Madison Layle - Falke’s Captive

She made a face and stepped out of his arms. “Yeah. I do. I don’t really have to answer for the blood test yet, since it’ll be at least a couple of days before he hears it hasn’t gotten to the university.

As far as he knows, I mailed it, and I’ll swear to that.” She took the second towel from Reidar and rubbed it over her hair as she moved past him into the bedroom. “You got the video deleted?”

“I deleted the hour block that we were in, copied one of the other hours into its place, and renamed it to match the deleted file. I did what I could with the time stamping, but if anyone digs too deep, they’ll figure out it isn’t exactly right. I can work on it again tonight when I’ve got more time.

I’d like to get the manipulation right so it can’t be traced back to a fake.”

Kelan, toweling his own hair, followed them out of the bathroom.

“That’s fine,” Beth said. “I don’t think Tim has the ability to dig too deep into computer stuff.”

She bent over the open suitcase by the wall, baring her ass very nicely to Kelan and Reidar’s view.

“And I’m not sure Whitmore would bother, if I tell…” She stood up straight and turned with a frown.

“When he called this morning, he as much as accused me or Tim of being the ones to destroy the computer files.”

“Shit, sweetheart,” Reidar said.

“He didn’t come right out and say it, but I could tell he thought it was possible.” She waved her hand in the air and dropped the towel from around her middle to pull on a rather shapeless sports bra.

“I’ll just convince him otherwise. In fact, what I’ll do today is tell him I’ve spoken with you, and you have agreed to try and help convince the others to allow me access to Falke so that I can obtain another sample.”

“Uh, Beth…”

She cut off Reidar. “No, just listen. You’re wilderness guides, right?”

“Yes.”

“And cougars. You could track another quicker than any of us could. What if you guys took Heidi out to get another sample, one we could pass off as Falke’s? I could swear I took it from Falke, and when the results come back differently…”

Both brothers smiled.

“With the data gone, there’s no DNA for comparison. He’d have to conclude that the original sample I took was contaminated. What else could account for the anomalies?”

She bent to put on her underwear. Kelan was entranced by her smooth motions, and the fact that she wasn’t the least bit shy around either of them. She was sexy as hell. And brilliant too.

Fuck, I love her, he said silently to Reidar.

Gorgeous, isn’t she? Reidar adjusted himself in his jeans while Beth was distracted buttoning up a sleeveless blouse. You owe me one. Listening to her with you…

She pulled on a pair of khaki shorts then moved to sit in the chair to put on her socks. “Of course, with Falke’s sample in hand, he’ll probably want to move on to the next spot on the grid. That means I won’t see you guys for a while. The next base camp on the map is fifty miles north of here.”

“What?” Kelan demanded, her words pulling him out of his reverie.

“I told you I had work to do this summer. We’re going to be moving from place to place for two months.” She laced up her hiking boots with quick efficiency while Kelan rushed into his pants. Then she stood, put on her glasses and started packing her laptop into its case.

He knew she had a job and didn’t want to stop her from doing it, but the thought of not seeing her damn near ripped his guts out.

She slung the strap over her shoulder and picked up her purse before coming up to him, going on tiptoe and brushing a kiss over his lips. “It’s not forever, just the summer.”

“And then you’re back in Seattle.” His heart clenched. He didn’t want to move to Seattle. But if Axel and Gunnar had been willing to move to Vegas for Dakota, they couldn’t fault him and Reidar for following their soon-to-be mate to Seattle. At least it was in the same state. Only a few hours’ drive from Leavenworth. They could come back on the weekends.

She ducked her head for a moment then smiled up at him. “After this summer, all I have left is to complete my dissertation. I’m finished with everything else I need to do, and there’s no rule that says I must work on it within the confines of the university’s campus.”

“What does that mean?” Reidar asked, pulling her attention away from Kelan.

“That means,” she said hesitantly, “that if you think—if you want me—if this is really happening…Hell.” She shoved her glasses up her nose. “It means if you want me to, I could maybe move to Leavenworth for a while.”

Relief flowed through Kelan, and Reidar grabbed Beth and kissed her hard. “We want. Definitely want. Need .” He kissed her again until she laughed and pushed him away.

“Okay. Make sure the door locks when you leave.” She gave Kelan another quick kiss and touched his cheek. “You are such a contradiction.” With that, she headed out the door.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kelan demanded as he pulled on his shirt.

Beth’s laughter could be heard as the door swung shut behind her.

“What’s that mean?” he asked his brother, who was pulling on his socks.

Reidar shrugged. “How the hell would I know what a woman means?” Then he grinned. “But she’s ours, on our side, and loves us.”

“Fuck yeah.” Everything would be fine.

“Now we just have to tell our big brother we fell for the trigger-happy scientist.”

“Fuck…”

“Yeah.”

Kelan …Beth smiled as she drove to the lab. Slowly, because she just couldn’t rush this morning.

She’d wanted to stay and savor the moment. The day. The miracle that had been given her. Reidar…

Not just what they were, but that they loved her as much as she loved them. They loved her enough to entrust her with their biggest secret for safekeeping.

Her heart melted into a gooey puddle in her chest every time she remembered Kelan, sitting at her feet as a huge, beautiful cougar but looking at her with eyes as intelligent as her own. Eyes full of trust and love. He’d been so gentle, so tender in his explanation, and then so hard and demanding in the shower. She grinned as a tingle raced down her arms at the memory.

Reidar she adored for his softer side. He liked to cuddle, hold hands. He had an inherent tenderness about him that made her want to snuggle. Only in that brief moment when he wouldn’t let her call the police had he frightened her, but she realized now he’d acted out of his own fear, not anger. He wasn’t truly a threat to her, only to her heart. His smile alone could make her heart palpitate.

Kelan…She could spend the next eighty years with him and probably never know what his next move would be. Sweet and gentle or unmovable like granite. His eyes went from tender and loving to brittle with demand in an instant.

Oh, did that ever turn her on.

No wonder the men had such strong animal magnetism. They took having a wild side to a whole other level.

Almost giddy with excitement, she squealed and then laughed at herself. Whoever would’ve thought it? Beth “Bookworm” Coldwell had two men—two shape-shifting catamount men—who rocked her world.

She grinned as she turned onto the short gravel road and saw the big, white University of Washington trailer sitting in the middle of the clearing. She parked, turned off the Jeep and grabbed her laptop and purse. Schooling her features, hoping she didn’t look like a woman who’d been well and truly fucked, she walked up the steps and reached for the doorknob.