by Marie Carnay
Two Close for Comfort
Marie Carnay
Contents
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Also by Marie Carnay
About the Author
Copyright © 2014 by Marie Carnay. Cover and internal design © by Marie Carnay. Cover image copyright © Period Images, 2014.
All rights reserved. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The use of stock photo images in this e-book in no way imply that the models depicted personally endorse, condone, or engage in the fictional conduct depicted herein, expressly or by implication. The person(s) depicted are models and are used for illustrative purposes only.
This book is for sale to mature, adult audiences only. It contains sexually explicit situations and graphic language which may be considered offensive by some readers. Please store this e-book where it cannot be accessed by minors.
1
You picked it. No backing out now. Brianna tramped through the underbrush, shoving thin branches out of her way as she stepped over rotting logs and clumps of leaves. I can do this. I’m a big girl.
She snorted at her choice of words and kept walking. After three days out in the woods, she’d lost a few pounds, but everyone back home would still call her big. And her ex? He’d lob more charming descriptions her way. Thank god she’d left his sorry ass.
Smiling, she remembered the look on his face when she kicked him out. Indignant. Shocked. Priceless. He’d left with his tail between his legs and she’d called her agent. Told him she needed a few days. Then she’d grabbed her pack, stuffed it full of everything she needed and took off.
No car, no phone, no credit cards. Nothing to drag her back, soften her up. She hadn’t camped in years, but it was like riding a bike, right? She’d bond with nature. Be alone. Improve her stamina.
The setting sun peeked through the leaves and Brianna paused. Burnt orange and yellow and gold. Like Midas reached out and brushed his fingers across the forest floor. Wow.
She dropped her pack and fished out her DSLR. Click. Click. Click. The light would disappear in minutes, but she’d get every shot. Gone were thoughts about her ex, her poor choice in last-minute vacations, the sweat trickling between her breasts.
The world shrank to what she saw through the lens. She might not make tons of cash on the shots, but she’d grown tired of snapping steaming lattes and flaky croissants. Maybe she’d transition to nature photography instead of food.
Brianna followed the sun, oblivious and lost in the moment. She leaned over, straining to find the right angle to capture a fallen tree in all its golden glory. And stepped into thin air.
The forest turned topsy-turvy, leaves instead of sky, trees instead of ground. She slipped and tumbled and cascaded down a muddy embankment, screaming with all the air inside her lungs. Oh my god! Oh my god!
All she could do was curl up into a ball and protect her camera and her head. And hope she didn’t land on a boulder and break her back. Dirt, the stench of rotting leaves and decay, saplings that bent and snapped under her weight. It all slipped by as she careened down the side of the hill.
Whomp! She landed with a thud. Unh. The landing stole her breath and made her dizzy. But the world had stopped moving. So that was a plus. After a few moments, she pried her face from the squishy ground and sat up. She’d landed in a hollow between the mountain and a smaller hill. Smack in the middle of a patch of wet, oozing mud.
Testing out her arms and back, she stretched. So far, so good. I’m alive. I’m conscious. She turned the camera on. My camera’s not smashed into bits.
With a sigh, she looked around. But I’m hopelessly lost. Shit. Her pack still sat where she left it a hundred feet up the slippery hill. And the sunlight had faded into shadow. Shit. Shit. Shit.
Brianna pushed herself up to stand and pain shot up her leg, shoving her back onto her ass. Oh, no. Her ankle throbbed and as she tried to roll it, another shooting arc tore up her limb. Damn it.
Panic replaced relief. She couldn’t walk. Couldn’t climb up the hill to her bag. And night was falling. If she couldn’t reach her supplies and set up her tent…a shiver coursed through her. She’d be alone in the dark of the forest with nothing to keep her warm.
A grimace and a grind of her teeth later, she took a step. And fell smack on her ass. Shit. She’d never make it. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and screamed.
* * *
What was that? Cannon whipped his head around and frowned. “You hear that?”
“No. Probably a bird.” Thorne turned back to the pile of wood in front of him and Cannon shrugged. I must be hearing things.
He’d dragged Thorne out to the cabin to spend some time together. Figure out what the hell was going on between them. Ever since that night with Mandy…he couldn’t stop thinking about it. How adding Thorne into the mix changed everything. Made sex explosive. Dangerous.
Too bad Mandy didn’t see it that way. He cursed himself and rubbed his eyes. Thorne was his best friend. Not his lover. And he didn’t want him to be. But he couldn’t stop wishing they had a woman to share and worship together. He had a feeling he never would.
Swiveling around, he cocked his head. “Can’t you hear it, man? I swear somebody’s yelling for help.”
“There’s no one around for miles. You own what? Thirty acres up here? You don’t even have a neighbor.”
“Still. Hikers get lost all the time. What if someone’s out there? It’ll be dark soon.” He stood up and flexed his shoulders. “I’m gonna go check it out.”
“Suit yourself. I’m staying right here. Chopping wood.”
Cannon rolled his eyes and headed toward the noise, traipsing through the forest he knew so well. He’d been coming to the tiny shack in the foothills since he was a kid. Camping with his granddad during hunting season. Fishing in the creek. Living a boyhood dream.
He walked through the trees, straining to hear the noise again. Farther and farther he went until the trees filtered out the last rays of sun and the forest dimmed. But still he heard nothing. Not a sound. Piss.
With a frustrated exhale, he turned to head back when he heard it again.
“Please, somebody!”
A woman. Shit. He spun around and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Hello? Hello!”
“Yes! Hello? Over here!”
Cannon walked toward her voice, shoving branches out of his way and hollering. She yelled back and he followed, heading down into the washout at the bottom of the foothills. Damn, did she climb down here?
He broke through the last of the scrub, slid down the embankment, and stuttered to a stop. Hot damn. A woman all right. Even with mud covered hair and a scrape along her cheek, she was gorgeous.
Pink, pouty lips. Flushed cheeks. And her body. Mmm. Look at those curves. His gaze slinked down her chest, taking in her breasts spilling over her tank top, her hips filling out her pants. His dick throbbed and he cleared his throat.
“You okay?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m fine. That’s why I’ve been screaming for help.”
Ooh. Feisty. He liked that too. “I was being polite.”
“Funny. I thought staring was rude.”
Cannon laughed and hung his head. “You have a point. Cannon Smith. Nice to meet you.” He walked up and held out his hand.
“Brianna James. Likewise.” She slipped her hand into his and he pulled her up, but she didn’t stay standing for
long. Her leg gave out and she toppled into him, tits rubbing against his chest, breath hot on his neck.
He swallowed and took a step back. “Sorry. Is it your leg?”
“Ankle. I guess I can’t put any weight on it.”
He looked up at the hill and back down at her body. Her entire side was covered in leaves and mud. “What happened?”
She bit her lip and gave him a lopsided grin. “I, um…was catching the perfect light. And I didn’t notice the ground stopped.”
“You’re telling me you walked off the side of the mountain?”
“Mmm-hmm.” She blinked and looked up through a thicket of lashes. Damn if her eyes weren’t the bluest he’d ever seen.
“Well. At least you’re honest. So where’s your stuff?”
She winced and pointed.
“Don’t tell me.” Cannon glanced up at the leaf-covered slope. “Damn, woman. You don’t make it easy on a guy, do ya?”
She tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled. “Sorry?”
“You want me to go get what’s up there, you have to make me a deal.”
She pulled back and he laughed.
“No, no! Not like that. I mean, I can be an ass but I’d never…Aw, shit.” Everything was coming out wrong. Women didn’t fluster him. What was his problem?
She held up her hands and looked him in the eye. “Look. Let’s just get this over with.”
“Okay…”
“Are you a serial killer?”
Cannon grinned. “No.”
“On the run from the law?”
“Nope.”
“Member of a cult?”
“No way.”
“Any reason I should be afraid of you?”
Cannon licked his lips. “I have a jar full of pickles back at the cabin. And bacon. A whole slab of bacon.”
Brianna’s eyes went wide. “I’m terrified.”
“You should be. I’m straight out of a horror flick.”
“Okay. You pass. So what’s the deal?”
Here goes nothing. “You have to stay the night. Let me cook you dinner. You can sleep on the couch and I can drive you back wherever you need to go tomorrow.”
Her smiled faltered, but she nodded. “Deal.”
Sweet. Cannon turned toward the mountain and took a deep breath. “What color’s your pack?”
“Blue. Robin’s egg blue.”
“Don’t run away. I’ll be right back.”
“Funny, funny.”
“Hey, I try.”
* * *
“This is ridiculous.”
“No, it’s practical.”
Brianna glanced over Cannon’s shoulder as he hoisted her higher in his arms. First, she’d careened down a slope and almost killed herself. Then the hottest guy to ever look her way appeared out of nowhere.
And now he was carrying her and her pack like they were stuffed with feathers. Which her ass certainly was not.
“You shouldn’t be carrying me.”
“Why not?” He ducked under a branch and kept going.
“Because I’m heavy.”
He glanced down and raised an eyebrow. “Does it look like I’m struggling?”
She gave him the once over. Sexy, sandy hair cut short. Arms stacked with more muscle than most men’s thighs. Soft lips she wanted to kiss.
“No. You’re not even sweating.”
“So stop complaining.”
“I’m not—” She stalled out when they popped out of the tree line and into a clearing.
A small cabin no bigger than her living room in Charlotte sat at the edge of the grass. The last rays of sun hit the front door, casting the worn wood in a rich, warm glow.
“Wow. What a great shot. Put me down.”
Cannon stopped, set Brianna on her feet, and slid her pack to the ground. She winced and picked up her leg, hopping on one foot as she dug her camera out of her bag. “I need to catch the light. It’s almost gone.”
She whipped around to take the shot, but she’d missed it. The sunlight had disappeared. “Damn.”
“So you’re a photographer, huh?”
“Mmm? Oh, yeah.”
“Nature stuff or what?”
“No. Food, mostly.”
“Huh?”
“Food. I’m a culinary photographer.”
“People pay you to take pictures of food?”
Brianna blushed. “How else do you think cookbooks are made? All those pictures have to come from somewhere. But…I’m sick of it. I need a change.”
“Is that why you’re out here?”
She frowned and tucked her camera back in her bag. “No. Yes. Maybe? I…um…dumped my boyfriend. And I needed to get away.” She turned back to Cannon. “How about you? You can’t live here full time. It’s in the middle of nowhere.”
“I don’t. This used to be my grandfather’s place. It’s mine now. I come here when I need a break.” He ran his hand through his hair and nodded at her leg. “So. How ’bout you sit on that stump and let me check out your ankle?”
Brianna glanced at the former tree. He wants me to sit on that? “Um…You don’t have to. I mean…”
“Sit down. It’ll only take a minute.”
“Okay.” Brianna hobbled over to the stump and sat. “So are you a doctor or something?”
Cannon kneeled in front of her. “No. But I played a lot of sports as a kid. I should be able to tell if it’s broken, at least.”
He pushed up her pant leg and Brianna bit her lip. Up close and without him jostling her every few steps, he was even sexier. She could run her hands through his hair all night long. And his jaw? Mmm. The hint of stubble made him rugged. Manly. As he slipped his fingers over her skin, she shuddered.
It was crazy, but she wanted him to kiss her. Sweep her off her feet like a bad romance novel and be her prince charming. He’d already saved her once. He could do it again.
His fingers inched higher up her calf and behind her knee and she trembled. The way his muscles bulged beneath his t-shirt. The way the denim stretched across his thighs. Damn. He could pin her to the wall and ravage her. And she wouldn’t be able to do anything but scream.
“I don’t think it’s broken. But Thorne should take a look at it. He’s way better at injuries than me.”
“Who’s Thorne?”
As soon as the words slipped from her mouth, a huge beast of a man came walking around the side of the cabin. Oh my god. With his long blonde hair and shoulders wider than a Buick, he could have been a Viking.
Arms loaded with fresh cut wood, he walked toward the front door until they caught his eye. Or, she did at least. His gaze swept over her—pausing on her face, her chest, her hips. He stared at her with such an intensity, she couldn’t tell if he wanted to eat her or fuck her.
Men didn’t look at her like that. Ever.
Cannon cleared his throat and stood. “Brianna, this is Thorne. Thorne, Brianna.”
Thorne dumped the wood by the side of the building and wiped his hands on his thighs. His tree-trunk thighs. Brianna swallowed and gave him a wave. “Hi.”
“Hello.” He walked up and stuck out his hand. “Pleasure to meet you.” Brianna stared at it. This was a terrible idea. Two men. At nightfall. In the middle of the woods. Horror movies started with less. Way less.
She pushed herself up to stand. “You know, I think I’m fine. I’m just going to grab my pack and—”
Cannon lunged toward her just in time to catch her as she fell.
“Whoa. Where are you going?”
He steadied her and she looked away. “I’m sorry, but I’m getting out of here.”
“No, you’re not. It looks like you can’t even walk.” He stepped closer and wrapped his hands around her upper arms, stopping her advance.
She struggled against him, twisting and turning in his grip. He tightened his hold, pulling her into his chest. Her nipples rubbed against his firm body and a wave of pleasure washed over her. Oh, god.
Being turned o
n was the last thing she needed. But all she could feel were his hands hot and rough all over her. He licked his lip, drawing the pink tip of his tongue across the soft skin and she inhaled in a rush. A pulsing throb echoed through her core and it took everything she had not to melt into his arms. A damn stranger.
She must have hit her head. Be delusional. Maybe she was still out in the forest, dreaming it all up. He pulled her closer, mashing her whole body against him, and the unmistakable ridge of an erection pressed into her belly. Her heart hammered and her cheeks flushed hot.
“Let me go.” She whispered the words, but they rang hollow. She wanted him to do something else.
“We aren’t going to hurt you, Brianna. You’re safe here.”
“You’re strangers.”
“You made a deal. I carry you back here and you stay for dinner. Remember?”
He stared into her eyes and her stomach answered for her, rumbling so loud both men laughed.
The sound snapped the tension in half and Cannon let her go. “We caught two rabbits this morning. They’re all ready. Thorne was going to wrap them in bacon.”
Brianna bit her lip. It sounded delicious. “You sure you aren’t buttering me up just to dump me in a hole with a basket full of lotion?”
Thorne laughed and she glanced over.
“You’re a firecracker, aren’t you?”
“Sometimes.”
“We’re not bad guys. I promise. And it’d be nice to have the company. But if you’re freaked out, I’m sure Cannon could drive you back home or to a hotel, or wherever. You from Charlotte?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Well, it’s only three hours. You’d be there by midnight.”
Part of her wanted to hobble over to his car and demand he do just that. But the other part—the one throbbing deep and begging for release—wanted to stay. Fantasize for a night. Forget real life and all its problems.
Thorne reached up and pulled his hair off his face, flexing the muscles in his arms like a body builder. Oh, sweet Jesus. One night wouldn’t hurt. I can go home in the morning.
She turned to Cannon and smiled. “You know what? Dinner sounds great. And I did make a deal. But I’m only staying on one condition.”
