“I’m guessing this is his house?”
“Yes. The rest of us live in the cottages.”
There went his argument about other men walking by me in the middle of the night. “Are you all family?”
“Sort of. Not all by blood though.” She smiled. “Otherwise the things I do with Chet would be pretty disgusting.”
“You and Chet? You’re a couple?” I tried to hide my surprise. I didn’t see that coming.
“Yes, although not officially.” She bit her lip like she was debating what to say. “There’s kind of an unwritten rule that Hunter has to find someone first.”
“He’s single?” By his behavior with me earlier, it didn’t surprise me.
“Yes, but he seems to really like you.” She raised an eyebrow.
“I’m with Gage.”
“With him?” She placed something next to one of the pillows.
I glanced to see what it was.
She noticed my gaze. “Pajamas. But I mean are you serious or just having fun?”
“Why?” Was she into him? Didn’t she just say she was with Chet? “I’m not sure yet.” I had no idea what was going to happen, but I knew there was no pretending that nothing had changed between us.
“He’s cute, but I’d choose Hunter.” She pressed her lips together and her eyes twinkled.
“Yeah… I’m never going to see Hunter again after we leave.”
“Why not?”
Was she crazy? “Because we’re going home.”
“I see.” Her smile was gone, replaced by a complacent look I didn’t quite understand.
“Are you ready to go downstairs?”
“Sure.” I picked up my wet clothes.
“I’ll take those.” Marni pulled them from my hands and walked out of the room.
Hunter met us at the bottom of the stairs. “How was your shower?”
“Oh. It was nice, thanks.”
His eyes slowly raked over me. “You look beautiful. Blue is a great color on you.”
“Thank you.” I searched around for Gage. His appraisal made me uneasy.
“Would you like some dinner?”
“Maybe, but where’s Gage?” I tried to look around Hunter’s large frame.
“He’s already in the kitchen.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Gage paced in the hallway outside the kitchen.
“Hey.”
He looked over and smiled. “There you are.”
“I took a shower.”
“I can tell.” He picked up a strand of my wet hair.
“Do you want to shower too?”
“Are you trying to tell me I smell bad?” He still held the strand like he was studying it.
“That’s a great idea.” Hunter moved between us, nearly stepping on Gage in the process. “Chet, after you finish up, take Gage to get a shower in.”
“I’ll have dinner first.” Gage gave him a long look.
“Suit yourself.” Hunter returned the look.
“The shower I used was wonderful, can’t Gage use it?”
“He might as well use the one where he’s staying.” Hunter turned to me. “No reason to move around a towel.”
“He can just use my towel, I have no problem sharing.”
Gage smiled. “Neither do I, and I’m staying here.”
“Everyone ready for dinner?” Chet called from the kitchen.
“Yes, I believe we are.” Hunter gestured for me to enter first.
I looked at the long wooden table. Most of the seats were filled with men in their twenties. I recognized Falcon from outside, but I hadn’t seen the others yet.
Hunter pulled out a chair. “Please, take a seat.”
“Thanks.” I sat down, startled when he pushed me in.
Hunter sat down next to me. Marni and Chet had already sat down, leaving Gage with the only empty chair—one on the complete opposite end of the table. Somehow I didn’t think that was an accident.
Chapter Ten
Gage
Hunter was seriously getting on my nerves. I put up with his attitude when we first arrived, but if he as much as touched Mary Anne again I was going to lose it. My personal feelings aside, the guy was creepy. He presided over the other guys and Marni like a king, but from what I could tell there was nothing special about him. And why didn’t anyone have a phone? I understood living in the middle of nowhere. Maybe there was farm land under the piles of snow, but they were off the grid. If they didn’t have a phone I doubted they had internet.
“Aren’t you going to join us?” Hunter smiled, but there was nothing friendly about the expression. What did he think? That Mary Anne was going to stay behind in his weird compound in the middle of nowhere?
“Yeah, sure.” I pulled the chair back and sat down.
“I assume neither of you are vegetarians.” Chet passed around a plate piled high with what appeared to be almost uncooked steak.
I put a piece on my plate, and looked around at the rest of the spread, or rather the lack there of.
“Oh, you forgot the salad.” Marni pushed back her chair and walked over to the counter. She set down a large bowl in front of Mary Anne. “Unfortunately we’re out of dressing.”
“Oh, that’s okay.” Mary Anne shot me a look over the table before putting a bunch of lettuce on her plate.
“Aren’t you going to have some steak?” Hunter asked.
“Oh, I’d take a little piece, but those are all huge.”
I forced myself not to laugh. Her attempt at being polite was priceless.
“I’d be happy to cut some up for you.” Hunter took a large piece of steak and cut it into pieces like she was a little kid.
“Oh. You didn’t have to do that.” Mary Anne appeared completely horrified.
“Is that small enough?” He pushed the meat over to her. Was he kidding? How long had he been living in the boonies? What girl would find that even remotely appealing?
“Oh, that’s great.” She picked up her fork and took a bite. She chewed it while Hunter watched like a weirdo. “Delicious.”
I cut into my steak. It made my usual medium rare steak seem overdone. Despite my hunger, I couldn’t get too excited about eating something that undercooked.
“Where were you two coming from? You said your truck is south of here so you must have been on your way back to Mayville.”
“We were driving back from school.”
“Where do you go to school?” For all his concern with Mary Anne eating, Hunter had barely had a bite of the two large slabs of meat on his plate.
“We go to Eastern University in Boston.”
“What do you study?”
I put down my fork. “Why does it matter?”
Hunter glared at me. “It matters because I’m curious what Mary Anne studies.”
“Engineering. Biomedical engineering.”
“Oh, wow. You must be good at math.”
I nearly snorted a sip of water I’d taken.
“Yeah, numbers and I get along just fine.”
“What about you, Hunter? You into math?” I couldn’t resist.
“I get along with numbers too.” He smiled at Mary Anne and she smiled back. Was she buying any of this?
“And what do you study, Gage?”
“Psychology.”
He nodded.
“What did you think I was going to say, drama or something?”
The whole table laughed including Mary Anne.
I caught Mary Anne’s eye every few minutes as we ate. It was a testament to our hunger that we ate at all. I had a feeling that Mary Anne wasn’t one to eat nearly raw meat. She did eat her salad, and I found myself eating much more of the greens than usual for me. At least the lettuce couldn’t kill me.
“I’m sure you two are tired.” Hunter put a hand behind Mary Anne’s chair.
She sat up slightly as to not be directly touching his arm. Nice. “Yeah, it’s been a crazy day.”
“Gage, if you’ve cha
nged your mind, I’m sure Chet would be happy to show you to the spare room in his house.”
“No, I’d prefer to stay here.” Was he kidding me? Like I was leaving Mary Anne in a different house with him?
Mary Anne shifted slightly. “If you’re really that opposed to my sharing a room with Gage, I don’t mind sleeping on the couch and giving him the bedroom.”
Hunter shook his head. “Absolutely not. I’m sure Gage wouldn’t want that either.”
“Or you could sleep on the couch, and I’ll sleep on the floor.” I tried that avenue again. That way I could still watch out for her. I didn’t like the idea of being so far away from her. Her door hopefully had a lock.
“Didn’t we already discuss this?” Hunter glared. “It isn’t appropriate for her to sleep there.”
“Fine. I’m staying under the same roof though.”
“That’s acceptable.” Hunter pushed back his chair. “I’ll walk you up and start the fire in your room, Mary Anne.”
“Ok. Thanks.” She caught my eye. “Hopefully we can get out in the morning.”
“Which is why you definitely should get a good night’s sleep.” Hunter ushered her upstairs, and I was about ready to scream. Suddenly the cold truck didn’t seem so bad.
Chapter Eleven
Mary Anne
Thankfully Hunter didn’t stay in the guest room long. “Just let me know if you need anything.”
“I think I’m all set, but thanks.” I forced a smile, hoping it looked genuine enough.
“I’m right across the hall.” He hesitated with his hand on the doorknob.
“Great.”
He stared at me awkwardly for a moment before closing the door behind him. I let out a small sigh of relief. At least the guy wasn’t going to hover.
I took another look at the flimsy black fabric. Did Marni seriously leave that for me to sleep in? It was the kind of thing I’d be embarrassed to wear to bed alone in my own room let alone in some strange house in the middle of nowhere. Plus it was freezing out. Where were the flannel pajamas or nightgown? At least I had the wool socks.
I set the slinky nightie to the side. I’d be sleeping in the yoga pants and tank top. I pulled off my sweater and slipped into bed. I contemplated turning off the light, but in the end I left the bedside lamp on. There were no lights outside, and the fire light wasn’t all that bright, so turning the switch would have sent me into darkness. I wasn’t ready to handle that yet.
The bed felt empty. Cold. I wanted Gage beside me. Why was I in such a big bed when he was sleeping on the couch? If it weren’t for how adamantly against it Hunter was, I’d have told Gage to sneak in and join me. Instead I used an extra pillow to snuggle with. I wasn’t selfish enough to put Gage in that position. We were at Hunter’s mercy until we could get to a town or at least a phone, so for the time being we had to play by his rules.
I’d just started drifting off to sleep when I heard the door creak open. I held my breath, hoping it was Gage but terrified I was wrong. I kept my head down as I tried to come up with a plan to defend myself.
“I know you’re awake.” Hunter’s voice cut though the silent night
I sat up. “What are you doing in here?”
“I came in to make sure the fire was still going strong. I don’t want you getting cold.” He pushed the poker around in the fire without turning to look at me.
“I appreciate the concern, but I’d prefer if you didn’t walk in here when I’m sleeping.”
“Why?” He set aside the poker and turned around. “Does my presence bother you?”
“Yes.” I noticed that the door was still partially ajar which set me at ease. If he was going to kill or rape me, wouldn’t he have closed it?
“No it doesn’t.” He strode toward the bed.
“It does, and I’d like to go back to sleep.”
“You weren’t sleeping.” He sat on the edge of the bed.
“How would you know?”
“I heard you tossing and turning and your breathing wasn’t a sleeping pattern.” He smoothed out the quilt next to him. “Is there anything I can do to help you sleep?”
Let me sleep with Gage. Of course I left that thought to myself. “No, thank you.”
“Are you sure? Maybe something warm to drink?”
“I’m fine.” I held the blanket tighter against me.
“Do I frighten you?” He scooted closer.
“Yes.”
He laughed. “Honest.”
“Not you specifically, just having a man this close who I don’t know.”
“How well do you know Gage?”
“I’ve known him my whole life.” I couldn’t even remember the first time we met.
“Knowing who someone is doesn’t mean you know him.”
“I know him.” I tried to pull the blanket even higher, wishing I’d kept my bra on under the tank top.
“Are you sure?”
“Why are you doing this? What’s your angle?”
“My angle?” He rested the palm of his hand next to me.
“Yes? Why do you care so much about my relationship with Gage?”
“Because I can see it for what it is.”
“And what is it?”
“A boy using you.”
“Gage isn’t using me.”
“He isn’t?” Hunter leaned in closer to me. Despite how little he knew of our situation, he was probably right. The sex had been because I was convenient, but what would happen when we got home? Would he still want me? Either way, we were closer now, and he was the only thing I had until we made it back.
“No. At least not any more than I’m using him.” Had I said that? Had I thought that? I mean I wasn’t a saint in any of this either. I wanted Gage, but did I really even understand those feelings? Was I ready to turn things into something real?
Hunter chuckled. “I see.”
“But I care about him, and he cares about me.”
“And caring is enough?”
“Yes.” At least for now.
“You deserve more than caring.”
“You mean love?” I wasn’t sure why I was even talking to Hunter. Maybe it was the late hour or the reality that I was never going to see this man again.
“Love, passion, complete adoration. You’re a unique girl. There’s something more to you than shows on the surface.”
“Are you done analyzing me?”
“Are you done being afraid of me?”
“Yes.” If he was going to hurt me he would have done it already, but I was definitely ready to get out of his house.
“Then I’ll leave you. Sleep well.” He stood and turned off my lamp. “It’s not good to sleep with the lights on.” He closed the door behind him leaving me in near darkness. Only the firelight provided any illumination.
Hunter made it even harder for me to sleep. I kept thinking about Gage, about what we meant to each other, and I decided I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to overanalyze things. I also decided I needed him. I waited as long as I could, hoping that Hunter had gone back to bed.
I crept out of my room and down the dark stairs. There was a faint glow of moonlight coming through a window, but otherwise it was pitch black.
I felt my way along the banister. Once downstairs, the firelight was enough to help me make my way over to where Gage was sleeping on the couch. I slipped in under his blankets.
“Mary Anne.” He murmured my name as he pulled me close.
“It’s me.” I snuggled into his side.
“We have to get out of here,” Gage whispered. He was more awake than I’d originally thought.
“I know. Something is seriously up with these people.”
“I heard some of the guys talking. We’re only ten miles from a small town. We can walk that.”
“I’d walk a hundred if it meant getting home.”
He squeezed my hand. “I’m going to get you home.”
“I’m going to get you home too.” I closed my eyes, easil
y falling asleep in his now familiar arms.
***
My eyes flew open. I spread out my arms, surprised to find so much space. This wasn’t my dorm bed.
In a blur, everything came back to me. I was in the guest bed at Hunter’s house. But why was I back in that room? I was positive I’d fallen asleep on the couch with Gage.
The fire was completely out and the room was cold as I stepped out of bed. How had I gotten back? There was no way Gage would have carried me upstairs, which only left one possibility. Hunter. And that possibility scared me. He’d seemed somewhat normal when we talked, but to physically remove me from Gage’s arms without me knowing? We had to get out of there.
I pulled the sweater back on before using the bathroom and hurrying downstairs. My boots were still a little damp, so I carried them instead of putting them on.
I found Gage sitting up on the couch. Before I reached him he nodded to the side, and I figured out he was telling me to turn around.
I reluctantly did just that knowing exactly who was waiting.
“Mary Anne?” Hunter watched me with amusement.
“Yes?” I forced a smile on my face.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, thank you. I slept wonderfully.”
“It’s a comfortable bed, isn’t it?” He watched me carefully.
“Very comfortable, but the warmth was the most important part.”
“I’m glad I checked on your fire then. Tonight I’ll watch it more closely.”
“That won’t be necessary. Besides, doesn’t it look like it’s lightened up out there?” Spending another night in this place wasn’t in the cards.
He crossed his arms. “Yes, but there’s a solid sheet of ice on top of that snow. We can’t get the trucks out.”
“I really need to get to a phone to call my parents, so I think we might just walk. We can pay you for the clothes.”
“Walk? To town? In this weather?” Hunter’s jaw clenched.
“It’s not impossible,” Gage jumped in. “With the right clothes and equipment it’s doable.”
“Absolutely not. We can try to start digging out later on this morning, but it’s going to be at least another night.”
Dire (The Dire Wolves Chronicles Book 1) Page 8