Underneath It All by Ysa Arcangel

larger than you!” I pointed, quite hysterically.
    “Correction—she’s a she. This is Conan…” He pointed at his Bullmastiff. “…and Nana. She’s the youngest, a Newfoundland.”
    “Nana?”
    “Yeah, Nana, as in the Peter Pan dog Nana. Come on, they won’t bite and they smell nice. They are giant dogs but they are softies. Come on…” Reeve held out his hand to me.
    I grabbed his hand and slowly walked over to where his dogs were. I closed my eyes and prepared myself for the worst. They jumped on me, causing me to fall down the floor. I braced myself for a vicious bite, but the dogs seemed friendly, licking my face, covering it with slobber.
    “Hey, hey, get off her.”
    I felt the huge weight of a million pounds of dog leave me as Reeve dragged them off by their collars. They bounded back and ran into the house just like kids playing hide and seek.
    “I’m sorry about that.” Reeve helped me up. “Did they scare you?”
    “That’s all right; they’re really cute.” I grinned while wiping my face to get rid of the saliva.
    Reeve quickly put his palm on my forehead. “Your temperature is still high. So, you ate dinner and met my family; it’s time for you to rest. You should go back to your room, drink the medicine that is on the night table, and go back to sleep.”
    “Huh? But I just woke up.” I protested.
    “You need to rest and gain your strength back.”
    I opened my mouth to say something, but Reeve placed his finger over my lips.
    “No ifs, no buts.”
    I conceded.
     
    ***
     
    The incessant rain kept pouring so hard outside that I could hear it pelting the ground. The howling sounds of the wind made the little hairs on my arms stand upright. A flash of bright light lit the room for a moment before the thunder sounded afterward.
    “I hate thunderstorms,” I whispered to myself.
    The sudden knock on the door made my head jerk up before I quickly whirled around and opened it.
    “Hey.” Reeve appeared before me.
    “Hey.”
    “I thought I should check you out. I know you’re afraid of thunderstorms.”
    “I’m fine, I’m really fine, thank you,” I told him, trying to convince myself that I was.
    He watched me and my defiant stance to prove I was unafraid of thunderstorms, “All right, then.” He turned around to take his leave.
    “Where are you going?”
    “Back to my room,” he simply answered without looking back.
    “Ree—” my next words were cut off as the gruesome sound of thunder was heard, this time without a flash of lightning as a warning. A squeak of horror escaped my lips as my hands immediately reached forward and gripped the back of his shirt.
    “Nothing to worry about, huh?” he spoke, with humor laced in his voice.
    Another lightning bolt cut across the window and lit the room in a blinding glow. I lunged for Reeve.
    “Do you want me to stay?”
    “Yes, please.” I looked up to him, his blue eyes met mine. The raging storm outside was forgotten for a while.
    Reeve slid his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him.
    “This will keep you warm and less afraid,” he said and kissed me.
    My fear evaporated like dew in the heat of the moment. Everything was blurry and the world spilled away. I relaxed and let my lips move with his.
    His kiss became more insistent, his hands under my shirt, running the length of my back.
    He carried me and walked into the room without breaking the kiss. He put me down on the bed and climbed on top of me, kissing me hard and passionately. My heart was frantically thumping in my chest, caught in a torrent of pent up desire fighting for release.
    He bit my bottom lip, demanding entrance I graciously granted. Our tongues clashed against each other in a playful dance inside my mouth.
    His lips left my mouth and moved to tickle my ear with the tip of his tongue, running it on the outer shell. I gasped. He left my ear, trailed kisses to my jaw and traveled down my neck kissing and nibbling on the sensitive skin, softly