Moves Like Jagger (Wolf Mates Book 4)

by Dakota Cassidy

Stroking him with confidant hands, Viv skimmed along his belly and placed her lips at the head of his cock, letting her tongue flit outward before enveloping him between her lips.

  Jagger bucked upward, a hiss of approval escaping his lips when she drew her tongue over him, long and slow. His fingers dug into her shoulders, clenching fistfuls of her hair until he was dragging her upward with a ragged gasp of air. “Later. Later we’ll linger. I need inside you. Now.”

  She shivered at the demand, her body on fire, her mind focused on only one thing.

  Jagger dug the condom from his wallet, tearing the foil and sliding it on before rolling her to her back and parting her thighs.

  She gasped out loud when he pressed her into the bed, the heavy weight of his body against her much smaller frame heavenly.

  Poised at her entrance, Jagger captured her lips the same moment he thrust inside her, driving upward until he was balls deep.

  Viv moaned into his mouth, arching into him, encouraging him to plunge deeper, slick with desire and agonizing need.

  He filled her, stretched her, thrusting, forcing her legs around his waist in order to increase her pleasure.

  Her nails dug into his back when their bodies tightened, the crisp hair of his chest scraping her breasts, the thickness of him pulsing within her almost too much.

  Instinctually, they were in tune with one another. There were no awkward moments, no question as to what came next.

  It just happened—organically—perfectly, and as she came again, Viv couldn’t help but be blown away by the sync of their bodies.

  Jagger’s neck arched as he gathered her in his arms and stiffened within her, against her, the release of air from his lips raw and gravelly as he, too, came.

  They melted into one another, their arms wrapped around each other’s bodies, and Viv couldn’t stop her eyes from sliding closed.

  Burying her face in his thickly corded neck, she sighed and drifted to sleep once more.

  * * * *

  “Are you texting your next conquest already?” Jagger asked as they finished up their morning coffee and cleared the kitchen table of their breakfast—a breakfast Jagger had made for her after they’d showered together.

  There was something to be said for morning’s like this one.

  She was feeling much better on this new day—especially after an incredible night like last night and a perfectly perfect early morning.

  It was too soon in the game, but this man, this kind, attentive, insanely attractive man, just might be the one.

  Viv giggled, holding up her phone. “I like Tiffany, but I probably wouldn’t date her.”

  Jagger scooped her up, dropping a kiss on her lips. “Who’s Tiffany?”

  “A really nice, incredibly gorgeous lady who’s here in Cedar Glen for the holidays. We met at JC’s salon, and had coffee yesterday before I felt like death. She wants to have lunch tomorrow.”

  “Huh. Maybe I should date Tiffany?”

  “Ohhh! A threesome? I didn’t know you had it in you,” she teased.

  He cleared his throat and gazed down at her, the gloomy morning light from the living room windows casting shadows on his face. “Okay, let’s get serious here.”

  “About?”

  “About last night.”

  “Did I snore? Drool?”

  Jagger chuckled, the flash of his white teeth showing before he forced his face to go serious. “About last night—let’s talk seriously about last night.”

  She shook off her giggles and allowed him to hoist her up around his waist, walking backward until he was seated on the couch. “Shoot.”

  “Cards on the table. Last night was pretty spectacular. I like you. I like you a lot. I’d like to see this go somewhere.”

  She couldn’t resist. “I hope somewhere is Paris.”

  He pinched her butt and pressed his nose to hers. “Behave, woman. Express yourself.”

  Her smile was warm and full of hope. “Okay, serious. Last night was indeed spectacular. I like you a lot, too. We work. I never thought I’d say that about a man, but that’s our truth. I’d like to see this go somewhere, too.”

  “Are you sure your ‘somewhere’ is Paris? Mine’s Italy.”

  She grinned. “I’ve been to both. I’m good with either.”

  He cupped her jaw, nipping her earlobe in the way that made her warm all over. “So monogamous relationship, or do we invite the gorgeous Tiffany to join us?”

  “Not on your life. I don’t want her to cry when she has to go head-to-head with me naked.”

  Slipping his tongue between her lips briefly, he muttered, “Damn I like you.”

  She squirmed closer to him, rolling her hips against his lap and melting into his chest, her fingers curling in his hair.

  Jagger grabbed her wrists and pulled away. “Oh no, Temptress. I’ll never get the hell out of here like that. Also, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. Speaking of world traveling, for someone who was once rich, you’ve adjusted well to working for a living. You don’t seem bitter at all.”

  “How do you know I was once rich?”

  Jagger winced. “Don’t be mad, but JC slipped. She was extolling your virtues and telling me all manner of awesome things about you and it just came out. She said she was going to call and confess this morning, but I told her I’d bring it up in the interest of honesty.”

  Viv half-smiled. “It’s fine. It’s not like it’s a secret anyway. It was all over the news.”

  “So, have you given thought to hunting down this bastard who took your parents’ money and your trust fund?”

  This was the one area she felt uncomfortable talking about openly, but she was going to try to tough it out. Losing everything had left her feeling like a moron who wasn’t aware of her fiscal situation, and she hated that.

  “I have, and I’ve come up dry every time. Finding him is going to take money. Money I don’t have right now. My parents are safe with my aunt in Florida, and that’s all I care about. I don’t need shoes and clothes and fancy cars as long as I can keep rescuing animals. I can still do that in part because of you. Did I thank you for that properly?”

  He swept her up in another heart-pounding kiss, bringing them both to a standing position. “You don’t have to thank me. Well, wait. How about you thank me tonight after work. Then maybe we’ll decorate that Christmas tree finally? I’ll cook…”

  A happy sigh escaped her lips. “Sold.”

  “Okay. I have a meeting with Max this morning so we can coordinate a patrol, but I’ll pick you up in an hour or so? Bowden Latrell has a horse with a limp I have to tend to and I could use some help because he’s so skittish.”

  On tiptoe, she rose and gave him a kiss. “Deal. See you in an hour.”

  “Mind if I leave Scar here?”

  Viv winced. “I don’t mind at all. But maybe you should ask him.”

  Poor Scar. The cats were taunting him as he tried to sleep, flexing his paw occasionally to ward off one of the six with a grunt.

  Jagger laughed, running his hand over Scar’s head. “I think he’ll be okay for an hour. Now give me one more kiss before I go to tide me over until I see you.”

  Oh, this man. This big, luscious, brawny, incredible man.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly, anxious for him to go and get his meeting with Max over with so he’d be back that much sooner.

  And as he sauntered out the door, the scent of him freshly showered still in her nose, she decided she could get used to a morning routine like this.

  Chapter 10

  “Hey, you!” Viv waved and smiled at Tiffany, who was scrolling her text messages just outside the diner, pretty as a picture as per usual. “How are you?”

  “The question is, how are you? You looked like you felt awful yesterday.”

  “Oh, I’m much better now. Much. Just a twenty-four hour thing, I guess. Sorry I had to bail on you.”

  “Glad to hear it. It would suck to spend t
he holidays sick.”

  “Definitely.”

  “So what’s this glow about, young lady?” She used a finger to circle Viv’s face.

  Viv smiled, fighting a smug snicker. “What glow?”

  “The one all over your face. I suspect this has to do with that hunky vet of yours, um…”

  “Jagger,” Viv filled in for her. She held up two fingers and smushed them together. “And maybe just a little.”

  Tiffany sighed, her shoulders rising and falling beneath her chic red trench coat. “That’s so wonderful. There’s nothing better than a holiday romance.”

  Viv tightened her scarf around her neck and grinned, finding herself gushing. “He’s been incredible. He took care of me last night while I was sick. He made me soup and took care of my cats. It was…” She shut up. She didn’t know this woman well enough to share details that intimate just yet.

  But Tiffany had this way of evoking trust, and, as happy as she was this morning, it was hard not to share it with someone. JC was tied up this morning with a meeting at her new salon, her date with Martine to learn how to shift with better ease had been postponed until tomorrow, but she was bursting at the seams.

  She had to tell someone how fabulous last night was.

  Tiffany’s eyes sparkled. “No need to explain. I get it completely.”

  That prompted Viv to ask, “Anyone significant in your life?”

  She swept her bangs from her face and shook her head. “No. Not anymore. We broke up months ago.”

  Viv wrinkled her nose. “But the memory lingers?”

  Tiffany’s lips pursed. “Sort of. I guess. He was a great guy. It just didn’t…Oh, forget it. Let’s focus on your awesome new romance instead.”

  “We could do that while we have coffee. Let’s go inside and—”

  Tiffany’s finger shot up in the air, cutting her off. “Hang on. Text from my aunt Ruby. No one ignores Aunt R.” She scrolled her phone, her beautiful face turning worried as she used her white teeth to nibble at her glossy, red lower lip.

  “Everything okay?”

  “It’s my aunt Ruby’s dog, Perseus. She says something’s wrong with him. She loves this dog probably more than she loves her own children. She’s older and you know how that goes. Perseus is everything to her since my uncle died.”

  “Does she say whether it’s serious?”

  “She said he’s vomiting. Do you think we could call your hunky beau and have him come out to my aunt’s house? Maybe give him a checkup?”

  “Tell you what, why don’t we go to your aunt’s and I’ll take a peek. I’m not vet, but I’ve learned a thing or two and if nothing else, I can keep Perseus comfortable until Jagger’s available. Jagger’s in a meeting now, but he can meet us there. How’s that?”

  Tiffany squeezed her arm, her eyes inviting and warm. “Would you? Oh, I’d love you forever, and so would my aunt Ruby. C’mon, we can take my car.” She pointed to a pristine white Mercedes, parked along the opposite side of the street.

  “Let’s do it.”

  Tiffany grabbed her hand and held it for a moment. “You’re an angel, Viv. Thank you.”

  As they made their way across the street, Hector, his aviator hat decorated with a green and red pom-pom, was just coming out of the pet store. He waved and called to her, “Hey, Viv!”

  She waved back before ducking into Tiffany’s car. Digging her phone from her back pocket, she texted Jagger, her pulse doing that silly skip as she did.

  * * * *

  Max clapped Jagger on the back. “I think we have a solid plan for the moment. It’s been eerily quiet, which makes me nervous as hell. Would this shifter just go on about his business and move to another part of the state?”

  “I wish I had more to give you, Max. I’ve never, not in all my thirty-some years, encountered another bear shifter like this. It’s damned vicious. No doubt in my mind, if I hadn’t gotten there when I did, Viv would be dead.”

  The thought made him pale again, his stomach tighten, his fists clench.

  Max pushed his chair back from his kitchen table and rose along with Jagger. “Any luck getting ahold of your parents? We sure could use some wisdom here.”

  “I can’t tell you how many lost calls I’ve suffered through. I don’t know where the hell they are, but it must be pretty damn remote. The second I can have a full conversation with them, I’ll ask them to help out.”

  Max nodded. “Good enough. Appreciate the time you’ve taken to set up this patrol of the woods. We need every man we can get.”

  “I damn well couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try to prevent another attack. This bastard’s giving my kind a bad name.”

  “You know, that’s something I meant to ask you. Could you tell whether it was male or female?”

  “It happened so fast, I didn’t get to parse all the scents. The only thing I know for sure is, it’s Kamchatka.”

  Max took their coffee cups to the sink and sighed. “Okay then, at least we know what we’re dealing with. Just wish it wasn’t right now during the holidays. It’s put a damper on the town festivities.”

  His phone buzzed against his chest and he pulled it out to see the text was from Viv. He grinned. Stupidly.

  “I take it that’s Viv?” Max asked with a nudge and a chuckle.

  “It’s written all over my damn face, isn’t it?”

  “Oh, hers too, buddy. The writing’s on the wall. So just give up and give in now. And in all seriousness, I’m happy for you. Viv’s good people. If it wasn’t for her shifting to prove to JC the paranormal were real, I’d be deader than a doornail as we speak. After all the shit you were dragged through in New York, it’s good to see you happy.”

  Jagger frowned for a moment at Max’s mention of New York, but he shook it off. That was long over. The only thing left to do was tell Viv about it. Something he planned to do tonight.

  He read her text with the smiley emoji again then looked to Max. “Do you know anyone with a dog named Perseus and an owner named Ruby?”

  He’d become pretty familiar with most of the people here in Cedar Glen when Max sponsored a meet-and-greet several months back in an effort to get him to relocate. Max had said it was mandatory anyone with a farm or pets attend. He didn’t remember a Perseus or a Ruby.

  Max’s brow furrowed. “Um, nope. Why’s that?”

  “It’s probably nothing. Viv’s got some kind of emergency she’s helping her new friend Tiffany with. Asked if I’d come take a look.”

  “Tiffany?”

  The alarm in Max’s voice made Jagger pause from gathering his things. “You know her?”

  “No. That’s the problem. I’ve never heard of her, and I make it a point to vet anyone new in town. We have to be careful about who comes and goes.”

  “Could she be a relative of someone? Maybe visiting for the holidays from out of town?”

  “She absolutely could be—but there’s no Ruby to visit, Jagger.”

  His stomach did a complete somersault as his fingers fumbled over the keyboard on his phone and he tried not to panic. What’s Tiffany’s aunt’s address?

  He waited, seconds ticked by like agonizing hours…

  Nothing.

  “I’ve got a bad feeling here, Max.”

  Max gripped his shoulder, his face grim. “Me, too. I’ve got Derrick, Hector, and Jerry ready to go. Hector says he saw her in town just a little while ago, getting into a white Mercedes with some fancy lady. Mean anything to you?”

  Fancy lady? “Not that I can think of.”

  “Can you track her scent?”

  “Yes,” he said from clenched teeth, his jaw tight.

  “Then let’s roll.”

  Jagger followed Max out of his cabin and into the snow, racing to his van as Hector, Jerry, and Derrick met them and they all piled inside.

  “Let’s go,” he said, forcing himself not to bellow the words in his barely contained rage.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  * * * *


  Viv looked to Tiffany, her serene profile focused on the road. “Just texted Jagger. I need an address to send him.”

  She pulled onto an unpaved road and drove past a rundown farmhouse, the shingles falling from the exterior, the porch steps warped, the wood they were made from splintered.

  Wow. Aunt Ruby needed a contractor. But Tiffany drove right past what Viv assumed was Aunt Ruby’s house and pulled up to an old, equally rundown mobile home instead.

  Reaching out, she touched Tiffany’s arm. “Did you hear me, Tiffany? I need an address. I didn’t catch it on the way in.”

  Tiffany jumped, startled. “Sorry. Lost in thought,” she said as she pulled the car behind the tattered mobile home, turning the wipers off.

  Fat flakes had begun to come down with force and were now piling up as yet another bout of snowfall assaulted Cedar Glen.

  Aside from the in-need-of-much-repair home, it was beautiful out here. Surrounded by thick pines and outlying hills, it was gorgeous in the snow, untouched by footprints and machinery.

  This was a place she could live—happily, with plenty of space for as many strays as she could manage to care for. A dream of hers since she was in her twenties, put on complete hold since she’d been swindled.

  “Understandable. You’re worried about your aunt. What’s the address here?”

  But Tiffany didn’t answer. Instead, she pushed the door open and got out—slick, six-inch red heels and all.

  “Hey, lady! Are you nuts? Your feet are going to fall right off your body from hypothermia in those shoes if you try to make the door from here. It’s miles away.”

  Wait. Why had Tiffany parked so far behind the mobile home?

  But her beautiful new friend wasn’t hearing her. She was trudging around the car to Viv’s side. She yanked open the door and ordered, “Get out.”

  Viv twitched her nose at Tiffany’s harsh order. Something was off. She might not know how to identify a scent and pair it with an emotion, but she was getting better, and this smelled off with a capital no bueno.

  Sure. Now her nose was working?

  “Tiffany? What’s wrong?”

  “I said get the hell out!”

  Viv’s eyes went wide. What the fresh hell? “Okay, what’s with the Jekyll/Hyde thing? Why are you so upset?”