Page 49 of Knot Your Problem, Cowboy
In the bathroom, I lock the door and sag against it, pulse still racing, body still slick and aching. But now the rush is giving way to something cold.
What if I’ve opened Pandora’s box?
I should’ve kept pretending. Pretending that I felt nothing. That the chemistry was one-sided. That I could control this.
Because what if it all falls apart?
What if I don’t belong here, on the ranch, in this town, with them?
What if I want to leave?
What if the other two don’t want me? What if I’m the Omega that breaks their pack instead of binding it?
Nolan was caring at first too. Attentive. Kind. Until I bonded with him… and eventually he stopped touching me. Stopped even looking at me. Wouldn’t help me through my heat. Not even once.
I had to pay strangers at a clinic to get me through it. Had to sign a waiver. Had to lie and say I was fine.
My stomach twists, the weight of everything crashing down.
I need tonight. I need June. I need alcohol, loud music, and food.
I need a night where I don’t feel like I’m standing on the edge of a cliff, begging not to fall.
And maybe… I need to fall anyway. Just not tonight.
11
CASH
Ridge and I climb out of my truck in the parking area behind Maggie’s Diner, our boots crunching on the gravel scattered between the painted lines. The lot is about half full with a mix of dusty pickups, a few sedans that probably belong to the townspeople, and one shiny red Mustang that’s got to be some tourist’s ride. A handful of motorcycles are lined up near the back fence, chrome gleaming under the security lights that are just starting to flicker on.
The sun hangs low, painting everything in shades of amber and crimson. September is settling in with that crisp bite to the air that promises winter is not far behind. A couple of ravens are pecking at something near the dumpster, and the smell of fried food and barbecue smoke drifts out from the kitchen vents.
Walker is leaning against his truck, arms crossed over his chest. “About damn time,” he growls as weapproach. “I was starting to think you two got lost between here and the ranch.”
“Had to make a pit stop,” I reply, adjusting my button-down. It’s one of my nicer ones, a deep blue that brings out my eyes, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t pick it hoping Sophia might notice. “Ridge here insisted on buying half the gas station’s inventory of jerky.”
“Man’s got to fill up his supply back home,” Ridge states with a smirk, settling his hat more firmly on his head. He’s wearing his good jeans tonight, the ones without holes in the knees, and a burgundy flannel that makes his auburn hair look like fire in the dying light.
But Walker isn’t laughing. There’s something wound tight about him, like a spring ready to snap. And now that I’m close enough, I can smell why.
That scent clinging to him makes every Alpha instinct I’ve got sit up and roar. It’s sweet and spicy and feminine, and it’s definitely not his usual masculine one. Without thinking, I step right into his personal space, close enough that our chests are almost touching, and take a deep breath, filling my lungs.
Walker shoves me back, but there’s more surprise than real aggression in it. “What the fuck, Cash?”
“Don’t play dumb with me,” I rebut, grinning because now I know exactly what happened this afternoon. “You smell like Omega pussy. You’ve beenrolling around with our pretty little Omega, haven’t you?”
“Goddamn it, so fucking what?” Walker mutters, but his cheeks are flushing.
Ridge’s head whips toward us so fast I’m surprised he doesn’t get whiplash. “This is so fucked up,” he groans. “If I miss one thing about losing my sense of smell, it’s that sweet scent of pussy.”
Walker and I both stare at him. It’s the first time he’s actually admitted what losing his scent abilities has cost him beyond the day-to-day stuff. But I’m too wound up to process that right now.
“Well, our boy Walker here,” I say, still grinning, “has been sampling the merchandise.”
“It wasn’t like that,” he protests, but he’s not denying it either.
“You pushed us to keep it in our pants and go slow with her, and now, I can smell her on you. Faint, but hell, man, I can only imagine how good she would have been.”
