Page 218 of Mountain Men Heroes

I rubbed a hand over my chest. Damn, those words hit me with the force of a sledgehammer. Fear squeezed me in a vice. My desire to capture her lips in a long, sow kiss was so strong I could barely breathe.

I reached for her. A growl left my throat as I scooped her from the couch and sank down in her spot, cradling her against my chest.

She didn’t fight me. She rubbed her cheek against my shoulder and cuddled in closer.

“You really do feel it, too?” she asked in a whisper.

I dropped my forehead to hers. “I do.”

And in that instant, the words felt as binding as any wedding vows ever could. Without a doubt, this was my soulmate. I would do anything to keep her with me and keep her safe. We belonged to each other.

Before I could do what I most wanted to do—begin exploring every inch of her with my hands and my mouth—a sound invaded our private moment. I didn’t recognize it until it came again—a growl from Eeli.

Shit, shit, shit. I pulled my gaze from Clara to find Eeli staring at the woman in my arms with a single-minded, laser-sharp focus. Was he feeling my feelings for Clara because of the strange tie that bound us together ever since that last mission?

Before I could figure out how to handle Eeli, Clara took control of the situation. She lifted a hand from my chest and reached out to him. She gave a tug to indicate she wanted him to move and he obliged. He sank to the couch next to us.

Clara wiggled in my lap, and this time there was no hiding the quiet groan as her movements against me brought my body stirring to life. She moved enough that she could rest her cheek against Eeli's shoulder and look up at him as she kept her body draped across me.

“The odd thing was, after Dyson left us to go get lunch the day you came to help me with my car, I started to feel the same feelings for you that I’d felt for Dyson.” She reached up and stroked Eeli’s cheek. His eyes dropped closed for a moment as he reveled in her touch. After a few seconds, he opened them again so he could stare down at her, his dark eyes burning with an intensity I recognized—it was the same burning I could feel behind my own eyes when I looked at her.

Clara’s gaze came back to my face. “I’ve been avoiding you guys the last few days because I was so confused.” She shrugged helplessly, shaking her head. “How could I feel such an intense...craving...for both of you? I figured there was something wrong with me.”

Anger pushed its way through my body like a tidal wave and I wanted to roar. Everything in me hated her denial of the feelings between us. Between all of us.

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” I growled.

She smiled softly and leaned up to press a fast kiss on my lips.

Her action shocked me, leaving the air stuck in my lungs, unable to find its way out for several long seconds.

I swiveled my head to look at Eeli. He stared back, confusion swirling through his eyes.

Had I just lied to her? How could this whole fucked up situation work?

I turned my attention back to the woman draped over both of us. “Clara, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you. But…”

I shot a desperate look at Eeli. I rather face down enemy fire than try to talk this shit through.

His gaze held no answers. He dropped his eyes to the woman we held and opened his mouth, once and then again. A muscle ticked in his jaw, but he never managed to get a word out.

Clara looked back and forth between us. I wanted to give her the words to reassure her, to tell her it was going to be alright. But I didn’t want to lie. How the hell could we ever make this fucked up situation work?

Holding her body close to mine, though, all I could think was—how could we not? Unless Eeli and I could find a way to live apart, and either of us could bear to live without Clara, how could we not make this work?

Eight

Clara

Isat on my guys’ laps and knew without a shadow of a doubt, there was no place I’d rather be. I couldn’t control the giggle that escaped me as I took in the confusion on both their faces. My big, strong, tough Special Forces warriors were transformed into teenagers for a second.

The laughter left me as I realized they were experiencing the same fears I’d been facing earlier when I explained things to Will. Only on top of what was going on with the three of us, they were dealing with whatever pushed them so hard to stay close to each other.

My heart ached for my guys. I wanted nothing more than to soothe the hurt and confusion. I searched for a way to ease this situation. I thought about the events leading up to this moment, so many thoughts swirling through my mind.

And then it came to me.

I wiggled back a little more so my back was firmly braced against the arm of the couch, my legs draped over them. My movements were met with two very male groans, and I couldn’t help the smile that formed any more than I could push down the surge of sheer feminine satisfaction that flowed through me at the feel of their arousals. I took in the almost pained expressions on their faces.

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