Double Dose (Research & Desire) Read online

The dark form of Benjy tilted toward her, and she stopped breathing for a moment. She felt his breath against her cheek a second before his lips made contact in the barest of kisses. He settled back on the pillow before she remembered to start breathing again. He was facing her, his head so near to her own that she was glad darkness hid her. That close, he would’ve been able to see every expression that crossed her face if there’d been more light.

  As she lay still, cocooned in darkness and the two men’s body heat, Daphne felt as if she’d been plucked from her safe, quiet, occasionally lonely existence in Denver and dropped into someone else’s life. She didn’t know whether this new life was better or worse than her old one.

  It was definitely more interesting.

  * * *

  She woke up in a tangle of sweaty skin. There seemed to be eighteen arms and legs wrapped around her, and she wondered for a half-awake moment whether more of the guys had piled into bed with them during the night. Despite the nagging fullness of her bladder, she kept her eyes closed, allowing herself to wallow for a long moment in the warmth and security of their dog pile.

  When she finally pried her eyes open, she saw the broad, hairy slope of Ari’s chest in the dim pre-dawn light. He must have rolled onto his back during the night, and her front was plastered against his side and chest, her leg hooked over one of his and her arm draped across his stomach.

  His bare stomach. His hot, hard and bare stomach. She swallowed.

  Benjy was the other slice of bread in the Daphne sandwich. He was pressed tightly against her back, his arm and leg overlapping her body and ending on Ari. As Daphne’s cheek rose and fell in rhythm with Ari’s breathing, she marveled at how comfortable she was, despite her squashed position.

  Her bladder was increasing the urgency of its demands. With a soundless sigh, she tried to wiggle her filling-self out from between her two slices of man-bread. Ari gave a sleepy grunt and tightened his hold on her. Behind her, Benjy held his usual silence but made a small movement that brought Daphne’s attention to the hard lump pressed against her ass.

  She tried to squirm away from the insistent pressure of his erection but only managed to grind her own crotch against Ari’s hip. His arm locked around her with a confining suddenness that made her squeak and double her escape efforts.

  “What the hell?” Ari growled, squinting at her. “What’s the problem? Quit squirming and go back to sleep.”

  “I can’t! Benjy’s poking me with his...thing.” The moment the word was out, she closed her eyes in abject humiliation. Thing? Seriously? Was she five? There were so many words she could have used in reference to that particular body part—genitals, dick, cock, schlong, penis, man-meat, peter, weenie, willy, wang. Why did she immediately regress to elementary school when she had one rubbing against her butt?

  “What?” His eyes opened fully, and he propped himself up on an elbow so he could glare at the other man. “What the fuck, B?”

  Daphne twisted around to see Benjy and caught the tail end of one of his half-smirk, half-shrugs.

  “Keep your morning wood off her, you perv,” Ari grumbled as he settled back against his pillow, bringing her with him in an unrelenting bear hug. Benjy, obviously unfazed by Ari’s rebuke, snuggled against her back, reintroducing her rear to Mr. Stiffy.

  “I have to pee,” she muttered against Ari’s chest, which rose and fell with a sigh at her pronouncement. He rolled her toward the edge of the bed, peeling covers off them as he went, and placed her on her feet next to the bed.

  She hurried to the bathroom and relieved her aching bladder. Not wanting to return to the bed of hard penises and awkwardness, she stretched out the process of washing her hands for as long as possible. When enough time had passed that staying in the bathroom for another second would be flat-out weird, she reluctantly opened the door and stepped back into the loft, almost crashing into a huge figure on her way.

  Once her brain had recovered from the shock of almost running down Ari, she stepped to the side, assuming he needed the bathroom. Instead of going into the room she’d just vacated, though, Ari picked her up and returned to the bed. Daphne just sighed and relaxed against him, figuring he didn’t trust her to not attempt to escape, even from a windowless bathroom.

  As he tucked her under the covers so she was once again sandwiched between two large male bodies, she snuggled into Benjy. He grunted and turned, facing her, and immediately pinned her against the mattress by throwing a heavy arm and even heavier leg over her side. Ari plastered himself against her back and she felt a brush of what seemed suspiciously lip-like against her nape before he settled in to sleep again.

  It was warm and cozy and oddly erotic, this pile of human bodies. Don’t get used to this, Daphne warned herself, even as she felt herself relax against her bedmates. If all goes well, I’ll be home soon—maybe even by tomorrow night.

  Even as she gave herself the warning, a mental image of her lonely bed—and even lonelier condo—flashed in her mind.

  In a quiet, secret corner of her mind, Daphne admitted that a part of her really didn’t want to leave.

  * * *

  The next time she woke, both men were already out of bed, leaving only a slight lingering scent of sexy male behind. She took a shower and dressed in some of her new clothes—borrowed clothes, she corrected her brain sternly. Very early morning thoughts aside, she really did need to find a way out of this place. She had a life, a job, and people who would be worried about her after her sudden disappearance.

  That thought jolted her. Were the police already looking for her? Was her picture being shown on the evening news or on fliers stapled to telephone poles with “Missing” across the top?

  Who would have noticed though? She’d been snatched on a Friday evening, so her coworkers wouldn’t have raised the alarm yet. She didn’t really have any close friends whom she saw daily, her parents only checked in every month or so, and as far as a boyfriend... Well, Brett wasn’t around anymore. It was an uncomfortable, lonely feeling to know she could disappear for days and no one would even notice.

  The sound of the front door closing, followed by quick footsteps on the stairs, broke Daphne’s train of thought.

  “Good morning, little kidnappee!” Lauren called out as her head cleared the loft floor. “Hungry?”

  Daphne’s stomach gave a gurgle in answer. “Starving.”

  “I can help with that.” She grinned at Daphne. “Follow me.”

  They descended the stairs as Lauren chattered.

  “It’s Tom’s turn to cook breakfast, which usually turns out okay, although do not, whatever you do, eat his oatmeal. I think it qualifies as toxic waste. I mean, if there was a semi-truck full of Tom’s oatmeal, it would have to have one of those warning placards. Seriously, even just the smell could take you out.”

  A little bemused, Daphne nodded. “No oatmeal—got it. How do you keep track of who cooks when?”

  Lauren laughed as she leaned against the front door, waiting for Daphne to put on her coat and boots. “Don’t mock, but we actually have a chore chart.”

  Daphne couldn’t help the small snort of amusement that escaped at the thought of the burly guys following a chore chart.

  “I know, right?” Lauren was grinning at her. “I like to add smiley faces and good-behavior stars, just to aggravate the guys.”

  This time, it was more of a laugh than a snort. “I want to see it.”

  “Of course.” Lauren held the front door open for Daphne. “I’ll give you the grand tour of the kitchen, not that it’s anything to write home about.”

  The two women walked toward the lodge, an inch-deep, powdery layer of new snow flattening under their boot soles. Daphne breathed in the cold air, wondering how long it would take before her body would adjust to the altitude. Just this short stroll made her puff for oxygen like she’d been runni
ng for miles instead of walking the short distance to the lodge door.

  They entered through the front, stepping directly into the dining room. Everyone else except for Claire appeared to already be there. Darwin was helping Tom haul platters of breakfast foods to the table, while the others struck manly man poses as they talked.

  Benjy was leaning one shoulder against the wall, his eyes following Daphne as she trailed behind Lauren to the kitchen. His gaze caught hers, holding her like a physical grip, and she didn’t look away until she ran into the kitchen doorframe. Hard.

  A pained, unfeminine grunt escaped her as she stumbled back a step, rubbing her cheekbone where it stung from connecting with the wood.

  “Are you okay?” Lauren turned around and, eyes wide, stared at Daphne. “That sounded...painful.”

  Making a face, Daphne took a step to the side so she could walk through the doorway, rather than into it. “I’m fine. I’m used to it, actually. No wonder Ari and B call me Grace.”

  Lauren tilted her head to the side as she repeated, “Benjy calls you that?”

  With a shrug, Daphne shook her head. “He doesn’t actually say it. When Ari calls me that, though, I can tell from his expression that Benjy agrees with him. Ass.”

  Instead of laughing, Lauren looked thoughtful. “I think he likes you.”

  “Benjy?” Daphne blinked as she felt a hot blush climb up her neck toward her cheeks. “How... I mean, why...?” She stopped talking before any more nonsense could fall out of her mouth.

  One corner of Lauren’s lips tucked in as if she were holding back a laugh. “Just a feeling. I haven’t known him very long but he’s definitely not as...expressive with any of the rest of us as he is with you.”

  Since Daphne wasn’t sure what exactly to do with that information, she just shook her head a little and didn’t say anything.

  “Move, ladies.” Darwin winked as he nudged Lauren to the side with his elbow so he could maneuver a large tray of food through the doorway. “Unless you want Tom to put you to work.”

  Plastering her back against the wall to give Darwin more room, Daphne looked at Tom, who was following a few feet behind Darwin.

  “I can help if you need it,” she offered. Tom smiled, showing off his dimples, and shook his head.

  “This is the last of it,” he said, holding up a serving bowl filled with scrambled eggs. “Darwin just likes to play the dramatic martyr.” He laughed and ducked as a sausage link that had formerly been resting on Darwin’s platter flew through the air toward his face. “No throwing hot meat, D!”

  “You didn’t complain last night about me throwing my hot meat around,” Darwin tossed over his shoulder. “Or this morning. Or later this morning. Or in the shower. Or—”

  “Stop!” Tom interrupted. “You’re embarrassing Daphne.”

  She eyed his bright-red cheeks. Although she was blushing as well, she was pretty sure she wasn’t quite as tomato-y looking as Tom. “I don’t think I’m the embarrassed one. Well, not the most embarrassed one, at least.”

  Lauren laughed and snorted, clapping a hand over her mouth and making everyone else laugh. An amused-looking Calvin grabbed her free hand and tugged her back against him. Wrapping an arm across her stomach to hold her against him, he whispered something in her ear that made her blush.

  Aristotle groaned. “Really didn’t want to hear that.”

  “Then you shouldn’t listen,” Cal shot back, not looking at all embarrassed.

  “Not like I have a choice,” he grumbled.

  They all moved toward the table. Daphne found herself in the same spot she’d been in at dinner the night before, sandwiched between Ari and B. They were quiet as they passed dishes and served themselves, although Daphne shot a quick glance at Lauren when Benjy offered her the large serving bowl filled with a grayish mush she assumed was the dreaded oatmeal.

  Lauren shook her head, mouthing, “No!” Holding back a smile, Daphne quickly passed the bowl to Aristotle.

  “So.” Darwin, staring at Ari, broke the silence. “What are you going to do with your little captive today? Might I suggest returning her to the location where you found her?”

  Ari glowered at Darwin, who was apparently not too bothered by the glare, judging by the way he grinned and stuffed an entire piece of bacon in his mouth.

  “She can hang out with me,” Lauren offered, drawing Ari’s baleful stare.

  “No,” he said shortly. “She’s with me.”

  “I could use some help in the lab,” Claire suggested, picking at her eggs. When Ari turned his scowl on her, she returned it with interest.

  “I said,” Ari clipped out with icy precision, “she’s with me today.”

  After a stare-down that lasted a good two minutes, Claire huffed, “Fine.”

  Ari turned back to his breakfast as Daphne and Benjy exchanged a look. When B gave her one of his shrugs that told her nothing, she sighed and took a bite of sausage. She was sure she’d need fortification for whatever Ari had in mind for her.

  * * *

  He took her shooting.

  “Are you sure it’s a good idea to give your prisoner a loaded gun?” she asked, tentatively lifting the pistol.

  His smirk preceded his answer. “I can get it away from you if necessary.”

  “Reassuring,” she muttered.

  Standing unnervingly close behind her, he showed her how to hold the gun, how to stand and aim at the bull’s-eye target tacked to a wooden frame. It was sunny but still cold, and she’d stripped off her too-thick gloves before picking up the weapon.

  “Finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot,” he instructed. “When you are ready, squeeze with a steady pressure. Don’t jerk the trigger.”

  Although her hands were shaking, either from nerves or the cold, she followed his directions. When the gun fired, she looked over her shoulder at him in surprise.

  “I thought it’d be louder,” she said.

  “Silenced. Sound carries pretty far around here.”

  “Oh.” That made sense. People in hiding probably didn’t want to draw the neighbors’ attention with gunfire, even in the wilder part of the Wild West. She peered at the target, not seeing any holes. “How’d I do?”

  “First time doesn’t count,” he non-answered. “Again.”

  After countless rounds, the target was looking fairly tattered and Daphne’s arms shook with fatigue. The gun felt as if it weighed fifty pounds by the time Ari called it quits. That wasn’t the end of the lesson though. He brought her into the workshop and showed her how to take apart the gun and clean each piece.

  “Rifles tomorrow,” he said, inspecting the barrel and pointing out a spot she’d missed.

  “Yay,” she said flatly, scrubbing at the metal with a cotton swab soaked in cleaning solution. Rifles were a lot bigger than a handgun, weren’t they? That meant a lot more pieces to clean.

  “And I’ll show you how to set a trip wire.”

  She considered that. It actually sounded pretty interesting. “Okay.”

  * * *

  After lunch, while Ari was busy with kitchen cleanup, Benjy grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the dining room. They barely paused to grab their coats before darting outside and running toward the trees. Daphne couldn’t help it. She giggled. Despite the circumstances, she felt like a kid playing hooky, and B’s mischievous grin only made her laugh harder.

  They explored the woods for hours, following animal tracks and having an impromptu snowball fight. By the time they returned to the lodge to thaw, Daphne realized she’d had a good day. In fact, it was the most fun she’d had for a really long time.

  It was hard to remember she wasn’t there by choice.

  Chapter Six

  On Monday, three days after Ari had snatched her, Daph
ne set her chin stubbornly and demanded to use a phone.

  “If I don’t call or show up for work today,” she told everyone at breakfast, “they will call the cops.” When Ari stared at her with a mulish expression, she held his gaze without flinching. “You can listen to the call. I’m just going to tell them I have a family emergency. Or you could bring me back to Denver.”

  “Fine,” Ari snapped. “You can call.”

  He did listen in as she called a sympathetic Jan and asked her to reschedule all her appointments for the week. Daphne also told her that she’d lost her cell phone. She called her mom next and left a message on her voicemail about her “lost” phone. Since her parents were unlikely to visit, she didn’t bother making up a story to explain her absence—an absence her parents would almost certainly never notice.

  * * *

  After that, her days fell into a surprisingly enjoyable pattern. Despite the fact that she wasn’t officially added to the chore chart, she helped with the preparation and cleanup of at least one meal every day. And although she spent some of her time helping Claire in the lab or chatting with Lauren, most of her days were taken up with Ari and Benjy.

  With Ari, she felt as if she was in prepper boot camp. He taught her about guns and security cameras, alarms and secure fences, hand-to-hand combat and wilderness survival. All of it was interesting and made her feel like a badass—well, a badass who still couldn’t catch anything to save her life.

  Although she knew Ari didn’t remember his past, she was positive he’d had extensive military training. It radiated from him—in his bearing and his speech pattern. She never got used to the way he’d pick her up anytime it was convenient for him to do so, but she began to see it as just part of his see-the-hill, take-the-hill personality. If she was in his way, he wouldn’t say “excuse me” like a normal person. He would pick her up and move her.

  Benjy, on the other hand, was her playmate. They explored the woods together on foot. Despite her determination that she wouldn’t give in to Ari’s demands to help Benjy find his voice, Daphne just couldn’t help herself. Fixing people was what she did, and Benjy was a fascinating subject.