Mountain Wolf's Courage (Daddy Wolves 0f The Wild Series Book 4)

by Serena Meadows

  Sarah looked up from the fire to find Trevor looking at her, a strange look in his eyes, but that look quickly changed to desire, and even as cold as she was, her body responded. Warmth spread through her, quickly followed by desire so powerful, it made her stop shivering and her body flush with heat. She knew that her dry clothes were in the saddlebag, but she couldn’t make her feet move, didn’t want to break the eye contact with Trevor.

  “I umm...brought the sleeping bags and our saddlebags,” he said, his voice thick with desire. “Do you want to change first?”

  She watched him spread one of the sleeping bags on the ground, then met his eyes again, her heart pounding in her chest at what she was thinking about doing. The desire was still in his eyes, but there was something more: a look of tenderness and concern that warmed her deep inside. Then she understood what she was seeing.

  Love had always been out of her reach had never been a part of her life since that terrible night, but now she saw it in Trevor’s eyes. She wasn’t sure if she was brave enough to take a leap, to trust her instincts, but they were screaming at her that she’d finally found a man who would love her for who she was. He was everything she’d ever imagined she wanted in a man, but she was much too old for fairy tales.

  Knowing she was also much too old to have never been in love, she took a few tentative steps toward him, suddenly shy now that she’d made up her mind. He set down the saddlebag he’d been holding and took a few steps toward her, his eyes shining brightly in the fire light. She watched his chest rising and falling, thinking about running her hands over the taut muscles, then took two more steps toward him.

  When he reached for her, she went into his arms with a sigh and tipped her head up. His mouth came down on hers in a kiss that took her breath away, his tongue invading her mouth, teasing and exploring until she was breathless and her legs were trembling. Arms locked around her, he pressed her body to his, smashing her breasts against his muscular chest, making her nipples harden.

  A wave of pleasure washed over her, and she moaned softly into Trevor’s mouth, making him growl deep in his throat. She was no longer shivering with cold. Instead, her body was quaking with anticipation, seeking the kind of fulfillment she sensed only Trevor could give her. He swept her up into his arms and carried her over to where he’d spread the blanket by the fire, then set her on her feet.

  He wrapped his arms around her and looked down at her. “You said you wanted to slow things down, but it doesn’t feel that way anymore,” he said.

  Sarah looked up at him, felt a thrill go through her, and a tightening deep inside her, and blushed. “I realized today that sometimes it’s a good thing to take a risk,” she said, feeling a moment of fear when she said the words out loud.

  “Does that mean you think I’m a risk?” he asked, clearly a little hurt.

  Sarah reached up and stroked his cheek. “Isn’t love always a risk?” she asked, searching his eyes, where she found what she was looking for. “I’ve spent the last twelve years of my life hiding in the shadows, but I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to live life; I want to have new experiences; I want to do all the things normal people do. But I wouldn’t want to do it without you.”

  “I think I want that too,” Trevor said, “but it scares me.”

  “It scares me too,” Sarah said. “All of it, I haven’t...I mean, no one has ever...”

  She could see Trevor’s lips twitching. “Are you a...”

  He didn’t finish because she interrupted. “No, but I’m not exactly experienced,” she said, her face flaming.

  Trevor seemed to think about that for a minute. “Hmmm, well, I suppose I should have asked first. I mean, I was looking for someone with more experience,” he said, a playful grin on his face.

  Sarah was shocked at first, then realized that he was teasing, so she slapped him on the chest. “Stop making fun of me,” she said, pretending to pout.

  His laughter rattled around in his chest, and she loved the feeling. “I’m kidding,” he said. Then his face got serious. “I want more than anything in the world to make love to you, Sarah. I don’t care who came before me; I just want to be with you right here, right now. I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you, and I want to show you how much.”

  She gasped as a wave of desire rocketed through her, and a knot of pleasure formed deep inside her, making her tingle between her legs. Stepping back from him, she reached down and unlaced her boots, slid them off her feet, then began on the buttons of her shirt. Her face blazing, she let Trevor watch as she removed each piece of clothing, her skin warm under his gaze, her body tingling.

  When she stood naked in front of him, he breathed. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and I can’t wait to suck one of your nipples into my mouth.”

  Sarah wasn’t sure that her knees would hold her when his words washed over her, but she managed to stay on her feet, a gasp escaping her lips. Trevor quickly stripped off his clothes and pulled her into his arms, growling when their bare skin met, her hard nipples rubbing against his chest. “You fit perfectly in my arms,” he whispered in her ear, making goosebumps erupt on her skin.

  He kissed his way down her neck, across her chest, while his hands explored, stroking her back, then lower to cup her buttocks. She leaned back, her legs trembling as his tongue teased her nipple, sending waves of pleasure radiating outward. When he switched to the other nipple and slid his hand between her legs, she moaned with anticipation, her legs parting slightly on their own.

  When he parted her folds with his finger and gently rubbed her swollen nib, she cried out, pleasure filling her, flowing over her in waves. Each stroke of his finger made the sensation stronger until she was lost in the waves as they swept through her, powerless to stop what was happening to her and not wanting to. She was gasping when he finally took her over the edge, her body trembling, his name escaping her lips as she tumbled into oblivion.

  Chapter Eighteen

  ***Trevor***

  Trevor wanted to throw Sarah to the ground, spread her legs as wide as he could, and bury himself inside her moist heat, but he held back, sensing that she wasn’t ready. He’d taken her over the edge, and as she stood trembling in his arms, he understood that she was fragile right then, that she’d opened herself up to him and needed reassurance.

  He gently lowered her onto the sleeping bag, covered her body with his, and looked down at her. “You’re amazing, Sarah; you have a passion inside you that’s just been waiting to be released. I’m deeply grateful that you’ve saved it for me,” he said, looking deeply in her eyes.

  She met his gaze, her eyes brimming with tears. “I didn’t know it could be like that,” she whispered.

  Trevor tenderly kissed the tears away. “It can be even better,” he said, then took her mouth again.

  When she was shifting restlessly under him, he slid his hand between her legs and gently pushed them apart. “I want to be inside you, Sarah. I want to feel your heat around me,” he whispered in her ear.

  He slid between her legs, spread them a little farther, then unable to stop himself, he grabbed her hips and drove himself into her. She was wet and ready for him, her heat instantly making him throb even harder, and it took all his control not to let go just then. Instead, he pulled out, then slowly filled her again, feeling her body clench around him, her mews of pleasure making his body vibrate with a primal need.

  Unable to hold back any longer, he drove himself into her over and over, knowing that it would be over too soon, but beyond the point of no return. Sarah’s cries of pleasure became his only focus, and he drove her over the edge before falling himself as her body embraced his, her muscles gripping him tightly.

  As the world came back into focus, he realized that he was crushing her under his weight and rolled off her, then gathered her in his arms. Her skin was warm against his, and he sighed. “That was better than I ever imagined it could be,” he said.

  Sarah buried her face against hi
s chest, then looked up at him and bravely said, “No one has ever made my body do those things.”

  He grinned at her, then teasingly asked, “Oh, and what things might that be? You might have to go give me a few more details.”

  Sarah’s face turned pink, and she buried her head against his chest again. “I can’t say it,” she mumbled.

  “You can’t say that I made your body sing, that when I touch you in the right places, only the two of us matter?” he asked.

  She sucked in a deep breath, then grinned at him. “Something like that,” she said.

  He rolled her onto her back, then reached for some wood and threw it on the fire. “You know,” he said, looking down at her, “it might help you if we tried that again. Maybe you’ll have an easier time describing it after the second time.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I got a pretty good idea the first time,” she said, grinning up at him.

  “Well, you may not know this, but there are a few things we left out,” he said. “I’d hate to think I did you a disservice.”

  “Hmm, well, I suppose there is that to consider. That could be the problem,” she said, running her hand up and down his chest.

  “Of course, you know it always has to start with the kiss; the kiss is very important,” Trevor said, lowering his mouth to hers.

  When he broke the kiss, she was breathless and restless in his arms. “Lucky for me, I found an expert,” she said, running her hand down his chest and then lower.

  “I’m not an expert, except when it comes to you, Sarah,” he said, then lowered his mouth to hers again.

  Farther down the mountain, another couple was sharing a fire, but this couple was sitting in silence under a sky full of stars. As the love between Trevor and Sarah began to grow, two stars began to brighten in the dark sky, and Marley sighed with relief. Their light became stronger as the night passed, and after an hour of watching, she got to her feet.

  “It worked,” she said, holding her hand out to Jake. “Now it’s up to them. I just hope they make the right choice when the time comes.”

  Jake pulled her into his arms. “Good, now we can go to bed, and I can make love to my wife. Whatever happens now, it’s out of your hands, and I’m glad. I don’t like messing with people’s lives this way,” he said, leading her over to the tent.

  “You saw the mural, Jake. They’re supposed to be here; we’re just speeding things up a little,” she said, unzipping the tent and stepping in.

  Jake sighed. “That mural will be the death of me yet,” he said.

  “But that’s what brought us together,” Marley said, stripping off his shirt.

  “Hmmm, I guess there is that,” he said.

  ***Sarah***

  Sarah woke the next morning wrapped in Trevor’s arms, her head resting on his chest, the beating of his heart loud in her ear. A smile spread across her face when she heard him snoring softly, and she realized that it was a sound she could get used to quite easily. The snoring stopped, and she looked up to find him sleepily looking at her, and then the same smile spread across his face.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” he said, grabbing her and pulling her up to kiss her.

  She giggled and scooted away from him. “I probably have morning breath,” she said.

  “That’s okay; you have the best morning breath of anyone I know,” he said, kissing her again.

  She giggled again, and then her stomach started growling loudly. “I think I might be hungry,” she said, feeling herself blushing.

  “We didn’t eat dinner last night,” Trevor said. “Not that I missed it.”

  Sarah blushed even deeper. “Umm, maybe we should find something to eat.”

  “If you keep blushing that way, it’s going to be a while before we eat,” Trevor said, getting out of the sleeping bag.

  He grabbed her clothes, which they’d spread out the night before to dry, and handed them to her. “Are these okay or do you want something from the saddlebag?” he asked.

  “No, these are fine,” she said, trying to figure out how to get dressed gracefully in front of him.

  “I think I’ll go see what it looks like out there; hopefully, the storm has moved on and so can we,” he said.

  She quickly got dressed and started looking through the saddlebags for something for breakfast. When he came back in, he was smiling. “The storm is gone, and it’s a beautiful morning. I moved the horses over to some grass and they’re having breakfast,” he said.

  Holding up some oatmeal and beef jerky, she said, “And I found breakfast.”

  Trevor laughed. “I think we can do a little better than that. Come on; I’ll show you.”

  An hour later, they carried their gear out of the mine and into the bright sunlight, and for a second, she was blinded by the bright light. She closed her eyes tightly, then opened them slowly, gasping at what she saw in front of her. What had yesterday been a steep, rock-strewn slope was glittering in the sunlight, thousands of crystals reflecting the morning sun.

  “Oh, Trevor, look at it; it’s beautiful,” she said, stepping up next to him and taking his hand. “But what are they all doing here?”

  “This wasn’t a crystal mine; they were taking gold out of the mountain, but all of these were in the way,” he explained. “They dumped them here as tailings, and now we get to enjoy their magic.”

  Sarah picked one up a large crystal and held it up to the light. “Look, it’s pulsing,” she said, then looked over at him. “Trevor, I don’t think I learned anything coming here.”

  He looked back at the mine, and then around them at the forest. “I don’t know, I think we learned a lot last night,” he said, but the smile on his face wasn’t teasing: it was tender.

  She reached out and took his hand. “I wonder what we’ll find next,” she said, smiling up at him.

  “If it’s half as good as what we found here, I can’t wait to get there,” he said.

  But they’d only been on the trail for a little while when Sarah got the overwhelming sense that they needed to go back. She ignored it for as long as she could, but finally, she stopped her horse and sat with her eyes closed, exploring the feeling. All her senses were tingling, the hair on the back of her neck was standing on end, and goosebumps covered her body as the knowledge that they had to get back to Serendipity settled on her.

  “What’s wrong?” Trevor asked, stopping his horse next to her.

  “I keep feeling like we need to go back,” she said. “I’ve been trying to ignore the feeling, but it just keeps getting stronger.”

  Trevor studied her for a second. “If we go back now, we might not figure out the mystery of your paintings,” he said.

  She thought about that for a second, then shrugged. “I don’t think it matters anymore. Maybe they were just a way to get me up here,” she said.

  “But that’s still not an explanation; it doesn’t tell us why you’re here,” Trevor said. “I still think we’re missing something.”

  “I don’t know, Trevor; all I know is that something is pushing me to go back to Serendipity, and I don’t think we should ignore it,” she said, not wanting to add that they should have talked to Marley and Jake before they left.

  He was silent for a long time, then he looked over at her. “I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right. I made a mistake; we should have told them what was going on. I would never give away Serendipity’s magic, but I was scared I’d lose Gabe.”

  She reached over and took his hand. “I don’t blame you, Trevor. We made that decision together. We don’t know that anything bad has happened, but we have to go back.”

  Trevor turned his horse and headed down the trail, Sarah close behind him, wishing she felt relieved. Instead, her sense of doom continued to grow, and there was good reason for her unease: not far away in Leadville, two forces of evil were coming together. Forging a bond that might finally be strong enough to defeat the people of Serendipity.

  Rachelle batted her eyelashes at Richard. �
��Imagine my surprise when I discovered that you were here in Leadville too,” she said, thinking that it might not be so bad to align herself with a man as powerful as him.

  “I had some business to take care of, and as usual, it’s just easier to take care of things myself,” he said, pouring her some more wine. “You never did tell me what you were doing here.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  ***Trevor***

  They were only a few miles from Serendipity when they saw a group of riders approaching, and slowed their horses. Trevor’s protective instincts kicked in and a surge of power flowed through him, making his heart pound and his body tingle with anticipation. But then one of the riders raised his hand and called out to them, and he saw that it was Jake.

  His heart sank, and his first thought was of Gabe, so he nudged his horse into a fast trot. “Is there something wrong with Gabe?” he asked as soon as he was close enough.

  Jake shook his head. “Gabe is fine, but Jordan’s dad was spotted in town, so we’re getting everyone back to Serendipity,” he said.

  He could feel all their eyes on him, and for a second, he was sure that they knew, but then Marley said, “It’s not safe out here; we need to get back.”

  Sarah rode up next to him. “When we do, we need to talk to you,” she said, taking the decision out of his hands.

  Marley looked from one to the other, then said, “I thought you might.”

  Trevor didn’t like the sound of that at all, and all the way back to Serendipity, he felt like a child that had misbehaved. But when they got back to the barn, no one seemed in a big hurry to listen to what they had to say, and it wasn’t until after they’d groomed the horses, fed them, and turned them out that Marley brought it up again.

  “I think we should all go to the lodge and have a little talk,” she said, leading the way with Jake by her side.

  As they walked, Trevor tried to think of what to say, how to explain that he never would have done what Richard wanted. He was still worried about Gabe, still not sure that they really understood how dangerous the man was, but he was afraid to question them now. When they got to the lodge, Marley and Jake headed for the big wooden doors, and he felt a moment of fear—of what, he wasn’t sure.