In Teddy's Arms Read online

  Table of Contents

  Legal Page

  Title Page

  Book Description

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Epilogue

  New Excerpt

  About the Author

  Publisher Page

  A Totally Bound Publication

  In Teddy’s Arms

  ISBN #978-0-85715-840-6

  ©Copyright K.M. Mahoney

  Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright December 2011

  Edited by S.F. Swift

  Totally Bound Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2011 by Totally Bound Publishing, Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN

  Warning:

  This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Totally Sizzling and a Sexometer of 2.

  Yuletide Yearnings

  IN TEDDY’S ARMS

  K. M. Mahoney

  Everything Teddy has ever wanted is right in front of him, if only he can find the courage to reach out and take it.

  Teddy should really know better than to agree to one of Pierce’s ‘great ideas’, but he’s never found it easy to say no to his best friend. Which is why he finds himself on the middle of a snow-covered road, heading into the mountains to spend the Christmas holiday in a rental cabin. And, like always, Pierce’s great plan backfires. The cabin is a dump, it’s freezing outside—and then comes the snowstorm.

  Pierce isn’t sure how he’s going to handle an entire weekend trapped with Teddy. Sure, the guy is his best friend, but tell that to Pierce’s body. It’s getting harder and hard to keep his hands to himself.

  Teddy doesn’t think Pierce is interested in his nerdy best friend. Pierce doesn’t think he’s good enough for Teddy. But the fire’s blazing, the wind is howling, and it’s time for some changes.

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Freddy Krueger: Fourth New Line-Heron Venture

  McDonald’s: McDonald’s Corporation

  Popsicle: Unilever PLC/Unilever NV

  Chapter One

  “Are you sure about this?”

  “Teddy, ask me that again, and I’m going to pull this car over and toss you into a snow drift.”

  Teddy sat back, crossed his arms over his chest, and huffed. “Sheesh, cranky much?”

  Pierce rolled his eyes. For a second, he entertained the lovely image that the steering wheel he was gripping so tightly was, in fact, Teddy’s neck. “The first three times you asked that question, I answered. The next six times, I ignored you. You’ve now moved beyond that and are into obnoxiously irritating. Stow it.”

  Silence enveloped the interior of the car for several long moments. Then Teddy mumbled, “Sorry.”

  Pierce grinned. That was his Teddy. He never could stay at odds with anyone for very long.

  “Turn right in one-point-two miles,” the GPS system stated in a dull, broken monotone.

  “Thank God.” Pierce nearly whooped. “I think we’re getting close.” He turned where the small navigation map on his dashboard indicated. The bottom of their battered sedan scraped ominously over the snow-covered gravel.

  All right, so maybe Teddy had a point. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea Pierce had ever had. But it was a little bit too late to back out now. No way in hell was Pierce driving back down this mountain in the dark.

  “I don’t see anything,” Teddy said, sounding doubtful. He chewed on his fingernail, expression nervous, eyes fastened on the darkening woods surrounding the small road.

  “It’s up here. Somewhere.” Damn. That hadn’t come out as reassuring as Pierce had hoped.

  The GPS remained unhelpfully silent as the car bumped its way along. Twilight was quickly turning into night. The looming pines closing in on all sides didn’t help, deepening the gloom. They were truly in the middle of nowhere, no streetlights, no sidewalks, the roads rough. Hell, there wasn’t even a McDonald’s. Civilisation was most definitely far behind them.

  At the moment, Pierce would have gladly traded his stupid GPS system for just one tacky strand of twinkling Christmas lights. Anything to suggest they weren’t lost in the mountains. And why the hell was it so dark out here?

  The cabin practically jumped out at them. Pierce rounded a curve and slammed on the brakes. His heart thumped madly as he studied the battered porch steps, dangerously close to his front bumper. Beside him, Teddy let out a belated squeak of alarm.

  “Destination in five hundred feet,” the GPS chimed.

  “Now it tells me.” Pierce scowled fiercely and stabbed the ‘off’ button on the obnoxious little box. “Worthless piece of shit.”

  Teddy had stopped staring at the scenery and was now eying the cabin with trepidation. Pierce had to admit it didn’t look like much. The porch was a bit wonky, the wood siding faded in spots, peeling in others. Dark and tiny, it bore a disturbing resemblance to something from a horror film.

  “Maybe the inside is nicer,” Pierce declared.

  Amazing, how loudly Teddy could project his doubt without saying a word.

  “It’s a true gift, that,” Pierce said.

  “Say what? Never mind. I guess we better unload.” Teddy added a resigned sigh. “But if it’s this bad on the inside, we’re finding a hotel tomorrow.”

  Pierce almost asked how they would pay for it, then bit his tongue. Teddy would probably decide to sleep in the car. Then he would freeze to death in the middle of the night and Pierce would have to explain to Teddy’s parents how he let their son turn into a nice, hard, ice-coated statue.

  Pierce shook his head to dislodge his stupid ramblings and climbed out of the car. He took a minute to stretch the kinks out of his back because, damn, that had been a long trip.

  Using the remote to pop the trunk, Pierce hauled out his duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder. He shivered in the cold and grabbed his coat from the back seat. He should probably put it on, but he’d be inside in a minute.

  He waded through the drifts piled against the porch. It took him a minute of fruitless searching before he realised the first step was busted. He could move his foot around in the six inch layer of snow and never find it because it simply wasn’t there.

  “Watch the steps,” he called over his shoulder.

  Teddy started muttering again. Pierce ignored what he knew were complaints and cautiously mounted the steps. He stuck the key the rental agent had given him into the lock. The door swung on creaking hinges before he could turn the key.

  “Okay, not exactly the best sign,” Pierce said to himself. He pushed the door the rest of the way open, anyway. The room was dark and the musty smell made his nose tingle. The cabin was also cold, nearly as bad as outside.

  Pierce felt around the wall and found the switch. It clicked on and dim light flooded the space. Relief swamped him. The glow from the single bulb didn’t quite chase all the shadows away, but hey, they had electricity. At the moment, Pierce wasn’t going to take anything for granted.

  Then he surveyed the room and groaned. “Teddy’s gonna hate it.”

  “Hate what?”

  Pierce jumped and whirled around, facing his best friend with his biggest fake smile. “Nothing, it’s great. Warm and cosy. All we need is that fake tree I packed and we’re good to go.”

  Teddy stared at him with solemn brown eyes. “You’re a horrible liar.”

  “Not true, I’m a magnificent liar.” Just not to Teddy. That’s what happened when you knew someone since kindergarten. Teddy knew all Pierce’s tricks.

  Teddy just kept staring. “There are spiders, aren’t there?” he asked soberly.

  “It’s too cold for spiders. Come on, let’s explore.”

  Teddy entered the room gingerly, as if Freddy Krueger was going to come jumping around the corner and start hacking away.

  Pierce slung his duffel in the corner and planted his hands on his hips. “First thing, we need to make a fire.”

  “Do you even know how?”

  “Sure,” Pierce said with false confidence. “The rental agent said we can find wood on the back porch. I’ll get started.”

  “If there’s no water, I’m going to smother you in your sleep,” Teddy said.

  Pierce rolled his eyes and went in search of fuel. It was damned cold in here and his fingers were starting to go numb. He shrugged on his coat, boots echoing on the wood plank floor.

&nbs
p; He found the wood as promised and started hauling.

  Chapter Two

  Teddy looked around and wondered how on earth Pierce had talked him into this. He was cold and hungry and there was only one bed and…

  “Stop it,” Teddy ordered himself. “This is getting you nowhere.”

  When Pierce had suggested they rent a cabin in the mountains, ‘get away from it all’, well, Teddy should have nipped the idea in the bud right then and there. But he had a horrible time saying no to Pierce. Then Pierce was off and running and it was much too late to halt his latest scheme.

  Pierce had been Teddy’s best friend ever since he could remember, his neighbour since second grade. When it came time for college, it just seemed natural for them to head off together. They were roommates first and now, as juniors, shared an apartment.

  It wasn’t just Teddy and Pierce, either. Their families were close to inseparable. In fact, that was part of the problem. The Johnsons and the Madens had decided to spend the holidays together. Unfortunately for Teddy, their parents had chosen to do it on a week-long cruise that had left before winter break began.

  “You can make do without us, can’t you?” Teddy’s mom had asked breezily. “We’ll be back in plenty of time, nearly two whole weeks before you have to go back to school. We’ll celebrate Christmas then.”

  Teddy had agreed. At the time, it didn’t seem like a big deal. He and Pierce would just hang around the apartment, share the holiday together.

  And then Pierce had come up with his latest madcap scheme. Now Teddy was stuck in the Rockies in an ancient cabin freezing his ass off.

  Sometimes, he really hated his best friend.

  Said best friend banged back inside, arms loaded down with wood, sporting a wide, crazy grin.

  “Found fuel,” he said cheerily.

  Teddy watched the familiar lean form stagger across the small room. “Yes, but do you know what to do with it?”

  “Of course I do, silly.” The pile of wood landed on the floor with a humongous clatter. Teddy winced.

  “Why don’t you bring in the rest of the gear?” Pierce asked. “I’ve got extra blankets and sleeping bags in the back seat.”

  Pierce knelt in front of the massive fireplace. His coat rode up his back with the motion, jeans pulling tight across his compact ass. Teddy stared at the show and tried not to drool. Each time Pierce moved, fabric pulled taut, highlighting that fascinating body. Teddy wanted to touch, so badly. Maybe if he just…

  Teddy shook off his semi-trance and turned away with difficulty. He used to be able to ignore Pierce’s lean, sculpted frame and the way he seemed to flaunt his every asset. Lately, though, Teddy’s control was slipping. And that just wouldn’t do. Teddy didn’t know what would happen if Pierce found out how much he wanted him.

  Teddy stepped out onto the rickety front porch and took a deep breath. The cold seared his lungs and made him cough, but he didn’t mind. The slap of the frigid wind against his heated skin actually felt good. If he stood out here long enough, it would be more effective than a cold shower.

  Tugging at the bottom edge of his coat, he jumped off the porch, snow spurting up around his boots. The snow drifts were piling higher and he had to take a circuitous route to the car. He tried to open the passenger side back door, but couldn’t get it. He kept ramming into a gigantic pile of snow, and there was a tree in the way, too. Pierce needed a few more lessons on parking.

  Teddy rounded the front of the car and yanked open the other door, half-crawling in until he could tug on the large tote bags on the floor. He pulled and wiggled and was actually sweating a bit before he gathered all the bags. How many blankets had Pierce packed, anyway? Was he expecting company?

  When Teddy found at least three sleeping bags, his heart sank. It wouldn’t be the first time that Pierce had invited along others and not told Teddy. Where Teddy was quiet and preferred the company of one or two good friends, Pierce was happiest surrounded by a crowd. He was popular and outgoing and everybody loved him.

  Teddy included.

  He sighed, seeing his visions of a quiet weekend together slip away. Merry Christmas to me. Well, knowing Pierce’s friends, at least there would be plenty of alcohol with which to drown his sorrows. With a heavy heart, Teddy gathered their bedding, juggling bags and bundles until his arms were full and weighted down. He slipped and slid back to the cabin, bumping open the door with his hip.

  “Finally,” Pierce said. “I thought maybe you’d fallen into a snow pile.”

  “Ha, ha. Come and get some of this, would you?”

  Pierce grabbed some of the burden and Teddy sighed with relief. Amazing, how heavy a bunch of blankets could be.

  Pierce tossed the bags on the small double bed in one corner while Teddy let the rest of the junk drop to the floor. While he’d been outside, Pierce had managed to get a small fire going. The warmth emanating from the blaze was negligible, but the mere sight of the crackling flames made Teddy feel warmer. He crossed the few steps to stand on the small rug, hands outstretched, feeling the warmth sink into his chilled fingers.

  “You look wet,” Pierce said in his ear.

  Teddy jumped slightly, not having noticed that Pierce had come up behind. “Yeah,” he replied. “The drifts are getting bigger. I think it’s snowing harder.”

  “Sweet.”

  “Sweet? What are you, nuts?”

  “Nope, that would be you. I just always wanted to be snowed in somewhere. It sounds cool.”

  “Not cool.” Teddy scowled. “Cold. Very cold. And boring. And—”

  “Come on, Teddy Bear, lighten up.” Pierce slung an arm around Teddy’s shoulders and yanked him closer. “We’re having an adventure.”

  Teddy drew back and ground his teeth, manfully resisting the urge to slug the grinning idiot. “I hate adventures. And don’t call me Teddy Bear.”

  “I know. That’s why they’re good for you.” Pierce ignored the ‘Teddy Bear’ complaint as he always did.

  The room had finally begun to warm, the chill leaving the air. At least the small cabin heated quickly. Teddy felt like he could remove his coat without risking frostbite. He hung the fluffy red and white jacket on a hook by the door before rushing back to the fire. A draught leached through the front and he didn’t like it.

  “So, Mr Adventurous,” Teddy said. “What are we going to do for food?”

  “The oven works.” Pierce sounded proud. “I checked.”

  “But did you bring anything to cook in the oven?”

  Pierce’s expression fell.

  “Oh, Good Lord, you didn’t, did you?”

  “Hang on!” Pierce held one finger up and wagged it before whirling around. He dug through his duffle bag, muttering to himself. When he turned and brandished a brightly wrapped package, his expression was triumphant. “Here ya go. Merry Christmas.”

  Teddy took the offering. Looked at the familiar red lid. Looked back at Pierce.

  “A box of chocolates,” he stated flatly. “One box of chocolates. For the both of us. All weekend.”

  Pierce nodded with a smile.

  “I really am going to kill you this time,” Teddy stated. “I’ll smother you in your sleep, just see if I—”

  Pierce doubled over, hysterical laughter ringing through the room. “Oh, God,” he gasped. “You should see your face.”

  Teddy wasn’t proud to admit that he’d lost control. He chucked the box of chocolates at Pierce’s head. Pierce, blast him, ducked handily, still laughing.

  “Calm down,” Pierce said when he could breathe again. “I’ve got groceries in the trunk. I’m not a total idiot.”

  “I hate you,” Teddy stated with a complete lack of emotion. Inside, though, his inner imp started giggling. Only Pierce would even dream of teasing him like that. Which was probably one of the many reasons why he loved the big dork.

  “Flatterer.”

  Teddy rolled his eyes. “You should probably retrieve anything you still want from the car. If this snow keeps up, it will be buried in another hour or two. And then we really will have to eat chocolates for the next two days.”