Entangled Interaction (6 page)

I opened one eye enough to spy Bear holding his groin while hopping on one foot, cradling his squished toes.

The chuckles across the room turned into gales of laughter. Bear remained bent over, an occasional groan sounding from his throat.

"Uh oh. I think I broke the abom… abom… the Yeti."

I looked from the bear to the Enforcer, trying to determine if I needed to start running or go for an emergency poof instead. Although, with the pounding in my head, I wasn't sure I could even teleport to the nearest old man's bathroom. My luck, I would end up somewhere worse. And I certainly didn't want to even consider what those options could be.

"Told you to get some clothes on. Maybe next time you'll actually listen." Cannibal stepped closer, a wide smirk on his face, while his laughter faded to snickers.

A couple of slow deep breaths followed as the Yeti managed to collect himself enough to stand almost straight. One foot remained off the floor, but he released it in order to rub his injured chin absently.

He leveled a pained and slightly annoyed look in my direction. "What horrible thing did you say you did to be stuck with her?"

Cannibal ignored the question.

I looked down at Bear's groin, which he guarded with one arm. The other hand reached to the kitchen counter as if to gain a bit of leverage. Quietly, I picked up the skillet and tentatively placed it back on the countertop before backing up a couple steps. I had no idea what a bear that just got panned in the naked groin would do to me. Not to mention, his toes and chin. Come to think of it, he had the same expression on his face that I had seen in an amateur wrestling bout. It was a combination of 'What the hell?' and 'Why me?' Neither bode well for my continued stay at the clothing-optional Yeti resort.

"Maybe I should poof?" The words blurted out as I glanced over at Cannibal.

He shook his head, while his eyes twinkled with mirth. "I think a better idea would be to offer to kiss his boo-boo and make it all better."

"But I don't know where his toes have been." I had never sucked toes in my life and didn't intend to start now. Besides, his looked hairy. Toe hair might get stuck between my teeth. I didn't bring dental floss. I wasn't sure my toothbrush was up to the task.

Then his meaning sunk in.

My face flamed as Bear's expression turned to one of definite interest, mixed with a healthy dose of wary hesitation.

Oh, good grief. The Yeti Orgy Round One. I could already see the picture on the front of the porn flick cover.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" I stammered, nervously shifting in place, considering what to do in order to help. "Here. Let me get you some ice to put on it."

"No."

His glare froze me in place. Okay, no ice. What else did one do with an injured penis? And chin? And toes?

"You kiss it. And lick it. And suck it." Bear's eyes narrowed as his voice lowered to a sultry tone.

Well, crap. I forgot all about him being able to read minds. I am in so much doo-doo.

"Yes, you are." The corner of his mouth kicked up as mischief sparkled in his eyes.

I clamped my mouth shut, lowered my eyes, and stood there like a bump on a pickle, not sure what to do or say. Naked men made me nervous. No topic came to mind to ramble about. I had to pee, felt on the verge of serious embarrassment, and the frozen tundra outside looked fairly inviting. Although I made a mental note to stay away from the cliff. Bear might be too tempted to give me a shove.

Bear appeared to forgive me for the moment. Although, I had a feeling that he wasn't finished planning out the Yeti and the Shy porn movie. "You can poof?"

I nodded.

Cannibal stepped into the conversation easily. "You should go with her sometime. It will be an eye-opening experience. Guaranteed." His lips twitched.

I grumbled under my breath, while shooting the Enforcer a look of warning.

He grinned evilly and continued. "In fact, go ahead. I can watch over the food."

Bear looked from Cannibal to me, then back to Cannibal again. "You want me to go with her way too much. There has to be some catch."

Cannibal shrugged.

"You can poof, we've established that," Bear reiterated. "The next question is can you actually hit your target?"

With a sigh, I nodded before clarifying. "I… well… yes… sometimes. Mostly. Maybe."

Bear glanced over at Cannibal. "She's a walking disaster all around, isn't she?"

"Hey!" I straightened my back and placed my hands on my hips. My brow furrowed as I tapped my toe on the floor.

Cannibal shrugged. "Yeah, and I'm stuck with her."

Bear tsked and shook his head. "Talk about a torturous hell on earth."

"Hello. The 'walking disaster' is standing right here!" I glared at them both, ignoring Bear's total nudity and Cannibal's partial. Who cared about dangly parts when I really wanted to take that skillet and whap them both upside the head?

Snorting derisively, I stomped toward the refrigerator, intent on earning my keep by helping with dinner.

"Now what are you doing?" Bear asked, taking a wary step backward.

"I'm going to see what vegetables you have. Then I'll chop them up and cook…"

Long arms bracketed my sides, pinning me against the kitchen counter. My nose rested about an inch from his chest, giving me a nice close up of the light blond curly hairs there.

The low rumble in his throat garnered my attention. Looking up, I found ice blue eyes boring into mine. I squirmed.

"There is one thing that I want to make very clear to you." He spoke slowly, in a loud whisper, sounding all the more ominous. "You have done enough damage to me already. Under no circumstances will you wield a knife in this kitchen." Leaning downward and in, he flashed his fangs. "Do you understand?"

Unable to find my voice, I bobbed my head, pushing back against the solid counter, trying to put a tiny bit more space between us.

He paused for another long moment before speaking. "Good."

I glanced out the corner of my eye, saw Cannibal standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. A rescue of the damsel in distress, namely me, didn't appear to be on his agenda or in my near future.

Pulling my arms up, I pushed both palms against the shifter's chest and gave a tentative shove. He didn't budge.

Instead, his head lowered as his eyes locked on my lips. I began to hyperventilate.

I wanted his kiss, right?
Yummy bear Yetis were hard to come by, and who knew the next time we might trek to the middle of nowhere to find one. He obviously found me attractive and worth some energy testing out his manly stamina. The part poking me in the belly made his thoughts on the matter apparent. Maybe he made magic in bed. Perhaps some women begged for his attentions after a single kiss.

I shuddered and a whimper escaped. I don't want to be a Yeti addict. I'm a modern woman, after all. I just met the guy. What if he just wanted me for my body? What about Cannibal? You can't just tell one guy in the clothing-optional Yeti resort that you would share private parts with him and refuse the other. I learned in kindergarten that you had to share. It's only polite and what good people did.

But I didn't want to share. I didn't want to do the horizontal boogie with the Yeti or with Cannibal. Okay, maybe my body wanted to do such things if the tingling down below in Shy parts meant anything. My mind disagreed and won the debate. I just
couldn't tromp five hundred miles up a mountain in the freezing cold and snow, uphill both ways, just to get be the turkey in a sandwich. That sounded overly desperate for sex.
Desperate seemed to be a harsh word. Needy?

His lips brushed against mine.

"I can't!"

That gave him pause. His hands remained in place, trapping me in front of him, but his face didn't move closer.

"Why not?"

What could I say that wouldn't get me kicked out of the clothing-option Yeti resort for insulting the owner? "Just because." I chewed my bottom lip, while squirming under his intense gaze.

Cannibal moved closer, speaking up. "You're on vacation. We're here for the taking. For once, why don't you just let loose and have some fun?"

I blinked back at Cannibal, then Bear. Let loose and have some fun? Did they forget who they were dealing with? I didn't jump into bed for fun. Well, amend that. I wasn't about to just go wild and crazy on the rebound from Meat. Besides, there were two of them. I couldn't afford my therapy bills as they were, let alone what kinky and embarrassing things they would probably expose me to. Jasmine warned me of rebound sex already. Hot, hardcore, and downright naughty. On second thought, maybe that didn't sound so bad after all.

Wait. I don't want rebound sex, right?
Shy parts perked up with a resounding 'yes!' My heart warned that I didn't love either of the men and it still held great affections for Meat while my practical mind pointed out that Cannibal happened to be my boss. Talk about awkward. That's two 'no' votes and one 'yes' vote. The no's have it.

One of Bear's hands slid over to my waist, giving the area a rub before moving slowly upward, breaking me from my thoughts.

"I can't."

"Again, why not?" Bear inquired, taking advantage of my stillness to continue exploring closer and closer to my chest.

"I… I…"
Think. Think.
I could hear the theme from Final Jeopardy in the background. "Well, ummmm… you see…" What did one say when two sexy single men were staring at you like you were a pineapple, a lot fruity but sweet to eat?
I'm just not interested? Snort.
They aren't blind enough to believe that.
It's uhhh that time? Good excuse if it actually were.
No sense lying about it when someone had the nose of a bear.
I'm afraid I would do you bodily damage if your naked parts touched my naked parts?
Actually, he might believe that one. Unfortunately, I'm sure he could and would either be willing to take the chance or suggest something to help rectify that issue that would probably mortify me.
Think. It has to be good. I'm saving myself for marriage?

"I'm a born again virgin!" The words slipped out, even sounding halfway reasonable and sincere.

Both of them burst into laughter, nearly howling with their amusement.

Personally, I didn't see the humor in my declaration.

The hyenas continued to laugh so hard they doubled over, holding their stomachs.

Somewhat insulted, I ducked away from Bear's slack arms and headed back to Cannibal's bedroom. Let the men hang out in the kitchen and flaunt their bodies. I would just shower and get dressed and let them cook me dinner. Besides, it would give me time to ponder this born again virgin idea and how it could work to save my virtue for the remainder of our stay. I only had to convince them and then myself.

I considered his choice of food for the evening meal. Sure, beans made a good meal, lots of nutrition in those little pieces. However, beans possessed a certain side effect. Goodness knows I had enough issues with gas while on the way here
. Dang energy bars Cannibal fed to me
. Ladies didn't pass gas in front of men, especially inside.
Where was the Beano when you needed it?
Giving a mental shrug, I decided to just not eat the beans. Better safe than sorry.

A few minutes later, I dressed and stepped from the bedroom, walking back to the living area. No laughter caught my attention, so hopefully they worked all the silliness out of their systems. With luck, they would even have clothes on.

I found them dressed and pulling on their heavy parkas, the good news of my afternoon.

"Where are we going?" I watched Bear pull a pair of rugged fur-lined leather gloves over his hands.

"Hunting."

I had visions of hunting mean old blood-sucking vampires. Or big bad criminals. I wouldn't think very many bad guys lived in the frozen tundra, but one never knows. No matter. We were off on a mission for justice and world betterment.

"We need to find something to eat and stockpile, and soon. Blizzard should arrive in a matter of hours," Cannibal quickly explained as he sighted down a rifle.

And, there was the bad news. "But… I…"

Cannibal strode over and nudged me sharply. "Get your coat and gloves on. We don't have time to dilly-dally around."

"But… why do I have to go?" I stammered out the question while furiously trying to pull the heavy protective gear on.

"I'd like to return home and find my house still standing in one piece. If we left you alone, I'm not sure that would be the case."

I snorted, but another shove toward the door ended any further arguments.

Ten minutes later, we were tromping through the frozen tundra once more. I shivered as an icy wind cut through my coat, freezing my still wet braid into a long brittle cord.

"What are we hunting for anyway?"

"Food."

"As in…?" For the life of me, I couldn't think of any edible plant or tree that grew in such a harsh environment.

"Deer. Mountain goats. Rabbits."

Cute little baby bunnies and Bambi? Images of their adorable faces appeared before my eyes. "Don't you get your meat from the supermarket like everyone else?" I trudged along behind them.

They paused long enough to gape back at me.

Okay. Rethink that statement.
Not like a supermarket stood on the corner of the tree line and the frozen pond. Chalk it up to my beginning queasiness at the thought of Wild Kingdom, the Frozen Tundra Version, about to happen live in front of me.

I shrugged. Well, tried to in my multi-layered Eskimo outfit that made me look once again like the gingerbread man in
Shrek
. A bit higher and my voice would mimic his too.

"Did I mention I'm afraid of the dark?"

"Yet you climbed up here with that dumbass at night," Bear quickly retorted.

He had a point. "What if I step in something?"

"Then you wash your shoes off or leave them outside for the night," Cannibal suggested, walking along beside Yeti, not even bothering to slow his pace for my shorter legs.

"You didn't put a rope on me this time. What if I slip and fall off the cliff. I could smash onto the rocks, land in the snow, die of hypothermia, or get eaten by…" My voice trailed off as I remembered the men were predators looking for food on the hoof to eat.