My skin goes hot. My pulse kicks into overdrive. There’s a tingling sensation spreading from my chest down to between my thighs, and I have to grip the edge of the seat to keep myself from leaning over the center console and burying my face in his neck.
What’s happening to me?
I jab at the window controls, rolling it down and sticking my head out into the cool May air. The wind whips against my face, sharp and bracing, and I gulp it down like I’ve been drowning.
“You all right over there?” Carter’s voice is tinged with amusement.
“Yep.” I keep my face turned toward the window. “Just needed some cool air.”
“Uh-huh.”
He pulls out of the ranch, gravel crunching under the oversized tires. I keep my face toward the window, watching the familiar landscape slide past, trying to get my body under control.
This is insane. I’ve been on suppressants for seven years. Muted responses, dulled instincts, a designation buried so deepI sometimes forget it exists. My body does not react to Alphas like this. It’s not supposed to. That’s the whole point.
And yet here I am, practically panting because a good-looking cowboy smells like dessert and rain.
Maybe my pills are expired, or I need to double the dose.
“I’m sure everything will work out fine,” Carter says, breaking into my spiraling thoughts. “At the station, I mean. Seth’ll be okay.”
“Oh, I’m not worried about him, as I know he’s innocent.” I pull my head back in, keeping my face angled away. “He seems like the type who can handle himself.”
“That he is.”
“I’m just not looking forward to dealing with Tanner.” I grimace. “My ex.”
Carter glances over, one eyebrow raised. “Seth mentioned bits and pieces this morning about last night, but whatever happened to him, it scrambled his brain pretty good.”
“Well, he was definitely out of it when I picked him up.” Despite everything, I smile at the memory. “Swaying all over the place and singing ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ loud enough to wake the entire town.”
Carter barks out a laugh. “No way. Seth?Singing?”
“Off-key too.”
“Oh, man.” He shakes his head, still grinning. “I would have paid good money to see that. Seth is usually so… intense. Seeing him actually let loose? That’s like spotting a unicorn.”
“Well, he was definitely loose. Nearly fell over about six times.”
“That’s amazing. I’m filing that away for future blackmail material.”
I find myself relaxing slightly, some of the tension draining from my shoulders. There’s something easy about Carter’s energy that has the conversation feeling natural.
And the wind through the open window helps, carrying away some of that intoxicating scent before it can fully saturate my lungs. I take shallow breaths, focused on the cold air, trying to keep myself grounded.
I try very, very hard not to notice the way Carter’s forearms flex as he grips the steering wheel. The thick muscle, the golden hair, the veins running beneath tan skin. His sleeves are rolled to his elbows, and every time he turns the wheel, I notice the way his biceps shift beneath the fabric of his shirt.
He’s big. So much larger than me. Broad shoulders, solid chest, thighs that strain against his jeans. I wonder what it would be like to climb into his lap. To wrap myself around all that strength and let him hold me up.
Stop it.
My eyes drift lower before I can stop them, to where his jeans are stretched across?—
“If I had to guess,” Carter blurts out, “you’re trying really hard to picture me naked right now.”
I choke on nothing but air and my own mortification.
“Excuse me?” I manage, once I’ve stopped coughing.
