Tempting the Bears

by Tianna Xander

  “Good idea!” Aiden thrust the pies and bread at him and hurried toward the meat counter.

  “Sometimes I think he stores his brain in his balls.” He grinned at his own joke.

  “What?”

  Calum turned at the sound of Roxie’s voice and met her gaze. Her brow furrowed as she stared at him.

  “Did you say you wanted balls? I hope you don’t mean mountain oysters.” She glanced toward the meat counter. “I’m pretty sure they don’t carry them here, and I don’t think I could eat them if they did.” She shuddered. “I had a lamb burger once and it was one of the weirdest tasting things I ever put in my mouth.” Her face reddened when she realized what she said and her gaze shifted to the floor. “I-I mean...”

  “I know what ye mean, lass.” He reached out, resting his hand on her shoulder. “There’s nothing for ye to be embarrassed about. He’s just getting us some steak, so ye don’t have to worry about hurrying back to the cabin to thaw what ye have there.”‘

  “Oh.” She bit her lip, drawing his attention to the soft pink of her mouth. “I should have thought of that.”

  “It doesn’t matter who thought of it. It was kind of ye to think about feeding us when ye really don’t even know us that well. After all, we didn’t spend much time together in Scotland before ye had to rush back home.”

  “I’m sorry I just ran out on you. I know you and Aiden were looking forward to taking me on a grand tour of your country, but...” Her eyes grew shiny with tears. She blinked them away and continued. “The retirement village where my grandpa was staying called and told me he didn’t have much time. I had to leave in a hurry. Otherwise, I might not have...” She hiccupped and turned away. “I’m sorry. You don’t want to hear this.”

  “Shh, lass.” Reaching out, he turned her and pulled her into his arms. “Of course, I want to hear it if it will lessen your burden.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and stroked her soft hair.

  “You don’t need me crying on your shoulder.”

  “I’d consider it an honor.” He cupped the back of her head, pressing her face into the crook of his neck. “Cry all ye need to, lass. I’ll hold ye until you’ve cried it out.”

  Stiffening, she pulled from his arms.

  “I can’t do that here.” She swiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands. “The last thing we need is the entire town speculating on when our wedding date is.”

  “So, we’ll tell them it’s the second Tuesday in August.” He winked. “I have no qualms about telling them I’ll make ye my bride.” He leaned close and lowered his voice. “What might be the hardest for them to understand is that Aiden plans to make ye his, as well.”

  Her eyes widened and she stepped back.

  “I... I don’t know what to say to that.” She licked her lips and rubbed the palms of her hands on her legs. “I just don’t know what to say.”

  “Just say you’ll think about it.” Calum stepped back to give her some space. The last thing they needed was for her to decide she wouldn’t let them protect her, after all.

  He wasn’t sure what her damned cousin was up to, but whatever it was, it was no good. He hoped the man didn’t plan to harm her, but greed did funny things to a man. It could even drive a man to kill his family.

  No self-respecting member of his clan would even think of harming one of their relatives, no matter how distant, for material gain. They had all lived together for years. Though their laird and alpha technically owned the land where they lived, they all knew it was their land. They shared it and the money they made from it.

  When he and Aiden mated, the co-leaders of their clan would see to it that they had a plot of land and a house big enough to raise a family. They shared everything, their kin. It was the way life in a real clan should be.

  There had been a little worry about the future of their people when they found the rightful leader of their clan in a sanitarium in the United States. Stolen from his people as a lad, he’d woken up with no memory of who, or what, he was.

  Carson Wallace might not have remembered who he was, but being a good man was something ingrained in them from the time they were born. Alone and frightened, and no doubt thinking himself a human child, he did well. Though Carson had gone missing at the age of one hundred and ten, he had appeared to be no older than twelve, or thirteen.

  He’d been old enough for his parents to instill their clan’s own set of strict morals. Memories, or not, it would have been something he wouldn’t have forgotten. His subconscious mind wouldn’t have lost the memories of their way of life.

  Neither of the old lairds’ sons wanted the responsibility of leading their people, yet both of them wouldn’t abandon their kin. They decided that being co-leaders was better than passing the responsibilities off on just one of them.

  Now that Carson’s memories had been fully restored, they still agreed that two heads were better than one and two lairds gave them both breathing room and vacations with no interruptions. It was a wonder no one had thought about it, before.

  “I’ll think about it.” She nodded, the pink in her cheeks making her more lovely than he’d thought possible.

  “Aiden’s coming.” Her eyes widened as she peered over his shoulder. “I thought you told him to just get some steaks? It looks as though he bought out the entire meat counter. Where will we store all of that?”

  “Well,” Aiden replied as he pushed past them to set his purchases on the counter. “We can store some of this at our cabin. The freezer there is almost empty. I’m not sure what the others were eating. Fish from the lake, maybe?” He shrugged. “Anyway, Calum and I eat a lot and it wouldn’t be fair tae ask you to feed us every meal.”

  “So...” Angel interrupted. “Do your friends have friends?” She grinned. “Because I’m here to tell you, I don’t have any problem with the type of arrangement you guys have.” She winked. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never participated in...” She lowered her voice when an older couple entered the store. “A three-way relationship, but the concept kind of turns me on.”

  “Well, we have some friends who stay in the cabin near Roxie’s and they have been looking. Also, there are other members of our clan who will be coming here, as well. In fact, there should be four to eight more men here in the next couple of days. Perhaps one of those pairs would spark your interest.”

  “They will if they’re anything like you two.” Angel smiled and gave them an appraising glance. “Don’t get me wrong. I like the way you two look and all, but I like the accent more.” She leaned close and whispered, “Are all of you from Scotland? If so, I think I might have just died and gone to heaven.”

  “Aye, lass.” Aiden chuckled. “We’re all from Scotland, we’re all this tall or taller, so if you like short men, you’re bound tae be disappointed. We all have a similar look tae us and...” He leaned forward. “We all have a secret.”

  “Whoo! That sexy accent, way over six feet tall, handsome, and mysterious?” Angel fanned herself. “Now I know I’ve died and gone to heaven.” She reached down and ran a hand along her ample hip. “I know just what to do with men like that, and they won’t know what to do with themselves once they get a load of these curves and what they can do. I’m not some stand-on-the-outside-of-the-dance-floor wallflower. Nope. Not me. I own every one of these curves and once I find the right man or men, I’ll rock their ever-lovin’ world.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Carter.” She glanced behind them and waved at the elderly couple. “I’ll be right with you as soon as I ring these nice gentlemen up. She glanced at Roxie. “You remember Roxanne Hammerlin, don’t you?”

  “Roxanne?” Mrs. Carter’s brown eyes widened. “Is that really you?” She rushed over and gave Roxie a hug.

  “That is you!” A smile split her husband’s face as he met Roxie’s gaze. “You’re all grown up, and what a beauty you’ve become.” He turned to Aiden and Calum. “Is one of these two fine men your husband?” He he
ld out his hand. “Harvey Carter.” He waved to his wife. “This gorgeous silver-haired woman is my wife, Marlene. We’ve known little Roxie, here, since she was this tall.” He held his hand down around his knee.

  “It’s good to meet ye, sir.” Calum took the older man’s hand, surprised by the strength of the older man’s grip. “We’re staying in the cabin across the lake from Roxie’s home. Our family has owned the land for quite a while, though we’re not the pair who usually stays there. Our cousins wanted to visit our family in Scotland for a wee bit. We agreed to stay and watch the cabin to be sure no one decided to help themselves to their belongings while they’re gone.”

  They led the old man away, hoping to learn more about the area while the women chatted and took the time to get reacquainted with each other.

  “So...” Aiden said as they steered him toward the other end of the counter. “Are there any good fishing spots around here? We’ve heard the fishing here in Michigan is something tae write home about.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Roxie glanced at the men, worried that Mr. Carter might guess that they both wanted her. While she wasn’t ashamed of wanting to have the kind of relationship her friend Sunshine had, she also didn’t want the older couple to think less of her if she did.

  “Oh, don’t worry about them. They’ll find something to talk about.” The older woman patted her arm. “I was sorry to hear about your grandfather.” Marlene stepped closer and gave her another hug. “Both he and your grandmother were the nicest people I’ve ever known. If you ever need anything, you just let us know.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Carter.”

  “Oh, you’re an adult now, dear. Call me Marlene. Almost everyone does.” She gave Angel a sideways glare that would have iced over the lake in town if it hadn’t been frozen, already. “Except that one. She insists on calling me Mrs. Carter.” She sniffed. “She can’t let me forget for a minute that I’m an old woman.” Turning her attention back to Roxie, she gave her a level stare. “I might be an old woman, but I don’t need people reminding me of it, every minute of every day. So, you’d better call me Marlene, or I’ll send Harvey over to piss in your well.”

  “Okay... Marlene.” She couldn’t imagine that nice old man fouling anyone’s well. Roxie smiled as she held out her hand. “I promise to try to remember to always call you by your first name on four conditions. One, you don’t tell... Harvey to pee in my well. Two, you promise to call me if you ever need anything at all, anytime at all.” She dug into her purse and pulled out one of her business cards and scrawled her cell phone and the cabin phone numbers on the back, before handing it to the older woman.

  “Three, you promise we’ll get together for a chat and some tea once in a while. My fourth and last condition is that you promise you’ll both to come out to the cabin at least every other Saturday for dinner. I don’t know about you, but I know I’m going to be awfully lonely up here and I would enjoy the visit.” She looked at the men. “Of course, it would be a real dinner party and I’ll have other guests.”

  Marlene and Harvey had been a couple of her grandparents’ favorite people. She wasn’t sure, but she suspected that they were almost as upset about their passing as she was.

  “I assume they left you the cabin. You always loved it here.” She wrinkled her nose. “Garret could never wait to go back to the city and his internet. Are you going to live here full time?”

  “I’m not sure.” She glanced at the men, still talking to Harvey about ice fishing. “The will stipulates that I must follow some specific guidelines to inherit. Then, if I should marry... I’m not sure what my husband might want to do.”

  “I see.” Marlene’s face fell, her disappointment clear.

  “It’s not that I don’t want to stay.” Roxie grasped the older woman’s hand and squeezed her fingers. “I do, but...”

  “There’s not many men your age that would want to live out here in the boonies.” Marlene sighed. “I understand, dear.” She leaned closer. “Are those the two Scots that live in the cabin on the other side of the lake?” She leaned closer. “Your grandmother told me some rather interesting things about what goes on in that cabin, sometimes.” She gave a nervous giggle.

  “If I was twenty years younger, and didn’t think I’d have a heart attack, I might hike out to that orgy house and try some of the things your grandma said goes on there.” She glanced back at her husband and sighed. “Then again, even given the chance, I probably wouldn’t. Harvey might not be the youngest stud on the farm, but he’s my stud and I love the old coot. I wouldn’t do anything to mess that up.” She sighed again. “But it sure does get the blood pumping to think about it. And don’t you ever think that I would think less of you for loving two men if they ever tell you they love you and offer to give you a good life.” Marlene chuckled at her expression. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m old, not dead.”

  It was all Roxie could do to keep her mouth closed. In fact, she almost reached up to be sure it wasn’t hanging open with the shock of hearing Mrs. Carter tell her it was okay to have a three-way relationship if she wanted.

  Wow. I don’t believe she just gave me the okay to be a part of a ménage. Roxie’s face heated at the thought.

  That was a surprise, wasn’t it, lass?

  Roxie almost jumped at the sound of Calum’s voice as he whispered in her ear.

  She glanced at him. Wait a minute. How did he do that?

  Calum couldn’t have whispered in her ear. He was still across the room talking to Harvey and Aiden was standing right next to him.

  I’m surprised Sunshine didn’t tell you that we can hear your thoughts, lass. You should know, we don’t do it on purpose. We know you’d like your privacy, as anyone would. However, it’s hard tae tune out the thoughts of a potential mate. It’s almost as though you’re screaming at us, Aiden added.

  Holy Hell! How many times had I thought about the two men? How many times had I admired their asses as they walked away?

  Not enough to feed our egos, lass. Calum chuckled through their mind link.

  Oh, no... She held the palms of her hands to her blazing face. What must they think of her lusting after them the way she had? She’d barely known them in Scotland, and while she wasn’t certain, she was fairly sure she had lusted after them almost from the moment they met.

  Calum tried to calm her from a distance. Don’t fash yourself, lass. We don’t think less of ye. In fact, we’re glad to know that you’re attracted to us. He smiled at her from across the room, then gave her a wink that nearly made her knees go weak.

  What was it about the two men that almost had her swooning like the heroine of some dime store romance novel?

  Ye can’t resist us, lass. Tae try and do that would insult the very force that has brought us together.

  “What’s the matter, dear? Are you okay? Your face is as red as a stoplight.” Marlene took her arm when she swayed on her feet.

  “I...” She lifted her hand to her head and stumbled. “I’ll be fine.”

  Was she a slut for wanting what Sunshine had? What about Duncan and Jamie’s wife, Lara? She didn’t seem loose, either. In fact, she’d appeared to be more of a girl next door type of person. If that was the case, why did she feel like such a tramp when she thought of giving herself to two men?

  You do realize that telling me I can’t resist makes you two sound more and more like some kind of a stalkers, don’t you?

  We aren’t here tae stalk you, lass. We’re here tae protect you. Aiden glanced her way before laughing at something Harvey said.

  How could they carry on two conversations without missing a beat? Mr. Carter had no idea their attention was divided.

  “Come on, dear.” Marlene hurried over and grabbed her husband’s arm. “We should be getting home, now. Our sherbet is going to melt.” She glanced back at Roxie and smiled. “Besides, Roxie doesn’t appear to feel well. We should let her get back home where she can rest.”

/>   “It was nice talking to you boys.” Harvey shook their hands. “Remember, if you decide to go ice fishing, always check the thickness of the ice, first. We don’t need any emergencies on the lake.”

  “I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Calum glanced at Marlene and winked. “It was nice to meet you, ma’am.”

  Marlene blushed and covered her mouth as she tittered a response.

  “They were a nice couple.” Aiden moved to her side and watched as Angel rang up their purchases.

  “They’ve always been very nice.” She met each of their gazes. “That’s why I’ve invited her over for tea and them both over for dinner on Saturdays.”

  “That was nice of ye, lass.” Calum crossed his arms. “I can’t be certain, but they seem to be a lonely couple. I’m sure getting out on occasion would be good for them.”

  “I’m sure it will be, and for goodness sakes, please remember to call her Marlene or she’s liable to send her husband over to pee down my well cap.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “We can’t have that, can we?” Aiden chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess we’ll have to remember tae call her by her first name, then, won’t we?” He glanced at Calum who had laughed out loud, his gaze following the older couple out of the store.

  “They don’t have a car.” He frowned as he watched them climb onto an old snowmobile and start the engine.

  “I don’t think they can afford a new car. They drive that exclusively in the summer, or when they have to drive to Saulte Sainte Marie for their doctor’s appointments every three months,” Angel said as she scanned their purchases. “They won’t accept help, either. I don’t even know how they manage to keep their house warm. I don’t think they’ve bought a tank of propane in three or four years.”