Page 16 of Rough

I sighed, prepared myself for his anger and disappointment and glanced at him over my shoulder. “I got gored at the last rodeo, and she was the arena doc.” I didn’t elaborate on why I got gored in the first place, only highlighting how stupid I’d been. He wouldn’t approve of mating a human. He wouldn't believe I had the urge to mark her as mine.

His eyebrows went up, but he didn’t show much emotion. He never did. I knew never to play poker with the fucker. “Seriously, Boyd? How did that happen?”

I didn’t answer because I’d already decided I wasn’t telling him that Audrey was mine. Not yet, anyway. Not until I’d explored it further.

I wasn’tthatstupid.

I wanted more with her. Not that what we just did in the barn didn’t count as a whole fucking lot.

“Let me guess—you were more focused on getting some pussy than you were on staying on your bull?” The sound of disgust in Rob’s voice raised my hackles, but it was the fact that he was right that really burned me.

It also made me want to punch him in the fucking throat. Because Audrey wasnotsome pussy. She was so much more. I wanted to tell him off for disrespecting her like that, but I couldn’t.

I turned to face him head on, a snarl on my lip. “I’m taking care of the problem, so you can fuck off.”

And that was how I ended up with my hat flying off and me landing ass first in the dirt with my nose bleeding. His fist came up out of nowhere. I might have killer reflexes to keep my ass on the back of a bull, but Rob had alpha reflexes and a whole fuckton of command to go with it.

No one challenged an alpha wolf. Especially not when there was family history. It was definitely broken, and my nose hurt like a bitch. I sniffed, wiped the dripping blood with the back of my hand and picked up Audrey’s scent. My fingers were covered with it from fingering her. My wolf snapped and snarled, not caring I’d been laid out, but that Rob was getting in the way of me being with Audrey. Still, I couldn’t explain because all he’d do was shut me down not with his fist this time, but an alpha command to stay the fuck away from her.

I stayed down and showed my throat to signify my surrender to his pack position.

Rob folded his arms over his chest and glared down at me. “The fact that you’re being an asshole tells me we have a real problem here. I’m going to fill in the blanks, so correct me if I’m wrong. You got hurt at an event, and she treated you, discovered you healed fucking fast and was curious. Something like that?”

I gave him one quick nod.

“How much does that doctor know and what are you going to do about it?”

I rolled to my side and stood, brushed the dirt off my ass, ignoring the blood as I set the break. Pack justice was often physical because there was no real harm. My nose would heal within the hour. My perpetually wounded pride and neverending guilt? I was still waiting for that to fix.

“She rode with me in the ambulance to the hospital—”

“Ambulance? What the fuck did you do to yourself?”

I didn’t answer that, just finished my explanation. “—then she saw me walk out not long after. I have it under control.”

One of his dark brows winged up in a look that screamedyeah right.“How exactly? By getting into her pants and getting her off? Don’t think I can’t smell her scent all over you. Did your magic dick solve this colossal fuck-up?”

Yeah, that stung. He’d hit the bullseye with his words and made my plan sound like the dumbest idea ever. I shrugged. “Kept her from examining me, and she’s off the ranch.” It sounded lame even to my own ears.

Rob looked down the drive where she’d disappeared. His next order took me by surprise. “That doctor is too smart to fall for your shenanigans. You might have needed to hide out here for a few days to miraculously heal, but you’re not leaving town until we know this situation has been contained. You need to stay on her.”

“What?” I asked.

He pursed his lips and set his hands on his hips. “Make yourself her new best friend until she’s convinced you’re the most ordinary human male in the county.”

I preferred she believe I was extraordinary in a few areas, but I didn’t bother arguing that point with Rob. Instead of him ordering me to never see her again like I’d expected, he told me to do the exact fucking opposite.

He wanted me to be her best friend. Well, that wasn’t fucking happening. Best friends didn’t finger fuck or get eaten out. But see her again and maybe again and again? My wolf practically howled, and I was getting hard at the thought of tasting her. And more.

But how could I be with her and not claim her completely? I couldn’t just fuck her and forget her as Rob was insinuating. Sure, that was my MO since I lost my virginity in Mary Sanchez’s basement in twelfth grade. Maybe this idea was bad. Really bad. I wanted her for my mate. For forever. Rob wanted it temporary and until any possible thought of the existence of shifters was forgotten.

He wouldn’t want me to claim her. Hell, no. If he had any idea of my need to mate her, he’d punch me in the face again and set one of the ranch hands on her to watch her for a while.

No fucking way.

So I’d do what he said and try to figure out how to make her mine and somehow keep the fact I was a shifter a total secret at the same time.

I nodded and stuck my hat back on my head. “Done.”