“And he’s so sure, how?”
“You’re human. You would need the sperm of two catamount shifters to conceive,” Axel said, his voice harder now. “I always wore a condom.”
“No, remember, you—” Her face went blank as the meaning behind Axel’s admission sank in. She slowly lowered the hand she’d raised to point toward the kitchen.
Gunnar’s stomach tightened into a knot. That was real smooth, brother!
Sorry.
Fuck! He didn’t look at Axel, but Dakota did, and she didn’t look happy.
“You… You always wore a condom?”
Axel gave one solemn nod.
When she turned her gaze on Gunnar, he could practically see the flames of furious realization licking up her cheeks. Her voice was deadly calm when she said, “Which means you didn’t.”
Gunnar shook his head.
She surged to her feet and stalked into the darkness of the kitchen, her stocking feet thudding against the hardwood flooring with her furious steps. Her breathing was loud, deep, as if she was trying to catch her breath. Gunnar glanced at Axel.
Axel stared at the fire and said, Let her work it out, Gun. Don’t say anything.
It didn’t take long. She practically shouted. “What the hell is wrong with you two? Was it all some sort of damn game? Switch places and see if the city-slicker notices?”
Gunnar winced. “No. I…” He glanced at his brother before continuing. One of them had to say something. She was “working it out” all wrong. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. I was supposed to remain catamount the entire time, but—” She didn’t let him explain. “Oh, man, I don’t believe this! After we did it on the table, the damn cat was making a racket. What the hell was all that crap about Falke having a run-in with a porcupine? That had to be a bunch of BS, so what? If the cat wasn’t…”
She paused and pointed at them. At Axel more so, it seemed—her movement and features less visible in the shadowy area across the room. “That was you, Axel?
Outside? While Gunnar and I—”
“Yes.” Axel got up off the couch and went toward her.
“You saw us.”
“I did, and I was pissed off at him for fucking you, because I wanted you.”
“There never was a porcupine, was there?” she asked, her voice softer. “You attacked him.”
“Yeah, I did.”
She looked at Gunnar and then back at Axel. “You scratched the hell out of your own brother?”
“Uh…we sort of scratched the hell out of each other,” Axel said. “That was me who came back inside.
Gunnar was only human for…well…for long enough to have sex with you.”
“Why the hell was he in his human body at all if he was supposed to be a cat the whole time?” she cried.
Gunnar stood, unable to stand the hurt and anger in her voice and not being able to see her. “Because I was jealous of that first kiss between the two of you. I wanted you too, but you’re our client. We were trying to abstain, but I thought he was weakening.”
“I was,” Axel admitted, drawing Dakota’s gaze.
Gunnar continued, “I thought I’d have better control over myself than he would. We switched places so Axel didn’t have to fight temptation so hard.”
Her gaze snapped to Gunnar’s. “Oh yeah, you really fought me off, didn’t you?”
He flinched, unable to deny her claim.
She closed her eyes and dropped her head forward.
“Sorry, that wasn’t fair of me. I know I started the whole thing, but I thought you were him.” She sighed heavily. Her words hurt, but he said nothing.
“This…I…I’m a one-man woman. I’ve never been involved, much less slept with, two men at once. And definitely not brothers.” She looked at Gunnar. “And if you went back to being a cat, you just let Axel go upstairs and sleep with me after you and I…” She shook her head, her brow wrinkling in confusion.
“How could you do that?”
Before he could answer, Dakota growled and crossed her arms again. “God! I don’t believe this. I told Falke things… you things. I suppose you told him everything I said to you when you were a cat?”
He opened his mouth to respond, but what could he say?
She glared at him, turned her attention to Axel, and then him again. “I bet you both got a good laugh out of that, didn’t you?”
“No. It wasn’t like that!” Gunnar couldn’t take it anymore. He didn’t know what to say, how to apologize for tricking her. So he stepped forward, pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Something he’d wanted—needed—to do since they’d had sex. He knew she’d thought he was his brother before, but she knew who he was now. He had to kiss her, taste her and let her know he too desired her.
She put up a token protest, a small sound and a slight shove, but then pulled her arms out from between them, tipped her head a bit and settled her hands on his sides as he ate at her mouth. Her tongue dueled with his, her breath sweet from the oatmeal and maple sausages they’d had for breakfast. Gunnar held her tighter, and she melted against him, her soft curves fitting against his hard planes perfectly.
When he couldn’t breathe, was afraid he’d press her up against the counter as he’d done before, Gunnar slowly pulled back and rested his cheek against hers.
Dakota panted heavily, her fingers digging into his sides. His cock was hard, throbbing with a need to be buried inside of her again.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, sweetheart, letting Axel go up to the loft with you while I stayed down here, alone. I will never regret having been with you, and I want to be with you again.” He sucked in one deep breath and went for it.
“And so does Axel.”
She jerked, but he held her firm against him.
“Shh. Please, listen.”
She stood tense in his arms but didn’t try to pull away again.
“We didn’t plan this. Never in our lives have we shared a woman, but we knew that someday we would.
When we find the woman we’ll spend our lives with, she will be the one woman we can both love.”
Dakota did pull back then, but not out of his arms.
“You can’t talk love to me. You lied to me. Just because we have great sexual chemistry—”
“I know, sweetheart, I know. What I’m trying to say is that this isn’t the norm for us. We don’t want you to think this was a game we’ve played before. We didn’t plan to feel the way we do, and we both hate the deception behind what happened. But we can’t change that now. All we can do is ask your forgiveness and plead for you to give us another chance.”
She turned her head and looked to the side, where Axel stood close but just out of arm’s reach.
“He’s right,” Axel said softly. “Our feelings for you are…deeper than we’ve ever experienced.”
She was scared. Gunnar could sense it in the way she held her body rigid against him now. The only thing that softened her was his kiss. But he knew sex didn’t make a relationship; trust did. And they had a hell of a hill to climb on that front after what they’d just admitted.
Axel stepped closer, until Gunnar felt his body heat. His brother then laid his hand on Dakota’s back, leaned in and kissed her cheek. Gunnar released her with his other arm and edged sideways, letting Axel get closer to her.
“We want you, honey,” Axel said. “I’ve wanted you since you walked through the door of my shop. Truth be known, we’re both relieved that you know now.
Despite the risk in revealing our secret, we’re glad you know that we are both attracted to you and care about what happens to you.” He moved closer, had one arm around her and his body pressed against her side.