PolarBearS-express (6 page)

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.

The sun rose, its rays sparkling on the pristine snow that had fallen sometime between the time they had gone out for the sweeping tools and morning. Kaitlin stood on the porch, cursing nature. Why did it have to snow and cover the men’s tracks?

With a sigh, she closed the door and picked up the sweep set. A thorough search of the bookshelves on either side of the large fireplace produced a book on fireplace maintenance and Kaitlin managed to sweep the chimney herself.

Time passed as it always did over the next few days and, with the help of a few of her toys, Kaitlin managed to come to terms with what she lost. No toy could ever replace a real man, but she finally realized that she was meant to be alone. For some reason, she just couldn’t keep a man with her for long.

The fourth day after they left, Kaitlin heard the chuff of a polar bear outside her door. Her heart leapt in her chest. She’d just been out wandering earlier in the day, hoping to encourage the two men to come back. She didn’t care that they could do the impossible and shift into another shape. All she cared about was the fact that they had returned.

She rushed to the door and opened it, hoping to see that they had shifted back to their human forms. Instead, what she found standing on the porch was a large polar bear.

“Is that you, Angus?” She tilted her head to the side and looked at the polar bear that stood with one huge paw on the ground and one on the porch. She swallowed thickly. “Liam?”

Reaching out, she tried to connect with it, the way she did injured animals to tell it to go away. She couldn’t reach it because it wasn’t injured. At least she didn’t see an injury.

The bear chuffed and lowered its head. It looked at her with steady eyes that held a degree of ferocity she hadn’t seen in Angus’s eyes when he shifted. She backed up a pace and stared at the bear, trying to figure out what was wrong. Angus had green eyes, even when he shifted. This bear had…black eyes. It was a real bear!

Without another thought, Kaitlin slammed the door closed. She didn’t even realize she’d been screaming until the door was shut and the dead bolt in place. The porch creaked and groaned as the bear walked over the seasoned wood.

The door rattled as the bear pushed against it. Was this the same bear from the woods the other day? If so, why had it come here? Polar bears didn’t search out humans for food. Seals were the main staple of a polar bear diet.

Had this bear gotten the taste of human blood and now craved it? God, she hoped not. The door rattled again and she screamed again. Kaitlin backed away from the door, looking for a weapon. Where was the gun her Kara had left in the cabin for her to use for protection?

She backed away from the front door, moving slowly through the cabin as she searched for another gun.

What could she do? She couldn’t defend herself against a polar bear, bare handed. The thought was ludicrous.

Screaming again Kaitlin turned and ran for the bedroom when she heard the front door splinter and the bear’s chuff as it entered her home.

She slammed the bedroom door behind her and tried to push the large armoire in front of it, but it was too heavy and wouldn’t move. Her stomach churned as she sat in the middle of the bed, staring at the door as the bear clawed its way in.

The bear limped toward her, leaving a trail of blood on the floor behind him. Once he reached her, he turned around, lifted his huge rear paw so Kaitlin could see the large bear trap hanging off one foot.

“Oh, you poor baby. You don’t want to eat me, do you? You just want me to fix your paw. Reaching out with her mind, she tried once again to reach the bear. It was difficult, but now that she knew he was injured and fear didn’t rule her mind, she managed to touch some tame part deep inside the wild bear and calmed him before she reached down to release the catch on the trap and open the jagged circle.

With a groan, the bear pulled his foot out of the trap as she held it open. “Who put a trap out here? If they aren’t, these things
should
be illegal.”

If she wasn’t mistaken, polar bears were protected and anyone hunting them was doing so illegally. She looked up at the bear and bit her lip, wondering how she would manage to get the large creature out of her house.

A loud crash from the other room made her jump. “Oh, God, what now?”

Chapter Eleven

Liam and Angus went to town as quickly as they could. They had to let her know they were serious when they made the offer to mate. In her world, a man would give her a ring. It seemed a cheap way to declare one’s love, but he knew it was a declaration she would at least understand.

It took them longer than they thought it would. They wanted a ring that would be two parts of the same whole. Liam would give her the solitaire while Angus would give her the ring that would surround it, protecting it. It was a symbol he hoped she would understand and would not be lost on her.

They first became aware of a bear heading in the same direction roughly two miles from the cabin. Breaking into a run, they planned to overtake the animal and steer it away from the cabin before it could harm Kat.

Liam’s heart leapt to his throat when he saw the cabin, its door listing from its hinges, claw marks on the doorjamb. They both dropped the gifts they bought Kaitlin for Christmas and ran for the door.

“Kat! Kat, where are you?”

“I’m in here,” she called out. “I’m okay. The bear stepped on a trap and wanted me to remove it.”

To Liam’s relief, Kat stepped into the doorway, the bear behind her. Rushing forward, he pulled her to him and into his arms. “I thought we’d lost ye, love.” He pressed his face into the crook of her neck and sighed. “I thought we’d lost ye.”

Stepping back, he held her by the upper arms. “Let me look at ye, lass. Let Angus and me see that ye really are unharmed.” His heart still raced and his hands trembled as he took her in. He couldn’t imagine a life without this woman now that they’d finally found her.

He looked down at her, his still-trembling hands rubbing over her arms, his eyes searching for any injuries. If that randy young boar had harmed her in any way, he’d kill the damned thing, endangered or not.

His throat burned as he looked down into her bonnie face and thanked the gods that she was still alive. Liam could do little more than stand, holding her and telling himself that through some miracle she was alive and well.

Reaching up, Kat cupped his cheeks and pulled his face down to hers. “I’m fine. Though I would like the bear out of the cabin before his gratitude wears off and he decides he wants to eat me after all.”

With a chuckle, Liam pulled her through the doorway into the kitchen. “Lead him out of here, would ye, Angus?” He turned back to Kat and pulled her close once again. “If I had thought we’d find ye with a bear when we got back, we would hae taken ye with us.”

She looked hurt. “Where did you go?”

“Did ye think we wouldn’t come back, my bonnis lass?” He chuckled and tightened his arms. “We went intae town. We needed tae get ye presents. Ye said you’d been alone all these holidays with no one tae give tae ye, just as we had no one tae give tae.” He pulled back to look into her eyes. “Now, the three of us hae each other.”

Angus entered the cabin, carrying the packages they dropped in the snow. He gave them both a mock glare. “What are ye doing hogging her all up for yourself, ye prick?”

With a playful growl, he pulled Kaitlin from Liam’s arms and held her tight. “Gods, darlin’, I thought we’d lost ye for a wee time. I dinnae ever want tae feel that way again.”

Liam knew just how Angus felt. His heart had leapt to his throat. He’d almost shifted and charged into the cabin ready to fight, but knew that wouldn’t help Kat if she was still alive. It would have caused the other bear to protect what it felt was his. Thankfully, he’d remained logical instead of relying on his instincts.

“Why did you guys leave in the first place? I only went in to take a bath.”

“Darlin’, we didn’t leave because we thought ye rejected us. We left because we heard the acceptance in what ye said, even if ye didn’t.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She frowned up at him, before she crossed her arms over her stomach.

Liam recognized the action for what it was. She was scared that they would reject her. Hell, he was scared, too. He didn’t’ want her to reject them, either, but he wouldn’t know if he didn’t ask.

“We heard ye when ye said that ye dinnae do one night stands.” He nodded at Angus who pulled the small package from his pocket. “We wanted ye tae know that we wanted more than one night with ye as well.”

“It’s ridiculous to think we can have much more than that. I leave here in two weeks and you two need to go home as well. There’s no way we can have more than a night or two together.” She sighed and turned around as though she couldn’t face them when she said it. “You know what? I don’t care about that anymore. I don’t care that we’ll only have one night. I want it. I want everything.”

“And if ye could hae it all? What if we told ye that ye could hae your dream. That the three of us could make a family together.” He smiled when she turned red. “Dinna fash yourself, lass. We know that’s what you want, because it’s what we want as well. So, what if we told ye, that we wanted ye tae spend the rest of your life with us? What would ye say tae that, lass?”

“Aye, Kat,” Angus said. “What
would
ye say tae that?”

Chapter Twelve

Kat turned around and looked up at them, her gaze moving from one to the other. She swallowed thickly. “We just met.”

“Aye, lass, we did.” Angus nodded. “But we aren’t like human men. We hae gone centuries looking for a woman who could stir our senses, one who could accept us for who and what we are. We hope that woman is ye, lass.”

“As barmy as ye may think this sounds, we love ye lass. We love ye more than ye could possibly imagine,” Liam added.

Kaitlin held her hands over her mouth. Tears streamed down her face a she looked at the two men who had come to mean more to her than they probably should, considering the fact that they’d just met.

The center of her chest hurt as she stared up at them. Her stomach fluttered as though it had an army of butterflies in it. “Why me?”

“Because, lass, ye smell like Christmas and every other holiday rolled intae one. You light up the room when ye smile, and ye hae the courage tae stand up tae a polar bear when it breaks down the door of your home. How could we not love ye?” Liam pulled her close again. “How can
I
not love ye when all I think about is doing this?”

His mouth came down on hers in an urgent kiss. His hands slid down her arms, his hands leaving tingles in their wake. She assumed Angus was the one who turned the stereo on to the sappy love song she heard as Liam continued to kiss her and sway with her as he pushed her back toward the bedroom.

Kat wanted to stop him, to tell him that she felt the same way, but didn’t want him to end the kiss, because she could feel his urgency. His fingers found her nipples, toying with them until her knees buckled.

In one swift motion, Liam bent and scooped her up in his arms and headed for the bedroom. On the way, he palmed the back of her head and brought her lips back to his. He licked the seam of her mouth, thrusting inside when she opened for him.

Reaching up, Kat thrust her fingers through his hair, tugging him closer still. He shoved himself against her, pressing his erection against her pelvis. His urgency increased when his tongue slid against hers, thrusting deep into her mouth.

White lightning arced between them as he cupped her breasts, his thumbs sliding over her taut nipples. Darts of pleasure shot straight from the tips of her breasts  to her womb. Whatever Kaitlin thought would happen between them was magnified ten-fold. His light touch seemed so much more than that of a human man. Why was it? Why did everything feel so much more…well, more?