Snow was falling all around her, and she had been out in the cold weather for some time, so it was to warm up with a glass of scotch and a fire that Azjah pushed open the doors of the Inn. She found the closest table to the fireplace and slid out of her jacket, draping it over the back of the chair before sending a serving lad to retrieve a glass of Dalwhinnie for her. She settled onto the comfortable chair and closed her eyes with a sigh as she soaked up the warmth from both the scotch and the fire. She pulled both legs up beneath herself and leaned her head back to just listen and relax for a few minutes.
Out on the porch, Colonel Wil Savage flicked the last of the cigarette into the street before placing spread fingers upon the door to swing it open. He came inside into the warmth of the Inn with the collar of his black leather flight jacket pulled up. He had no fondness for snow and cold weather. His home planet, Schedar, was known for its moderate climate throughout the entire planet except for the extreme polar latitudes. He would always cringe whenever he was assigned to a planet with sub-freezing temperatures. Rhydin was far from being the worst he had to endure, and he was thankful for that, but it was still too cold for his comfort.
Wil stood in the doorway for a moment as the door closed behind him and surveyed the room for the woman who holds his heart. He found her in front of the fireplace, and that bad boy grin slid across his face.
Azjah felt the cold dance of snow laden wind as the door opened, and she burrowed lower into the chair and closer to the flames without turning around to see who?d come inside. The door had opened and closed several times, and each time she had been in the draft from the door, but it was worth it for the heat that radiated from the flames in between those brief moments.
Wil walked up behind her, ?Are you going to hog all that heat for yourself?? Then he winked at her as her eyes flew open at his unexpected nearness. She had not known that Wil was in town just yet, but she was, as always, ecstatic to see him.
She grinned up at him before hopping off the chair, ?Darlin?!? She wrapped both arms around his waist, ?Not if I can sit on your lap, I?ll share.? She offered him the glass of scotch that she had held in her hands moments earlier. The possibility of curling up in Wil?s lap before a fire was simply too good to miss.
Wil took the scotch after giving Azjah a kiss, then sat down in her chair and removed his leather jacket to reveal a deep green, cable knit sweater beneath to ward off the cold winds of RhyDin. ?I?d love to have you on my lap, baby.? He grinned and sat, taking Azjah by the hand to lead her down where he could hold her close for the time being.
She had leaned into him for that first kiss, and then settled lightly onto his lap, her fingers burrowing into the sweater as she curled one arm around his neck. ?Now I can be warm on both sides.? She teased and winked at him. She had been cold since she had arrived; but with Wil?s presence, she no longer felt chilled, quite the contrary. Wil had a way of making Azjah overly warm with just a smile.
He chuckled at her, ?Me too, babe.? Then he took the scotch and lifted it slightly in her direction, ?Cheers.?
Azjah gave him a soft laugh, ?Cheers, darlin?.? She gave him a glance filled with mischief, ?I was thinking, since it?s such a lovely snowy night, we should do something wintery.? She knew Wil was not overly fond of cold and snow, but her mind was already thinking ahead. Nights such as this were meant for fun, and after a frolic in the snow, a nice fire and a snifter of fine brandy sounded like pure heaven to her. Well, as far as heaven went while remaining public she amended to herself.
Wil?s dark blue eyes met Azjah?s pale blue, ?Like?.? He shrugged a boneless shrug, ?snow angels? Or hibernating?? He sipped the scotch and gave Azjah a knowing smile that spoke volumes if you knew how to read it. Wil?s idea of ?enjoying? the snow was a fire, a fine cognac, and a big window to look out of rather than actually being out in the cold, wet stuff.
Azjah flashed him a smile that was mischief in the making, ?How about a snowball fight?? His smile elicited a merry laugh from her as somehow, someway, they both knew how this adventure would culminate. It was not that she expected to win any snowball fight with Wil, but the sheer joy of the game was what she was after.
?Ahhh, winter war games, huh?? An answering imp lit his deep blue gaze as he studied her almost solemnly. ?Okay, but does the winner get a prize?? He was fighting that trademark grin by this time.
Azjah laid her head gently against his, putting them cheek to cheek as she gave the appearance of thinking about it, ?hmmm, I think the winner should get to define the prize based on how many snowballs hit their marks, what do you think?? She was fighting a huge grin as she made her proposal to him curled up on his lap, and waiting for him to accept her invitation. She knew he was going to accept, his playful side was usually carefully hidden from others, but Azjah had seen it many times.
He lightly rubbed his cheek against hers, ?Sounds good.? He finished the remainder of the scotch and shot her a grin, ?Let?s go.? He leaned forward to wait for her to get off his lap.
Azjah kissed the corner of his mouth before getting off of his lap and reaching for her own jacket, ?From the heat of the fire into the cold of the night,? and she winked at him. She fleetingly wondered just how good he was at throwing snowballs, but in moments, she would find out. They may be heading into the chill night air, but neither one would be cold, she was absolutely certain of that.
Wil?s voice was a richly accented, velvety baritone that was meant for only Azjah to hear, ?And then into the heat of the bed?? Wil seldom let his words carry any kind of identifiable accent, but when it was just the two of them, it came out subtly now and then.
Azjah?s lips curved upward at that. When he spoke to her with that tone, she melted. There was no other way to put it. ?Have I told you lately that I love the way you think?? She slid into the jacket, and pulled the deerskin gloves from her pocket and donned them as well before pulling the fur collar up closely around her neck and fastening it. The fur should keep the snow from running down her back, or worse.
Wil stood then and put his own leather jacket back on. ?Hmmm, didn?t you say that just this morning?? He gave her that bad boy wink that suggested so much as he fastened the jacket up in preparation for heading into the snow once more.
Azjah felt herself color instantly as she thought back to the morning, ?May I plead the Fifth?? All too clearly she remembered that morning, and her traitorous mind brought it flooding back with crystal clarity at that instant.
Wil was grinning widely now, ?Yes, I think that?s only fair. C?mon, let?s see what you can do with those snowballs.? He motioned for her to precede him.
Azjah linked her arm in his and headed for the door, she slanted a look up at him as they neared the door, ?The better question is what can you do with one?? She had absolutely no doubt he would be accurate, the question she had was could she be agile enough to evade his pending assault? Of course, losing was not such a bad proposition based on his requested prize.
Wil smirked but refrained from any comments about ?balls?. ?You?ll see, my dear. You?ll see.? He headed out the door with her as she gave Gem a wave and disappeared from the warmth and light of the Inn into the darkness of the RhyDinian night.
Out on the porch, Colonel Wil Savage flicked the last of the cigarette into the street before placing spread fingers upon the door to swing it open. He came inside into the warmth of the Inn with the collar of his black leather flight jacket pulled up. He had no fondness for snow and cold weather. His home planet, Schedar, was known for its moderate climate throughout the entire planet except for the extreme polar latitudes. He would always cringe whenever he was assigned to a planet with sub-freezing temperatures. Rhydin was far from being the worst he had to endure, and he was thankful for that, but it was still too cold for his comfort.
Wil stood in the doorway for a moment as the door closed behind him and surveyed the room for the woman who holds his heart. He found her in front of the fireplace, and that bad boy grin slid across his face.
Azjah felt the cold dance of snow laden wind as the door opened, and she burrowed lower into the chair and closer to the flames without turning around to see who?d come inside. The door had opened and closed several times, and each time she had been in the draft from the door, but it was worth it for the heat that radiated from the flames in between those brief moments.
Wil walked up behind her, ?Are you going to hog all that heat for yourself?? Then he winked at her as her eyes flew open at his unexpected nearness. She had not known that Wil was in town just yet, but she was, as always, ecstatic to see him.
She grinned up at him before hopping off the chair, ?Darlin?!? She wrapped both arms around his waist, ?Not if I can sit on your lap, I?ll share.? She offered him the glass of scotch that she had held in her hands moments earlier. The possibility of curling up in Wil?s lap before a fire was simply too good to miss.
Wil took the scotch after giving Azjah a kiss, then sat down in her chair and removed his leather jacket to reveal a deep green, cable knit sweater beneath to ward off the cold winds of RhyDin. ?I?d love to have you on my lap, baby.? He grinned and sat, taking Azjah by the hand to lead her down where he could hold her close for the time being.
She had leaned into him for that first kiss, and then settled lightly onto his lap, her fingers burrowing into the sweater as she curled one arm around his neck. ?Now I can be warm on both sides.? She teased and winked at him. She had been cold since she had arrived; but with Wil?s presence, she no longer felt chilled, quite the contrary. Wil had a way of making Azjah overly warm with just a smile.
He chuckled at her, ?Me too, babe.? Then he took the scotch and lifted it slightly in her direction, ?Cheers.?
Azjah gave him a soft laugh, ?Cheers, darlin?.? She gave him a glance filled with mischief, ?I was thinking, since it?s such a lovely snowy night, we should do something wintery.? She knew Wil was not overly fond of cold and snow, but her mind was already thinking ahead. Nights such as this were meant for fun, and after a frolic in the snow, a nice fire and a snifter of fine brandy sounded like pure heaven to her. Well, as far as heaven went while remaining public she amended to herself.
Wil?s dark blue eyes met Azjah?s pale blue, ?Like?.? He shrugged a boneless shrug, ?snow angels? Or hibernating?? He sipped the scotch and gave Azjah a knowing smile that spoke volumes if you knew how to read it. Wil?s idea of ?enjoying? the snow was a fire, a fine cognac, and a big window to look out of rather than actually being out in the cold, wet stuff.
Azjah flashed him a smile that was mischief in the making, ?How about a snowball fight?? His smile elicited a merry laugh from her as somehow, someway, they both knew how this adventure would culminate. It was not that she expected to win any snowball fight with Wil, but the sheer joy of the game was what she was after.
?Ahhh, winter war games, huh?? An answering imp lit his deep blue gaze as he studied her almost solemnly. ?Okay, but does the winner get a prize?? He was fighting that trademark grin by this time.
Azjah laid her head gently against his, putting them cheek to cheek as she gave the appearance of thinking about it, ?hmmm, I think the winner should get to define the prize based on how many snowballs hit their marks, what do you think?? She was fighting a huge grin as she made her proposal to him curled up on his lap, and waiting for him to accept her invitation. She knew he was going to accept, his playful side was usually carefully hidden from others, but Azjah had seen it many times.
He lightly rubbed his cheek against hers, ?Sounds good.? He finished the remainder of the scotch and shot her a grin, ?Let?s go.? He leaned forward to wait for her to get off his lap.
Azjah kissed the corner of his mouth before getting off of his lap and reaching for her own jacket, ?From the heat of the fire into the cold of the night,? and she winked at him. She fleetingly wondered just how good he was at throwing snowballs, but in moments, she would find out. They may be heading into the chill night air, but neither one would be cold, she was absolutely certain of that.
Wil?s voice was a richly accented, velvety baritone that was meant for only Azjah to hear, ?And then into the heat of the bed?? Wil seldom let his words carry any kind of identifiable accent, but when it was just the two of them, it came out subtly now and then.
Azjah?s lips curved upward at that. When he spoke to her with that tone, she melted. There was no other way to put it. ?Have I told you lately that I love the way you think?? She slid into the jacket, and pulled the deerskin gloves from her pocket and donned them as well before pulling the fur collar up closely around her neck and fastening it. The fur should keep the snow from running down her back, or worse.
Wil stood then and put his own leather jacket back on. ?Hmmm, didn?t you say that just this morning?? He gave her that bad boy wink that suggested so much as he fastened the jacket up in preparation for heading into the snow once more.
Azjah felt herself color instantly as she thought back to the morning, ?May I plead the Fifth?? All too clearly she remembered that morning, and her traitorous mind brought it flooding back with crystal clarity at that instant.
Wil was grinning widely now, ?Yes, I think that?s only fair. C?mon, let?s see what you can do with those snowballs.? He motioned for her to precede him.
Azjah linked her arm in his and headed for the door, she slanted a look up at him as they neared the door, ?The better question is what can you do with one?? She had absolutely no doubt he would be accurate, the question she had was could she be agile enough to evade his pending assault? Of course, losing was not such a bad proposition based on his requested prize.
Wil smirked but refrained from any comments about ?balls?. ?You?ll see, my dear. You?ll see.? He headed out the door with her as she gave Gem a wave and disappeared from the warmth and light of the Inn into the darkness of the RhyDinian night.