Page 79 of Forever Theirs

Naked.

My numb lips twitched upward at that thought. Even with Miles’s punishment warning, I still couldn’t wait to be with them. With them, I was and would always be safe.

And cherished.

And well fucked.

Which kind of went along with the wholecherishedpart. What better way to let your girl know you loved and adored her in every way than to worship her body with mind-blowing orgasms?

With the back of my head pressed to the rock, I angled my face up to the sky, studying what little of the sun peeked through the rolling clouds. Best guess, it was about midafternoon, or hell, maybe early evening. With only being here a few days, I hadn’t become proficient in understanding the sun’s position in regard to time for this area, so who knew what time it really was.

I could check the time on my phone, but the bear crunched it beneath its killer paws when digging around for his stolen treats. Hopefully, Miles and Aiden were on their way and would save me from a very slow and terrible death.

A pitiful whimper escaped, the cold in my toes and fingers almost painful now.

All I had to do was hold on. Miles and Aiden would find me.

I just hoped it wasn’t too late when they did.

29

AIDEN

The wind and pelting snow sliced across my cheeks, burning the exposed skin as we carefully made our way along the trail. The tightness in my chest had nothing to do with the below-freezing temperature. We didn’t expect the storm to shift south, so I doubted she packed anything warm enough for the sudden wintry weather. Though this was Alaska, and the weather was fickle. We could even experience all four seasons in a single day. It was that crazy.

Again and again, I called out her name, my desperate voice disappearing into the whipping wind. With every step, fear grew, making my stomach sink. Jubie trotted beside Miles, leaping and diving into the snow mounds, happy as a dog with that much fur could be in the snow. Which was why I snapped my attention her way, heart leaping with hope, when Jubie’s loud, alerting bark rumbled through the area and she darted past me. Miles and I exchanged a quick glance before taking off after her.

The air bit in my lungs with every breath, but I didn’t give a fuck about the discomfort as I followed Jubie’s tracks toward the small mountain lake at the trail’s end. Barely seeing the tip of her tail wagging above a large rock, I raced that way. Slapping a hot palm to the snow-covered stone to stop the momentum that would send me tumbling over the rock, I peered over to the opposite side.

“She’s here,” I bellowed over my shoulder, though I knew Miles was only a few feet behind me. Snow crunched under my boots as I rounded the boulder, allowing myself a second to check her for any obvious injuries. Aspen’s movements were sluggish as she batted Jubie’s swiping tongue away from her face.

Squatting low, I brushed wild, wind-tossed hair off her forehead and cursed at the icy feel of her skin. “Aspen, sweetheart, we’re here. We’ve got you.”

Cracked lips pulled up into a trembling smile as her dark eyes met mine. “Fucking finally.”

I huffed a laugh at her words and reached out to give Jubie a thankful head pat. “Ready to get out of here?”

“I’m not sure I can,” she said, voice trembling with the chatter of her teeth. “I’ve been sitting like this, turning into a human popsicle, for a while. I think my muscles are frozen this way.”

“I found her pack. Looks like a bear went through it.” I swiveled on the balls of my feet to inspect the bag Miles held up. “How did she not get mauled in the process?”

“Sacrificial lamb,” she muttered, snow-covered lashes fluttering closed.

“We need to get her warm now,” I barked, looping my arms behind her back and legs and hauling her against my chest as I stood. “Take her camera.” I inclined my head to the piece of equipment still cradled to her chest.

Carefully pulling her stiff fingers away, he tucked it into what was left of her pack, securing it all together before looping the still-functioning strap over his shoulder.

I eyed the way back down the mountain. “She won’t make it with as slow as we’ll need to go with the snow and one of us carrying her.”

Miles nodded in agreement, hazel eyes scanning our surroundings. “I studied the map while you were packing up the last of the supplies. We’re about a mile from an emergency shelter that Brandon built last year. That will get us out of the elements, and it has a wood-burning furnace for situations like this one. It’s closer than making our way down to the trailhead.”

I followed him with Aspen in my arms, Jubie trotting beside me, knowing he had the details covered. All I needed to do was stick close and step where he stepped.

I studied the shredded and tied pack swinging along Miles’ back. “Fuck, how did the bear not get her too?”

“Because she’s smart and probably left it out in the open while she hid.” Miles’s barked laugh echoed through the area. “That’s what she meant by sacrificial lamb. Funny girl. Though if she would’ve listened to me?—”

“We can discuss that later,” I yelled for him to hear me over the wind. “She’s fucking freezing to death in my arms, Miles. Get us to the shelter before we lose her for good.”

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