Chapter Twelve

“Adriana, wake up.”

Someone was gently shaking her shoulders. Her neck was stiff. Where was she? She blinked her eyes open and remembered she was on Nolan’s lap with Reid driving to some cabin. Except the SUV wasn’t moving anymore.

“We’re here.”

She sat up straight, wincing at the tightness in her muscles. How long had she been asleep? “Where’s here?”

“Cabin in the Canadian Rockies. Only about a half hour south of Silvertip. We’ll be safe here.”

For how long?

The passenger door opened and Reid leaned into the SUV to tuck his arms under her knees and back. She squealed when he lifted her out of the car and cradled her against his chest. “Put me down. Jeez. I can walk.”

He continued to stride toward the small cabin she could barely see through the darkness. No wonder Reid had joked about having trouble finding it. It was extremely remote. Trees surrounded it. As her superior shifter vision adjusted to the night, she could see that the foliage surrounding the cabin was overgrown. The road leading to it was more of a dirt path. And the structure itself was as unobtrusive with nature as it could get, built out of logs that came from the local evergreen trees. She realized as they got closer it was an A-frame.

She couldn’t believe she’d slept through however long the last leg of the trip had taken on the dirt path up the mountain. She must have been totally out.

Nolan passed both of them to open the door, and Reid set his hand on the back of her head as he entered to ensure she didn’t bang it on the frame. Did the two of them think they could win her over with points for chivalry? Maybe she needed two lists—one to account for all the times they ordered her around and another to keep track of the times they were gallant.

Instead of depositing her on her feet when they entered, he crossed the room and set her on a sofa.

She jerked her gaze around. The cabin was quaint. Cozy. It lacked a female touch. The entire inside was one room. Minimalistic. Small table and chairs. Worn older sofa, but not uncomfortable. Fireplace. The kitchen area in one corner was simple too. Oven, stove, refrigerator, sink. Nothing beyond the basics. This cabin was a blank slate. A decorator’s nightmare…or dream.

Nolan headed back outside. Why?

Reid followed. A moment later they came back in with several grocery bags. “When did you go shopping?”

Nolan chuckled. “You did sleep hard in the car.” He winked at her. “Reid ran into a store a ways back to grab a few supplies.”

Impressive. She didn’t usually sleep that soundly. Then again, she hadn’t slept well in over a week. Between stressing about these two men and her classes, she was exhausted.

Reid headed straight for the fireplace and crouched down. “It’s cold in here, but it’s small. It’ll heat up quickly.”

She glanced around again. Where were they going to sleep? And then something caught her eye, and she lifted her gaze. There was a loft behind her. A ladder led to the platform above the kitchen. It looked like it extended about halfway across the main floor. There had to be a bed up there.

Reid turned to glance at her as soon as he had a flame lit under a carefully constructed pile of logs. “My grandfather built this over fifty years ago.” He smiled warmly. “He liked to tease that he needed a place to get away from my grandmother’s nagging. But we all knew he was full of shit. He adored my grandmother.”

“That’s so nice. I’m glad you have this piece of him. It’s special,” she said as she shrugged out of her coat.

He pushed to his feet as the fire caught and headed toward her. “I’ll admit, it’s rustic, and not many women come here, but it’s shelter. Once the heat kicks on, we won’t be cold at least.”

“I think it’s perfect. No way anyone will find us here either.” She glanced at Nolan as he finished emptying the bags of groceries.

He tucked a few items into the small refrigerator and turned around. “I’m exhausted. I haven’t slept well in a week. I could lie down on the floor and be out immediately.”

Reid faced his friend. “You two take the bed in the loft. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Adriana stiffened. Share a bed with Nolan? Was Reid crazy? “I’ll take the couch,” she declared.

Reid chuckled. “Not a chance. First of all, I’m not in the habit of sleeping with Nolan. And second of all, no way would we leave you down here alone.”

She rolled her eyes. “This overprotective thing again? We’re in the middle of nowhere. No one is going to find us here.”

“True, but I never take chances.” He pointed toward the corner of the room under the loft. “There’s a bathroom there. It’s small, but it has running water and heat.”

Adriana pushed off the couch and headed that direction, though half of her wanted to tell him she didn’t need the bathroom just to be defiant. It would have been a lie.

She had nothing with her. Not even a purse. So she couldn’t do more than splash water on her face. There was a cup in the corner of the vanity with several unopened toothbrushes. Nice. It made all the difference. She felt slightly human after that small luxury.

Nolan followed after her and then he returned, set a hand on her back, and led her to the ladder.

Nerves set in that had calmed while she slept in the car. His face was too close to her butt as she climbed. Thank God she’d worn her favorite, most comfortable, stylish jeans at least. If she’d been wearing a skirt or dress, Nolan would be seeing far more than a denim-covered ass.

She inhaled. The cabin was filling with both men’s pheromones to confuse her. And now she was going to sleep in the same bed with Nolan? Such a bad idea.

She wasn’t sorry to get some time with him, however. She’d only spent a few hours in his presence one time. She’d spent a week with Reid. Flashes of some sort of dating game show flitted through her mind—one in which she was the prize, and she’d narrowed her male selection down to two men.

Except that was reality TV, and this was…reality. A very warped reality.

If Nature intended for her to choose, She was going to have to make things a lot clearer because after a week, Adriana was only certain of one thing—she was still equally attracted to two men.

Reid spoke from down below as they stepped into the loft. “There’re clean sheets folded on the bed. I usually bring clean and take the dirty to swap them out each time I’m up here.”

The space was only large enough for the queen-sized bed, a dresser, and a bedside table. Luckily it had a railing, or she feared she might fall off in the middle of the night. The only spot where Nolan could stand upright was the center of the A-frame. Even Adriana had to duck as she got too close to the walls.

Nolan kicked off his loafers, pulled his long-sleeved navy shirt over his head, and surprised her by tugging her toward him as he sat heavily on the edge of the bed. But that wasn’t all. He kept falling backward, drawing her with him until she landed on his chest. His bare chest. His muscular, sexy, bare chest.

She gasped but tried not to make a noise. Reid was only yards away without walls separating them. He would miss nothing. At the very least they needed to be quiet—so he could sleep.

Nolan slid her to his side, flattening her onto her back. He lifted onto an elbow and stared down at her face. His other hand reached to brush her hair off her forehead, and then he set his palm on her belly.

She stared at him, unsure what to do or think or feel except this surge of arousal that consumed her. Was it because he was so dominating? Because that annoyed her.

He smiled and opened a silent communication just between the two of them. “You’re so beautiful. I love it when you’re flustered. When I catch you off balance.”

She swallowed. “Well, you accomplished that goal.” She realized he always would—if she chose him.

His palm smoothed up her body, boldly pressing the space between her breasts until he reached her chin. He held it steady, staring into her eyes. “I want to kiss you.”

“Okay.” She was powerless. She craved his lips on hers more than she craved her next breath.

He lowered his mouth and tipped his head to one side to seal their lips.

The moment he made contact, she lost all ability to think. The world shrank to just Nolan and his soft lips, the way he licked the seam of hers, the way he held her chin between his fingers, the way he leaned closer until her breast was pressed against his pecs.

Her nipples pebbled. A restlessness climbed up her spine, making her squirm. She wanted to twist her body, so they more completely lined up. But he seemed to know that, and he stopped her with an elbow against her chest between her swollen breasts.

So controlling. She clenched her sex, knowing she was wet and he could smell her arousal through her jeans.

She could smell his too.

When he lifted his top leg and nestled it between hers, she gasped, unable to continue participating in the kiss. His penis was hard and thick and pressed against her thigh. He leaned into her more fully until his thigh rocked against the V of her legs.

A whimper escaped her lips, and her eyes flew open when Nolan covered her mouth with his hand. “Shhh,” he mouthed, a twinkle in his eye.

She held his gaze while his leg moved between hers, parting them farther and applying more force against her sex. She’d been aroused a lot in the last week. Most of the time in the last seven days, but never as thoroughly as she was now. She grabbed his forearm with her free hand, the one that had been gripping the pile of sheets at her side.

They hadn’t made the bed yet. They were lying on the comforter, but the sheets were next to her. She tried to concentrate on that fact and pictured herself putting them on the mattress—stretching the bottom one to tuck in the corners. Shaking out the top sheet…

His hand moved from her mouth to her breast, molding it through her shirt, mimicking Reid’s actions from earlier in the evening. She loved the blouse she wore. It was a dark chocolate brown, and it hung loosely down her arms but fit snuggly across her chest. The material was incredibly delicate and thin, however, which for the second time that night provided her no protection against wandering hands.

Her eyes slid shut as her mouth fell open wide. Holy shit. She totally lost control of every limb and even her torso. Her body was his to control. And he was doing so brilliantly.

When his hand slid from her breast to her belly, his fingers touching the exposed skin between her shirt and her jeans, she nearly screamed. She clamped her mouth shut and shoved at his chest. “You have to stop. I can’t…”

“Can’t what?” he asked, his voice teasing in her head as he removed his hand and planted it on the bed next to her. His leg was still nestled against her sex, making it hard for her to speak even silently.

“Think.”

As she blinked, he leaned forward and kissed her lips again, gently, without his tongue. And then he grabbed her hand, threaded their fingers together, and lifted it over her head to press into the mattress. “Thinking is overrated.”

Her chest rose and fell with every deep breath.

“Damn, you’re sexy.” His gaze searched her face. “I’ve barely touched you, and you’re so close to orgasm I can smell it.”

“Barely touched me?” By her judgment, he’d touched every single inch of her at the same time.

He smiled. “Your chin? An inch of skin across your stomach? Your lips?”

He was right. In a way. But also not. “Seriously? You think a little cotton and denim is keeping me from feeling your touch?”

“Mmm.” He kissed her nose next, and then her cheek. “Five days. Five long days. I thought maybe I had imagined our connection.”

She hadn’t been sure either. They’d spoken on the phone every night, but it wasn’t the same. She knew the connection was there, but it was harder and harder to focus on while she lived day in and day out with another man she was equally attracted to. The very man who had kissed the sense out of her a few hours ago in his condo, making her head spin just as much as Nolan.

She shuddered. This was so wrong. Wasn’t it? How could a woman be so totally attracted to two men at the same time—so enamored that she would stoop so low as to make out with one while the other was yards away?

“I need air. I can’t breathe.” She tugged her fingers free and pushed on his chest to get him to lean back. Scrambling out of his reach, she pushed herself to sit against the wall.

She was half surprised he permitted her to withdraw, perhaps even a little disappointed. What would it feel like to allow him to take things further?

She wrapped her arms around her body as she shivered. The thought of having sex with him—with either of them—shook her back to the present. She wasn’t ready for that step and certainly not now while she was entertaining the concept of a relationship with both of them.

She wasn’t the type of woman who would sleep with them first and then decide. It didn’t work that way in her world. She hadn’t saved herself for twenty-three years just to fuck two guys and then pick one.

Who was she kidding? She hadn’t intentionally saved herself for any man. It had just happened that way. She’d never met anyone worthy of that piece of her. She wasn’t some sort of prude who thought sex should be shared with only one person for her entire life. It just happened. Every time she dated someone, she tried to feel more…something…in their presence, but she never did. She’d kissed men, but the spark was never there.

Until now. Until the spark insisted on being there for two men. She couldn’t keep this up. It wasn’t fair to either of them. She needed to choose. Soon. Before she hurt them. And herself.

Nolan pulled himself up to sit next to her against the wall. He took her hand in his and lifted it to kiss her knuckles. “You’re thinking so hard.”

“Yeah. It’s difficult not to with Reid downstairs. He isn’t stupid.”

“No. He’s not. But he’s had you for five days. I’m at a disadvantage. The scale is tipped in his direction by default. I’m sure that’s why he graciously sent us up here tonight. I’m not sure I would have been man enough to turn you over to him if the roles were reversed.”

She lifted her face to Nolan’s. “You’ve had more intimate contact with me than he has.”

His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. “Seriously? I thought… I mean, I assumed.”

“I’m not going to say it was easy. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Him too I assume. But he’s your friend, and I bet in the back of his mind he feels like it’s unfair to take advantage of your isolation to home in on me.”

Nolan cringed. “Like I’m doing to him now.”

She reached across his body to touch his cheek with two fingers. “I didn’t mean to imply… That came out wrong,” she whispered out loud. “I just didn’t want you to think we’d spent the last week rolling around in bed. I’ve been in his guest room. He’s been in his room. He didn’t even kiss me until this evening.” She hoped her voice was low enough not to carry to Reid’s ears, but she wanted to be sure Nolan was super clear with no mistaking her tone or meaning.

He reached for her fingers and cupped her hand against his face. “I don’t deserve you,” he whispered.

She smiled. “I don’t deserve to be in this position at all. But I am. And I have to deal with it.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ve spent all week feeling sorry for myself without considering how you felt.”

“No need to apologize. I’ll be the first to admit you have the worst end of this stick. It’s enough to drive me insane, but I can’t imagine being in your shoes. Helpless and isolated.”

Nolan scooted back down the bed, pulling her alongside him. When he was flat on his back, he tucked her against his side and held her hand against his chest. “Sleep, Adriana.”

She silently giggled at his high-handedness, as if she could possibly obey his command.

He tipped his head toward her and lifted a brow. Did he think that reprimand would bring her in line?

She smiled, still laughing in her mind as she settled her cheek against his bare chest and took deep breaths. It didn’t seem possible that she would be able to fall asleep, but after several minutes, she lost the battle and slid into dreamland.