Page 14 of Sweet Whiskey
“What’s he saying?”
I roll my eyes before giving Brooks a dull look. “You think I have any better hearing than you?”
He shoves my shoulder, glaring at me with no real anger. “Shut up. I just feel left out.”
Smirking, I pat his arm. “It’s okay, buddy. One day she’ll pick you.”
His tongue sweeps across his teeth, and he steps closer. “You know I’m itching for a fightand?—”
We brace ourselves when we hear the closure of the back door and the thuds of Colt’s boots walking toward us. He comes around the corner, his eyes darting between us as Brooks meets him halfway, taking a large sniff.
“She—”
Colt shoves his fingers into Brooks’s mouth, and my eyes widen at the gesture.
“You’ve tasted her first, now don’t say another fucking word the entire ride home,” Colt says with a growl, snatching his hand back and wiping it on his jeans before nodding at me to follow him.
Brooks is standing frozen, and I move closer, our mouths a heartbeat away before I inhale deeply with a groan, getting the faint scent of her arousal. With a mocking laugh, I smack Brooks on the shoulder and walk past him.
Colt is sitting in the driver’s seat of his truck, his head resting on the steering wheel with his eyes squeezed shut. His fists are curled on his lap, and I climb into the passenger side, not saying a word as we wait for Brooks.
“I’ve never battled so hard with my instincts before. I wanted to knot her right then and there.”
I nod, grabbing my tin of rolled joints in the glove box and handing him one. “But you didn’t. That’s why if you ever accept we’re a pack, you’d be the leader. Brooks would have folded immediately, and I…probably would have too.”
His apprehensive expression doesn’t falter until he sucks in a deep drag and I roll down the windows. Maverick will kill us if the truck smells when anyone can access the vehicles on the ranch.
“We’re not a pack,” he mutters.
I laugh, shaking my head. “Look at how we all reacted to the same omega.”
Colt turns his head toward me. “I thought you liked traveling with Cooper and Duke. If we’re a pack, you wouldn’t be able to do that as much.”
Settling farther into the seat, I glance out the windshield, unsure how to fully explain what I feel. “Duke… He always seems to know where he belongs. It’s always been that way since we were little. But for me, I—I don’t know. It’s easier to be with him.”
“I’m going to be honest. I can’t fucking stand your brother.”
I laugh, rubbing the smile off my face before playing with the thick silver ring around my middle finger. “I think a part of me knew we wouldn’t end up in the same pack, even if he ever settles down.”
“Why?”
Shrugging, I take the joint back. “The women we’re attracted to, it’s always been night and day. I like women who are more subdued, something softer about them. They remind me of a sunny afternoon where your mom bakes cookies and then takes you to your favorite swimming hole. Duke… He likes women who storm in like a hurricane and knock you off your feet. He craves that thrill, someone to keep him on his toes.”
Colt nods. “You don’t think Kinsey could be a little hellcat?”
I glance back to the bar, taking a drag before passing it back. Blowing out slowly, I laugh a little. “I don’t know her well enough to guess, but she has a fire in her heart. I canfeel it.”
The door swings open, and Brooks climbs in the back with a huff. His mouth opens, and Colt snaps his fingers and points at him. “Not a word.”
Brooks folds his arms across his chest and stares out the window.
“Good boy,” I taunt.
Colt groans just as Brooks reaches over, smacking the back of my head. I’m rubbing it as I laugh. Colt shakes his head at us, starting the truck and heading back to the ranch.
Turning back to face Brooks, I raise an eyebrow. “How’d she taste?”
His eyes narrow, glancing at Colt before looking back to me. “Like a fresh 7-Up cake that was just iced. Fucking delicious.”
