Chapter 15
REED
I watched Payton and Mav from the corner of my eye, enjoying the show but unable to give it my full attention unless I wanted to risk sending us plunging into the icy river.
Tarron looked through his medical bag, no doubt making a tally of what he’d used and what he’d need to replace once we found an acceptable alternative to running for our lives.
A prickle of heat swept up the back of my neck.
No one was following us.
No one watched us from the bank, but I couldn’t shake the sudden doom and gloom feeling that started when I recognized our former commander.
The bastard. I should have kept after him, made sure to kill him this time. He deserved it.
My hands tightened on the wheel, but one look at Payton and I eased my grip.
She’d been so worried about me and Maverick catching up.
I wasn’t used to that from anyone except the two men I’d fought alongside for years.
Women came and went in our lives.
Sometimes we’d shared as we were on mission, but overall, no one ever created that lingering feeling of hope that threatened to spiral out of control.
Maverick worked his hands into Payton’s hair, and I gritted my teeth to keep from jumping up from the seat and joining them.
I cleared my throat and elbowed Tarron with my good arm. “You should tell the lovebirds we’ll be pulling in at the dock soon enough.”
Tarron glanced their way, and I swore his entire being transformed from soldier to lover in an instant.
My desire for Payton overruled the pain in my shoulder. From the look on Tarron’s face, he had a similar feeling.
Tarron blinked and took a step away from me, heading toward Payton and Maverick.
The tiny boat didn’t offer any kind of privacy, but it was sturdy enough to carry us to our destination.
I’d have preferred something heavier, with a cabin where Payton would be out of the elements.
We didn’t always get what we wanted. I’d recognized and accepted that fact a long time ago.
My shoulder ached when I turned the wheel, and I dropped my hand to my lap.
The meds Tarron gave me wore off hours ago, but I’d be damned if I asked for more. Mercenaries on our tails meant staying alert at all times.
Except…
I grinned at the thought of Payton with the three of us. We had time for a bit of fun before we scrambled for our next location.
The storm bearing down on us pitched the nose of the boat into the air.
We came crashing down with a wallop that rocked the entire frame.
Payton released a soft scream and clung to Maverick.
I angled the boat so we crested the waves at an angle, slowly chugging our way toward the dock I’d not set foot on in decades.
Exhaustion threatened, but I pushed it aside.
A little TLC with Payton was what I needed.
What we all needed.
I killed the engine and let the waves carry us forward.
“Tarron, do you see the dock?” I pointed at the dark stretch of wood jutting into the water.
I might not have been here in ages, but Dad would’ve kept the thing maintained and ready for company.
Same for the house.
I lifted my head to stare up the long, winding stack of steps.
Dad had been particular about their construction as well.
Ten steps, then a landing.
A forty-five-degree turn, then another ten steps. Repeat.
The result was a monolith of wood and steel that had every chance of standing the test of time even in Alaska’s harshest temperatures.
“Got it.” Tarron grabbed the line he’d chucked on board earlier and leaped onto the dock, wrapping the rope around one of the pilings and tying it off.
Maverick and Payton stood at the same time, their arms locked together.
Payton’s eyebrows rose as the moon broke free of the storm and caressed the house with a wan light.
“Wow. Who lives here?” She spoke with a quiet reverence that brought a surge of pride to obscure my pain.
“It’s my dad’s summer home.” I used to come here with him every summer.
We’d spend hours fishing, boating, doing anything and everything there was to do in the Alaska wilderness.
The two-story A-frame boasted a full log style exterior, with large windows along the top half facing the river.
An expansive porch held a series of wooden chairs and tables, along with a fire pit and brick oven.
Dad believed in roughing it the modern way, with all the conveniences available.
He’d taught me a lot about survival and the finer things in life.
Right now, that was all I wanted—to settle in for the night and let loose after the day’s commotion.
We’d earned the right.
I followed Tarron onto the dock and held out my good hand for Payton.
She took it with a grin and laughed when Maverick boosted her toward me with his hands on her ass.
“Will your dad mind?” Payton tossed her long blonde hair from her face and tipped her chin toward the sky.
The move exposed the column of her throat, and all I could think about was tasting the pulse point hammering in my line of sight.
I shook my head and took her hand, helping lead her up the hundred steps from the dock to the main porch.
“He never comes here in the winter. And even if he did, he’d welcome us with open arms.” He’d be curious, especially about our relationship with Payton, but he’d mind his own business.
I loved that about Dad.
He was protective but loose enough to let me live my life, even if he didn’t understand why I did some of the things that I did.
He had raised me to be a hunter and a protector, and I’d never known a better man.
Dad set the bar for manhood, including instilling in me a deep respect for women.
We reached the porch, and I tipped over the ceramic flag, finding the key he’d shown me the last time I visited.
I shoved the key into the lock, and the door opened without protest.
It smelled a bit musty but with a lingering touch of Dad’s cologne and gun oil mixed with gunpowder.
I drew the air into my lungs and let the feeling of home wash over me.
Payton stopped in the middle of the foyer and turned a slow circle, one hand clutched to her throat, lips parted in what appeared to be stunned awe.
I took in the space through her eyes, accepted that Dad went a little crazy on the decor and style of the house, and moved on.
The bearskin rug in front of the fireplace was a bit out there, and I caught Tarron nudging the bear’s snout with his toes after kicking off his boots and placing them in the hall closet.
“This place is amazing.” Payton removed her coat and hung it alongside Maverick’s. Her blonde hair was tousled, a few sprigs of pine knotted in the snarls that trailed down her back. “Does it have hot water?”
“Yes.” I couldn’t help but laugh at her giddy excitement as she danced in place. “Why don’t you go ahead and take yours first?”
I pointed toward the wooden staircase that spiraled upward to the second floor.
I hadn’t been here in years, but I remembered the layout in perfect detail.
“Second door on the left. That room has the bathroom with the best water pressure.”
Last time I’d come here hunting with Dad, we’d cooked our kill over the fire in the back and kayaked up the river until we hit a sweet fishing spot.
We’d overloaded our kayaks with fish and returned to the cabin, starved and stinking.
I’d nearly run all the hot water out trying to wash the fish smell off my skin.
And now it was our refuge in the middle of the storm bearing down on the world and protecting us from detection.
God, I loved this wild place with all its chaos and stormy glory.
I nudged Payton toward the staircase when she remained still and quiet in the center of the room.
“Go on. You must be freezing after a long day tromping through the snow.” And I wanted to talk to Maverick about getting hold of Payton’s father for a possible extraction.
If he’d tried the satellite phone since our first night in the ranger station, I’d missed it.
Payton tugged a strand of hair over her shoulder and picked a twig from the depths.
Twirling it between her thumb and forefinger, she peered up at me through thick lashes. “You could join me.” A look around at the three of us showed an open invitation, but she solidified it with a smile. “All three of you. If you want.”
She said it like she had no idea she was the most desirable creature on the planet.
I wiggled my eyebrows and yanked my shirt free with my good hand, halfway pulling it over my head as I raced for the stars.
“You don’t have to offer twice. I’m there.”
Her laughter trailed behind me, the sound more precious than anything in this world.
We’d met her during the scariest moment of her life, and she still managed to find joy in the moments we shared.
That was something worth keeping.
My steps pounded upward, the crash and dash of Mav and Tarron on my heels causing the whole house to shudder.
Payton grabbed hold of the banister and ducked under my arm. “I get to set the temperature.”
Tarron groaned. “Good. I don’t need my skin. Feel free to scald it all off.”
“Hey.” Payton pouted, her lush lower lip sticking out and begging to be kissed. “I’m cold. If you don’t like the temperature, you can keep watch from outside.”
I burst onto the landing and brought her flush to my chest with my arms around her waist. “Make it as hot as it will go. We can handle the heat.”
I’d walk through hell and back for her.
Didn’t matter the time, place, or reason.
All she had to do was look at me like I mattered to her, and I was sunk.
I walked her toward the bedroom, across the thick carpet, and into the luxurious bathroom with the rainforest showerhead that had a dozen different pressure settings.
Her clothes hit the floor first, thanks to some help from all four of us.
Once she was naked, she sashayed into the shower and twisted the knob, standing in the corner as cold water gushed for the first few seconds.
Goosebumps erupted on her skin, and she rubbed her palms up and down her arms.
I shed my clothes and kicked them into a pile in the corner before joining her.
Steam billowed up and around us, obscuring my vision of Mav and Tarron.
I didn’t mind.
Payton was my sole purpose.
I cupped her face and kissed her, easing her lips apart and teasing her tongue with mine.
She put her hands on my shoulders, then yanked away, her eyes wide as she eyed my bruised flesh.
Tarron had done a marvelous job, all things considered. I’d bear another scar.
This one happened to land right in the middle of my favorite tattoo of an old-fashioned Colt revolver.
I laughed when I noted the indentation. “Look, once it heals, it’ll look like the gun is firing.” The bullet hole brushed the edge of the Colt’s barrel, and I imagined showing it to my tattoo guy. He’d love it.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Payton asked.
I guided her hands down to my swollen cock. “Kitten, only one thing is going to stop this.”
“What’s that?”
My grin widened when her hands tightened around me and stroked downward. “You saying you don’t want to.”
She choked on a laugh and shook her head. Something wild entered her eyes, and she dropped to her knees. “In that case, let’s get everyone warmed up.”
I barely had time to brace my back against the wall when she took me into her mouth.