Hot Holida Treats

by Sorcha Mowbray, Rachel Kenley, Jocelyn Dex, Sotia Lazu, Leigh Ellwood, Eva Lefoy, Daisy Banks, Sofia Grey

  Chapter Five

  “C-c-cold. Man, this is cold. Isn’t it like the afternoon or something? Shouldn’t it be warmer than this?” Kaylee scraped the frost off her watch and checked the time. Three p.m., but the sky had clouded over and the wind had kicked up. The gusts seemed to seep right under her visor and chill her cheeks. Then it blew through the zipper and seams of her jacket to freeze her bones. What the hell, this isn’t Everest. It shouldn’t be this cold.

  In her right mind, she would have turned back. But Kaylee refused to give up her goal: reach the top of the mountain, find the Yeti and get the damn story done. For a chance at fame, she’d freeze a little bit longer. Besides, the Yeti would come out any minute now and save her. All she had to do was wait. “I know he’s up there. I’m sure he’ll come.”

  Deep inside, she warmed at the thought of seeing the Yeti again. She wanted more than an interview with the mystery monster. She wanted an up-close-and-personal private perusal. Many of her friends found Navy Seals and firemen hot. They were built, ready for action and endowed with ultimate male sexuality. But how many other women could boast a man nine feet tall and strong enough to dig through an avalanche? None. His warmth and his gentleness teased at the corners of her mind. Was the Yeti a monster or a man? Or was he something in between? She had no doubt he existed. Soon she’d make the world know the truth and with any luck make all the other women jealous.

  Flushed with excitement, she hadn’t noticed the weather had changed once more. Tiny snowflakes flew at her, guided by the wind. They swirled around her face, creating a fog-like mist to hamper her vision. Already the sky had turned grey, as though someone had reached up and shut off the sun. The air grew colder, and her fingers chilled inside her gloves, making it harder to grasp the poles. Inside her boots, her toes went numb. Soon. He’ll be here soon.

  On impulse, she stomped her feet and yelled for him. “Yeti. I’m here. Where are you? Yeti!”

  But no answer came. Biting her lip, she dug the poles into the snow and put one foot in front of the other. What did it matter if she couldn’t feel them? She’d soon be safe and warm, wrapped in the Yeti’s arms. Unless he’s gone for good.

  Kaylee shook away the thought. This was her only chance. She had to keep going. He’s here. I know he is. He’ll be back for me.

  As she climbed higher the direction she’d seen him travel, the snow came down thicker. A coating formed on her shoulders and nose. The chilled air hurt her lungs, turning every breath short and sharp. Her legs ached with each step. She blinked and a wave of dizziness spun her head, leaving dread in its wake. For the first time, she worried the Yeti would not come back in time, if at all. Still, she plodded forward. Just a little further. Then he’ll come.

  Kaylee peered through the snow trying to see the cabin. Her thoughts slowed and came out jumbled. Did I leave the soup on the camp stove? Where is my cell phone? Cold. So cold.

  She stumbled over a hidden rock and realized how unprotected and alone she really was out here on the mountain. Already half frozen, she closed her eyes and pictured what would happen when night fell. Saw her corpse lying in the white snow, silent and unmoving. Dead, and all for one lousy story. Ruining her life in the hopes of finding the Yeti. Her heart clenched. God, what the hell am I doing? He’s obviously not coming. He’s not even care about me.

  Tears flooded her vision as she placed her poles in the opposite direction and headed back toward the safety of the cabin. Each step took more of her precious quickly depleting energy than the last, but she had to hurry. She couldn’t stop or she’d freeze to death on this mountain when the sun fell and the snowy slope turned icy. Got to keep moving. Have to get back before dark.

  Fear pushed her, rushing her steps until she had to stop for a moment. In the cold thin air she doubled over to catch her breath. When she looked down the sight spiked her anxiety. The gravelly slope ahead she’d easily scrambled over on the way up was completely covered with snow. Unable to gauge the security of her steps, she’d have to find a way around. But to do that, she’d have to clamber over unknown territory. Also not a good choice.

  Wishing she had a guide rope like climbers on Everest, she gingerly placed her foot on top of the snowy rocks and tested it. The boot’s grip held. Holding her breath, she took another step. And another. On the fourth step she slipped.

  Her right boot went right out from under her and she landed flat on her back, her lungs emptying on a harsh exhale. As she lay there gasping, she began to slide. The slippery snow provided little friction over the rocks and she picked up momentum as she went, twirling head over heels. She didn’t have enough air left in her lungs to scream.

  Tense with panic, she gripped her poles like her only lifeline. But they were no help to her now. Due to the steep incline, she kept right on sliding down, down, down, moving way too fast. She dug in with the heels of her boots, but it only slowed her descent, didn’t stop her. Gritting her teeth, she hissed curses through them, then stopped when she saw the rapidly approaching terrain. “Oh, no.”

  At the end of the hill a sharp piece of overhang jutted out. She would go sailing over it and land in a smashed heap below if she couldn’t stop. Tossing her poles away, she reached out, spinning around in a half-circle on the snow. She grabbed the edge of the jagged rock with her cold gloved fingers, and fought for purchase. Again and again she clawed at the rock, her legs swinging wildly beneath her. When finally she hung there panting, she swung around the side, dropped to the ground, sat underneath the overhang to catch her breath. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she lowered her head and sobbed.

  The snow blew sideways at her, coming down so fast her black outfit was completely covered with a layer of white in mere minutes. The path down the mountain and back to safety quickly obscured. The icy hand of death chilled her bones. If she stayed here, she’d freeze to death, but the fear slamming through her veins made her limbs too numb to move. A tear slipped down her cheek, leaving an icy trail down to her chin. Her shallow breaths turned shaky as she cried. Pete was right. I’m such an idiot. If I ever make it home I promise I’ll give up on my Bigfoot obsession. Please, God, I don’t want to die.

  ❄ ❄ ❄

  Still in Yeti form, Roshan burst through the portal at a breakneck run, body burning with internal fire. The beast inside roared and clamored with urgency, demanding he find Kaylee immediately. He hadn’t forgotten her occupation nor her goal — to expose his people — but his beast didn’t care Kaylee wasn’t proper mate material. It desired Kaylee, and its yearning grew louder and more alarm-filled by the second. Worry churning in his gut, he stepped out on top of the mountain.

  Snow and driving wind hit him full-force, making a clear line of sight difficult for even him. Using the magic of the ancients, he hummed the song to slow the elements and make his trek easier. When the downfall abated, chill air swept around him. Close to dark, the mountain would be uninhabitable for all but the hardiest critters in no time. With little time left, he scurried down the hill toward the cabin, praying Kaylee had enough sense to have remained there during his absence.

  On each of his steps his oversized feet and claws sank in and held. He did not worry about the steepness of the slope for his weight provided extra gravity. The thick coating of fur kept him warm and so did the exercise. But his heart was still broken by the death he’d seen. Needing to assure himself of the beauty of life, he pounded down the mountain. Kaylee would be there. She’d cure his aching soul.

  Mate. He grit his teeth and ignored his beast. Mate!

  The beast’s shrill alarm call stopped him in his tracks. He looked around and sniffed the air but found nothing. Annoyed, he shook his head. His beast had gone overboard, that’s all. Before he resumed his descent he looked down and saw a faint hint of tracks. Human tracks. Kaylee’s? Holy ancients, no. It can’t be. But despair curled low in his guts, waiting to strike.

  Anxious, he followed the prints down the hill to where they stopped. He saw the flattened hillside and
followed it down. At the bottom, he found no Kaylee. Instinct whispered to keep searching. With every step, his blood chilled. Would he find Kaylee’s body out here in this horrible storm? He clenched his padded hands and gave a low roar. The mountain shook. A ball of snow hidden under a jutting rock moved and wobbled to standing. Shock hit him. The slim form barely clinging to the mountain was Kaylee.

  He raced across the steep slope and grabbed her before her unsteady limbs could collapse. Wrapping his arms around her, he swallowed a cry of relief and squeezed her tight to his chest. Her face burrowed into his hairy shoulder, her chilled face like ice. He brushed his thick ape-like lips over her cheek, silently assuring her he’d keep her safe, then carried his precious cargo down the slippery hill. Each step brought her closer to warmth and safety but every second she spent in his arms solidified his beast’s claim. She’s out here because she wants us. I want her. She’s mine.

  At last he reached the tiny cabin, scarcely more than a one-room roost. Not difficult to warm but it offered few amenities. I will build her a better one when she is my mate.

  He rolled his eyes and kicked the door open. No way would he let his beast make the decisions tonight. Kaylee was way too enamored of the Yeti already. He needed to talk some sense into her, not fuck her silly. As soon as he could, he’d shift back to his human form and convince her to leave for both their sakes.

  He laid her on the bed. Her eyes were closed and though her clothes were frozen on her, she was at least breathing and alive. Concentrating, he pulled his extended claws back inside. Then he unzipped her jacket and pants and stripped her of her wet parka and ice-caked boots. When he got every layer off her and she lay naked before him, his breath caught and held.

  Her beauty radiated, even asleep. Dark brown hair flowed around her like the finest chocolate, a deep contrast to the alabaster skin of her breasts and their pretty pink nipples. Below, a dusting of dark curls crowned her womanhood. Tempted to taste it, he inhaled her scent before throwing his body on top of hers. With her womanly perfume lodged in his nostrils, and his torso pressed to hers, he instantly hardened.

  Covering her with his heat, he waited for a few minutes to see if she’d come around. No sense in letting her see the Yeti a second time. He’d stay on her just long enough to warm her through and then…

  Kaylee’s eyelids fluttered open. Her gaze locked onto his and widened.

  A powerful jolt ran through him and he could not look away. Couldn’t move a muscle. His body went rigid, his erection thickening to steel. He was caught off guard with nowhere to hide. If he moved, his beast would claim her. Make her irrevocably his mate. Cursing his own insanity, he dug his nails into the bed and groaned.

  Underneath him, she moved, rolling her hips. She flashed a pretty smile when she felt his erection and raised a hand to his shoulder. Bracing herself, she lifted her legs and wrapped them around his backside. The move positioned his rigid cock right at her warm entrance. “You saved me. I knew you would. Now take me. Please. I want you to.”

  Deaf to all sounds but her words, his blood reached the boiling point. Using the last of his control, he shifted to human a half second before he plunged inside her. Then he gave himself over to the haze of the beast’s desires.

  ❄ ❄ ❄

  She closed her eyes and screamed as the Yeti’s cock speared her soft channel. The unyielding solidity of it took her breath away. Then shock hit her. One second a mountain of silken alabaster hair had covered her, but the body that slid up hers was smooth and hairless, and all solid muscle. In fact, the cock inside her felt entirely human, soft skin over firm length, and yet it filled her completely on the first thrust. Surprised, she opened her eyes and recognized Pete’s face right before he captured her mouth with his. Her lips opened in surprise and Pete’s tongue delved into the void. She moaned around it, loving the sensation of being speared twice. With her last bit of reason, she wondered where the Yeti had gone.

  Pete didn’t give her a chance to ask. He rode her in a frenzied rush, each of his deep thrusts sending spasms through her womb that left her senseless to all but the overwhelming need to open to him. Each new sensation, each ache he caused her had her widening her legs for more. She no longer cared this wasn’t the Yeti. Pete drove her to paradise with unrelenting expert pressure. His hands dug into the mattress, his mouth covered hers completely. She knew with certainty he’d never let up until they’d both been satisfied. There was no escaping his passion. Nor did she wish to. She simply surrendered.

  His grunts grew deeper, rougher, almost growls. There was a wild urgency to his thrusts that drove her over the edge. With her legs spread and her ankles braced on his ass, she welcomed his cock, letting out a long high-pitched wail.

  He roared and stiffened, slamming into her one last time. Buried to the hilt, he claimed every inch of her cunt as his territory. The warmth of his ejaculate seeped into her, setting her on fire again.

  She clawed at his back, resisting the power of the oncoming orgasm, but it was futile. She screamed his name, her vision blurred and the feral desires of her body took over. Panting, shaking and out of control, she came until her voice was hoarse and then sagged into the bed, her body trapped under the weight of his.

  Finally, he removed his mouth from hers and slid slowly from her still-trembling cunt. Guilt and apprehension danced in his gaze.

  “Pete? What’s going on? Where did the Yeti go?”

  He frowned and left the bed, leaving her alone and fighting a sudden chill. Sorrow bit her, and frustration followed closely on its heels.

  “Hey. Get back here. Why are you always leaving me?”

  Pete knelt by the fire with his back to her, the same position he’d taken up earlier. Kaylee squinted, not liking talking to his backside at all. Huffing, she sat up naked and didn’t bother to cover up.

  “Are you going to tell me where the Yeti went?”

  His sigh sounded resigned. “There was no Yeti.”

  “Oh yes, there was. I saw him. I felt him. I know he was here. He almost…”

  “That was just me. Me, Kaylee.”

  “Liar! Why are you doing that? Why do you keep pretending I’m crazy?” Two different pictures rolled around in her brain. One, the Yeti. The other, Pete. They’d both been there, on her bed within seconds of each other. How was that possible and where had the Yeti gone? Pete knew something, he had to, but he wasn’t telling her. Unease filled into her stomach. How had they both been there anyway?

  Pete tossed the poker aside and stood. At his full height, he towered over her. “Why are you so dang sure you saw it in the first place? God, Kaylee, can’t you leave the whole nonsense alone?” He moved to the couch and grabbed a throw, wrapping it around his naked torso, hiding his delicious body from view.

  “You know I’m writing a story on the Yeti.” She hopped off the bed, picked up her robe and padded toward him slowly, her backside aching from her unplanned slide down the mountain. “I told you that. And believe me, I was ready to give up on my story a little while ago, but then he came. He rescued me, Pete. This could really be my big break.”

  He whipped around. His firm hands clasped around her shoulders and squeezed. “Or your death. Listen, Kaylee, you need to get your stuff and leave right now. The Yeti’s not coming back and if you keep searching for him, all you’re going to find is trouble.”

  Her mouth popped open. “How do you know that? What makes you certain he’s not coming back?” She stepped back but not out of his grasp. “Oh my God, you know him, don’t you Pete? You know all about him. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because it’s not safe. Nobody can know.”

  “Why not? All I want is proof. Proof that they exist. Then I’ll be on my way. I promise.”

  He shook his head and the action only made her more determined to see this through. “Those that expose the Yeti are sentenced to death. You’ll be six feet under if you don’t give up this story and go home.”

  “And that bothers you why?
What does it matter to you if I die?”

  Pete pulled her to his chest. His breath coursed over her chin, her mouth. “Because…because…” He sank his lips over hers and pressed down as though he’d consume her from the inside out.

  The passion of his kiss once more fueled a fire in her core. She squirmed, trying to get closer, moaning into his mouth. When he lifted his head it was as though a little piece of heaven had been snatched away. She licked her lips, mesmerized by his tortured gaze. Why did he hesitate to take her again? He obviously wanted to. Desire sizzled between their bodies. Maybe she only needed to egg him on. But the urge to prove him wrong dug deep. “He was here, you know. I touched him. I think he wanted to be with me.” She licked her lips again and smiled.

  Pete’s expression turned to pain. “Kaylee…don’t. You don’t know what you’re saying.” He pushed her to arm’s length before swearing softly and heading for the door.

  Watching him walk away from her yet again ripped her heart in two. She was tired of the constant loneliness her obsession had brought her. How many friends and family had she pushed away over the years simply because they were non-believers? Dozens. She’d been obsessed with the Yeti for so long, so single-mindedly determined to prove they existed, that anyone around her who didn’t believe in her life’s one driving cause was jettisoned from her life immediately without apology. Sent right out the door. And now she’d done it to Pete, too.

  The first real man in her life who’d made love to her like he cared in ages. She desired what Pete offered heart and soul. Wanted to experience him again, see where this could lead. So why couldn’t she just drop the Yeti from the equation and give him a chance? “Wait.” She ran for the door. “Maybe I’ve been wrong.”