Page 10 of Trapped (Snowbound with a Stranger #2)

Unfolding Chaos

Eli

Just like that, our bubble of bliss was punctured, and the ambience we’d worked so hard to create was lost to the shrill bleating of technology. Erin’s phone started to wail soon after mine, the grating sounds drawing her from the bed.

I watched as she padded away, phone in hand, my gaze fixed on her perfect little ass, still reddened from my hand. The view was far more pleasant than the incoming communications on my device. A flurry of weather updates slammed onto the screen, warning of the feet of snow that had been dumped in the last twelve hours, but all of them were too late. The snow had forced us into our current predicament, but based on my most recent gratification, I couldn’t bring myself to regret it.

My focus lingered on her firm, pink orbs. I’d fucked that ass, plunging my dick deep inside her tight ring of muscle and taking my fill, and for her part, Erin had ceded beautifully. Inevitably, she’d battled me at the start, but I’d expected no less. We hadn’t discussed the possibility of anal sex before I’d agreed to spank her again, so no doubt the idea was disconcerting. Ultimately, though, she’d struggled because she always had to struggle. Erin appeared to live for the fight. She couldn’t give in to anything without a tug of war first.

Closing my eyes, I realized I was smiling. She might have driven me mad with her constant grappling for power and need to counter me on what felt like every point I made, but at the same time, she drove me wild. She enjoyed the thrill of the contest as much as I did, yet the more time we’d spent together, the more I sensed she’d enjoyed succumbing. Surrendering was obviously new to her—maybe that was why she resisted—but her body had come to life under the tutelage of my discipline, and I could tell how good her pleasure had been.

“There’s still no signal!”

The high-pitched sound of her defeated tone drew my gaze open to find her leaning over the bed.

“We can’t make any phone calls.”

“We have the internet.”

Climbing from the bed, I fastened my zipper as I walked toward her.

“We can call for help that way.”

“Not the emergency services.”

She sighed.

“You still have to make a call to access those here.”

“Really?”

How did I not know that?

I’d assumed living in the twenty-first century meant you didn’t need a phone signal to access help, but evidently, not yet. My line of work had meant I’d always had a satellite phone for emergencies. It was the first time I’d found myself in such a desperate situation.

“We can use WhatsApp to call another mobile.”

It was the best spontaneous suggestion I had.

“Perhaps someone out there can make the call for us.”

“Chelle!”

She straightened at the thought, unlocking her phone excitedly.

“If you’re right and she’s okay, she can call the emergency services for us.”

“Good plan.”

Moving to the window, I glanced outside. The woodland landscape was still framed in frozen luminosity, but even if the temperatures out there had elevated enough to thaw the snow, it would be wet and cold for days to come. Without adequate waterproofs, Erin was still going to struggle with our descent, and I wouldn’t risk her falling into hypothermic shock.

“You should try her, little girl.”

Peering around at her, I realized I needn’t have bothered with the instruction. Covered in the blanket she’d abandoned by the pot earlier, Erin was already on the phone, the device pressed to her ear as she wandered in circles by the side of the bed.

“It’s ringing,”

she mouthed as she caught my eye.

“But there’s no answer.”

“Give it time,”

I urged, willing her not to unravel at the first hurdle.

I’d put her through a lot in the last twenty-four hours, and coupled with the meteorological adversities we’d faced and not a great deal of sleep, I sensed she could slide into a meltdown at any given moment, especially where Chelle was concerned.

Her friend had become something of a bane since her irritating boyfriend had got in touch, triggering the unexpected chain of events that had unwound since our meeting, but I guessed, without their input, I would never have got to meet the wonderful brunette hyperventilating in front of me. In a twisted way, I had Chelle and James to thank for the blossoming connection Erin and I shared.

“Something’s wrong!”

Her voice was louder that time.

“She’s not answering, and Chelle always picks up when I call.”

“Maybe she’s sleeping,”

I offered.

“She would have been through a lot yesterday.”

My explanation was plausible, at least.

“Or maybe she never made it.”

Erin choked on the thought.

“Maybe she found James’ broken body and decided to end her own life.”

“Hey.”

Wandering closer, I tugged her into my arms. She went unwillingly, apparently keener to keep the phone close than to fight me off.

“We don’t know anything yet. Try not to catastrophize.”

“She’s not answering.”

Her voice trembled as she ended the call.

“I need to save what power I’ve got.”

“Good thinking.”

Kissing the top of her hair, I held her against me.

“I know this is stressful. I’m sorry.”

I might have actually meant the apology, too. No one, save Erin, would have been happier than me if Chelle had answered the phone and reassured her everything was all right, but we had no such guarantee. Trapped in the cabin, we were low on food and wood, and despite our blooming passion, we both knew we were running out of time. Whatever had happened to Chelle, we wouldn’t last much longer without the basic provisions to keep us alive.

“It’s not your fault.”

She heaved in a breath and buried her face against my chest.

“I just don’t know what to think, sir.”

“Listen.”

I drew away a few inches, hooking one finger under her chin to garner her attention. She blinked away tears but didn’t try and turn away.

“We should use the mobile data while we have it.”

There was no assurance that the privilege would last.

“Is there anyone else you can message to ask for help?”

Stroking her smooth skin, I waited as she considered the question. I knew there must be. A woman as wonderful as Erin would have a litany of friends who cared about her.

“I guess I can ask my mum.”

She shrugged.

“We haven’t had the greatest relationship, but I hope she’d respond in an emergency.”

“Then, go for it,”

I whispered, leaning to graze my lips over her temple.

“I have someone in mind, too. Let’s reach out and see if they can help.”

“You’re worried.”

She swallowed, her watery green eyes searching my face for an answer. I tensed at her quivering tone, irked that I hadn’t done a better job of concealing my concern.

“Not about Chelle, but for us.”

“Not worried,”

I corrected.

“But I think it’s a good idea to act while we can. Let’s use the mobile data now and then save the power.”

“Okay.”

Her breath was warm against me, reminding me of how cold the cabin had become whilst we’d devoured each other. With no active fire for at least an hour, the drop in temperature was hardly surprising, and I’d need to rectify the situation sooner rather than later.

“I’ll do it now, sir.”

“Thank you.”

Despite the escalating dread, I was thrilled that she was still choosing to refer to me the way I’d asked. It reminded me that whatever happened outside of the four walls of the cabin, we had something real growing between us. It hadn’t all been a figment of my sordid imagination.

“I’ll do the same.”

We both took a step back, our focus falling to the devices in our hands as we created our messages. Opening a new missive, I typed my urgent plea.

Baron, it’s been a while.

That was one way of putting it. I hadn’t spoken to my former boss’s boss for more than a year.

I wouldn’t reach out, but I’m desperate...

My throat dried at that thought, my gaze flitting back to Erin, who was engrossed in her mission. I wasn’t quite desperate, but I sensed my trepidation rising. We’d need to act soon, either by finding more firewood in a world of frozen water, or by getting back to so-called civilization.

Even though it was irrational, a part of me had already chosen option one. It was the dark, selfish side of me that sought to keep her to myself for as long as I could and see where the colliding desire of the cabin could lead, but even if by some miracle we stumbled across dry firewood, we still had no sustainable food sources. We would need to leave the cabin.

I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere in a deserted cabin with a civvy and we’re out of food and firewood.

Exaggerating our predicament would do us no harm. I needed Baron to act on my behalf.

I’m sending our coordinates now. Please get in touch with the emergency services and send help.

We don’t have long.

Re-reading the message hurriedly, I hit send and fired over our location, directing the information to the one person I thought might move to assist us. Baron had been the only one who’d had my back when Hawkins had attempted to pin the botched mission on me, and even though he hadn’t been able to halt Hawkins’ move, I trusted him. I had to hope he was still one of the good guys—if such a description could be offered to men who’d engaged in our profession.

“I sent it.”

Glancing up, I noticed the way her brow had furrowed, conveying how worried she was.

“Well done,”

I praised.

“One of them will help us.”

“I hope so.”

She pulled in a shaky breath.

“Because the wood we have left won’t last us a long time.”

She was right, but I didn’t want to let it show. Reaching for the hand not tugging the cover around her, I encased her cold fingers.

“Let’s use a little of it now.”

I glanced back to our limited stocks, pushing down the swell of anxiety that spiked.

“You’re freezing.”

“We should wait, sir.”

Her breathing sped up as her gaze landed on the stockpile.

“We don’t know how long we need it to last.”

“We need to keep warm, little girl.”

Distracted by her ravishing body, it was a duty I’d been thoroughly remiss about.

“And while I’d love to fuck you constantly to maintain our body heat, that’s sadly not going to be a sensible option. We’ll need to get dressed and keep a fire for as long as we can.”

More’s the pity.

She laughed sadly.

“But there are only three logs left.”

Strained silence swelled between us as I acknowledged how serious our situation was. Three pieces of wood would last us a few hours at best—another twelve if we stretched the remaining heat as long as we possibly could.

It wasn’t enough.

“What happens when the wood runs out?”

Ultimately, it was Erin who broke the anxious hush. She might have been dainty and delicate compared to me, but when the chips were down, she showed her mettle.

“Without heat, we’ll need to move.”

I parroted the reply unthinkingly, resorting to the years of experience I’d received. I’d been trained in the extreme heat and frozen cold, and I understood the consequences of underestimating either.

“And if it comes to that, then I’ll get us through it.”

“How?”

Inevitably, she asked the question I wanted to conveniently skim over.

“Let me worry about how, little girl.”

I tried to keep my voice upbeat.

“That’s why I’m here.”

“Oh, that’s why.”

She chuckled dryly.

“And there was me thinking you were only here for spanking and anal sex.”

“Mmmm.”

I liked the way she was thinking, even if it was impertinent. Meandering down that path was only liable to bring her more punishment, but perhaps the release would be the perfect tonic for our growing apprehension.

“Maybe, but it’s worth remembering I came out here to look after you.”

She stared up at me as I moved closer.

“I appreciate it.”

She blew out a breath.

“I know I haven’t always shown it, sir, but deep down, I do think you’ve got my best interests at heart.”

“I do,”

I concurred, reaching forward to caress the side of her face.

“I know I’m sometimes like a bull in a china shop, and I’m not denying I want to screw your brains out, but I do genuinely want to care for you, Erin.”

“I know.”

Her lips curled.

“I just hope someone sees our messages and responds.”

“They will.”

My tone was emphatic.

Even if Baron let me down, her mother had to come through, didn’t she? I knew nothing about her relationship with her family, but the woman who’d birthed her would surely want to make sure she was all right.

“One day, we’ll look back on all this and laugh.”

I feigned amusement at the idea, already sensing it wasn’t the greatest analogy. Of all the days I could look back on, there were exceptionally few memories that made me laugh.

“Will we?”

She smirked.

“Is there an us, sir?”

“I hope so.”

It was my turn to sound suddenly unsure.

“I’d like for there to be, little girl.”

“That’s a nice thought, sir.”

Reaching up on her tiptoes, she kissed the stubble on the underside of my jaw, sending a pulse of electricity through my cooling body.

“Let’s hold on to that.”