Taming Travis [Wolves of Climax 4] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever)

by Stacey Espino

  Her entire body heated, knowing she’d be his first. This was everything she’d dreamt of. Nothing mattered but the here and now, her and him.

  “I–I guess you’d have to start with a kiss.” She whispered the words, caught up in the intensity of his mood shift.

  “I can do that.” He didn’t sound confident, and he never brought up being the winner of the contest. This was his choice. He wanted to kiss her.

  She swallowed hard, feeling equal parts tension and anticipation. It did wicked things to her libido as she waited for him to make the next move. Travis took heavy breaths, his jaw clamped down hard. He moved slowly, methodically, breathing in her scent at her neckline. As he exhaled it cooled her moist skin and sparked her cells to life.

  “Travis…”

  “Let me try this,” he said. After releasing her wrists, he gently laid a hand on each of her shoulders. The entire room was warm now, the fire crackling in the corner, but Travis’s hands scorched her skin. “You’re beautiful, darlin’.” He leaned in close, holding her steady, and brushed his lips against hers. It was exquisite bliss, but she wanted so much more. He was showing immeasurably more patience than she currently felt.

  “More,” she murmured against his lips.

  He deepened the kiss, adding slightly more pressure. His hands shifted from her shoulders to her face, where he cupped her cheeks as if she may break. “Don’t rush me.” Travis parted her lips and tilted his head to the side, taking more. She closed her eyes and lost herself to the taste and feel of Travis, the intimacy, and the promise of a future.

  It didn’t take long before they had worked up a frenzy, passionately kissing, tasting, exploring. He worked her mouth in the same way as her pussy, skillfully, thoroughly. For a man professing to be inexperienced, he was able to whisk her away to a realm of fairy tales and white knights. She forgot all about the burn in her pussy, too focused on the man in front of her.

  He pulled back to take a breath, his chest rising and falling in deep waves.

  “You survived,” she said.

  “I did.”

  He kissed her again.

  * * * *

  Garret and Evan split up. They’d been on the tails of three Rockford wolves for the past half hour. The heavy rain was blinding, making navigating along the slick forest floor at high speeds a perilous task. When Garret thought he was close enough to pounce, the wolf in front of him would swerve around an oak and out of his grasp.

  He also worried about Travis. He’d gone off to find food, but didn’t return before Garret had picked up the scent of the enemy closing in on the river. Another crackle of thunder was followed by a streak of lightning which lit up the night sky.

  These bastards had to have Matthew. If they were capable of kidnapping Cassie, they were the top suspects in Matthew’s disappearance. Was he held in one of the many caves along the base of the mountain range? Was he even alive at all? His pain and determination spurred him on. They’d managed to turn themselves around in their race through the forest, and now were practically back at the river where Garret had first picked up the enemy scent.

  “Where are you?”

  He was running blind, not knowing where Evan and Travis were. If they were near, they’d hear him.

  “Garret?”

  The voice in his head deceived him. It sounded like Matthew. There had been several nights he would wake in a cold sweat after swearing he heard his missing pack mate in his head. It wasn’t real. Was it now?

  “Matthew?” He’d slowed his pace, not pursuing the Rockford wolves with the same vigor. “Is that you?” Garret fully expected to get silence in return, not an answer. Not from a ghost.

  “Right behind you, boss.”

  Garret stopped dead in his tracks. If this was someone’s idea of a joke, he’d make them regret it. He turned around, scanning the pitch-black forest. His heart raced. Then he saw the beast move. It was a large brown wolf with glowing eyes. Could it be him?

  “How?” It was all he could think to say. If this wolf was indeed Matthew, he’d lost too much weight, his eyes harder than he remembered.

  “We came looking for you. The Rockfords aren’t the ones who trapped me. It was loggers.”

  Without considering the threat of wolves, Garret shifted back into his skin. This wolf would either tear him apart or prove he truly was the missing miner. As soon as the brown wolf began to change forms, he watched with rapt fascination. Please be Matthew.

  “Long time no see.”

  It was him. He looked haggard and emaciated compared to the healthy, robust male he remembered, but it was Matthew. His throat clogged with emotion, his eyes becoming too foggy to see clearly. After all the searching, the hoping, the worrying, the heartache—Matthew had somehow returned to the pack. The five of them were like a single unit, the same body and soul. Ever since he went missing, Garret felt like he was missing not only a limb, but a vital organ. He could never describe the joy leaping in his heart.

  He reached out and steadied the other man so he could get a good look. “I never stopped looking. Not a day.”

  “I know.”

  “But how?”

  Matthew chuckled. “Your blue-eyed little human found me.”

  “Cassie…” His thoughts drifted back to the mate he’d left behind.

  “Any reason why she’s not marked?”

  He didn’t want to have any sort of discussion unless it involved telling him where she was. If she’d been with Matthew, where was she now? “You come here with her?”

  “She insisted. I left her when I scented Rockford wolves, told her to head back the way we came until I found her. We came to stop all of you from making a big mistake, starting a war without cause. They didn’t kidnap me and we didn’t take their man.”

  His words seemed to blur into one another. All he focused on was the fact Cassie was alone. “She’s alone in the forest? Where’s Patrick?”

  “I don’t know. He took another direction than me. Fuck! We have to find her.”

  Before he let Matthew shift, he pulled him into a tight embrace. “Gods, I’ve dreamt of this moment.” Looking at his friend was surreal. He expected to wake up or watch Matthew’s image fade into a translucent mist, as if he never existed at all. “Stay with me. I won’t lose you again.”

  His life suddenly shifted. There was no more need for him to worry or obsess over finding Matthew. The past month his fixation had defined him, and it felt odd to simply be able to live life. His mine had suffered, as had his relationship with Cassie. But as his worries for his pack mate eased, his feelings for the human girl grew and took precedence. He’d neglected her in his efforts to find Matthew, and now she was alone in this unfamiliar forest. It was unacceptable. His wolf clawed within him, desperate to retrieve what was his.

  As alpha, he could read Matthew’s emotions, even in human form. He loved the girl, just as the rest of them did. It only confirmed to Garret that Cassie was fated to their pack from the gods. How else could all five of them fall so irrevocably in love with the same female?

  Chapter Six

  Travis had left the cabin to collect some sticks so he could skewer the rabbit he’d brought earlier. As much as she grimaced at the sight of it, she was starving, and Travis insisted she was going to eat. They’d had a breakthrough, a spiritual connection. As soon as he lowered those protective walls around his heart, she was able to see the man beneath the shield. He was just as she’d imagined, tender and vulnerable, and she vowed never to make him regret letting her in.

  The door slammed open from the force of the wind. She could feel the spray from the fleeting rain before she turned around. Cassidy was anxious to continue what they’d started. Before he left, they’d kissed and touched, as if discovering each other for the first time. But no sex. She wanted to know what it felt like to make love to Travis, to add that necessary emotional element to their sex life.

  “Well, well, well. We meet again.”

  She turned around. It was
that bastard, Corbin, from the other forest. “What? You? I thought you were dead.”

  “Now why would you think that? Just because your boyfriends came to save the day?” He scoffed. “Don’t underestimate the strength of the Rockfords.”

  She only wore an oversized T-shirt, no panties. The cabin felt too small, too warm. Corbin stepped in and shut the door behind him, choking out the roar of the storm. Where was Travis? He couldn’t have gone far.

  “Where’s Travis? Did you do something to him?”

  “You mean your little blond? My boys are leading him far from here. It’s just you and me, and we have some unfinished business.”

  Her heart pounded in her chest. How could such a handsome man be so evil? What had she done for him to hate her so much?

  “He’s not stupid, and not the only one out here with me.”

  “I know, sweetheart. The entire Gregor Pack is out here, including the man they claim we stole from them. Did you know they kidnapped one of our men in retaliation for something we didn’t even do? Who are the real villains in Climax?”

  He stepped closer, and she backed away, the heat from the woodstove searing her from behind. “They never took your man. He’s back in town. Patrick talked with him, and he’s alive and well. Go and see for yourself.”

  “Cute, but I don’t fall for the sweet words of women.”

  “It’s true!”

  The energy in the room snapped around her. Any minute and he’d strike—maybe force her over the desk. The menacing gleam in his eyes promised hours of suffering.

  “Maybe I’ll mark you just to piss them off. One thing for certain—you’ll be ruined in their eyes once I’m through with you.”

  When he reached out to grab her arm, she screamed. The sound stunned her, as if right out of a horror movie. She supposed her life had been a nightmare lately, so removed from reality she expected to wake up back in the lower mainland, everything a figment of her imagination. But despite the danger and chaos, she wouldn’t trade her life if it meant losing her five miners.

  She heard wolves howling outside, bringing her to a new level of fear. After her near-death encounters with the wolves, she wanted to get far, far away from the forests. Which was worse—being eaten alive or trapped alone with this madman?

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” He ignored her now, more interested with the rustling and clawing just outside the door. When it flew open, nearly knocking Corbin off his feet, she was shocked and relieved to see Garret standing there. His dark hair was wet from the rain, his eyes fierce. And he was completely naked. He was the sight she’d secretly prayed for, the leader, her protector. Her body melted from the inside out, her bones feeling like rubber as relief cascaded through her. Many questions plagued her thoughts, like why were her men always running around without clothing. But right now she only focused on her rescue.

  “You don’t know when to quit, do you?” Garret’s deep baritone surrounded her like a caress. She’d missed him over the past couple days, constantly worrying he’d get himself killed. When he stepped into the cabin, Matthew was right behind him. Where the hell were his clothes? She couldn’t complain because they were gorgeous to look at, but her inner voice demanded answers. It seemed everything about her miners was suspect to the point she didn’t know if she was going or coming.

  But knowing Garret and Matthew had found each other still touched her heart. She’d seen firsthand how devoted Garret had been in trying to find his missing crewman. He had gone above and beyond, staying up half the night to search for him and tracking every lead. Maybe life would have some semblance of normalcy now that Garret had his man back and the war with the other miners could cease.

  “So…you know we didn’t take him.” Corbin nodded his head toward Matthew. “Where’s ours? He’s been missing for days, and don’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about, Gregor.”

  Matthew moved to take his place beside Garret. “Your man was the one who released me. It was the northern loggers that trapped us. The only crime here is you moving in on our woman. She has nothing to do with this.”

  Cassidy was surprised by the venom in Matthew’s voice. After everything he’d been through, he shouldn’t be pushing for a fight. Garret stretched his arm out straight to the side, blocking Matthew from moving forward.

  “She’s not marked, so I say the girl’s fair game.”

  “Bullshit, Corbin. You know damn well she’s ours. Let me know now if we’re going to have a problem with you.”

  “Until you claim what’s yours, she can be anyone’s prize, no?”

  She heard a growl and wasn’t sure if it originated with Garret or Matthew. These were all large men and the room was not big. The volatile energy grew by the second. There was more ruckus outside the cabin before several more naked, soaking wet men burst in. When she saw Evan and Patrick among them, she inwardly rejoiced. They were all here save Travis. She felt nearly complete. Cassidy was sure she could handle the most trying circumstances if only she had her miners by her side. However, as much as she needed them, she also felt they were hiding something monumental from her. Since showing up in Climax she’d adjusted to many new and odd customs. Everything here was like night and day to the city life she remembered. But there were still things that went beyond normalcy—such as grown men fighting each other in the forest, naked.

  She still worried about Travis. Just how far could Corbin’s men lead Travis away before he decided not to follow? He knew she was here alone, waiting for him to make her dinner. Something wasn’t right.

  “Cassidy!” Evan pushed by the others and charged toward her in a straight line. “Gods, I’ve missed you, baby.” He lifted her high enough that her T-shirt rode over the curve of her ass, so she wiggled for him to lower her.

  “Travis is still out there, Evan.” She appealed to him with a look, hoping he’d see the worry in her eyes. He may not have been the leader, but he was a strapping man, bulky with hard muscle. She felt tiny and feminine up close to him. He was the type of man who liked to save the damsel in distress, like the time he cut wood for her at her house in Climax.

  “Well, according to Patrick, we have no cause for war tonight. We’ll find Travis and head home.”

  Home. The word sounded fictional. It was a place she’d always sought, and never found. It was the reason she tried so desperately to find her brother or any blood relative. There would be love, security, and acceptance. But Cassidy was slowly growing wise. She’d already learned that home wasn’t a place at all. She may have found her men in Climax, but it didn’t matter where she was. Her home was wherever they were.

  “Take your toy and run,” said Corbin. “I know we’ll be seeing you all around.” She didn’t like his tone or the hint of future confrontations.

  “I talked to Ryder myself. He doesn’t want problems any more than we do,” said Patrick.

  “Of course. My brother, the peacemaker.” He mock bowed to Cassidy. “Until next time, Ms. Lyons.” Corbin motioned for the other two Rockford men in the room to clear out. Within minutes she was alone with four of her miners.

  Evan was like her personal bodyguard, not leaving her side. “You heard what he said, Garret. She needs to be marked. You told me it would be done before now.” He barked the words, not hiding his irritation. Normally it was Evan who appeared to respect Garret the most, but not today.

  “Things happened…”

  “Well, Matthew’s back now. We’re a complete pack, so there’re no excuses.”

  Cassidy listened and watched. They made little sense, as always, but they were very nice to look at. It still amazed her that all these men wanted her, only her.

  “Don’t rush me. I know what I’m—” Garret froze in place for a moment, saying nothing. “Travis is coming. We can bunker down here until daylight or head home tonight.”

  She heard nothing at all besides the wind and rain. How could he know Travis was near?

  “I’m not subjecting Cassidy to that sto
rm. She’ll catch her death in weather like that.” Evan stroked her hair, daring the others to argue with him as he hovered at her side.

  “Fine. This is the best shelter we’ll find out here anyway. We’ll leave at first light. The mine won’t run itself, so we need to get back as soon as possible.” Garret put his arm loosely around Matthew’s shoulders and led him toward her.

  They looked at her as if she were something to eat. Had they all been pent up, waiting until they had her back again? It had been days for Garret, Evan, and Travis.

  “I don’t want to be here,” she admitted. The town of Climax may not be civilization as she was used to, but it was better than being surrounded by acre after acre of dense forest with no electricity or running water.

  Garret tilted her face up by the chin. “Just one night, Cassie. You’ll sleep in here where it’s safe and warm. We’ll be just outside, watching over the cabin. Before you know it, we’ll be hiking out of here.” His eyes were so dark. They distracted her from everything else in the room. “Remember what I told you about Matthew?”

  “What about him?”

  “I told you we’re five strong and as soon as I got Matthew back, you’d have to accept him in your bed like the rest of us.”

  Cassidy looked to Matthew for support. If Garret was worried about her integrating Matthew into her sex life, it was already a done deal.

  “I told you I’ve been alone with her for days. She was quite willing to let me fuck her.”

  She stood there with her jaw slack.

  “And?” asked Garret.

  “The best I’ve had and enough to know she’s the one.”

  Cassidy was beginning to think each of these men could take a lesson from Travis. He’d started out the most distant, but had finally acknowledged his innermost feelings for her. A relationship couldn’t be just about sex, no matter how good it was. And with her miners, it was always a night to remember.