PolarBearS-express Read online

  “I dinnae know, Liam.”

  “What do ye suppose her name is?” Bending, Liam gathered up the kindling and moved to the fireplace to start a fire.

  “I hae no idea.” Angus looked down into the angelic face and sighed. “I dinna care what her name is.” He looked up, meeting Liam’s gaze. “All I want tae know is, can we keep her?”

  Chapter Three

  Kaitlin woke to the sound of two men talking. Two Scottish men, if their accents were any indication. Lifting her hand, she rubbed her forehead with a frown and opened her eyes. She was in her cabin. Well…her cabin for the next three weeks, anyway.

  How did I get here?

  Turning her head, she watched the nice blaze burning merrily in the fireplace. Why could she never get it to burn that good? Did two toothless, Scotttish mountain men rescue her?

  She could only imagine what they looked like—two hairy redheads with no teeth and potbellies. Smiling, she rolled over, put her feet on the floor, and sat up.

  “She’s awake, Angus.”

  Yep. She smiled and shook her head. With a name like Angus he had to be about sixty and pot-bellied.

  “Aye, she is.”

  The two men moved around each end of the sofa and into view.

  Kaitlin’s mouth fell open. These two men were, most definitely, not old, nor were they pot-bellied. She had the urge to turn around to see if there was an older gentleman behind her—the one they called Angus—but something told her that Angus was one of the men standing in front of her.

  They were both tall. Even sitting down as she was, she could tell that by the way she had to crane her neck to look up at them. The one with the dark hair had intense, gray eyes. The Blond had green eyes that nearly matched the color of his plaid shirt. They were both built like body builders and—she looked away, mortified. They both had erections.

  The man with dark hair had his shirt, off exposing a six pack with large welts scored across them. The welts started somewhere behind him and wrapped around his torso and over the well-defined ridges on his stomach.

  “How are ye doing, lass?” the blond asked as he knelt down in front of her.

  “I’m fine.” She looked everywhere but at them. If she continued to stare, she might start to drool and that would just embarrass her. “How did you know I was staying here?”

  “We know the area,” the brunette said, as he, too, knelt to try and meet her gaze. How could she look at them when she saw that they were both aroused? She couldn’t get her mind off the size of the erections behind the button fly of their jeans. Her cheeks grew warm as she imagined herself taking first, the brunette, then the blond into her mouth and licking along their hard length until they groaned.

  Something brought her back to her senses as she finally realized they were in her cabin. Alone. What if they were some sort of crazy mountain men who raped and killed women?

  Kaitlin bit her lip and looked around for something, anything, she could use as a weapon. The only thing she could see was the poker sitting next to the fireplace.

  “I think she’s frightened, Angus,” the dark haired man said as he followed her gaze to the fireplace. Standing, he moved toward the fire, bent down, and retrieved the poker. “Is this what ye want?” He moved back to the sofa and held it out to her. “Take it if it will make ye feel better.” He knelt down again. “But we won’t hurt ye, lass.”

  Kaitlin didn’t take her eyes off the man while she reached to take the poker from him. Was he playing with her, or was he serious? She didn’t know what to think. After all, she couldn’t even remember how she got here with them. What if they had been watching her all this time and used this opportunity to get inside the cabin?

  “Feel better, now?”

  Was that smile he gave her genuine or was it sarcastic? Kaitlin didn’t know. All she knew was that it made her feel funny. Her insides felt all strange, the way it felt whenever she got pulled over by a state trooper or when she was watching a scary movie.

  “I’d feel better if I knew both your names.” She cocked her head to the side and stared at them.

  “I’m Liam McGregor,” the brunette said as he held a hand to his chest. He looked at his friend. “This, as you’ve probably figured out, is Angus. His last name is Campbell.”

  They could have left after they dropped her off. There was no real reason for them to stay, was there? “Why didn’t you leave after you brought me here?” Kaitlin finally had to ask.

  “We wanted to be certain ye would wake up. Ye had a fright and we weren’t sure ye didn’t hit your head when ye fell.”

  That was as good an explanation as any, she supposed.

  Kaitlin scooted to the edge of the couch. “Well, it would seem that I’m fine.”

  “Aye. It would seem so,” Liam said. Stepping back a pace, he waved his arm. “Would ye care tae stand and walk about for a bit? It would go a long way tae making us feel better about leaving ye here alone. After all, we did find ye being mauled by a bear.”

  That was it! That’s what happened to her! She’d lost that bit of memory somehow when she’d regained consciousness. Kaitlin began to tremble. As much as she didn’t want these men to stay because she didn’t know them, she also didn’t want them to leave.

  Fighting off two men seemed easier than fighting off a bear any day. She looked up at them and wondered exactly what she could say to get them to stay now that she’d practically told them to leave.

  “I—I don’t really feel well.” She pressed the back of her hand to her head and wondered if she was overdoing it. She’d always been something of an actress. She’d had to be, since Ray died. Every time someone asked her if she was doing okay, or when they asked her if she needed companionship or money, she’d had to put on her acting face and tell them everything was just fine—that she was just fine.

  “I’m not sure I can stand at the moment.” Still, she would have to figure out a way to get to the bathroom because if she didn’t get to the toilet soon, Kat was sure she would burst.

  “That’s fine, lass.” Angus reached out and patted her knee. “Liam and I would be happy tae stay until ye feel better. It’s not every day a lass like yourself gets attacked by a polar bear.”

  “No, I suppose it isn’t.” All of a sudden, it was very important to her that these two men not leave her alone. What if the bear followed them here? What if she had a concussion and she couldn’t drive herself to the store for fuel or food?

  “How long would you have stayed if I hadn’t regained consciousness?”

  “As long as it took, lass.” Liam winked. “We told ye our names. Don’t ye think it only fair that ye share yours with us as well?”

  Kaitlin felt her face heat. How did these men seem to change her from a self-aware, self-reliant woman to an inexperienced adolescent?

  “Kaitlin. My name is Kaitlin Robertson.” She licked her dry lips. “I’m from Midland, Michigan.” She paused to take a breath and decided that she would give them the whole story and see if either of them was really interested in her. If they weren’t, she would bid them a good evening as she shut the door behind them. “I’m thirty-four, widowed and hiding from my family during the holidays to get away from their well-meant, but no less annoying, pity.” She looked at the two men. “Now, it’s your turn. What are the two of you doing up here in the middle of nowhere when it’s so close to Christmas?”

  Chapter Four

  Angus looked at the angel in front of him and thanked the gods for bringing her into his life. For years, he and Liam had searched the cities and countryside of nearly every country and every state, several times, looking for a woman that could stir their passions the way this woman had.

  His cock throbbed with the need to feel her slick flesh gripping him. His balls ached to climax while he fucked into her with abandon. Never in his existence had he ever felt a need so great. This woman, this beautiful, curvy woman, with her chocolate brown hair and whiskey-colored eyes had stirred more in him since they found he
r. More than any other woman ever had.

  “We are in a similar situation.” He shrugged, stood and made his way over to a chair near the window.

  As much as he wanted to be close to her, he knew that there was no way she would allow the two of them to flank her on the sofa—not when there was another chair in the room. Liam was the oldest. It was his right to first approach the woman who could prove to be their mate.

  Kaitlin looked at him, raised her brows, and smiled. “Riiiight. Like I’d believe that your family has any reason to pity you.”

  “Why not?” He wrapped his arm around the back of the chair. “You expect us to believe the same of you.” He shrugged again. “Why should we believe that your family has reason tae pity a young, beautiful lass, such as yourself?”

  Kaitlin laughed. “Aren’t you the smooth talker.” She shook her head. “Well, aside from my less than perfect physique, I’m a widow. My husband died when I was twenty-four.” She held her hands out, palms up. “So, I’m the family charity case that everyone takes turns inviting over on the holidays.”

  Angus couldn’t believe she was cynical enough to believe that her family only asked her over because they felt obligated. Surely, they wanted to see her because they loved her and missed her. “Dinnae ye think they invite ye because they want tae see ye?”

  Hell, he was close to loving her already and he’d only just met her. He stared at the beautiful woman before him, his cock practically begging him to fuck her. He pressed his hand against his groin in an attempt to tame the raging organ and smiled at the woman he hoped would consent to be their mate.

  I think she’s the one, Liam.

  Aye. I think so, as well. I can’t get my cock tae behave. It’s as though it thinks I hae the right tae throw Kaitlin on the floor and mate her like some randy young boar, Liam agreed. He sighed as he moved to sit on the other end of the sofa. I hope she doesn’t panic when I sit here next tae her.

  Me too, old friend. I would love tae go back home with a mate in tow. Can ye see the other members of the clan looking on with envy?

  Liam looked at Kaitlin, took a deep breath as though sucking up her scent, and gave Angus an almost imperceptible nod.

  It was up to Liam now. There was little more for Angus to do but sit back and hope Liam didn’t fuck it up.

  Angus looked to the fire and cursed beneath his breath. It was nearly out. He would most likely need the damned poker and Kaitlin had a death grip on the thing, as though she believed they would harm her if she didn’t have possession of it.

  Standing, he moved to the fireplace, knelt before it, and placed a few split logs on the glowing embers. Smoke rose from the wood, some of it billowing out of the fireplace. That wasn’t a good sign.

  “I think the chimney needs cleaned.” He scowled at the fireplace as though it was at fault for its condition. “Is there a set of sweeping tools here?” If there was, it would be as good a reason as any for Liam and he to return after she kicked them out. At least they could return on the premise that she needed the chimney serviced before it caught fire and burned the place to the ground.

  “I don’t know.”

  He heard Kaitlin stand. She walked over to him, handed him the poker with a smile and said, “I guess if you guys wanted to kill me, you wouldn’t have saved me from the bear and then given me the means to defend myself. Wait here and I’ll go see. I think I saw a brush and a set of rods in the shed, next to the woodpile. But I have to go to the bathroom first.”

  Angus watched as she walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Turning, he wanted to face Liam and see what he thought about Kaitlin checking the shed while they waited inside.

  If she thinks she’s going outside alone, the woman is as barmy as that randy young bear that attacked her earlier.

  Angus chuckled at Liam’s comment and turned back to the fire. They would have to let this one burn out and wait for the fireplace to cool before they could clean the chimney. He only hoped she would let them stay here with her. He wasn’t sure he could leave this woman now that they’d found her.

  Kaitlin opened the door to the bathroom and Liam stood when she headed for the door. “We’ll go with ye.”

  “There’s no need.” She turned with a smile. “I trust you to stay here and not take anything.”

  “And we trust that ye won’t try tae run off in the night, because we’re here, but neither of those reasons is why we plan tae accompany ye.” Liam followed her to the door where she donned her coat and boots.

  Grabbing Angus’s coat, Liam threw it across the room to Angus before he put his own jacket on. “The reason we plan tae go with ye is because there’s a hungry bear out there somewhere and he could have followed our scent trail back to the cabin.”

  “Oh.”

  The smell of her fear filled the room and Liam sighed. “I dinnae mean tae frighten ye, lass. I only meant to make ye see there’s still a danger outside. Ye must remember this isn’t Michigan. This is Alaska. And even if there isn’t a polar bear out there awaiting ye, there could still be a Kodiak bear and they’re just as ornery.”

  “I never thought of that.” She bit her lip and looked through the window. “I just keep thinking this is like Michigan. There are bears, but there aren’t many in the country. I figured they would keep to the mountains and forests.”

  “And ye aren’t far from either one of those. There are moose, too. I’m sure ye know that moose are dangerous as well.” Angus didn’t phrase that as a question. He knew Liam must take the lead in this as in all things, but that didn’t mean he needed to be a doormat. This woman was his to protect as she was Liam’s. He only wished they could get her to see that and agree.

  “Angus is right, lass.” Liam helped her with her coat and leaned around her to open the door. “There are dangerous things in Alaska, especially in the remote areas such as this one.”

  “I don’t know how remote this is,” Kaitlin scoffed. “We’re only about an hour from town.”

  “An hour from a small town. What would ye do if ye were injured? Even a plane would take a while tae get here. In an emergency, help is still at least thirty-minutes away. Never underestimate how long it will take help tae reach ye, lass.”

  Liam was right. If the cabin caught fire or if she got attacked by another bear, wolves or some other wild thing, help would not be just around the corner.

  They followed her to the shed. Kaitlin pulled out a ring of keys and used it to open the small shack. Inside, there was every tool a person could need to maintain a cabin in the middle of nowhere, including a brush and rod set for the chimney.

  Liam picked up the set and handed it to Kaitlin. “Carry this inside, lass and Angus and I will gather some more wood.” He looked up at the sky. “It looks like it’s going tae snow. I dinnae want tae worry about ye trudging out here alone tae gather wood after we leave.”

  “You’re leaving?”

  “Well, we cannae stay the night, now can we, lass?”

  Chapter Five

  They couldn’t stay the night. It was ludicrous. She didn’t even know these men. She bit her lip as she watched them gather wood. Angus piled wood into Liam’s arms until she was sure they would break from the weight.

  He was strong, she had to hand him that. He must lift weights. Kaitlin realized she was staring when Liam looked over at her and winked. He was showing off, the big goon. The wood piled in his arms went up to his chin. It would have taken her at least four trips to carry in that much wood. He started walking toward the cabin as Angus bent to pick up the stack he’d made for himself before he loaded his friend’s arms.

  “Come along, lass. You’ll need tae open the door for us.” Liam grinned. “As much as I’d like tae prove tae ye that I can hold this much weight with one arm, I’ll drop it for certain if I try tae shift it to one side.”

  “Yeah, right.” She hurried to the cabin to open the door. Like either one of them could really hold their burden with one arm.

  Kait
lin opened the door when she reached the cabin and followed them in after they entered.

  “We’ll let the fire go out for now,” Liam said after he set down his armload of wood. “Ye do have fuel stocked for such an occasion?” Straightening, he turned, resting his hands on his hips.

  Good Lord, the man looked good enough to eat. Kaitlin frowned. What was wrong with her? She hadn’t felt this way for any man since Ray died. In fact, it almost felt as though she was betraying Ray’s memory lusting after these two the way she was.

  “Let the fire go out, but leave the flue open. We dinnae want ye tae die of asphyxiation before we return tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Tomorrow afternoon?” They would be gone that long? “What if I have a concussion? I might not wake up if I don’t have someone here to rouse me every so often.” She altered her gaze between them. “You said yourself that it would take a while to get help out here.”

  Kaitlin squeezed her eyes close. Gawd! That sounded desperate.

  Liam moved to stand in front of her, rested his hands on her shoulders, and gazed deep into her eyes. “If ye want us tae stay, we’d be happy tae, lass.” He glanced back at Angus. “We didn’t want tae frighten ye by suggesting it.”

  She looked at them both. They probably thought she invited strange men into her home all of the time. As a matter of fact, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Kaitlin hadn’t had one man who wasn’t related to her in her home since Ray died. She always felt as though she would be tarnishing his memory somehow if she went on a date or invited another man into his home.

  Kaitlin knew it was a ridiculous notion, but for some reason, she felt as though Ray didn’t want strange men in his home, or dating his wife. Yet, asking these men to stay felt right. Well, asking one of them to stay felt right, anyway.