Page 3 of Claimed By the Cowboys
Plastering a smile on my face, I strode up to her, reaching over and plucking the bag of goodies off the top shelf with minimal effort.
Compared to me, this omega was tiny, her head barely reaching the middle of my chest.
Adorably pocket sized. I hadn’t even properly met her yet, and I was obsessed.
“Hey, there,” I said, emphasizing my country accent a little more than usual—since girls from out of town seemed to love that. She clearly wasn’t a local—everyone knew everyone around here, so newcomers were easy to spot.
As I reached over her, I sucked in a lungful of her delicious floral fragrance that had me weak in the knees.
So,shewas the source of that scent.
Who was she, and what was she doing in Sweetwater Springs?
“Oh! Thank you!” She glanced up at me, her eyes wide as she took in my sheer size.
I may have puffed up my chest in pride just a little at her awe.
“The least I can do! I’m Dakota Flint—and you are?”
“Piper Collins.” Her voice was breathy, and my mind went straight to the gutter. How would she sound moaning my name in that same wispy tone?
She was beautiful, with a smattering of freckles across her face and a button nose. Her pale green sundress was both demure and somehow filthy. What was it with sundresses? They were cute and innocent, but at the same time, invoked thoughts that were far from innocent.
It had been a while since I’d had a little fun. Occasionally, I would go to the local watering hole and find a girl to keep me company for a night, but I couldn’t remember the last time I’d ventured out. Fatherhood had been my only priority.
“Beautiful name,” I complimented, remaining in her personal space.
Her scent was magnetic, and the thought of moving away from it made my gut churn uncomfortably. I wanted to stick by her side like glue, pull her into my arms and see where that sweet scent was strongest.
Judging by the way her eyes widened as she took me in, her nose flaring as she scented me, her pupils dilating and her own scent blooming—she also very much liked what she was smelling from me.
She clutched the bag of snacks to her chest, her eyes never leaving me. “These shelves are too high,” she muttered, making me laugh.
“You’re just vertically challenged.” I shrugged, a shit-eating grin on my face.
“Maybe you’re just freakishly tall,” she pointed out.
That should have been the end of our interaction. It was time for me to turn around, give her a little nod, maybe call herma’amin my most charming voice, then leave.
Only—I didn’t want to.
My deeply ingrained alpha instincts were screaming at me to stay.
They were also telling me to scoop up the adorable omega, take her home and keep her forever, but I had a feeling she wouldn’t be the most agreeable to that idea.
It was a shame, really.
For another awkward moment, we both stood there, staring at each other like a pair of moon-eyed idiots.
“I… Well, thank you again. I should probably just…” She ducked under my arm, which was still resting on the shelf, and scampered down the aisle, a blush staining her cheeks.
Piper.
Beautiful name for a beautiful omega.
I should have asked where she was staying—-then again, that may have resulted in me tracking her down like a madman so I could get another hit of her scent.
Would she smell as good to my pack mates? Despite being a pack and having similar tastes, we didn’t always agree on scents. Montana had dated a girl briefly who I thought smelled like bad beef jerky, but he didn’t seem to mind. That was the day I decided my twin had been dropped on his head one too many times as a baby.
