Chapter 20
Cooper
Her eyes are wide as she takes it all in, and I want to pull her close, kiss her face, and show her off. Brielle tucks her hands into the back of her jeans, and wrinkles her nose when some dirt kicks up on her brand-new boots that Maverick bought her.
“Lots of dirt,” she says whiningly.
I snort. “Yeah. Most of these arenas get thrown up right before we roll in and then taken down once we leave. Easiest to do that in big dirt fields.”
She adjusts the hat on her head and faces me. “And how many rides do you have to do? And why?”
“I can do as many as I want, technically. I only have about one hundred to make them count.”
Brielle flutters her eyelashes, an innocent look that makes her seem more intrigued than I’m sure she actually is. “Make them count?”
I nod. “I have to be within the top earners to qualify for the NFR, so if I have a bad ride or the monies aren’t great, I might not have them officially use that rodeo.
We also bring a lot of animals in hopes the stock contractors will nominate them for events.
That’s a lot of money in Maverick’s pockets. ”
She blinks. “So it’s all money based?”
I wink. “And skill. There’s a lot of skill for the events, and a lot of work in the training and breeding of the stock.”
Her cheeks turn a bright red at the mention of breeding, and she clears her throat. “And you’re one of the top…earners? I get that right?”
My teeth dig into my lip, and I stare at her for a few seconds before nodding. “Yup. Made some waves the past couple of years, so people got familiar with my name.”
“Hmmm. I’m sure you’re being modest. I’ll have to ask Duke, he loves to hype you up.”
I pull Brielle into my arms, my fingers flexing on her waist. “It’s not that big a deal to me, you know? I don’t know anything else but this. So it doesn’t seem… I don’t—”
“You don’t see yourself as a celebrity? I can get that.
Back home, sometimes I forgot how wealthy my parents really were until other people’s circumstances were staring me right in the face.
” Something pinches on her face, and sadness is reflected in her eyes.
It’s the first time she’s opened up about her past, and I think she’s ashamed.
Nerves grow inside as I debate sharing about my own family; no one really knows the true circumstances besides Marley.
Duke doesn’t pry too much, and Colt doesn’t know much other than his dad left.
“My mom is a drug addict, has been for most of my life. Father left me when I was young. Marley took care of the both of us for most of my life.”
Her eyebrows dip. “Marley? The same one that works at the bar?”
“She’s my half sister. Same mom, different dad. Colt is the opposite. Same dad, different mom.”
Brielle lets out a stunned laugh. “Wow. Perks of a small town?”
I grimace. “Consequence, maybe. My dad wasn’t much better. He left Colt’s mom, and then left mine too.”
“And Marley's dad?”
She hates talking about it, and I know she’d hate me sharing it, but Brielle is my forever. I know she is. “Died when she was young. Doesn’t talk about him much.”
Brielle nods.
I sigh. “So it’s kind of been this thing, that I didn’t care what I did as long as I was making money to take care of us.
Levi let me join the ranch in the summers, and then next thing I know I’m bareback riding horses, then a bull, and he’s putting me in events.
I owe him for believing in me, even when I didn’t.
The ranch is home to a lot of us, a home that means more than our actual homes. ”
Her smile back is a little sad, but her fingers run over the flap of my buttons down my chest. “I can understand that. I can’t wait for the day I meet Levi, he sounds like a good guy.”
Shrugging, I twirl a strand of her golden hair around my finger. “He was a hardass, but I think his intentions were always pure. Maverick didn’t grow up being a grumpy bastard for no reason.”
Brielle’s nose crinkles as she smirks. “I like him grumpy. Gives me something to cheer up.” Her teeth dig into her bottom lip, and a giggle escapes her.
I pat her ass and then step away before my cock gets the wrong idea. “I think you’re good for him.”
She sobers a little and glances up at me with sincerity. “Yeah?”
I nod. “I think you’re good for all of us. The omega we weren’t looking for, but exactly what we needed.”
Her cheeks flush. “I wasn’t really looking for a pack either, but I’m starting to realize I don’t think I want days where I don’t see the three of you.”
My lips part in a wide smile. “Hey, at least it’s all of us. Unofficially an official pack.”
“I wouldn’t be able to pick if you made me,” she says teasingly, but her eyes are serious. “Maverick makes me feel safe. You’re like a playful brightness, a fresh breath of air, and Duke…”
I swallow the emotion growing in my throat, but nudge her to continue. “Duke?”
“Duke… He’s the misunderstood boy who my omega demands I nurture. I never felt that way about someone, and I can’t ever imagine abandoning him.” She cocks her head to the side. “That sounds bad, but my head is a jumble of thoughts and feelings that I can’t fully grasp yet. But I’ll get there.”
It’s everything I’ve been waiting to hear, and I fight the urge to pull her into my arms, not wanting to startle her back into her self-built cage. Instead, I clear my throat and glance across the lot. “Take your time, Princess. We’ll be waiting however long you need. Let’s go check in.”
“Oh god. I could probably devour a couple weiners right now.” She groans.
I nearly choke on my spit and follow her line of sight to the hot dog booth, then shake my head. She’s smiling wide when I look back at her. Pulling out some cash, I hand it to her. “Want to grab me a couple too? Gotta wait here to talk to a few people.”
She takes the money, and I watch her walk away, focusing on how perfectly the jeans cup her ass.
Some of the rodeo regulars do double takes at her hat, a signature look that I usually wear while riding, and it makes me preen with pride.
A secret claiming she doesn’t even know about, but I wasn’t going to say no when she asked to wear it.
Duke’s eyebrows nearly shot off his face, but then the smirk on his lips told me that he enjoyed the same thought I had.
She’s mine, and the whole rodeo will know it.
“Hi, Coop.” A sultry voice interrupts my thoughts, and my nose crinkles when the heavy, fake perfume hits me.
I take a step back and register the woman before me.
A well-known buckle bunny. My stomach sinks.
I’m pretty sure Duke and I have both slept with her, and while there’s no shame in it, I don’t want my old flames anywhere near Brielle.
“Hi, Wendy,” I say drily.
She smiles, flicking her long brown hair over her shoulder to show off her generous breasts tied up in a flannel shirt. “I missed you the last time you were on the road.”
I can’t hide the grimace, and I scratch the back of my neck. I’m not sure how she’ll take the news, considering many of the buckle bunnies get territorial of the guys. “Uhh, yeah. Things changed, I’m kind of seeing someone.”
Her eyebrows dip with a frown. “Kind of? Or are you? Like an exclusive thing? Because if not, I won’t tell anyone.”
Before I can respond, a blur of blonde is before me, and hands grab my shirt and yank me down. Then Brielle’s mouth is on me, and I’m swallowing down her sweet taste with a moan. Then she pops off and looks over her shoulder.
“He’s very much taken. He’s mine.” There’s a slight growl in her last words.
Her claim has my cock hardening so fast, the push against my jeans is nearly painful. I wrap my arm around her back and kiss the top of her head.
Wendy blinks once, twice, and then swallows harshly before turning away without a word.
Brielle deflates a little and looks up at me. “I kind of thought she would put up a fight.”
I raise a brow. “Did you want to fight her?”
“I wouldn’t let you go without a fight.”
My cock swells even more, and I drop my face into her hair. “Fuck, Sunshine. Your claiming is so hot, but we’re not in the right spot to take care of it.”
Her hand slips between us, squeezing me once before letting go with a chuckle. “Gotta go get our hot dogs. I saw you two talking, and my jealousy wouldn’t let me watch it from afar.”
I kiss the side of her face. “I’m yours, Brielle. I have been since the moment I saw you.”
She smiles up at me, warmth in her expression, and she gives me a small nod. “I know that, but sometimes it’s hard to really know that, if that makes sense.”
My knuckle runs over her cheek. “One day, we’ll have a bond, and there will be no doubts about how I feel.”
I don't miss the way her throat works up and down, but she nods again, and I take it for what it seems to be: confirmation that we’re in for the long game.
I don’t want to press her for more at the moment, because something about Brielle reminds me of a hurt animal that you don’t want to provoke.
It will lash out, even to the ones it loves.
“Alright, go get our food before another woman tries to feed me.”
She rolls her eyes. “Oh my god. Your ego. That’s something that Duke would say.”
“Well, he is my best friend.”
Brielle smiles, looking at me fondly. “Maybe that’s what interested me the most.”
“For me or him?”
Her eyebrow raises, then she winks. “You’ll never know.”
I laugh as she walks back to the stand, my chest warm at her teasing.
Brielle has always flirted with us, but the longer we spend with each other, the easier it is to pick up on what’s real, and what’s not.
She’s slowly opening herself up, lowering the wall that’s placed between all of us.
Intimacy is one thing, but her feelings are locked up tight.