The words made her feel more secure, but her teeth clenched the second she revved the engine. With a full load of groceries on the back of the sled, she had no reason to stay in town. She needed to go back to the cabin. Pronto. Setting her feet on the runner boards, she gave it some gas and took off.
During the long stretch from town to the outskirts of the park, she kept a watchful eye on the mountain. It glistened in the sunlight, but no more snow came down. She let out a breath of relief and relaxed just a tick. I’ll be fine. It’s just a little further.
The snowmobile’s front skis tracked onto the start of the trail and the little unit chugged uphill, going slower than gave her comfort. “Come on. Hurry up.”
She gave it a little more gas, but didn’t dare gun it. The last avalanche had deposited enough sediment that the trail was no longer smooth, but bumpy. This would be a rough ride but she could make it back in one piece. More determined than afraid, she leaned forward on the snowmobile and focused on the road.
Boom!
The loud explosion shook her eardrums. Her hammering heart flatlined.
A massive wave of snow that had to be ten times the size of the previous one cracked off and slid downward, picking up snow and throwing a giant plume of powder as it barreled down on her location.
Kaylee gripped the handles in frozen terror and screamed. Pete had told her to turn around at the first sign of trouble, but the trail wasn’t wide enough to turn around. It would soon block her path and no way could her little unit outrun it. She had no choice but to abandon ship.
She peeled her clenched hands off the handlebars and started off at a dead run in the opposite direction. But before she’d gone a more than twenty steps the white plume crashed down behind her, the impact washing her off her feet like a small speck of dust. Her limbs twisted and turned as she toppled, head over heels, swept into the abyss.
Chapter Two
“Kaylee!”
Pete roared in horror as he watched the avalanche come down, engulfing and obliterating the trail Kaylee had most likely ridden to the cabin. He knew in his ancient soul she was in danger. Swearing, he shifted as he ran toward the mountain.
Elongated sharp nails shredded his clothes, and his longer, more powerful legs ate up ground. In his true form, Roshan covered the distance from town to the base of the Mt. Brewster in less than five minutes. Still it wasn’t fast enough. Kaylee’s hurt. I have to get to her. A painful ache thudded through his chest with every heartbeat, making him sick to his stomach as his enlarged feet pounded through the snow to reach her. I never should have let her go.
Above him the mountain’s rumblings stopped, leaving nothing but eerie silence in their wake. Her scream still ringing in his ears, he barreled along her snowmobile’s tracks, panic rising faster every second. If she had been buried in the slide, he had mere minutes left to save her life. Cursing his stupidity and anger over her reason for being here, he silently prayed to the ancients she would live.
As he traversed down the slide area his long, nearly six-inch nails and the textured pads of his feet kept him from sliding better than any high-tech boot ever invented. His big body heated, too. The thick coating of fur over his hide and his larger-than-human heart keeping warm blood in and the cold wind at bay. The powder ball billowing around him from the recent slide made him blink the irritation away but caused his specially shielded eyes no harm. He would find her no matter what. He only prayed he wasn’t too late.
Roshan’s efficient gaze scanned the fall area, searching for any speck of color amongst the white. Finally, he saw lights shining. Two weak beacons to guide his way. Quickly using his clawed hands, he swept handful after handful of snow away until he stared at the uncovered human vehicle and frowned. There was no one on it. That meant she’d been thrown off it and possibly crushed under the full force of the avalanche’s power. Distressed, he opened his powerful nostrils, leaned down, and sniffed.
Kaylee’s fear and her own special scent hit him like a ton of bricks. For the second time today he longed to hold her in his arms and claim her as his mate. The urge had struck him deep when he’d held her hands in the mercantile, but concern for her welfare had overridden all other desires. Then, she’d confessed her plans, throwing his instincts into confusion. Yetis didn’t mate Bigfoot hunters. They killed them to protect their secrets. But he knew in his heart he’d never be able to hurt Kaylee regardless of her published findings. It would hurt him too much to harm one hair on her head.
Determined as a bloodhound, Roshan crawled on his hands and knees over the loosely piled snow searching for a whiff of Kaylee. If she was buried five or even ten yards down, he would smell her and be able to home in. As he searched his mind ticked off the minutes. How much longer until she suffocated? How much longer until she died?
His gut clenched and his claws sank into the snow. “No, no, no. I know she’s here. I will find her.”
Knowing she might be buried deeper, he clawed at the snowpack, sending huge chunks flying behind him. Every second, every moment he dug and came up empty filled his heart with dread. “She’s not here. She’s not here. Where is she?”
Scanning left to right, he howled in frustration. Then he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Something black, in the direction of the cabin. Taking a chance it could be her, he abandoned his search and ran over the lumpy ridge of the fall zone. As he got closer, he realized he’d spied a black glove. It stuck up out of the drift like a silent marker. When he reached it, he saw the white area around her body had been stained by splotches of red. “No, no!”
Using his paws sideways so he wouldn’t accidentally cut her with his formidably sharp nails, he lifted the snow from atop her face and torso. Lowering his head, he placed his mouth over her frozen lips. Gently, he blew. She gasped in a breath, lips parting as she sucked in air. Poised over her, her sweet inhale tickling his lips, he went fully hard. The throbbing, relentless mating call that had been battering him since he’d met her in the store jolted him as hard as a shock from a live wire. No, it couldn’t be. She’s here to find and expose my people, not become my mate. But by the ancients he desired her.
Momentarily struck dumb by her beauty, he gaped. She was gorgeous. Dark brown hair and precise refined features softened by pure feminine beauty enchanted his already aching heart. He fell in love with her right then, despite knowing he could never claim her.
Her eyes opened and widened in surprise when they focused on him. Her mouth opened, forming a pretty ‘o’.
Before she could speak, he touched her forehead, using ancient magic to calm her. Immediately her eyes closed. She went completely slack, her head turning to the side. He hadn’t wanted to put her to sleep, but she couldn’t be allowed to see him, not like this. After all, she was here to locate and sensationalize his people. And once she completed her work, she’d be sentenced to death. His heart ached. No, I can’t let that happen.
Gingerly he slid one hand under her back, then the other under her legs and lifted her, cradling her bleeding head and chilly body to his like precious cargo. Being careful not to jostle her, he sped toward the cabin.
Stepping over the threshold he took her to the bed and laid her limp nearly six-foot form down. It was damn cold inside. She hadn’t been kidding about freezing in the cabin. Swallowing back a growl at her living conditions, he crawled into bed and laid next to her though his calves and feet hung off the end of the bed. His body would produce more than enough heat to keep her warm. A trait of his species, it helped them assist the injured during rescue missions. Though he hadn’t been called on one lately, the act of shifting into his ancient form brought his natural powers to the surface. He could heat her all night if she needed him to, and he silently prayed that she did because there was nowhere else he’d rather be.
With his long, hair-strewn body pressed next to hers and taking up most of the bed he dwarfed her, but the stark contrast only made her appear more fragile, more beautiful to him. He studied the blood
on her forehead and located the wound. Touching his fingertips to the spot, he began to hum the healing song of the Yeti. For thousands of years they’d used their magic with great success, and though Roshan wasn’t a great healer among his people, he could still call the powers to him. For several minutes he hummed soft and low, adding in the pitch for restful sleep so Kaylee would remain unconscious while he worked. He didn’t want to risk her seeing him again in this form. It would only inflame her desire to hunt his kind. A desire he could not encourage.
At last her wound appeared healed and his magic told him her concussion was not serious. Quickly he slid his hand over the rest of her body, searching for broken bones, bruises and internal injuries. As his touch glided over her, she let out a small breathy moan. Her hips rose to meet him as he brushed his hand down her belly. Intrigued, he swept his fingers over her mound. When she squirmed next to him, he hardened once more, his cock turning to granite against her thigh.
She must have felt him even in her unconscious state, for her hand moved to his aching erection and stroked its ridged surface. He bit his lip and resisted the urge to thrust into her palm even though it would feel so good to coat her hand with his arousal. She’s asleep. She’s injured. She’s a reporter, damn it.
He let out a soft growl and immediately froze. Have I woken her? He stole a look at her face. Her eyes remained closed, her lips softly parted. From the even rise and fall of her chest, he suspected she remained asleep. He sighed with relief.
As quietly as he could, he rose from the bed. The cabin was still frigid, and she needed warmth, but he could no longer provide it with his body. Kaylee was way too tempting in her tight snowmobile outfit and the way she responded to his touch, even asleep, made him want to howl for mercy. No, he needed to heat the cabin the old fashioned way. Stealing a long glance in her direction, he paused on his way out the door. He knew he’d put kindling in with her groceries and he needed to find the pieces of wood and himself some clothes before he lost his mind and mated her like a desperate, rutting beast.
Running toward his cabin behind the mercantile, he made sure to cover his tracks as best he could, calling on his powers to fill in the indents of his paw prints with snow. He couldn’t afford to leave any evidence behind. Miss nosy pants would surely find them and use it as an excuse to linger on Brewster Mountain. A possibility the Yeti within him favored, much to his growing alarm.
Chapter Three
“Oh. My. God.” Kaylee had lain still for several minutes after the cabin’s door shut, in case Mr. Sexy Bigfoot’s plans included a quick return. But he hadn’t come back. Finally, she opened her eyes and blew out a stuttered breath. More thrilled than scared, her body aroused from his touch, she ached to have him back again, even if she had to fake sleep. Faking was exactly what she’d done. Though the Yeti had used some weird magic on her to make her head feel better, the second his touch had caressed the apex of her legs it had lit a fire in her and she’d lain there, pretending to sleep so she could savor his body next to hers.
Every luscious moment of it.
She clenched her already damp pussy and wriggled her sore limbs in delight. The cock pressing into her leg had been longer than a human’s, hard as a baton and ribbed! It had been all she could do not to whimper as she caressed it, imagining how the Yeti’s cock would feel as it stretched her fully, sating her every desire. Nobody had warned her Yetis could be so sexy, that their hair would be so long and silky she’d want to run her hands through it, that one touch of his cock would make her wet. My God.
She sat up, excitement over her discovery rushing through her. The Yeti were real. Very real. But, without proof to show the world, no one would believe her. Tossing a quick glance at the door, she flung her feet over the edge of the bed and vaulted to standing. Bad mistake.
Head swirling, she half-fainted back down on the covers. Holy hell, her brain was a mixed-up fright of numbness and pain. Must be the shock of the avalanche. Kaylee blinked her eyes, willing the spinning room to hold still for just a few seconds. When she could focus about four feet ahead of her without pitching sideways, she slid her feet to the floor. Holding onto the bed, she slowly raised up. When she didn’t immediately topple over, she went to item two on the agenda. Proof. “Camera, I need my camera.”
Walking stiffly, head held perfectly still, she managed to cross the small room and reach the window seat on the opposite wall. She knelt down and lifted the lid. Inside the bench, she’d stowed her backpack, and inside that, wrapped in a plastic baggie to protect against moisture, rested her camera. She dug it out and flipped the switch. The batteries had juice. Good. She only needed one photo to make history. One shot of the Yeti in full form ought to do it, but from where? If she laid down in the bed again, it wouldn’t provide a very good angle. She needed the shock-value pose, the one showing how huge it was, to make readers sit up and take notice. The table seemed the best vantage point. From there she could target the front door and catch him as he came through.
Only she secretly wanted to catch him coming an entirely different way. Too bad the paper didn’t publish porn and further, if she snagged herself some Yeti lovin’, she had half an idea to keep it to herself.
With a sigh, she raised herself on unstable legs and headed for the table. On its surface sat her phone. Automatically she grabbed it and sent a message off to Angie. “Hot news. I saw a Yeti. I’m about to become famous.”
The reply came back seconds later. “No way! Is he cute?”
“Hotter than hell,” Kaylee texted.
“Then I want one too! Save me some!”
Oh, heck no. If she managed to bag this one she sure the hell wasn’t going to share him. She set the phone on the table and lowered into a seat. For long minutes, she sat waiting and considering the insanity of it all. I’ve met an actual Yeti and he was hawt. Oh. My. God.
Again she clenched the walls of her pussy. It had been a long time since she’d been with a man and the thought of experiencing Yeti sex had her all wound up. But was it safe? What was sex with a Yeti like? Rough and hard or…? Drumming her fingers on the table, she closed her eyes and imagined. Am I completely crazy? What woman in her right mind would even consider fucking such a monster? I must be nuts.
But his touch had been so gentle, his concern for her welfare palpable. Almost as though he cared. And his warmth had seeped into her bones, giving her life. What woman wouldn’t desire a protector like him?
Minutes seemed like hours. Her head drooped. The Yeti wasn’t coming back after all. Too tired and bruised to go look for it, she headed back toward the bed. She’d gotten halfway there when she heard a scratching sound outside. A large shape loomed by the window. The doorknob turned. Bracing herself, camera raised, she readied to take the most important shot of her life. The one that would earn her a million dollars.
The door swung open.
She hit the button.
The camera flashed and the motor whirred. The picture had been snapped.
She glanced up from the camera and her mouth flew open. “What the fuck?”
Pete blinked at her before setting her mangled bag of groceries on the floor and shutting the door. In seconds, his features transformed from surprised to irritated. She’d managed to make him cross once again. He barreled toward her like a steam engine going downhill. “Hey. What are you doing out of bed?”
Still shocked to the core at the sudden switch, she merely grunted as he grabbed her arms and easily lifted her feet from the ground. The heat of his taut chest and his unique Pete scent made her head dizzy. She closed her eyes and sank into his embrace. Pete didn’t seem to mind. He laid her carefully on the bed as though she might be made of glass and tucked her in.
“Stay here. I’ll make a fire. You need to get warm.” He brushed a hair from her forehead with more tenderness than she’d expected. His gaze locked onto hers for a few seconds before he snapped his attention away and stalked toward the fireplace.
But by then it was already too
late. The dark and heady mix of desire and anger in his eyes had burned through her, singing her heart and leaving her raw. She clutched her hands over her chest, chilled by Pete’s sudden withdrawal. What the hell was his problem? Then it dawned on her. Pete, like a lot of other people, thought she was crazy for thinking Bigfoot was real. He probably wanted to sit her down and give her a stern talking to. Tell her to go home and forget such nonsense. Well, she knew what she’d seen. She wasn’t leaving. “I saw one, you know.” When he made no reply she added, “A Yeti.”
Pete’s back went stiff and he put down the stick he’d been using to poke the fire. “No you didn’t. They don’t exist, Kaylee.”
“Yes I did. He rescued me from the avalanche.”
Pete swiveled on his toes, turning halfway toward her. “That was me, Kaylee. You were hallucinating, that’s all.”
Her mouth fell open. Of all the nerve. Lying right to my face! “I know what I saw, Pete. It wasn’t you.”
He rose, shaking his head. “You’re lucky to be alive right now, Kaylee. Give up this fantasy of yours and get some sleep. Things will appear more rational in the morning.”
Was he telling her to shut the fuck up? So he does think I’m crazy? Asshole. What a jerk. I’ll show him. I’ll… She swept the covers off and plunged her feet toward the floor. Caught in the heat of the moment, her adrenaline spiking, she shot to standing with her fists out and fury close to the surface. I’ve had enough of these non-believers. She took a step and teetered. The room did that spinny thing again and she sank into a downward spiral.
Pete appeared from nowhere, his arms circling her waist and shoulders. “Easy now.”
“You take that back. I did see a Yeti. I did!” Her hands were still fisted, but her voice lacked venom. She sagged into the comfort of his embrace again, telling herself this was the last time she would let this man hold her. But when she looked up at his face, all her anger melted.
Hot Holida Treats Page 23