Forbidden Alpha (Alpha's Obsession 4)

I shake my head, trying to clear the clutter from it and focus on why I’m here. I need information on this place so that Rhys won’t take Oliver with him on whatever illegal escapades he’s planning.

“Yeah, I’m new in town and looking for work. Are you hiring here?”

He runs his hand along his jaw as he stares at me for a long heated moment. My gut wants me to go to this man, wrap my arms around his neck, and plant my lips on his. Of course it does. I’m sure every woman he’s ever crossed has had this same intense reaction. He looks like a god.

“What’s your name?” he asks.

“Brooklyn Waters.” Damn, I should have given him a fake name. He’s getting me all kinds of ruffled and unhinged. I’m so flustered around this man. “And you?”

“Logan Crawford,” he says in a low gritty voice. “I’m one of the owners of this ranch.”

“I thought this was the Bowen Ranch,” I say as I look at my paper again. “Is this the right place?”

“It is. I just have a different last name than my brothers.”

“Oh,” I say with a nod. “So, Logan. Are you hiring anywhere?”

He looks around the ranch as he holds in his breath. “Sure,” he says as he turns back to me. “I’m sure we can find you something.”

“Great,” I say, breaking into a guilty smile. I wish I really got to work here instead of just pretending. “Can you show me around?”

He’s so intense with the way he’s watching me with an ownership in his eyes, as if I belong to him because I’m standing on his land.

“Yeah,” he finally says when he catches himself again. He keeps getting lost in my eyes like I’m getting lost in his. “Come. I’ll show you the stables.”

I look back at his horse as we start walking toward it. “Are you just going to leave him there?” He looks funny standing next to the trucks like he’s just another parked vehicle.

“Zeus is at home here,” he says without a worry. “He’ll wander around for a bit and then head to the stables when he’s hungry.”

I smile as I turn back to Logan. We’re walking side by side and my fingers keep tingling as if they want me to reach out and grab his hand.

“This is a beautiful place,” I say as I look around. It is gorgeous. It’s typical postcard Montana with the rolling hills, high mountains in the distance, and the huge forest at the other end of the valley. There are four adorable cabins spread out on the left and my heart starts beating faster when I wonder which one is Logan’s.

“You said you have brothers?” I ask, prying for information. “Are there four of you?”

“Mm-hm,” he says with a nod. “Cameron, Julian, Adrian, and me. We’re always around and so are their mates. Jane and Zoe work for us in the greenhouse. I’ll introduce you to them too.”

“Mates?” I say as my cheeks start to heat up. “You’re all shifters?”

I knew the second I saw him that he is. No man could be that big without injecting enough steroids to kill him.

But I have to find out what kind of animals are hiding inside of them. I wonder if he’s the grizzly bear shifter who attacked Rhys’ crew. That would be so hot… a grizzly bear… I just hope he’s not another asshole tiger shifter.

“We’re all shifters,” he says as he inches closer to me while we walk. “Grizzly bears.”

“All four of you?”

His cowboy hat sways up and down as he nods. “All four of us.”

“Wow,” I whisper as I glance at his massive chest. The heat blooms inside me and settles between my legs. My clit begins aching as I walk.

“And you’re all mated?” I have to see the girl who snagged this rugged rancher. She’s one lucky bitch and I bet she knows that.

“My brothers are.” He’s about to say something else, but he stops himself.

“You’re not?”

He suddenly stops walking. I stop too and turn to him, looking at him with narrowed eyes. He looks conflicted and torn as he sucks in a sharp breath and looks down at the grass between us.

“You don’t have to… answer. I was just curious.” I start fidgeting with my hands as his eyes rise back to mine. His deep gaze makes me shiver all over. That look… It’s so territorial. It’s so unexpected and… warm. It makes me feel like I’m right where I belong.

“I have a mate,” he says as he hooks his thumbs into his belt. His arms look even bigger like this. Big round biceps that I could stare at for days. “And she’s perfect. We just haven’t… connected yet.”

“Oh,” I say as disappointment racks my body. “I’m sure you’ll connect soon enough. She’d be crazy not too.”