Madison Layle - Falke’s Captive

“The locals who own the puma,” Tim said, a hint of derision in his voice.

“The puma’s name is Falke, and nobody owns him,” Kelan said then pulled Beth away from Reidar and kissed her soundly.

Tim sputtered. “ Both of them?”

Beth slowly leaned back and looked into Kelan’s intense gaze. No use denying the obvious.

“Yeah. Both of them.”

Kelan eyed her lips and murmured, “What do you say, hon? You hungry?” His softly growled question reminded her of another time when he’d asked her that, and the delicious memory gave her insides a need far beyond mere food.

She nodded. “You guys wanna come in and wait while I shower?”

“I’m out of here,” Tim said in a tone that got her hackles up. “But Beth, remember what I said before. Don’t come crying to me when they hurt you.”

She frowned at him. If she went crying to anyone, it certainly wouldn’t be a male coworker.

Tim stood up to his full height, which was a few inches taller than Reidar and Kelan, but he probably didn’t break the one-sixty mark, whereas the Falke brothers were easily two hundred pounds of solid muscle. Despite Tim’s words, the three men stood glaring at each other until she cleared her throat.

“I know what you said, Tim. You just remember what I said about my time…and my business.

See you first thing in the morning,” she said and pulled Kelan and Reidar into the room by the belt loops of their jeans, making a space for Tim to exit.

Kelan locked the door after Tim brushed past him and into the hallway. “Hurry up,” Kelan said as he retrieved his cell phone from his pocket. “I’ll get us a table at The Gold Miner, so wear something nice.”

Beth stopped on her way to the bathroom. “I don’t have anything nicer than a pair of jeans. I’m working here, not hanging out in nightclubs.”

Reidar grinned. “Jeans are fine, sweetie.”

Kelan grunted then spoke into his phone.

“You sure?” she asked Reidar. “I don’t want to stand out.”

Reidar gave her a gentle kiss. “We’re not wearing suits, now are we? Jeans are fine. I think he just wanted to see those long legs in a skirt.”

She grinned, warmed by his compliment, and said, “I could wear my lab coat and a belt.”

“Not out in public, you’re not,” Kelan said as he closed his phone. “But maybe when we come back here.”

Reidar chuckled when Beth burst out laughing.

“Reservations in twenty minutes,” Kelan said and popped her on the ass. “Get a move on.”

“Yes, sir.” She scurried into the bathroom and shut the door. She hoped the food was good, because she was starving. Then maybe, since she was so well rested, she’d invite them back for a little fun before she kicked them out and got some work done. If nothing else, she could write up an account of everything that had happened in the last couple of days in the journal she kept on her laptop.

Everything that had happened with the cat.

Not with the Falke brothers.

She’d never put that down in writing. That was to keep safe inside her…heart.

“Hurry it up, Beth,” Kelan called, which prompted her to turn on the shower and strip out of her clothes.

Beth did feel a bit underdressed, but not horribly so. She wore the newest pair of jeans she had with her, and the closest thing she had to a blouse, a white button-down man’s shirt. The plaque near the door inside The Gold Mine touted it as a four-star restaurant according to one of the big gourmet magazines, and the executive chef even had Michelin rating. White linens covered the tables laden with real silver and crystal. The lighting was subdued, yet not as dim as the pub. Luckily it was past the normal dinner hour, so there weren’t many patrons.

The hostess, dressed in a stylish black dress that didn’t show too much, yet enough to get good tips, led them to a small table in a private corner. The table that, apparently, Kelan had requested. The Falke brothers seemed to be regulars, even if the hostess wasn’t sure which brothers they were.

Reidar held Beth’s chair for her, and she sat, took her purse off her shoulder and set it on the floor beside her. He took the seat to her left, while Kelan sat on her right. The table was small, the space intimate.

“Do you drink wine?” Reidar asked once the hostess left.

“Not really. I’d prefer a screwdriver, if that’s okay.” She picked up the gold-embossed menu and opened it. Her eyes nearly bugged at the cost of even the smallest appetizers.

When the waiter came to fill their water glasses, Kelan ordered a screwdriver “light on the vodka” and beers for the two of them. Then he turned his attention to her.

“You remembered,” she said, grinning at him.

He cocked a brow. “With you…everything.”

Reidar touched her arm. “Order anything you want, sweetheart. Everything here is good.”

“Thanks.” She had student loans coming out her ears from years and years of university. Not since her mother’s last engagement party had she been in an establishment of this caliber, and never would she spend this kind of money on a meal. “I’m not really hungry.” She set the menu down. “I think a salad will do me.”

Both brothers gave her a look that bluntly told her they didn’t buy it.

“We saw you eat last night,” Kelan said.

“If you don’t order something that will fill you up,” Reidar added, “we’ll have to do it for you.”

Kelan leaned close to her ear and whispered. “As much as we like control, we’d prefer our woman to order her own meals.”

A shiver went down her arms, and a smile curved her lips. Their woman. Crazy that this was happening so fast, but it sounded so nice. So…right. Much more permanent than a summer fling ever should. Did they really consider what they’d started to be more than that? Dare she hope?

“Okay,” she said.

Kelan caught her earlobe between his teeth for a brief moment that sent goose bumps bristling along her nerves before he sat up and opened his menu as if he’d done nothing out of the norm.

Trying to catch her breath, Beth opened the menu again, decided on the prime rib, and then glanced at Kelan. He seemed engrossed in his menu. She turned her head to look at Reidar.

Weird .

She watched them for a bit. They stared at their menus, but their eyes weren’t moving. Almost as if they were in some kind of trance.

She cleared her throat, and their heads snapped up.

“Did you decide?” Reidar asked.

“Uh-huh. The prime rib. Are you guys okay?”

They glanced at each other then back at her.

“We’re fine,” Kelan said. “You?”

“I’m great.” What the heck was that?

The waiter came with their drinks then spread their napkins over their laps. How classy. She sipped her drink, letting out a sigh. Her one indulgence. She loved the tang of the orange juice mixed with the slight bite of vodka.

“Beth?”

She raised her eyes to look at Reidar and pushed her glasses up her nose. “Hmm?”

“Would you like to order?” He tipped his head toward the waiter.

“Oh, yes.” She smiled at the handsome waiter. “Six ounce prime rib, medium rare, baked potato, no sour cream, and ranch dressing on the side of the salad please.”

“Six ounce big enough?” Kelan asked.

She turned a scowl on him. “Yes, with the potato and salad. I can only eat so much.”

He chuckled. “I’ll take the same, but twelve ounce. And Thousand Island on the salad.”

Beth laughed.

“Lamb chops with the mixed vegetables. But I’d prefer the soup of the day instead of salad,” Reidar ordered.

After the waiter left, she took another sip of her drink. “Okay, so, I met your sister this morning when I went to see the town’s vet about Falke. Exactly how many of you are there? I was a little distracted that morning in the store, and I thought I saw at least five of you, but last night when I asked, you said there were four.”