Page 69 of Holiday Hostage
PAYTON
A week alone in the cabin with three gorgeous ex-military men who treated me like a princess was the best present I could think of considering our situation.
The storm kept me up late into most nights, and they made sure to sit up with me, watching the snow whip across the landscape or listening to the low hum of a radio Reed had put on one of the small tables in the living room.
The radio crackled and popped with static, and it didn’t pick up any real stations.
But it was noise from the outside world, and as much as I loved our secluded time together, it gave me a sense of comfort to hear the oldies playing.
I’d never been happier.
The thought had hit me a few days ago, in the middle of a game of chess Reed and I were playing.
I’d taken him for a checkers kind of guy, something short and quick that didn’t take as much planning or deep thought.
I’d been wrong, and it bit me in the ass when he demolished me in the first game, leaving me gaping at the board as he smirked.
And the sex.
Holy shit, but the sex was incredible, and my need for them insatiable.
No matter how many times we were together, it was never enough.
We’d fucked on every available surface–and some that I’d never have considered without their ingenuity and creativity.
They made it all exciting and so deeply pleasurable that I couldn’t stop myself from asking for more.
I grinned at Maverick as I set a pot on the stove and added powdered milk and water.
We’d been going around and around all morning over who made the best hot chocolate, and it had started a craving I was determined to satisfy.
“He’s telling the truth.” Reed sat beside Mav and elbowed him in the ribs with his good arm. “The guy’s a certified hero. He saved the woman from a sniper bullet, then hunted down the man who’d pulled the trigger.”
“I believe him. I believe all of the stories you’ve told me.” They’d regaled me for hours with stories of their careers as Rangers.
They fascinated me in so many ways, but hearing how they’d saved lives while ending others brought a new level of assurance that we were all going to make it out of this situation alive.
They were powerful and fearless warriors with the kind of loyalty and kinship that not only inspired me but that created the kind of lasting bonds that made them family.
Beyond all that, they made me feel safe.
They made me feel whole, something I’d been missing for so long.
Dad loved me. I never doubted that.
He’d given me more than I could imagine, and I loved him to the end of the earth.
But it was different with Tarron, Reed, and Maverick.
Reed sidled up beside me and took the spatula from my hand.
He stirred the powdered milk mixture and leaned in to kiss me.
They’d started doing that more often, touching me, kissing me casually in ways that offered safety and comfort.
He pulled away and handed me the cocoa he’d found in the pantry. “Another game of chess tonight?”
“Sure.” I pointed at him, my nail poking him in the chest. “And this time I’m going to figure out how you keep winning.”
