The man who she assumed had saved her stood at the stove with his back to her, transferring bacon from a frying pan to a plate on the counter.
Vanessa leaned against the doorframe, studying him.
His black hair was cut short in back, but she remembered it was slightly longer in front, curling over his forehead. His shoulders were broad, tapering down to a narrow waist, and his backside looked fabulous even in a baggy pair of sweatpants.
Once finished with her saucy ogling, she cleared her throat to get his attention. Getting caught spying would hardly make a good first impression.
The man spun around with a pleasant grin on his lips, showing off a set of teeth so white they gleamed. “Well, good morning! I didn’t expect to see you until this afternoon.” His gaze shot to her head. “How are you feeling?”
Vanessa touched her forehead, and fingered the tender lump at her hairline. “Good,” she admitted slowly. For being in such a scary accident, she honestly didn’t feel all that bad. “Thank you so much for helping me last night. You saved me. I may have frozen to death if you hadn’t come along.”
He seemed to stare straight into her soul with his piercing blue eyes. “Don’t mention it,” he said, voice low and soothing.
She had to look away from the heat in his gaze, feeling embarrassed as it shot a bolt of electricity straight to her nether region. “You…you had a dog with you, yes?” she asked, searching for something to distract her from the all too inviting way he leaned back against the counter, giving himself an air of confident ease. “I didn’t imagine that, did I? I thought it curled up in bed with me last night, but I haven’t seen it this morning.”
He gave a bark of laughter at her comment, but it was the anxious gasp from behind her that made Vanessa jump in surprise. She spun around to face a second man, shocked to discover someone else in the house.
“Yeah,” the first man said with a laugh. “There was definitely a dog there. Though I wasn’t aware he chose to sleep in your bed last night. Bad doggy.”
Vanessa tried to keep her jaw from dropping to the floor as she gawked at the newcomer. Though he was fully dressed, he’d obviously just gotten out of the shower. He was running a towel through his messy, nearly shoulder-length reddish-brown hair, his expression wary. The dark haired man was gorgeous, but his friend was not outdone in the mouthwatering department. He was striking in a completely different way than the first man, who was polished and sly, whereas this one was rugged and masculine. He was also larger, with broad shoulders and a bigger waistline. He looked like a football player, all hard-muscled and firm. His biceps rippled with strength as he rubbed his hair absentmindedly.
She couldn’t take her eyes off his abs, which were clearly defined through his tight t-shirt, causing her body to tremble with longing.
He seemed to finally realize how flabbergasted she was at the sight of him, because he relaxed and smirked in amusement. “I’m Brenn.” He reached into the back pocket of his faded jeans and tossed a stack of mail to the table next to Vanessa’s elbow.
Distracted, she glanced down at the envelopes. She saw a few were addressed to Brenn, but the one on the top read ‘Dihn’. Her eyes lifted to the dark haired man. “Your name is Dinn?”
He shook his head with a chuckle. “It’s D.I.H.N., but it’s pronounced Dean. My mother had a sick sense of humor. Either that or she was the worst speller on the planet.”
Vanessa grinned, drawn in by his casual smile and open, friendly expression. “I like it. It’s original.” After a pause, she added, “I’m Vanessa.”
“Vanessa, is there someone out there worried about you?” Brenn asked, interrupting the silent flirting Dihn was doing with his eyes. “Do you need to use our phone?”
“No,” Vanessa said without thinking on her answer. “I live alone. I only see my parents twice a year. In fact, I quit my job yesterday, so it would probably be months before someone started missing me…” She trailed off uncertainly and bit her lip in concern over her thoughtless admission. After rushing all this out, she realized it might not be the best thing to say in a strange house, in the company of two strange men.
“You don’t need to worry,” Brenn quickly assured. “You’re safe with us.”
“It’s not like we’re monsters or anything,” Dihn threw in with amusement, his eyes twinkling with humor.
“Dihn,” Brenn said with warning, but the other man only laughed. With a sigh, Brenn turned to Vanessa. “I’ll set you up with stuff for a shower while the lug over there finishes breakfast.” He motioned for her to follow him.
With a half wave to Dihn, she padded after Brenn down the hallway to the second door on the left, passing the room she’d slept in the night before.
“This is the bathroom,” he informed her as he grabbed a towel from a cabinet just inside the door. “The next door down is Dihn’s room. I suggest you avoid that. It’s a pigsty,” he teased, with a slight grin. “I’m at the end of the hall.”
“Oh,” she said with soft amusement. “So you aren’t a couple, then?”
Brenn’s eyes widened in horror at the implications her statement held. “God no!” He shivered. “Not even close.”
This rewarded him an impish grin. “Didn’t think so. Just checking.”
He raised an eyebrow as he handed over the towel and a packaged toothbrush. “Checking? Why?” he asked roguishly. “You interested?”
Vanessa took the towel from him with a blush, but he continued on before she could answer.
“Feel free to take your time,” he assured. “When you get out, Dihn will have breakfast ready.”
She smiled in appreciation. “Thank you.”
Brenn grinned in response, causing butterflies to flutter in her stomach…and perhaps lower. “You’re welcome.” He began walking backwards down the hallway, leaving her to her shower. “We’ll see you in a little.”
* * * *
Ten hours since she’d awoken in an unfamiliar house, Vanessa sat curled up on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her. She was wearing a pair of Dihn’s sweatpants and one of his t-shirts while Brenn ran her clothes through the wash. She was watching Dihn expectantly as he talked on the phone.
“Yes. I understand. Thank you.” He hung up and tossed the phone aside.
“Well?” she asked curiously. They’d each been taking turns calling the local towing companies, trying to get her car hauled out of the ditch she’d run it into. Apparently the snow had accumulated, becoming a storm. Trucks were busy with emergency situations, only taking jobs that were essential. They were busy, and her car was going to be a challenge. They all told her that if she was safe and warm, she should stay put for a few days until the storm passed over. Dihn had said he’d call one last place, but she didn’t have high hopes.
“They’re not coming out, especially this late,” Dihn said apologetically. “If you want, I can try to drive you home in Brenn’s truck. It’s usually good in the winter. It’s your call.”
“Don’t worry about driving me,” Vanessa was quick to say. “If it’s as dangerous as they say…” She trailed off with a shrug. “You’ve already done so much for me already. I wouldn’t want you to put yourself in danger. I’ll just crash here, if you two don’t mind me staying.”
“Mind?” he asked. “Nah. Brenn’s ecstatic over the possibility. We haven’t had company since his little sister stayed with us for a long weekend a few summers back. It’ll be nice.”
“Well, thank you. I appreciate it.”
Silence fell over the room. It remained quiet until Brenn returned with a basket full of fluffy, heated laundry.
“Vanessa is going to stay with us for a few days until this unexpected storm lets up,” Dihn informed him. “I told her you’d be fine with that.”
Brenn sat the basket down on the coffee table, his expression pleased. “I don’t mind at all.”
After Vanessa thanked them, the room fell silent…again. She kept shooting them curious looks, and they reciproca
ted. The morning had been spent trying to figure out how to get her home. They’d all had a common goal, so the very light personal conversation hadn’t seemed lacking. This new, awkward silence made her all the more aware of the fact that she didn’t know either of them very well. At all, in fact. An idea popped into her head, and she sat up straight with a wicked grin. “We’re going to play a game,” she informed them.
Dihn’s eyebrows rose while Brenn looked surprised at her comment.
“Okay,” Brenn said slowly. “I believe we may have Monopoly around here somewhere.” He looked about the room, his expression thoughtful.
“No. Not that game,” she said, waving him off. “We’re going to play ‘Truth or Dare’. We don’t really know anything about one another, so what better way to get acquainted?” She looked pleadingly at Brenn and patted the seat next to her. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”
As Brenn reluctantly sat down next to her, Dihn asked, “Isn’t this a girl’s game?”
Vanessa narrowed her eyes playfully. “Yeah. So what? It’s girly, but it’s a fun way for us to get to know each other.” She arched an eyebrow at him in challenge. “You scared? Do you have a lot of secrets to hide?”
Brenn tensed next to her and shot Dihn a warning look.
The other man ignored this and rubbed his hands together eagerly. “I’ve got nothing to hide. Let’s do this, ladies.”
Vanessa grinned in delight. “Alright. I’ll go first.” She turned to Dihn with a pointed look. “Dihn, truth or dare?” On his confident smirk and truth option, she asked, “Is it true that you are living out here in the middle of nowhere because of some awful crime you’ve committed?”
“That is completely false. My record is squeaky clean.” He glanced at his friend with a devilish smirk. “Brenn, on the other hand, has three speeding violations on his record. Three. Oh, and a parking ticket.”
“Ooh, dangerous,” Vanessa teased, elbowing Brenn good-humoredly. “A wild child, huh?”
Looking amused, Dihn leaned back against the arm of the loveseat where he was sitting. “Go ahead, wild child. You can go next.”
With a sigh, Brenn turned to their guest. “Vanessa, truth or dare?”
“Truth,” she said with an encouraging smile.
“Is…” He trailed off thoughtfully. “Is it true that you like hockey?”
Both Dihn and Vanessa blinked in surprise at the randomness of his question.
“What?” Brenn asked. “You said we were supposed to be getting to know each other. I was just curious if you’d be watching the game with us tomorrow night.”
“Then it’s a perfect question,” she assured. With a grin, she answered, “I am originally from Canada, so hockey is a must. I love watching it. I even had delusions of playing, but I’m a terrible skater.”
“I skate,” Brenn said, perking up a little. “I could teach you, help you get a little better at it while you’re here. We have a pond in the back of the house that we skate on occasionally.”
“I’d like that,” she said honestly. “Thank you.”
Dihn clapped his hands, abruptly ending their conversation. “My turn!” he said eagerly. After getting Vanessa to accept another question, he asked, “Is it true you are going commando in my sweatpants?”
“Dihn!” Brenn cried. “That is inappropriate!”
“Now, now,” Vanessa teased. “That’s how the game works. I have to answer.” Leaning over to Brenn’s laundry basket, she pulled out a skimpy pair of panties and held them up for Dihn to see. “I absolutely am.” Dropping the panties back into the basket, she raised her chin challengingly. “Dihn, truth or dare.”
“Truth.”
“Is it true you’re getting hard just thinking about the fact that I have no panties on?” She herself couldn’t help but be slightly aroused that her exposed genitals rubbed against the scratchy front of Dihn’s borrowed sweats.
Brenn, who’d just raised a bottle of water to his lips, nearly spit his drink out.
“True,” Dihn came back without embarrassment. “I’ve got half a tent.”
Vanessa smirked but didn’t comment. “Brenn?” she asked.
“Dihn, truth or dare,” he said stiffly. Upon request for truth, he asked, “Do you think it’s true that this game is getting out of control?”
“That would be false. I think it’s just getting heated up.”
“Dihn,” Vanessa rushed on, not wanting them to notice that she’d already gone out of turn once. “Truth or dare.” On getting truth, she said, “Brenn looks pretty stressed out about this game. Is it true that the two of you have a secret you’re hiding from me?” She heard Brenn inhale sharply and knew she was on to something.
“That answer is true,” Dihn’s low, calm voice answered.
“What are you hiding?” she pressed.
“Ah, ah, ah. You’ve had your question. It’s my turn,” Dihn said, deflecting her inquiry. “Vanessa, truth or dare?”
“Dare,” she said boldly.
“Honey, you just barked up the wrong tree.” Brenn choked on his drink, but Dihn continued on, ignoring him. “I dare you to strip naked, go outside, and make a couple snow angels.”
“That is enough,” Brenn snapped angrily. “Vanessa, you don’t have to listen to a single thing he says. He’s behaving like an animal.”
She put a calming hand on his arm. “It’s okay. I’ve played this game before, and I was aware of the risks. Besides, this isn’t the worst thing I’ve been dared to do.” She shot Dihn a mock annoyed look. “It’s obviously been awhile since he’s seen a woman naked. He’s had to resort to trickery and scheming.”
“I gave you this dare because it’s so cold out. It had nothing to do with getting you naked,” Dihn said, and she knew he was lying.
“Then I guess this is just a lucky bonus.”
“Vanessa,” Brenn started, but all protests died in his throat the moment she climbed to her feet and pulled her t-shirt over her head, revealing her breasts.
The sweatpants were so baggy they were already slung low on her hips. She barely had to move to shimmy out of them. Strolling over to Dihn, she took his hand and pulled him to his feet, her eyes boring seductively into his. “Seeing as you issued the dare, you better come out and make sure I fulfill the requirements.”
Dihn was quick to follow her, eagerness plain on his face. “You coming, Brenn?”
“No. I don’t want any part of this.”
“Suit yourself,” Dihn said over his shoulder as Vanessa led him out the front door into the frigid air.
Once they were on the porch, Vanessa stared out at the large field to the left of their house, shivering. “Alright. Here goes nothing,” she said reluctantly.
“You can always chicken out,” Dihn taunted.
Slapping him playfully on the chest, she pushed off and ran to the field without looking back. The snow was soft and flaky, but it was as cold as ice. She felt it sliding between her toes as she raced through the calf deep winter wonderland. Though she was freezing, she laughed in delight. She hadn’t felt this free and spontaneous in years…or this sexy.
Bracing herself for the cold, she spread her arms wide and dropped backward into the snow. She disappeared into the tufts and lay there for a moment, taking in the night sky. When she was convinced that she’d never get warm again, she began working on her angels.
She was just climbing up from her fourth one when Dihn yelled out, “Are you insane?” He laughed in disbelief, his breath steaming in front of him. “It’s cold! Get back in here already!”
Vanessa sprinted back to Dihn. He was holding his arms open for her, and she graciously lunged into his warm embrace, giggling as she did. “I was waiting for you to give the word.”
He brushed a damp strand of hair away from her face, staring down at her in amusement. “Like I said, you’re insane.”
Gazing up at him, Vanessa decided to do something completely insane. “Dihn,” she said softly, her breath fogging the air between
them. “I dare you to kiss me.”
“It’s not your turn,” he informed her, voice barely above a whisper. When she went to pull away, he held her tight against his chest. “But I never play by the rules.” With that, he lowered his mouth to hers.
The kiss started out intense and hot. There was no warming up with Dihn. He was fiery by nature. While his lips attacked her own, his groin pressed forcefully against her pelvis. He was so thin that she could feel his hipbone digging persistently against hers.
As she opened her mouth to his unrelenting probing, allowing him to slip his tongue inside, his hand sought one of her nipples. He pinched it between a thumb and forefinger, causing her to moan into his mouth.
Pulling back, he lowered his head over her other breast. “So hard and eager after just one little kiss.” He took it into his mouth, his tongue swirling over the puckered flesh. He grazed his teeth along the sensitive bud, biting ever so gently.
“It’s hard because it’s cold out,” she defended, though she dug her nails into his back in pleasure.
Dihn suddenly released her and stepped back. “You’re right. We should get you back inside before you freeze.” His eyes told her this was the last thing he wanted, but he reluctantly led her into the warm house.
Brenn was waiting for them in the living room with a fluffy robe in hand. He went to speak but hesitated a moment at the sight of her pebbled nipples. Finally finding his voice, he said gruffly, “I’m sure you’ll want to get a hot shower now.” He wrapped the robe around her almost unwillingly and closed it.
“Not at all,” she disagreed. “I’m not letting a few naked snow angels ruin the game.” She pulled him down to sit next to her on the loveseat and leaned into his side for warmth. “Your turn, Brenn.”
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