Falke’s Captive (7 page)

Sure, the tourism brought in variety. Dakota had been an outsider when Axel and Gunnar claimed her. But she was the exception, because she fit in around here. Most outsiders didn’t, and they weren’t normally welcome for the long haul in Leavenworth’s close-knit community.

And their family secret was just too big. Look how much trouble Beth Coldwell had caused, and she’d been in town only a day or so. Outsiders were bad news. She proved it. But damn, she was hot.

So, they’d no doubt have to go elsewhere to find the right woman, but where? Reidar had no earthly idea where to find a suitable mate—one willing to live here. Because when all was said and done, Reidar knew both he and Kelan wanted to stay near the family, no matter how mad Kelan got at their brothers.

Don’t look now
, Kelan muttered through their telepathic connection,
but the cougar hunter just walked in.

Reidar glanced toward the door to see Beth enter the dimly lit pub.
Uh oh. Should we leave?
He turned back to Kelan who flashed him a smirk.

Run? From her?

Kelan, she’s a scientist with a knack for shooting your ass.

“Good point.”

“Kel…I know that look, and it always spells trouble.”

“There’s one more little thing I didn’t tell you about the mad scientist.”

Reidar finished the last of his beer and raised his eyebrows in question.

“She’s into cages and collars.”

“Bullshit.”

“I’m serious as a heart attack.”

Still skeptical, Reidar asked, “And you know this how?”

“She likes to talk to caged kitty cats.”

Reidar shook his head and chuckled. Beth might not be in it for the long haul, but he’d wanted to get his paws on her curvy body ever since they’d walked her back to her hotel.

Kelan was right. They had a lot of time to find
the one
. And no one had forbidden them from seeing her again…as humans. “You think she’d like to play?” he asked, shoving aside the voice of reason that warned against any and all liaisons with the pretty scientist.

We’ll see
, Kelan said silently.
She’s coming our way
.

Beth’s tummy fluttered the instant she spotted two of the Falke brothers sitting in a booth at the rustic, old world pub. The slightly longer hair identified one of them as Kelan, awake and apparently suffering no ill effects from the tranquilizer she’d shot him with that morning. And the other must be Reidar, who had stuck up for her and kept their brother from calling the police.

For a brief instant, she thought about leaving, but she’d never been one to avoid responsibility. She knew what she had to do. Squaring her shoulders, she weaved her way through tables and chairs and across the dance floor to the side of their booth. When she arrived, though, her brain seemed to go completely blank. They looked at her with identical pairs of eyes, showing none of the censure she’d expected. Hazel eyes glinting with something hot and primal that made her scalp tingle.

“Hey there, sharpshooter,” Kelan said, one side of his mouth kicked up into a slight grin.

She tried for an apologetic smile, but the heated look he gave her made her lips tremble with nerves. She slipped a hand over her belly to quiet the butterflies. “Yeah, about that…I just wanted to say—to tell you I’m really sorry about tranquilizing you this morning. You’re okay, right?” He wore a collar now, the one she’d had or the one he’d loaned to the cat. When she glanced at Reidar, she noted he wore his too. There was something sexy about that—these big, strong, virile men wearing leather that way.

“I’m fine, Beth,” Kelan murmured. “Now that you’re here.” His voice, a little more than a low growl, made certain parts of her body quiver in a stimulating, yet distressing, way. Too many months spent with microscopes and computers, and not enough playtime.

“Really? I mean good. I uh…After this morning, I figured you’d be so mad, you’d never want to see me again.” She forced a soft chuckle out and glanced at Reidar. “I thought you’d both be glad to be rid of the crazy, gun-wielding scientist.” Would she ever be able to swallow the boulder stuck in her throat?

“You armed now?” Reidar asked.

Her abrupt burst of laughter was more genuine this time. “No, I’m not.”

He flashed a set of pearly whites. “Good. Neither are we.”

Not true. The man was armed with that captivating smile and kissable lips.

Kelan held his hand out to her, and she stared at it a long moment before slipping her hand into his. He tugged her toward him, and she slid into the booth. His broad shoulders made her feel tiny, even though she was far from it. Both men’s bodies were lean, yet muscled and sexily outlined by jet black T-shirts. She took a quick glance down at their hands as Kelan’s thumb skimmed over her knuckles.

The room grew ten degrees warmer before she looked back up at his face. Such an intriguing color of eyes. Stunning.

She got a whiff of his masculine scent over the smell of fryer oil, beer and barbeque sauce.
Mmm
. He smelled like the outdoors, not some expensive cologne. Different, and more than a little pleasant. If they could bottle up that fragrance and sell it, he’d be a rich man.

She needed to get her brain back on track. “How many are there of you?”

Kelan’s eyebrow rose, and Reidar, across the table, chuckled. She turned to look at him, only to find his gaze on her just as hot—and demanding?—as Kelan’s. She licked her lips, trying to get some moisture back into mouth.

“We’re two of a set of quads,” Reidar answered, sliding out of the booth and then in beside her, trapping her between him and Kelan. “Axel’s the oldest, and Gunnar is second.”

The invasion of her personal space didn’t make her want to elbow them away. No, just the opposite, she wanted to lean into him—them—either one of them.

“And…” She cleared her throat. Her mouth seemed awfully dry. “And who is the oldest of you two?”

Kelan gave a slight bow of his head, which she found rather cute, but then his gaze snagged hers, and her breath caught. Oh, if that wasn’t sexual interest, she didn’t know what was. She hadn’t been out of the dating scene so long she couldn’t recognize the signals. His thumb stroking the back of her hand and fingers sent electrical charges straight to her breasts, tightening her nipples.

She turned to look at Reidar, and he raised a hand and slid a finger down her cheek. “I sense you like being here between us.”

What woman wouldn’t?
she thought, trying hard to get her lungs to work at a healthier pace.

“Your breathing has sped up, your pupils dilated.”

She swallowed hard. The man was way too observant.

Kelan’s index finger stroked the inside of her thigh where her shorts had ridden up when she sat, and her breath hitched. Seriously? Were they both…

Kelan leaned in and whispered, “Have you ever fantasized about two men, Beth?” His tongue stroked the rim of her ear.

She shivered even as her body ignited.

Reidar leaned closer, his lips a mere breath from hers. “Ever wonder what two mouths and four hands would feel like pleasuring you?”

Dear Lord. This
was
for real. “I…”

“You what?” Reidar asked, his voice a soft whisper against her mouth.

“I thought I’d screwed up…my chances…with you.”

Reidar brushed his lips across hers, not quite a kiss, but a caress that had her longing for one. “Falke’s back, safe and sound, and Kel’s…well rested.”

She giggled and heard Kelan chuckle too. “Yes, I guess he is,” she admitted.

Reidar smiled. He was incredibly handsome when he did that, she thought.

“How adventurous are you, Beth?” Kelan’s hot breath tickled her ear. “A woman going into the wilds in search of beasts…How about some animal activity closer to home?”

As Kelan spoke, she stared at Reidar’s lips, so close yet not touching. Her breaths grew shallow. Her heart rate doubled. Damn, the man smelled good.

“B-both of you?” Her voice came out as a squeak, but she had to be sure.

Reidar brushed his nose against hers, and his grin was pure male temptation. “Would you like that, Beth?”

She nodded, afraid to open her mouth. She’d been hoping for one, but two was good. No, two was great. They were offering her every woman’s darkest fantasy.
Her
fantasy. Two gorgeous men—twins at that. At once.
Oh. Yeahhh.

Without hesitation, she leaned toward Reidar and kissed him. His tongue swept into her mouth, and he tasted of beer and masculinity, a downright sensual flavor. Sizzling heat flowed through her, and she opened for him, wanting more. His fingers scooted up her outer thigh, edging beneath the hem of her shorts.

Kelan’s free hand, the one not holding her hand, slid over her stomach.

She moaned.

“Beth,” Kelan whispered, and Reidar slowly pulled back, looking her in the eyes.

“Yes,” she said on a soft breath.

“Let’s get out of here,” Kelan continued, “before we do something to embarrass you. We don’t want that.”

The strangest thing happened right then that she didn’t understand. Kelan’s thoughtfulness, his voice combined with Reidar’s tender gaze, gelled into…something that tugged at her chest. She’d completely forgotten where she was, much less her vulnerability in almost doing something shockingly risqué in such a public arena. But the men hadn’t—they’d thought of her.

A peace settled over her, as if she belonged between these two men. It should be wrong. Two men at once was nothing more than a fantasy. But it was one she couldn’t pass up. She wanted—in that moment
needed
—to be with them.

She breathed in deep, realizing Reidar’s scent was ever so slightly different than Kelan’s, but just as potent. And the mixture of them both made her insides melt.

“My room is close,” she said, never taking her gaze from Reidar’s.

He nodded and slid out of the booth, then held his hand out to her.

The sun was peeking through the treetops on its westward decline when they stepped onto the sidewalk. It wouldn’t be dark for another couple of hours.

Kelan stopped and spun her around to face him. “You ready for this?”

As ready as I’ll ever be.
“Of course,” she said, trying for confidence.

He used a finger to lift her face toward his and leaned closer, whispering, “Care for a little experimentation, my sweet and sexy scientist?”

A thrill shot through her, and her pussy clenched. She nodded, rising to reach his lips with her own, but he pulled away.

Kelan grinned. “Patience, hon.” Like the first night they met, he tucked her hand in the crook of his arm, this time settling his own hand over hers.

She blinked. “Um, okay.” She could wait. The hotel wasn’t far. But she wanted so badly to yank him into at least a jog, preferably a record-breaking sprint.

Reidar moved to her other side as they walked along the sidewalk, lacing his fingers with her free hand without missing a step.

She didn’t know what to say, so she kept her mouth shut. Excitement skittered through her. It had been a while since she’d been with any man, and her last few dates had been lab geeks not unlike Tim. Nothing against Tim. He was a nice guy, as were her dates. She’d enjoyed the pleasant evenings of intellectual conversations at the time, but this was different.

These two brothers stirred up the woman inside her, the one that read erotic stories until 3:00 a.m. and dreamed for one chance to experience the type of passion embodied in a best-selling romance. They might be way out of her league, but she wasn’t about to mess anything up by saying something stupid.

They entered the lobby of the Bavarian Inn. Reidar and Kelan greeted the guy behind the desk by name, but they didn’t stop to chat.

“You know him?”

“Small town.” Reidar winked at her.

“Where’s your room?” Kelan asked.

“Second floor. 201.”

They headed for the wide set of wooden stairs, letting her lead the way, though Kelan never released his grip on her, almost as if he thought she might run away.

Not a chance of that!

When they reached her room, Kelan said, “Where’s your key?”

She reached for her pocket with her free hand, but Reidar grabbed her wrist, startling her.

“He asked you where it was, not for you to get it.”

She raised her eyes to him. “Left pocket.”

He gave a nod and reached into her pocket. Her breath snagged in her throat, and she nearly choked because of the intimate contact. He withdrew the keycard from her pocket and let go of her wrist.

“Before we go any further,” Kelan said, drawing her attention from his brother, “have you ever used a safe word?”

Eyes wider, she shook her head.

“Dart,” Reidar suggested, making Kelan roll his eyes and her chuckle. “I don’t think she’ll forget it.”

No, Reidar was right about that.

“All right,” Kelan said. “Dart is your safe word. Use it if you need to, but know that if you do, we’ll stop, and this ends.”

Whatever
this
was, she wasn’t ready for it to end, so she nodded. “Okay.”

Reidar opened the door, stepping in and to the side so she and Kelan could enter.

“I…uh…”

“Shh,” Kelan coaxed, removing her glasses and handing them to his brother without releasing her from his intense gaze.

Okayyy…
She could still see him up close and crystal clear. Things in the distance were another matter.

A somewhat fuzzy Reidar went straight to the low dresser against one wall, set her glasses down and opened the top drawer.

“What are you—”

Kelan clapped his free hand over her mouth. “I said, hush. No talking unless we tell you to.”

What the hell? Had she made a mistake trusting these two?

She made a face and tried tugging away from Kelan, but he pulled her back hard against his chest. Though she squirmed, he didn’t let go.

“Don’t chicken out now, hon,” Kelan said, and she heard the amusement in his voice.

“Not a chicken,” she said, her words muffled behind his hand. But she wanted answers for his sudden overbearing attitude, even if his body felt way too good for comfort.

His lips against her ear, he reminded her, “First experiment, our sweet scientist. Can you behave and do as you’re told?” He nipped her lobe, and his voice dropped to a sultry whisper. “You’ll be so
pleased
when you do.” The emphasis he placed on pleased lent itself to vast possibilities. And his added, “We’ll make sure of it,” turned them into promises that left her mute.

In the third drawer Reidar scrounged through her underwear, finally lifting out a lacy thong. “This’ll have to do. She doesn’t have any stockings.”

Why the hell would she have stockings? She was on a scientific trip here, not some Club Med holiday. And what was he going to do with her thong? Those were her special get-lucky undies. She hadn’t been sure until right this second why she even brought them.

“You won’t mind us getting a little
kinky
…now will you?” Kelan’s deep whisper in her ear sparked goose bumps across her flesh and made her sex moisten.

Kinky…
She loved the sound of that. When she answered by pushing her butt against him, his husky chuckle made her insides quiver.

Reidar approached with her thong, and Kelan spun her around, removed her purse from across her chest, dropped it to the floor and wrapped both arms around her.

She’d been right. No mistake about it. They weren’t interested in her possessions. They were here for
her
.

Before she could react, Kelan’s mouth was on hers, and Reidar had hold of her hands, pulling them behind her back and binding them with the thong.

For a fleeting instant she fought, but Kelan’s tongue swiped into her mouth, and she forgot why she would ever want to fight either of these two. His kiss was harder, more demanding, than Reidar’s had been, and even more arousing. It made her tingle and pulse from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. She melted against his chest, tilting her head back so he could deepen the contact.

And then Reidar’s hands were around her waist, up under her shirt, against the flesh of her stomach, grazing the underside of her breasts. He pressed his chest against her back and nipped that sweet spot between neck and shoulder, and she cried out. Kelan swallowed the sound as he brought his hands up to cup her face.

Oh, God, she was going to pass out from the eroticism of this moment. Of these big men surrounding her.

Reidar’s crotch pressed against her bound hands, and she felt the hard bulge there. The heat…He desired her as much as she wanted them. She could barely keep up with the tempestuous sensations bombarding her body and mind. They consumed her.

The button of her shorts popped.
Ziiippp.
Someone was…The shorts dropped to the floor.

Shit, she was wearing ugly underwear. The pale pink pair with bleach spots. Why hadn’t she put on the thong? What did it matter? Warm caresses sent her panties sliding after her shorts, which made her whimper into Kelan’s mouth.

He teased her tongue with his and nipped her bottom lip. When he pulled back and broke contact with her, Reidar lifted her tank top and pulled it over her head, but he left it around her upper arms, trapping them.

Kelan looked down at her chest, drawing her own gaze there, as Reidar set to work on the half dozen hooks on the front of her bra.

“Nice,” Kelan murmured when Reidar spread the bra and exposed her breasts.

Her face heated, and her nipples puckered in the air-conditioned room.

“Mmm-hmm,” Reidar said, cupping her breasts and lifting them in his palms. “Real nice.”

She didn’t know what to do, so she stood there, trying not to be self-conscious. Her breasts were large, more than filling Reidar’s hands, and Kelan seemed to enjoy watching the motion of their jiggling as Reidar toyed with their weight.

“Fucking hot,” Kelan said, his palms on the move from her hips, down and around to cup her ass.

Then Reidar’s thumbs flicked her nipples, and she jumped at the bolt of arousal that shot straight to her pussy.

“Sensitive,” Reidar muttered in her ear. “That’s good.”

It felt good, and she wanted him to do it again, but he released her, and before she knew it, Kelan lifted her into his arms and carried her to the king-sized bed, where he laid her down.

“Don’t move.”

She did adjust herself, to take some pressure off her bound arms, but then she lay still, her shorts and underwear around her ankles, trapped by her hiking boots.

Kelan moved to her feet and started unlacing her boots. She turned her head to look for Reidar, but Kelan smacked her thigh.

“I said, don’t move.”

It hadn’t hurt, but it got her attention. She frowned at him. “I was just—”

Another slap to her thigh, this one hard enough to smart. “And no talking, either.”

She jackknifed into a sitting position. “Now wait just a damn—”

Kelan grabbed her right arm and leg and flipped her onto her face. A sharp slap stung her left buttock.

“Hey,” she cried.

He slapped again, but then his big, warm, slightly rough palm massaged the heated sting, which turned into a lingering tingle of pleasure.

“Stop trying to control the situation, Beth,” Kelan said, his voice low and sexy. “You let go, and we’ll make you come harder than you ever thought possible. But if you insist on disobeying…” Another slap, this time to the other cheek, got his point across.

She moaned when he once more rubbed her butt cheek, and the pleasure was a million times more than the pain. She ground her pelvis instinctively against the bed.

“Understand?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Yes, Kelan,” he corrected.

“Yes, Kelan,” she repeated, a smile tugging at her lips.

“You remember your safe word?”

“Yes, Kelan.” She remembered, even though she hadn’t once thought to use it, and didn’t want to now.

The bed dipped at her side, but she didn’t look. Now that she knew what the game was, she lay still and waited for whatever they wanted. She wasn’t a total innocent. Although she’d never had a dominating man in her sexual repertoire—which really wasn’t all that full anyway—she’d read enough to know about BDSM and found the idea of kinky sex thrilling.

Now was her chance to experience some for real with not one guy, but two. And if she pleased them, perhaps later she could persuade them to give her more information on their unusual pet cougar.

Either way, she’d wake tomorrow with no regrets.

“Time for your second test, Beth,” Kelan said, regaining her attention.

“I’m going to blindfold you,” Reidar said. “Is that okay?”

She nodded with a smile, appreciating that he’d asked. “Yes, Reidar.”

“Good girl.” Kelan went back to loosening her bootlaces.

Reidar used a hand towel from the bathroom to blindfold her eyes. He tied it securely behind her head, adjusted it, then tugged her ponytail holder off and spread her hair out over her shoulders.

“Gorgeous,” he murmured. He placed a soft kiss on her shoulder, licked her skin, and then nuzzled just below her ear. “I like that you don’t wear perfume. You smell good being all you.”

Perfume drew mosquitoes and other nasty, biting, stinging bugs. She’d learned that as a child, wandering the woods where she grew up just north of Seattle. She kept her thoughts to herself, though, and let the warmth of Reidar’s nuzzling heat her skin.

Kelan pulled her boots off and dropped them to the floor. Off came her socks. Then a sharp bite to her butt cheek that caught her so off guard, she squealed.

Reidar, still near her ear, chuckled. “Feel free to make all the noise you like, sweet thing. Let us know you’re enjoying yourself.”

Kelan laved her flesh where he’d nipped her ass—nice rounded curves too cute for him to ignore. But they had plenty of time, so he told Reidar,
Let’s slow things down.

Reidar nodded and began to gently trail his fingertips along one of her arms. Kelan scooted back and did the same as he mapped her calves with his hands. Together they synchronized their movements to heighten her pleasure. Reidar skimmed his hands across her arms, shoulders, back and sides, while Kelan focused on her cute feet, long legs and shapely ass. Repeatedly, he drew near erogenous zones without actually touching her there…between her legs.

At times she flinched when their touch became too ticklish. At others she moaned into the bedding and thrust her ass up, eager for more, especially when they began to use their mouths and tongues to explore her body.

She tasted better than he’d hoped for back when he was her prisoner, a caged animal. Now, their roles reversed, he wanted to show her exactly what the man inside him was capable of.

Roll her over.

Reidar grinned at him and moved to do just that. Her arms were now trapped beneath her body, her legs bound loosely together with her shorts and panties. He’d have to fix that. He left her clothes bunched around her ankles to act as a cushion for his belt, which he removed from his pants and used to secure her legs.

Reidar leaned over her and murmured, “Are you ready?”

“Oh, God, please. Fuck me already!”

Kelan chuckled at her urgent enthusiasm.
Not very submissive, is she?

She has spunk. I like that, and she’s bound and willing. What more can a man want?

Good question, he thought as he watched his brother kiss Beth, watched her respond by arching her back, thrusting her chest toward Reidar’s hand.

“Mmm, perfect,” Reidar murmured against her lips before continuing the kiss.

Kelan stroked her calves with both palms, wishing they’d met her under different circumstances. Axel would probably skin him and Reidar alive if he knew they were bedding the feisty sharpshooter who opened fire in his store. Kelan knew he shouldn’t be enjoying her body or those soft whimpers of need that made his cock ache, but he was.

Tonight might be the only chance he ever had to be with her, and as selfish as he was, he’d take it.