Waiting for Wolves: BBW MMF Werewolf Shapeshifter Menage Romance (Shifter Grove Brides Book 5) (6 page)

It was like she was being allowed to really breathe again after keeping her breath for years and years. She’d never been the kind of woman to get swept away in the moment or think that she was more than she really was. However, right then and there, she felt like the most beautiful and desirable woman in the world.

And she was damn glad she’d gotten out of Georgia to find that out.

When Cooper broke the kiss, she whimpered a little in protest. She still clung to his T-shirt, feeling his heart pound in his chest and his breathing quicken. His lips grazed over his lower lip in the most seductive way and Claire cursed her diminutive height for not being able to just kiss him again as he stood upright. He reluctantly let her go and his hands travel to her shoulders, letting his natural warmth spread through her again and calm her frazzled, lustful nerves.

He took a step back, and that was when Claire realized that the thickness she had felt against her before had been his hard cock.

Don’t think about it!
she warned herself, forcefully keeping her eyes up and away from his crotch.

“If we keep going, I’ll fuck you right here, baby. And you have to know I want to, but I think I have to give you some time with Argo as well before we take things that far. For all our sakes.”

The fog cleared in her head a little and she nodded. With a sigh, she took Cooper’s hand and spun around, yanking him along back on the trail they had taken to get to the river.

“Where are we going?” Cooper asked with a laugh.

“We’re going back home so I can have a moment with Argo,” Claire said through gritted teeth.

As far as she was concerned, she was well on her way to settling down with two wolves in Idaho. As long as the second one made her feel even half as wanted as Cooper did, she was game for anything.

But she knew she wanted another kiss, and damn sure she was going to get it.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Argo

Argo hadn’t been quite aware of how much he had grown attached to having Cooper and Claire around until they left for the day. He’d found himself pacing back and forth, glaring out into the yard , waiting for Cooper to drive back home in that insane manner he had. Claire’s little car was still parked in front of the house, and he made a mental note to go and get that thing exchanged for something that could actually scale a mountain as soon as he could.

He paused for a moment, smirking. That was how it was, wasn’t it? He’d been around Claire for a day and a half and he already knew that she was going to be his and Cooper’s. Forever. It was just a matter of time, now.

Argo snorted with annoyance, pivoting around and slogging another irritated track through the house. It was beautifully built and had all that he and Cooper and Claire needed. It felt so damn empty without them. A small voice at the back of his head nagged at him, as it had for a while now.

You’re putting them both in danger.

He sighed, stopping on the porch and looking out into the forest. In a few nights, he would disappear into those thick woods and go find the Longbrook lands. Then he could really learn what was going on with the pack and begin figuring out how to fix things. But for now, he would have to focus on the situation at hand. His mates.

As usual, he was torn between the two things he wanted most: his pack and his love. For years, Argo had ignored the call of his pack. He’d put them out of his mind, secure in the knowledge that alone he would not be able to lead them. But with Cooper and now Claire, he could form the Alpha triad as he was always meant to… and with the triad came the uncontrollable urge to control and conquer what had once been his.

It wasn’t even so much the ancient desire to lead that drove him to it, but the knowledge that there was no one else to do it. Achilles was mad. That much had become clear when they’d fought those months ago at Battle’s home.

You’ll fix that when the time comes,
he told himself glumly.

The last thing he wanted to do was hurt his brother further. But fate came with many twists and turns. Perhaps it was just how it was meant to be for his kin. Death and bloodshed had to come first so happiness and peace could follow. Without noticing he was doing it, he cracked his knuckles on both hands and slammed his fist into the doorframe in frustration. He hated what this situation was making him into, but he couldn’t turn his back on what he felt as his calling.

To lead his wolves.

Argo let out a deep sigh as he heard the truck pull up in front of the house. He swung by the kitchen and grabbed the small picnic basket he had prepared and rushed outside. Cooper was looking like a fool in love, and for once Argo wasn’t sure whether it was because of him or Claire. He smiled a little and strode over to Claire, slipping his big hand around her little palm.

“Hey,” she said, a bit startled.

“Hey. I thought we could have a bit of time to ourselves. Unless you object,” Argo said, lifting the picnic basket a little.

Cooper’s low chuckle licked at his ears but he ignored it valiantly. He’d agreed with Cooper that both of them would have some one-on-one time with Claire before they overwhelmed her with their joint attention. It was just like Cooper to entice Argo to invite him along as well. But he knew damn well that their get-to -know-each-other picnic would quickly devolve into furious fucking in the middle of nature if Cooper was along as well.

Not that the scenario didn’t sound like a perfectly delicious one.

Later,
he told himself, ignoring the siren’s call of his Alpha partner.

“That sounds great. Cooper, do you need any help—“

“Naw, girl. Go have fun. Have her back before ten, young man,” Cooper said sternly, waggling his finger at Argo with a wink.

Argo snorted, a smirk crossing over his lips, and led Claire to a path that trekked deep into the forest. They walked for a short while, just hand in hand, not saying a word. It felt so damn comfortable that for a moment, Argo forgot that he didn’t
actually
know this woman so well. His wolf claimed to know her, but was that enough?

They made it to a clearing with lush green grass and found shade under a single oak tree standing in the middle of it. Argo put down a blanket and they both sat down. He unpacked the basket and brought out small treats and sandwiches that he had prepared that morning.

“I didn’t know you could cook! Why have I been the one making breakfast for the past two mornings?” Claire said with a laugh.

“Well, we keep saying we could help… we’re not completely helpless without a woman’s touch,” Argo teased, pouring out a glass of cider for Claire. “Not that it doesn’t help.”

Claire blushed at that, accepting her glass. He loved the sight of her pretty pink cheeks. It took all he had to keep from leaning over and kissing her right there and then, patience be damned. Even the tight knot of worry that had formed at the pit of his stomach was unraveling now that he was in Claire’s company. It wasn’t the good food or nice weather; it was all her. She made him feel like he could breathe even when the world threatened to close in around him, sucking out his energy.

“How do you like Idaho so far?” Argo asked, trying to breathe life into the conversation so he would have something else to focus on than the rise and fall of her chest.

“I love it! It’s so much cooler, both weather-wise and well… everything else,” Claire gushed, taking a bite out of a sandwich. “I thought I would miss Georgia horribly, but that hasn’t been the case so far. And I can’t say that I’m sad for it.”

“Why so?” Argo asked, leaning and letting his back rest against the tree.

That seemed to catch her off-guard and she took a moment to ponder the question. “Well, I’ve never really left Georgia. Sure, a few school trips and we went to Texas once with the family, but other than that, I’ve only known Georgia all my life. At one point, it started feeling like it wanted me there more than I wanted to be there. For some reason, I never really fit in with the rest of the crowd in Greenville. I think I always thought things could be better and progress could be made where others just saw tradition and old ways. It was frustrating.”

“And you think you could be happy in Idaho?” Argo asked, cocking his brow a bit at her.

“Yes,” she said, nodding slowly. “Well, I think I could. I still think it was an insane decision to write to you and even more crazy that you wrote back and that I’m here. But even if this doesn’t work out, if we’re not a match, then I’m glad I took this step. It’s making me realize that my world doesn’t have to be as small as I thought it was. That I can make it bigger if I want.”

Claire’s smile warmed Argo’s heart. It was fantastic to see this mild-mannered, shy woman from Georgia come to him and Cooper and blossom like he knew she could. He was sure that given some time and support, she could make up for all the years she thought she had lost. Though to Argo and his wolf, she was perfect already. He couldn’t see a damn thing he would want to change about her.

Well, maybe have her in less clothes than she was now, but that wasn’t something that should have surprised anyone.

“I know you’re from around here and Montana, but where have you been lately? I thought you were in New York when we were exchanging letters,” Claire asked.

“I am from around here, yes,” Argo started, scuffing a hand through his blond hair. “I left when I was a teenager. It’s a long story, but I lost my twin and I couldn’t really live with myself being here anymore. The family essentially unraveled and fell apart after that happened and we scattered, all except for my little brother Achilles, who stayed here. I spent some time, well, everywhere. I was in Costa Rica for a few years and then Ireland, staying with some distant relatives.”

He chuckled at the memory of those crazy-ass Costa Rican wolves and their antics. He’d never met people with quite as much flavor and attitude as that group.

“Then, when I was old enough to really try something on my own, I came back to the states. I worked odd jobs for a while, but I hit my stride as an event organizer and promotional manager. Something about dealing with screwed up stuff in my own youth really helped me figure out how to run other people’s lives, you know? How to hide some stuff from the paparazzi, how to show them exactly what they wanted… it’s a fucked up life, but I was good at it.”

“And why did you decide to come back?”

“I met Cooper and things just clicked. I’d been itching to get out of the business for a while. It’s stressful and doesn’t make for good personalities. I still own a company who deals with that stuff, but I’m not working actively anymore. So I started looking into how my pack was doing and what was going on and one thing led to another. After a quick visit here a few months ago and seeing that things were really going to hell, I knew I had to come back.”

He grimaced a little, remembering the fight he had with Battle and Achilles—the crazed and wounded look in his brother’s eyes as Argo came to Battle’s aid, the man who had murdered their brother, and the pure hate that oozed from him along with the blood that marred his coat red. It twisted Argo’s insides, but he knew that what he had done had been the right thing. Now he would have to take things further.

But not before things were settled with Cooper and Claire.

“You sound like the opposite of me! You’ve traveled so much, Cooper and you both,” Claire said, her beautiful hazel eyes sparkling with interest.

“We’ll take you wherever you want to go,” Argo said honestly, taking her hand in his again.

Touching her made him buzz all over and he loved that feeling. While Cooper made him feel alive for the first time in far too many years, Claire seemed to ground him and plant his feet squarely on the ground. He’d missed that feeling of certainty, of solid footing. She made him really stop and think about the things he was doing and how they would affect the people around him. All of his spur of the moment, wild plans were getting a more defined shape and direction now and he knew that it had plenty to do with Claire being there.

“You’re beautiful,” he said, caught in the spell of her eyes. “I hope you know that.”

He rubbed his thumb along the side of her chin, luxuriating in the feel of her soft, smooth skin against his roughness. Her lips parted a little as she gasped for breath and her tongue slipped out, wetting those plump, kissable lips of hers. Argo’s wolf growled deep within him, pushing him forward and meeting no resistance from Argo.

He dipped his chin lower and gently caught her lips in a long, soft kiss. He nibbled at her lower lip, sucking on it a little before pushing his tongue into her mouth. With a happy sigh, she fell into the kiss and her arms wrapped around his neck. Without thinking about it, he pulled her into his lap and another sweet gasp spurred him on as his hard cock pressed against her thigh.

Her breathing was becoming faster and that chest he’d been staring at so intently before was catching his attention again. His hands traveled up the sides of her body and when one palm brushed over her breasts, her nipples jutting out hard through the fabric, he all but growled into her mouth.

Claire pulled away, her lips red from being kissed so hard and her cheeks an equally as fetching hue. Her breath was coming in quick bouts and Argo swore she was the sexiest sight he’d ever laid eyes on.

“I think we need to go home,” she said, a teasing smile on her lips.

He couldn’t think of a single thing that would make him object to
that
.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Claire

They practically ran down the road toward the little house. Claire wasn’t entirely sure what had come over her, but she knew that she should act now or forever regret it. Her body was on fire and she needed them both.

All the good girl thoughts and decisions she had made during her life seemed like so much wasted time now. Her hand was in Argo’s as they rushed into the house, her heart pounding out of her chest.