he had to save her in the first place.
Ben promised to help her get used to the cold. “This is your home now Teri, I have to teach you the good of living here. I didn’t think to tell you how dangerous it was. I thought you would sleep because of our extracurricular activities.”
Teri made the biggest smile that she could manage. They had a great time before he had dropped her off. Teri hadn’t known what to do when he hadn’t come back after an hour or two. She waited and waited and finally got so restless that she had to get out of there. She did and that was how she ended up miles away from the village, almost dying of hypothermia. Teri didn’t know what she was supposed to say about it. She still couldn’t believe any of it was going on.
“I thought I was a goner,” Teri finally said in a sad, quiet tone. It had scared her and though she didn’t want him to feel sorry for her, Teri was overwhelmed with everything that happened. It was more than she could handle.
Ben moved to the side of the bed where he could sit next to her. He pulled her in for a hug and Teri slackened against him. She missed him, missed his assurances that everything was going to be okay. Teri was so worried that it was all going to be a disaster. She had the feeling of impending doom and then peace. She had sat down with every intention of never getting back up. Teri was so mad at herself for the weakness that made her sit down in the first place. Now, she felt like it had all been worth it and it had somehow had to happen that way. It made her feel a bit better, although she didn’t feel one hundred percent about it all.
Once he held her for a time, Teri finally felt better, and she asked him how long they had been there. She would have thought by the way she felt and how much time had passed according to her, that it had only been a few hours. The fact that there were several glasses by her bed and Ben looked rumpled, she had to bet that it was longer than that.
“We have been here for a few days now.”
Teri didn’t know what to say. She was shocked. She was more shocked that Ben had been by her side the whole time. It had been just the two of them, and he had likely taken care of her the whole time by himself. Teri couldn’t believe how different Ben was than she thought he would be.
“We have really been here that long?”
Ben agreed and moved her back into bed, his own body taking up much of the space. He wanted to be there, Teri could feel it, but she had questions. How had he found her? Why were they there? Teri wanted to know so many things, but first she had to extricate herself from Ben. He was clinging hard and when she said that she had thought she was a goner, it looked like Ben had thought the same thing. It might be why he was feeling so attached to her now. He was so afraid of losing her. He couldn’t let that happen. Ben kept repeating those things as he kissed her.
“I am sorry that you felt like you had to run away, Teri. I would have done anything you needed to be happy.” Ben started.
Teri told him that it wasn’t anything like that. Yes, she had been annoyed that he had dropped her off and left her for hours, but it wasn’t like she was going anywhere. She was just going for a walk, that’s it. She wanted fresh air and waiting around for him in that room was harder than she would have imagined. Teri knew that there was more to the story, but for the moment, she was going to be happy with his answer.
They held each other for a while, until Teri started to push herself onto Ben. She was always swept underneath him to be ravished or whatever it was that he wanted. Teri didn’t want that this time. This time, she wanted to be the one that was in control. She watched his eyes as she climbed on top of him, and it was the sort of look that made her weak in the knees.
“What are you doing?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Teri asked, grinding down on him in a way that made him growl back at her. She undressed as she rubbed onto him, and it wasn’t long until he was no longer objecting to what was on her mind. He was trying his best to hold it together, but it was easier said than done. His hands gripped her waist as she unleashed his hard length. He growled at her again and Teri took it as a good thing.
“Move your hands or I am going to get dressed.”
Ben looked at her funny for a moment and moved his hands down reluctantly. He didn’t want to, that was clear, but she did reward him as soon as he did. She whimpered as she settled down on top of him. It was all he could do to focus on anything else. Ben called out as she sunk down on top of him. Teri loved the way he sounded, looked, and acted. It was heaven all the way around with her and the cold snow, and the lonely feeling she had was a thing of the past.
Teri rode him slowly at first, picking up the pace at the end to push them both over the edge. When Ben finally did put his hands on her hips, it didn’t matter anymore. Teri wasn’t with it enough to stop him. She came several more times, collapsing on his body after a time. Teri felt amazing and she purred into his ear.
