Into the Lair

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Katie showered with Braden, more in an effort to use their body heat to keep from freezing than a need for intimacy. The temperature had continued to drop in the cabin, which told her that there was probably heat at one time, and now there wasn’t.

Figured.

She stepped shivering from the tiny shower cubicle, hugging herself in an effort to get warm. Braden stepped out beside her and wrapped his big body around hers while he dried them both with his towel.

“Get dressed. I’ll go build a fire and then get started on the cooking,” he said as he arranged his towel over shoulders.

She watched as he walked naked from the bathroom. She absolutely loved his pale ass. His tan line stopped at his waist, and only a fine dusting of hair disturbed the lighter skin of his behind.

She’d have been disappointed if he turned out to be a pretty boy who sunbathed nude out of vanity. Of course Braden didn’t strike her as the type to sunbathe at all. And he certainly lacked the smooth, polished good looks of pretty boys like Paulo and Ricardo. Braden and Ian both were rugged. Not good-looking in a classical sense or even drop-dead GQ gorgeous. But she positively shivered each time she looked at them, even when they annoyed the piss out of her. They wore power like it was the most natural thing in the world, and they had an I-don’t-give-a-fuck look that she found enormously appealing. Maybe it was because it was a sentiment she echoed.

She searched for clothes, and to her surprise discovered several pairs of jeans and sweaters in her size. Or close, anyway. And then she found a pair of boots just half a size larger than what she wore, and she nearly cried. Stupid to get so emotional over boots, but after going so long barefooted, she wanted to kiss the worn leather.

She pulled on heavy wool socks, delighting in the warmth they offered her freezing feet. Then she put on jeans and a sweater. For a moment, she considered the boots just for the luxury of having shoes, but she put them back down and padded out to the living room in her sock feet.

Ian was awake, though he didn’t look like he’d been that way for long. He sat on the couch a few feet away from the roaring fire, his hair rumpled, and a sleepy, disgruntled look on his face.

She glanced toward the kitchen to see Braden clanging around, putting a skillet on the stove and poking in the small refrigerator.

Ideally, she’d feel at ease with either man, after all she’d fucked them both. But something about Ian still made her nervous. Or maybe she just wasn’t as sure of herself around him. Or…maybe he meant more to her than she’d like to admit.

Braden, on the other hand…she felt confident with, but only because she knew he was in it for the sex. Ian…well she had no idea what he was in it for.

When she would have gone into the kitchen, Ian looked up and locked gazes with her. She shivered under the intensity of those eyes, and it wasn’t because she was cold.

“Come here,” he said softly and held out a hand to her.

She hesitated for a moment before crossing the room. She didn’t reach for his hand but got close enough that he could touch her. He laced his arm around her waist and pulled her down onto his lap.

Before she could react, he reclined her until her head rested on the couch and her back was laid across his legs. He pushed her sweater up and put tentative fingers to her wound.

He looked over at her and frowned. “This needs to be bandaged.”

“I took it off to shower,” she said with a shrug.

“Stay put. I’ll get Braden to bring me the stuff to cover it again.”

She stopped short of rolling her eyes. Barely. He called over his shoulder to Braden who came ambling out a few seconds later, medical supplies in hand.

He winked at Katie who had brought her arms behind her head in an effort to get comfortable.

Ian didn’t miss the exchange, and he gazed curiously at Katie. Okay, he wasn’t stupid. Surely he hadn’t slept through her and Braden’s rather loud bout of sex this morning. Or had he?

She shot Braden a quick questioning look, and he shrugged and headed back toward the kitchen. And then she shook her head, pissed that she’d spare any guilt over Ian’s feelings. It was sex. Good sex but just sex all the same.

“What are you frowning about?” Ian asked as he carefully applied a strip of gauze to her stitched wound.

“I don’t care if you’re pissed that I had sex with Braden.”

He raised one eyebrow and cast her a sideways glance. “Who says I’m pissed?”

“You’re not?”

“Should I be?”

She frowned again as he finished taping the gauze. “So you’re not?”

“Do you want me to be?”

She growled in frustration. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to beat him or fuck him senseless. Both held a certain appeal at the moment.

A small smile quirked one corner of his mouth. “No, Katie, I’m not pissed. I was the one who asked my brother to watch while I had sex with you, for Christ’s sake.”

“Anyone ever tell you how weird you are?”

He shrugged. “Plenty of times.”

“I see how bothered you are by that,” she said with a grin.

He pulled her to an upright position and then moved her to his side. She leaned back against the couch, content to absorb his warmth.

A few minutes later, Braden brought two plates and thrust them at her and Ian. He returned shortly with his own plate and plopped down in a threadbare armchair close to the fireplace.

Breakfast food. Not her favorite, but she was so hungry, she’d eat shoe leather.

For several minutes, she contented herself with stuffing food into her mouth. Then she became aware that both men were staring at her, their own food forgotten.

“What?” she asked around a full mouth.

Braden shook his head. “God almighty, I thought the first time we fed you was merely an aberration. I’ve never seen a woman put away food like that. It’s sorta scary and sexy all at the same time.”

She choked on a laugh and then coughed when part of her food went down the wrong way. “Sorry,” she mumbled as she finally managed to get her breath. “It’s been a long time since I got a chance to eat good food.”

Ian gave her a look of horror. “Hell, you must really have fallen on desperate times if you consider Braden’s cooking good food.”

“Hey, fuck off,” Braden said good-naturedly.

She grinned. It was amazing to her that she was so relaxed. Sex and a full belly certainly helped. More than that, though, she felt safe with Ian and Braden despite their less-than-stellar beginning.

She trusted them.

It was easy to forget what was at stake. That they were in the wilds of Austria because supposedly some goon was after her.

And then it hit her. Truly hit her with the force of an avalanche. Ricardo would never be a threat to her again.

Sure, she knew he was dead. She’d even taken a moment, albeit a brief one, to contemplate what his death meant. But things had moved so quickly. It was all such a blur that she hadn’t really had time to think about what her life might be like without Ricardo breathing down her neck.

She put the fork down when it became obvious that her hand was shaking like the last leaf on a tree facing winter.

“What’s wrong?” Ian asked sharply. He touched her cheek, and she slowly looked up to meet his gaze.

“Nothing. I was just thinking. Realizing, I guess.”

“Realizing what?” Braden asked.

She glanced over to see him studying her as intently as Ian was.

“Just that I don’t have to worry about Ricardo anymore,” she said with a nonchalant shrug that belied just how much she wanted to shout her joy and relief. “It hadn’t really sunk in until now. I’ve been running from him for so long. I mean he’s been the entire focus of my life in a twisted sort of way. My every waking moment has been spent staying a step ahead of him and trying to determine his next move.”

Ian’s hand curled around the back of her neck, cupping it possessively. He stared hard at her, his green eyes flashing with anger and determination.

“You don’t ever have to worry about anything again, Katie. Braden and I are going to see to that.”

Her brow instantly furrowed at the oddity and finality of his statement. How could he make that kind of guarantee? They were nothing to each other. There was no permanence, no relationship. Until a week ago, she’d never known they existed.

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m afraid I’m the only person who can make sure I don’t have men like Ricardo to worry about.” She added a reassuring smile for emphasis. “It was sweet of you to say, though.”

“Sweet, my ass,” Braden bit out. “You aren’t alone anymore, Katie. You may not be used to it, but you damn well better get that way. We aren’t going away.”

She blinked at his ferocity. His entire body was taut like a bowstring, and determination was locked into his face. She let her gaze flicker to Ian only to see the same steely resolve reflected in his eyes.

Not knowing how to respond to that little outburst, she calmly picked her fork back up and resumed eating. After several long, awkward minutes, she gripped her now-empty plate and started to get off the couch.

Ian circled her wrist and tugged her back down. “I’ll get it, Katie. You sit.”

No escape. It nearly made her giggle. It seemed her life revolved around escape and capture. Granted she was convinced that Ian and Braden were the good guys here, but still, she’d exchanged an unsavory prison for a much better one. But still a prison all the same. Freedom was an elusive creature indeed.

But was freedom really what she wanted? Did she want to be away from these two men? She could lie to herself—she’d certainly been less than honest with herself in the past—but the truth was she trusted these two men as much as it galled her to admit, and more than that, she wanted them. Wanted to be close to them, wanted intimacy, and it went beyond just sex, no matter that she’d damn near beaten herself over the head trying to convince herself otherwise.

The fire had warmed the room or at least taken the bitter chill. She awkwardly positioned herself so she could curl her feet underneath her as she turned in the direction of the fireplace.

Braden watched her, and she peeked at him from underneath her lashes.

“What now, Braden?” she asked. “Do we stay here forever? Wait for the boogeyman to come get us? What are we doing, exactly?”

To her surprise he looked briefly away. She was used to his bluntness, counted on it. While Ian usually tried to couch things and be more diplomatic, Braden tended to say it like it was without deference to her feelings. She liked that.

There was a hint of unease in his expression when he turned his eyes back to her. “Eli and Tits along with the Falcon secondary are hunting Esteban. We stay here until it’s safe to leave.”

“And?” Surely there had to be more to their plan than that.

“And nothing. When we get word that Esteban is no longer a threat to you then we take things from there.”

She continued to stare at him in silence. He probably didn’t understand her worries or concerns. He had a place in the world. He and Ian were part of this Falcon team. They had friends, jobs, each other. She had no one. No home to return to, no life to get on with.

It was a daunting thought and something she had to do a lot of thinking about, because when it was all over with, she would be solidly on her own again. And for the first time in a long time, that scared the hell out of her.