Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

MARK

C hris remained silent during the drive. Mark regretted he’d snapped at Jesse the other night. He also felt irritated at himself for borking everything.

He passed the turnoff to the road leading home and continued on to the Park Service livestock barn where they’d pick up their mules.

This will fucking suck. It also meant amending the permits—again—to modify their trip.

It also meant it shaved a few days off the personal time he and Chris planned to take.

“You coming in?” Mark asked Chris.

“Nope.” He stretched out as much as the seat would allow. “I’ll sit here and bark at strangers who get too close. Just leave the windows open so I can breathe, but not too much I can jump out and run away.”

Mark headed to the office, leaving Chris cackling in the truck.

One of the things that annoyed Mark—beside realizing they had to make this trip on foot—was that he needed to eat a heaping pile of crow.

And that Chris would never let him live this down.

But on the ride home he figured out a way to hopefully fix one problem. When he pulled into their front yard and parked he said, “Why don’t you call Jesse and ask if she wants to stay in our guest room tonight? Makes sense. She can leave her car and her stuff here.”

Chris sat up. “You serious?”

“ Just for her to sleep here. Not to try to get her in bed with us, okay?”

“You don’t think she’s cute?”

“I think she’s adorable but this is work. The three of us might be ready to kill each other by the time we return.”

Chris cocked his head. “Then you’re not against something developing with her?”

Mark didn’t bother answering, knowing from the playful way Chris’ lips quirked that he was fucking with him. He headed inside.

Nearly ten minutes later, Chris walked in and found Mark in the bedroom in the process of packing his gear. “She’ll be here at five for dinner.”

“And spend the night?” Mark asked.

“Yes and spend the night.” He dropped his cell onto the bed. “Please leave the cop in the closet tonight, huh?”

“I’m not a fucking cop!” he snapped.

Chris froze, holding his hands up. “Dude,” he gently said, “I was kidding. I’m sorry.”

Mark scrubbed his face. “Sorry. You know I hate that.”

Chris stepped in and rested his hands on Mark’s shoulders. “If I could give you any wedding present in the universe, I think I’d give you the ability to wipe the memories of that bullshit from your brain.”

“Yeah, well, not like I’ll see my family anytime soon.” Mark pulled him in for a hug. “I’m sorry.”

Chris patted him on the back. “Forgiven. I’m sorry I triggered you. I’ll start dinner. Let’s have a good evening, okay? Full reboot with Jesse?”

Mark nodded. “Full reboot.”

JESSE

Jesse’s palms sweated as she located the turnoff for the men’s cabin. She’d texted with Chris all afternoon and hoped she wasn’t making a mistake accepting their offer to spend the night.

Although yes, it made sense. Chris repeatedly assured her Mark didn’t hate her, and she tried to focus on that. It’d been yet another of countless examples of her neurospiciness rubbing an NT person the wrong way.

She called her father before she checked out of the hotel, reminding him she wouldn’t be within cell range for a while, so he wouldn’t panic. In fact, she planned to leave her cell with the rest of her things at the men’s cabin. It’d be useless on the hike.

When she arrived, the men walked out to greet her.

“Hi,” she said.

“Welcome to our castle,” Mark said. Then he smiled and stuck out his hand. “Mark Powell. Neurotypical foot-eater extraordinaire, part-time prickly asshole, and full-time Yellowstone park ranger. Enforcement division. Not a ‘cop.’”

Relief flowed through Jesse and she laughed as she shook with him. “Jesse Scott. Engineer, seismologist, and sparkly…vampire?” She glanced at Chris.

“Sparkly vampire unicorn ,” he joked, flashing jazz hands again. “Can’t forget that.”

“What’s the vampire part about?” she asked.

“I’m kinda bitey,” Chris said.

“Long story,” Mark quickly said, shooting him a look. “For another time. Can we help you unload?”

Normally she’d insist no, she could manage, but she decided to try not being herself since they were starting over. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

Twenty minutes later they were sitting down to the most delicious lasagna she’d ever tasted.

And Mark loosened up. To the point that if she’d met this version of Mark at the bar she might have been tempted to explore Chris’ comment about dating.

Because…yeah.

Then again, they’re gay. Duh.

Okay, so it could be a hot fantasy after she returned home to spice up nights when she was alone in bed.

Which was, of course, every night.

CHRISTOPHER

Things were looking up. Jesse and Mark hit it off, she’d loved Chris’ cooking, and as he pieced out the remaining lasagna to store in the freezer he listened to the two of them talking in the living room as she showed Mark her equipment.

She was wicked smart. Even better, she had an obvious love of her field of study.

He didn’t know much about seismology or geology beyond what he needed for his job, but Mark enjoyed learning about various subjects, even if only superficially, and especially relating to Yellowstone. He never stopped learning, yet another thing Chris loved about him.

When Christopher finished he joined them. “Sounds like the reboot’s going well.”

“Yes,” Jesse said. “And I promised Mark I wouldn’t sell eight-balls to tourists in the park.”

Christopher laughed as Mark rolled his eyes. “Never living that down, huh?” Mark muttered.

“No,” Christopher and Jesse said in unison, which sent a little thrill through him for some reason.

No, not some reason—the reason was absolutely Jesse, that he was attracted to her, and that despite Mark’s grousing he knew his guy was, too.

After finalizing the schedule with Jesse, and making sure she was settled in, they said goodnight and headed to bed.

Christopher, however, wasn’t exactly ready to go to sleep. He rolled on top of Mark and kissed him, waiting, feeling the tipping point when he knew his guy’s brain had finally disengaged and climbed aboard. “There you are,” he whispered.

Mark’s hands skimmed down Christopher’s back, coming to rest on his ass, squeezing. “You have too many clothes on,” he said, his voice growing husky.

Chris quickly shucked his sleep shorts while Mark removed his boxers. “Better?”

Mark grunted, his fingers now digging into Christopher’s ass cheeks while he ground his erection against Christopher’s. “Will be in a few minutes,” Mark said.

Chris slanted his lips over Mark’s, savoring this time together. It was tempting to fantasize about having Jesse between them but he knew he shouldn’t let his thoughts wander there.

But…

Maybe after they returned, if she and Mark hadn’t killed each other, and if the chemistry was right, perhaps they could talk her into extending her stay. There was something about her that tugged at Christopher in a way none of their previous partners never had. This was a woman he wouldn’t mind exploring a long-term relationship with.

Then again, she lives in Virginia. Not like she’d want to move here, right?

His own brain finally shut down as Mark nipped his way along Christopher’s jaw to the side of his neck. Mark cupped the back of Christopher’s head and tipped it sideways to give him access so he could bite and suck his way up and down, from ear to shoulder and back, making Chris muffle his moans against Mark’s shoulder even as his cock twitched in anticipation.

“Got you now, don’t I?” Mark growled against Christopher’s flesh. “Think I’ll be the bitey one tonight.” He suddenly flipped Chris over onto his back, smiling at him before he leaned in and flicked his tongue across Christopher’s left nipple.

Pleasure shuddered through him and he hooked one leg around the back of Mark’s. “Don’t fucking tease me, man!”

“But I like teasing you.” Mark flicked his tongue across Christopher’s right nipple, followed by lightly grazing his teeth across it. “And it’ll be over a week before the next time I get to tease you like this.” He worked back and forth, finally reaching up and pinning Christopher’s arms to the bed, chuckling as Christopher softly moaned. “Just imagine how much I’ll be able to tease you when we go to Bozeman and get a room for a couple of days.”

He stared into Mark’s gaze. “I love you.”

Mark paused, smiling, dipping his head to kiss him again. “Love you, too. Now shut up and let me tease you.”

Mark resumed licking, teasing, nipping, biting—Chris knew he’d have at least two hickeys on his pecs come morning—driving Chris nearly mad with need.

“Please!” he begged when Mark had worked his way lower, to his navel, then headed north again. “Please do it!”

MARK

He belatedly wondered if their houseguest could hear them, then realized he didn’t care. It was their house.

Hell, let her eat her adorably aggravating, neurospicy heart out.

The pay was worth it, but he still resented carving a few days out of the time he’d expected to spend with Christopher.

And both of them would sleep better tonight after busting a nut.

He released Christopher’s arms and moved south, flicking the tip of his tongue over the head of his cock where pre-cum had already pearled at the slit. Mark wouldn’t make him beg tonight—he loved hearing Chris come too much to do that.

Mark engulfed him with his mouth, taking him deep and slowly pulling off to the head to swirl his tongue around it before deep-throating him again.

Chris twined his fingers in Mark’s hair, urging him to move faster, but Mark wouldn’t be rushed. He took his time, building his guy up several times until Christopher’s needy whines told him he was desperately close to the edge. That’s when Mark finally got him over, swallowing, loving every soft moan his guy made until he finally collapsed, sated.

Mark kissed his way up Christopher’s body until he slanted one over his lips. “Good?”

He smiled, still looking come-drunk. “You know it was. The best.”

Christopher planted a hand in the middle of Mark’s chest and rolled him over. “My turn.” Mark closed his eyes, slowly rocking his hips as Chris nipped his way south. Just below Mark’s navel, his teeth latched on, biting, sucking, leaving his favorite calling card on Mark and making his erection throb in response.

He let out a hiss. “Fucking bitey vampire unicorn.”

Chris chuckled but didn’t stop. Mark knew come morning there would be a large, dark hickey there, even more than the ones Chris left on him.

Finally, once Chris was satisfied with his work, he moved lower and the sweet, wet heat of his mouth engulfed. Mark’s cock.

“Finally,” Mark whispered, settling in for the ride. Christopher loved to tease him even more than Mark teased him back, drawing it out, finally making Mark mindlessly beg for release before letting him come. And when his tightly wound pleasure center finally snapped, he bit back his loud moans and grabbed Christopher’s head, pumping into him and pulling him deep onto his erection until he was finally spent.

Chris crawled back up the bed and kissed him. “That’ll hold you until we get back.”

Mark snuggled Chris in the crook of his arm. “It’ll have to,” he said, feeling sleep already tugging at his mind. “Unless we can ditch Jesse in the woods.”

JESSE

She set seven alarms, with different sounds, to make sure she didn’t oversleep. Her dreams were filled with sexy images of her squirming between the two cuties and when her first alarm went off long before dawn, she awakened to find her hand shoved into the waistband of her PJ bottoms.

Thank god there’s a locked door between them and me.

They had two hours before they left and she didn’t hear anything when she opened her door, the house dark. She quickly made her way across the hall to the guest bath and took her shower, fully aware it’d be the last one she’d have for a while.

When she emerged there were lights on in the kitchen, she heard the men talking, and she smelled coffee.

She found the men were already fully dressed, Mark wearing a uniform shirt. Christopher offered her a smile.

“Coffee?”

“Oh god, yes, please.” She’d packed envelopes of instant coffee for the trip. Even if she didn’t have hot water, she could at least swallow some semblance of the magic elixir to start every morning.

“How’d you sleep?” Mark asked.

“Good, thank you.”

“Do you want us to load the equipment crates in the truck for you?”

She once again forced herself to not be herself. “I appreciate that, thank you.”

He smiled, and this man definitely didn’t resemble the jerk from the bar. “No problem. I’ll be right back.” He took his travel mug of coffee and headed outside.

“Do you like scrambled eggs?” Chris asked before she could offer to help Mark.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Then sit and rest, because this’ll be the last chance you get to do that before we make camp tonight.”

“Do you camp a lot?”

“Me?” He snorted. “No. Only when I need to be out in the field overnight. Mark spends a lot of time patrolling the backcountry during season. He’s frequently out for days at a time.”

The coffee was hot and delicious. “That sounds rough.”

“He loves it. Lives for it.”

“Why’s he touchy about being called a cop?” she asked.

Christopher winced but offered her a smile. “Let’s just say shitty family dynamics. Yes, he’s a law enforcement officer, but he prefers to think of himself as a park ranger instead of a cop.”

“I notice you’re not wearing a gun,” she said. “I thought you said you’d carry one?”

“I will. I prefer to carry a rifle when I can. I’ll holster it on one of the mules. Carrying a sidearm when wearing a hiking pack annoys me. Mark’s used to it.”

She wrapped her hands around the warm mug of steaming, delicious jitter juice. “Any tips to stay on his good side?”

He laughed as he plated her eggs and added two pieces of toast and handed it to her. “If I figure that out, I’ll let you know. Now that he knows you’re neurospicy, he’ll remember to take a breath before responding. Usually. Try to keep your patience with him.” He grinned. “Lord knows we’ll need our patience with the poor neurotypical bastard.”

She laughed.

The faintest tendrils of dawn were barely creeping into eastern sky when they drove to the stable. One of the men there would ride in the truck with them and drive Mark’s truck back to the barn, unhook the trailer, and then park it at the men’s cabin.

The four mules were already haltered, groomed, and ready to tack. Jesse watched as the men took care of that, amazed how quickly the process went. She had another waterproof case that went on one of the mules and held her tablet for calibrating the sensors, extra power banks, and a crank charger, along with her extra food and supplies.

Once the mules were ready, Mark and Christopher hooked up the stock trailer and collected the mules to load them.

“Still sure we can’t ride horses?” Mark asked.

She reached out and petted one of the mules. “Sorry. I really wish I could.”

“At least we don’t have to carry as much feed,” Chris pointed out. “Fewer animals.”

“True,” Mark agreed.

She climbed into the truck and made room on the backseat for Chris while the other man, Sam, sat up front with Mark for the ride to the trailhead.

Chris flashed her a smile. “Excited?”

“Yeah.” She was nervous as hell, but she wasn’t about to admit that to these men, not even to Christopher. She felt so nervous she couldn’t even focus on the gorgeous landscape outside her window.

Less than an hour later, she watched the guy drive away with the trailer while Mark and Christopher double-checked the mules’ tack and that everything was secure on their packs.

For their part, the mules placidly stood, tails swishing occasionally.

When she donned her pack the men helped her with adjustments and reconfiguring the position of her bear spray to make it easier to reach. Then they stood back.

“Okay?” Mark asked her.

“I think so.”

“When we start walking,” Chris said, “you’ll soon know if you need to adjust anything.”

“Let’s go,” Mark said. “We’re wasting daylight.”

Mark started toward the trail and Christopher indicated for her to go ahead of him.

It didn’t take her long to adjust her pack again. She followed Mark, who led two of the mules, the second with its lead tied to the pack harness of the first. Christopher brought up the rear leading the third. The day felt crisp and would be sunny, a perfect day for hiking. The only thing that bothered her was the thin air, and she felt grateful to Christopher when after two hours he called to Mark for a break.

“If we need to slow down or take a break,” Christopher said, “you need to tell us.”

She shook her head before gulping some water. “I’ll get used to it.” At least her hiking boots felt comfortable.

Mark tethered his mules to a nearby sapling. “If we maintain this pace we might reach the first site before dark and can camp there. I don’t want to push that hard if you can’t handle it. This is only the first day and we’ll be gaining elevation before we reach the second site. We don’t need you getting sick or hurt.”

“I’m fine,” she insisted. “I’ve been training on a treadmill and step machine and have good stamina.”

“That’s on machines in a climate-controlled room at lower elevations. This is real life.”

She bristled and tried to tone back the snark wanting to claw its way free. “I promise I’ll say something. Otherwise, I’m fine.”

She noticed the men exchanged a glance but Mark turned and walked a short distance away, stepping off the trail. She quickly figured out why when Christopher handed her his mule’s lead.

“I need to do that, too,” he said, turning and heading the other way.

When he returned she shrugged off her pack and took her own pit stop. She didn’t want to admit it but yes, this was hard, even with her training. The elevation was tougher on her than she’d planned. And doing this while carrying a pack was also taking more of a toll on her than she’d anticipated.

Once she finished and donned her pack she turned to Mark. “I’m ready.”

He eyed her. “You sure you don’t want a longer break?”

“No. Like you said, we can make the first site by dark.” The less time she had to spend in the wilderness, the better.

Although being able to watch Mark’s cute ass definitely wasn’t a hardship.

MARK

He sensed Jesse was having a harder time than she was willing to admit, but he hoped Chris would call for breaks when he felt she needed them.

Which was the other reason he’d put Chris at the back.

An hour later, she finally broke out her walking sticks as they started making their way uphill. This was one of the gentlest uphill grades of their journey, and now Mark wondered if he shouldn’t have changed the plan to start at the other trailhead and work their way east to give her more time to acclimate to the elevation before the more difficult sections.

Too late now.

At least they were following one of the more well-used trails. Park staff had already cleared the worst of the deadfalls on this one and made sure it was safe ahead of season. They would veer off of it in another mile to make their way toward the first sensor site. It wasn’t a trail used as often, and it was mostly traveled by USGS and park staff due to its location and lack of awe-inspiring vistas.

He’d checked with the USGS and knew all the sensors were accessible by trails as of two weeks ago, although recent snowfall in upper elevations may have obscured them in places.

That’s why he carried a GPS unit in addition to the topographical maps. They were currently stowed in one of the saddlebags on the first mule, along with his satellite messenger and personal locator beacon.

He usually didn’t worry about not having a satellite phone because between his cell phone, park radio, and the satellite messenger, he was rarely in a complete dead-zone.

But this time he did. Not because of him or Christopher, because they were used to the terrain.

If Jesse got hurt he’d have to call in a helitack rescue. If she wasn’t ambulatory enough to walk her out of the backcountry, and if she couldn’t ride a mule, a helo would be their only option.

Hopefully I’m underestimating her.