CarnalTakeover (4 page)

Swearing, he drove toward the village. She had to be
somewhere close, unless she’d skidded off the road into the sea. Craning his
neck, he searched for tire marks in the snow or her SUV stranded on the frozen
body of water, but saw neither.

She hadn’t returned to the pizza place, nor had she gone to
the other restaurant in the village.

He tried her office. Her SUV wasn’t in the lot. The grocery
store had a few customers, none of them her. She wasn’t at the community center
either.

Could she have made friends with one of the village women
and gone to that lady’s place for some girl talk and giggles about what was
going to happen tomorrow night?

Alexandra had warned him that he wouldn’t be able to stop
it.

Okay, so he couldn’t. However, that didn’t mean he’d have to
join in.

Shoulders bunched, Daniel went to the barracks, grateful he
had his own quarters. His room wasn’t much bigger than a prison cell, but at
least he didn’t have to sleep next to a bunch of other sex-starved guys.

He punched his pillow and jerked from side to side on his
narrow bunk, trying to get comfortable. Impossible. He kept thinking of
Alexandra, the hunger he’d seen on her face for him. Only him. It had lasted a
fraction of a second before she’d invited his crew to enjoy her.

Daniel threw his pillow across the room. It hit his alarm
clock, knocking it to the floor. The digital numbers went crazy, blinking in
time to his sprinting pulse and racing thoughts.

Nat, Red and Junior would definitely show up at Alexandra’s
place tomorrow. They’d made that quite clear. However, that didn’t mean they
were going to get everything they expected or wanted.

Daniel grabbed his cell phone and placed his call to make
certain of it.

Saturday arrived cold and dark with the threat of snow.

Perspiration clung to Alexandra’s neck and back. She’d been
cleaning for hours as she’d never done in her life. Hadn’t been necessary.
Before coming here, she’d always had a housekeeping staff trailing after her,
picking up stuff, making certain everything was spotless.

Her cabin, or rather her grandfather’s cabin, hadn’t looked
this good since she’d arrived then started to trash it like the slob she was.
Bad move. She’d broken two nails and pulled countless muscles scouring every
inch of the place. As though
Better Homes & Gardens
was stopping by
for a photo shoot, rather than four brawny men who’d been without a woman for
weeks.

You can do this… You want to do—

A noise shot through the room. Alexandra flinched at the
crack, pop, whatever it was, and turned to the front door, her pulse thumping
in her throat. She tensed, waiting to hear the sound again, what she feared had
been footfalls crunching ice on the porch. Daniel ready to knock, wanting in so
he could holler at her until she listened and obeyed.

Yeah, like that was going to happen. She got even hotter,
annoyance building in her again, momentarily pushing away her dread.

Go on, pound on the door, yell all you want. It won’t
change my mind.

Nothing happened except for a new blast of wind whisking
around the cabin, followed by another loud pop. She started at the sound then
looked over. A spray of sparks erupted from a crumbling log in the stone
fireplace.

For God’s sake, get a grip.

She sank to the butter-colored sofa, her legs no longer able
to hold her. Head down, Alexandra breathed hard, smelling the Febreze she’d
sprayed. The cranberry cider scent reminded her of Christmas, all those TV
commercials showing parties and good times.

She couldn’t stop trembling from renewed panic mingled with
her building fury for reacting as she was.

It was already three in the afternoon. If Daniel had planned
to come here and get in her face, he certainly could have done so before now.
At the very least, he would have called.

The fact that he hadn’t soothed and worried Alexandra in
equal measure. She gave herself a less than fifty percent chance that he’d show
up tonight. Maybe she should call him, offer another invite, pour on the charm.

Her hand stopped short of her iPhone. If she called him now,
she’d confess everything in her heart. How he brightened every cruddy day in
this dreary place. Her excitement each time she saw him in one of the company
buildings or the grocery store. The pleasure of watching him when he wasn’t
aware of her doing so. His easy camaraderie with the other men. His deep laugh.
How his smile crinkled the corners of his beautiful eyes.

She pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead.

Telling Daniel that would make him run in the opposite
direction, not bring him here. A place he’d easily dominate.

The cabin was built for a man’s sensibilities. Logs formed
its inside walls, their cinnamon shade matching the gleaming wood floor, newly
polished by her. Leather furniture, chunky and masculine, mingled with a few
feminine touches the decorator had thought to add. A vintage sewing machine
table with a wrought-iron lamp on top, its ivory shade delicate but not frilly.
Sheepskin rugs on the floor. Silk plants on the mantle and counters, with
others hanging from the ceiling near the tall windows. A fake forest of green
with splashes of red, orange, yellow. Warm colors that brightened the room
further, the same as the ever-present fire.

As a bonus, there was a steam room off the downstairs bath.
A spiral staircase, made of metal, led to the loft. There, a traditional log
bed constructed of cedar dominated the smallish space. Tapestries and some kind
of fishing equipment adorned the walls, a gold-and-brown comforter the mattress.
That sucker was large enough for three people. Her and…

She didn’t want to go there. Not just yet. Instead,
Alexandra wondered what Daniel would think of this place…if he showed up. What
he’d think of her. She hadn’t decided what to wear, not that she had much of a
choice. Her wardrobe consisted of jeans, flannel shirts, thermal underwear and
two wool dresses she’d brought more for their warmth than their sex appeal.
Except for a few pieces of nice lingerie that she’d purchased on a whim, none
of what she owned seemed right for the occasion. Her introduction to group sex.

She buried her face in her hands. The noises she made
sounded too loud, completely overwhelmed. Maybe she should simply be naked when
she greeted her guests. During those times when she felt particularly good
about herself, Alexandra thought her ass and boobs resembled Kim Kardashian’s.

Too bad this wasn’t one of those times.

Nudity was definitely out until the guys were well fed with
several drinks under their belts. Stuffed and buzzed, they’d be in a great
mood, ready for anything. Even a woman who longed for closeness but no longer
hoped for it. Having fun was all that was left. As much as she could get.

Perhaps even from a guy she wanted for so much more than
mere sex.

By seven-fifty, the heavenly scents of pepperoni and garlic
filled the cabin, overpowering her perfume. Its jasmine and roses was no match
for the three large pizzas baking in the oven. Alexandra smiled wryly, thinking
she should daub pepperoni behind her ears, under her breasts and between her
legs. When the guys showed up, she could greet them with a lusty sigh and purr,
“Bon appétit.”

If they didn’t laugh with embarrassment, she sure as hell
would. Better to just be herself. Nerdy and uncertain.

She finished putting out the snack food. Potato chips in
three flavors, dip in four, Beer Nuts, pretzels, Cheetos. Plates, napkins and
booze came next. A cooler of Coors, and for the more sophisticated, a bottle of
Smirnoff vodka and Jack Daniel’s whiskey.

Alexandra looked at the vodka longingly, debating whether to
have one shot. Her dad used to call it his Russian buddy. He’d had a lot of
experience with booze and drugs. Before he’d died, he’d needed all kinds of
chemical support to face Lucius.

She moved away from the booze, determined to face whatever
came with sheer willpower, unless the guys stood her up. Then she’d bury her
feelings in a bowl of onion-flavored potato chips and sour cream dip. No crime
in that, except for what she was doing to her butt and thighs.

Alexandra scratched her hip. A vintage clock tick, tick,
ticked on the wall behind her, the sound suddenly too loud.

She looked over. Seven fifty-five. Her heart sank. They
weren’t coming. Everyone past the age of twelve knew it was polite to arrive
fifteen minutes ahead of time. Wait. That was for a job interview. For a party,
it was fifteen minutes late. Of course, that was for the usual affair, eating,
drinking, talking. With fucking involved, shouldn’t everyone want to arrive way
early to get the show on the road?

They should.

She padded to the window. A wall of darkness greeted her,
the wind-driven flakes twinkling briefly in her porch light. When had it
started to snow? She’d been so busy with the food and her hour-long soak, to
soothe her aching muscles, she hadn’t noticed. Was the weather too bad for them
to get through to this place?

Unable to tell, she hurried to her laptop and brought up the
Weather Channel. No dire predictions for this part of the world, just the usual
shitty stuff that all of the men were used to getting around in. The short
drive from their barracks to here wasn’t a trek up the Himalayas.

The oven pinged loudly. A log crumbled in the fireplace.
Alexandra headed for the kitchen first and turned the heat down to warm on the
pizzas, not wanting the crusts to scorch. She hurried into the living room
next, put another log on the fire and wondered if she’d have to burn through
the entire stack before admitting to herself that no one was—

A sharp rap on the door rang through the room. Startled, she
fell to her ass.

A few seconds passed, then more raps. Insistent. Surely
randy.

Oh god, oh god, oh god.
Tonight was really happening.

She pushed to her feet and needed a moment to steady
herself. The room kept spinning.

More knocks. Despite how thick the door was, Alexandra could
have sworn she saw it shake beneath those demanding blows.
Go on, answer it.

She didn’t move.

If you don’t, they’ll leave.

Daniel would go. That was, if he was out there.

Swallowing hard, she unlocked the door and inched it open.
Nat stood in the middle, the hood of his parka and knit cap barely protecting
him from the frigid wind. On his right, Junior bounced up and down, patting his
parka, trying to keep warm. On the left, Red brushed snow off his
ginger-colored lashes. The tip of his nose and cheeks were ruddy from the cold.

Her hope fell. Daniel wasn’t here. He hadn’t—

Footfalls on the porch steps interrupted her thoughts.
Daniel joined the others. A few seconds late, but he’d actually made it.

Giddy with joy, she blurted, “Hi.”

The others looked over at him, clearly waiting for his
response or reaction. He shouldered past them. “Hi.”

Alexandra smiled. Her nerves were so taut, her mouth
wobbled.

He seemed to notice. “Everything all right?”

She nodded quickly.

“Damn,” Junior mumbled. “It’s cold out here.”

“Oh sorry. Come in, please.” She backed away, giving them
loads of room to do so.

Nat, Red and Junior piled in after Daniel. He’d stopped a
few feet from Alexandra, taking in her full length. Her azure tee matched the
color of her eyes, its hem landing right at her pussy. Beneath the top, she’d
worn short black boxers. Completing her ensemble were furry booties in a zebra
design, the fuzzy pile zigzagged in a blue-and-black print. In other words,
what she usually wore to bed.

It was the sexiest thing Alexandra could think of and
definitely registered with Daniel.

His prominent Adam’s apple moved up and down with his hard
swallow. He stared at her naked thighs as if he’d never seen that part of a
woman before.

Breathtaking warmth flooded Alexandra. Her pussy responded,
growing wet with need.

Nat closed the door. The wind pulled it shut with a loud
bang. She jerked. Daniel didn’t seem to notice the noise. He moved into her.

Stunned, Alexandra couldn’t budge. He was closer than he’d ever
been. She caught his scent, a woodsy, masculine fragrance, clean and inviting.
It mingled with the crisp aroma of snow on his parka and the fabric softener
he’d used on his brown-and-cream flannel shirt. Several strands of his
wind-tousled hair caressed his forehead and bristly cheeks. God love him, he
hadn’t shaved.

She ached to run her fingers over his upper lip and chin.

Daniel didn’t give her the chance. With surprising ease, he
slung his arm over her shoulder and drew her into him, their bodies touching. A
jolt of desire hit Alexandra so hard she had to bite back a moan. His heat was
incredible, chasing away the chill of his coat and the air she’d let inside.
Nearly a head taller than her, he seemed enormous, virile, dangerous and
seductive.

Her heart beat out of time. They were near enough to kiss.
His mouth rich and full, the stuff of her most salacious fantasies.

“You still want to do this?” he asked, low enough so the
others wouldn’t hear.

Surprised by his question, she nodded. To have him leave now
would be unthinkable.

“You feel safe?” he added.

His casual embrace ensured it, as though they were dating,
comfortable with each other. “Yes, of course.”

Even though he didn’t have feelings for her, other than what
appeared to be lust, he was a good man. He wouldn’t deliberately hurt her. Why
was he asking?

He didn’t seem convinced of her answer. “You need to be
certain,” he said. “This ends now unless you explicitly trust what’s going to
happen.”

Alexandra started to perspire. “I do… What did you have in
mind?”

Daniel studied her for a long moment, his expression
unreadable, though there was a hint of indecency in his eyes. Heat prickled
Alexandra’s cheeks and forehead, nourished by excitement, not fear. Whatever
he’d planned, she was definitely all for it. Downright eager.

“Everything,” he answered, parroting what she’d said
yesterday. “I’m in charge. Not you. Not any of the other guys. Me, alone. If
you can’t accept that, then this is over right—”

She interrupted. “I accept it.” He’d honored his part of
their bargain by showing up and taking over in the best possible way. Now
Alexandra would honor hers. “You’re the boss.”

Delight danced in his eyes. “Yes, I am.”

He cupped the back of her head and pulled her into him,
their thighs and bellies snuggled together. Alexandra inhaled sharply. Before
she could release her breath on a wanting sigh, he slanted his mouth over hers
and slipped his tongue between her lips.

God.
She sagged against him, shocking need tearing
through her, rendering her helpless and weak. If not for Daniel’s solid body,
she would have dropped to the floor.

Tightening his hold, he deepened their kiss, his mouth
greedy and demanding, hers loose and impassioned beneath his. She nestled
closer. He ground his hips into hers, his opened parka allowing her to feel his
erection, rock solid, long as freaking hell. Alexandra dug her fingers into his
coat, wanting it off and them naked, him inside her.

Despite her wayward lust, Daniel didn’t stop and strip. He
enjoyed her leisurely, fully, his tongue dancing with hers, then sweeping over
her teeth. He tasted of minty toothpaste and a flavor that was unique to him
that spoke of good health, a male at the height of his power. Alexandra finally
moaned, unable to help herself. Daniel offered a faint growl in return, then
broke their kiss and rested his forehead against hers.