Chapter 2 #2
A subtle shudder moved through her shoulders. The bittered defensive spike in her scent smoothed out into a soft, bruised fig, and her rigid posture visibly melted as she let herself lean, just a fraction, into my space.
Before I could answer, a soft woof broke the heavy quiet between us.
Dusty, having politely waited his turn, decided he’d been ignored long enough. He trotted forward, his nub tail wiggling his entire back half, and bumped his wet nose right against the hand that was clutching the leather folder for dear life.
The last remnants of Julia’s defenses shattered. A bright, startled laugh punched out of her, and she dropped into a crouch without a second thought for the Wyoming dust on her designer jeans. Portfolio forgotten on the ground, she buried both hands in the thick ruff of Dusty’s neck.
“Well, hi there, handsome,” she cooed, her voice softening into something incredibly sweet.
And then she smiled.
It was a real, genuinely unguarded smile that reached her chocolate brown eyes and transformed her face.
The shift was so incredibly stunning, it sent a jolt straight through me.
If I thought she was a beauty when she was unapologetically sizing me up, it was nothing compared to this.
The sight of her—soft, happy, and entirely herself—hooked right under my ribs and pulled tight.
Dusty practically melted into a puddle of blue merle fur under her attention, leaning his entire body weight against her thigh.
After a long minute of aggressive ear scratches, Julia let out a soft sigh and straightened up.
The sour tinge of her scent was gone, replaced by a warm, settled calm that only a good dog could pull out of a person.
Damn, I never thought I’d be jealous of a dog… but here I am.
She brushed the dirt off her knees and looked up at me.
The armor was back, but the edge was gone, replaced by an easy, unapologetic confidence, like she had just seamlessly slipped back into her natural element.
She arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, glancing past my shoulder at the empty expanse of the airstrip.
“I have to admit,” she mused, her tone laced with dry amusement. “I expected a slightly larger welcoming committee. Where is everyone else?”
I smoothly swallowed the guilt of my lie, hooking my thumbs back into my pockets. “It’s a working ranch. Always a fence to mend or a stubborn horse to shoe. But don’t you worry. They’re gonna drop dead the second they get a look at you.”
A wicked, brilliant little smile curved her lips. She reached up, adjusting the brim of her sparkly hat. “Good. I prefer to make a lethal first impression.”
I laughed before a distinct twinge of guilt rose while I grabbed the handles of her pristine, designer luggage.
The sleek, high-end bags belonged in the trunk of a luxury town car, not the scratched, hay-littered bed of my farm truck.
But since Dusty basically owned the back half of the cab, I didn’t have much of a choice—unless she wanted a squirming herding dog in her lap for the entire drive home.
Home.
My hands stalled for a fraction of a second on the smooth leather straps.
I was taking her home. To her home. After months of forged paperwork, lies of omission, and desperate, reckless planning, I was actually bringing our Omega back to the ranch to stay.
The sheer magnitude of it suddenly felt impossibly real.
I swallowed hard, shaking off the heavy thought, and hauled all four heavy pieces into the bed before closing the tailgate.
Julia watched me from the passenger side of the truck, her gaze unabashedly tracking the flex of my biceps and the pull of my shoulders before she purposefully turned her attention to the rugged mountains on the horizon, trying to pretend she hadn’t been ogling me the way I was now ogling her.
I bit the inside of my cheek to hide a grin as I sauntered her way, intent on opening her door for her like a proper gentleman, even if I was currently drinking in the sight of her hourglass figure and dreaming about how her plump ass would feel in my hands.
The woman was built like a goddess, and it was all I could do not to drool like a teenager who’d just discovered his first Playboy magazine.
Shaking my head, I reminded myself I wasn’t a hound dog and pulled open the creaking passenger door gallantly.
“After you. Fair warning, the heater takes a solid ten miles to actually kick in.
A biting gust of wind swept over the airstrip, making her shiver. I immediately shrugged off my weathered denim jacket and held it out. “Here.”
She eyed the fleece-lined coat like there were strings attached. “I’m fine.”
“You’re freezing, Sweetheart, and pride doesn’t retain body heat,” I countered mildly, stepping close enough to drop it over her shoulders myself.
She opened her mouth to argue, but the second the heavy denim settled against her neck and my scent practically swallowed her, the protests died in her throat.
Instead of fighting me, a flush infused her cheeks, and I watched as she unconsciously turned her nose into the fabric and inhaled.
If that wasn’t an ego boost, I don’t know what was, because I was on cloud fucking nine over the fact that she seemed to like my signature.
The sharp edge of her neroli scent smoothed out, her body melting into the borrowed warmth.
She pulled the coat tighter around herself and climbed into the truck.
Dusty scrambled up right behind her when I opened the back cab door, happily walking circles on the bench seat until he was satisfied and plopped down, curling up, ready for the drive.
The real hit didn’t come until I rounded the hood, climbed behind the steering wheel, and pulled my door shut.
The heavy, metallic slam severed us from the crisp Wyoming wind, sealing us inside the small cab.
Instantly, the air pressure in the truck shifted. Without the breeze to scatter it, her scent hit me full force, and I nearly swallowed my tongue to keep the purely animalistic sound buried deep in my chest.
It was impossibly potent, instantly wiping out the everyday scents of sun-baked leather and the faint, earthy trace of the dog. The fruity, floral sweetness went straight to my cock, and I shifted as discreetly as I could, hoping she wouldn’t notice the immediate bodily effect she had on me.
Unfortunately, the growing boldness of my scent probably gave me away, because Julia sucked in a quick breath. Her dark eyes darted to mine and then dropped to my lap.
Instead of being embarrassed the way I expected her to be, she let out a little huff of a laugh.
“Don’t hide it on my account, Gideon,” she said, her dark eyes dancing with sudden mischief.
The rest of the pack called me Gid. But hearing my full name wrapped in that melodic, playful purr sent a fresh wave of heat straight to my groin. God, I loved the way it sounded in her mouth.
Wicked confidence rolled off her as she settled back into her seat. “I read all about biological responses between scent matched packs in the OMA textbooks. I consider a highly enthusiastic welcoming committee to be a major perk of the deal.”
I let out a rough breath, starting the truck and pulling away from the airstrip and onto the road while I latched onto what she’d said, clocking it as the unfiltered bluff it was.