The Friction of Safety

The alcove was small, shielded by grey stones and hanging moss, a private pocket of the forest hidden from the world. Rapunzel was shivering violently now, her teeth chattering, her skin turning a pale, marble white from the river water.

I set her down on a patch of dry moss. She curled into a ball, hugging her knees, her wet hair piling around her like a sodden, heavy blanket.

"I-I-I can't stop s-shaking," she stammered, looking up at me with blue lips.

"I know. Hypothermia sets in fast," I said, my voice calm and commanding.

I pointed The Solar Zenith at a pile of driftwood near the entrance. "Fire." A burst of flame ignited the wood. It crackled instantly, casting a warm, orange glow into the shadows. But the fire alone wouldn't be enough.

I turned back to her. "Stand up, Rapunzel. The dress goes. Now."

She hesitated, her arms tightening around her chest. "But... I... I'll be..."

"You'll be alive," I cut in. "That wet fabric is sucking the heat right out of your blood. Do you trust me?"

She looked at the fire, then at me, the man who had fought monsters, saved her from the dam, and carried her to safety. "I trust you," she whispered.

With trembling hands, she unlaced the front of her bodice. She peeled the heavy, soaked purple fabric down her shoulders. It made a wet slapping sound as it hit the floor. She pushed her petticoats down, stepping out of the puddle of cloth.

She stood before me in her wet cotton panties, shivering, her arms wrapped around her chest to hide her breasts.

"All of it," I ordered gently. "Cotton holds water. It needs to go."

She bit her lip, then reached down and hooked her thumbs into the waistband. She slid the panties down her long, pale legs and stepped out of them. She was completely naked. ****. Exposed. And freezing.

"Come here," I said, sitting down near the fire on my dry coat, which I had spread out.

She hurried over, practically diving into my space, seeking the warmth. I pulled her between my legs, her back to my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, enveloping her in my body heat.

"Better?" I murmured into her wet hair.

"Mmm," she hummed, her eyes closing. "You're like a furnace."

"We need to get your circulation moving," I said. "Friction generates heat. I need to warm the core."

I placed my hands on her stomach. It was incredibly soft, untoned by hardship, a slender expanse of pale, yielding flesh. My rough, calloused palms slid over her skin, creating a delicious contrast. I traced the dip of her tiny waist and the gentle curve of her hips, admiring the way her skin flushed pink under my touch. Her navel was a small, perfect knot in the center of a pristine canvas.

I moved my hands up. I cupped her breasts. They were perky and firm, sitting high on her chest, the perfect, youthful mounds of an eighteen-year-old girl. They didn't overflow my grasp; instead, my large hands engulfed them completely, shielding her delicate form. In the firelight, they glowed like alabaster. Because of the cold water, her areolas were tight and crinkled, the nipples protruding like hard, frozen berries.

I squeezed them gently, thumbing the tight buds. They were incredibly responsive. Every time I brushed my thumbs over those hard nipples, Rapunzel gasped, arching her back against me.

"Is this... for circulation too?" she breathed, her head falling back on my shoulder.

"The heart needs to pump blood everywhere," I lied smoothly, kneading her perky tits and tweaking her hard, sensitive nipples. "Especially here. They're so cold, Rapunzel. I need to make them hot."

"They... they feel hot now," she whimpered, the arousal spiking in her veins.

I looked down. Her legs were stretched out before us. Her feet, those pristine, arched feet I had protected in the tavern, were caked in wet river sand. It ruined the image of perfection.

"Tsk," I made a disappointed sound. "Look at this. Filthy."

Rapunzel looked down. "My feet... they're all gritty."

"I told you I didn't want them dirty," I scolded softly. "Give me your leg."

I lifted her left leg, resting her ankle on my knee. I took a dry corner of my shirt and dipped it in a small puddle of clean rainwater nearby. "Hold still."

I scrubbed her foot. I wiped away every grain of sand, cleaning between her toes, scrubbing the sole until the grit was gone and the pink, soft skin underneath was revealed. I did the same with the right foot, methodically restoring her to perfection.

"There," I said, tossing the shirt aside. "Clean again. But still ice cold."

I leaned down. "I need to warm them up directly."

I lifted her clean, pink foot to my face. I blew a stream of hot breath onto her sole. Rapunzel shivered, but not from the cold. Then, I extended my tongue.

I licked the high arch of her foot. Rapunzel squeaked. " Ray!"

"Shh. Heat transfer," I murmured against her skin.

I slid my tongue from her heel to the ball of her foot, savoring the smooth, clean texture. I took her big toe into my mouth, sucking gently to bring the blood rushing back to the digit. I swirled my tongue around the gaps between her toes, worshiping the appendage I had just cleaned.

Rapunzel watched, mesmerized. Her hands gripped my thighs. "It feels... ticklish," she breathed. "And... wet. And hot."

"Good."

I finished with the left and moved to the right, licking the clean sole with long, broad strokes, feeling her toes curl against my cheek. When I was done, her feet were glistening, warm, and sensitized.

I sat back up, pulling her tight against me once more. She was warm now. Her skin was flushed. She shifted in my lap, her bare buttocks rubbing against my crotch. She could feel the hard ridge of my erection pressing against her lower back.

"You feel... hard," she noted innocently, reaching back to touch the bulge through my trousers. "Is that a muscle?"

I captured her hand and pressed it firmly against my cock. "It is," I whispered into her ear. "It's the muscle that's going to keep you safest of all."

Rapunzel squeezed it curiously. It throbbed under her hand. "It likes me," she giggled, drunk on the strange new sensations.

"It loves you, Rapunzel. And tonight... once you're fully dry... I'm going to teach you how to use it."

I kissed the side of her neck, right below the ear. "But first, we wait for your clothes to dry. Until then... you're wearing me."