Sophie jumped out of her skin as the thunder boomed across the fields, only a second after the first flash of lightning. The sky had been a threatening grey colour all afternoon, and it looked like the promised storm was finally here.
Pulling her sweater more tightly around her, she sat down determinedly on the sofa in the conservatory.
After cowering during the last storm, Sophie realized she needed to conquer her fear – she was going to sit in the entirely glassed in room until the storm was passed, proving that there was nothing to be afraid of.
She squeezed her eyes shut at the next bolt of lightning, trying to buck up her courage as she continued to sit primly on the edge of the sofa.
This was going to be harder than she thought.
**
Daniel saw the sheets of rain as they began to come across the fields, and realized he only had a minute or two to make a decision if he wanted to avoid being soaked to the bone.
He stared out the window at Fairfields, but didn't see Sophie in the kitchen, though there were other lights on in the house.
He knew she must be scared of this new storm, based on her reaction to the last one. With one last glance at his computer and the piles of paper and mountains of work surrounding it, he grabbed a jacket and yanked open the front door, telling Dex to stay put as he closed it firmly behind him.
He shrugged further into his jacket, immediately soaked to the skin by the deluge of rain that had already started. Without wasting a breath, he sprinted for the gate, slamming it behind him as he ran across the lane towards the front door of Fairfields.
He wasn't going to leave Sophie to deal with this alone, he thought grimly. Even if he did catch his death of cold…
**
Sophie bit back a shriek as she heard the front door crash open, then shut a moment later. She was on her feet searching valiantly for a weapon when she sighed in relief, seeing it was a very wet Daniel who had let himself in.
"You scared the shit out of me!" she said, sitting down on the couch again in relief. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to protect you," Daniel said, feeling like an idiot the moment he said it, almost wishing he could take it back. "I mean, I just…"
Sophie looked up at him, her eyes wide and questioning.
"I didn't want you to be alone during the storm," he said, draping his sopping wet jacket over a chair and taking a step towards her. "I just thought… you mentioned the other night how much the last storm scared you, so I just…"
He trailed off, uncertain, until he saw Sophie close her eyes as lightning slashed through the sky again, betraying her act of courage.
"I’m trying to be brave by sitting in here until the storm is over," Sophie said, her eyes still shut as she spoke. "But so far I haven't been very brave. I'm not exactly laughing in the face of danger. More like cowering."
Daniel bit back a smile at her bravado, and then crossed over to the couch, sinking down beside her. She squeaked as the thunder rattled the windowpanes, and then tentatively reached for him, her hand stopping just shy of his arm, unsure if she should touch him or not.
Daniel wasn't exactly a hands on person, Sophie had noticed. The occasional brush of a hand, but not one kiss, and certainly no cuddling, though she had a dim recollection of being kissed on the forehead as she fell asleep the other night.
Impossible, she thought now, still not sure whether to touch him or not.
Without blinking, he grasped both her upper arms gently, tugging her towards him until she was settled against his chest, the top of her head tucked beneath his chin. He could feel her shuddering slightly, hear the hitch in her breath as he pulled her close.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded beneath his chin. "I'm better now. You're soaked, though… you're going to freeze to death," she said, her voice quavering slightly at his sudden closeness.
Daniel smiled softly, looking up at the darkening sky. "I very much doubt that. I'm feeling pretty warm now."
Sophie smiled, burying her face more deeply into his shirt and tightening her grip on him, savoring the smell of him, the warmth of his body against hers.
Suddenly, Sophie was incredibly grateful to the storm for blowing in, since it appeared it had blown Daniel in with it. He was never this… hands on, she mused.
She liked it.
A lot.
After a few minutes, her breathing was slowly normalizing, and she ventured a look up at the sky. She still winced slightly, but managed to keep her eyes open as a new bolt of lightning crossed the sky. She stared up, suddenly mesmerized by the light show, feeling brave with Daniel's arms around her.
She snuggled a bit closer to him, her eyes still on the sky outside the windows when Daniel shifted as well, until she felt herself being lifted and placed squarely on his lap, his arms still wrapped protectively around her.
"Better?" He whispered, not daring to meet her eyes.
Sophie smiled, not meeting his gaze either. "Much, much better."
She shifted her hips, making herself comfortable in his lap, and he leaned back until he was against the back of the couch, tugging her with him until they were both settled comfortably.
Or at least passably comfortable, Daniel thought, wishing he'd worn slightly more broken in jeans, not having anticipated having a beautiful woman in his lap during the storm, but somehow it just felt… right to pull her against him, to cradle her body as she rode out the storm.
They both sighed slightly, the lightning still illuminating them at irregular intervals, the thunder still shaking the glass panels of the conservatory.
And with that, they didn’t speak again until the worst of the storm had passed them by, leaving only rivulets of rain on the windows in its wake.
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