Page 19 of Wild Omegas
“You’re so beautiful,” Carson says. Aggressive, but true.
Josie grins at him. “Thank you. You all clean up fairly well yourselves.”
I dip my hat toward her. “We do our best. But genuinely, you were amazing.”
She gives me a look that’s somewhere between amused and disbelieving before placing her hand over mine. “I appreciate that.”
Her hand is warm but so tiny next to mine. So unaccustomed to the kind of work ranch life includes. I want to teach her all of it. “Of course.”
We watch Luke, and then Carson and I each have a go because why the hell not. By the time that’s complete, line dancing starts in the side room and we have a go at that. Turns out, Josie remembers quite a bit from her early teen years, and while I haven’t got a rhythmic bone in my body, Luke and Carson dance for a while with her.
I simply watch. I don’t mind it—in fact, I enjoy it. Seeing Josie so happy when she was decidedlynotfor the first few days after her arrival at Wild Skies makesmehappy in return. A joy I’m too afraid to put too many words to because nothing has happened between any of us. There’s so much we want to have happen though. At least, as far as I can tell.
Luke and Carson can’t hide their attraction to her. I can’t. And while we haven’t talked about it as a pack, it’s like we almost don’t need to.
And then she went and rode that damned mechanical bull and I can’t get the vision of it out of my head.
By the time we hop into Luke’s truck to drive home, I’m convinced I’ll be hard all night until we’re back at the ranch and I can take care of it. That’s when the truck slows to a stop as Luke pulls to the side of the road.
“What’s wrong?” Josie asks him from the front seat.
Luke smacks his steering wheel. “Not sure. Thing’s a bit older, could be anything.”
“I can take a look?” I offer.
Luke nods.
I hop out of the car and they all follow. No sense staying inside a car that’ll heat up fast in this weather. The air feels humid and heavy, like rain is finally going to fall, and there’s an electricity on the wind. A storm is coming.
I pop the hood and pray it’s something I can fix without tools. Such prayers fall short. “Shit. You’re going to want to call a tow, Luke.” Can’t repair or replace a transmission on the road.
Luke takes off his hat to run a frustrated hand through his hair. “Yeah. Got it. Thanks for checking it out.”
I clap his back. “All they have to do is get it back to Wild Skies. I can fix it.” Being able to fix most things at this point has truly been a wonderful blessing of experience. It almost makes up for the things I can never fix that I didn’t break, like the trafficked omegas from my last official case with law enforcement.
Luke nods and walks off a bit into the dark to make the call.
Carson pulls Josie to the side of the truck that’s not facing the road. “Not many people this late at night but better to be safe.”
I close the truck’s hood and join them just as a few drops of rain begin to fall. I look up. “Well, there’s the storm I was feeling.”
Josie crosses her arms. “Didn’t think it was supposed to rain.”
“You never know out here,” Carson says.
Unfortunately we’re still at least twenty minutes by car from the ranch. Wecouldwalk, but someone would still have to stay with the truck. I don’t think Luke is in that big a rush to leave his treasured possession behind unguarded.
Rain starts to fall faster now. Josie sighs and nods as if at the end of some internal argument. “Yep, figures.”
“Hmm?” I ask.
“This is how my life goes.” She lets out a frustrated growl that does nothing but honestly kind of turn me on more. Our ferocious little omega.
Well, notours. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
“Good,” Josie continues, “really good stuff, followed by this.”
Carson nudges her side with his elbow. “It’s just rain, Josie. Are you afraid of it?”
