Maggie's Wolves, Part Two: A BBW Shifter Romance (Red Mountain Pack Book 2) (5 page)

Chapter Six

The sound of the engine changed, bringing Maggie awake. She lifted her head and Eli’s arm tightened briefly around her shoulders before letting go. When she sat up and looked groggily out the window, she was surprised to realize they’d left the highway. They were now high in the mountains on a small, winding road that was completely covered with snow. The surrounding slopes were thickly forested and she didn’t see any houses around.

“How long have I been out?”

Case glanced back at her. He looked stressed and tired. His mouth was tight and his eyes were dim. She felt guilty about that for some reason even though she couldn’t think of anything she’d done to stress him out. Was he worried about her rejecting the rest of the pack? She almost asked him, but she held her tongue. If that
was
what was bothering him, what could she say? He wouldn’t be reassured until she actually claimed them, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to do that today.

“We’re almost there,” Case said, pointing to a driveway up ahead.

Jack hit a button on the dash and the gate barring the driveway began to retract as he slowed the truck.

“Already?”

Eli grinned. “You slept most of the way. How do you feel?”

Her arm had fallen asleep and her fingers were tingling uncomfortably. Her mouth was dry and she could feel the heat spreading through her body, waking up all of her senses and warming her blood. At first, it felt exhilarating, a sweet and heady rush. But it kept growing and growing. Her body shook as she fought to rein it in.

Rather than answer Eli, she curled forward. Eli placed a comforting hand on her back, but there were too many layers of clothes between them for her to find any comfort in his touch. She needed skin.

“How bad is it?” Case asked.

“I’m okay,” she said. “I just need a minute.”

“How bad, Maggie?” Case turned in his seat and reached out to touch her cheek.

Her body shuddered. She considered trying to brave it out, but when Case cupped her jaw and lifted her face, she said, “Bad. You were right. It keeps getting stronger.”

“It’s only two miles to the lodge from the gate,” he said. “Take off your coat. We’ll drive right into the garage anyway.”

When she hesitated, he said, “Your boots too. Everything if you want. We’ll take care of you, Maggie.”

“I can wait until we get settled,” she offered weakly.

Case’s mouth firmed. “The hell you can.”

He and Eli exchanged a look, and Eli turned her gently so he could reach her boots. “You hang in there, sweetheart. I’ve got this.”

Eli wrenched off one boot and then the other. He tugged her socks off too and wrapped his hand around her foot.
God, that felt good.
She pressed her foot against his palm and he squeezed her tight before letting her go to set to work on her coat. She’d unzipped it, but her hands were shaking so badly she was having trouble doing anything more.

She laughed. “At least this time I know I’m not dying.”

Eli smiled, but Case didn’t seem to find it very funny. “Is that what you thought was happening when Eli found you?”

“I thought I was sick, and—
Oh, God, Eli, can’t you just leave your hand there for a minute?
”

Eli huffed a laugh and shook his head. “I’ll be more than happy to touch you anywhere you want, sweetheart. Just let me get your clothes off first.”

Removing his hand from her breast, he pulled her coat off and then her shirt. Leaving her bra, he unbuttoned her jeans and then peeled them from her legs. Maggie shoved her panties down her hips and pressed her fingers against her clit. It didn’t feel nearly as good as when Eli or Case touched her, but it would have to do.

Eli stopped for a second, swore softly and then reached behind her to unclasp her bra. “God, you’re gorgeous like this. You should never wear clothes.”

“If I don’t get to wear clothes, you don’t get to wear clothes.” She scowled at his coat and jeans.

His smile turned wicked. “I could get used to the idea. We’ll lock ourselves behind the gates and let Case take care of the rest of the world.”

From the front seat, Case snapped, “Not happening.”

And she felt a delicious thrill at the forcefulness of his tone. She liked that about Case. His hard restraint and Eli’s laughing generosity. She wanted them both. Right now.

When she told them so, there was a moment of tense silence. But before she could regret the words, Case said, “Just another minute, honey. Let’s get you inside.”

She looked out the window and was surprised to see the inside of an enormous garage. “I missed the house.”

She’d been distracted by Eli pulling her clothes off. Case got out of the car and opened her door. Pulling her into his arms, he said, “With the storm, you wouldn’t have seen much of it anyway. Come on.”

He’d only taken a few steps when he stopped abruptly. Maggie turned her head to see Jack standing in front of him, tense and defiant. Wolflight smoldered in his eyes.

Case’s arms tightened around her. “Maggie?”

He was asking if Jack could join them too. She swallowed hard. Was she ready to claim another mate? She had two strong, perfect men ready to satisfy her.

Not yet, she thought. Maybe…but not quite yet. She had a few days before she had to make a decision.

“He can watch,” she said. “For now, he can watch. And then I’ll decide.”

Maggie’s Wolves

Red Mountain Pack: Part Three

Excerpt

Case carried Maggie through the mudroom and into the kitchen. Without pausing for her to look around, he walked determinedly past a dark granite island. She had the impression of warm wood cabinetry and copper fixtures, but they passed through the room so quickly, it was nothing but a blur. When they entered the next room, she gasped at the sight.

They’d kept referring to their home as the lodge, but she’d imagined something more along the lines of a hunting cabin. This was no cabin. There was a towering stone fireplace in the center of the room. The floor was covered in wide wooden planks and cozy wool rugs. Large timbers, some of them still with traces of bark, supported the high roof. A line of tall windows looked out on a scene straight from a travel postcard.
Ski Colorado!
Through the swirling snow, she could make out a jagged line of pine trees and shadowy mountains in the distance.

Case glanced down at her and frowned. “Are you hurting?”

She was hungry
and
hurting, but she was also bewildered. “You live here?”

His frown eased and a trace of amusement flickered in his hazel eyes. “I’ll give you the tour later.”

Right. Later, when she wasn’t naked and trying to figure out which piece of furniture could accommodate all three of them. Two of them, she corrected. She glanced back at Jack, following behind, still watching her with that stark hungry look on his face. She hadn’t quite decided what to do about him. Her human half liked him well enough, but her wolf was undecided.
Trust the wolf
, Eli had said, and that advice had been pretty solid so far. Her wolf said wait and that’s what she’d do.

Case pulled her tighter to his chest as he moved up the stairs. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and then couldn’t resist licking the strong column of his throat. She smiled as a growl vibrated under her tongue.

The house was too big, she decided, if it was taking him this damn long to find a bedroom.

When they came to the top of the stairs, Case turned left down a wide hallway. At the end, he pushed through an open door into a modestly sized bedroom. There was a fireplace on one wall opposite a large bed. A thick red rug covered the wood floor and a chair sat beside a pair of double-doors that appeared to lead onto a balcony. Before she could take any more of it in, she was lifted up and tossed into the air. She landed on the soft mattress and laughed as she bounced once before settling.

She looked up to find three pairs of faintly glowing eyes looking down on her. A wash of heat swept over her skin.

Eli had discarded his coat somewhere along the way and, as she watched, he reached over his head to tug off his blue Henley. Case stripped quickly, tossing his clothing into a pile on the floor. Jack was the only one who didn’t move. Hands clenched at his sides, his entire body quivered with restraint. Need made the lines of his face seem unnaturally sharp.

She almost reached for him then.
Almost.

It seemed cruel not to let him play too. But this wasn’t play. It was a decision that would have repercussions for the rest of her life. She realized that the wolf had embraced Eli and Case so quickly because they were sure bets. Both were slightly older, men in their prime. Eli was physically strong, and Case was the alpha of the pack. Now that the wolf had two acceptable mates, she was apparently going to be picky from here on out.

The problem was that Maggie knew how much Eli and Case both wanted her to claim the rest of the pack. They wouldn’t like her to turn away Jack and the others. Maybe…

Case set his knee on the bed, and she lost her train of thought. He caught her ankle and tugged lightly, lowering her to the mattress. He moved over her body but didn’t settle his weight on her. She groaned and arched her back, wanting to feel the silky warmth of his skin. Infuriatingly, he remained just out of reach.

After watching her writhe for a moment, Case dipped his head to lick the mark he’d left on her breast. Need flared inside her, making her vision go dark and red for a moment. Her womb clenched, and she grabbed hold of his shoulders to pull him down.

He caught her hands and pinned them to either side of her head. He licked her again, slowly, the rasp of his tongue a sweet torture. When she opened her eyes, he smiled.

“Exactly how much do you trust me?”

Find out what happens next in Part Three of Maggie’s Wolves!

About the Author

I’ve always been a big fan of the supernatural—vampires, shifters, magic—anything with a touch of the unknown and maybe the occasional dash of horror. I’m also a big fan of sexy romance, as you can probably guess from my writing. Maggie’s Wolves is the story I’ve always wanted to write, and I hope you enjoy it!

If you’d like to contact me, you can reach me at: [email protected].

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