there wasn’t going to be anything that came even close to fitting her so I pulled out a pair of jeans and offered them to her.
She didn’t seem to have an issue with how big they were and pulled them on, but I couldn’t help but laugh as a foot of material trailed beyond her feet and the waistband gaped so wide that it was clear they had zero chance of staying up.
I reached into the closet again and retrieved a leather belt for her, trying to ignore the way she flinched at the sight of it and pressing it into her hands. She bit down on her lip and started trying to thread it through the loops in the jeans, but her fingers were trembling too much to get it through.
“Did they use a belt to hurt you?” I murmured as I laid my hands over hers to still them and she flinched again as she looked up at me, nodding just enough to confirm it.
“When I get my hands on them, I’ll tie them down and whip them bloody for you,” I growled. “I won’t stop until all the flesh is stripped from their backs and they’re lying in a puddle of their own blood and then I’ll cut their fucking heads off and hand them to you in a goddamn gift basket.”
She inhaled sharply and for a moment I thought I’d frightened her, but that wasn’t what was blazing in her green eyes. No, what I found there was a pure and unending thirst for vengeance. She was excited by my words, and something about that made my heart pound.
I took over with the belt, winding my arms around her as I slid it through the loops, sharing breath with her as the action drew us close together and my fingertips skimmed along her flesh in a feather light touch. Her back arched in response, a shaky breath escaping her parted lips as I slid the belt through the buckle and cinched it tight.
Her hands landed on my biceps as I tugged a little too hard and knocked her off balance and she left them there as I forced a new hole through the belt to secure the jeans.
Her gaze took me captive as we hesitated in that space and I slowly sank to my knees before her, reaching down to roll the ankles of the jeans up for her while she just watched me like she didn’t know what to expect. I hated that simple kindness confused her, that suspicion still swirled within her eyes no matter how often I proved that she had nothing to fear from me.
Once her jeans were turned up, I gave her two more thick pairs of socks to help hold the boots on her feet then gave her a sweater which swamped her, a thick, waterproof jacket, a hat and a pair of warm gloves.
By the time she had it all on, she was totally submerged in the layers of fabric and I couldn’t help but chuckle at her all bundled up like that, but at least I knew she’d be warm.
I tossed my own clothes on next and we were soon heading out into the snowy forest.
Tyson bounded off into the trees the moment we descended the wooden steps and Winter kept close to my side as I led the way to the perimeter I liked to walk to see if anyone had come close to my home while I slept.
There was a clear trail in the snow which had been left by Duke and his men and I kept my rifle over my shoulder, ready in case we happened to see them again. But everything was so silent out here that there wasn’t much chance of that happening without us realising they were coming. Tyson would give me plenty of warning and if they were unlucky enough to come across me out here in the trees, I was confident in my ability with my rifle to know I could take them all down before they got anywhere near us.
We started walking the wide circle around the cabin and every now and then I’d stop and check tracks left by animals in the snow, making sure there was no signs of anyone else being up in this forest aside from Duke and his men.
As we got close to completing our circuit, Winter caught my elbow and tugged so that I could look at her. She pointed all around us,