Falke’s Peak

“Thanks.” His expression had changed, become more open, even warmer, and…cocky?

“So,” she began, “what are you guys doin’ here?”

His lips curved into that devastating smile she loved. “Would you believe we were in the neighborhood?” His grin now was pure mischief, and she chuckled.

“Oh, really?” She didn’t buy it for a minute. “I didn’t know Vegas was ‘in the neighborhood’ of the Wenatchee National Forest.”

His shrug was nonchalant. “We took a detour.” He glanced back at her television, reached up to brush his fingertips along the edge of her new picture frame.

“The photos turned out nice.”

His remark caused a flash of heat to warm her cheeks. Self-conscious, she busied herself by opening her bottle of water. “Yeah, they did. It was a great vacation.” She took a sip and looked up again. “Are, uh, are you here on vacation?” Vegas was a favored destination for a lot of people, so it made sense.

He set his bottled water down unopened. “Not exactly.”

A door opened from down the hall and footsteps sounded on the Berber carpet.

“So, what do you think?” Gunnar said with a grin as he returned to the room.

She eyed him, dressed in form-hugging denims and snug muscle shirt. As sexy as ever. “You look…”

Delectable. “Great, as always.”

“Thanks.” He gave her a wink and added, “But I meant about being neighbors.”

Axel coughed.

Gunnar froze.

“We hadn’t exactly gotten around to that bit of news, yet,” Axel muttered.

“Oh. Umm…” Gunnar stuffed his fingers into his pockets. “Guess the cat’s out of the bag, so to speak?”

Confused, she tried to fathom what they’d just said.

Neighbors? “What’s wrong? Did something bad happen? I thought business was booming?”

“It is.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “Then why?”

“We came here for you,” Gunnar said.

Her eyes widened, her mind blank with shock.

“Not that we’re stalking you or anything like that,” Axel rushed on to say. “I mean, we’re not just gonna show up on your doorstep expecting you to take us in or anything.”

Gunnar took her hand. “What he means is we missed you, and we decided that if your life is here, then so is ours. We’re going to look for an apartment first thing in the morning, get some jobs and hopefully—if you’re agreeable—visit once in a while, maybe see if we can get to know each other better?”

Her eyes watered, and she shook her head. No.

They couldn’t do that. Why would they want to do that when they had an idyllic home back in Washington?

Axel stepped up and clasped her other hand.

“We’re not here to push you into anything.” He was so cautious with his words, his touch. So adorably careful that when he risked a small smile, she succumbed to the urge of returning it. “Maybe you could show us newcomers around the big city?”

“No,” Dakota whispered, and they frowned. Both dropped her hands as she shook her head harder. A blink sent tears slithering down her cheeks. “No, you can’t—” Axel took a step back, and she grabbed for him, desperate to keep him close. “No, we can’t live here.”

She knew what she had to do, what she wanted to do. They came for me.

“What do you mean?” Gunnar asked, his tone one of disappointment and hurt. “We come all this way, and you won’t even give us a chance to see if we can—” She fisted his shirt, yanked him toward her and planted a kiss on his mouth. Her other hand never released Axel’s wrist. Not that he tried to pull away.

Neither did Gunnar try to hug her or touch her in any way but for his lips against hers, his tongue responding to her foray. When she pulled back, she glanced at Axel who stood silent and reserved.

She let go of his wrist to run her palm over his chest. Slowly, she fisted his shirt too. He didn’t budge except for a slight tick in his jaw.

“I’ve missed you both too,” she said with more tears slipping free of her lashes. “You’ve no idea how much. I tried so hard to get on with my life here, but it’s not the same. It’ll never be the same, not since—” She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “You can’t move here, because I can’t live in Leavenworth without you.”

Axel blinked. He raised his hand, hesitant and soft, to cup her face. His thumb brushed across her damp cheek. “You mean it? You’re moving?”

“Well, not right this minute, but seeing you two again made me realize why I’ve been so lost and alone since my return. I don’t know how you two did it, or what I will tell my parents!” She gave an abrupt laugh and shook her head. “But I’ve been miserable here lately. I used to think the big city was exciting and offered the best chance at happiness, but I was so wrong.” Dakota released their shirts and slid her hands down their arms to hold hands with each of them.

“Walking away from you guys was the stupidest thing I ever did in my life, and I have no excuse other than that I was scared.” Her breath hitched. She closed her eyes and whispered, “I’m still scared.”

Axel pulled her into his arms. “God, honey, don’t fear us.”

She clung to him, welcoming his warm embrace, and heard the soft thud of his heartbeat—a quiet reassurance that he was real. They’d come for her.

After she turned them down and walked away, they’d come for her. The emotions boiling inside her threatened to overwhelm her, and she trembled.

Another hand—Gunnar’s—stroked her back in a soothing manner.

“I’m not afraid of you.” She pulled back to look Axel in the eye then turned to see Gunnar beside them.

“Never like that. I mean, I’m just…I don’t know. It all happened so fast, and what I felt—what I feel now-it’s so strong that I’m not sure what to do. There’s two of you and only one of me. How can this happen? I’ve never fallen for anyone before, and now there’s two of you, and you both mean so much, and I was stupid for walking aw—”

“Shh.” Axel cupped her face, his thumb over her lips.

“I’m rambling,” she muttered.

They smiled at her.

“You’re adorable when you ramble, but I’ve waited weeks to do this.” Axel kissed her, soft at first, then firmer, and she responded with all of the emotion she’d kept bottled up the past month.

Nothing else mattered anymore but his broad shoulders, strong arms and hot breath that bathed her neck as he trailed light, passionate kisses over her skin.

“We’ll go slow,” he murmured between kisses.

“Get to know each other.” Another kiss. “Likes, dislikes. We have plenty of—”

“Axel?” Her voice was a breathless whisper.

“Hmm?” A soft brush of his lips just under her ear.

“Shut up and take me to bed.”

He chuckled and swept her into his arms. “Yes, ma’am.”

Before he headed down the hall, she reached out and snagged Gunnar’s hand, matched his grin with one of her own, and pulled him down the hall with them.

“Last door on the right,” she said as Axel carried her to her bedroom.

Her place was far from lavish. A simple queen-sized bed, two nightstands and a dresser. A hamper sat in the corner. When she saw the bed, she frowned.

“It’s kind of small for us to sleep in.”

“Who needs sleep?” Gunnar asked from beneath the shirt he was in the process of pulling off. Once free, he tossed it toward the hamper and began removing his jeans while he toed off his shoes.

Axel set Dakota on her bare feet and tilted her face toward him with a fingertip under her chin.