“You collapsed,” Kenai said carefully. “At the market. I brought you somewhere you could recover safely.”
“So you kidnapped me?” The words came out sharp, but the heat was making it hard to think clearly, and panic was starting to creep in.
“It’s not kidnapping if you’re helping someone,” the broader man remarked. “I’m Taimyr, by the way.”
“Sylvie,” I said automatically—then immediately wondered if I should’ve given a fake name. But no, Kenai knew my name; that would’ve been stupid. “And for the record, it’s still very much kidnapping.”
Taimyr shrugged, clearly unbothered by the accusation.
“Sylvie,” Kenai murmured, and the way he said my name made something flutter low in my chest. “How much do you remember about what happened?”
I tried to think back, but everything after Mrs. Patterson’s hot chocolate was fuzzy around the edges. There had been the market, and the conversation with Kenai, and then…nothing.
“Not much,” I admitted. “I remember talking to you, and then…did I faint?”
“Something like that,” Taimyr answered, shooting Kenai another meaningful look.
I glared at both of them.
“Look, if one of you doesn’t start explaining what’s going on with all these pointed glances soon, I’m a black belt in taekwondo and Iwilluse it.” Okay, I’d gone to, like, two boxing classes, but they didn’t need to know that. If I could survive spring break in Belize back in my twenties, I could survive these two unbearably attractive men. So attractive it had clearlyrattled something loose in my brain, because my mind was not behaving right now.
Kenai let out a long sigh. “Of course. But first, let’s get out of here. This doesn’t seem to be working anyway.”
“I told you it wouldn’t,” Taimyr added, unhelpfully. He tossed something at Kenai, who then handed it to me—a pure white terry-cloth robe.
“It’s cold outside. You’re going to want to put that on,” Kenai said with a reassuring smile. A smile that did nothing to quell the physically painful ache still present between my legs.
I pulled it on, and he extended a hand to help me up. My brain screameddanger, but something deeper inside me whispered,He’s safe. He’s home.
I took his hand, and as soon as our skin touched, the ache in every one of my nerves dulled—just a little.
Chapter Seven
Sylvie
Kenai led me out of the sauna, and I was met with a blast of ice-cold air as the door opened onto an absolutely beautiful mountainscape. Gorgeous snow-covered pines glittered in the afternoon light, surrounding a small stone path that had been cleared through the deep, powdery snow.
Hands found my shoulders and gently guided me down the short path. The trees opened to a picturesque wooden chalet, its steep A-frame roof sheltering the wood-paneled façade below. It sat on the edge of a cliff that fell away to mountains that looked nothing like New England. If you’d asked me to guess, I would’ve said we were in the Swiss Alps. That was impossible…wasn’t it?
Despite the freezing temperatures, my whole body burned, and all I could focus on was Kenai’s hands on my shoulders.The winter air cleared my head a bit, and now I realized how unbelievably horny I still was. It took every ounce of willpower not to rip the robe off and pitch myself into the nearest snowbank—preferably taking Kenai with me.
I bit my tongue, the pain grounding me, as Taimyr opened the door to the chalet and Kenai led me inside.
It was nothing like what I’d expected from the outside. Where I’d imagined rustic cabin furniture and a stone fireplace, I found sleek modern lines and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a snow-covered valley thatdefinitelywasn’t in Vermont.
The door clicked shut behind us, and suddenly the tension in the room was suffocating. I could feel both men watching me, and every inch of my body screamed for contact. My sense of smell was in overdrive, and now Kenai’s scent was distinct—fresh winter air, a hint of peppermint, and spicy cardamom.People don’t smell like that, Sylvie.But he did.
I clutched the robe tighter around myself, grateful for the coverage, even though both men had been nothing but respectful. Still, the way they were looking at me—like they were fighting not to stare—made the heat under my skin intensify.
“Here.” Kenai appeared at my elbow with a glass of ice water. “Drink slowly.”
Our fingers brushed when I took the glass, and the contact sent a jolt through me that had nothing to do with static electricity. Kenai jerked his hand back like he’d been burned, but not before I caught the way his pupils dilated.
“Sorry,” he muttered. “I should’ve been more careful.”
“It’s fine,” I replied, though it definitely wasn’t. The brief contact had made every nerve ending in my body light up, and I had to resist the urge to reach for him again.No, Sylvie.Everything about this situation was wrong. I couldn’t let Kenai’s pretty eyes distract me. His pretty eyes, and his exposed chest,and the way he smelled, and the way a bead of sweat was dripping down to his?—
“Okay,” I said, trying not to panic and failing. “Someone needs to explain what the hell is happening to me. Right now.”
