Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
august
We fucked up.
Or more accurately, I fucked up.
It was obvious that Shay heard part of our conversation this morning.
I could practically see her building those walls back up right in front of me.
The warmth and hints of softness were still peeking through, but a hardness was overlaying it all.
I should’ve put a halt to it all right then and there—spilled my guts and confessed everything.
The packages. My career. But what can I say?
I’m a pussy. For the first time in my life, I have something that’s irrevocably important to me, and I’m fucking terrified of losing her.
Now, I’m out in the barn, polishing my motorcycle like I have nothing better to do.
I should be at the bar, giving my girl a hand whether she wants me there or not.
But the second my bike was between my legs and the engine was roaring, fear flooded my veins.
What if I showed up and made things worse? Or she told me she was done with us?
God. What if she said she was done with me? Would I be able to step aside for my pack and simply be her friend while she bonds my cousin? The answer is an immediate yes because I want them all to be happy. This situation is not their fault, and they shouldn’t be forced to suffer for my mistakes.
So, instead, I’ve hidden myself away out here with the mini cow and goats who have headbutted my ankles so many times I’ll probably have bruises.
Houdini is mysteriously missing, but I’ve got enough shit to worry about right now.
I don’t even know what time it is or if the guys have eaten yet.
Pretty sure they’re giving me space, though I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad one.
I’m fucking everything up, and I’m worried it’s snowballing faster than I can fix it.
Now, I understand the guys’ earlier hesitation when it comes to the Omega we’d be lost without. It all makes sense. She’s important, but also prickly as a cactus. Those sharp needles of hers can leave lasting wounds.
The sound of a motorcycle coming up the drive has apprehension rushing through me. Wiping off my hands with my shop rag, I head for the large double doors and look toward the house. The sight in front of me has me damn near rooted to the ground beneath my boots.
The matte-black Harley Softail is sleek, the chrome shining under the moonlight.
The rider pulls off their helmet, a riot of black hair spilling down her back as she sets it on the seat.
My dick is rock hard in under three seconds flat.
On any given day, Shay is the sexiest goddamn thing I’ve ever seen, but on a bike, she’s positively lethal.
She unzips her jacket, completely unaware of my presence, and throws it beside her helmet.
When she runs her hands down her face, I can practically feel her frustration.
Still ignorant of the fact that she’s being watched, she glances up at the house, then out toward the fields.
Is she going to get back on the bike and hightail it outta here?
Why is she here in the first place? She said Luke wasn’t going to be at the bar tonight, so her being here now doesn’t make sense.
Fuck. What if she came by to end it all? Do something, August, you dumb fuck!
Before I can utter a single word and open the floodgates to my rising panic, Hansel rams me right in the calf, giving me a Charlie horse.
“Son of a bitch! You little heathen.”
Shay’s head whips toward the barn, and her eyes narrow. She’s storming toward me with malice on her face. I can’t really run away since my leg is still cramped up, so I just prepare myself for her wrath. Honestly, I’m both scared as hell and turned the fuck on.
“Hey, firecracker. I didn’t know you would be off so early.”
“Oh? You didn’t?” she growls. “Well, did you know that there are two companies doing work on my cabin? Work that I never approved?”
My eyes go wide. “Um…”
She strides right up to me and pokes me in the chest. Hard.
“Do you guys think I’m an idiot?” The question is accompanied by a growl, which is something I never want to hear my Omega do again.
There’s something about an Omega’s growl—a pain that is so different from an Alpha’s normal burst of anger or frustration—that makes it feel like a knife stabbing through my heart.
Now, I’m starting to edge closer to scared as hell and a little further away from turned on.
My own growl rumbles my chest. “Hell no. I—”
Poke.
“Do you think I’m incapable of making my own decisions?”
“Of course not. If you’d let me explain—”
Poke. Poke.
“Did you know that I lived twenty-eight years on this fucking planet and somehow, miraculously, survived? Some would even say I thrived. All without you and your pack’s meddling little fingers in my business.”
“I wouldn’t call it meddling. I’d—”
I’m trying to keep up with the conversation, but it’s hard because, to be honest, this isn’t where I saw this going at all.
She screams in frustration.
It’s at that moment her scent finally hits me. It’s heavy and thick, the spice more prominent than the peanut butter. The light from the barn hits her eyes, and I notice just how glassy they are at the same time the pink flush on her face registers. I freeze.
“I would definitely call it meddling. And don’t even get me started on whatever shit you all are whispering about behind my back.
I had every intention of coming here tonight to tell you that I need a break.
I need some time to get my head on straight, so we should just take a step back and slow things down a bit. ”
Her chest is rapidly rising and falling, her voice not as steady as it was when she stormed up to me full of piss and vinegar. There’s a vulnerability that has me wanting to grab her and pull her into me, but I’m pretty sure if I tried that right now, I’d get a solid knee to the balls.
“What changed your mind?” I ask, though I’m pretty sure I already know the answer.
Pain flashes across her face as she stomps her boot into the dirt.
“My stupid heat, that’s what. It fucking came on like a freight train.
Old Man Morris called Luke, and they shooed me out of the saloon like I was a rabid racoon that would bite anyone that came near me.
Though, admittedly, they probably weren’t wrong.
My Omega? She didn’t want to come here. I was fully prepared to drive myself into Flagstaff and rent a heat suite.
Just because y’all are here doesn’t mean anything’s changed.
I’ve ridden out all of my heats alone, even years ago when I had an Alpha, because Heaven forbid Miles do something that would’ve been considered improper.
Of course, he’s also just a douche, so…”
I’m staring at my normally level-headed, strong woman as she absolutely loses her shit. I can’t just stand back and do nothing. At the risk of injury to my dick, I reach forward and cup her jaw. She’s burning up, but she still manages a sneer despite nuzzling into my palm.
“But you’re here,” I whisper, treating her like the skittish animal she is right now.
Her whine nearly decimates me. “Because my Omega might want to be as far away from you as possible right now, but my brain insists we belong here. I couldn’t fight it anymore.
It’s exhausting. I was throwing down the kickstand before it really even registered where I was.
” Her miserable green eyes meet mine. “I fucking hate that I love you right now.”
My world goes still, and I swear on my life that I’m ready to get down on my knees and pledge my undying devotion to this woman. She just fucking told me she loves me. And sure, she doesn’t sound all that happy about it, but I’ll take what I can get.
“I love you too, though I can promise you, I don’t hate that at all.”
“Aug…”
“Tell your Alpha what you need, firecracker.”
I refuse to touch her until she tells me she wants this. That she wants us.
She sighs, and it’s like every last ounce of tension leaves her body. In the smallest voice I’ve ever heard, she whispers, “I need my pack.” Then, in the next breath, she mutters petulantly, “But this doesn’t change anything.”
My smirk is way cockier than it should be, nearly proving her earlier statement right, but considering the situation, I don’t bother to hide it. “Sure it doesn’t, baby.”
“Y’all still have plenty to answer for.”
“Shay, it’s not the others. It’s me. I’m—”
She reaches forward, panic flaring in her eyes as she places one hand over my mouth, effectively stopping me.
“Don’t. For fuck’s sake, don’t say a word.
If you piss off my Omega right now, she’ll freak the hell out and run, which will leave me aching for orgasms and a knot.
I will seriously kill you.” She shakes her head, closing her eyes and breathing deep.
“Not really. I don’t mean that literally.
I just… I’d really like to not suffer through this heat alone, regardless of my Omega’s current position where you all are concerned. ”
“Are you sure?”
Big green eyes meet mine. “I trust you. All of you. Despite the annoyance and anger—and believe me, there’s plenty of that—I believe that you’ll have answers for the many, many questions you’re going to get later.”
Done holding back, I step forward and lift her into my arms. Hers weave around my neck at the same time her legs wrap around my waist. The moment our lips touch, an incendiary rush of need hits me, and it takes all of my self-control to keep it together.
We’re out in the barn. She’s in heat. I need to get her inside and let the guys know what’s happening.
Then her hips roll and she bites my bottom lip. “Hey, nips. I need your dick, like…five minutes ago. The vibration from the engine nearly had me coming in my pants.”