Page 27 of Claimed By the Cowboys
“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 hadwon 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.
