Taken in Tahoe Page 4

  I picked up the pace, but so did he. He knew I was following him, and he was mad as hell.

  I’d never out-pace Rex, so instead I decided to just follow him.

  As the elevation got lower, the snow got thicker. My boots weren’t cut out for true weather and my toes were getting numb. Even worse, I couldn’t see Rex anymore. “Don’t panic,” I said out loud. I’d gone through enough of Rex’s survival courses to know that panic is what gets you dead. I reached into my pocket for my cell phone, but there was no coverage.

  I needed to warm up, so I looked around for a decent place to make a temporary shelter. As I started trudging toward a clearing, it snapped. A metal trap locked around my ankle and I howled like a rabbit being torn open by a coyote. I was stuck in an animal trap—in the middle of nowhere.

  I’m not sure if it was panic, the cold, or the pain around my ankle, but everything went black as I fell into the crunchy snow.

  “Penny, wake up, baby.”

  “Huh?” I wasn’t cold anymore, and the pain was gone—I was left with a dull ache.

  “You passed out. Did you eat today?”

  My eyes opened. Rex was hovering over me—his crackling fire was warming me up.

  “I had coffee.”

  He tossed a stick into the fire and shook his head. “Coffee isn’t food. Why the hell would you head out in the snow so unprepared? Have I taught you nothing?”

  Now I was mad. “I didn’t plan to go for some hike, Rex. I was chasing you. I’d had it with your lies. This is your fault.”

  He sat down on the log next to me. “I went out this morning, early, to surprise you with a Christmas tree.”

  I reached down and rubbed my ankle. I’d seen the tree—but the rest?

  “Who is she, Rex?”

  He took a deep breath and let it out. “Penelope, listen to me. She is no one, okay?”

  “Is she from the past?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why are you sneaking off with her?”

  “Why do you think?”

  Our eyes locked together. “I have a feeling I’ll wish it was to have sex, but I know it isn’t. What are you keeping from us?”

  There was a howl from behind the trees—a howl that sounded far too close.

  “Coyotes,” Rex said as he stood up to put out the fire. “We need to get back, it’s getting dark. Is your ankle okay?”

  I wanted to argue—he was avoiding my question, but from the same area as the howl came a series of yips.

  The snow was falling harder, a wet blanket of heaviness that made the fire sizzle. I shivered as I heard the pack of wild animals howl again.

  Rex looked around and glanced at his watch. “Maybe we should make shelter with these guys out hunting.”

  I stood up, my ankle only a little sore. “Hell no, I’m not staying out here. I grew up around coyotes, Rex, they won’t bother us.”

  “You grew up around city coyotes, used to people. These guys are a bit more aggressive, and it’s not worth us getting stuck in the weather. Besides, your clothes are wet, Princess. That’s just asking for hypothermia.”

  I wanted to argue because I really didn’t want to sleep in the wilderness, in the cold. But Rex was right about the weather and the time—it would be dark soon and neither of us had a flashlight.

  “Ugh, fine,” I groaned. “Where do you suggest we make camp?”

  “There’s a cave up ahead, I saw it the other day. That’s the best bet.”

  “A cave where you met with the mystery woman?”

  “Penny, give it a rest for now, okay?”

  I kicked at the last of the fire embers. “Whatever. Nate’s going to be worried—does your phone have a signal?”

  “Nope,” he said as he lifted me up. “And it wouldn’t matter if it did—the only place near the cabin to get a signal is on that ridgeline.”

  I hated the idea of Nate spending the night in the cabin, worrying, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. “Which way?”

  The coyotes yipped again—they were in between the cabin and us. “That way,” Rex pointed. I was relieved our destination was away from the pack of howling, hunting canines.

  The cave wasn’t as gruesome as I thought it would be. Off of a main trail, it appeared to have been used by hikers recently. They’d even left an empty soup can behind.

  “Looks like we have a vessel,” I said to Rex. He was gathering pine branches to make a place for us to sleep.

  “Excellent find. We’ll need it melt this snow into water.”

  “How long until dark?”

  “I think we have about forty minutes.”

  “And food? Please tell me you have something. I’m starving!”

  “Starving—that’s an exaggeration. And whose fault is it that you didn’t have breakfast?”

  “Or lunch. Yours.”

  He threw his hands in the air in frustration. “Whatever, Penny. You can demonstrate your fire making skills while I hunt for dinner.”

  “Okay, you grab some bigger wood for fuel, and start looking for tinder—”

  “Oh no, baby girl, you misunderstood. You make fire—my light is limited.”

  “Do you have matches? Or a lighter?”

  “So you don’t have any way of making fire? Princess, that is so unprepared. What’s the first rule of survival?”

  “Always have a way to make fire and a backup, too,” I chanted like a school kid reciting their multiplication tables.

  “Luckily, some of us are always prepared,” he said as he tossed me a lighter.

  I swallowed my panic—the snow was coming down harder and we only had a little daylight left. “I-I’ve never done this with snow and wind.”

  “The mechanics are the same. Right over there near the entrance where it’s sheltered—close enough to keep us warm and from getting eaten for the night, but not close enough that we’ll die from the smoke in our sleep.”

  “Not to scare me or anything…” I shook my head—I was not looking forward to a night in this gloomy cave.

  “Fear is good, but we’ll be okay. I’ve faced far worse nights. Get the fire going, and then see if you can’t clean out that can and melt some snow.”

  “Yes, Sir,” I said, reaching for a twig on the ground.

  “Once it’s warm in there get out of those wet clothes, too.”

  “I know, I know, hypothermia.”

  He licked his lips and raised his eyebrows. “It’s more I just wanted you naked.”

  “There’s not going to be any antics tonight in this cave, Rex.”

  He blew me a kiss as he turned to leave. “Famous last words, baby, famous last words.”

  I managed to get a fire going with the help of Rex’s lighter. The overhang at the front of the cave gave the perfect shelter from the falling snow, and before long the cave was warm and cozy. I peeled off my wet clothing and laid it out near the fire the best I could.

  Barefoot, with only my bra and panties on, I sat down on the floor of the cave and listened to the night. It was eerily quiet, with none of the wild noises we’d heard earlier. Even the coyotes were hunkering down for the storm, it seemed.

  That’s when I heard it—the most horrible scream. A scream I recognized—but then, footsteps.

  “Rex?” I called out, surprised he’d be so close already.

  There was no answer.

  The footsteps got closer and I reached for a stick—the only weapon I could think of.

  “I’m armed!” I screamed toward the opening of the cave.

  There was a cough, and then the steps grew closer. Someone was right outside the cave.

  I heard the horrific scream again—I knew that sound, it was Rex catching dinner. Which meant, I thought, that wasn’t Rex outside. I glanced down at my mostly-bare body. Shit!

  I pulled back the stick and got ready as the intruder came into the cave.

  “Well, well, if it isn’t Lara Croft, Tomb Raider,” he said. “We’re about to have some fun.”


  Chapter Five

  I dropped the stick and ran at him. “Nate!”

  He wrapped me in his arms—his cold arms. “Are you okay? I’ve been tracking you the whole time but fell behind when the pack of coyotes caused me to hang back.”

  “I’m so glad you’re here.” I clung to him as if he might evaporate.

  “Well, I can’t say I’m all that thrilled to have spent my afternoon this way, but seeing you mostly naked makes up for the discomfort.”

  “Did King Rex go to hunt?” he asked as he looked around the cave.

  “Yeah, I think I heard him strangling something.”

  “Well, before he gets back,” he said, reaching into his pocket. “Snickers or a protein bar?”

  “Oh my God, I love you!” I was so hungry.

  “You better,” he said with a smile. “And we’re not sharing with the hunter, either.”

  I reached for the chocolate bar and gave Nate a kiss.

  Minutes after we’d eaten our snacks, Rex came back without the bloody animal I’d expected.

  “Nathaniel, very nice work getting here. I love it when the band’s all together,” Rex said, looking over to Nate by the fire.

  “No dinner?” I teased, hoping he wouldn’t smell the chocolate on my breath.

  “Of course I brought dinner,” he said, reaching up to unzip his heavy coat. “What kind of a show do you thinking I’m runnin’?”

  As he unzipped, a furry animal appeared, an alive furry animal.

  “Holy shit!” My hand flew to my mouth. It was the cutest thing I’d ever seen, a white powder puff of a creature, shaking and burrowing into Rex’s chest.

  “Can I keep her?” Rex reached down and stroked the animal’s head.

  “Rex, we’re not eating that puppy!” I was horrified, disgusted.

  He laughed and pulled her out of his coat and into his arms. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t imply what you just did, Princess.”

  He handed the fluffy dog to me, giving her one last rub to the head. “She’s not a puppy, she’s a grown bitch, just like—”

  “Not funny! You said you brought dinner, and then she came out.” The dog licked at my hand, but whined for Rex. They clearly had bonded.

  “I found her cuddled up in a pile of straw after I caught the rabbits.” He nodded toward the entrance of the cave. “I hunted, Penny made the fire, so guess who’s cooking, Nathaniel?” Rex pointed the handle of his knife at Nate.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Nate said. “I just love cleaning rabbits.” Nate put his hat and gloves on and left the cave.

  “What should we name her?”

  Rex knelt next to me on the rocky ground. “She’s someone’s pet, not a stray, and I don’t think she’s been missing for very long. Don’t get attached to her, Princess. There’s no collar, but I bet she’s micro-chipped. Let’s call her little bitch for now.”

  “Absolutely not,” I protested. “But she loves you.”

  “Dogs and babies love me. It’s grown-ups I don’t do so well with.”

  “Let’s just call her snowball for now. As soon as the weather clears we’ll take her to that vet’s office at the bottom of the road.”

  “It’s a deal,” he said, stroking her soft fur one more time before standing back up. “I don’t have a pot, so those rabbits will have to be skewered. I’m going out to help Nate or he’ll burn ‘em to a crisp.”

  We gnawed at the tough rabbit meat—not half as good as anything we had the cabin, but it was food. Our little friend, Snowball we called her, feasted right along with us.

  “Can you handle it, Penny, if we’re stuck far away from the glamorous life this Christmas?” Nate asked as he fed the dog another piece of meat.

  “Being with the two of you is all that matters. I guess for me, the way I grew up, the holidays were about all the trappings. We’d go to New York City, or Paris, or someplace cold. Dad hated to stay in Vegas—but we always spent New Year’s Eve on the Strip. But that was more about the business, his big party.”

  “So you always traveled?” Nate asked.

  “Yes, later on it was just Mom and I. By the time I was twelve, Dad was spending his Christmases with one girlfriend or another.”

  “That’s sad,” Rex said.

  “We had more fun without him. One year when I was sixteen we went to Vienna, just the two of us. Mom finally decided I was old enough to not travel with a nanny, and it was the first time I ever felt like we connected as women. She’d been sad that year, but I remember as the snow fell in the Christmas markets, she smiled wide at me, that twinkle in her eye again.”

  “I’ve always wanted to see Vienna that time of year,” Nate said.

  “Next year, let’s do that. Christmas in Vienna,” Rex said.

  Nate’s head whipped toward Rex. “Holy fuck, are you actually making Christmas plans? Vienna is festive as hell, Scrooge. Are you sure?”

  Rex nodded. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think I can handle it. Let’s get through this one first, okay?” A darkness drifted across his eyes, and my mind went to that feeling I had that we were being watched, but I pushed it away. I wanted to think of my mother, before she got ill, and that magical Christmas instead.

  “She let me drink,” I said with a smile. “Mom was a big rule-follower type, and there you can drink beer and wine legally at sixteen. So to her, she was letting me have my first drink.”

  “You didn’t have a drink until you were sixteen? Sweet, innocent Penelope, who knew?” Nate teased.

  “Well, I drank a lot and did a ton of other stuff before then. But this was different, special. It wasn’t like partying with my friends at home; it was more about the culture, the experience. I guess it was the idea of sharing a moment with her—we’d been through so much, and things were strained back at home. It was like that year we took a break from all the problems and just had a magical holiday together, just us. I’ll keep it in my heart forever.”

  “Don’t you still have a mug from the Christmas markets on your shelf at home?” Nate asked.

  “Yes, the blue one. The drink is called Weihnachtspunsch. It’s basically a warm wine punch, and you pay a deposit to return the mugs but of course we kept them as souvenirs. I’ll never forget that Christmas.”

  “We’ll light a candle for her next year in Vienna when we go,” Rex said, the furry dog nuzzling into his neck.

  “We went to the Peterskirche on Christmas Eve. Mom loved the nativity scene there, and I can’t imagine a better place to remember her.”

  “It’s a date,” Rex said.

  “I love you so much, both of you,” I sniffed, trying not to cry. I missed my mother dearly, but these two men filled a void deep within my soul—and I knew she’d be proud of the woman I’d become.

  “Shooting star!” Nate pointed to the sky.

  I looked up as the white streak whipped across the sky. Merry Christmas, Mom, I thought.

  Our bellies as full as they were going to be, and our new canine friend curled into Rex’s scarf and snoring, we did our best to get comfortable in the pile of pine branches. It was cozier than I thought, and I felt safe that night between them.

  I closed my eyes to sleep when I felt a wandering hand invade my waistband. I slapped it away playfully, but another hand replaced it.

  “We aren’t getting freaky in this cave,” I scolded.

  It took minutes for fingers to be up my shirt, under my bra, and another set of fingers down my panties.

  “Do it fast,” I teased. “I don’t want to get cold.”

  “Never,” Rex grunted. “I want to savor you.”

  “First I’m going to savor you,” I said with a wink, pulling at his fly.

  Nate rolled over, eager to join in my quest to get Rex naked. The second we’d freed his erection, both of our tongues lapped at Rex’s giant pierced cock. We toyed with it, licked it, stroked it—but didn’t give him the friction he craved. We wanted him teased to desperation.

  “Fuck, you two are too much for me,” he moan
ed as Nate’s tongue darted lower to poke at his heavy balls.

  I wrapped my lips around him, holding still as I allowed him to thrust a few times, but only a few. Neither of us wanted Rex to come yet.

  “We should hurry, get some sleep,” Rex said, his voice guttural, pleading.

  “Hm,” Nate moaned, opening his mouth wide around Rex’s sac in a vain attempt to suck the whole thing. I reached down to stroke myself as I sucked Rex—the sight of his massive scrotum spilling out over Nate’s lips almost more than I could process.

  The wind outside whistled, but in our shelter we felt safe and warm. Rex’s thrusting over my tongue intensified, and I forced myself to pull my lips from his cock.

  “Not yet,” I said, my lips finding his. “We both want you,” I whispered into his mouth as his tongue darted out to tangle with mine. My fingers were still inside my own needy pussy. I didn’t usually pleasure myself when the three of us were together, but that night, stranded in the snow, I had no restraint.

  Rex’s fingers wrapped around my wrist and pulled my small hand from my wetness. In a quick thrust, he offered my sopping fingers to Nate, who sucked each one slowly. I pouted as Rex’s mouth left mine, the sensation of suction on my slick fingers driving me to insanity.

  “Fuck me, please,” I begged. Now I was the one in desperation—my need burned like fire.

  Nate’s mouth left my hand as Rex flipped me on my back. The sweet smell of pine was all around me as they pulled off my clothes. When I was naked, Rex’s adoring tongue found a nipple, and his hard suction made me thrust my hips like an animal in heat. I needed to be filled, to be satisfied.

  I closed my eyes, savoring the pull of Rex’s mouth on my breast, but I could hear the rustling of Nate undressing. He was about to take me, and I knew he would take me hard and fast.

  My right nipple throbbed from Rex’s suckle, and my left burned as his nimble fingers flicked at it. My pussy spasmed before Nate’s long cock stabbed into it, hard, from tip to root in one thrust. I screamed, I howled, and I came time after time as Nate’s merciless cock pounded into me.