Matthew's Return [Wolves of Climax 3] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever - Serialized) (7 page)

“Why are we hiding?” she asked.

“Shhh!” He pulled her into his lap, one arm around her waist, his other hand cupping her mouth. He couldn’t risk her giving away their location. There was no way he’d return to captivity. Captivity? More scrambled thoughts tried to arrange in his mind.

It felt like hours passed by before the hunting party drifted downhill and away from them, the dogs howling finally a faint echo. They’d stopped at the cave entrance, but the loggers urged them on, probably suspecting a bear or other wild animal. He took a deep breath of relief, releasing his tight grip on the girl.

“What the hell was that? I’m not your prisoner here!” She toppled down to her knees in front of him.

“I was keeping you safe.”

She turned. “From what? Getting rescued? Being taken to town and away from man-eating wolves? Now we’re trapped. How long until they track down our scent? We’re sitting ducks in here, a meal waiting to happen.”

“You’re tired. I can hear it in your voice. Sleep now. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.” Even he knew he must sleep. Whatever had a hold over his mind was only exasperated because of his great lack of rest.

“Someone will be looking for me soon. They’ll be worried.”

“Sleep.”

She frowned, but didn’t fight him before curling up on a bed of straw and leaves in the corner. Her eyes were heavy, her breathing shallow. It wouldn’t take long for her to slip off into REM sleep. As soon as he was sure she wouldn’t run off on her own, he dropped down to his back by the entrance to the cave, his arms as a makeshift pillow, and let the exhaustion take hold.

Black-and-white images crossed his mind’s eye as he slept. Wolves. Cages. Whips. He tossed and turned, feelings of anxiety washing through him. Starving. Alone. Pain. The memories bombarded and weakened him.

Matthew. His name was Matthew.

* * * *

Warm light flooded the small cave. It took Cassidy a few moments to remember her predicament. Her surroundings were so different now that she could see. The rock face was irregular, parts smooth, others jagged. The shadow of dancing flames revealed every pit and fissure. The ground was littered with natural bedding, making her think they’d stolen an animal’s home for the night. Her confidence was partially restored thanks to her returned vision and the warmth of the fire.

Where was her mystery man? She’d heard him breathing in the night, sometimes irregularly as if in the fit of a nightmare. Now he was nowhere to be seen. Cassidy had to get her act together. She had to find the road and Patrick, discover if Garret, Evan, and Travis were safe and sound, too. At least she knew to follow the forest uphill to get to the road. She stood up, her body sore from sleeping on the rocky mattress. Cassidy quietly padded to the entrance and squatted down to peer out the low tunnel and only means of entrance. The world beyond this little place was still encased in blackness. She dare not leave until the light of day, especially now that she had fire.

She stood up and turned, bumping into a solid wall of hard muscle. Cassidy looked way up. Was this her mysterious stranger? His hair was a tousled brown, slightly overgrown, his face rough with scruff, his eyes a penetrating green. Had she ever seen eyes like his? She was momentarily mesmerized by the intensity of his gaze.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you,” she managed to say.

He held up one hand, displaying a skinned rabbit. She bolted back. That was when she noticed he was wearing some sort of loincloth and nothing else. His body had been etched in marble, every ripple of muscle pronounced. There was more—he was underweight. For such a large bone structure and broad shoulders, he should have more bulk. She could see the slight outline of his ribs in the shadowed light. She instantly felt concern for her strange rescuer. Who was he?

Now that she thought about it, she realized he had saved her from the elements. He even attempted to give her food and warmth. God, he was handsome.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

“I’m not
that
hungry.” The kill he carried didn’t look appetizing. Her stomach grumbled in protest and she hoped he didn’t hear it.

“Again, you lie. Why?” He crouched over the fire pit he made, the black smoke escaping through the opening high in the rock. Wood crackling under the flames was the only sound after he spoke. The man was made for rural living. He had a quiet, old-soul aura surrounding him. He staked the rabbit over the fire with a few sticks and then brushed his hands off before standing.

“I’ve never eaten rabbit before.” She softened her tone, not wanting to offend.

“It’s good for you. You need to eat.” He approached her, reaching for her wrists. Her breath caught in her throat, but she didn’t fight him. His thumbs painted soft circles at her pulse points. Then he released her hands and tilted her chin up. “You have blue eyes. Beautiful blue eyes.”

She swallowed hard. Her dried-up voice wouldn’t allow her to tell him she’d never seen such exotic eyes, a green to rival the acres of forest under the light of the new sun. The man was a stranger so she shouldn’t be doling out compliments anyway.

“I remember everything now,” he said. Why was he so calm about it? If she’d suddenly remembered her identity after running around the forest naked, she’d be a little more exuberant. This man was quiet, stoic, and a complete mystery to her.

“What’s your name?”

“Matthew.”

She bolted back, her hands seeking something to stabilize her. When she hit the rock wall, she slunk against it. Her mind processed so many thoughts at once. If this was
the
Matthew, Garret’s search would be over. She felt the wash of relief she knew the Gregor foreman would feel when he laid eyes on his missing miner.

“Matthew? Where have you been? Everyone’s been looking for you. Garret’s been worried sick.”

He smiled, making him devastatingly handsome to look at. “You know Garret?”

“I work at the mine as a dispatcher. Garret scours the forest almost nightly trying to find you.”

“There’s more,” he said, tilting her head this way and that. “I know my alpha well. Has he chosen you?”

Everything came back to her in a rush. The talks of mating, sharing, Garret’s leadership. She remembered when the men told her they’d accept whatever woman Garret chose for them, and that they’d share that one woman. When she’d been alone in the woods with Garret, he’d revealed his excitement to share her with his missing crewman. The idea had been theoretical at the time, but now a flesh-and-blood Matthew stood before her. She was not repulsed by the man, but inexplicably drawn to him. If her four lovers demanded she accept the fifth member of their team, who was she to argue?

“Yes,” she said. Cassidy wasn’t sure of the full significance of being
chosen
, or even a hundred percent sure she was the one, but she wanted Matthew to want her. The cave suddenly felt as if it closed in around her, leaving just the two of them and her wildly beating heart. She was giddy with excitement, anxious for Garret to reunite with his friend and end this war with the Rockfords. Besides her multitude of questions, she was painfully attracted to the man in front of her.

“Really?” He circled her, lifting her hair, examining her from every angle. “No love bite?”

Again with the love bite. “Is that customary in Climax? Do you all bite your women?”

His brow lowered. Matthew licked his thick lips, staring at her as if she were an enigma. “I’m not disappointed, but I can’t understand what Garret plans for you. He’s left you innocent to our ways.”

“Then teach me,” she said on impulse. As soon as the words left her mouth, her pussy clamped tight, pulsing hard and demanding. She didn’t know Matthew, but felt as if she did by the many personal recounts from Garret. Cassidy knew full well the other men would accept Matthew and offer her to him as they had with each other. But dare she fuck a complete stranger? Her body screamed yes.

“I haven’t been with a woman in a long while.” The rich scent of roasting meat on the fire made her mouth salivate. The Adonis in front of her made her pussy moisten. She was experiencing a sensory overload, and there was only one cure.

“If I can handle your friends, I think I can handle you.”

He tilted his head and shrugged. There was a lighthearted air to him which pulled her in. His simplicity was refreshing. “Is that so?” His gaze roamed over her body, heating her from the inside out. The flames and shadows danced along the toned planes of his chest. He looked hungry, an untamed glint in his eyes. Maybe she wouldn’t be able to handle him.

She nodded.

“I’ve been imprisoned, barely fed, beaten, and drugged.”

“Oh my God.” Cassidy gasped. “That’s horrible.”

Matthew sat down close to where she was now sitting. “Why do you care?” He spoke with honest curiosity in his voice.

“Isn’t it natural to care about another living thing?”

He narrowed his eyes slightly as if trying to unravel the mysteries of her mind. The moment felt intimate, even more so when he adjusted the collar of her shirt which was hanging low on one shoulder. He made no advance, completely in control of his actions.

“Not in my world,” he said.

“Are we not from the same one?”

Matthew lowered down to his side and began to draw rudimentary pictures in the thin layer of dirt and debris on the cave floor. “I haven’t lived an easy life. Until I found Garret, I considered my life a forfeit.”

“That’s an awful thing to say.” Cassidy knew what it was like to struggle through life, to feel the constant ache of loneliness, and to fear the future. Maybe Garret had saved her, too.

“You’re not from around here. Do you even know what it means to go without?”

She frowned, not liking his assumptions. “I’ve been on my own since I was a teenager. I have no parents, no family, and had nothing but the clothes on my back when I came to Climax.”

Now he smirked, propping himself up higher on his elbow to look at her. She avoided eye contact, suddenly noticing he’d drawn a picture of her on the cave floor. Her chest felt tight, emotion gripping her when she least expected it.

“You can draw?”

He didn’t speak until she finally met him eye for eye. “I’ve lived my life as an orphan. Living without roots is like driving without a map. You feel lost, don’t know where you’re going…”

Her chest was rising and falling to match her increased heart rate. She felt an inexplicable connection to Matthew, as if they had a soul-deep bond.

“You’re right. That’s exactly how I feel sometimes. It’s just a matter of looking ahead, rather than back. If you dwell on things that can’t be undone, you can drive yourself mad.”

He shifted into her personal space, his broad shoulder gleaming in the firelight. “You already know me better than some of my pack mates. What does that mean?”

“What do you think?”

“I think Garret chose well.” He spoke slowly. “Right now all I can think about is your scent, the soft texture of your skin, and what I plan to do to you.”

She couldn’t imagine a man who’d been through such hell could even think about sex. It must be a testament to his need. How could she deny him now? Cassidy wanted him nearly as much as he did her.

“What’s your name, little human?”

“Cassidy Lyons. And why do you keep calling me human? Are you the Big Bad Wolf or something?”

He smirked as he moved in on her, rising into a sitting position. So close. “Something like that.” Matthew attempted to undress her, but gave up and tore open her shirt as if it were a button-up. His strength astounded her. She looked down at her bare breasts, her heart thumping against her ribs. “Garret has definitely chosen well. You’re good on my eyes, Cassidy Lyons.”

“Just Cassidy,” she said.

Matthew kept silent, but proceeded to push her down to her back and unbutton her jeans. Once they were tugged down to her ankles, he slipped them off. He held her hips and inhaled against her mound, growling like a man on the edge of losing his humanity. “I smell them on you.”

“Really?”

“But no mark. Odd.” He kissed up her stomach, slowly despite his professed need. When he reached her breasts he exhaled against her skin, taking a tentative lick of her nipple. She gasped, the brief contact so electric. “You like that.”

She nodded rapidly.

He covered her areola with his hot mouth. His lips were soft and thick, his tongue magical. She could feel his scruff against her skin, but the burn only aroused her further. This was a real man like her miners. He was one of them. The missing link they’d all sought. Part of her was thrilled that he’d already accepted her, but she wasn’t foolish enough to think it was anything more than sating his raging lust. He affected her like the others, turning her into an insatiable, wanton woman. Cassidy could say she didn’t recognize this side of her, but in truth, she was being more honest with herself than she’d ever been. She took what she wanted, dismissing societal expectations.

“I should take my time with you, explore you thoroughly. But I’ve been waiting too long to be patient.”

“Then just fuck me,” she dared.

His breath faltered for a moment, surprise altering his features. “Be careful, Cassidy.” He pulled his loincloth loose and tossed it. She looked between them at the virile cock jutting out from the nest of dark curls. The thick erection didn’t look malnourished. In fact, he looked like he could break her in two with a thing like that.

“What are you going to do with that?” she asked, reaching out to lightly stroke it. His dick jumped, swelling further from her touch.

He cupped her mound and drove two fingers into her soaking pussy. She moaned, tossing her head back. He moved his fingers just right, hitting her G-spot dead-on and toying with it. For a man who’d been out of practice, he certainly knew how to please a woman.

“I’m going to fuck you with it.” Matthew sucked her neck, kissing, tasting. One hand cupped her ass, while the other smoothed up her side and down again. “Over and over again.”

She already knew how good that well-endowed cock would feel filling her, quenching the burn deep inside her. He pulled back, licked his lips, and then settled on the cool, stone floor. His cock swayed, begging for her to impale herself over the rigid flesh. “Come. You ride me, that way I won’t hurt too much.”