Maggie's Wolves, Part Three: A BBW Shifter Romance (Red Mountain Pack Book 3) (2 page)

He twisted his fingers deeper, moving with Eli’s thrusts and the roll of Maggie’s hips. She moaned softly, and he nuzzled the side of her neck, tasting the salt of her sweat, the spice of heat, Maggie.

Holding her tight, he slid his fingers in and out of her, pretending it was his cock. He felt her body stiffen a heartbeat before her muscles clamped down with rhythmic spasms around his fingers. Eli grabbed hold of her hips and thrust into her with short hard strokes. Eli came a moment behind her, his whole body jerking with his release. When Maggie’s body sagged forward, Jack reluctantly withdrew his fingers.

Maggie turned to lie on her back beside Eli, who wrapped a big arm around her shoulders and held her close to his body. The bastard had a big, satisfied smile on his face.

Jack sat back on his heels and fisted his hands in the tangled bed coverings.

He felt Maggie’s eyes on him, but he couldn’t meet her gaze. He didn’t want her to see his frustration or his hurt. She was going through a lot right now, and he didn’t want to burden her further. He knew that a female shifter in heat was under a great deal of stress. Whenever his mother had entered her cycle, he and his brothers had been sent off to the hunting cabin in the woods. But he remembered her changing in the weeks leading up to it, becoming even more sharp-tongued and short-tempered. Maggie didn’t seem that way now, but it couldn’t have been easy for her to have only learned about heat
after
it had already started. He couldn’t even imagine growing up alone in the human world without the security of a pack around him.

He hated how much he wanted her—enough to turn himself inside out to please her. He hated the power she had over him. But he reminded himself that it wasn’t really her fault. She was a female shifter and this was the way it was. She chose the pack. It didn’t matter that he’d been here first or that no one had asked him whether he thought it was a good idea for them to take a mate.

It wasn’t Maggie’s fault if she didn’t want him.

“Jack,” she said softly, her voice still a little breathless.

He looked up. Her skin was flushed, glowing. Her eyes were hooded and slightly glassy with sated lust.

“You haven’t come yet.”

“No.”

There was no hiding his rampant erection.

“You should.”

He hesitated, not sure what she wanted from him. Did she want him to jerk off in front of everyone? Case and Eli were no help. Case turned away from the bed and sat down in the chair in the corner of the room, and Eli only smiled at him.

Maggie pulled away from Eli to sit up. “I’ve never…” She blushed. Jack had thought her deliciously pink before, but somehow her cheeks turned even brighter. Her gaze drifted down his chest to rest on his cock, which stood up even straighter under her regard, hopeful and trying to impress. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Until I met Eli, I was a virgin. I don’t know if you knew that…”

He shook his head. He hadn’t known it, but he’d suspected she hadn’t much experience based on some of the things Case and Eli had said during the ride home. “I’m grateful that you let me touch you.”

And damn it, he was. He’d seen his mother play games like this with her mates—humiliating one of them in front of the others, proving her power, testing them. His human half didn’t want to be forced to beg in front of his pack mates. That was part of the reason he’d left his old pack in the first place. His wolf would do whatever it took to get inside her. Gritting his teeth, he swallowed a growl…and all of the pride that he could choke down.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice sounding rough and strained to his own ears. “Is there any other way I can serve you?”

She frowned and reached for him. Her small hand curled around his wrist before sliding down to catch in his fingers.

“I couldn’t take both of you,” she said. “I don’t
think
I could have. No one has ever…”

When she trailed off, he raised his brows. “No one has ever fucked your ass before.”

She flinched a little at his bluntness, but nodded. A warm wave of protectiveness washed over him. She wasn’t testing him. That wasn’t it at all. At least, he didn’t think so. But he couldn’t quite figure out if she was suggesting what he hoped she was suggesting.

Maggie took a deep breath and finally looked him in the eye. It nearly knocked him over, what he saw there. She was as nervous as he was. Brave, or trying to be. And she was kind enough to care that he hadn’t gotten off yet. He’d been trained from birth to kneel. Case had gotten him over some of that, making him feel welcome, like an important member of the pack and not like the servant he’d been. He’d thought… He’d been afraid that Maggie would want him back on his knees. And he’d hated himself because part of him was okay with that, the dark secret part of him that believed that was where he truly belonged.

Maggie searched his face. He didn’t know what she saw there, but whatever it was caused her mouth to curve in a smile. “You could though. Now. If you wanted to…”

He froze, taking a moment to process her words.

Maggie’s smile faded when he didn’t respond right away. “I’d like to wait on the mate thing. But Case is right. There’s no point in avoiding you if I only have a few days to decide if we’re compatible or not. And since it seems like the wolf is determined to keep me in bed until the heat passes, then this is our chance. Besides…” She lifted her chin. “I want to. I want you to… I want you to be the one.”

She was shy. She couldn’t even give the command.
Fuck me in the ass.
The words kept stalling on her tongue. Who would have thought there was even such a thing as a shy alpha female? Because he couldn’t resist teasing her a little and because he wanted to be sure, he asked, “You want my cock in your ass? That’s what you want?”

“Yes.” Her blush deepened. “Please.”

She hadn’t needed the please. He almost wished she hadn’t said it. It broke something open inside him that made him feel distressingly vulnerable. He understood pack. The dynamics of it. The power struggles and the dominance games. He didn’t understand this. Whatever this was scared the hell out of him. But there was no way in hell that he was backing down.

Turning his hand, he gripped her wrist and tugged her forward. “Then come here.”

Maggie couldn’t figure out what it was about Jack, but something made her think he was hiding from her. Eli—there was nothing fake about him. He was open and friendly and so easy to be with. Case was different—harder and more reserved, but he was just as direct in his own way. Honest about who he was and what he wanted. With Jack, she felt like she couldn’t quite get a handle on him. He wanted her. That was clear. On a physical level, she knew where she stood. But he was holding himself back, and she didn’t like that at all. It was almost like he braced himself every time she looked him in the eye. Like he was only waiting for her to hurt him.

Allowing him to draw her to her knees, Maggie faced him on the bed. Hesitantly, she reached up to touch his face as she’d been longing to. His beard—if you could even call it that—was trimmed close to his jaw. It tickled at her fingertips, rough yet giving. His lips were incredibly soft compared to the scrape of his whiskers. She swept her thumb across his lower lip and then leaned closer to kiss him. His mouth opened on a slight, indrawn breath, and his tongue—that magical, perfect tongue—moved to touch hers.

And like a tether snapping, he reached for her, gathering her into his arms and kissing her deeply, with all the hunger she’d seen in him earlier. Her wolf rose to answer and she—the uncertain human part of her that was Maggie—melted away. The wolf took over and she was free again.
Alive.
She wished she could always feel this way.

Jack lifted his head and turned her around. He placed a warm possessive hand on her shoulder and forced her down to the mattress. She arched her back as he smoothed his palm down her spine. Case stared at her from the corner of the room, his eyes gleaming softly with wolflight and his hand fisted around his cock. The sight sent a bolt of lust straight to her pussy. She held Case’s gaze as Jack lifted her hips, positioning her. Jack’s thumbs slicked through the valley of her ass. The blunt head of his cock pressed against her, and she stiffened at the intense pressure.

“Shh, Maggie,” he soothed. “Don’t shut me out now. Let me in. Please.”

Soft and low, his voice washed over her like a caress. His hands smoothed over her back and Maggie felt her muscles begin to ease. Jack felt it too and pressed deeper, stretching her slowly. There was a moment when she thought it wouldn’t work, when she moved to pull away, but his fingers tightened on her hips, holding her steady, and the moment passed. The head of Jack’s cock cleared the tight ring of muscle and he slid fully inside her. His hips pressed flush to her buttocks. His balls brushed the sensitive flesh of her pussy. Jack held himself there. He stretched over her back, planting a hand on the mattress beside her breasts. He waited for her to become accustomed to the sensation.

“Relax,” Jack murmured, softly kissing the side of her neck. “I won’t hurt you. I promise you that.”

She panted lightly, trying not to panic. She was so full.
Too full.
It was as if with the smallest movement, Jack could tear her apart. She hadn’t expected the intimacy, which was funny really. She’d done this to know him, but she hadn’t expected to feel so exposed herself.

Jack withdrew slightly and then flexed his hips. Just a nudge, but the heavy drag of his cock inside her sparked through every cell in her body. Her eyes flew open, briefly focused on Case, and then drifted closed again. The bed shifted as Eli rolled onto his side, stretching out beside them. She turned her face to him, and he cupped her cheek. Eli kissed her tenderly, his tongue licking into her mouth even as Jack began to move, withdrawing with devastating slowness and then returning in a smooth deep slide.

“You feel incredible,” Jack said, his voice rough. “Thank you for this.”

She wanted to tell him there was no need for thanks. That this was about sharing pleasure, not giving it away. She hadn’t asked for this out of pity or obligation. But she couldn’t say any of that with Eli’s tongue in her mouth. She made a small noise in her throat, half moan, half growl, and could only hope he got the message.

Jack’s hand was a heavy weight on the small of her back, his cock firm and unyielding inside her. The sway and pull of his body caused her breasts to drag against the soft bed coverings with exquisite friction. Eli’s mouth was so wet and warm. And she could feel all of those disparate sensations coalescing together into one swelling force, lifting her, making her whole body hum. It was a pleasure so sharp and pure she trembled with the effort to hold on to it. She wanted to hold on to this feeling forever.

Eli moved his hand from her face to slide it between her body and the mattress, searching for her clit. She froze when his fingers brushed against her damp curls and then delved deeper, sliding inside her pussy. He lightly explored her, sliding his fingers against the thin wall separating him from Jack. Jack groaned and Eli withdrew slightly, turning his hand to rest his thumb on the hood of her clit. All the coiled pleasure she’d been clinging to so desperately slipped from her control.

It blew her apart. Vaguely, she was aware of the tight grip of Jack’s hands on her hips, his sharp, deep thrusts and the hot wash of his seed. But she was consumed with her own orgasm that seemed to last forever. Her eyes squeezed shut. Eli continued to kiss her, swallowing her scream as her body shook with release. When she finally came back to herself, she’d collapsed onto the bed.

Eli was to one side of her. Smiling, he lazily stroked her back. Jack curled against her other side. He buried his face in the side of her neck, his breath still harsh and uneven. She wrapped her fingers around his bicep, and he shifted closer to her, murmuring her name. She’d never felt so sated. So safe and protected. So accepted and loved. She fell asleep with a smile on her lips and peace in her heart.

Chapter Three

When she woke, Eli was snoring lightly. Jack was no longer in bed, and Case was missing too. It was nearly dawn. The room was still dark, but through the gap in the curtains she could see the sky, painted with a pale wash of light and color. Still half-asleep, Eli rolled onto his side to face her. He needed a shave. His beard was almost as thick as Jack’s. When she touched his cheek with her fingertips, he cracked open one eye.

“The heat back already?”

“No.”

“Then you should sleep while you can.”

She moved her shoulder in a shrug and snuggled closer. The bed was warm, but they’d fallen asleep on top of the blankets and her side was cold. Eli wrapped an arm around her, and she sighed in contentment.

“This is nice—not worrying about the heat. Where did everyone go?”

“Case left early to track down Declan. He’s still not answering his phone.”

She must have slept right through Case leaving. She felt unaccountably hurt that he hadn’t said good-bye. The last she’d seen of him he’d been watching her and Jack with wolfish eyes and a hard, hungry look on his face. She fought down a surge of embarrassment and arousal.

“Jack?” she asked.

“He shifted and went for a run. Probably checking the perimeter of our territory. That was one of his jobs in his last pack and old habits die hard. It’s just as well. With humans moving into the area, we’ll have to start posting guards anyway.”

“Is he upset that I didn’t claim him last night?”

Eli’s mouth quirked in a boyish half-smile and his sleepy eyes sparkled with amusement. “He’s not upset. Or, if he’s upset with anyone, it’ll be Case.”

“Why’s that?”

Eli reached for the light quilt strewn across the chair beside the bed. She wondered if Case had slept there in the chair. Eli pulled the quilt over them and wrapped an arm around her waist to tuck her close against his body. “You’re chatty in the morning, aren’t you?”

“Sometimes. Don’t change the subject. Why would Jack be angry with Case?”

“Not angry. Frustrated. Case set the ground rules last night. Jack could join in, but he wasn’t to pressure you to claim him. Jack might reasonably think we rushed you into claiming us and he might not think it fair for Case to throw the brakes on everything now.”

“But I didn’t feel rushed with you or Case. Not really. There was the heat and that was surely a factor, but I always felt like it was my decision.”

Eli gave a satisfied grunt. “Good. That’s what I thought too. It’s hard to read a wolf you don’t know very well. Jack couldn’t see your uncertainty about including him last night, but he could read Case’s possessiveness just fine.”

“You could read my uncertainty?”

A strand of her hair had settled across his lips and he blew it away. “I could. And Case handled it. He took the blame on himself for delaying your decision.”

She turned around to look out the window, and Eli fit his big body to her back. Through the crack in the curtains, she could see that it had stopped snowing. There was enough light for her to see the room a little more clearly. The thick rug, woven in shades of red, blue and cream, covered a large portion of the darkly stained wooden floor. The walls were a neutral stone color several shades lighter than the rock that formed the fireplace. There were few personal items in the room. A painting of the mountains hung on one wall. A chair in the corner with the reading light beside it. A book on the nightstand. The spine was turned away from her so she couldn’t see the title, but it looked old.

“Whose room is this?”

“This room belongs to Case,” Eli said. “Don’t worry. He won’t mind us being here.”

She thought of her little apartment with the crack in the bedroom window that her landlord hadn’t gotten around to repairing and probably never would. The old wine crates she’d salvaged to make into a bookshelf. She had a cheap print of a mountain scene hanging on her wall. The cabin in the picture had reminded her of her sanctuary. Her apartment was cozy and she’d made it her own, but it was nothing as fancy as this.

“Eli?”

“Hmm?”  

“What happens when this is over?”

The muscle in the arm wrapped around her waist tightened. “What do you mean by ‘over’?”

“When the heat passes,” she said. “Do I go home and come visit when my cycle starts up again? How far is—?”

Eli moved, fast. He rolled her onto her back and looked down into her face. Glowered really. His expression was one she’d never seen on him before.

“You are my mate. We’re pack now. Maggie…” He blew out a harsh breath. “Do you truly not understand what that means?”

She wasn’t sure that she did completely. “I’m figuring all of this out as I go along. Do you want me to stay here with you?”

Some of the hope in her heart must have relayed itself to Eli in her tone of voice, because his expression softened. “Of course you’ll stay with us.”

“Where?”

“Wherever you want. We have two guest bedrooms. You could claim either one of them. Any of us would give up our bedroom to you if you prefer one of them.” He paused, his eyes warming. “Or you could share. It’s up to you.”

“What else do I need to know about this mate thing?”

He thought about it for a minute. “You’ll be faithful to us.”

She didn’t imagine that would be a problem. There were five of them after all. How could she possibly ever be bored or lonely? But she felt like teasing Eli a little. Raising her brows, she said, “Will I?”

“You will. Or we will tear your lover limb from bloody limb.”

“And you?”

He smiled. “I belong to you. To you and our pack. Forever.”

“Good. That will save me some bloody limb tearing too.”

He lowered his head to plant a soft kiss on her lips. “Any other questions?”

“Bunches. But only one that I need an answer for right away—where’s the bathroom?”

He rolled onto his side and pointed toward a closed door she’d taken for a closet.

She climbed out of bed and shivered when the cold air touched her skin. “I’m going to take a quick shower and then I say we go find something to eat.”

Eli tucked his hands behind his head and stared unabashedly at her nude body. “Work up an appetite last night, did you?”

She smiled. “I’m starving.”

When they went downstairs, Maggie couldn’t stop gaping at the house. It was beautiful, sprawling, and had to have cost a fortune. Jack was seated in the great room on a leather couch reading the paper. He set the paper aside when he saw them and stood. Eli excused himself, saying he wanted to get breakfast started, and Maggie found herself alone with Jack.

And wasn’t that awkward?

This was their first real conversation and she didn’t know where to start. She knew the sounds he made when he came, but nothing else about him.

At a loss, she gestured toward the huge windows and the dazzling view. The dense forest and the mountains stretching into the distance, their snow-capped peaks sharp and lovely against the bright sky.

“It’s so beautiful here. The house. The property. Everything.”

Jack nodded. “Did Eli tell you we’re planning to move?”

“To my mountain. It seems a shame to leave this place behind.”

“Maybe, but this way you can be involved in the design of the new house.”

“I don’t know anything about design.”

“My family in North Carolina owns a construction business so we built our own house. Here, we’ll hire out most of the work. You don’t really have to know much about architecture or design. They’ll ask for your requirements and then give you different options to pick from. It’ll be easy.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned her hip against the side of the sofa. “Until now my decisions have been whether to pick blue towels or white, not what type of wood to use for the cabinetry and how many bedrooms are needed in the west wing.”

“You’ll get the hang of it.”

“You’re from North Carolina?”

He nodded. “The mountains aren’t quite as grand there, but it’s close enough that this feels like home.”

“Why did you leave?”

“Most males move on from their birth pack eventually. My brothers stayed because they’re connected to the business, but even they don’t live in the same house as my mother or her mates.” He shrugged. “I wanted something different. My wolf was restless.”

“And you trusted your wolf to lead you to a new pack.”

“Of course.”

Of course. As if it wouldn’t even occur to him to not trust the instincts of his wolf. 

Before she could ask him anything else, Jack tipped his head toward the kitchen. “I’m sorry. I’m being a bad host. Do you want coffee?”

“I don’t drink coffee, but I’ll take hot chocolate if you have it.”

“Sure.”

He led the way into the kitchen, which gave her the opportunity to admire how nice he looked in his worn jeans. He was barefoot and his T-shirt was thin enough to display the muscles in his back and shoulders. Eli had said that Jack was a submissive wolf, and she wondered about that. Jack had submitted to Case’s control easily enough, and he’d asked how he might serve her. She supposed that was pretty submissive. But then he’d had no problem pushing her down on the mattress and fucking her ass…so she just didn’t know.

Maybe Jack was only considered submissive because he was younger than Case or Eli. Maybe he’d only been feeling her out last night to see if he needed to obey her too. She couldn’t think of a polite way to ask. She’d have to make a list so the next time Eli asked if she had any questions, she could whip it out.

The kitchen was bigger than she remembered it being from the mad rush up to Case’s bedroom. It was brighter too. Eli stood in front of the island cracking eggs into a big bowl. He’d already chopped up a pepper and onion, and there was bacon sizzling in a cast iron skillet on what looked to be a professional grade stove. A fan whirred softly at the edge of her hearing, and she smiled. She hated turning on the clunky old vent fan in her apartment’s kitchen. It rattled and roared so loudly she usually just cracked open a window instead. If she’d had the money, she’d have paid for the upgraded silent version too.

The island was a large expanse of dark granite. The cabinets were a simple pine that had obviously been custom built to fit the space. The cooking area wasn’t particularly large, having been designed so that everything necessary was within easy reach. What she hadn’t noticed last night was that there was an eating nook tucked away on the other side of the island. The windows had been dark last night. This morning, sunlight fell warmly on a square farm table. There was a padded bench seat along both corner walls and three sturdy wooden chairs pushed up to the table.

She leaned against the counter while Jack walked to the cupboard for hot chocolate supplies.

Maggie watched Eli for a moment, admiring his easy competence. When he glanced up at her, she smiled. “Do you need any help?”

“I’ve got it. You can sit at the table if you want. Or out in the great room.” He paused. “I could serve you in bed. I should’ve thought of that sooner.”

She shook her head. Her hair was beginning to dry from the shower and her curls bounced against her cheeks. “I want to stay out of bed while I can.”

His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied her. “You feel okay this morning? The heat is still gone?”

“For now.” She stretched. “I feel pretty wonderful actually.”

Jack slid a steaming mug in her direction and held up a can of whipped cream. Shaking her head, she lifted the mug to her lips and blew through the steam. Jack topped his with whipped cream and when he took a sip, a dab clung to his lower lip. He caught it with his tongue, and the first faint quiver of heat stirred in her belly. Jack came around the counter and pulled out a stool to sit beside her. 

“Is there much money in wilderness adventures?” she asked.

“Usually not for the guides,” Eli said, “but we’re all partners in the business and share the profits. Case was born to the pack that owned the land previously. His mother died shortly after his sister was born. One of her mates died the same year in a climbing accident, and the other couldn’t stand to stay in the area. He moved up to Washington and visits every once in a while. He signed over the land to Case and Margot.”

“I didn’t realize Case had a sister. Will I get to meet her?”

“Maybe. She went human and it makes her uncomfortable to be around the rest of the pack.”

Maggie stirred her hot chocolate. “Does she regret it?”

“I don’t know. She was seeing a human man at the time and didn’t want him to know what she was. Their marriage only lasted five years. I can’t say whether she regrets giving up her wolf for him. She doesn’t come around much, and frankly I’d be too afraid to ask her.”

Maggie smiled. “She’s like Case then?”

Eli shook his head. “They’re not anything alike. For one thing, Margot sold her share of the land knowing the buyer intended to develop it. A big resort neighborhood right in our backyard. It’s why we’re considering moving now.”