Taming Travis [Wolves of Climax 4] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) (7 page)

“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 storm. 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.

There had to be genuine love.

Travis came into the cabin just as she was thinking of him. He carried the sticks he’d originally set out for before being led away.

She met him at the doorway. He was wet, but didn’t look injured. “Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you?”

“Don’t worry about me, sugar.” He dropped the sticks against the side of the wall and then used both hands to slick back his wet hair. The way the muscles in his shoulders and arms shifted stole her attention.
Five men.
Did she dare to initiate something here? Now? She desperately wanted to make love to Travis, but she’d also been looking forward to sharing herself with Matthew and Garret.
There’s nothing to be scared of.
Her body had easily accepted four of them, and they were patient lovers. A little rough, but attentive nonetheless.

As much as she looked forward to the day she’d share her body with all the men, tonight wasn’t the time. In her heart, she needed Travis. She didn’t feel at all attractive in her current state. Being tired, dirty, wet, and drained both emotionally and physically had taken their toll on Cassidy. She didn’t want a sex party. What she needed was tenderness, closeness, and to learn what it felt like when a man made love to a woman.

“You promised me dinner,” she whispered up to him.

“I’m on it.” He smiled down at her, tucked her against his side, and kissed her atop the head. “You’ll be eating in two shakes.”

The other men started to leave.

“Where you going?”

“You’re in good hands with Travis, Cassie. We’ll be close, keeping watch.”

Why did all four of them insist on leaving? Did they sense how much she needed time alone with Travis? They were at such a monumental point in their relationship. She wanted to savor his transition from casual to committed, learn everything she could about the cowboy enigma.

When the door shut behind Patrick, leaving her alone with Travis, the lust they’d recently shared began to grow again. She studied his back as he prepared the food over the fire. He had wide shoulders and a strong, toned back. His spine had a slight indent, tapering off into a hard, round ass. What she wanted to do was jump the man’s bones, nip his ear, and press her naked body to his. Instead, she did nothing but wait patiently, ignoring the erotic visions dancing in her head.

She felt the need to break the silence that had crept in. “I’m glad we found you when we did. It scares me when you fight.”

“Didn’t I find you?” He turned just his head, peeking at her through his mop of damp blond hair.

“It doesn’t really matter. It’s crazy for grown men to run around in the bushes trying to kill each other.”

He stood up and turned around. She had to look up at him now which nearly left her speechless. “It was for you, for your honor. That’s the way we handle things, Cassidy. I told you, it’s different in Climax.”

Different wasn’t the word. It was like she’d entered another realm of reality far removed from the one she knew well. Back home everyone seemed to be dancing the nine-to-five, only concerned with climbing the corporate ladder or kissing the right ass. Everyone dressed the part and played their role to perfection. You couldn’t even wipe your ass backward without getting taxed or fined.

As much as she had a culture shock since moving to Climax, the simplicity was like taking a breath. There were no rules, little structure to the daily grind, and the men were no-holds-barred. She was getting used to their unorthodox lifestyle and knew she’d miss it if she left now. There was just always that lingering feeling that she was missing something or they were hiding something.

“Why are you all naked? Even the Rockford miners had nothing on. I don’t understand.”

“It’s just the rain. It’s dangerous to trudge around in wet clothes.”

“So what…you’re all worried about getting a fungal infection now?” She wanted to scream because she knew he was keeping information from her.

He only shrugged.

“Is it normal for five men to…to live with one woman?”

She wanted to say “marry,” but didn’t want to be presumptuous, so soon. The step she’d just made with Travis had been groundbreaking.

He chuckled, coming close enough to pull her toward him. “How many times do I have to tell you the same thing, darlin’? We’re not your average men, and we share everything, including our woman. You have Garret’s stamp of approval, which means it’s only a matter of time until he makes things official.”

“Official?”

“He’ll give you our mark. No man would dare touch you after that.”

Again with the mark. It sounded as animalistic as her men seemed to act at times. They ran with the wolves, didn’t wear clothes in the body-chilling temperatures, and waged war like savages. “Do you mean the
love bite
everyone keeps mentioning?” She wondered if it would hurt, but every rite of passage had something questionable.

“It’s very important in our culture.”

She grew bold. If she was going to commit to these five men, there couldn’t be secrets. “What culture exactly? As far as I see you’re all just Canadian miners. What kind of men mark their woman? It sounds rather barbaric for the twenty-first century.”

“It’s complicated.”

“Travis, it doesn’t have to be. Just let me in. If you all claim to care about me enough to keep me forever, then why won’t you tell me everything?”

He tweaked her nose. “Silly girl. There’s nothing to tell, nothing to worry about. Just know that we love you.”

“It’s not enough…”

“It’s all I have, baby doll. Garret’s the one who makes the big decisions.”

“Back to the love bite.”

Ridiculous.
But even without answers, she wasn’t about to throw away the best things that had ever happened to her. She’d just save her battle for another day. Maybe the day Garret decided to “mark” her.

Being bitten by a man didn’t sound at all sensual or appealing. But she did have a deep-seated craving to be officially attached to these men in whatever capacity they saw as committed.

“Don’t worry. I guarantee you’ll love it.”

Travis wanted the human girl to be comfortable. If he were alone, he’d shift into his fur and be fine on the wooden floor. But tonight he had Cassidy with him and no bed or blankets to offer. At least he’d fed her, and she appeared appeased for now.

He wondered if it had been a mistake giving her that kiss. It had been more powerful than he’d expected, but now he felt a unique vulnerability. He couldn’t allow anything to happen to Cassidy. His wolf had decided she was the one even before their lips touched, but now every cell in his body wanted to claim her. Garret had always called him a wild card, continually on his back about showing up late to work or not wearing his safety gear. Would he ream him out if he couldn’t hold back the urge to mark her first? Unlikely. When it came to women, males rarely turned the other cheek.

“You bring out the beast in me,” he said. If only their worlds weren’t so divided. How would she react once Garret told her the truth? There were stories, true or not, he wasn’t sure, about women going mad, running away in fear, or instantly hating their lover once the truth was revealed. He couldn’t imagine Cassidy being fearful or disgusted by his wolf. It would destroy him now that he’d mentally committed to her.