Falke’s Captive by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Page A

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.

Chapter Five
    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