by Jane Jamison
“If she is, he doesn’t deserve her. As soon as we get back, I want to find out why she’s out here all by herself.”
Blue was right. A lone woman in the Montana mountains didn’t make sense. “Agreed. Like I said, Raine. Get going.”
Raine grumbled then shifted into his wolf form. His eyes glittered with amber as he twirled in a circle then darted through the underbrush toward the camp.
“So, brother, are we going to keep our word and stay away from her?”
Pete couldn’t suppress a smile. He didn’t want to, that was for damn sure. But they still had the problem of having no clothes. “Unless you think she’ll welcome two butt-ass naked men joining her down there, I think we have to.”
* * * *
Blue couldn’t help himself. He had to watch her. As he’d done several times already, he eased closer to the pit, careful that she didn’t catch him peering down at her. She sat on the ground, her head bowed as she rummaged through her backpack.
He liked her spirit. Most women would’ve broken down into sniveling crybabies at the sight of three wolves. Then to have one of the wolves jump into the pit with her? Even then she’d held her own. He’d smelled her fear, but she hadn’t cowered. Instead, she’d been ready to fight with a pitiful knife as her sole means of protection.
Her dark hair spilled around her shoulders, making his palm itch. It would feel soft against the calluses of his hand, like the smooth belly of a newborn wolf. Although they were hidden now, he remembered the firm swell of her breasts. Her long neck had dragged his gaze from her breasts upward to her pouty lips and her big eyes. Her features had been open, filled more with curiosity than with fear.
“Blue,” hissed Pete.
He stepped back, once again heeding his brother’s warning to get away from the hole. Dragging in as much of her scent as he could gather, he slunk back to the tree line. “Don’t go getting your fur up. She didn’t see me.”
“Then you’re damn lucky. But come on, man. If I can wait to see her again, then so can you. It can’t be much longer until Raine gets back. Can’t you wait until then?”
Blue relaxed against a tree, hiding the raging need that was tearing up his body. “No problem.”
Pete’s snort was as soft as his whisper. “Yeah, right. I swear. If you get any hornier, I’m going to have to drag you to the stream and dunk you under.”
He was hot for her. There was no denying that. But it was more than that. Maybe it was her bravery, or the glint of challenge in her eyes, or even the underlying impression that she’d had more than her fair share of shit during her lifetime. Whatever it was, he sensed she was special. But just how special?
* * * *
Callie hunkered down against the wall and hugged her knees to her chest. So far she’d managed to keep her fear from taking over, but she was losing ground on that battle fast. She’d clung to the hope of rescue until the moon had finally overtaken the sun. And, although the moonlight was bright, it couldn’t reach every part of her prison and she shuddered whenever she heard a sound. The wolves had gone a while ago, but who knew what else might appear?
Did snakes burrow in the ground? If they did, could one come out of the wall and land on top of her? She shook herself and muttered quiet chastisements. She wouldn’t let her imagination run wild. If she did, she’d never make it out.
But would anyone ever find her? She’d run into only a few other hikers in the mountains and the prospect of that happening again was minimal at best.
What if she could build a fire? She tugged her backpack closer and dug around until she found a box of matches. But what could she burn? The pit didn’t have even a few sticks, much less anything that would make a decent fire. Besides, the possibility of someone seeing the flames from the deep recesses of her confinement was slim. Even if she could get a fire going, she’d have to wait until tomorrow and hope the smoke would draw some attention.
“Damn it all. This sucks.”
“Yeah, it kind of does.”
Startled, she jumped to her feet and lifted her gaze to find men, drop-dead hunks all three of them, gazing down at her. Two of them had similar facial features and body types. Even the way they held themselves spoke of a common lookout on life. They were relaxed, yet she sensed an underlying energy that could break free at any moment to turn their bodies into quick, sleek machines. One had short hair and wore stubble along his jaw while the other, the one who seemed a little older than his friends, had a shaved head and no facial hair. Even from a distance, she could see their intense blue eyes.
The third, with darker hair and a slighter, albeit still buff-as-possible frame, stood apart from the other two. His dark eyes locked onto hers and, for a moment, she thought of the wolves that had stood over her.
Good grief. Men reminding you of wolves? Don’t let your imagination get the best of you. Hang in there.
One of them grinned at her. “But don’t get in the dumps. Things can only look up from here, right?” His grin widened. “Or rather, from there.”
The one with the shaved head tilted his head at her just as the wolves and Scrunch had done. Once again, she had to tell herself not to compare them to the wolves.
“Knock off the jokes, man.” He glanced at the smiling man and back to her. “What are you doing down there?”
Was he serious? Did he think she’d gotten into the pit on purpose? “Oh, you know. Just hanging out.” She copied his gesture, leaning her head to the side. “What do you think happened? I fell in and now I can’t get out.”
The man with the great smile shot her another one. Hell, she swore she could hear him thinking about the commercial where the older woman complained that she’d fallen and couldn’t get up. She glared at him, daring him to say so, but he just kept grinning.
“How could you fall? It’s not exactly a small hole.”
She studied the one with the dark hair. “I was being chased and didn’t see it until it was too late. So can you help me get out or what?”
Wait. Do I want them to get me out? Would I be getting out of the frying pan only to land in the flames? Who knows what these guys might do? What are they doing roaming around the woods at night anyway?
But it was either take a chance with them or hope for someone else to come along.
“What was chasing you?” added the grinner.
She noted that he’d asked what and not who. Of course, odds were better that it was an animal instead of a person. “This huge buck charged me. The only thing I could do was to run like hell.”
“And he didn’t catch you? Bucks are faster than humans.”
“I guess fear put a little extra speed into me.” What did it matter, anyway?
Mr. Shaved Head went into a crouch, showing off the muscles in his arms as he rested them on his knees. Like his friends, he was dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt along with worn boots.
They don’t carry any packs. That’s strange. Unless their campsite is nearby. But at least they aren’t carrying any weapons. At least not any I can see.
“I was trying to get far enough ahead that I could climb into a tree when I stopped to grab my bag. I didn’t see what was ahead in time and I fell.”
“Are you hurt? You didn’t seem injured.”
She studied the dark-haired man. “No. I’m fine. Physically speaking anyway.” Her pride, however, was another thing. But why had it sounded like he already knew the answer? Like he’d seen her before?
“Are you guys going to help me out or what?” On second thought, maybe it was better if she sent them for real help, like a forest ranger or a fireman or a cop. Someone with a uniform and identification so she could know she could trust them. “Maybe you could call the local rescue squad?”
“That would take too long.” The one crouching leaned his upper torso so far over the edge that she worried he might tumble in with her.
“No it wouldn’t. I can last until tomorrow.”
“That’s too dangerous.”
&nb
sp; She suddenly wished he’d grin again. He was right, of course, especially after the creature she’d seen. Although the thing hadn’t threatened her, had, in fact, appeared more curious than dangerous. “Then what do you suggest?”
They frowned as one, each of them thrown by her question. She should’ve begged them to get her out, and instead, she was waiting for them to come up with ideas.
“We’ll get you out.” Mr. Shaved Head stood up.
She sighed, relieved, and shook off the suspicious thoughts racing through her head. “Okay. So how do we do that?”
“I’ll jump down then heft you up to my brothers.”
Of course they were related. At least two of them looked like brothers. “Sounds like a plan. Although I’m not thrilled at having you refer to me as something heavy enough to get hefted.”
There’s that tilt of the head again.
She put everything back into the backpack except for her knife. Trying to do so without them noticing, she slid the knife into the back of her jeans.
“We’ll get you out, but you have to promise us something.”
Uh-oh. Here it comes.
She tried not to appear miffed, but it was difficult. “You want me to make you a promise?”
What could they want? Recognition as heroes? Money? Or another, more personal type of payment, like submitting to group sex? She didn’t consider herself a prude, but she’d never had sex with more than one man and even then she could count the number of times on one hand that she’d gotten intimate.
“Yeah.” He cut off Grinner’s attempt to protest. “No promise, no help.”
Shit and more shit. “Are you really coercing me right now? And you’re not going to help me without getting whatever”—she whipped her arms outward in disgust—“you want? Some Boy Scouts you guys are.”
He looked surprised and even offended. “It’s not like you’re thinking. And just so you know, we’ve never been and never will be Boy Scouts.”
She fisted her hands on her hips. “Oh, really? Then tell me. What do I have to do to get you to pull me out of here? What is it you want? Cash? Fame?” She narrowed her eyes. “My gratitude?”
They slid their eyes over her body almost at the same time. She felt their lust, but she also felt another element to their perusal. They wanted her. That much was easy to see. But they wanted something else, something even more personal from her. But what could that be?
“There’s no reason to get suspicious.”
“Then tell me, King, what do I have to promise to do?”
“What the hell does ‘King’ mean?”
The dark-haired one answered, “I think she’s referring to a musical called The King and I.”
“Huh?”
“There was this bald king who kept ordering this woman around and—”
He waved off his brother’s explanation. “Never mind. You”—he pointed at her—“have to promise you won’t run off into the woods.”
“I’m not sure what you mean. Run off? Aren’t you taking me back down the mountain?”
She gasped when, in one smooth motion, he dropped into the hole. He was impressive, standing well over her five feet, six inches. Close up, his body was even better than before, with muscles rolling into muscles that went on for miles. She’d never liked a shaved-head look on men much, but it only added to his macho appearance. If she hadn’t stopped herself, she would’ve brushed her palm over his head to see how smooth it was. Half to keep from doing that and half out of alarm, she stepped back, plastering her body to the wall.
“Why don’t you want me to run off? No one says you have to escort me anywhere.”
“We wouldn’t want you to get injured trying to get around in the woods at night.”
“Which begs the question, what are you three doing out in the woods at night?”
“We can take care of ourselves.”
“So can I.”
His blue eyes met hers. “Sure you can. After all, you’ve done so well already.”
“You don’t have to be such a dick.”
“A dick? Is that what you call everyone who comes to your rescue?” Surprisingly, his tone was casual.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you that. I do appreciate your help.” She dragged in a long breath. “It’s been a trying day.”
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s get you out of here. Then we can talk on the way back.”
“On the way back to where? The city?” Or your basement where you lock up all the lost women you find?
His smile, not as brilliant as his brother’s, but still warm, lessened her concern. She did what had always served her well. She listened to her gut.
Can I trust him? Can I trust them?
The answer, faster than any other time, came back in a second.
Yes. I can.
But she wasn’t good at trusting people. She’d learned the hard way not to let her guard down even when her gut told her she could.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” His bluer-than-a-summer-day eyes twinkled. “And trust me. If I wanted to do that, you couldn’t stop me.”
He was right, but she wasn’t about to let him know that. Yet the fact that he’d ignored her question about where they were going didn’t help. “Fine. I promise not to take off on my own.”
“Good.” Then, in another move that was faster than she’d have thought possible, he snatched her pack away from her and hurled it up to the dark-haired man.
“Hey, take it easy with my stuff.”
He caught it and slung one strap over his shoulder. “Got it and I didn’t hear anything break, either.”
“Good to know. Who are you guys anyway? My name’s Callie.” She didn’t give them her last name. If she was wrong about them and she got away, she wouldn’t want them to be able to track her down.
He pivoted back to her. “I’m Blue Deacon and those two are my brothers, Raine and Pete.”
The one who grinned a lot widened his grin. “Raine here. As you can see, I’m the handsome brother.”
“And the modest one, too,” added Pete.
“Facts are facts, bro.” Raine took the pack from his brother and slipped the straps over his shoulders to rest the pack on his back.
Blue held out his hands, ready to catch her. “Take a jump and I’ll heft you out.”
“Can you please stop using the word heft? It makes me sound like I weigh a ton.”
He shook his head. “Shit. From the looks of you, you don’t weigh anything at all. Like a feather. Now go.”
She took a breath and rushed at him. He caught her easily, then before she had time to worry, he tossed her upward as though she really was as light as a feather. Pete grabbed her arms and pulled her the rest of the way up before setting her on her feet.
She took a moment to get steady and in that time Blue squatted then jumped. He cleared the edge without any help from his brothers and landed on his feet.
“Wow. That was one incredible jump. Are you gymnasts or circus performers?”
Raine laughed. “Hell, no. We’re just your everyday, normal kind of guys.”
“You are anything but normal.” Oh, hell. I didn’t mean to say that.
Raine shifted the pack into a better position. “I’m not sure if you meant that as a good thing or not.”
Embarrassed, she tried to cover. “Um, a good thing. I can take my pack now.”
“That’s okay. I’ve got it.”
Damn. “You never said where you were taking me.”
Blue glanced at his brothers, then turned on his heel toward the trees. “We’re taking you home.”
Home? Did he mean hers or theirs?
“I’m sorry? Where is home exactly?”
But he didn’t answer. Raine waved his hand to gesture her to follow Blue. She paused long enough to find Pete ready to take up the rear, then fell into place, but didn’t hurry to catch up to Blue.
It was too bad. She hated to lose her belongings, but it was better that she
didn’t have the pack to weigh her down. She took in the dark forest around them as they started down a narrow path, reconsidered her options, and decided to take the risk.
Chapter Three
He should’ve known she’d make a break for it. Raine slung the pack at Pete and started running. It didn’t take long before he caught up with her as his brothers had known he would. They hadn’t even bothered to give chase, preferring to wait on the path
He let her run, delighting in the way her scent wafted back to him as she pushed through the night air. She’d almost made it to the other side of the clearing before he finally bolted, grabbing her by the legs and bringing her down.
He regretted it the moment he heard her grunt as she hit the ground hard. If he hadn’t gotten so caught up in the chase, he would’ve thought ahead to keep from hurting her. He turned her legs loose to move up her body and she flipped over.
At least he hadn’t hurt her so much that she couldn’t move.
“Damn it, Callie. I hope I didn’t hurt you when I had tackled you. Are you hurt?”
Damn but she smells good.
He couldn’t pinpoint the exact aroma. It was a mixture of intoxicating fragrances that tantalized his nostrils. He drew in a long, slow breath, determined to commit her scent to his memory for life.
Her skin glowed under the light of the moon and her chest rose and fell with her uneven, quick breaths. She was even more beautiful than earlier with the rose of excitement coloring her cheeks. Her dark hair spread out around her head, framing her face like a piece of newly discovered art.
He held his body next to hers and felt the press of her firm breasts against his chest. She was lean, athletic, but she still had the rounded body of a real woman. His cock rose to push against her crotch and the heat rising there met with the warmth flowing from between her legs.
