PolarBearS-express (2 page)

Angus continued,
Hunters will come out of the woodwork to hunt the great white bears again.
Endangered or not, they won’t care that there are less than twenty-five thousand of them left.

They couldn’t afford for that to happen. The last time the humans made an all-out assault on large predators, it had almost wiped out their species as well. They couldn’t let it start again if they could prevent it.

Liam didn’t respond. He’d already launched himself at the young male, hitting him square in the side. They both rolled away from the woman, claws and teeth biting into each other’s flesh.

Though he was larger than the
subadult
bear, the young boar gave as good as he got. Pain tore through his side as the bear, wanting to take advantage of an opportunistic feeding, struck him, dragging its claws along his side. It left deep furrows, spilling his blood onto the ground.

The male swiped at him again, but missed as Liam dodged to the side, dancing away from the sharp claws.

Liam growled and lunged at the younger male, swiping his large paw across its face. The young boar reared back and out of the way before Liam could strike him again. Liam stood on his hind legs, raising his front paws into the air. The stance made him look larger and, with luck, it would scare the younger bear off. When the young boar lunged again, Liam swiped at him with his huge paw, digging long, deep gouges through the other bear’s flesh.

With a loud chuff, the adolescent bear turned and ambled away. Apparently, he had finally figured out that his easy meal wasn’t so easy after all.

Liam turned back to where he’d last seen the woman. Her long brown hair spilled about her head as she lay still as death in Angus’s arms.

“Ye hae tae see her up close, Liam.” Angus’s voice quivered as he spoke. His hands shook and if Liam wasn’t mistaken, the man’s legs even trembled a bit. “She looks like an angel and she smells like no one I hae ever scented before.”

“I know,” Liam said after he shifted to his human form. “I can smell her from here.” He dressed himself with a thought. This wasn’t the first time he was thankful for the magic that allowed them to pull clothing out of thin air. It most likely would not be the last.

Closing his eyes, Liam took a deep breath. She smelled unlike anything or anyone he had ever been close to in the past. Every time he inhaled, his body tightened, his stomach clenched with need, and his balls ached. Every steel-hard inch of his cock reminded him that she was a female and he an unmated male.

No female had ever made him feel this way human
or
clan sow. None had ever stirred his senses so much that he would do anything just to get another whiff of her unique scent. Sweetness wafted around her. A scent he couldn’t describe filled his nose and his cock ached with the need to sink into her silky softness.

He met Angus’s gaze. “What do ye think, Angus?”

“I think we need tae get her back home before we both lose our senses and mount her against her will.”

Slowly, Liam shook his head. “I dinna think so.” There was no way he was exposing their clan mates to the delicious scent of
this
treasure. He walked around the area where he’d fought the bear and found the woman’s tracks. “Isn’t there a cottage back that way?”

He was sure there was. If he recalled correctly from their last visit to this area, its absentee owners loaned it out to friends and family.

“I’d wager she’s staying at the cottage through the woods.” He frowned. What was such a beautiful woman doing staying out here alone? She couldn’t have a man with her. He almost growled at the thought that some man would sit in the cottage safe and warm while she was out here risking her life in the harsh elements.

“What makes ye think that?” Angus looked at him as though he though he thought he was barmy.

“Because there isn’t another place tae stay anywhere nearby and it’s too damned cold for her tae hae walked far.”

“That makes sense.”

“Aye.” He turned and started walking toward the cabin. “Let’s get her inside and warm her up.” He smiled. “And when she wakes, she just might be grateful that we saved her from that bear.”

“Aye,” Angus agreed with a smile of his own. She might be very grateful.”

It took them almost an hour to follow the woman’s tracks back to the cabin. A large four-wheel drive stood in front of the small structure, its large wheels standing a good three feet taller than the snow. He shook his head at the thought that the woman in Angus’s arms drove the large beast up here from wherever it was she hailed. The thing looked like something out of some monster truck magazine.

Turning his attention back to the cabin, he noticed the door was closed. He could also tell it was her tracks all over the front yard. Since there was no smoke rising from the chimney, Liam assumed she was staying here alone.

He shook his head as he reached for the door. “Tell me, Angus, what could drive a woman tae spend the holidays in a cabin in one of the most remote areas of Alaska?” He pushed aside the pile of small branches just inside the door with his foot. “And what would draw a woman out intae the cold an hour away from her cabin?” He closed the door behind Angus when his friend carried the woman through the door.

“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 her. 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.”