by Madison Faye
But after that, it was right back to sleep, until God knows how long had passed. When we woke though, the blizzard had let up, leaving the beautiful, pristine snow in its wake.
“C’mon!” I grinned as I yanked on his arm, tugging him out of bed. “We should go outside!”
“Why exactly?”
I shrieked, giggling as he yanked me right back into bed, his strong arms circling me and his hands sliding down to cup my ass.
“Because it’s beautiful out there.”
“It’s drop-dead gorgeous in here,” he murmured into my neck. “Out there it’s just snow.”
I smiled, cupping his face and kissing him. “Okay, you might get to live up here all the time, but humor me. Can we please go out?”
“Oh, right, I forgot,” he sighed dramatically. “Poor city-girl’s never seen snow, right?”
“Ass,” I grinned, rolling my eyes and punching him playfully. Braun chuckled, pulling me tight again and running his lips down the swell of my breasts.
“I still think we should just stay in here,” he murmured, his lips fastening around one soft pink nipple and making me moan quietly. “But…” he trailed off and pulled away, slowly grinning as he watched the pout roll over my face at his pulling away from my nipple.
“But now that I’ve got you all warmed up, yeah, lets go.”
“Oh not fair,” I moaned, biting my lip and rocking my hips against him. His lips on my skin and his tongue swirling over my nipple had lit a fire in me, and now doing anything but feeling him push inside me was the last thing on my mind.
“I’ll make it up to you,” he growled fiercely in my ear, making me shiver and gasp.
“How?” I fake pouted.
“By bending you over, spreading those pretty thighs, and dragging my tongue from your clit to your asshole until you’re begging for my cock.”
The flush bloomed hot through my cheeks, and I could feel the raw desire exploding through me.
“You are such a tease.”
He grinned as he slid his perfect, chiseled, muscled body from the quilts and stood.
“C’mon city-girl, let’s go outside.”
I shrieked, laughing with my whole body as he picked me up and swung me around before hugging me to his body. We’d supplemented my crappy choice in outdoor clothing with some of his own, and even if I knew I looked ridiculous in a pair of men’s hiking boots and a big puffy winter coat of his that I was swimming in, I didn’t care.
Out here, away from the city and the snobbery there, who cared?
“At some point, we’ll get you some real clothes,” he chuckled, kissing me before setting me down and taking my hand. He walked slightly ahead, stomping down the huge snow drifts so I could walk.
“I don’t know, that might mean actually leaving the mountain and going to stores with—” I gasped exaggeratedly “—with real people!”
Braun rolled his eyes, turning back to grin at me. “Hey, as far as I’m concerned, you can just go naked all the damn time.”
“I might go a little stir crazy if I had to stay in that cabin for the entire winter.”
“I’m confident I could keep you occupied.”
I blushed, biting my lip as he pulled me close and kissed me.
“This is heaven,” I whispered. “And I never want it to end.”
“Then it won’t,” he growled fiercely. “That wasn’t just talk last night, kitten.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
I nodded, my heart swelling up in my chest as I pulled close to him. “I just want this, here with you. I want what you said — you and me and this mountain, and a family.”
He growled, his arms circling me tight. “I never imagined I’d find you,” he said softly. “Never in a million years and never up on this mountain.”
“I’m really glad you did”
“So am I,” he whispered as he pulled me close and kissed me softly. “Katrina, I—”
He suddenly snarled, pulling away from me and whirling towards three figures I’d never even heard.
“Whoa, easy Braun!”
The man was beautiful — handsome and gorgeous in that sort of football All-American way. Dark brown hair, greenish-brown eyes, and a chiseled jaw out of an Eddie Bauer catalog. I glanced past him and was shocked to see that one of the other two looked identical to him — literally an exact replica. The third man was equally good-looking, but with this dark, brooding edge that went way past even what I’d seen with Braun. He had jet black hair and a dark beard, and his piercing blue eyes blazed across the divide between us.
“You boys fucking lost?” Braun bristled. He’d dropped his defensive stance, but he still didn’t exactly look happy to see them.
The first man chuckled, shaking his head. “Look, I know you don’t like visitors coming without a warning—”
“Correct.”
The man laughed again, but this time, his eyes drifted to me and narrowed curiously.
“Although, it seems you’ve got your own company at the mom—”
“Watch your eyes, asshole,” Braun grumbled, his muscles tightening.
The man nodded. “Apologies. Easy, marine.”
Braun’s shoulders unclenched again, and he managed a small grin.
“These two pretty boys are Austin and Dallas. Comrade scowls back there is Vlad. This is Katrina,” he turned and narrowed his eyes fiercely at them. “She’s with me.”
The first man’s twin — and they had to be twins — stepped forward, chuckling and holding both hands up.
“Yeah, I think we got that, bud.”
“Prancer and Vixen over here live on the next ridge over, and Vlad’s up on Coffer’s Peak.” He frowned. “What, you didn’t bring Axe on your little winter hike?”
The first man — Dallas — shrugged. “We actually haven’t seen Axe since the Fall. You know he hates the winter since it means he can’t ride his bike.”
“So, uh, popular mountain, huh?” I grinned, elbowing Braun in the side.
“Tell me about it. It’s like having next-door neighbors.”
Dallas laughed and shook his head. “Next door neighbors who are ten miles away, sure.”
“Back that shitty cabin of yours up about ten more miles and I’ll have a lot less to complain about.”
The two brothers laughed, and the grim-looking Vlad even managed a gruff chuckle.
“Katrina, hi,” I waved, smiling.
“There’s a story here isn’t there?” Austin said with a cocked brow.
“And it’s none of your fucking business,” Braun muttered back. “What exactly are you boys doing up here?” he growled, eyeing them. “If you’re selling cookies for your Girl Scout troop, I’m not buying.”
“Look,” Dallas sighed. “We figured the storm took your alarms down, so I thought you’d want to know. We bumped into Vlad on his way trekking over here, and you’ll want to hear what he saw.”
“Braun.”
Vlad stepped forward with a thick, deep Russian accent that rumbled through the winter air.
“There are two SUVs coming, three men in each. Fancy cars, not from anywhere near here.”
A chill teased up my back, and I felt Braun’s arm tighten around me.
“What?” he growled.
“Yeah, we called around, and it seems they stopped for gas back at Mac’s in town. City boys, Braun.”
The three men stopped, and slowly, each of their gazes moved to land on me.
“They’re from the city, and they’re looking for her.”
Five minutes later, we were back at the cabin. I could feel my pulse racing, and a panic rising in my chest as I watched Braun move with purpose around the place. He swung down wooden and steel window covers from the ceiling, bolting them into place with practiced efficiency.
Austin, Dallas, and Vlad had offered to stay and help deal with whatever this was, but Braun had shook his head.
“This is my fight,” he’d growled, holding me tig
ht.
“And something tells me it’s worth the fight, isn’t it?”
He’d looked at Dallas and nodded grimly before leaning down to kiss the top of my head.
The three other mountain men had agreed to make themselves scarce, but Braun had agreed to them at least staying within watchable distance.
I watched in a daze, hugging myself as he reached up above the armoire in the corner of the main room and pulled down a rifle. Suddenly, he stopped and turned and saw me.
“Fuck, kitten.”
He rushed towards me, pulling me into his warm, powerful arms and hugging me close.
“No one is taking you from me, do you understand?” He growled, pulling back and tilting my chin up to let his eyes burn into mine.
“But, what if it’s—”
“No one,” he hissed fiercely, his jaw tight. “And if anyone’s stupid enough to try it, they’re going to have to come through me.”
Chapter 13
Braun
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. Though, it wasn’t the idea a fight that scared me, it was the thought that I might lose her. I’d just found her — her, the perfect match to my heart. My sassy, wild, beautiful, passionate dream girl.
…And nothing was going to take her away from me. I had no idea what the fuck was coming at us, but I knew damn well they’d need an army and a half to keep me from her, if that was their goal.
There was one rocky drive from the main road up to the cabin, but I was sure short of them having actual tanks, they’d never be able to make it with the snow on the ground. So I sat and waited, gun in hand and eye to the peep-hole in the cabin door, waiting and watching the trail-head. Katrina paced the floor behind me, occasionally coming up to hug me from behind, as if I possibly needed reminding what was at stake.
And then suddenly, there they were.
There were ten men, all in expensive looking, fancy outdoor gear. They were also wearing backpacks and goggles like this was some sort of Arctic expedition. But the earpieces and the guns they carried said the was a different sort of mission.
…And I was fuckin’ ready for them.
The rifle raised in my hands, the barrel slipping out through the little slide-hatch I’d installed next to the front door for this very reason. The rifle cracked across the frozen air, kicking up a huge plume of snow right in front of them and making them all freak out and duck for cover, which was entirely my intention with the warning shot.
“That’s far enough!” I roared through the door. “This is private fucking property, so get your asses hauling the other way right the fuck now.”
A few of them started to raise guns and aim at the door, and I was all set to start bringing down the rain on them, when one of the guys not carrying a gun suddenly started yelling.
“Goddamnit! I know you’re in there, Katrina!”
I heard her gasp behind me, and I scowled, tightening my grip on the gun as I glanced back at her.
“It’s…” She swallowed, her face darkening grimly. “It’s Paul.”
“You’re shitting me,” I growled, turning back and narrowing my gaze at the piece of fucking trash who’d been her arranged fiancé. I knew the little shit had never touched her, but I know he’d wanted to, and I wanted to break his fucking face for ever even dreaming of my kitten.
“Get your ass out here, Katrina!” he screeched again. He turned and beckoned, and three of the guys suddenly brought guns up and started advancing on the front door.
“Those guys with him—”
“His security guys,” Katrina spat out. “They’re technically for his company, but he has them follow him around everywhere.”
“Military?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I think mostly just guys as douche-y as him who like playing with guns.”
My jaw twitched. “Perfect.”
And from the way those pussies had all flinched from one warning shot, I knew she was right. Whoever these “security guards” of her ex’s were, they sure as hell weren’t Marines.
…It also sure as hell meant I was about to bring down some learning on them.
The door slammed open with my foot, and before any of those chumps could even realize what was happening, I laid down some fire. I wasn’t trying to hit any of them, but the spray of bullets I put into the snow right in front of them had every single one of those fakers screaming and ducking for cover all over again.
I roared, charging off the porch and using the confusion to make a bee-line right for Kat’s ex. The little pussy screamed as I grabbed him, kicking and slapping at me as I spun him round and jabbed the riffle into his ribs just as his rent-a-guards came up from hiding.
“This is me asking nicely,” I snarled, jabbing the gun into his side. “Take your shit, walk away, and get the fuck off my mountain.”
“Katrina!”
I have to hand it to Paul, he actually managed to still fight me with that gun pressed into him.
“You fucking bitch, get the fuck out—”
He screamed as I stomped on his foot, probably breaking a toe before I yanked him up by the collar and pulled him close to my snarling face.
“You ever speak to her like that again — actually, no, you ever speak to her again at all, and they will never find your body up here. We clear?” I hissed, rage clouding my eyes. Part of me contemplating killing the piece of shit right there, but I held back. I wouldn’t make the front yard of the cabin we were planning on turning into our home a killing ground.
“But! But!” Paul sputtered, glancing past me at Kat, who’d come out to the front porch. “She’s mine!”
“Wrong,” I snarled, my jaw tight and my fist twitching. “So so fucking wrong.”
“Shoot this asshole!” he screamed, his eyes wild at the guards eyeing us warily. “What the fuck am I paying you to do! Shoot this fucking—”
“That’s enough.”
The man had been wearing a face mask, and when he pulled it down, I instantly knew who he was. Even past the silver mustache, and the gray brows, and the lines on his face, the resemblance was too true.
“Dad?”
Kat’s voice was incredulous as she stepped off the porch.
“What in the world are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” The older man scoffed, shaking his head. “We were worried sick about you, Kat! The anti-theft device in the Land Rover told us you’d driven up here in that snowstorm, but it also could tell that the car had been off for a day. We thought…” his shoulders sagged and he looked away before looking up at his daughter. “We thought the worst.”
“I’m fine.” She stepped off the porch. “Sorry, I didn’t realize—”
“That your parents would be worried about you?”
I took the silence as a sign to step back and let them have the moment. I hauled Paul back, roughly shoving him away into the snow as I watched the woman I loved approach her father.
“You weren’t worried about marrying me off to him,” she spat, nodding at Paul.
Her father scowled, slowly nodding. “We made the wrong move, Katrina,” he said softly. “I know that now. Your mother and I both do.”
“I had to get away.” She bit her lip. “I couldn’t just stay and be forced to be with him.”
“I get that now, honey. Look, you’re safe, thanks to…” He turned and gave me a hard look. “Because of this man, I assume, but now it’s time to come—”
“I’m staying, Dad.”
Her voice was quiet, but bold. And slowly she stepped through the snow drifts to my side, and her hand reached down to clasp mine.
Her father’s face darkened.
“Katrina—”
“I’m staying,” she said again, squeezing my hand and standing tall. There were so many things I wanted to say — to her, and to him — but I knew it wasn’t my moment. This was her, standing for who she was and what she wanted, and damn did it make my heart swell.
“I’m tryi
ng to make you happy, honey,” her father said gruffly.
“I am happy. I’m happy here.”
His look hardened. “Now, Katrina—”
“This is what makes me happy, Dad. Being out here, away from the city and all of that life, here with Braun.”
Her father’s eyes moved to me, narrowing as he took me in.
Yeah, now it was my turn to talk.
“I’d lay down my life for her, sir.” My voice was tight as I stepped forward, putting down the gun and looking him right in the eye, like a man.
“I’ll take care of her, and protect her, and I’ll be everything she needs me to be. Always.”
He didn’t say anything. I knew he wasn’t happy, but it didn’t look like he was furious either. Maybe just trying to process it all as he looked away, out over the valley below. Finally, he took a deep breath, and nodded slowly before he turned and looked at his daughter.
“This isn’t the last of this conversation.”
“I hope it's not sir,” I said quietly, holding Kat’s hand in mine.
He frowned. “So, Braun. Is now the part where you going to tell me that your cabin is ‘always open for me’?”
Kat grinned. “Um, my cabin, actually.”
“What?”
She nodded. “It was Uncle Stan’s, actually, but he gave it to me a while back.” She bit her lip. “I didn’t tell you because…”
Her father nodded. “Because you wanted a place for your own.”
“Yes.”
He nodded as he looked away. “Fucking Stan, Jesus.” He looked back. “And you? Braun, how did you manage to get here?”
“Well, he also sort of gave it me, actually. I met Stan in Afghanistan, on one of his build sites.”
Katrina’s father’s brow perked up. “A soldier?”
“Yes, sir. Marine Corps.”
He nodded, his frown melting a little. “I was Navy myself actually.”