Ice Men of North Dakota [Dakota Heat 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)
Page 4
Frowning at the faint angry whispers coming from downstairs, she looked up, her palm itching to caress his strong jaw even as her eyes started to droop. “Where are you taking me?”
Barrett reached the top of the stairs, his breathing still even. “To my room.”
Kendra jolted, the rush of adrenaline making her dizzy. “I’m not sleeping in your room.”
He didn’t even glance at her as he turned and continued down the hall to the room that she’d been in earlier. “Yes, you are. I need to watch you. I’ve got to wake you every hour to make sure you’re just sleeping and not unconscious.”
She tensed at the thought of sharing a bed with such a formidable man. “I can sleep in a guest room.”
Barrett’s lips curled. “We don’t have guests, so we don’t have guest rooms.” He went through the double doors of a room at the end of the hall, not bothering to close them behind him. With a sweep of his hand, he threw back the covers and lowered her to the mattress, handling her as easily as if she were a child. He held out a hand when she rushed to pull the covers over herself, tugging the covers from her grasp.
“No. Let me take the waterproof tape off. It might hurt a little. Be still and I’ll do it as fast as I can.”
Kendra shivered as he lifted her shirt, struck by the intimacy of having her mound exposed. “No. I’ll do it.”
She couldn’t believe the effect he had on her, alarmed at how badly she wanted to spread her thighs and feel his touch between them.
Shuddering when he gripped the edge of the tape and started to pull, Kendra grabbed at his hand in an effort to pull it away, shocked at the pain. “No!”
Barrett cursed, his hand firming as he held her down. “I know, damn it, but I have to do this without ripping out the stitches.”
Kendra screamed when he pulled it again, her thigh burning as if someone held a flame to it. “No. No more. No more. No more.”
Barrett ripped it away. “I’m sorry. It’s over.”
“No more.” It came out as a weak sob, the last of her strength gone.
Barrett surprised her by lowering his mouth to it in the gentlest of kisses before gathering her close, his voice so gentle she barely recognized it. “No more, Kendra. No more. I swear. I’m so sorry.”
“I brought an ice pack.” Mason’s voice, low and filled with concern, came from somewhere behind Barrett. “Is she okay?”
Barrett released her and straightened, his gaze warm again as it lingered on hers. “She’ll be fine.” He walked around the foot of the bed to the other side.
“Kendra, there aren’t any other beds in the house, and I’m dead tired. I’m certainly not going to force myself on an injured woman. Do I really need to sleep in the chair? I swear, I’ll sleep on top of the covers, fully dressed.”
After all he’d done to take care of her, she couldn’t very well refuse him. He did look tired, but he’d given her his bed without hesitation.
She didn’t want to insult him by insinuating that he would attack her in her sleep.
“Of course.” She fluffed her pillow and curled up on her side. “We’re both adults.”
The huge bed seemed much smaller when Barrett slid in on the other side, the heat from his body warming hers almost at once.
Mason knelt at the bed beside her, lifting the edge of the blanket again to place the ice pack against her thigh, grimacing when she gasped. “I know it’s cold, but keep it on a few minutes and it’ll help with the swelling and the pain.”
Kendra sat up and adjusted the sheet and thick blanket to keep herself covered and reached for the hem of her shirt. “I want to see it.”
“No.” Barrett flipped the covers over her and reached to turn off the light on the nightstand beside him. “You can see it tomorrow. Go to sleep. I don’t want you pulling the gauze off of it, and seeing it is just going to make it hurt more. You’ve been through enough for one day. Just go to sleep.”
Kendra saw Mason’s silhouette as he left the room, and only seconds later, the light went out in the hallway. She could hear the low sounds of conversation coming from the hall, but she couldn’t make out what was said.
She tried to listen, but the events of the day had worn her out and it became increasingly difficult to keep her eyes open.
Barrett wrapped a hard arm around her waist and pulled her gently back against him. “Go to sleep.”
Her mind, though, remained wide awake, and as she lay there in the darkness, she tried not to think about Barrett’s cock pressing against her bottom. Even with painkillers flowing through her system, and exhaustion making it difficult to keep her eyes open, something stirred inside her.
She had no choice but to blame it on the drugs and the fact that they’d rescued her and taken care of her.
She’d been alone far too long.
She tried to slow her breathing, not moving at all as Barrett’s cock hardened and pressed insistently against her bottom, jolting when his hand closed over her upper arm.
He rubbed her arm with slow, gentle strokes. “It’s been a long time since I had a woman in my bed. It’s a natural reaction, but I’m sure as hell not going to attack you. Just ignore it and go to sleep.”
Kendra didn’t answer, her face burning.
How the hell could she ignore that?
Unmoving, she stared toward the far wall, trying to focus on the slice of moonlight reflected there from the mirror on the other side instead of thinking about the feel of Barrett’s cock pressed against her. With the ache in her thigh easing and the wall of heat at her back, she found herself relaxing in slow increments, lulled by the sound of Barrett’s breathing and his tender caress.
Unable to keep her eyes open any longer, she let them flutter closed.
Memories of the terror she’d felt just before the plane crash came rushing back, and she had to admit that Barrett’s solid strength next to her made her feel better.
Tonight, she didn’t want to be alone.
“Barrett?”
“Hmm?”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m glad you’re here with me. I can’t stop thinking about the crash.” The last word came out as a sob as the horror of the day came rushing back.
Without a word, Barrett shifted in the bed next to her. The hand at her arm slid to her waist and tightened, pulling her closer against a warmth that had her relaxing even more, dispelling some of the cold and horror that seemed to grow in the darkness.
A whimper came out of nowhere, startling her. Biting her lip and hoping he hadn’t heard her, she fisted her hand on the pillow.
It felt so good not to be alone.
* * * *
Barrett sighed in relief when Kendra’s breathing finally evened out. Reaching beneath the covers, he removed the ice pack from her leg, gritting his teeth against the powerful surge of lust that slammed into him when the backs of his fingers brushed against her silky thigh. Throwing the ice pack aside with a curse, he pulled the covers to her neck, and turned to his back, resigned to a sleepless night.
Now that he knew her identity and the reason she’d come, he knew they had to get rid of her. He didn’t intend to sell the ranch, and he sure as hell didn’t relish the idea of having someone under his roof nagging him to do just that.
It was a damned shame. He wanted her here.
When Kendra shifted in her sleep and moaned, he waited until she settled before slipping on his pants and heading out to the hall where he knew the others waited.
As soon as he stepped out of the room, they turned toward him.
Mason sighed. “We can’t get rid of her until the blizzard blows over and the roads are clear.”
Quinn shook his head. “That’s bullshit. We can get her out of here on horseback.”
“No.” Barrett couldn’t explain his reluctance, and didn’t want to look at his reasons too closely.
He’d seen their faces, and saw their concern for her, so he made the only argument he could. “She’s hurt and I d
“She doesn’t know she reached her destination.” Grant glanced at each one of them in turn. “We’ll have to disconnect the phone and tell her the storm took it out. That way she can’t call her boss. We’ll have to keep her in the dark until we can get her out of here.”
Trying to ignore the looks of unease on their faces and the fact that their eyes kept going toward where she slept, Barrett frowned.
“Look, she wasn’t trying to hide anything. She told us exactly why she’s here.”
Quinn scowled. “Would she have told us if she knew she was on the Jagged Rock? Even after being in a plane crash, all she can think about is getting her sale.”
Barrett waved a hand. “I don’t know if she would have told us or not, but we’re the ones lying to her, not the other way around. You can believe what you want to believe, but I’m not kicking her off the ranch because the three of you are paranoid.”
He froze at her whimper, and spun to race back to her, running into all three of them at the door.
It probably would have been funny in other circumstances, but at the moment, Barrett just thought about getting to her.
Pushing his way through, he hurried to her side, aware of the others right behind him. Rushing around to the other side of the bed, Barrett slid into bed beside her, murmuring softly to her that she was safe, his chest swelling when she turned toward him and snuggled against his chest.
Mason knelt by her side, laying a hand on her forehead as though checking for a fever, and stroked her hair. “She okay? Can’t you give her any more pain medicine?”
It amused Barrett that, in spite of not trusting Kendra, a whimper from her brought all three of his friends running.
Running his hand up and down her arm, he shook his head, a little surprised to see Grant sitting at the foot of the bed, rubbing her feet. “Not yet. Couple hours yet. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of her. Tomorrow night, one of you can have her so I can get some sleep.”
He attempted to sound disgruntled, but he couldn’t imagine leaving her now.
Impatient for the others to go, and bristling at the fact that none of them seemed to be in any hurry to leave, Barrett dropped his head on the pillow and wrapped an arm around Kendra, filled with satisfaction when she moaned in her sleep and cuddled closer.
“I’ll call if I need you.” He closed his eyes, waiting until they left before opening them again.
With his cock hard enough to pound nails, he knew it would be some time before he slept. Not only wouldn’t he be getting much sleep, he’d be damned uncomfortable, too.
His possessiveness of her alarmed him. Intrigued him. Maybe it would be better for all of them if she left as soon as possible.
But, that didn’t feel right.
Christ, he was tired.
Blaming his mood on the late hour and stress-filled day, Barrett inwardly cursed.
He was lonely. It had been too long since he’d held a woman through the night.
When Kendra whimpered again, he tightened his hold, murmuring to her again until she settled, stunned that he never wanted to let her go.
It felt good to have a soft, sweet-smelling woman to hold through the night.
To his surprise, she turned more fully to him, pillowing her head on his chest, her palm flat on his stomach, and dangerously close to his cock.
With a sigh, she settled once again, her breathing evening out as she hooked a leg over his.
Her scent, the sweet scent of woman came through the smell of the soap they’d used, and wafted all around him, filling his senses. Her silky hair lay across his arm and chest, and the velvety softness of her uninjured thigh lay over his.
Her full breast pressed against his side, and even with the shirt covering her, he could feel her nipple poking against him.
Staring up into the darkness, he gritted his teeth.
It was going to be a hell of a long night.
Chapter Three
Warmth surrounded her—the kind of warmth that penetrated all the way through.
A clean, masculine scent tickled her senses, an enticing scent that had her snuggling closer.
Smiling, she rolled to her back to stretch, stilling with a gasp at the sharp pain in her thigh, and at the memories that came rushing back.
The plane crash. The fear. The pain. The cold.
The sense of security she’d experienced in Barrett’s arms.
She waited for the radiating pain to lessen, turning her head for any sign of Barrett. She struggled to see in the dark room, and called his name, but realized almost immediately that she was alone. Feeling bereft, she frowned and buried her face into the pillow that still held his warmth, breathing in his scent.
Lying amidst the tangle of sheets and blankets, she rolled to her back again, thinking about the previous night.
She thought she remembered the low rumble of his voice in the darkness, insistent that she open her eyes and look at him, but she didn’t know if it had been real, or just her imagination.
Turning her head, she looked at the pillow next to her, staring at the dent in it. The vague memory of waking during the night, and being comforted by his presence made her smile.
Stretching, she winced as her sore muscles protested, but she reminded herself that every ache and pain was worth it.
She was alive.
Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that other than a couple spoonfuls of soup the night before, she hadn’t had anything to eat in almost twenty-four hours.
Moving carefully, she rolled toward the edge of the bed, and used her arms to push herself into a sitting position.
She ached everywhere. Every movement not only caused her considerable pain, it also took much more effort than it should have.
Knowing that the only way to get rid of the stiffness would be to move and take a hot shower, she worked her way out of the high bed, wincing when her feet hit the cold floor. On unsteady legs, she braced herself with a hand on the mattress as she made her way to the other side of the bed.
Pausing when she ran out of mattress, she straightened, taking careful steps toward the bathroom.
Once inside, she closed the door, holding on to the edge of the counter for support, her legs shaking with the effort it cost her to get this far. She turned on the light and used the bathroom, looking in the mirror as she washed her hands.
Shocked at how pale and fragile she appeared, she frowned at her reflection. “Kendra, you look like hell.”
She had dark circles under her eyes, and scratches on her forehead and cheeks. Grimacing at her reflection, she pushed back the thick, wild tangle of her hair, belatedly remembering that she hadn’t even bothered to comb it after her shower.
She reached up to try to smooth it with her fingers, wincing at the pull.
Forcing herself to work through it, she struggled to untangle it with her fingers, wincing when she hit a particularly tender spot. Leaning forward, she used her fingertips to part her hair over a surprisingly big lump, and saw that there’d been some sort of a cut there, one that had scabbed over.
She felt around the rest of her head, but didn’t find any more tender spots.
She just ached everywhere.
Lifting the hem of her borrowed shirt, she pulled off the gauze and winced at the sight of the stitches running up the outer side of her thigh. Several inches long, it ran in a straight line, one longer than she’d imagined.
It seemed to have a lot of stitches, stitches that Barrett didn’t want to have to do again.
She’d rather he didn’t either.
Glad that she hadn’t felt them, she ran her finger over the top of Barrett’s handiwork, surprised by their neatness.
Wondering what other injuries she had, she stripped off the shirt, standing on her toes to see as much of herself as she could in the bathroom mirror. She couldn’t see much and standing on her toes just made it hurt more. Frustrated, she lowered herself again, and remembered the mirror above the heavy dresser in the bedroom.
She looked longingly toward the shower, but knew it would have to wait until she found something else to wear.
Holding her borrowed shirt to her breasts, she went back into the bedroom, moving a little easier. Glancing at the open door, she made her way to the mirror.
She knew she should go over to close the heavy door, but it was all the way across the room, and the task seemed too daunting to attempt. Dropping the shirt onto the dresser, she went to the nightstand to turn on the light, blinking against the brightness and turned, careful to move slowly.
With her back to the mirror, she had to twist to see herself, moving slowly as her muscles protested. She blinked, trying to see the parts of her back that remained in shadow, turning again and again until she realized that what she thought to be shadows on her back and bottom were actually bruises.
“Sure did take a beating, didn’t you?”
With a gasp, Kendra whirled toward the deep voice, crying out as the muscles in her back protested. Her pulse leapt at the hunger in Mason’s eyes as they raked over her. Yanking the blanket from the bed, she covered herself, swallowing a moan at the feel of the soft blanket over her beaded nipples.
Mason came closer, his muscular frame moving with powerful grace toward her, her suitcase in his hand. His expression remained cool, much cooler than it had been when he’d held her in the shower. His eyes, though, gleamed with erotic intent, the hunger in them causing a stirring she fought to hide.
Fisting her hand on the blanket, she pulled it higher, a moan escaping at the soft friction against her nipples. Lifting her chin, she pressed her thighs together against the ache that settled there. “What do you want?”
“Believe me, honey, you don’t want to know the answer to that question.” Stepping closer, Mason lifted her suitcase. “I brought your suitcase up. It’s a little beat up, but it didn’t come open in the crash.”
“Thanks.” Her eyes lowered to his chest, remembering how it had looked wet, and how hard and solid it felt against her. Lifting her gaze to his again, she swallowed heavily, her stomach muscles tightening at the overwhelming desire to feel his lips on hers.
-->