Holiday Hostage

Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

W hen Eli and I step out of the shower, it's hard not to immediately drop to my knees and take him in my mouth again. Even though I desperately want to, I know that he wants to wait a little while longer so I restrain myself enough.

He steps out of the bathroom before I do and grabs a fresh pair of pajama pants and another oversized T-shirt that I slip into. When both of us are dressed, we make our way downstairs to the kitchen.

Koda and Bryce are at the stove making breakfast, laughing with each other about something as we walk in. I stop moving and stare at all three of them, still in disbelief about the position I find myself in. Two days ago, I was a virgin who had only barely gone to second base. Now, I'm standing here with three men who look like they were carved out of marble agreeing to share me?

Okay. This has to be some kind of weird simulation I've slipped myself into. I definitely don’t think I’ll be taking the pill, though...

“Morning, princess. How did you sleep?” Bryce asks, looking between Koda and Eli with a mischievous grin. He turns around and grabs some of the breakfast food off the counter and carries it to the table. Koda follows him, and I take a seat while watching all of them in stunned silence.

“I slept well,” I say, barely squeaking out the words. All three of them laugh and look at me with warm smiles.

“I would hope so,” Koda says, the glint in his eyes forcing its way through the darkness behind them. “Make sure you eat up. We'll be heading out into the woods soon.”

My heart drops again, and I look between the three of them to figure out what he means. Could this be the end? Did all of them have their time with me, and now they're planning on taking me into the woods to leave me for the foxes and wolves to tear apart? That couldn't be it, right?

“Wh-what for?” I ask, nervously piling eggs and pancakes onto my plate while trying to seem as calm and collected as possible. My mind immediately starts racing, thinking of how I can escape if that is my fate today. If I can go to the bathroom and sneak out the window, I’ll at least have a fighting chance. If I stay here and let them take me, I'm done for.

“It's Christmas Eve, and we have a tradition to chop down a tree and decorate it,” Eli says, resting his hand on my back before he sits down next to me. “We thought that since you'll be here for the holidays, you might want to come help us pick one out.”

“I have a spare jacket and some snowshoes you can use,” Bryce chimes in as he sits across from me.

Hearing their explanation makes sense. In the back of my mind, a small sliver of me still thinks this might be the end, but I believe them. If they wanted me dead, I would have been gone by now. Besides, all three have let their guards down enough with me. Maybe I’m just overreacting.

The four of us finish eating our breakfast. Toward the end, Bryce goes to his room and grabs the jacket and shoes he told me about. His feet are about twice the size of mine, so he gives me a couple of extra pairs of socks to bunch up at the end to try to make them fit.

When we're all ready, we leave the house and make the short trek into the woods to pick out a Christmas tree. Walking through the snow with them, it's hard not to feel excited. This isn't where I imagined myself to be this Christmas at all. I was just planning on closing the bakery and spending the day locked in the house watching the cheesy Hallmark Christmas romance movies that Grammy and I used to watch together. But her death is still so raw that I honestly don't think I would have been able to make it through that alone.

Even though this situation is less than ideal, I'm better off here for the holidays. I might not be in my own home surrounded by my own things. I might be held captive by the three of them and unsure of what the future holds. But at least I won't be alone.

“I've never picked a real tree before,” I say quietly to Eli as we trail Bryce and Koda. He turns around and smiles at me, slowing his pace to make sure I'm not too far away from anyone. “Grammy had a fig tree that she bought when my mom was younger. She kept it ever since, and it became a fixture of our Christmas together.”

He leans closer and bumps his shoulder against mine, smiling at me before turning his attention back to the others. “It sounds like the two of you had a lot of really nice traditions. Is this your first Christmas without her?”

I offer him a weak smile and nod my head. I have to look away from him because I feel emotional just at the thought. “Unfortunately, it is. I always knew it would come someday. It's normal for people's grandparents to pass away, but it never really prepares you for it.”

“There's one thing I learned in the Marines: you have to carry everyone with you, no matter what happens to them,” Eli says, offering me a small bit of comfort.

“You were in the Marines?” I ask, happy to change the subject to anything other than Grammy. It’s still too touchy of a subject. Hearing that he was in the Marine Corps isn't that much of a surprise, if I'm honest. The man is chiseled and the Corps likes to keep their people in shape.

Now it's Eli's turn to look away from me uncomfortably. He purses his lips and nods slowly, paying more attention to the others in front of us than our conversation.

“Now that's a story for another time,” he says, taking a step ahead as we reach the spot in the woods with the Christmas trees we’ll be choosing from. He looks toward the others and whispers something to them before I can catch up.

When I get there, all of them back away to give me a clear view of the trees. They watch me as I evaluate each and every one of them, making sure to pick the most perfect one to bring inside. Eventually, I find a beautiful tree, tall with wide branches that will be perfect to hang tinsel and ornaments from. The smell of pine fills the air around us, and I take a moment to inhale it and savor the aroma.

“Nice choice,” Bryce says as he walks over to the tree and evaluates the base to see what they'll need to cut it down.

He and Koda are about to start chopping while I'm shivering behind them, desperately trying to create warmth in the jacket. It was a nice gesture, but I'm freezing to death regardless of the layers. Eli sees me and walks over to wrap an arm around me, hoping his warmth will carry over to me.

“I'm going to take Laiken back to the house,” Eli calls over to the others. They turn around and look at him, nodding their heads before looking at each other with knowing smiles. Clearly, they think that something is going to happen between the two of us. Honestly, I'd be inclined to agree with them. “We'll pull down some of the decorations and have them ready when you're back.”

The walk back to the cabin is much shorter than the walk into the woods, thanks to the trail we already made in the thick snow. Eli and I follow our footsteps back inside, kicking the snow off our shoes and taking them off by the front door.

I take off the jacket, and Eli grabs a small blanket from the couch and wraps it around my shoulders. I thank him and stare in his eyes, waiting for him to lean down and kiss me or something. My mind immediately wanders back to the shower and how good it felt just to have him touching me again. What I wouldn't give to feel his warmth against me now.

Before doing anything else, he guides me down the hall to the dead end at the back, reaching up and pulling the string to take it down. A rickety old staircase falls in front of us, and Eli starts climbing, gesturing for me to follow.

“Is now a bad time to tell you I'm afraid of heights?” I cautiously ask him, looking up nervously. He holds his hands out for mine and positions himself firmly on the floor of the attic. I look at them before grabbing a hold and carefully making my way up with Eli holding on tightly.

Hearing that I would be going into the attic owned by three men, I immediately thought the worst. I imagined it would be riddled with dust and cobwebs, cardboard boxes would be stacked high along the walls, and there would hardly be anywhere to move. I was wrong. The attic is much more spacious than I ever thought it would be. On top of that, it's neat, and it looks like something they are actually quite regular about cleaning up. There are only a few boxes up here, all of them plastic storage containers with well-fitting lids. Aside from that, there are a few wooden chairs and tools stashed away that I imagine they just don't have a use for anymore.

The more I look around, staring out at the circular window at the front of the room, I can imagine what it can be. As if I'm somehow looking into the future or some other timeline, I can see myself sitting at a desk in front of a computer and drawing. It's cozy and secluded from the rest of the house in a way that I would be able to get plenty of work done.

What the hell am I thinking? Why am I trying to imagine a future in a place like this? After New Year’s, they're cutting me loose, and I'll be on my own once again. I should be looking forward to that.

“Do you know where the decorations are?” I ask Eli, trying to turn my attention back to the task at hand.

Without saying anything, he walks over to me with a smile growing on his lips. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me closer to him. My heart skips a beat, and I immediately feel my arousal growing between my legs. I've been craving Eli all day, and it seems that’s about to be sated.

“I thought the two of us could enjoy some alone time before they get back,” Eli says, pressing his groin against mine. He's wearing jeans, but I can feel the growing hard-on through the sweats I'm wearing, and the corners of my lips rise from the anticipation.

Eli picks me up in his arms and guides me toward a large chest at the edge of the room, right under the window. He sets me down on top of it and spreads my legs apart with his hands. I don't need any guidance before I'm hastily unbuttoning his shirt to rake my hands across his toned chest.

He lifts the shirt over my head, freeing my breasts for him to reach over and cup. It's much colder in the attic than it is anywhere else in the house, so my nipples were already sensitive. I toss my head back and moan as he leans down and sucks them, teasing them between his teeth while he swirls his tongue.

“I've wanted to be inside you so bad,” Eli whispers as he unbuttons his pants. “You have no idea what it is you do to me. The way you make me feel... fuck, Laiken, you’re so sexy.”

He leans forward and kisses me, pinning his mouth hard against mine as the passion roars through every sweep of his tongue in my mouth. He bites my lip, completely unable to get enough of me. In a way, I've never felt more desired than I do right now.

“Take me,” I whisper in his mouth, leaning back for him to slide my pants down. I’m throbbing and aching for him. I need him to touch me. I want to feel his hot, stiff cock deep inside me.

He pulls my sweatpants down and tosses them to the side, leaving me completely naked and dripping wet in front of him. His finger slides between my legs while he feels just how much he turns me on. He unbuttons his jeans all the way and drops them around his ankle, revealing his cock to me once again.

“You're going to feel so good wrapped around my cock,” Eli mutters to himself. He leans me back even more on the chest, lifting my legs to pin my thighs close to my chest. My feet rest on the edge while my legs are spread wide open for him.

“Oh my God, Eli!” I cry out as he slowly slides all the way inside me. Every inch of his cock fills me, making me shake from the pleasure as I lean my head against the window. It cracks open from the pressure, and the cold air rushes into the room. Neither of us pays it any mind as he thrusts in and out slowly.

He starts off slow, but he quickly loses himself in me. I can see in his eyes that he isn't able to hold back at all. What was once soft and gentle turns passionate and hard. He leans me back even more on the chest, my head practically sitting out of the window, as he grabs my waist and lifts it to meet his hips.

I cry out and whimper as his cock is around deep inside me, throbbing and pulsating as he gets closer to coming. With the others, before they came inside me, they made sure there wasn't a chance that I would get pregnant. Of course, I did lie to them. But Eli doesn't even bother.

He doesn't slow his pace as he explodes inside me, feeling me with rope after rope of his seed. My pussy clenches around him as I come too with my legs in the air around him.

Eli leans down on top of me, momentarily resting his head between my breasts while he looks at me with a glossed-over expression. He smiles and kisses my stomach before standing up and backing away.

“You're on the pill, right?” Eli asks a little too late. I nod and sit upright, trying to regain the feeling in my legs after what just happened.

Eli's eyes move from mine to the window behind me. I turn around and see Koda and Bryce dragging the tree toward the house, staring up at both of us in the window with smiles on their faces. I know they said they don't mind sharing me, but I'm still a little embarrassed about the entire situation. I can't help but blush. Eli cups my face and smiles at me before grabbing a box and bringing it down the stairs.

I make my way back to the entrance after I'm dressed. Eli helps me down, practically lifting me so I can avoid the steps. By the time we get back to the living room, the others are already setting the tree up in the corner and arguing about how straight it is.

I start digging through the decorations, trying to act as casual as I can after just being fucked by Eli upstairs. The others hardly seem to mind the fact, which is something I don't think I'll ever understand.

All four of us pick out decorations we like from the box, attaching the small metal hooks to them to hang them on the tree. Christmas music plays in the background, and for a little while, I let myself forget about my situation. I pretend this is normal. Like this is something I'm going to be doing every Christmas for the rest of my life. I want to forget about the possibility of going back to Harmony all alone.

“You three haven't told me how you know each other,” I say when there's a lull in the conversation. I'm sitting on the couch and watching them wrap lights around the tree, struggling with how thick the branches are. They focus their attention on each other for a moment, silently communicating once again.

“We were in the Marines together,” Bryce finally says, looking at me with a reserved smile. I can tell there's something he's not saying, which seems rare for him. “When we all left, we decided to stick together.”

“But how do three former Marines become bank robbers?” I look at all three of them with a dumbfounded look on my face. Everything I know about the Marines is that they're noble and good. I wouldn't expect them to turn out to be the way that they are.

“When we were deployed, the three of us were sent out on a mission together. We were supposed to break into an embassy abroad to find out information about someone working there suspected of treason.” Koda turns to look at me with a serious, solemn look as he remembers the story. The others fall silent as they listen to him. “It was the three of us and our sergeant. We trusted him, but we really shouldn't have. As it turned out, something very important went missing from that embassy, and he blamed it on us.”

“As soon as we found out, we went AWOL. We've been hiding out ever since,” Eli continues, looking at me with a strained expression.

I'm completely silent. I don't know what to say to make the situation any better, but I’m glad they told me. It couldn't have been easy for them.

“That's why we're in the line of work we currently are. There are people looking for us, so some desk job isn't in the cards,” Bryce chimes in, taking a seat next to me on the couch.

All three of them sit down and tell me stories about their time in the Marines and what happened after. The three of them had been on the run for a long time, hiding out and perfecting their schemes for the banks they robbed. With everything they tell me, I see how they are forced to do this. It's not something I can necessarily condone, but I can understand the need.

The sun sets, and Eli stands up, holding a hand out for me. “Let's go to bed. Don't want to be up to keep Santa from coming, do we?”

I laugh and take his hand, saying good night to the others before joining Eli in bed. As soon as we get there, I close my eyes and sink into Eli's warmth as he holds me against him. It's only been a few days, but I've quickly gotten used to being around these three men. I'm dreading the day they take me back to my normal life.