Page 34 of Savage

His phone rang, and he pulled it from his coat pocket. “It’s Rob, I need to take this, okay?” He held up a finger and paced away. “Yeah. Actually, I’m in the stable with Becky. Yes, Audrey’s friend. Yes. Yes. Okay.” He glanced over at me. “That should work. Hang on.” He pulled the phone from his ear and looked at me. “Audrey and Marina are at the main house with Willow, Rob’s wife, for a ladies’ happy hour if you want to join them. I need to stop in and talk to Rob for a bit. Would that work, sugar?”

Wow. A man who asked what I wanted to do before making plans. It shouldn’t seem novel, but it was. Clint was considerate. And yes, girl time sounded fabulous. Audrey was my BFF, and I knew Marina, but hadn’t met Willow yet. If she could tame moody Rob, then I knew I was going to like her.

“That sounds fun.” I hopped down from the hay bale.

Clint stepped close and pulled a piece of straw from my hair. “I like seeing you all mussed and know I got you that way. I’m not sharing it with others though.” He leaned down, kissed my forehead. “You’re all mine.”

14

CLINT

“What’s up?”I followed Rob into his office, shutting out the laughter and chatter of the women in the great room.

While Audrey, Marina and Willow were surprised to see Becky with me, they’d embraced her with open arms, literally, then shooed me and Rob out to catch up. Becky seemed happy, so it was easy for me to leave her. I was totally whipped since she was just down the fucking hall. But, I was here at my alpha’s request, and now I had to focus on whatever he had to say.

“You tell me.” Rob leaned a hip against his desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ve claimed her.”

“I have.”

“You’ve been back in town, what, four days? You move fast.”

“As if you’re one to talk.” I tapped my finger on my chin. “If I remember correctly, you got one whiff of Willow and slammed a door in my face.”

The corner of Rob’s mouth turned up, which for him, was a wide grin.

“She’s pregnant,” I said.

A dark brow went up, his only sign of surprise. “Four days. You’ve been back four fucking days. How do you know she’s—”

“Audrey’s bachelorette party. The storage room at Cody’s. Potent swimmers who got past a condom.” I gave him the short and sweet version. We were best friends, but we didn’t share details of our sex lives. No doubt he could scent Becky’s arousal all over me from what I did to her in the stable. That was enough.

“You knew back then she was your mate and left to track down Jarod Jameson?” His voice rumbled with quiet anger. Mates didn’t leave their females unprotected. Not for a day and especially not for months, like I had.

“If I’d known she was my mate, you think I wouldn’t have told you? I’d have ensured you watched out for her. Had pack protection.”

“How did you not know?”

“I got punched in the fucking nose by an asshole messing with Becky that night at Cody’s. I couldn’t start a bar fight, no matter how much I wanted to rip the guy’s throat out. It was the middle of Audrey’s party, and I know your rules.”

He nodded once.

“My nose was broken. I couldn’t scent her. I wanted her even when I didn’t know she was mine.”

Even Rob couldn’t say that.

He sighed. “I’m guessing you’re going to tell me you’re done, that an enforcer spot just opened up.”

“Yeah.”

He frowned. “Unfortunately, it might not be that easy.” Going around the desk, he settled into his chair, dropped his head back as if he had shit to deal with, and it was exhausting.

I waited, stifling the low growl I wanted to issue at any potential threat to my mate. Me remaining council enforcer would definitely be a threat, even if the only issue was being gone for long stretches. But that wasn’t the only problem. It was a dangerous job, while I was gone and once I got home. If the wrong shifters found out my identity, everyone I loved could be in danger.

“Word out of the Madison Range pack—”

“Is Sal Brown still causing you trouble?” I asked.

He waved his hand through the air. “Not him, but it turns out Jarod Jameson was his nephew.”