She hands the reins back to Logan and gives him a fierce look. “And keep this guy out of my greenhouse. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he says as she storms away.
We keep walking to the stables, only this time we keep Zeus between us. I don’t think it’s a good idea to be so close. I can’t seem to control myself around this man and he can’t seem to control himself around me.
It’s not like me to act this way. I’m usually quite standoffish when it comes to guys. I’m nineteen years old and I’ve never even been kissed yet. I came close once when I was fifteen, but just before my lips touched Anthony Spier’s, I turned and ran away.
It felt all wrong and I knew that I’d regret it. That same feeling came with every other boy who tried to kiss me. Every single one except for Logan. That almost felt… perfect.
“So, you said you’re new in town?” he asks, watching me over Zeus’ back. The horse is so tall that I can barely see over it, but Logan is tall enough to make up for my shortness.
“I actually live in Belgrade Springs,” I tell him. It’s the town over, a bit of a drive from Blackcloud Point.
“That’s where I’m from,” he says as he looks at me in shock. “You were there the whole time?”
“No,” I say with a shake of my head. “I’m originally from Columbus, Ohio. I moved to Montana about two years ago.”
What the hell is wrong with me? I’m not supposed to give him my real information. I had created a fake name with a complete backstory on the drive over here and one bat of those long sexy eyelashes has me blabbing every last secret I have. I’d make a terrible spy.
“I was going to say…” he says as he shakes his head. “I don’t know how I could have possibly missed you.”
We meet eyes again for a long moment as we walk. I’m so focused on him that I don’t watch where I’m going and trip on the uneven ground. Luckily, I grab onto Zeus as I stumble and catch myself.
His smile is so incredibly hot as I get back up and laugh nervously, my cheeks blushing with embarrassment.
The fluster I’m feeling just melts away, replaced with a warm comforting feeling as we arrive at the stables.
“Come on in,” he says as we walk in front of Zeus. He huffs out a breath and I jump, startled as I feel the horse’s hot breath on the back of my neck.
Logan lets out a carefree easygoing laugh as he slides his hand on my lower back and then guides me through the door.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to fight the surging feelings bubbling up inside.
This is not real.
This is not real.
But man, it really feels like it is.
Chapter Four
Brooklyn
The stables are nice and clean with a few horses hanging out inside. They pop their heads over the low doors when they hear us enter. I smile as I run my hand down a brown one’s face and he lets out a low contented neigh. They all look well-fed, happy, and healthy. It says a lot about a ranch when the animals look happy.
“Very nice,” I say as I walk down the aisle, looking in each stall.
I can feel Logan’s eyes on me as I walk. It’s like his heated gaze is burning into my ass with every step I take. I give my hips an extra bit of sway as I go, hoping it gets him as hot as he’s getting me.
“Am I going to be working in here?” I ask.
“You’re going to be working with me,” he says in a low sexy drawl. “I want you by my side at all times.”
I lick my lips as I turn around. He’s leaning on the wooden post with his arms crossed over his massive chest.
I might have to take this job for real if it means I get to hang out with this incredible man all day. If I don’t get the job, I might have to volunteer.
“And what does that entail?”
He rubs his chin as he looks me over. “I guess we’ll have to find out.”
I turn away before he can see my cheeks start to blush. It’s getting hot in these stables. The air is thick with sexual tension. I know it’s not just me feeling it now. I can see the desire in his eyes.
“How do you think your mate would feel about us hanging around together all day?” I ask with a grin. “I thought mates were very protective of each other.”
“They are,” he says as he pushes away from the post and starts walking over. “I’d kill any man who tried to claim what’s mine.”
Lucky girl. I wish I had someone looking after me like that.
This is getting out of control. I have to be focused on the job at hand. Getting names, information, the layout of the ranch, and any other details I can find. Oliver’s future might depend on it. It could be the difference between my brother living a free life or living behind bars.
“Well, you can tell her that I’m going to be nothing but professional,” I say with a firm nod. “She has nothing to worry about.”
“She does have nothing to worry about,” he says as he arrives in front of me. God, he’s so big. “I’m looking after her now. I’m keeping her safe. I’m keeping her happy. She shouldn’t have a care in the world.”
He gently takes my chin in his big strong hand and I gasp when I feel the roughness of his palm. My pussy pulses with a wet heat and my nipples harden to the point they hurt. He doesn’t have smooth skin like the city boys back home. This is a man who’s worked on a ranch all his life. He’s farm strong and has the calloused hands to prove it.
That cowboy hat dips as he looks down at my mouth with impure thoughts racing through his mind. I can tell he wants to kiss me. I want the same.
“Your mate—”
“My mate wants me to kiss you,” he interrupts in a deep throaty whisper as he leans down closer. “She wants this. Badly.”
“Well,” I gasp as my knees go weak. I can’t stop staring at his sexy lips. “If she wants this… who am I to argue?”
He grins as he leans down the rest of the way and presses his lips to mine. His hands are rough, but his mouth is anything but. It’s soft and wet and warm and feels like a comforting fuzzy blanket on a tranquil afternoon. It feels like I’ve finally found my place in this world. Like I’m finally home.
His hand releases my jaw and slides down my arm. I’m gliding my tongue over his, moaning into his mouth as I feel his big arms wrap around me. He pulls me into his firm body and my nipples ache as they’re pressed against his hard abs.
The kiss goes on for a long time. It turns from soft to heavy to rough and wild. He digs his fingertips into my back as I step on my toes to get his tongue deeper into my mouth.
I’m so turned on right now. This is the most erotic moment of my life.
A horse neighs behind me, but we still don’t stop. His kiss is so intense. It suits him perfectly. I try to clear all the nagging thoughts in my head—This is wrong. He’s taken. You shouldn’t be doing this. Get the information and leave. Don’t come between two mates.—and just focus on his intoxicating lips. Focus on his sinful tongue… Focus on his heavenly taste…
Logan kisses me until my mind blanks and all I can think about is him.
I gently bite the bottom of his lip, tugging it as he finally pulls away. I don’t want to let go just yet, but I do. That was probably the first and last time we’re going to do that. I should have stopped it earlier but we were already guilty so why not take advantage and make it last a little longer?
I’m breathing heavily with my toes curled in my shoes as he presses his forehead against mine, his cowboy hat raising in the air.
Our eyes are locked together as we grip each other like neither of us wants this moment to end. I know I don’t.
“Your mate is okay with you kissing other girls like that?”
“Not other girls.” I moan when I feel his hot sugary breath tickle my lips. “Just you.”
It takes everything I have to lean back from him and drop my arms. “I doubt that. We haven’t even met. Oh my God! Is she here on the ranch?!”
I jerk away from him as my hand flie
s to my mouth. What the hell was I doing? She’s probably on the ranch right now. She could have walked in and seen us!
“I’m sorry,” I say as I head for the door. “I have to go!”
“Brooklyn!” Logan calls out as I run outside, feeling more flustered than ever. “It’s not what you think.”
“I think you’re an asshole!” I shout back.
Even though cheating on his mate is a majorly asshole thing to do, I still feel guilty for calling him one. He’s been nothing but sweet, gentle, and charming with me.
He follows me all the way to my car. I’m so rattled at my first kiss that was so wrong but felt so right, that I drop my keys in the dirt.
Logan is faster than me and swoops down and grabs them. He holds them out of my reach when I try to take them back.
“Can I have my keys?” I snap.
“You’re coming back tomorrow, right?”
My heart is pounding as I look at him. Why does he have to be so gorgeous? This would be much easier if he wasn’t so alluring and if I wasn’t being drawn to him in every way possible.
“You’re coming back tomorrow?”
Every moral and shred of dignity I have in my body is screaming at me to say no, but everything else is begging me to say yes. For whatever reason, I’m being drawn to this man in an irresistible way and I can’t say no. I physically can’t.
“Fine.”
He holds the keys a little higher.
“Yes. I’ll come back.”
“You’re mine tomorrow, Brooklyn,” he says as he lowers the keys with a devastating grin. “You’re all mine.”
I snatch the keys out of his hand and fumble with them as I try to get into my car. My hands are shaking as I try to slide my key into the keyhole. This man has dialed every nerve in my body into overdrive.
He steps back and never takes his eyes off me as I start the car and throw it into drive.
I’d like to think that I’m not coming back since I have all the information that Rhys required, but deep down, I know that’s not true.
I’m coming back.
First thing in the morning.
Rhys is on me as soon as I pull into the ranch. “Who are they?” he barks as I get out of the car.
“I don’t know,” I say with an innocent shrug. “I talked to a girl named Zoe. She offered me a job in the greenhouse.”
He sneers at me as he squeezes his hand into a fist by his side. “You didn’t get the shifters’ names?”
“No, but I’m going back tomorrow.”
“I didn’t want you to go back tomorrow,” he says with his voice rising. “I wanted the information now. For tonight.”
“What do you want from me?” I ask with my hands in the air. “I got the job, didn’t I?”
“What kind of animal shifters are they?”
“Rhys, will you back off? What do you want me to do? Walk into some stranger’s ranch and start demanding all of their most personal information? They would have thrown me out on my ass!”
He’s seething as he follows me to the house—a five-bedroom farmhouse with a sprawling porch. I would think it was a gorgeous house if I didn’t know Rhys lived inside. That taints everything for me.
The sound of his buddies drinking, laughing, and playing heavy metal music comes over from the barn in the distance. Thankfully, they’re living in there while they’re staying with us.
I grit my teeth when I see Oliver sitting with them. He’s got a beer in his hand.
“He’s sixteen!” I say as I whip my head around and glare at Rhys. “Get that beer away from him!”
“He’s fine,” he says with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Shifters absorb alcohol like it’s nothing.”
“That’s not the point,” I snap as I glare at him. “He shouldn’t be around losers like them.”
“Losers like my friends?” Rhys says as he raises his eyebrow.
“Yes,” I say flatly. “Losers like your friends.”
We stare each other down for a long moment until he rolls his eyes. “Oliver. Get over here!”
Oliver drops the beer and comes running.
“Get in the house,” I tell him. “You’re too young to drink.”
“But the guys are just about to—”
“Get in the house!” Rhys snaps.
“Aww,” Oliver whines before ultimately sulking into the house.
Rhys is all business as he turns back to me. “You have one more day,” he says with his finger in my face. “One. More. Day.”
He storms off and I take a deep breath before heading into the house.
I borrow my mother’s laptop and head into my room to do some research on my new employer.
After some clever FaceBook sleuthing, I manage to find some old pictures of Logan. He doesn’t have a profile, but I figured out the high school he must have attended and the years he was most likely to be there. After going through some of the students’ photos, I found a picture of him.
I smile as I lay down on the bed and tilt the screen down. He looks so young, but it’s still that same alluring face. He looks more at ease. Like the harshness of the world hasn’t burdened him with all that pain and anguish.
I stare at it for a long time and then save it to a secret folder so I can come and look at it whenever I want. I’m so focused on him that I don’t notice the background until it hits me like a bucket of cold water. That tree…
I lower the screen and rush to the window. What the hell? It’s the same tree as outside. I’d recognize that twisted trunk anywhere.
I start frantically looking through more photos until I find an old album on some guy named Lucas Hannah’s profile. It’s entitled Prom Party at Logan Crawford’s house! and the house looks oddly familiar.
It’s the same house that I’m in now.
Wait…
This is Logan’s old ranch?
How did Rhys get Logan’s parent’s ranch? Something is up and knowing Rhys, it’s not good.
My mind is spinning as my mother walks into the room. Oh, great.
I close the laptop and sit up on the bed.
“I just need my computer for a recipe,” she says as she takes it. Her eyes widen and she grins when she opens it and sees the picture of Logan. “Who’s this? He’s cute.”
“It’s nobody,” I say as I lay on the bed and turn away from her.
She doesn’t get to ask me this kind of stuff anymore. Not after what she’s done to our family.
“Is he a friend of yours?”
I suck in a breath and stare at the wall until she gets the hint and leaves.
“Not a friend,” I whisper to myself. “Just a big mistake.”
Chapter Five
Logan
I didn’t sleep at all last night, but it wasn’t because I was longing for my mate in despair. It was because I was excitedly longing to see her this morning.
I’m up before the sun, showered, and dressed in clean jeans and a dark button-down collared shirt by the time the sun first cracks over the horizon.
My girl Brooklyn left in a hurry and we never set a time for her to arrive. I hope she shows up early. I hope she’s feeling the pull to me half as bad as I’m feeling it to her.
I can’t stop thinking about her. I look at my hands, squeezing my fingers in and out of fists, knowing that they were on her body. They were on her gorgeous face. I can still taste the ripe sweetness of her mouth. The softness of her tongue.
I groan as I walk down the steps outside and head toward the stables. I don’t want to wake the horses, but I have to be near where she was. I want to be in the exact spot where I first laid claim on her mouth.
She still doesn’t know that we’re mates. I didn’t want to overwhelm her with too many emotions on our first meeting. I could tell she was already overwhelmed with the sensations racing through her body. It was intense for both of us.
I probably shouldn’t have kissed her, but what’s done is done and I don’t regret a thing. I couldn’t r
esist those plump pink lips.
Even if she was upset, she’ll be back. She won’t be able to stay away. Our bond is going to be a strong one. It’s going to last forever.
I wait and wait for her for what feels like days, but it’s only a few hours. She arrives at about seven o’clock and when I see her car, I race over to greet her.
“Hello,” she says shyly as she gets out. She’s avoiding looking at me but I can’t look away from her blushing cheeks and pale blue eyes.
“Welcome back,” I say as my bear starts pacing around inside. He’s always been a chill grizzly and we’ve gotten along great, but he’s starting to get frustrated that I’m not sinking my teeth into her neck and laying our mark on her where it belongs.
“Look,” she says as she raises her hand in the air. She’s so cute when she gets all serious and defiant. I cross my arms over my chest and try not to smile as I watch her. “What happened yesterday was a mistake.”
“You think?”
She hesitates and then nods. “Yes.”
“I don’t think so.”
“You have a mate,” she says as she looks at me in disbelief. “Not a girlfriend that you kinda like or someone who you’re casually dating. A mate. That’s sacred. That’s not something to play around with. I’m not going to be the kind of girl who’s going to step in between a shifter and his mate, wedging their—
“Brooklyn.”
“No, I mean it. I’m not doing it again. It was irresponsible and childish—”
“And good?”
“And good, yes. No! Wait. That’s not the point! The point is—”
I grab her arm and spin her into my embrace. Before she knows what’s hit her, I crush my lips against hers and kiss her with everything I’ve got.
She melts into it, moaning into my mouth as she kisses me back. It’s been too long since I’ve tasted her sweetness. I’m never going to go this long without kissing her again.
“You were saying?” I ask as I let her go.
Her head is tilted back and her eyelids are closed softly. Her lips puckered in the air. She slowly opens her eyes as she descends from the high.
Forbidden Alpha (The Alpha's Obsession Book 4) Page 3
