Uncaging Wolves (Shifter Country Wolves Book 4)

by Noir, Roxie

  Then Gavin kissed her, hard, and she moved to the edge of the bed. He leaned her back until she was lying down, positioned himself at her entrance, and slid in.

  Scarlet moaned softly, arching her back up.

  “I don’t think I told you how beautiful you are,” he murmured. “Did I?”

  Scarlet shook her head. She could barely think enough to form words as Gavin pulled himself out, then thrust into her again, hitting those perfect pleasure spots again and again in perfect rhythm.

  Chase hit the bed next to her, and Scarlet turned her head, kissing him slowly, letting their lips and tongues tangle together with his mate inside her. Then he pulled back and smiled, grazing his thumb across her lips.

  “I like watching too,” he murmured. “Seeing you cum is the most wildly sexy thing I’ve ever seen.”

  Scarlet swallowed, barely able to focus.

  “You’re about to see it again,” she panted, her breath coming in hard, short spurts.

  Now Gavin had both her knees over his shoulders, thrusting in deeply on every stroke, and Chase reached down, his fingers gently massaging her.

  “Good,” he said.

  He bent his head and bit her nipple, and Scarlet came again. For a moment, she’d thought that she couldn’t and then she shattered, feeling like her body broke into a thousand pieces. Her fingers and toes curled, and for a long, long time, it felt like it would never end. Like she’d be flying through the air in shards endlessly, but then she came crashing back down at last, still on the bed, with Chase grinning at her.

  Gavin flopped down next to her and gave her a long, slow kiss, and then they laid like that for a while, no one talking as the sun went down outside, gradually cloaking the bedroom in darkness.

  At last, Gavin was the first one to speak up, his arm thrown across Scarlet.

  “Are we still getting that lasagna?” he asked.

  “Shit,” said Chase. “I forgot about it.”

  “Why?” asked Scarlet, laughing.

  “No reason,” Chase said, giving her a quick kiss. “It’s gonna take about two hours, though.”

  “Let’s just order pizza,” said Gavin. “That’s a lot like lasagna.”

  “Not really,” said Scarlet.

  “Don’t be picky,” Gavin said.

  “Pizza sounds perfect,” she said.

  Epilogue

  Scarlet

  Three Months Later

  Scarlet took a deep breath and pulled the cupcakes out the oven, placing them on the cooling rack. Then she prodded them gently with a long skewer.

  Austin looked over her shoulder.

  “That’s not what cupcakes are supposed to look like,” he said, taking the skewer and poking the cupcakes. “They’re supposed to rise and get puffy.”

  “I know what cupcakes are supposed to look like,” Scarlet snapped.

  Austin put one big hand on her shoulder.

  “Chill,” he said.

  Scarlet rubbed her eyes with the heels of both hands, taking a deep breath.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s just, I work at a bakery, how come I can’t get cupcakes right?”

  “C’mere,” he said, and pulled her into a bear hug. “You’re stressing way too much about this. No one cares if you make perfect cupcakes or not, okay?”

  “The whole pack is gonna be here,” she said. “I haven’t seen some of them since...”

  She didn’t say, since I got out of prison.

  “And they will be amazed that you’re not the same person who went in,” Austin assured her. “And anyone who says anything else is a backwards redneck who doesn’t deserve to know you, anyway.”

  “Thanks,” she said, and pulled away.

  He ruffled her hair, and she frowned, then fixed it, sighing. Ever since Austin had realized that she didn’t like having her hair mussed, he’d been doing it more. Maybe Trevor was rubbing off on him too much.

  “Okay,” he said. “Let’s toss these in the trash and go see how Trevor and the kids are doing.”

  In the living room, Trevor was on a ladder, hanging a yellow-and-green banner that said WELCOME, BABY.

  Down below, Sloane directed him, one hand on her growing bump.

  “What are you doing here?” Scarlet asked. “You’re supposed to be drinking sparkling apple juice and chilling out.”

  “I was just—”

  “Go!” Scarlet said with mock-sternness, pointing at the stairs.

  Sloane went, sticking her tongue out. From the side of the room, Tim and Liz stood and watched.

  “You two were supposed to prevent that,” she said.

  “Us and what army?” asked Liz.

  She had a point.

  “Does this look ok?” asked Trevor, still on a ladder.

  “Yes,” said Austin.

  The three of them had refused to find out the baby’s gender, and Sloane had turned out to be surprisingly militant about pink and blue stuff. Scarlet had a feeling she was about to get a boatload of each against her wishes, but that’s what baby showers were for.

  The front door opened, and a stack of bakery boxes walked in. Austin rushed over and took them, revealing Scarlet’s boss, Annika.

  “There’s more,” Annika said. “Your gentlemen are carrying the rest.”

  Scarlet held the door open just in time for Chase and Gavin to come up the porch steps, each carrying even more boxes than Annika had been.

  “Hi,” said Chase, pausing to give Scarlet a quick kiss.

  “Hey,” said Gavin, doing the same.

  “Are these all bakery stuff?” she called after them.

  “Of course!” shouted back Annika. “Oh, and a cake. And two pies. And a tray of those shortbread things that you like...”

  I’m about to drown in pastry, Scarlet thought. She stood in the door to the kitchen, just staring at the table piled high with baked goods.

  I’m kind of glad that the cupcakes didn’t turn out, she thought. What the hell was I going to do with one more thing?

  Trevor and Austin came back in, looking from the pile of bakery boxes to Chase and Gavin.

  “How are you guys doing?” Trevor asked.

  “Pretty good,” said Chase, eyeing the stack. “You?”

  “Can’t complain,” Trevor said. “Though I have to admit, I wasn’t really expecting all this.”

  “Sorry,” said Annika, rushing in. “I’m practicing for the wedding.”

  Trevor and Austin both nodded like that explained it. Then Trevor frowned, glancing quickly at Scarlet.

  “What wedding?” he asked, sounding just a little suspicious.

  “Greta’s,” said Annika. “The woman who owns the Tooth and Claw.”

  She followed Trevor’s gaze to Scarlet, and then laughed.

  “Don’t worry, your little sister isn’t eloping,” she said, and winked at Scarlet.

  Scarlet felt herself turn bright red.

  It’s been three months! Everyone calm down! she wanted to shout.

  “Let’s find plates for this stuff!” she said instead, clapping her hands together a little too enthusiastically.

  About an hour into the party, Scarlet finally got to relax. Sloane was happy and glowing, a mocktail in one hand and a pastry in the other. Trevor was always by her side, a hand on her back, and Scarlet felt a weird moment of pride for him.

  Holy shit, she thought. Trevor’s going to be a dad.

  It wasn’t that weird of a thought. After all, Trevor had practically raised Liz and Tim himself, and even though he was only a few years older than Scarlet, he’d always protected her more than her actual father had.

  I guess it’s fitting that he’ll finally have one of his own, she thought.

  A little ways away, Austin was having a long conversation with two other wolves and their human mate. Scarlet had met the wolves once and didn’t remember their names, but apparently they ran a bed and breakfast somewhere. She could overhear snippets of conversation about the different kinds of barbed wire
as she walked past.

  So far, no one had said a word out of line to Austin. Obviously, they hadn’t invited anyone who they thought might start trouble, but it could be hard to tell sometimes.

  Scarlet slipped into the kitchen to grab another beer, and there were Gavin and Chase, leaning against the counter and talking quietly.

  “Escaping?” she asked.

  “Only for a minute, I promise,” Gavin said.

  “This is a classy event,” Chase said. “Who’d ever guess you pulled this off?”

  Scarlet laughed, cracking the top off of a second beer. She’d earned it.

  “I’m a class act,” she said. “I know the best recipe for prison wine and I throw a hell of a baby shower.”

  Chase bent down and kissed the top of her head, and she leaned against him, his arm over her shoulder.

  “I’m probably just gonna sleep here tonight,” she said. “It’ll be late by the time we finish cleaning up.”

  “We’ll stick around and help,” Gavin said. “I was planning on it, anyway.”

  Chase nodded in agreement.

  Technically, Scarlet still lived with Trevor and Austin and Sloane. That was what it said on all her paperwork, anyway, even if she rarely spent more than one night a week there. Unofficially, she’d more or less moved in with Chase and Gavin.

  A few days before, Piney had even sat on her lap for the first time. When it had happened, Scarlet had shouted for Chase and Gavin to come witness her moment of victory. And they’d both come running, only to laugh hysterically when they realized the emergency was just the cat sitting on Scarlet’s lap.

  “I think they’re gonna be good parents,” Scarlet said suddenly.

  “They already are,” Chase said. “I talked to Tim for twenty minutes earlier about the band Rush. He’s pretty bright for a thirteen year old.”

  “Once you get him going on something, he’s a talker,” Scarlet agreed.

  “I think you’re going to be an excellent aunt,” Gavin said.

  Scarlet made a face.

  “I’ll be the best ex-con aunt in the state,” she said.

  “You’ll scare that kid straight in a second,” Chase said, rubbing her back.

  “Thanks,” Scarlet said. “Here’s to auntie Scarlet.”

  They clinked beer bottles and then drank.

  “We should go socialize again,” Gavin said, looking at the kitchen door.

  Scarlet nodded, but she didn’t move.

  “Come on,” Gavin said, kissing her on the forehead. “It’s your party, after all. Well, sort of. You threw it.”

  Scarlet reached out and caught his hand, holding it tight for a second.

  “Hey,” she said. “I love you.”

  Gavin smiled, his blue eyes lighting up.

  “I love you too.”

  “And I love you,” she said, looking up at Chase.

  “Love you too,” he said, squeezing her shoulder.

  “What about me?” Gavin asked.

  “You, I only tolerate,” Chase teased.

  “Liar,” said Gavin, and kissed him.

  Then they left the kitchen and went back to the baby shower.

  Seven years ago, Sam’s life fell apart: one mate died, and the other left. At last, he’s learned to cope with being alone.

  But now, fate has other ideas.

  Sign up for my mailing list and get Shifter Country Wolves #5 for 99¢ when it’s released!

  (You’ll also get a free erotic short story.)

  Start at the beginning:

  Greta Waltz doesn't take crap from anyone. As the owner of the Tooth & Claw Saloon, Rustvale's only wolf shifter bar, she can't afford to. Even when a couple of sexy newcomers shift and get into a bar fight, Greta doesn't hesitate to scruff them and boot them into the street. Sure, she'd rather be touching them somewhere else, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

  Recovering nerd Elliott Whiting just moved back home, and brought his mate Shane along with him. Their very first day in town, Shane gets into a bar fight - and the most beautiful bartender he's ever seen tosses him out of her bar. Ever since, neither of them can stop thinking about the curvy, fiery wolf. Could she be the only to finally complete their triad?

  It doesn't take long for Elliott's past as a dorky, bullied kid to resurface, and when it does, Shane can barely control his temper. At the same time, Greta's dad - the pack's alpha - makes his expectations for her perfectly clear, and they don't involve running a business or Greta staying independent.

  Can Greta defy her pack's expectations and find love on her terms? Or will the pack and the past get in the way of this fated menage?

  Get it now!

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  About Roxie

  I love writing sexy, take-charge alphas with a softer side. In fact, I love it so much that I always have two in my stories! Two's always better than one, isn't it?

  In real life, I live in California with one husband (who might be a bear shifter) and two cats (who would be much too lazy to shift, even if they could).

  I’m on the internet at RoxieNoir.com. You can also follow @RoxieNoir on Twitter, like my Facebook page, or just email me: Roxie.Noir@gmail.com.