I feel so tiny against him like this. I love the way he makes me feel. It’s like the world around me has a new light to it. The birds chirping sound sweeter and the colors around me a little brighter. It’s like all of my senses are on overdrive around this man.
I still can’t believe we made love. The heights that he brought me to… oh, man, I don’t know how I’m ever going to top that again.
Zeus walks lazily along the brook with the gorgeous flat river rocks littering the shallow water.
“Is this what life is like now?” I ask as I turn my head and look up at him.
“If it is, my life is made.”
I push my chin up and kiss him. It’s a soft slow romantic kiss. Beautiful. Sweet. My favorite one yet.
I’m smiling with my rosy cheeks as I sink back down into his embrace, watching the back of Zeus’ adorable ears as we continue along the brook.
All kinds of intense emotions are swirling through me. Happiness dominates them all, but there’s worry there too. He still doesn’t know the real reason why I’m here and I’m afraid that he’ll be mad if I tell him the truth.
If all of this is going to blow up in my face, then I want it to last a little longer.
We take a break a little while later, sitting under a spectacular weeping willow tree while the horses drink from the babbling brook. It’s incredibly romantic.
“I found out about shifters when I was a kid,” I tell him, starting to open up. “My younger brother Oliver is a tiger shifter. It came as quite a surprise.”
“Your father wasn’t one?”
“No. He was human.”
“Hmm,” he says as he slides his fingertip up and down my upturned forearm, giving me shivers all over. “That’s uncommon.”
“But it does happen. He died, my father. It broke my heart.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispers as he holds me tighter. I start to tear up, but just having him here, having someone to talk to makes it a bit better.
“I lost my father too when I was a teenager,” he whispers. “I know it’s hard. Is that why your family moved here?”
I nod. “My mother remarried. He’s a tiger shifter too. As well as an asshole.”
“A tiger shifter from Belgrade Springs?” I can hear the shift in his voice. Crap. He probably knows who Rhys is. He grew up in that town although Rhys is much older than him.
“Enough about him,” I say, quickly changing the subject as I turn around in his arms. His eyes widen as I crawl up to him and kiss his lips. “You said we could do whatever I wanted on our break.”
He swallows hard as he watches my hand trail down his chest, over his abs, and onto his belt buckle.
I yank it open and he sucks in a breath. “Well,” I say as I start to open his jeans. “I want to suck my mate’s big juicy cock.”
His hands are planted on the ground behind him as he holds himself up. I drag my tingling breasts along his muscular legs as I swoop down and pull out his big meaty dick.
It’s hard as stone and dripping pre-come like a broken faucet. My mouth waters as I get a good look at it up close.
He’s grinning down at me with his dark eyes barely visible under that sexy hat. He groans as I flatten my tongue against the thick base and drag it all the way up to the tip. His hot seed hits my mouth and my pussy clenches.
“Oh, yeah,” he hisses through clenched teeth. “Wrap those sweet lips around it, dirty girl.”
I put it in my mouth and let my tongue slide down his wide veined shaft. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a cock, let alone sucked on one, so I’m not sure what to do.
I get it wet with my tongue and suck on his head, but I think I could be doing better. I’m cursing myself for not analyzing a dozen porno movies to prepare myself for this moment. I add my hand to the party, but that makes it feel even clumsier. I just want him to feel as good as he made me feel when his mouth was buried between my legs this morning.
“How do you like it?” I ask as I start to get frustrated. “What do you want me to do?”
“Open your mouth,” he says in a low throaty growl as he takes over the situation. “Wider. That’s my girl.”
He grips a fistful of my hair and grabs the base of his thick cock. It’s oozing with pre-come and I can’t take my eyes off it.
“You want me to come in your sexy little mouth?”
I’m so turned on. I’m mesmerized by the way he’s taking over. My pussy is drenched.
“Yes,” I gasp, wanting it more now than ever.
“Relax your throat and open up wide, dirty girl. I’ll take care of the rest.”
I open my mouth and try to keep my throat slack as I wait for him with bated breath. He thrusts up and I gurgle as his huge cock fills my mouth.
“Easy, Brooklyn,” he says as his grip on my hair tightens. “Let your throat take me in.”
This time I ease everything, trusting my mate to take care of me properly. His cock slides back into my mouth, pressing against the back of my throat. My eyes water. I choke a few times, but I like it. I push him in further, feeling his short hairs tickling my lips until it becomes too much. He already knows my body so well. He pulls out a bit just as I need a breather.
He keeps his head in my mouth for a couple of seconds and then thrusts back in deep. He does it again, and again until my body relaxes and I’m able to take him in deep with not too much choking and gurgling. We find a perfect rhythm and I can’t get enough as he holds my head in place and fucks my mouth mercilessly.
“This is how I like it,” he hisses through clenched teeth as he watches me with a desperate lust in his dark eyes. “I love watching you take every inch of my cock.”
I reach down and start playing with my clit, rubbing tight circles around it as he fills my throat once again. I’m going to burst. Carnal desires are taking over my brain. I want to feel his hot come surging down my throat so badly now.
“Open wide,” he grunts as his chest heaves. I open my mouth as wide as it will go, forcing my throat to go slack at the same time. His grip on my hair tightens as he thrusts his hard cock into the back of my throat. I grab his thighs and push him in even deeper, loving the burning feeling of being so full with him.
Logan lets out a low groan that builds and gets so loud that it turns into a primal roar as he releases deep in my throat.
I come too, feeling an explosion of heat inside as his hot come paints the back of my throat.
Tears are streaming down my cheeks when we’re done. I pull him out and close my sore jaw as I fall onto his body with a moan.
“Was that too hard?” he asks softly as he pets my hair. “I kinda lost control. It’s hard to keep myself in check around you.”
“It was perfect,” I whisper as I close my eyes. I’m savoring the burning feeling in the back of my throat, knowing it pleased him. “I guess I kind of like it rough.”
I can sense him smiling as he runs his fingertips through the hair on my temples. “My dirty girl…”
“My hot cowboy…”
“Perfect together.”
I smile. “In every way.”
It’s late in the afternoon when we finally get the horses back into the stables and we’re headed to Logan’s cabin.
I should probably be getting home, but I can’t bear to let this day end.
It’s been perfect up until now…
…because Rhys is standing at my car with his arms crossed, watching me with a cruel smirk on his face.
Chapter Seven
Brooklyn
“Who’s that?” Logan asks as he steps beside me with a low growl. He places a big protective arm in front of me as Victor, Patrick, and Clyde step out of the truck as well.
Shit. Rhys brought backup.
I can feel Logan’s bear hovering below his surface. I don’t know how I know he’s there, but he is, growling protectively over his new mate.
“It’s okay,” I say as I run a hand down Logan’s back to calm them both. “It’s only my stepfa
ther and his friends.”
His body is still tight and rigid as we walk over. I’m a mess of nerves. I don’t want Logan to know that I was only originally here to get information on them and I don’t want Rhys to know that Logan is my mate. He’ll ruin it. He always ruins everything.
I just want this awkward situation to be over as quickly as possible.
I turn my back on Rhys and take Logan’s hand. His jaw is tight as he looks down at me. I can tell he wants me to stay with him. I wish he knew how much I wanted the same. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
He doesn’t respond, so I step on my toes and kiss him on the cheek.
“I don’t like this.”
“I know,” I whisper. “You just have to trust me. Please.”
He reluctantly lets me go, his territorial eyes on Rhys as I rush over to them.
Rhys snatches the keys out of my hand as I pass him. “You’re riding with me.”
He tosses them to Victor who plucks them from the air and disappears into my car. I really don’t want to ride with Rhys, but if I make a stink about it, this perilous situation is going to unravel in a violent way. I can tell that Logan is just looking for an excuse to pry me away from these men and I can’t watch him get hurt as he fights four shifters.
I hurry into the passenger’s side of Rhys’ truck. He gets behind the wheel as Clyde and Patrick get in the back.
My eyes dart back to Logan through the dirty window as Rhys follows Victor out. My heart breaks when I see the dejected slump in his shoulders.
“You looked awfully familiar with him,” Rhys says in his cringy voice as I cross my arms and stare at my red car in front of us.
I keep my mouth shut, ignoring his attempts to bait me.
“Day one on the job and you’re already spreading your legs for your boss,” he says with a laugh. “If I knew that’s how you rolled, I would have hired you myself.”
All three of them laugh as I grit my teeth, counting down the days until I don’t have to deal with this shit anymore. I’m going to get my mother and brother and tell them we don’t have to live with him anymore. We have a new man—a good man—who can look out for us now.
“Don’t talk about him,” I warn in a low voice.
A huge gray pickup truck comes rumbling down the secluded dirt road, heading toward us. It’s kicking up big clouds of dust behind it.
“How many shifters are living there?” Rhys asks.
I focus on the approaching truck—anything but on Rhys—and the huge man behind the wheel comes into view as he gets closer. His face is focused on Victor as he drives my car in front of us. The man looks livid.
He grits his thick jaw and wrenches the wheel of his truck just before the two vehicles are about to pass each other. “What the fuck?!” Rhys shouts as the truck slams into my car’s driver side door and pushes it off the road. They fly past us and I watch in horror as my poor car is slammed into a thick tree trunk. The pickup truck totals it, crunching the frame around the now swaying tree.
Rhys slams on the brakes, skidding to a stop as I stare at my ruined car in disbelief. It took me all last summer washing dishes at a diner to save the five grand to buy it.
The furious man jumps out of the truck and races over to Victor who is trapped behind the wheel.
“Not this guy again!” Clyde says behind me. There’s a quiver of fear in his voice. “That’s the guy who jumped us.”
The man slams his fist through the window and pulls Victor out by the throat. “What did I warn you?” he roars into Victor’s terrified face. “What did I say? You come around my mate again and I’ll—”
His attention turns to Rhys, Clyde, and Patrick as they rush out of the truck, leaving me alone with my heart pounding. Without hesitation, he slams Victor onto the hood of my car, crunching it in. Victor goes limp as the man turns to the three men approaching him.
“You’re here for my mate?” he roars. Every huge muscle in his body is flexed. Bulging veins run down his monstrous biceps. “Did you touch my Willow?”
Willow… Oh no. Logan was talking about a Willow today. She lives on the ranch and is mated to his oldest brother. This must be Logan’s brother Cameron…
I can’t hear what Rhys is saying, but it causes Cameron to rush forward. They circle him and jump on him. Cameron knocks Clyde out easily with a hard punch, but Rhys is a powerful shifter. He’s vicious and fights without mercy.
I can barely watch as Rhys gets the upper hand, slamming one devastating punch into Cameron after another. Patrick tries to hold his arms back, but Cameron shakes him off.
Cameron gets some good hits in that I can hear and feel from inside the truck, but it’s not enough. Rhys shakes them off and unleashes a deadly combination on him that has him staggering. I gasp as Patrick hits him across the back of the head with the metal bumper. Then, Rhys finishes him off. He cracks him in the jaw, sending his eyes rolling back in his head, and then tosses him into the ditch.
If that’s not enough, Rhys walks over to his truck, grabs the bottom of it, and with a few grunts, starts rocking it back and forth until with one last heave, he rolls it over onto the roof.
I stare in disbelief at the spinning tire as Rhys grabs Victor’s limp body and drags him back to the truck. Patrick helps a dazed Clyde to his feet and half helps/half carries him back.
My heart is pounding in my chest as the four of them get in. I can’t believe that just happened. I hope he’s okay. I know that shifters heal faster than humans, but that was a hell of a beating. And his truck… it’s ruined. Cameron will never accept me moving onto his ranch now. Neither will Logan.
My heart is breaking as Rhys starts the truck and drives away. I’m sitting as still as possible, staring straight ahead as I try not to cry.
“How many more are there?” Rhys’ voice is flat now. Serious. There’s no more playing around. The Bowen brothers have officially pissed him off.
I don’t answer. I can’t. I won’t betray Logan or his family. He’s my mate and I have to protect him as much as he protects me.
Rhys slams his fist onto the dashboard making me jump.
“How. Many. More?”
“I don’t know!”
He yanks the truck over to the side of the road and throws it in park. My face is burning hot as he turns and glares at me. I stare forward, hoping I’m brave enough not to crack.
“You like that guy. Don’t you?”
I swallow hard as I focus on the two trees in the distance. Their trunks are joined at the bottom, their fates entwined forever.
“You think you’re in love? Think it’s meant to be?”
I finally crack and turn to face him. His green eyes look crueler than ever. God, I hate this man.
“Let me tell you what’s meant to be. I’m taking over that ranch, just like I took over his father’s.”
I swallow hard as my pulse starts to race.
“I tried to buy it from his father about fifteen years ago, but the stubborn old man wouldn’t sell. It was the perfect location to start a gun-running business. Close to the freeway yet hidden from view. On the border of three states in a town where the Sheriff was eighty-two years old and addicted to golf. I needed that ranch, but he wouldn’t sell. So, let me tell you what I did. It’s hilarious.”
I gulp. Somehow, I don’t think it’s going to be very funny.
“I beat the living shit out of him, threw him into his old rusty tractor, and then I launched that tractor with the old man inside over a cliff.”
The inside of the truck fills with laughter as my skin crawls.
“I made it look like an accident,” Rhys continues. “And when the bank ultimately foreclosed on the property, I got it for pennies on the dollar.”
“You killed… Logan’s father?” My voice is all shaky. I feel like I’m going to suffocate in this truck.
“Oh, don’t act so surprised,” he says with a laugh as he starts driving again. “Welcome to the real world, Brooklyn. It’s not all unic
orns and rainbows.”
“And now you want to do the same to the Bowen Ranch?” I ask, feeling like there’s a weight on my chest.
“I’m expanding my crew,” he says proudly. “The gun-running business is booming and I want a tiger presence in Blackcloud Point to help meet the demand. Those boys at home are getting restless and that’s the perfect ranch for our operation.”
“But, they didn’t do anything to you!”
“That guy attacked us!” Patrick shouts from the back. “For only talking to his girl!”
I resist the urge to scream at him. If it was these creeps, they were probably trying to do more than talking. I’m sure they had it coming.
“We’re going to kill two bears with one stone,” Rhys says with a grin. “Payback those fucking grizzlies for messing with my crew and we’re going to get the perfect ranch for a tenth of the price. Now, Brooklyn. Think carefully. How many of them are there?”
Chapter Eight
Logan
I hate myself for letting her leave.
My bear is just as pissed. He’s sulking around inside, growling at me in warning.
She better be okay.
I’m sitting on the porch and anxiously watching the stars, wondering where Brooklyn is. I’ve been out looking for her all night.
When Cameron came home and told us what happened, I jumped in my truck and rushed over to the scene. Brooklyn’s car was wrapped around a tree with the bumper ripped off. The only thing keeping my heart from imploding was knowing she wasn’t in there. She was in the truck.
I searched her car looking for something to indicate where she lived, but the address on her registration was her old address in Ohio. But that didn’t stop me from searching for her.
I drove to Belgrade Springs and asked everyone I saw if they knew where she lived, but no one talked. Either they didn’t know or they weren’t willing to rat out her stepfather and his crew of tigers.
After every business closed, the street lights turned off, and the sidewalks emptied, I got back in my truck and drove home, feeling like I was dying inside.
Forbidden Alpha (The Alpha's Obsession Book 4) Page 5
