Page 5 of Goldie and Her Bears (Dirty Paranormal Fairytale Haremlan 3)

“Relax. It’s me.” Jasper’s voice came out soothing. “Let me help you up.”

I nodded. His hands reached under my arms, and he helped me up. I briefly glanced at the only shot of freedom from this place as he guided me to the couch that sat in front of the fireplace. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” He smiled then looked over his shoulder. “Chase, something warm to drink? With sugar. I think she’s going into shock.”

I sighed. That would be the icing on top of this proverbial shitcake. But he might have very well been right. Jasper stepped away for a few moments, returning with a warm quilt. He draped the thing over my lap and settled in on the spot next to me. He twisted to face me and took several moments studying me.

“You feel up to letting me know what’s going on?” he asked.

I nodded. “I’ll try.”

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Not following you,” I muttered. My heart was just starting to slow, and my breaths barely started to even. My hands still shook, and I was grateful they were hidden under the blanket.

“Clearly,” he said. “So, how did you find me then?”

“I didn’t exactly come looking for you. I was looking for my family’s cabin. It was left to me when my parents died. I just found out about it though and have no clue where it is or at what point I got lost. I just knew it was cold, wet, and hypothermia was starting to set in. I did what I needed to survive. I really didn’t mean to intrude.”

He shook his head. “I’m confused.”

“So am I,” I said.

The man who I presumed was Chase walked in front of me, holding a mug with steam coming out of it. He seemed young in that baby-faced sort of way. His dark brown hair was cut short on the top of his head. His eyes were wide and bright, in the way that the world had yet to take his hopes and innocence from him. They were a softer color than Kai’s. More golden. Hazel. They pulled me into them the second I met his gaze.

“Hot chocolate?” he asked with a smile that made me weak in the knees.

I smirked as I pulled my gaze away from his hazel eyes. “Thank you.”

It was odd that three grown men had hot chocolate on hand. I never would have guessed. It was a pleasant surprise though. I loved hot chocolate.

I took the mug and breathed in the rich, velvety aroma before blowing gently over the rim, cooling the top of the liquid enough to take a small sip. The second the drink touched my tongue, my senses burst with life. The creaminess of the chocolate... it was divine. Easily the most delicious hot chocolate I’ve ever had in my life.

“Please, continue,” Jasper coaxed.

I gazed into his beautiful blue eyes and smiled. “The GPS in my car led me to a driveway that was hidden by all the overgrowth. It made sense to me because of the years that had passed since my parents died, and I wasn’t aware of the cabin as far as I could tell. I mean, I don’t remember ever staying at it.”

I shook my head as a pinche formed in the center of my forehead. I wondered if that was even true. We rarely took family vacations. None of which I remember a cabin.

“Anyhow, I followed the driveway as the storm hit. I eventually lost sight of the driveway thanks to the fog. I got lost, and then I found this cabin. I tried knocking but no one answered, and the door was unlocked. Instead of freezing to death on your front porch, I let myself in, dried off, and cleaned up the water I trailed in before laying down.”

Jasper placed a hand to my forehead as his eyebrows drew together in concentration. “You were probably on the verge of being hypothermic.”

I nodded. “That’s what I thought too.”

“Good thing you did let yourself in,” Jasper said as he pointedly looked at Kai.

“It was still a mistake. I knew better, but I was acting on survival. If it isn’t too much trouble, I would love some help getting where I need to go. I don’t want to impose any longer on you. Especially uninvited.”

“I’m sure we can work something out,” Jasper said.

I smiled at him. “Thank you.”

“Oh, for the love of—” Kai snapped. “Oh sure, let’s help the criminal.”

“Kai… that’s enough,” Jasper warned. A dark shadow crossed in front of his eyes as I watched him glare at his friend.

“Kitchen meeting?” Chase offered.

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