Paradise Found

by Sarah O'Rourke

  “See, Jellybean here has a penchant for trying to steal pretty things,” he enlightened Sami hesitantly. “Especially pretty, silky things that he finds on the floor.”

  Sami’s eyes widened as her face blanched. “Ben…”

  “See, in Jellybean’s world, if it’s on the floor, it belongs to him. The floor is his domain,” he expounded with a grimace.

  “That silk blouse was Givenchy couture, Benjamin, and those jeans were my favorite pair of Sevens. Please tell me that this is one of your twisted jokes,” Sami breathed as she tried to remain calm.

  “I’m afraid not,” Ben replied with a grimace as he slowly reached for a pile of rags Sami hadn’t noticed on the table behind him.

  Jaw dropping as she stared at what was left of her outfit, she whimpered as a piece of what was once her fitted blouse fluttered to the floor. Turning to look at the oblivious canine at her feet, Sami held what was left of her shredded clothing in front of the dog’s snout. “Bad dog,’ she chastised him as she shook what was left of her expensive shirt in front of his nose. “Bad, bad dog. We do not defile my designer duds! You confine your snacks to off the rack only!” She rebuked sternly, gaping when Jellybean leapt toward the flapping fabric and pulled it into his mouth, yanking it sharply and nearly pulling Sami off-balance.

  “Yeah,” Ben said apologetically as Sami shot him a look of stunned disbelief, “He really likes to play tug of war,” he informed her with a sigh. “If it helps any, we’re working on our manners,” he shared hopefully. “Watch this,” he invited. Snapping his fingers, he ordered, “Drop it, Jellybean.”

  Sami sighed as she silently observed the dog as he dropped the fabric to the floor, laying his head on top of the soggy pool of ruined material. “Awesome,” she praised unenthusiastically. “As amazing as that behavioral feat is, it still doesn’t solve my half-naked problem!” she hissed, gesturing down at her bare legs as she again tugged at Ben’s tee shirt, trying to pull it down so that it covered at least some of her ass. Eyeballing the dog with unconcealed annoyance, Sami silently counted to ten before giving in and patting Jellybean on his head. It wasn’t like he’d destroyed her clothes for spite. He didn’t even know her. He was just doing what dogs did. And after all, she was in his territory. Sinking onto the edge of the bed, she hung her head and closed her eyes, wondering what she was supposed to do about her near naked state of affairs. She couldn’t exactly make a break for it while she was buck-assed naked.

  As if he could read her thoughts, Ben spoke. “Since my dog did a number on your outfit, I have a peace offering.”

  Jerking her head up at the mention of a peace offering, Sami looked at Ben with eager eyes as she fiddled with the hem of her tee shirt with nervous fingers. “What?” she questioned rapidly.

  “Well, as amazing as I think you look wearing my shirt… or nothing at all if I had my way, I know how much you love your girly shit. So, I had Axton pick up a bag of your crap from Vivian yesterday before he brought our supplies up the mountain.”

  “You did? You mean I have stuff here?” Sami asked, growing more excited by the prospect of clean clothes.

  “Your bag is over there beside the kitchen table,” he shared, indicating the waiting bag with a slght lift of his chin.

  Bolting off the bed, Sami rushed over to the scarred wooden table, her bare feet slapping against the dirty planks of the floor. Quickly locating her black leather overnight bag on the floor, she bent to pull the bag into one of the mismatched ladder backed chairs, frowning as she noticed how light it felt. Reaching for the silver zipper, she held her breath as she heard the metallic sound of the zipper’s teeth separating. “Please, God, let there be a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt in here,” she muttered under her breath as she reached inside the satchel, scowling as she pulled out a handful of lacy thongs. “What the…” she huffed as she rapidly unearthed three racy demi-bras and a couple of see-through negligees from the depths of her luggage. Tossing the filmy fabric impatiently to the floor, she turned accusatory eyes on Ben. “These aren’t even my things! I’d never wear a color as obvious as crimson to seduce a man,” she snarled, waving a hand toward the discarded red corset on the ground.

  Eyeing the sexy nightwear, Ben’s lips twisted into a smug grin. “Well, that is truly a pity. I’m willing to bet you’d look amazing in red,” he wagered as his eyes traveled up and down Sami’s body.

  “You wish!” she sneered, her agitation inching upward. “Where are my clothes, Ben?” she questioned stiffly, her hands fisting at her side as she faced off with him.

  “I have no idea. I told Axton to have Vivian pack you a bag,” he informed her easily with a shrug of his shoulders. “My guess? These are the clothes she wanted you to have,’ he theorized smugly, nodding toward the heap of satin and lace littering the floor.

  “Of all the traitorous, backstabbing…. I can’t believe Viv would DO this,” she ranted, looking around at the clothes, or lack thereof, that Vivian had packed for her. “I’m going to kill her,” she hissed, bending to snatch a black lace peekaboo nightgown from the floor and shaking the lacy material toward Ben. “How the hell does she expect me to stay warm up here, huh? I’ll freeze to death wearing these scraps.”

  Clearing his throat, Ben tilted his head to the side as he considered the frothy fabric swinging in front of his nose. “Perhaps, she’s counting on me to keep things heated up for you.”

  Sami tried to ignore how good that actually sounded to her as she began to pace. She was officially trapped, almost naked, in a cabin with a man that she’d loved for more years than she cared to remember… a man she still couldn’t have no matter how much her body tried to convince her otherwise. Her aching pussy and throbbing nipples would have to suffer. She couldn’t let Ben get close to her again. Not when she knew she’d only be hurting them both far more in the long run. Last night had been a beautiful reminder of what they’d once shared, but it could never be anything more than that.

  But her feelings for him made her weak, and Sami knew if she stayed up here in this cabin with him much longer, it was only a matter of time before she jumped back on Ben’s dick and rode them both to their ruin.

  Which meant she needed to go.

  First order of business? Finding some fucking clothes!

  Ignoring the way his eyes followed her around the room, she quickly snagged a simple lace bra and matching thong from her meager selection of belongings before she marched toward his suitcase, flipping it open and rifling through the contents. “Something I can help you find?” his deep voice drawled from behind her as her hands busily searched for something viable to wear.

  “Nope,” Sami declared tersely, snatching up a black thermal shirt that looked about three sizes too big for her. Throwing it over her arm, she swiftly located a pair of gray sweatpants that still thankfully had the drawstring in them and a pair of thick, wooly socks.

  “Then care to share exactly what you’re doing in my stuff?” Ben probed, his smiling voice clearly amused.

  Turning her head, Sami rolled her eyes at his stupid question. “Stealing,” she replied succinctly before focusing her attention back on her hunt. Rifling through the contents of his bag for an extra pair of boots, she came up empty. Biting back a curse as her escape plan appeared to hit another snag, Sami wondered where in the name of Gucci she was going to find appropriate footwear for her little sojourn down the side of the mountain. Spotting her slightly battered pair of strappy Jimmy Choo’s in front of the fireplace, she somehow doubted that they’d be a viable option… unless she was planning to skate down the mountain on her ass. Because while elegantly chic, her trusty heels were designed to move men, not mountains. No, for this kind of hike, she needed a nice sturdy pair of boots.

  And since the only pair of those she knew about currently resided on Ben’s size fourteen feet, she had a feeling she was shit out of luck.

  Unless she improvised, she thought as she caught sight of a pair of bright yellow galoshes out on the porch. She wo
uldn’t exactly look like a model off the pages of Cosmo, but maybe she could start a fashion forward trend.

  Unfortunately, her bladder chose this moment to remind her that her options were limited. Looking around the small cabin for a door to the bathroom, her brows furrowed as she realized there was only a single door in the whole room… and it led outside. “Ben?” she questioned tightly as her spine tingled ominously, warning her of something unpleasant looming in her near future. Clutching her purloined wardrobe to her chest, she swallowed hard as she scanned the tiny room again, hoping she’d somehow overlooked a second door. “Where exactly is the bathroom in this place?”

  She knew by Ben’s evil smirk that she would not be pleased by his answer. Before he could open his mouth, she groaned as he lifted a hand and pointed outside toward the lean-to at the edge of the woods. “You have GOT to be kidding me? Is that a freaking outhouse? Like in the movies?”

  “Yep, a real, honest to God functioning outhouse,” he agreed insistently, nodding his head as his smile widened maniacally.

  “Ben, that’s a contradiction in terms. There’s not a damn thing functioning about an outhouse. And I can NOT believe that a man who was swearing and declaring just last night to love without question would even SUGGEST I go relieve myself in a hole in the ground! Do people out here in the sticks not realize that technology has advanced to the point of indoor plumbing?

  “Most of the lodge’s other cabins have been updated, but this one has views that can make a grown man wanna cry. Plus, it has the added benefit of being furthest off the grid. Lots of privacy for us to work out our shit and get us on the road to reconciliation,” he reasoned with a confident lift of his chin, his lips tilting upward slightly as he sidled closer to her. “Although I’m not averse to some more making up like we did last night if you’d rather start with that. I like to think I’m a versatile guy.”

  “My ass! A deluded psycho is what you are,” Sami charged huffily, throwing up a hand to halt his forward progression and almost instantly regretting that decision when her palm encountered a wall of hard, chiseled muscle. God, she’d almost forgotten how much she loved touching his chest. The sinewy ropes of muscle. The ridged perfection of his abs. It was enough to make her panties spontaneously combust.

  Which was why she needed to FOCUS.

  Shoving him back a step, she narrowed her eyes on Ben’s handsome face as she concentrated on all the pain of his parting words three years ago and channeled all the agony she’d experienced since he’d left into her next words. “Get this through your thick skull, Ben! We don’t have any shit to work through because we’re over. I’m not interested in a reconciliation or finding resolution or anything else. Last night I was horny. You were available and I availed myself to your dick. That’s it. It was sex. If I’d had a dildo handy, I would have used it. I didn’t, so your cock was the most handy tool I had to get off. So if you’re building some kind of fantasy off a quick fuck….”

  Ben’s mouth tightened and his eyes blazed as he lifted a hand to encircle the wrist Sami still held up between them, yanking her body closer. “Enough, Samantha. Do yourself a favor and don’t spew any more bullshit in my direction. Otherwise I’m gonna be tempted to fill your mouth with something a whole lot more substantial than your venom. We both know last night meant something. Now, go trot your shapely ass out to the outhouse and do your business. Then we’ll talk. Or I’ll talk and you’ll listen,” he clarified firmly, his tone brooking no argument. “You got me?” he asked, pressing his hard body against hers.

  Sami stifled a moan as his solid body collided with hers, her hills fitting against his valleys as if they were two parts of the same whole. She could feel the sexual tension radiating off him, bathing her in a heady mist of sensual want and blistering need. In that moment, she felt like whatever higher power that existed was mocking her, dangling the man she wanted most in the world just beyond her reach. Fate was truly a vicious bitch. Forcing herself to jerk from his embrace, she took a faltering step backward as she wiveled toward the door. “The only thing I’ve got at the moment is a pressing need to use the bathroom, Ben,” she made herself bluster as she stomped. “So take your threats and shove ‘em up your ass,” she sassed before hustling outside, never more grateful for the crisp, cold air of the mountains than she was at that moment. Hopefully it would blow those carnal cobwebs right out of her mind and free it up to contemplate more important things.

  Like getting down off this mountain top.

  Holding her “borrowed” belongings clutched to her chest, she paused only long enough to snatch the rubber rain boots off the corner of the porch before she sprinted toward the primitive port-a-potty at the edge of the clearing, Jellybean following at her heels. Pausing just outside the worn door, she momentarily debated carrying her loot inside with her, but promptly decided that changing clothes outside would be the immensely more preferable way to go – especially based on the horrible odor wafting from the tiny wooden structure.

  “No eating these,” she ordered sternly, glaring threateningly at Ben’s dog before dropping her clothes into the grass. Watching as the animal merely snorted in response, collapsing onto his side as he stared back at her, Sami sighed. She was probably safe. Ben’s clothes weren’t exactly silk or satin. Wrinkling her nose, she swung open the wooden door with a two fingered grip and held her breath as she entered the gloomy darkness, praying that she survived this barbaric experience. A single small window streaked with what she valiantly hoped was mud provided a few weak rays of sunlight to light her way to the hole in the ground that was supposed to be a toilet. Squeezing her eyes shut, she bent over and rapidly performed her business, quickly using the crude facilities with a minimum of fuss before lurching out the door again.

  Breathing in a deep lungful of fresh air as she stumbled from the outhouse, Sami glared toward the porch where Ben stood watching her with steady eyes, lazily leaning one shoulder against the doorframe. “Thought you mighta fallen in there for a minute,” he called out with an arrogant grin. “Did the princess not find the amenities to her liking?”

  Flipping him the middle finger before snatching up the clean clothes on the ground, she scooted behind the outhouse and out of Ben’s line of sight, making sure to put an extra bounce in her step. Not for long enough to qualify as giving the bastard a free show, but just enough to make him remember what he wouldn’t be getting from her again. Was it wrong? Sure. But if he was going to tease her, she was going to make sure to give as good as she got… and one of the biggest weapons in her arsenal would always be her body. Not that she’d let him sample that particular delicacy again. She’d had a slip last night, but that was it. No more nookie for the kidnapper. “Not happening. No friggin’ way,” she grumbled to herself as she peeled off his shirt and held it out to Jellybean. “Bon appetite,” she simpered sweetly as she waved the cotton fabric at the dog playfully, grinning widely as his large canine teeth sank into the material. Letting it go, she grinned as she quickly donned her panties and bra then reached for the jogging pants she’d stolen from Ben. She made short work of dressing, chuckling every so often as Jellybean growled and tore at the tee shirt. “Good boy,” she praised the dog when she was fully dressed again.

  Plopping down on the soft ground, she quickly reached for one of the canary yellow rubber galoshes, holding it steady as she shoved her socked foot into the shoe. The fit wasn’t perfect; in fact, it felt like her foot was swimming around the interior, but it would have to do in a pinch. Her options were limited. It was the rain boots or bare feet, she told herself as she slid on the other rain boot. Stretching her legs out in front of her, she tilted her head as she considered her new footwear. She certainly wouldn’t win any style points, but hopefully, they’d carry her down the mountain. “Whatcha think, Jellybean?” she asked the pacing canine without looking at him. “You wanna take a chance and make a break for it with me?”

  His deep, answering growl had her head jerking toward him in a millisecond.
Her gaze quickly found him, his massive body facing the wood line with hackles raised as he snarled at something rustling in the trees.

  “Samantha!” she heard Ben shout, his tone unusually tense as his footsteps echoed against the ground as she listened to him rush toward her. “Sami, I mean it, woman; get in the damn cabin! Now!” Ben’s slightly panicked voice demanded urgently as he rounded the outhouse, his long legs eating the distance between them as he bent down and grabbed her hand.

  Gasping as he pulled her to her feet, Sami shot him a murderous glare. “Excuse me?” she replied icily as she tried to yank her hand away from his, her eyes shooting daggers at him as his dog continued yapping maniacally. “Last I checked, I was a free woman, well over the age of consent. I don’t take orders from anyone. Especially someone that thinks yelling them at me like some kind of army captain is okay. ”

  “Sami, we don’t have time to argue about this. Get your ass to the cabin! Now!” Ben ordered harshly, keeping one eye on the woods as he released her arm to give her a small shove in the direction of their cabin while Jellybean began to run circles around them almost as if he was trying to herd them toward the door.

  Stumbling slightly, Sami eyes turned slightly murderous as they focused on Ben’s distracted face. “Hey, how about you look at me when I tell you off,” she suggested snottily, waiting until he gave her the courtesy of a cursory glance. “You know what, Ben? Screw you!” she hissed, righting herself. “I’ve had it up to here with all your bossy bullshit,” she snarled, slicing her hand above her head. “This abduction is officially over, you ass! I’m leaving!” she announced, marching toward the gravel path that passed for a road in these parts. She’d only made it a few feet when a small bear cub broke through the tree line and clamored to a stop in front of her, his big brown eyes staring at her curiously.

  Freezing in place, Sami’s jaw dropped as her eyes collided with the cub’s. The baby bear was, without a doubt, the most adorable animal she’d ever seen in her life, and he was parked only a few feet away. “Aren’t you just precious?” she breathed, involuntarily holding out a hand as she heard Ben curse behind her while Jellybean’s barks became frantic.