13. Dakota
Dakota
I t was late evening on the ranch, and I was in the kitchen prowling for a snack.
Montana was at the counter having a nightcap and answering emails on his laptop like a true workaholic.
Zeke was nowhere to be found, probably passed out in his room or being harassed by Clay, who seemed to be in a foul mood more often than normal since Piper had arrived at Blackwood Ranch.
The distrusting asshole had taken to keeping a close eye on her, badgering her any chance he got. It hadn’t been much better for the rest of us, who had started giving Piper a little extra attention.
Clay chewed my ass out at least twice this week for no reason, all the while hovering around Piper and micromanaging. I wasn’t convinced it was solely because he still wasn’t sure about her.
She had started to blend into our family perfectly, and I couldn’t imagine life without her. We were all happier with her around, and she ensured the home ran smoothly. I was going to have to take my jeans out soon if she kept feeding us so well.
Just as I had the thought, I stumbled upon a plate of sliced cheese and salami covered in plastic wrap in the middle of the fridge shelf. “Snacks for the boys—whenever” was written in Piper’s looping handwriting on a tiny Post-it.
She was an angel, a stroke of incredible luck…but where was she?
“Hey, do you know where Piper is?” I asked.
Montana cocked his head to the side as he wrapped up sending an email. “I think Zeke was going to show her something,” he said. “He’s probably rambling about the horses or the cattle industry in excruciating detail while making moon eyes at her.”
Laughing, I clamped a hand on his back. “That sounds about right—I’ll go save her from him.”
“Sure, that’s why you want to go find her.”
I nodded. “Yep, purely selfless reasons. I’m just a good guy like that. That’s why the lord gave me that extra inch.”
Montana shook his head. “We are identical, idiot. How many times do I have to remind you of that?”
“Do you want me to go get the tape measure? I’ll do it.”
He shook his head. “I know you will. Just go find Piper and stop irritating me, okay?”
“I would usually avoid doing what you tell me to as a matter of principle…but she smells prettier than you, so I’m going!”
Without another word, I sauntered out into the night air, the windows of the barn glowing from within, so I made my way toward it. There was something undeniably enticing about Piper Collins, and I was looking forward to getting to know her better.
I stepped through the open barn doors into the golden light of the stables at the far end.
“Hey, Bass,” I greeted the grumpy black pony as I walked in. I hadn’t gone more than a few steps when the scent permeating the air hit me like a ton of bricks.
Sweet floral and fruit.
Piper and Zeke.
Only, it wasn’t just the usual scents.
No, the barn reeked of sex.
Delicious, sweet sex with an omega.
“Hey, Kota!” Zeke beamed as he sauntered out of one of the stalls, that cocky swagger blatant.
“Where’s Piper?” I asked, crossing my arms.
“She’s gone back to the main house. She needed a shower,” he answered, his grin smug.
“You fucked her?” I asked incredulously. It was clear he had; the whole barn smelled like a floral explosion had gone off in it.
That scent was so enticing, so delicious.
I wanted it for myself.
Zeke’s smile widened. “I did. Holy fuck, she’s so sweet, and pretty, and did I mention she smells so, so, so good? Even the cuddling after was top-notch.”
“She’s here for Maisie,” I reminded him.
“I’m not changing that,” Zeke insisted, raising his hands in a surrendering gesture. “You can’t honestly expect me to stay away from her. When was the last time anything smelled so fucking good?”
He had a point, as much as I didn’t want to admit it. There was something undeniably alluring about Piper Collins, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to resist it.
“Clayton is going to lose his shit.”
Zeke snorted. “He is constantly losing his shit, so what’s the big deal?”
“He’ll kick her out if he thinks she’s fucking with your head.”
His brow furrowed. “If he does that, then he really isn’t the man I thought he was. She’s lovely. If he lets his hang-ups about Caroline ruin all our lives, then I’m fucking out.”
Out?
“What the fuck do you mean by that?” I asked, my tone somewhat strangled. We were a pack. There was no walking away from that.
We were a family.
“I mean, I’ll still be here, obviously, but I’m not going to keep pandering to Clay’s bullshit. He became our leader because he never steered us wrong, but this is something I’m serious about. Sure, it’s fun now, but who knows what this could be.”
For a moment, I gaped at my pack mate. He was dead serious—I had known him long enough to tell. When Zeke committed to something, he committed hard.
And it seemed like Piper Collins was what he was deciding to commit to.
“Did she seem…receptive?” I asked. There was no simple way to question if the omega enjoyed getting dicked down by my pack mate, but I needed to know.
His grin only widened. “Oh yeah, she seemed very receptive. Several times, in fact. Have I mentioned she’s perfect? Even her skin tastes sweet! It’s my new favorite treat.”
Irrational jealousy simmered in my chest. “Just don’t go rubbing it in Clay’s face anytime soon.”
“I’m not that dumb,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“Oh yeah, are you about to go back to the house smelling like omega?”
Zeke paused for a moment. “You know what? It’s a nice night; I may go for a moonlit jump in the river before returning home.”
I nodded. “That may be a good idea.”
Part of me didn’t want to leave the barn—it smelled so good, I would have happily slept there overnight with a grin on my face.
Only…I wanted to go check on Piper.
Taking another deep breath, I committed the scent to memory before turning back toward the house.
The large oak door that led to Piper’s room was closed, so I knocked softly, hoping she would hear me.
“Come in,” her sweet voice called out, so quiet, I barely heard her.
Pushing the door open, I took a few steps into the room. Piper was standing next to the bed, folding clothes. “How is everything?” I asked, my voice a bit less casual than I intended.
“Good. Everyone here has been so darn nice to me.”
A small snort escaped my chest. “Now, I'm sure you're not talking about Clayton when you say that. He has a good heart, but is a bit rough around the edges.”
Piper raised an eyebrow. “I think calling him rough around the edges is a bit of an understatement.”
“He’s got a lot weighing on his shoulders. This is the kind of place where most people are good people. It's not like the city, where everyone is out for themselves. Clay does everything for us and never even asks for thanks.”
“It does feel like everyone is very absorbed in their own lives back home. Even the alphas I was dating struggled to see beyond their own immediate wants…”
“Well, they were just straight-up bad people. Clay is an ass, but he's good people. There is a difference.”
“I’m starting to see that,” she whispered.
Simply being in her presence was overwhelming.
Her scent had taken on a slightly sour note when she had spoken about her previous pack.
Evelyn had given Montana the Cliffs Notes, but I wanted to know why on earth a pack would cheat on her.
She was stunning. Any man with eyes could tell that.
Not to mention, Piper was sweet as could be.
Her gentle and easy personality had won Maisie over quickly, and it was hard not to be won over by the sight of the two of them getting along so swimmingly.
I felt at ease whenever I was around her, and I wanted to continue to get to know her better.
“The knuckleheads you left back at that vanity ranch had no idea what they were losing out on. This town will treat you right.”
Piper chuckled ruefully. “They thought I was defective. So, as far as they were concerned, they had every right to stick their dicks in someone else. Not that I stuck around to hear logic once I found out.”
“You have to be a special level of chickenshit to cheat. If you're not grown enough to have a fucking conversation, then you're not grown enough to be in a long-term relationship, in my opinion.”
“That's a very mature way of looking at it.”
“Well, it sounds like you've been surrounded by assholes—until now.”
Piper smiled, and I couldn’t help myself; I took a few steps forward so we were only inches away.
“You smell like my pack mate,” I whispered, my voice low and gravelly.
Her eyes widened, and she went to take a step back. She had probably showered and rinsed off her body, but the scent would cling to her for a bit longer.
“You can smell that?” she asked in horror.
“It’s not that bad in here, but I was just in the barn…” I trailed off.
Her hand flew to her mouth as her eyes widened even more. “So, you… oh, darn it! I’m so sorry, I know I shouldn’t have, but he just… and I… I know it was a mistake!”
Her rambling, while adorable, was not okay. Cupping her face, I pulled her toward me, and she stumbled into my chest, her hands flying to my hips to balance herself.
Her hands on me only made the situation better. “Don’t mistake me, Piper. I’m just pissed that my pack mate made a move before me.”
She stilled, gaping at me, like the notion that I wanted her was absurd. Fuck, I had been obsessed with her since the first time I saw her in the store.
“But…” She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.
“Now, you can tell me to fuck right off, and I’ll walk out that door and stop pestering you, but I am interested in you, Piper. Your job is safe, even if you think we’re a bunch of idiots and want nothing to do with us, but I refuse to tiptoe around the topic.”
“But I’m…”
“Stunning, smart, caring? It really baffles me how you see yourself. You’ve been in this house mere weeks, and I can see clear as day that you’re all those things.”
“Well, I…”
She wasn’t pulling away. In fact, her body was leaning into mine, only bringing us closer. From this distance, her scent was potent. That little hint of fruitiness and musk from what she had just been doing with Zeke set me on edge.
I wanted to taste her.
Unable to stop myself, I crashed my mouth down on hers, devouring her. I wasn’t particularly gentle, like I should have been, but I needed her more than air. Being smothered by her scent sounded like the perfect way to go.
The realization that she tasted just as good as she smelled was thrilling, to say the least. My body hummed with need, and I wanted nothing more than to pull her deeper into the room and find out just how she smelled as she came on my knot.
She was soft. Her skin under my hands, her lips, every curve of her body was perfect.
Pulling back, I smirked down at her. Her pupils were blown, breaths uneven.
“You’re a sweet woman, and we very much want to get to know you better, is that clear? Again, if that’s what you want.”
“I want…” she said through swollen, pouty lips.
The grin on my face probably matched that of my pack mate’s not long ago, but I honestly didn’t care.