One Big Family (Hot Alaska Nights Book 1)

by Aiden Bates

  That was all it took to push Zachary over the edge. As he cried out into the warm air, his face was the picture of ecstasy. This filled Bastian with joy and desire, and he rammed into Zachary one final time before moving to his knees quickly and pulling out of his lover’s receptive body. He fisted his own dick one, two, three times and then unloaded his orgasm onto Zachary’s supine form.

  There was nothing like a fire-lit room to cast a romantic glow on a post-coital scene. They held each other, Bastian gently wrapped around Zachary’s sore body, and they were quiet as they caught their breath and contemplated the amazing thing that had just occurred in a strange cabin in the middle of a storm.

  Right before Bastian dozed off, he had a few thoughts.

  Wow, I got hard. Really hard. Maybe I don’t have a problem after all.

  And then he thought of their lust-fueled decision to use the oh-so-reliable pull-out method.

  I hope that wasn’t a mistake

  Chapter Fifteen

  Zachary was awake for a minute before he opened his eyes. He was chilly, and he felt around for the comforter.

  He felt another body.

  That’s when it all came back to him.

  He opened his eyes and saw Bastian staring back at him.

  “Hi.”

  “Good morning.”

  They each sat up and looked around.

  “It’s freezing in here,” Zachary said. He saw his own breath.

  “I’ll start the fire again.” Bastian moved quickly, his hands rubbing briskly over his naked body as he did so.

  Zachary slowly sat up. He hurt all over. Looking down at his hip, he saw that yesterday’s big red mark had turned into today’s huge purple contusion. He was barely able to reach his scattered clothing, and by the time he was scooting into his pants, his teeth were chattering.

  The morning light was bluish. The clock over the ranger’s desk said seven-forty-five.

  As soon as the fire was going, Bastian peeked outside.

  “Holy crap.”

  “What?”

  “It’s still coming down.”

  “I—thought you said it was just a squall?” Zachary tried to keep any panic or accusation out of his tone.

  Bastian sighed heavily and let the curtain drop. “I’m from fucking Florida. What do I know about snow storms?”

  He helped Zachary get to his feet and comfortable near the fire before he tried the radio again.

  Nothing.

  Zachary looked over at the stack of canned goods on the desk. There were still plenty. Surely, at only twenty miles from Stellar (and maybe closer to another town?), help would arrive soon. Water still ran in the faucet of the small bathroom, and even if that froze, there were two large barrels of drinking water next to the cooler.

  They’d be okay.

  Right?

  Suddenly, Zachary realized that, despite having been to places as remote and frigid as Greenland and Verhoyansk, he wasn’t very well prepared mentally for the cold as one might expect. He pulled his knees up to his chest and scooted ever so slightly closer to the now raging fire.

  Wait a good goddamn minute.

  How do I know I’ve been to Verhoyansk?

  “Oh my God.”

  Bastian turned quickly. “What’s wrong?”

  “I . . . remember!”

  “Remember what?”

  Zachary turned and gave him a meaningful look. “I remember.”

  After several hoots of joy and a celebratory toast with a finger-each of scotch—hey, they were cold—the two men tried to figure out what had changed.

  Zachary could remember his family, his coworkers, his travels. He remembered the name of his kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Block. He remembered his parents’ phone numbers and their anniversary date. He remembered which birds he was most excited to photograph on the Alaskan coast. The only memories that were missing were the ones right before and right after his accident.

  “I think that’s normal, if you had a concussion. But you’ve got everything else?”

  “I think so!”

  Could it have been the second fall? Was his memory jogged loose? (No, they decided, that was ridiculous.) Was it adrenaline? Was it the endorphin rush of sex?

  Secretly, Zachary wondered if it had something to do with the intense alpha and omega connection they seemed to share, but he didn’t want to say anything about it to Bastian. What if Bastian didn’t feel it as strongly as Zachary did?

  They split up the remaining food into daily rations, and even that didn’t dampen their mood. There was still plenty to eat, and they feasted on canned black beans, anchovies in tomato sauce, and Mexican corn with peppers.

  “Tell me about your folks,” Bastian asked.

  Their bellies were full and they were lying in front of the fire again, fully clothed but with their limbs entwined. Zachary was thrilled to finally be able to tell Bastian something about himself.

  They talked about their respective parents. After that, it was first pets. Then weird aunts and uncles. Then first jobs, first cars, first college roommates.

  By the end of the morning, they were tired of talking and Bastian was still unable to contact anyone on the radio.

  The snow had let up, and Bastian decided to take a look around outside. He promised to not lose sight of the cabin.

  “I can call out for help. Maybe the rangers are heading out here.”

  Zachary was nervous about the plan, but he trusted Bastian to not do anything stupid.

  As he waited, another memory resurfaced, a more recent one.

  Thomas. Dr. Nichols.

  He had a boyfriend, one who obviously cared about him a great deal, and Zachary had betrayed him by sleeping with Bastian.

  He knew now, he had regained the memories that told him that he wasn’t a cheater. He’d never allowed himself to be tempted before, but one moment of hardship and he’d turned into a scumbag.

  In his own defense, however, Bastian wasn’t just some guy he picked up in a bar. There was some serious chemistry there. Zachary well knew the stories of alphas and omegas finding “the one” and how explosive that could be. He knew he hadn’t been dating Thomas for long, that he had just met him. Perhaps they’d had just as fiery of a connection, but Zachary couldn’t remember that at all since it had happened around the time of the concussion.

  That didn’t matter, though. Thomas was a decent guy, and Zachary needed need to come clean.

  A sharp crackle of static brought him back to the current situation.

  The radio.

  “This is Stellar State Park Ranger Service. Anyone out there?”

  Zachary scrambled up, despite the pain that roared through his hip and ankle, and limped over to the radio.

  “Thank fucking God. Yeah, we’re out here.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Bastian had a glow.

  He saw it himself in the small mirror in the tiny bathroom of the ranger’s cabin.

  When he noticed the pinkness in his cheeks, he smirked shyly at himself. It was the flush of happiness.

  He’d only known Zachary for a week, but already there was such a strong connection between them. Was it just that they were alpha and omega, drawn together by the drive to survive and the chemicals that flowed through their bodies? Or could it possibly be something more real, spiritual, and meaningful?

  Bastian winked at himself, and then laughed at how ridiculous he was being.

  The rescue team was on its way, but it would likely take a few more hours. Bastian decided to clean up the slight mess that he and Zachary had made, and he set about folding blankets, sweeping up the hearth, and bagging the empty cans.

  When it was tidy, he looked around the old, dismal place. It was ugly, outdated, and impersonal, but in Bastian’s current state of mind, it was a charming little love nest. He sighed with contentment.

  Zachary sighed at almost the exact same time, and Bastian noticed his expression was tortured.

  “Are you in a lot of pain?�
�

  “Oh . . . some. Not too bad. I just—”

  Bastian felt his heart sink. There was something about the look on Zachary’s face, and the way he looked down at his hands on his lap, clenched together, that made him think he was about to hear something like, It’s not you, it’s me.

  Zachary looked up at him, his eyes worried. “Bastian, I’m sorry, I should have told you this sooner. I’m in a relationship.”

  “Oh. Did you just remember?”

  Zachary shook his head. “I’m ashamed to say no. I knew.”

  Bastian’s confusion must have been broadcasted clearly on his face, because Zachary continued.

  “It’s Thomas. I guess we started dating right before my accident. I don’t remember that. But he told me about it. I—I guess I still haven’t remembered it because it happened so close to the accident and the concussion.”

  “Thomas? How do you know him?” No Thomas lived in Stellar Landing, and Bastian racked his brain to think of anyone named Thomas that lived in the city limits.

  “Dr. Nichols.”

  “Dr. Nick Nichols?”

  “Yes.”

  Bastian’s laughter came sputtering out of his lips.

  Zachary waited patiently for an explanation.

  “Look,” Bastian said, sitting down next to Zachary on the scratchy old couch. “I know it’s my word against his, but I assure you, you aren’t dating Nick. He’s—he’s lying to you because you’re vulnerable.” He said it with an incredulous laugh, but the words and the situation really weren’t funny.

  Zachary jerked his head back as if to try to wrap his head around what Bastian was saying.

  “Really?”

  Bastian shrugged. “Yeah. And—” He laughed again sharply at the memory of the conversation. “He even told me that I better watch myself because it would be wrong to take advantage of a memory-impaired man.”

  It wasn’t clear how Zachary was taking the news. Bastian hoped there was relief, but he couldn’t blame Zachary if there was mistrust.

  “Wait until we get back to Stellar Landing. You’d been hanging around Aaron and Denise. They can tell you.”

  That seemed to satisfy Zachary.

  “That son of a bitch. I feel so . . . violated.” He shivered.

  “Like I told you before, my brother is a doctor,” Bastian said. “If you want, I can give him a call when the phones are working and ask if there’s any recourse. You should be able to file a complaint, at least. You’re right. It’s a huge violation.”

  Zachary nodded. “Thanks. I might take you up on that. Mostly, I’m just relieved that I’m not with that guy. He took good care of me, but . . . even with zero memory of my past, I knew he wasn’t quite my type.”

  “What is your type?” Bastian hoped it wasn’t obvious to Zachary that he was on a fishing expedition.

  Zachary smiled at him, and it made Bastian’s heart throb. He really was a good-looking man.

  “Tall, dark, and handsome.”

  “Oh yeah? That describes about a third of the male population.”

  “I like smart guys. Specifically, psychologists.”

  “That narrows it down.” Bastian leaned in toward him, his eyes moving from Zachary’s own cool gray eyes to his full lips. “What else?”

  “I like alphas whose kisses make my stomach flip and my knees quiver.” They were so close now that, as he said this, the words made his lips flutter against Bastian’s.

  “What else?”

  “I like you, Bastian.”

  “I like you, Zachary.”

  Bastian’s eyes were closed now, but he felt Zachary’s smile against his own.

  A loud bang on the cabin door made them jump and pull apart.

  They were rescued.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Nick was flinging clothes into a suitcase. He had started out packing with care, and now he was just cramming stuff in without thought.

  He was pissed. And scared.

  Yesterday morning, he was relieved to find out that Zachary Kelso had been found, safe and comfortable, in a ranger’s cabin at the state park. Nick wasn’t so happy, though not exactly surprised, to find out that he was there with Bastian Byers.

  The other big news? Zachary had his memory back. The rescue team was taking him to the hospital. He was fine, but needed a complete checkup now that the roads were somewhat clear.

  But when Nick arrived, he wasn’t allowed to see Zachary.

  “I’m his doctor, Brad,” Nick said tersely, when the Chief of Medicine came out to talk to him. “What the hell is going on?”

  Nick was asked to leave.

  “We’ll contact you when we know more,” was all the chief would say.

  Nick paced his home all day, and then got drunk in the hot tub by himself.

  This morning, the harsh ring of his phone woke him. His head was aching and fuzzy, but he was used to putting on a professional voice in all conditions.

  “Dr. Nichols speaking.”

  “Nick, it’s Brad.”

  Nick woke up in a hurry. “What the fuck is going on, Brad? How the—?”

  “You’ve had some pretty serious accusations leveled against you, Nick. I really can’t say more, but the hospital attorney is going to give you a call. Of course, it probably makes sense for you to hire your own lawyer.”

  Nick was stunned. “Who is accusing me of what?”

  “Your patient—er, former patient—Zachary Kelso. Medical negligence, wrongful diagnosis, and sexual harassment. No charges have been filed yet, but that’s what his attorney said.”

  “That goddamn son—”

  “I gotta go, Nick. Just . . . just don’t come in until further notice, okay? We’ve got to get on top of this.”

  Brad ended the call before Nick could respond. Nick was stunned. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at the blank phone screen. He knew that he was in deep trouble.

  He bought a plane ticket online, then scrolled through his contacts and found the number of the model in Chicago.

  “Hey, babe. It’s me. I’m sorry about that last message. I’m going through some shit. I miss you. I’m packing now. I’ll be in Chicago tonight. I—I need to stay at your place for a week or two.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “He’s just gone?”

  “Just gone,” the nurse-practitioner said over the phone, her voice filled with confusion. “Dr. Nichols said there was a family emergency, and that he wasn’t sure when he’d be back. I called the hospital, and they’re arranging for a short-term replacement. But . . . he’s just gone.”

  Bastian threw his head back and laughed loudly, no doubt confusing the nurse-practitioner even further. She had no idea that, based on Bastian’s brother’s advice, Zachary had threatened to sue Nick Nichols and the hospital.

  Zachary would be thrilled. He didn’t really want a lawsuit, he just wanted Nick to be scared enough to leave them alone, and hopefully to not mess around with any other vulnerable patients. Bastian couldn’t wait to bring him the good news.

  Somehow, despite having been stranded in the woods in a snowstorm, Bastian was the happiest he had been in . . . as long as he could remember, actually.

  He’d met someone. Someone pretty great.

  Now that Zachary could remember everything, scrolling through the photos on his camera was a different experience. As Bastian leaned over him in the hospital bed, Zachary pointed out people and places and animals with a huge grin on his face.

  “There’s my Uncle Todd—he is as crazy as a loon, but hilarious. You’d love him. And here’s my dads, that’s my omega-dad Kris, he’s a homemaker, and my alpha-dad Perry, he’s a lawyer.”

  It was the photo of the two older men staring adoringly at Zachary.

  “How did you end up being a photographer?”

  Zachary laughed. “Perry didn’t like it at first, he thought I’d live in their basement forever or starve. But I had dyslexia as a kid, and going to law school just was not going to happe
n. Once they saw how in love I was with photography, though, they really embraced the idea. One summer, they sent me to a camp in Puerto Rico where I got to learn from some of the top nature photographers in the world. It opened a lot of doors for me.”

  Hearing Zachary talk about his supportive family and his love of photography made Bastian’s heart thump.

  “Speaking of, how did your folks take the news of your injury?”

  “They’re relieved, but probably less so than if they’d known I even got into an accident in the first place. They’re used to not hearing from me for weeks at a time when I’m on assignment. It’s kind of ironic,” Zachary said, as he flipped past photos taken in exotic locations, “that my worst accident would take place on the first floor of a residential building in a small American town.”

  The hospital doctors gave Zachary a clean bill of health. There was nothing on his CT scans except evidence of a concussion, but Zachary was alert and sharp. His hip wasn’t fractured, his ankle was healing, and his bosses at National Geographic told him to take as much time as he needed.

  It was time, finally to go “home”—back to Stellar Landing.

  It was easy to see that Zachary was touched by the warm reception he received as Bastian wheeled him into the lobby. The schoolchildren had made a banner for him, the mayor greeted him with a friendly and not-too-official handshake, and Gladys was there, passing around small squares of cheesecake.

  “Gladys, you are an evil dessert vixen, and I’m going to leave Stellar with an extra twenty pounds on me.”

  “That’s the plan!” she giggled, the laugh tinkling in the air.

  Bastian’s smile wilted, ever so slightly, when he heard “I’m going to leave Stellar,” but he recuperated quickly before joining the conversation about Gladys’s baking skills. When he caught Zachary trying to stifle a yawn, he told everyone that it was time to get the invalid to bed, and soon they were chugging up to Zachary’s rental on the twelfth floor.

  “Home, hideous home,” Zachary quipped as Bastian pushed him inside. “Though I am looking forward to that bed.”