I lift her hand and press my mouth to her knuckles, slowly enough to make it feel deliberate, before I let go and take hold of the gear stick. It takes effort not to turn my head and drag her into a kiss that would make her forget what we’re talking about.
“Where are you taking me?” she asks, and there’s a cautious curiosity in her voice. “You said something about a surprise.”
I turn at the next intersection, heading across town instead of back toward the town. “It’s time.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Depends.” I glance at her again. “Do you hate fun?”
She giggles, and I love seeing her so laid-back and happy, like she belongs in the passenger seat of my life.
“I don’t know how to answer that coming from you,” she says.
I grin. “You’ll figure it out. And you’re going to look real pretty when you do.”
20
JUNE
The night has settled around us, stars scattered across the Montana sky as Kai’s blue Mustang eats up the road.
Being this close to Kai is impossibly hard. So much warmth pouring off him, raw energy contained in that body, not to mention his scent that turns me on constantly. I stand no chance. No matter how much I tell myself I’m in control, I lost that battle long ago with these rodeo stars.
This is why I agreed to come with him tonight. As their chaperone, I figured it was my responsibility to make sure nothing crazy happened. And out of the three men currently turning my life upside down, Kai is the most unpredictable. The one most likely to do something reckless, impulsive, dangerous.
I adore that about him. I shouldn’t, but I do.
We’re scent matches. All four of us bound together, and now that I’m an Omega in the open with no more hiding or pretending to be a Beta, my body seems determined to remind me of that fact at every possible moment.
My default is still to hide. To tell myself I can’t have things, that wanting is the first step toward disappointment. But maybe my body is going to prove me wrong. If our bodies are callingto each other this strongly, does that mean I’ll go into heat with them soon?
The thought sends a shiver down my spine.
I’ve never had a heat. The suppressants I’ve been taking made sure of that, but I stopped taking them several days ago, and already I can feel the difference. The ridiculous attraction, the way my body burns whenever they’re near, the way my panties don’t survive more than an hour in their presence…
It’s not full heat yet. I don’t know exactly what that feels like, but I imagine it’s more than this constant, simmering need. This is just the prelude to something bigger, more overwhelming, waiting just around the corner.
Will I be enough for them when it happens? Three Alphas, one Omega. Can I satisfy all of them?
“What are you thinking about so heavily?” Kai’s voice cuts through my spiraling thoughts. I glance over at him, one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on the gearshift, looking like the poster boy for every damn sexy cowboy fantasy ever imagined.
His face is all sharp angles and soft curves in the dashboard light. Those pale gray eyes that seem to see right through me. The strong jaw, the full lips that curve so easily into a grin. That small kiss we shared, the one at the rodeo parking lot, was enough to burn me up for hours. I know those lips would be magic against my skin.
“Just probably overthinking as usual,” I say lightly. “Like, why am I getting a surprise? What did I do to deserve special treatment?”
He laughs. “Well, I feel like we need to spend more time showing you why we’re made for one another. Get to know us well enough that you know you can’t bear to be without us.”
“That’s very confident of you.”
“That’s me.”
“I’ve noticed.”
His grin widens, and my heart races.
We keep driving, leaving the lights of town in the distance. The road curves through open countryside, past fields and fences and the occasional farmhouse glowing in the darkness. I have no idea where we’re going, and the anticipation is almost unbearable.
Then I see a sign illuminated by soft lights: HONEYSPUR FESTIVAL GROUNDS.
