Page 144 of Knot Her Cowboys
What had I ever done to get myself a pack like them? They had held my broken pieces from the start, supported me through tears, and brought me laughter, pleasure, and comfort. Angels, every single one of them.
I had really come full circle in the best way possible.
Montana to New York, almost to Germany, and my less-than-triumphant return, but I’d left my heart here when I’d gone, and had never gotten it back. Moreover, I didn’twantit back. My heart belonged to this pack and it always would, because what I was searching for wasn’t a place I could find. It was these alphas, and I was finally home where I belonged.
The end of our busy season brought with it a lot of things: cooler weather, a portion of our staff moving on for the year, fewer guests, and a lighter workload, but most important, privacy.
I had learned Riley’s schedule down to the minute. At first I’d snooped from the shadows, curious where she was disappearing to, but she’d been so fucking cute with her ritual that I hadn’t dared intrude and risk altering it.
She woke up at the same time every day, even when she had no work ahead of her. After she made herself coffee, the first stop was always the construction site of her soon-to-be restaurant. She put on a hard hat and slipped inside, checking the progress daily. Cozy joy slid down the bond as she surveyed the framework and the stacks of drywall. The area the public would be occupying still needed a lot of attention, but the kitchen was already installed and just waiting to be cleaned so Riley could start familiarizing herself. The furniture orders were set to arrive in a few weeks, and once the rest of the walls were in we could start preparing the space to get people in there.
I stayed out of sight as she ventured to her next stop, past the dug-out lazy river that would be completed in the spring, and past the small horse barn that had been rebuilt and painted a few weeks ago. Every horse on the property knew her by now and they let her know how excited they were to see her when she flipped on the light in the stable. Whinnies filled the quiet morning. I peeked through the viewing window on the door, watching her collect a bag of baby carrots from the stable fridge and give one to every horse in there. I’d have considered it bribery to make herself everyone’s favorite, but I knew she did it because she loved making them happy.
From there she took the remaining baby carrots to the paddock so she could fuss over Bluebell, Buttons, and Grizzy. The three of them had moved in together last month. Ordinarily, a slow, careful introduction was required with adding a mare and foal in with a mule, but Grizzy had made the decision for us after breaking into the stable and making herself a second mom to Bluebell.
Riley stayed with them every morning until it was time to wash up and head to the kitchen to make breakfast. That wouldn’t be happening today, though. I had our team on breakfast duty so I could steal her away.
I unhooked the rope from my hip, unwinding it until the lasso loop was big enough. My footsteps were silent behind Riley, and she was quietly content in the bond.
With a quick flick, the loop sailed through the air, and when it hit the perfect height, I pulled back so it snared tight around her waist. A brief bolt of panic leapt down the bond before she saw it was me and a torrent of desire instantly replaced it as she stumbled toward me, following the tug of the rope. I tucked a blindfold over her eyes and set her coffee on the ground with the carrots before tossing her over my shoulder.
Riley giggled from her new position. “Good morning to you, too. Where are we going?”
“Be a good girl and trust me without questions. You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Okay, but Grizzy is gonna be mad you’re making me late for treat time.”
“I’ll give her double later to make up for it,” I promised.
“What about breakfast duty? Is everyone going to starve because I’m about to get railed?”
“So little faith. I changed the schedule. No one is going to wither away if we keep you to ourselves for a few hours.”
She purred, nuzzling my back. “I love when you think ahead.”
“Gotta make sure my girl has a worry-free railing experience.” I warmed at her laugh. “What kind of alpha would I be if I didn’t take your commitments into consideration? You know we’ll always take care of you.”
“Too true, I do.”
I’d strived to have her trust my whole life, and I never tired of knowing how easily she gave it to me.
The rest of my pack joined us one by one, their own desire galloping through the bond at seeing her, and Riley perfumed in response, sweet lupine filling my nose. It was a short walk to where the trees obscured us from both the road and the rest ofthe property. Not a huge necessity, but better safe than sorry. I didn’t want a single interruption.
Hot curls of anticipation slid down the bond from her, and when I set her on her feet, her curiosity got the better of her, her mouth opening for another question before I silenced it with the kiss I’d been craving since I woke up.
While I occupied her mouth, Cash stripped her down. The air was cool, and goosebumps erupted on her skin, but we would warm her up soon enough.
Grizzy had broken a section of the fence yesterday, doing god only knew what, so we’d had to move her to a different paddock since fences meant nothing to her anymore. Apparently after busting through one to hunt down Darrell, she no longer viewed them as a barrier, but rather an obstacle she was happy to overcome.
The fence was on our to-do list to fix later today. What better use was there for a fence with broken boards than to rail our omega before we made the repairs?
Dakota dropped a saddle blanket over the highest board remaining to protect Riley’s stomach, and two more where her feet would go on the lowest board. From there it was a simple matter for me to wrap the ropes around her wrists and bind them to the fence posts along with her ankles. Her breathing got progressively shallower as I bound her, and slick already coated the inside of her thighs from her squirming around.
She was a powder keg of barely restrained excitement in the bond.
Riley was fucking gorgeous tied up and stripped down, blindfolded and waiting for someone to touch her. Once things had calmed down, we’d taken full advantage of Riley’s love of being restrained in a safe environment.
The others looked to me briefly for guidance since I had orchestrated this morning, and I gave them a nod to go ahead. Iwanted to watch her unravel for a few minutes before I dove in myself.
