Mudminnow River too sweet for me

there it was. something in cole's tone that made her heart pitter and patter, as if there was a butterfly trapped between her ribs. an inkling of something she'd heard before; a possessiveness that she once feared. her old fiancé saw her as property. something to be kept and to show off, but not to love. 

but she didn't fear it, not with cole. quite the opposite; it was such a funny feeling. one that made her bashful. skin beneath willowy fur burned hotter, despite the bitter cold. a feeling that made her chest bloom with a warm, fuzzy feeling. 

she hadn't felt this way since...long ago. since the first time she'd found herself falling for a man who only wished to hurt her, to cage her.

she's thinking too much. she knows she should step away, to put space between them, but...she's greedy for the touch and attention she never received. she leans against his tall, strong form, breathes in shakily as his warmth envelops her. she's daring—or perhaps foolish—enough to press her nose into his fur. 

"i...i don't really know." she murmured quietly, voice muffled in his fur. another breath in, and her eyes shyly flicker upward to seek his. searching his. "maybe because i'm foolish, and i wanted to see if you'd find me."

"is that...a bad thing, cole?" she asked shyly.