34. Clay
Clay
P iper had been working so hard to keep the house running that I felt she deserved a much-needed evening off.
Preferably an evening where she didn't have to cook or clean and could relax, but considering my pack mates and I were far from culinary geniuses, I decided the best option was to take her into town for some fun and food.
After rushing through my work on the ranch for the morning, I returned to the house to find Piper humming lightly to herself as she cleaned the kitchen while Maisie amused herself by drawing with crayons as she sat at the counter.
“Hey, we’re going out tonight,” I said, coming up behind her so her back was pressed against my chest.
“Tonight?” Piper asked. I could practically hear the frown in her voice.
“The guys have agreed to go to Evelyn’s with Maisie and get some takeout, and you and I are going to go have some fun and eat something cooked with a pound of lard.”
She chuckled, rolling her eyes. “That sounds great, but what is this fun you’re planning on? You know I can only do so much right now. Or are you planning on keeping this from me?” she asked, her tone smug.
I chuckled lightly. “Duchess, I would rather deal with an entire herd of angry heifers than do that. It’s nothing too wild.
You mentioned you've never been line dancing, and it’s not too challenging, even when you’re pregnant—and we can get some food that you didn’t have to cook while we’re there. So…”
Piper giggled, a beautiful sound as she leaned back into me. “That sounds nice, though I’m not sure about any type of dancing when I’m this big.”
“You’ll do incredible. I promise. It’s not crazy fast, and if it gets to be too much for you, we can sit down. It’s a Southern tradition, and you should get to experience it.”
Piper smiled, shaking her head. “Southern tradition, huh? All right. It sounds fun, actually. Are you sure you have time?”
I kissed the top of her head as she turned to me, looking up at me hopefully. That expression was like a punch in the gut. Didn't she know that I would do anything for her? I may have been a surly ass when we first met, but everything was different now.
She was mine .
“This place is so charming!” Piper said as she glanced around the bar and grill that offered a massive stage for line dancing.
It was the only one in our small town, and it was exactly what you'd expect in a western town filled with ranchers and cowboys. The walls were covered in dark wood, the booths were red vinyl, and there were photos of cows and ranchers and scenic fields all over the walls.
The dance floor itself was huge, of course, but it was also clean, sparkling tiles in a warm brown color with flashing rainbow lights reflecting off them. The DJ booth was raised up on a platform in front of it, and there were already people dancing.
“Yeah, I like it here. It’s been a while since I’ve been.” I glanced around, warmth filling me as my eyes settled on the familiar scenery.
A gentle din of noise filled the room and spilled in from the others that led off into the back. Servers were hightailing it through the dining room and bar, and that smell of home-cooked food and frying grease made my mouth water.
Piper looked stunning in a sundress and cowboy boots, and the moment she’d stepped out of her room, I had been forced to bite my lip, otherwise I was going to tell her to go get changed because she looked too good.
It had taken effort, but I said nothing. We were going to have a nice night. I didn't want to ruin it by being a possessive ass. We were bonded. It wasn't like she was going to run off into the night with another guy, but still, I couldn't help the flow of jealousy.
Just breathe, Clay. She’s all yours, and you’ll have the evening to indulge in that.
“Welcome in, folks. You dancing tonight?”
We nodded at the hostess, and I put my hand on the small of Piper’s back. “Sure are. This is her first time. We’ll be wanting to eat too.”
“Aww, that’s great. Well, welcome in. We’ll get you situated at a table, and then you’re free to hit the dance floor whenever you like.”
The hostess led us back to a table in the far left corner.
I pulled out Piper’s chair for her, and she took a seat, smiling.
Sitting down across from her, I picked up my menu as she did the same.
We glanced over the options and drinks, and when the server arrived, I got us a bottle of sparkling water and started things off with a fried calamari appetizer.
“I’m so excited for seafood. Though, I’ll admit the craving has been for sashimi and stuff, but this is as close as I can get.”
I offered a sympathetic grin. “When that baby is out, I’ll have a cocktail and city girl sushi waiting for you.”
“Ugh, yes! Please do.” Piper looked down at her belly. “I know we have some time still, but damn, I’m ready for them to be here already. I’m going to look like a blimp by the end of this.”
“I think you look beautiful. It's damn impressive watching you grow a human.”
Her cheeks turned a delightful pink, and Piper smiled, ducking her eyes for a moment. “Thank you. Not a lot of people get how hard this can be.”
I reached across the table and took her hand. “I see you, babe. You’re doing amazing.”
Sniffling, Piper leaned back in her chair, smiling and waving me off. “You’re going to make me cry! Shoo.”
I chuckled and went back to my menu, trying to figure out what I was going to order. Still, I couldn’t help glancing up at Piper repeatedly and grinning. In fact, that was apparently an issue for the entire place.
Everyone was looking at her, and I did mean everyone . There was no missing the appreciative stares that several guys were throwing her way. Billy Donovan, from down the road, had been lingering his eyes on her for far longer than I would have liked.
We were bonded. She was mine, but that didn't stop me from being insanely jealous.
The server came to take another drinks order, and I let him know that we were going to do some dancing first. He nodded with a smile, and as he left, I helped Piper out of her chair.
“All right, duchess, let’s hit that dance floor.”
She gave me a nervous nod, and I escorted her to the area set up for line dancing. We took a spot off to the side so that I could teach her the basics. The song changed, replaced by the perfect number that was slow and steady.
“Come on, cutie. You’ve got this. Let’s give it a shot.”
I smiled, loving to see her throwing herself in headfirst. She stood next to me as everyone got into place, and then we were moving through the steps, flowing from one move to the other. Piper stumbled a few times, but it was all in good fun, and we were laughing up a storm halfway through.
Other alphas on the dance floor were glancing Piper’s way again, and when we hit a part of the dance where we needed to bow to people across from us, I couldn’t help but notice the way their eyes roamed over her from head to toe.
But Piper snorted lightly as we shuffled away, going through another round of the first steps. “Your ears are turning red, and you look like you’re going to pop a blood vessel,” she whispered with a giggle.
So, apparently, I was doing a shit job at hiding the jealousy.
“You know, if you want to stake your claim, you may as well pee on me and get it over with,” she said, playfully scrunching her nose.
Leaning to the side so I could whisper back, I kept my voice low and rumbly.
“Duchess, there are much better ways to stake my claim, and they involve you, me, the back room of this place, and some of the best orgasms of your life.
I'll have you crying out so loudly, every man in the vicinity will know you belong to me.”
Piper's eyes widened. “No… you… we…” Her sentence trailed off as her scent intensified. I couldn't help but smirk when it dawned on me that she liked that idea. Oh, that’s fantastic.
“Care to go for a little trip with me to the back, duchess?” I asked.
She bit her lip, and I wanted to be the one biting it.
This was meant to be a fun, romantic evening, but she had derailed it by being so amazing.
I was a possessive bastard, and I wanted my scent all over her.
If I didn't think she would protest, I would have been scent marking her right then and there in the middle of the dance floor while people twirled around us.
Asking her to join me in the back was actually showing restraint for me.
“Let’s do it,” she whispered in a breathy voice.
Sweet Jesus, how did I get so lucky?