Chapter 20 Payton
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.”
“Ah, that’s my secret.” He tapped his forehead. “I’m really a master strategist. I just never use my powers for good.”
“Liar.” Tarron scooted in behind me.
He set one hand on my waist and reached over my head, plucking the lighter from the overhead cabinet. “I found a candle you might like. Thought I’d light it to celebrate the new year.”
New Year’s.
That was the only thing that kept putting a hitch in my heart during our time together.
Dad hadn’t heard from me in over a week. I missed him, even as I hated knowing my time with Tarron and the others was drawing to a close.
Tarron kissed the side of my neck, and a flutter lit in my belly.
Those light caresses were telling in a way I tried not to fall for.
The more they did that, the more I felt like I’d changed from being a high-value asset to an invaluable addition to their family.
I loved it.
I loved them.
But could I keep them? Would they remain interested in me once this was over and they returned to their lives?
I stirred the cocoa into the milk mixture and added a healthy dose of sugar to even out the bitterness. “Which mission has been your favorite since leaving the Rangers?” I held up a hand. “And you can’t say this one.”
Reed snapped his fingers. “Dang it. You caught me before I could say it.” He wrapped both arms around me. “But this one really is my favorite. You’ve been incredible with the whole situation. And it’s not like we have sex with every woman we work with. This is special, Payton. You’re special.”
I loved how he said that, how he included me in their world.
“You make me feel special. I’m grateful for that. There’s no reason to bitch and moan about the situation. We can’t change the weather. All we can do is make the best of the situation.”
The four of us shared a look.
Their former commander would come for us.
He might have tracked us already, though that would take a feat of skill that rivaled Reed’s. Not impossible, he’d stated, but not easy to pull off.
Then again, if their commander did any digging outside of Reed’s career, he’d discover that his dad owned this cabin.
It wouldn’t be too far of a leap for Jack to decide to check the place out.
Reed had told us all this last night, putting the four of us on edge to the point that we’d slept in the living room, our gazes constantly skipping to the windows.
“So, favorite mission?” I didn’t want to think about Jack or what happened next.
I wanted to drink hot chocolate and enjoy their company.
The hot chocolate bubbled in a low boil, and I turned the stove off, continuing to stir it as I added a sprinkle of espresso powder to deepen the chocolate flavor.
Maverick moved from the other side of the counter to the cabinet.
He took down four mugs and lined them up on the counter beside me.
One hand grazed the small of my back and trailed upward to my shoulders.
He lingered there, his fingers massaging the back of my neck until I relaxed enough to lower my shoulders.
His words were a low rumble in the small space. “There was a mission once where we were supposed to infiltrate a compound to save a little girl.”
“I remember that.” Reed handed me a potholder and steadied the cups as I poured the hot liquid into each one.
I topped them off with the dehydrated marshmallows I’d found when I went looking for the powdered milk and carried my cup to the living room.
They all waited for me to settle into the corner of the couch with my feet drawn up. “What happened?”
Tarron tugged the large flannel throw off the chair where I’d left it this morning and tucked it around my legs.
He knew I always got cold in the afternoons, especially when we sat in the living room.
Even though we’d raided all the closets and found countless pairs of sweatpants that we all wore, I couldn’t shake the afternoon shivers that hit every single day.
Reed settled in the chair across from me, Tarron at my feet. He ran a hand up and down the back of my calf and tested his hot chocolate. His eyebrows rose. “That’s not bad.”
“Not as good as the hot chocolate down the street from my apartment, but it’ll do.” I tried not to grimace at the bitter notes that lingered on the back of my tongue from the powdered milk.
“You’ll be back there before you know it,” Mav spoke up from my left.
My heart lurched at the definitive you instead of we. Giving them up wasn’t going to be easy.
Tarron’s fingers tightened on my calf, kneading the muscle and working toward my feet.
With a questioning look, he drew my foot into his lap and began massaging the sole. “Maverick took the lead with that mission.”
“As usual.” Reed butted in with a grin.
“We thought the girl would be hiding.” Maverick’s proud smile inched free. “But like you, she had a fierce spirit and refused to make it easy for her kidnappers.”
I held my breath as the story unfolded.
“Reed and I took control of the high ground, eliminating the threats and clearing the way for Mav.” Tarron pressed his thumb into the arch of my foot.
I grunted at the release of tense pressure, and he did it again, studying my face with every movement.
He did that a lot, watching for my reactions and taking them into consideration the next time he touched me.
“I made it into the bunker and told the girl I was there to save her. She laughed at me, told me that she’d been on the verge of saving herself, but thanks for the effort.” Maverick shook his head in a slow wag.
“What happened to her?” I winced when Tarron hit a ticklish spot near my toes.
Tarron cocked his head. “Last I heard, she was leading her own team in the Navy.”
“Seriously?” I eyed each of them. “How long ago was this?”
“Our first mission together.” Reed pointed at each of them. “That was the day we all started really trusting each other. We had no choice, and after that mission, we knew we could count on each other no matter what.”
I absorbed the information. They’d been saving people for years.
I was one more in a long and arduous career.
The fire snapped and popped.
I’d gotten used to the sound over the last week, even learning to prefer it over the hum of the central heat and air in my apartment.
How was I supposed to go back to my normal life after this?
Silence stretched with a warm headiness that saturated the air.
Tarron’s fingers worked their magic on my left foot, then moved to my right.
I relaxed into his ministrations and finished my hot chocolate.
I started to speak, but the front door opened.
It slammed against the wall with a crack that echoed in my ears.
A man barged into the room, his face obscured with a thick mask and fur-lined hood, a shotgun held in both hands and pointed directly at me.
Fur boots and black pants dripped snow onto the rug.
The sight of him stole every ounce of peace I’d gained since escaping the mercenaries.