Stranded (4 page)

“Thank you.” Holden reached for the inside
pocket of his suit jacket. “Hold on and I’ll give you cash so you
don’t have to run a card.”

Erika would have protested, after all, they
were the potential clients and she should be paying. But they
clearly didn’t have time to argue. She’d take them out tomorrow for
lunch before her flight left.

He told the server to keep the change even as
they were all scooting out of their chairs. Around them, other
patrons were getting ready to leave as well.

When they reached the coat check, a crowd of
patrons had gathered. In the main area of the restaurant they
hadn’t been able to hear any of the storm that became apparent as
soon as they walked into the lobby. It rattled windows and
roared.

Dawson handed the coat check tickets to the
clerk and turned to look grimly at Holden. “Should have listened to
Penny’s bones.”

Holden had clearly heard Penny’s warning
sometime too, because he nodded as he gave the valet the ticket for
Dawson’s truck. “Let’s get Erika to her hotel.”

The valet looked up from the ticket. “How far
is her hotel?”

Dawson told him and the young man shook his
head. “You’ll never make it. You’d better plan on going somewhere
close. News report says that the wind isn’t going to move the front
out like they thought and there’s lots more precipitation coming.
There’s already over six inches on the ground and the wind is
blowing it around and making visibility very low.”

Erika looked from Dawson to Holden, who both
looked concerned. “Is there a hotel nearby?” she asked

“Not even close.” Dawson shook his head.

“We can go to my home, which is practically
around the corner.” Holden met Erika’s gaze. “I have two guest
rooms, so you’ll each have a place to stay.”

Through the glass doors, Erika could see
nothing but swirling snow. She wasn’t sure if she should be so
close to such gorgeous men. Yeah, she’d be missing B.O.B.
tonight.

“Thank you.” She gave Holden a grateful
smile. “I appreciate it.”

“Don’t thank me yet.” He nodded to Dawson as
a blast of air came in when the valet walked into the lobby and
handed over the truck keys. “Dawson still has to get us there.”

“Aw, this is nothing.” Dawson flashed Erika a
grin. “Come on. Let’s get you there before it really does get
bad.”

Cold and icy snow blasted Erika in the face
as they stepped outside. She was grateful for the men each taking
one of her arms. What she was wearing wasn’t bad for light snow,
but it definitely was not meant to be for a storm.

They made it to the vehicle and the men
helped her into the front passenger seat of the truck. Holden sat
behind her in the back passenger seat. When Dawson closed the door
she let out a breath of relief as the cold no longer stung her
face. Even though they were out of the storm, the inside of the
truck was still cold and she rubbed her arms with both hands. The
air blasting from the vents was starting to overcome the chill.

Dawson opened the driver’s side door letting
in more cold air. He swung up into the cab before slamming the door
shut behind him.

He gave Erika a reassuring smile. “It will
take us ten minutes or so to get to Holden’s.” As he pulled away
from the restaurant, he had to guide the truck slowly in between
cars creeping slowly down the street. “Maybe fifteen minutes,” he
added.

Despite Dawson’s reassurances, the truck slid
and fishtailed on the icy road. “The rain that fell earlier has
frozen below the snow,” he said as he fought for control of the
vehicle.

It took almost forty minutes to make the
ten-minute drive. When they reached Holden’s home, he got out of
the truck and headed for the front door. She lost sight of him in
the snow that was coming down harder than ever.

In moments the garage door was rising. It was
a three-car garage with one empty bay. A Ford truck and a Mustang
took up the other two bays. Dawson pulled the truck into the
available space and then the garage door was lowering as Dawson
shut off the truck. Holden was helping her out of the truck before
the garage door was all the way down and icy cold swirled around
her legs before the door fully closed and cut it off.

She met his gaze. He nodded toward the door
leading into the house. “Come on in where it’s warm.”

***

Erika moved the curtains aside and stared out
into the cold, dark night. Snow swirled in the glow from a
streetlight. The glow quickly faded as the storm grew more intense,
blocking most of the light.

Holden had started a fire in the large stone
fireplace in the corner and the heat was growing, starting to thaw
her cold limbs.

She let the curtains fall back into place and
turned to see Dawson and Holden watching her. Holden had removed
his suit jacket and his tie was loosened. His shirt was tailored,
tapering at the waist.

The air suddenly seemed too heated despite
the chill in her body as she looked from one man to the other. The
heat had nothing to do with the fireplace.

She glanced at the window again before
returning her gaze to the men. “The storm looks pretty bad.”

“It should lessen soon.” Dawson slid out of
his suit jacket. “We’ll probably be able to get out of here just
fine in the morning.”

She nodded, finding it hard to reply when she
was so distracted by the two men now in their shirtsleeves. “I’m
not too concerned.” She looked at Holden. “I hope I’m not putting
you out.”

“Not even close.” Holden flashed a grin. “I’m
going to change clothes and then we can open a bottle of wine. I
have something special I think you’ll enjoy.”

“Sounds good to me.” And it did. She could
use a glass of wine…or two or three.

Holden slid his gaze down her form and back
to her face. It was a half-assessing, half-admiring look. “You
should probably get into something more comfortable that’ll warm
you up. Since you don’t have your things with you, I’ll grab
something you can wear.”

Dawson had pulled off his tie and the top
button of his shirt was undone. He grinned. “You’ll look cute in
one of Holden’s Broncos jerseys.”

She remembered her conversation with Brody
and shook her head even as she felt a twinge of amusement. “I’ll
stay in this dress before I’d ever put on one of those.”

Holden laughed. “I’ll look for something
you’ll find suitable.”

“Thank you.” She couldn’t hold back a smile.
“I appreciate it.”

The men left her in the living room and she
wandered the length of it to stand in front of the fire. The flames
crackled, the burning wood hissing from the heat. Her limbs warmed
and she let out a breath.

Just as she turned her back to the flames,
Holden returned. He strode across the living room and when he
reached her she caught the scent of snow mixed with something
spicier and more masculine.

He handed her a stack of clothing. “The
sweatpants are my sister’s but the socks and shirt are mine. The
shirt isn’t a Broncos jersey. This time.”

She rolled her eyes but smiled as she took
the thick gray socks, gray sweatpants, and dark blue T-shirt.
“Thank you, Holden.”

“I’ll show you to the guest room you’ll be
staying in.” He gave a nod in the direction of the hallway. “You
can change there.”

She scooped up her purse from where she’d set
it on a chair, and followed him to a room. He flipped on the light
and she saw a surprisingly cheery bedroom with yellow walls, white
furnishings, and a white lacy bedspread with tiny yellow and purple
flowers.

“It’s a pretty room.” She glanced at him,
catching him watching her.

He braced one hand against the doorframe. “My
mom and sister insisted on helping decorate.”

“They did a great job.” She stepped into the
room. “I’ll change and meet you by the fire.”

When he smiled, she felt trapped in his gaze,
unable to tear her eyes from his. The connection between them was
like a living, breathing thing and she wanted to step closer to
him, wanted him to wrap his arms around her and kiss her.

She swallowed as he moved out of the doorway
and put his hand on the doorknob. He gave her a long look before
closing the door behind him.

With a shake of her head, she turned away
from the door. It was easy to see that both men were attracted to
her and she was just as attracted to them. No good could come of
this situation. She had to gain control of her hormones and make
sure the men recognized that she was putting distance between
herself and both of them.

Again she thought about her law partners and
their girlfriend, Tracie. Erika blew out her breath. That so was
not her. Besides, even if it was, these men didn’t seem like the
sharing type.

Just thinking of being shared by two men
caused warmth to pool in her belly and an ache between her thighs.
She thought about a porn movie she’d seen one time with an old
boyfriend during which three males took the female at once—in the
pussy, the ass, and the mouth. To her surprise the sight had turned
her on. The woman was giving up complete control, at the mercy of
the men taking her body.

God, it really had made her wet and the sex
with the old boyfriend had been great that night.

She huffed and dropped the clothes and her
purse on the bed. She kicked off her heels and shimmied out of the
dress. In her panties and bra, she padded across the room, taking
her dress to the closet. After she set her shoes on the closet
floor, she hung up the dress. She set her small black purse on the
nightstand beside the bed.

The T-shirt was huge and had Colorado Outdoor
Gear across the front. She paused for a moment, breathing in the
shirt’s clean scent that reminded her of Holden. The sweatpants fit
comfortably and the socks were thick and warm.

When she was dressed, she shook out the
chignon and fluffed her highlighted dark blonde hair, letting it
spill down to her shoulders. She left the bedroom and headed down
the carpeted hallway to the living room, where both men were
talking in front of the fire.

She watched them for a moment. They were both
in jeans and wearing T-shirts that showed their excellent
physiques. The resemblance between them was strong but Holden was
slightly larger and she could see the football player in him. On
the other hand, Dawson was built more like a skier. It looked like
Dawson had borrowed one of his cousin’s T-shirts but might have
been wearing the same jeans he’d had on before he’d changed into
his suit.

The men faced her when they realized she’d
entered the room. Dawson gave her a sexy grin. “You look cute.”

For a moment, Erika was taken aback. She had
never been called cute as an adult. Attractive, yes, but not cute.
“Thanks?”

Both men laughed. “Yes, that was a
compliment,” Dawson said. “I like your hair down.”

Holden nodded. “It suits you.”

Feeling uncomfortable with the men talking
about her appearance, she decided to change the topic. “You
mentioned wine. I think a glass sounds wonderful.”

Holden looked amused. “Make yourself
comfortable and I’ll get the wine.”

Dawson winked at her. “I’ll grab the
glasses.”

As they headed past the breakfast bar and
into the kitchen, Erika took one end of the couch, curling her feet
under her. The men unsettled her in far too many ways.

Holden returned, carrying an open bottle of
wine, Dawson following with three red wine stems. Holden sat next
to her on the couch and tingles raced over her skin at his
closeness. He poured the wine into the three glasses that Dawson
set on the coffee table.

“It’s a 2007
Altos de Lanzaga
.” Holden
handed her a glass. “From the Rioja region in Spain.”

“I’ve wanted to try a wine from that region.”
She took the glass from him and the men picked up their own
glasses.

Dawson took the chair closest to the couch
Erika and Holden were sitting on. “To getting snowed in,” Dawson
raised his glass, “with the cutest attorney we’ve had the pleasure
of spending time with.”

Her cheeks warmed. She actually felt
flustered and unable to produce a comeback better than, “If you say
so.”

“I agree with Dawson.” Holden grinned and
clinked his glass with his cousin’s. “Damned cute.”

For some reason Erika found herself wanting
to laugh and clinked her own glass with each of theirs. “Back
atcha, boys.”

Dawson snorted and Holden laughed.

She swirled the wine in her glass and raised
it to her nose. She breathed in the aroma, a bouquet of wild
strawberry, red currant, and thyme. When she sipped the wine, she
closed her eyes, swirled it in her mouth, and swallowed. She
savored the aftertaste before opening her eyes.

The men were watching her and she tried not
to squirm in her seat. “It’s exquisite,” she said.

Erika was amazed at how much they had in
common and how easy it was to talk with the men. She had always
been an excellent communicator in her business and could hold light
conversation at client dinners with no problem.

But this was different. She wasn’t talking
about business but of personal subjects. She enjoyed stories the
men told about growing up with each other in a rowdy household.

She learned that when Dawson was young his
parents died in an avalanche while mountain climbing. He was
adopted into Holden’s family and they grew up like brothers. Holden
was a year older than Dawson and often took on the older brother
role.

When the men asked her about her own family,
she shrugged it off and changed the subject back to theirs. She
refused to talk about her dictator father and her mousy mother who
served as the General’s doormat.

Dawson and Holden didn’t press her and kept
her entertained with their exploits.

The more wine she drank, the edgier she felt
toward both men, as if her body was controlling her and not the
other way around.