“That should tell ye something, Kat.” Liam sat up, then eased himself onto the floor. “It should tell ye that the two men ye invited into your home are more animal than man.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” What in the world was he talking about? “You’re no more or less human than every man.”
Kaitlin fisted her hands at her sides. It was all she could do to keep from putting her hands on his chest and tracing the hard ridges she could see beneath the shirt he’d put on while she cooked dinner. Something inside her urged her to get closer, to run her hands up his chest and over his shoulders to feel the hard muscle. She wanted nothing more than to grasp the hem of his shirt and yank it over his head, exposing every solid inch of his torso once again.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she shook her head. You can’t lust after two different men, Kat. She opened her eyes with a sigh. Listen to her calling herself Kat again. What was it about these two men that kept testing her resolve and her safeties?
“That’s where you’re wrong, lass. What if I told ye that Angus was about tae show ye that you’re wrong?” Liam jerked his head in Angus’s direction. “Would ye believe us then?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She shook her head and eased back a bit. “Show me what?”
“Dinnae be frightened, lass.” Liam moved closer, and rested his hands on her shoulders before he moved around to her side. “I’ll stay right here next tae ye so you’ll see that he won’t harm ye.”
“What in the world are you talking about?” Kaitlin started to pull away, but before she could, the light around Angus flashed for a split second and he disappeared. In his place was a large—a huge—polar bear.
Chapter Eight
“In the late nineteen-twenties, scientists found the scull of a polar bear in a cave in Inchnadamph, which is in the highlands. They think it is descended from the Irish brown bear, but we know better. At first, they thought the skull was only eighteen thousand years old. However, our legends say we’ve been a part of the Earth’s ecosystem for over six-hundred thousand years. Though no one really believes that.”
“Some of us do, Angus.” Liam leaned back against the couch, obviously deciding to watch as his friend told their tale. “The only reason they can’t find proof is because we usually die in our human form. That poor bear was most likely taken by surprise and died before he or she could shift back.” He shrugged when Kaitlin looked at him. “What can I say? No one wants their remains desecrated by a skinning or having someone eat you. Most humans don’t eat other humans. Some do, however, skin and eat bears.”
“They do, and did, especially back then. The pelt is rich and thick, capable of keeping a human warm in the harsh elements and the meat, plentiful enough tae keep a family fed for days,” Liam added.
“So, if you die in your bear form, you stay a bear and if you die in human form, you stay human?” Kat reasoned. What in the world was she saying? Was she really buying into all of this? What if they’d given her some kind of drug and all of this was some sort of weird dream or hallucination?
Or worse yet, what if she was still lying out on the ground, her body ravaged by the bear and this was her version of hell?
“Aye, lass,” Angus replied as he moved to flank her. “The shifting magic doesn’t work on the dead.”
“I don’t believe this.” Kaitlin stood and made her way to the kitchen. “I think I need a drink.”
Pulling her small bottle of vodka from the cabinet over the refrigerator, she poured a tiny bit into a cup and tossed it back.
Liquid fire made its way down her throat and she gasped. Holy crap that burns! She had never had a drink without some sort of mixer or at least a chaser before, and she would never do it again.
She twisted the cap onto the bottle easily and turned to the men. “Would you like a drink before I put it away?”
“No, thank ye, lass.” Liam took the bottle from her, set it back in the cabinet, and closed the door. “Alcohol doesn’t work on us the same way it does humans. Our metabolism burns it off faster.”
She frowned. “I thought polar bears had a slower metabolism.”
“I wouldn’t say slower. I think they just store and burn their energy more efficiently. And we shift intae polar bears. We aren’t really a part of their genome. At least, I don’t think we are. Males can try to mate with our females, but they cannae get cubs on one, just as we cannae get cubs on one of their females. We must mate with our own kind or humans.”
A tight ball of nerves made itself known in her belly. He couldn’t mean what she thought he meant. Was that why they were still here? Did they plan to mate with her?
Even though the idea terrified her, heat sizzled in her middle and cream soaked her panties. There was no doubt that she wanted these two. Yet, she didn’t want to get hurt in the process, either physically or mentally.
He rested his hands on her shoulders and stared deep into her eyes. “We need tae keep talking, Kat.”
Kaitlin tried to ignore the warmth that stole through her at his touch and the use of her nickname. “No we don’t.” She stepped back and held up her hands. “I don’t need to hear any more about crazy things. I just want to go on as though I didn’t hear all of this.” She shook her head when Liam would have said something. “I told you, I don’t want to hear it.” With her head bowed and eyes closed, Kaitlin trembled.
How could she believe everything they told her about shape shifting men and polar bears? Yet, how could she ignore the proof they’d already given her? She’d seen Angus change his shape. Unless they had drugged her, and she really didn’t believe they had, she couldn’t ignore the fact that she had watched Angus as he had shifted from human to a polar bear in only a few seconds.
A pair of strong, warm arms surrounded her and she jumped. How could they expect her to believe such a fantastic tale? How could they expect her to trust them? They were part bear.
“Oh, my God…”
“Shh…lass. Dinnae fash yourself.” Liam whispered in her ear. “Dinnae let things we cannae change upset ye.”
She wanted to pull away from him and run, but where would she go? This was her cabin for the month, her retreat. She couldn’t go crawling back home after turning down everyone’s invitation. She just couldn’t.
Liam held her tight, refusing to let her go, and she cried. She cried because she thought she was going mad. She cried because if she left here, she would have nowhere to go but back to her empty home, filled with so many bittersweet memories of a life long gone, and she cried because of the years of loneliness she’d endured since Ray passed.
What had she done to deserve to be left alone? Hell, she didn’t even have the comfort of one of Ray’s children. Kaitlin had been pregnant at the time of her husband’s death. She hadn’t known it at first, but when she found out, it had filled her with hope. Ray wasn’t gone forever after all. He’d left a piece of himself behind for her to love.
Then, tragedy struck and she was in an accident. A drunk driver crashed into her on her way home from one of her doctor’s appointments and took the baby from her. Suddenly, irrevocably, she was twenty-four and alone. She was so tired of being alone.
Pulling away, she looked up in Liam’s eyes. She didn’t want to be alone anymore. She wanted to feel like she belonged somewhere and tonight, she felt as though she did belong—right here, in Liam’s arms.
Another warm body pressed against her back and instead of tensing, as she thought she should, Kat relaxed in their embrace. For tonight, for this one moment in time, she would leap at the opportunity to be with someone—even if it was these two strange men who rocked her belief system. Who knew? Perhaps they could also rock her world.
“Don’t hurt me. Please, you two, don’t hurt me.”
“We dinnae want tae hurt ye, lass,” Liam whispered against her neck. “We want tae love ye.” He laved her earlobe with his tongue, while Angus made a similar assault to her other ear.
Good grief! I’m in so
much trouble!
Chapter Nine
Do ye think she’ll accept us, Liam? Angus couldn’t help being a bit apprehensive. After all, this woman was like a dream come true.
I think she already has, old friend.
If only they could be so lucky.
Angus moved closer, reached around her, and pulled her tighter against him. She was so soft. A lot softer than the last female they’d had sex with, which was so long ago, he couldn’t remember the year.
Kat’s full breast filled his palm. He brushed his thumb over her taut nipple and she gasped. As much as he wanted to be her first, he knew that honor belonged to Liam. As the eldest, and alpha in their relationship, he must always go first in all things.
With a groan, he pressed his erection against her hip. He needed the contact to keep him sane. He needed to feel this woman in his arms, to feel her arms wrapped tight about him. He needed to feel her flesh sliding against his as he fucked into her, hard and deep.
Angus loved the feel of this woman in his arms. He loved her scent, the little sounds she made when he tweaked her nipple through her t-shirt and bra, and the way her breath hitched when he thrust his tongue in her ear.
He almost groaned when Liam pulled her from his grip. “Let’s get ye into the bedroom, lass. We don’t want our first time tae be on the floor in front of a cold fireplace.” He looked down into her face for a moment before he kissed her. After a few moments, Liam pulled back and looked down into her face. “Will ye allow Angus tae kiss ye as well?”
He turned her at her slight nod and Angus smiled at the dazed expression on her face. “Are ye all right, lass?”
She opened her glazed eyes and looked at him. “Yes, Angus. I’m fine.” She tilted her head. “Are you going to kiss me now, or should I turn back to Liam?”
“There’s one thing you’ll learn about me quickly, Kat.” With a chuckle, Angus pulled her into his embrace. “And that is, ye never have tae ask me twice.”
He didn’t waste any time. Cupping her face in his hands, he slanted his lips over hers, thrusting his tongue into her mouth when she opened for him. Gods, she tasted exquisite. No woman could ever compare to this one.
In his centuries of life, not one woman had ever stirred him the way Kat did. Not one woman ever made him want to give up everything for her, the way this woman did and not one woman in his considerable lifetime had ever given him the protective instinct he had for Kaitlin Robertson. This was the one woman in centuries of searching who could truly be their mate.
They both groaned when Liam pulled her from his embrace. He wasn’t finished. He didn’t think he would ever be finished with the loving of their Kat—even for a little while.
Taking a deep breath, he dragged her scent into his lungs. She smelled intoxicating. If her human liquor couldn’t make him drunk, her scent definitely could. Every breath he took was like dragging in the fumes of some mind-numbing drug. He could feel his eyes glazing over as he leaned into her.
“Let’s take this to the bedroom, shall we?” Liam again suggested as he bent and lifted Kat into his arms.
Angus couldn’t have agreed with him more. He wanted their mate to be as comfortable as possible, the first time they took her. The better it was for her, the more likely she would be to keep them. He hoped she wanted to keep them because he knew he intended to do everything in his power to keep her by his side for as long as he lived.
She looked like an angel come to Earth when Liam set her on the bed. She looked up at them with her long hair spread over the pillow like a dark halo. She didn’t say anything. She just stared at them, her eyes wide, her face showing her indecision.
“Tell us ye want this, baby.”
Angus could hear the tension in Liam’s voice as he stared down at her, his hands clenched into fists by his side. As much as they wanted to take her, to make her theirs, they couldn’t force her. Forcing females was against their clan’s code as well as their personal beliefs. They had to know she wanted them at least as much as they wanted her without coercion.
Kat slid off the bed, her face unreadable. She walked a few paces away and turned to look at them. “As much as my mind tells me this is wrong because I barely know you two, my heart says it’s right.” Tears slid down her cheeks as she looked at them. “My only fear is that I’ll become attached to you and you’ll leave.” She shook her head and wrapped her arms over her stomach. “I—” Her voice caught. “I don’t want to be alone anymore. I can’t take it. I can’t accept you two into my life for tonight and then watch as you walk away. I’m not that kind of person.” She turned and paced away from them. “I don’t…do one-night stands. I just don’t.”
Liam and Angus went to her, pulled her into their arms, and closed their eyes.
“How did we get so lucky?”
“I dinnae know, Angus,” Liam said with a sigh. “I dinnae know.”
“Lucky? What in the heck are you two talking about? Didn’t I just say that I couldn’t do this? Didn’t I just tell you that I can’t do this thing you want me to do?”
“No, lass.” Angus chuckled. “All ye did was confirm that ye want the same thing from us that we want from ye.”
“I don’t understand.” She didn’t pull away, but she also didn’t relax in their arms. “I lost control of myself out there for a few minutes. My brain disengaged and let my body make its decisions for a while.” She sniffed. “Let me go. I need a tissue.”
They released her and watched as she went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.
“How do we make her understand we want tae keep her, Liam?”
“I dinnae know, Angus. I just dinnae know.”
Chapter Ten
Kat shut the door of the bathroom and leaned against it. How could she face those men ever again? How could she ever explain to them that she needed more than just a one- night stand? Hell, she didn’t even know them. How could she want more than one night with them?
What was it about her that drew her to him so unerringly? She knew she shouldn’t feel anything for them. She barely knew them, yet something drew her to the two men. Something deep inside her had her wanting to open the door, walk to them and step into their arms.
She wanted them in a way that she had never wanted any man—even Ray. It made her feel guilty, this wanting. She shouldn’t feel more for these two men that she’d just met than she’d felt for the man she loved and married ten years ago.
Locking the door, Kat stripped and headed for the large tub. Her friend’s family had owned this property for several years and had made many improvements on it. The bathroom was an addition off one side. It was easily three-hundred square feet of decadence.
Bending down, she turned on the taps and tested the water running into the tub. Once it was just right, she straightened and began to strip. She needed a bath and she needed to think. There was no better place for that than this.
Smiling, she lowered herself into the steaming water and sighed. Even if she decided she wanted to do this crazy thing, she would have wanted a bath first. Bathing always helped her think.
Dunking her head below the water, she brushed her hair back and reached for the shampoo when she resurfaced. Squirting a small amount in her palm, she rubbed her hands together, then lathered her hair. This was just what she needed to clear her head.
So what if this would be a one-night stand? Didn’t she already decide that she was tired of being alone and didn’t she make up her mind to have this one night with Liam and Angus? So what if they would leave in the morning. For one night, she would have the attention of two men and most compelling of all, she wouldn’t be alone.
After her bath, Kat rubbed herself pink with the plush towel she’d brought with her and then drained the tub. She would go out and tell both of the men that she’d finally made up her mind. Hanging the towel over the handle of the shower, she took a deep breath and walked toward the door.
Cool air rushed to kiss her warm skin as she opened the door
and stepped out into the bedroom. It was empty. She should have known they wouldn’t hang out in the bedroom while she bathed. Still, it made her decision to walk out of the bathroom naked worthless.
Since she refused to walk the length of the large cabin in her birthday suit, Kaitlin grabbed her robe and threw it on as she walked out of the room.
First, she went into the living room and discovered they weren’t there. After that, she tried the kitchen—they weren’t there, either. After searching the entire cabin, Kaitlin finally came to the decision that they had gone.
Gone was her one chance to experience a night with two men. Gone was her chance to spend even one night with someone instead of spending it alone. She’d obviously had her chance and lost it because she’d been indecisive.
Kaitlin sat down on the couch and stared into the dark fireplace. The chimney sweep tools still sat to the right of the hearth and the wood the guys carried in, sat stacked next to it in a neat pile.
Other than that, there was nothing in the cabin that would prove to her that the things that had happened over the last few hours were real. Tears slid down her cheeks as she thought of the two men. Their friendly banter had made her smile. Their handsome faces had made her long for something more from them that she was sure they were willing to give.
She’d fallen in love with two handsome strangers in the last dwindling hours of an evening and, when she’d stopped them from doing the one thing she wanted the most, they left. Who could blame them? They had probably expected her at least to be grateful enough to let them make love to her just once.
The stories the locals told her, led her to believe that women were a scarce commodity here in Alaska. Who could blame her for not wanting to be their toy—especially when she wanted so much more?
Resting her head in her hands, Kaitlin cried. She wept for her lost love so many years ago and she cried for what could have been, if only she had had the courage to reach out and grab it.
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