Stealing a Cowboy's Heart Read online

  “Thanks.” He left the room, and I put the dishes in the dishwasher. I didn’t run the machine though, my water heater wasn’t huge, and I wanted Griff to have plenty of hot water for his shower. Once the kitchen was clean, I went into the living room to read. I heard the shower start, and I tried to focus on my book, instead of the image of Griff wet and naked.

  At one point, I thought I heard the baby cry, so I crept quietly to Griff’s room. But Ava was still asleep. I sighed and left the bedroom, and as I passed the bathroom, the door opened and Griff came out with a towel around his waist. The lust that spiked through me at the sight of his naked torso was embarrassing. His body was mostly back to normal, but there was a tiny bump where the baby had been. My dick pressed my zipper, and I couldn’t help but run my eyes over his body again.

  “Oh, sorry,” he said, laughing awkwardly.

  “I was just checking on Ava.” I lifted my gaze, and kept my eyes locked on his, so I wouldn’t be tempted to ogle him some more.

  “Is she good?”

  “Yep. She’s still asleep.”

  “Great.” He shifted uneasily.

  “Well, I’m going to go read.” I moved toward the living room, my body tense, and buzzing with arousal. God, I wanted him so bad I could almost taste him. I sat on the couch, and closed my eyes, willing my cock to go down. This was torture.

  I’d expected Griff to stay in his room, but after a few minutes, he came in and sat beside me on the couch. He wore shorts and an old T-shirt that I recognized. I was glad he’d taken me up on my offer of borrowing my clothes from the guest closet. I liked the idea of my clothes laying on his bare skin.

  Jesus. Stop.

  Griff stretched his tanned legs out in front of him, and he sighed, staring up at the ceiling. “This new dad lifestyle is going to take some getting used to,” he said softly.

  I looked at him over my book. “Is that right?”

  He nodded. “Normally when I’m bored, I’d go out to a club.”

  “Are you bored?”

  He shrugged. “Kind of. I’m restless.”

  Against my best intentions, my gaze ran over his bare legs. I licked my lips. “Why do you like the clubs so much?”

  “Well, I love dancing.” He drummed his fingers on his thigh. “And I like drinking. Which, I shouldn’t really do too much of, since I’m breastfeeding Ava.”

  I could just picture him at a club, dancing and sweaty, giving the alphas a sexy smile to entice them. I shifted, my cock aching inside my jeans. “So you just go there to dance?” I sounded breathless.

  “Not exactly.” He laughed and ran a hand through his damp hair. The smell of his apple scented shampoo reached my flared nostrils. “Of course, that’s what got me into trouble with Sven.”

  I scowled. “Because you went there for sex?”

  He nodded, giving me a funny look. His eyes were bright, and I knew he wanted me. It was clear as day to me. He wasn’t even trying to hide his interest. It took all my control not to pounce on him. I swallowed and pulled my gaze away.

  “Don’t you ever feel like that, Tex?” His voice was husky.

  “Like what?”

  He swallowed. “Like… like you just need to fuck?”

  The jolt of lust that went through me was physically painful. “Of course.” My tone was hushed.

  When he shifted toward me, he surprised me by putting his hand on my arm. “I’ve been thinking about you that way lately.”

  “Griff—”

  “I know you want me too. I can tell.”

  “So what if I do?”

  He smoothed his fingers over my forearm, making the hairs prickle. “Why not go for it?”

  I squeezed my eyes closed. “What are you playing at, Griff?”

  “I’m not playing.” He leaned closer and brushed his lips against my cheek. “I want you to fuck me, Tex. I want to know what it feels like to have you inside me.”

  I opened my eyes and turned my head. Our lips were only an inch apart, and my cock was so hard, I felt lightheaded with lust. “If you think I’ll be a gentleman, and turn you down, you’re wrong. If you keep pressing up against me, I’m gonna take what the fuck I want.”

  He smiled, his eyes buzzing with need. He took my hand and put it on his crotch. His cock was hard, and it was obvious he had no underwear on. I pushed my hand under the leg of his shorts, and cupped his fuzzy balls, stroking my fingers along his bare, velvety length. He gave a sharp intake of breath, and he moaned. “Yeah. Fuck me, Tex. Just do it.”

  I barely knew what I was doing I was so turned on. His omega had my alpha so aroused, I didn’t know how to stop. I moved swiftly, tugging him into my lap. I slid my hand behind his neck, and covered his mouth with mine. He moaned and pushed his tongue between my lips, wiggling his ass against my erection. He tasted sweet and ripe for the taking. I ravaged his mouth, slipping my hands down his back, to squeeze his ass cheeks through his shorts.

  I pulled my mouth away from his, my lips stinging from kissing him so hard. “Take off your shorts.”

  He stood, and I unzipped my pants, tugging my cock through the slit of my underwear. I spit on my hand and stroked myself, my heart banging hard against my ribs. Once his shorts were gone, he sat back on my lap, leaning in to kiss me again. I rubbed our cocks together, using our precum to get our cocks nice and slick.

  “I’ve thought about this moment.” He licked his lips. “Have you?”

  I swallowed and nodded.

  He touched his nipples, his eyes buzzing with need. “I’ve jerked off thinking about you sinking that fat cock inside me.”

  “Is that right?” If he didn't stop talking, I was going to shoot from just his words.

  “So many times,” he whispered.

  He lifted himself and hovered over my cock, then he lowered himself, and the head of my cock pressed his hole. My fuzzy brain was so numb with need, the thought of a condom didn’t even occur to me until that second. “Protection. We should use protection.”

  He shook his head. “No. Fuck me raw. Fuck me raw, now.”

  I didn’t have the self-control to ignore him. Not with my cock pushing against the warmth of his entrance. I gripped his hips and then pushed up, groaning loudly as I entered his snug heat. He threw back his head, and moaned, the squeeze of his ass almost making me pop right away.

  “Oh, fuck,” he whimpered, his lips parted as I sank in deep. “Yeah, fuck me.”

  Once I was inside him, I could barely control myself. I thrust up, over and over, digging my fingers into his hips and watching his face. “You like me inside you, Griff?” My voice was hoarse as I rocked my hips up and down.

  “Yeah, fuck me. Oh, god, fuck me, Tex.” His body shuddered.

  I pumped into him faster, licking my lips, and holding his frazzled gaze. “Is this what you wanted, omega?”

  He jerked his cock roughly, groaning. “I need it.”

  “I’m gonna come inside you.” I was out of control. I didn’t feel like myself. I’d never been controlled by my wolf like I was at that moment. This was all instinct. The need to shoot inside him and impregnate him was overpowering. I’d never wanted that with any omega. But the idea of his belly fat with my pup had me frantic to come.

  His eyes shone with lust. “Yeah, breed me. I want you to breed me, alpha.”

  Had he begged Sven to do that? The thought of the other alpha filled me with anger, and I pushed in harder. I wanted to erase that other alpha from his memory. I wanted him to smell like my spunk, to warn all other alphas off. He was mine. He was mine. Griff was mine. The thought of that should have scared me, but instead my chest ached, and I slowed my thrusts.

  “Get on your back,” I said softly.

  He looked confused, but he slipped off of me and laid on the couch. He reached out his arms, spreading his thighs. “Tex,” he whimpered. “Don’t stop.”

  I moved to cover him, smiling gently. “I’m not stopping. I want to look in your eyes. I want you under me when I take you.�
�� I pressed my cock to his hole, and pushed in, the tight friction almost making me come. “Griff,” I whispered.

  He wrapped his arms around me, pushing his face to my chest. “Oh, god,” he whimpered. “What’s happening?” He sounded almost scared.

  I’d never knotted inside an omega, but that was exactly what I was going to do to Griff. I wasn’t able to stop the urge. “Griff, open for me,” I growled, as the knot began to form inside his tight channel. I pressed my teeth to his neck. “I… I need to claim you.” I bit down, feeling desperate. His blood trickled into my mouth, and I moaned. “I can’t stop.”

  “Do it,” he whimpered, encircling my hips with his legs, pressing deeper onto my cock. He rutted against my abs, his slick cock sliding on my flesh. He wanted this as bad as I did, but I could tell from his confused hiss, he’d never had an alpha knot inside him before. This was a first for both of us.

  His blood was tangy against my tongue, and I smiled, feeling a sense of well-being I’d never experienced. The knot inside his body swelled and jerked, and I groaned as my seed spilled into his body. His ass clenched around my cock, and we were locked into place as my orgasm exploded. I knew when he came, his womb would open for my seed, and I thrust harder, pleasure making me sigh.

  “What’s happening?” he sounded nervous.

  “Shhhh.” I stroked his cheek. “Come for me.”

  “Oh, my god.” He arched his back and came, his warm release spilling between our writhing bodies, and his insides seemed to open and quiver, sucking my seed deep. I knew without any doubt that he would probably be pregnant with my child. I’d bit him and he was now mine. Sven had gotten him pregnant by accident, but I’d officially claimed him.

  His body jerked as the knot enlarged, and we stayed like that for a few minutes; his insides milking my seed as he panted weakly. Then slowly the knot began to recede, and my cock slipped from his hole. He shivered and clutched me, his body trembling beneath me.

  Once we’d both climaxed, the desperate need to mate was gone. The lusty fog lifted as I held him, feeling confused and freaked out. What the fuck had just happened? That moment had been all instinct. My brain had been disconnected, and I’d been under full control of my wolf. I suspected Griff had been as well. He’d been unsure of what was happening, but he’d never once struggled. His omega had wanted to be claimed.

  I sat up, sweaty and shaky. My abs were bathed in his come, and he watched me wild eyed. “Jesus,” I whispered.

  “You… you claimed me.” It wasn’t a question.

  I just stared at him, feeling shocked.

  “Why?” His voice wobbled. “Why did you claim me?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

  He closed his eyes. “I wanted you to. I don’t understand why. But I did want that.”

  I crawled off of him and helped him to his feet. He swayed back and forth a little, but he stayed upright. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes glittered with bewilderment.

  “It was pure instinct.” I looked down at my cum spattered abs, and I moved toward the bathroom. Once there, I wiped my stomach with tissue, and glanced at myself in the mirror. I looked frazzled, my face was red and my hair sticking up. I smoothed a shaky hand over my head and moved aside when Griff joined me.

  He splashed water on his face and then leaned on the sink. “Fuck.” He straightened and met my gaze in the mirror. “What do we do now?”

  I widened my eyes. “I have no idea. I’ve never claimed an omega before.”

  “Why did we do that?” He looked muddled. “I wanted you. I mean, that was real, but I didn’t expect—”

  “Me neither.”

  He turned and faced me, water dripping onto his chest. “I don’t have to stay here, right? I’m not trapped am I?”

  I shook my head. “No. I’d never do that to you.”

  “But when an alpha claims an omega, they usually stay together. Right?”

  I grimaced, and my mouth moved soundlessly.

  When Ava started crying, we both jumped, and he went toward her room. I followed and found him pulling on a pair of sweats. Then he picked up his daughter and faced me. Patting her back gently, he held my gaze.

  “You’re free to come and go, Griff. I’m not sure what happened, but I don’t want you stuck where you don’t want to be.”

  He nodded slowly, relief moving across his tense features. “Okay.”

  I rubbed my tired eyes, feeling confused and demoralized. “You know you’re most likely pregnant, right?”

  The color drained from his face, but he nodded slowly. “Yes.”

  “If you are, we’ll need to work something out. I want to be in… in my kid’s life.”

  “Of course.” His voice shook.

  I knew if he had my baby, I’d have more rights than someone like Sven because I’d officially claimed Griff. But he could still run. If he was scared enough, he probably would bolt too. “Please don’t punish me.”

  He frowned. “Why would I do that?”

  “Because if you are pregnant, you’ll be scared. I know you don’t want to belong to an alpha.”

  He hung his head. “All that is true, but you’ve been good to me, Tex. I don’t want to hurt you. I know running wouldn’t be right.”

  I was happy to hear him say that. “Okay, good.” He was saying all the right things, but there seemed to be a distance between us that hadn’t been there earlier.

  The baby squirmed in his arms, whining. “I’m gonna feed Ava now.” His gaze was guarded, and I knew my instincts were right. He wanted me to leave and give him privacy. He didn’t want me involved with feeding Ava. Our earlier affection and camaraderie had been erased when we gave into our sexual frenzy.

  My stomach sank at his wary expression. “Of course. I’ll give you some privacy, Griff.” I left his room, quietly closing the door.

  Chapter Eight

  Griff

  I’d willingly allowed an alpha to claim me. I stared at my flushed reflection in the mirror, not sure how to feel about what had happened with Tex last night. I’d come on to him because something inside of me had needed to do that. After all the heated glances, I’d suspected he’d be unable to turn me down, and I’d been right. Something about Tex just got to me. We barely knew each other really, and yet I felt like I’d always known him. I’d felt lust many a time in my life, but this was different. I’d come on to Tex because something inside me had felt like if I didn’t, I’d die. That made no sense. I loved being free. I’d never wanted to belong to anyone before. Why now? Why Tex?

  I winced at my reflection. “What have you done, you idiot?” Would Tex try and control me now? He’d said I was free to come and go as I pleased. Would he keep his word? I couldn’t see Tex turning into the monster Sven had become. Tex was gentle and kind. Would he change now that he thought he had me under his thumb? I guessed it was possible. Anything was.

  Raking my fingers through my damp hair, I went into my room to dress. Ava was awake, gurgling and cooing happily. I’d fed her already this morning, but my empty stomach growled. I’d put off eating because I was nervous about facing Tex in the light of day. He’d seemed as confused as me last night. But he’d also been careful to reassure me I wasn’t his prisoner. That had meant more to me than he’d ever know. Now I could only hope he meant it.

  I picked up Ava and went to the kitchen. Tex wasn’t there, but the coffee was freshly made, so I knew he’d been there not long ago. I held Ava as I puttered in the kitchen, making some toast. I knew I needed to eat, but I wasn’t hungry enough for an egg or anything heavy. The late, dramatic night had dulled my appetite.

  I was at the table sipping coffee when Tex came in the room. My stomach tumbled at the sight of him, and the bite mark on my neck throbbed. He looked mouthwateringly handsome in fitted jeans and a light blue work shirt. “Morning,” I said softly, trying to control my skittering pulse.

  “Good morning.” He smiled weakly, his jaw tense. He moved to pour himself a cup of cof
fee, he then added some cream, and sat across from me.

  “How’d you sleep?” I asked. The silence was awkward, and I hated that we seemed to have lost ground with each other. We’d been forming a friendship before last night, and now we were almost more awkward than when we’d first met.

  “Not great.” He grimaced and met my gaze. “I’m embarrassed about my behavior last night.”

  “Tex, you don’t need to keep taking all the blame. I came on to you.”

  He sighed. “Still. I’ve fucked lots of omegas and never been that stupid.”

  My stomach clenched with distaste at his mentioning other omegas. A prickle of jealousy went through me, and I tried to stuff those irrational emotions down. Last night had been a bizarre mistake. Neither of us wanted it to be real. Yes, a baby might now be on the way, but we were both adults. We’d work something out if I was pregnant. Tex deserved to see his child. I had little doubt he’d be a great dad too. He’d been so nurturing to me, it was obvious he’d treat his offspring great.

  I glanced at my daughter. “Well, we both know I have been that stupid before.”

  He scowled. “You mean Sven?”

  I nodded.

  “That was an accident. I thought you said you used protection.” His eyes gleamed suspiciously.

  “We did.”

  He leaned toward me, jealousy simmering in his light eyes. “Then it wasn’t the same at all. Last night was… different.”

  His possessive tone surprised me, and I touched the bite mark on my neck. “Yeah. It was.”

  He seemed to struggle to get his emotions under control. “Maybe it was the full moon last night. I can’t think of why I behaved so recklessly.”

  I knew neither of us were thrilled with the circumstances, but his attitude of this being the worse thing that had ever happened was beginning to irk me. Was I not worthy of being his mate or something? You don’t want to be his mate, remember? I frowned against the inner turmoil bubbling inside me. “What’s done is done. No point in going on and on about how claiming me was such a horrible mistake.”

  He frowned. “It’s not just me. You were pretty upset last night.”