Ray
Shortly after Max came back in, with a wild look of fury etched onto his face, he and Stella said their goodbyes.
She hugged me tightly and promised to bring Charlie by over the weekend since I hadn’t seen her since the wedding.
Max gave me a one-armed side hug that was tense and stilted, but I commended him for trying.
I paid my tab and walked outside in search of the buzzkill who had made a fool of himself on what was supposed to be a fun night out.
Wade’s outburst had sobered us up quickly, and no one could find it in themselves to continue on with the night. He had effectively doused the entire outing with a bucket of ice-cold water.
I popped by the table my sister was sitting at, hanging out with a bunch of her rodeo friends, and placed a quick kiss on her cheek. She barely acknowledged me, lost in a heated conversation with some of the guys seated around her.
Walking out the door, it didn’t take me long to find him.
He was sitting on the ground, leaning back against the brick wall on the side of the bar.
His Stetson was pulled down low, shielding everyone from seeing his face.
He had his knees bent and was resting his elbows on top of them, his head hung forward in a clear posture of defeat.
Instead of sitting down next to him, knowing I wasn’t properly dressed for anything that required bending, I leaned against the wall beside him, standing in silent companionship.
The night was cooling off, with the sounds of chirping crickets the soundtrack of the season. Even though we were in the main part of town, it was quiet.
Neither of us said anything for what felt like forever, just listening to the sounds around us and reveling in the cool evening air as it washed over our skin.
“I can’t do this, Ray.” His soft voice was barely perceptible over the sounds of the night, but I heard him.
The words coming from his mouth felt like an icy trail of dread coursing through my veins, freezing me to the spot.
The fact that he had called me Ray instead of his usual Sunshine spoke volumes about the pain and anguish swirling around his mind. I felt tears well up on my lashes, threatening to fall.
I didn’t bother responding, letting him work out the kinks of his emotions in his mind. Neither of us was good at vocalizing the hard things, but somehow, we understood each other in our times of need.
He stood, dusting his jeans of the tiny pebbles of dirt and concrete that clung to them. He took off his hat, setting it on the tailgate of his truck. I didn’t get why we were sitting on the grimy ground instead of in his truck, which was parked right there, but I didn’t dare question him.
His long hair fell in gentle waves, skimming the strong lines of his jaw. I stopped myself from reaching out and brushing my fingers through the dark blond strands.
Wade paced the length of the side alley of Jack’s, almost as if the rage that was building inside of him prevented him from staying still. He gave the impression of a caged animal, stuck inside the confines of his mind.
“I’m just so fucking angry!” He snapped, causing me to flinch at his sudden outburst.
He punctuated his words by kicking the gravel with his booted foot and threading his fingers through his hair, pulling tightly on the strands.
I didn’t need him to tell me in words that he was angry; I could feel it in the way he moved, breathed, and existed. He was wound tight, his movements stiff and stilted as he continued his relentless pacing.
“I’m so—” I started.
“You’re what, sorry? You’re sorry that I got shot?” His laugh was mirthless as it bubbled from his lips. “Poor Wade Daniels, the retired rodeo star who won’t ever ride again. I was already washed up, so why not make me completely fucking useless?”
“You’re not useless, and I’m not sorry,” I spat, finally finding my voice amid the storm that was this new and unimproved version of my best friend.
He stopped pacing, edging closer to me like a predator stalking its prey. I could feel the heat of his gaze as he backed me against the wall, mere inches separating our bodies.
The way his eyes tracked mine, an unrestrained hunger thrumming through him, had my heart fluttering wildly in my chest.
“You deserve better,” he whispered, leaning in so his breath coasted across the shell of my ear. He braced his hands on either side of my head, bracketing me in.
I wasn’t afraid. No matter what Wade did, said, or threw my way, I wouldn’t ever be scared of him. I knew that the boy I had fallen in love with was hidden deep inside this raging shell of a man.
“I deserve to have my best friend back,” I responded fiercely, my head held high.
His chuckle was sardonic as he skated his nose across my jaw, his lips just a tease as he feathered them across my throat. My eyelids fluttered closed at the sensation.
The air crackled with electricity as he removed one of his hands from the brick wall beside me and coasted his thick fingers across the skin of my thigh where the hem of my dress was riding up.
I could feel my core tightening as he ran the fabric of my dress through his fingers, teasing and testing how far I was willing to let him go.
Feeling brave due to the tequila still pumping through my veins, I grabbed his wrist and edged his palm around until it was resting on the swell of my ass.
He growled low in his throat as he hung his head against the arm still propping him up. I could feel the dampness pooling in my core as we played this relentless game of tug-of-war. But what Wade wasn’t prepared for was the fact that I was ready to play dirty.
He squeezed my ass in a punishing grip, edging me forward until our bodies were flush. I could feel the thick evidence of his arousal pressing into my belly, and I stifled a moan.
I hadn’t ever allowed myself to imagine Wade’s dick, but I’m sure even my fantasies couldn’t live up to the hype. I could feel the hard heat of him, even through the thick barrier of his jeans.
“I don’t think your best friend is supposed to be thinking about how much he wants to turn you against this wall, flip up this skimpy dress, pull down those little red panties, and fuck you until you scream.
” He groaned against my throat, once again trailing his lips across my fluttering pulse point.
This time, I didn’t hold back as an involuntary moan crested up my throat and across my plush lips, causing Wade to groan in response.
I raised my eyes to his as I crested my hand across the hard planes of his chest, heading down toward his belt buckle.
My deft fingers slid over the front of his jeans, cupping his dick through the thick denim. He let out a hiss and bucked his hips involuntarily into my hand.
“I don’t think your best friend is supposed to be thinking about how much the thought of that turns her on.”
I had barely finished my sentence when Wade’s mouth crashed over mine. The kiss was demanding, a rough clash of tongue and teeth. His plush lips expertly glided their way across mine as if we had been kissing for years, not seconds.
We melted together in a way that was unexplainable but felt so right. My arms involuntarily snaked their way around his neck as he grabbed a fistful of my thick hair and tugged my head back, allowing himself to delve deeper.
There was nothing soft or loving in the way we kissed. This was a battle of wills, a tango of emotion, and a tidal wave that had finally crashed against the shore.
Releasing my hair, Wade reached behind me, grabbing a handful of ass in each palm, and lifted me against the brick wall.
My legs found their way around his trim waist as I struggled to find purchase. The roughness of the brick scratched into my bare skin, adding to the sensation of being utterly and wholly ravaged.
His fingers teased the edge of my panties, and I was suddenly very thankful I had opted for something better than my usual boy shorts.
Without breaking our embrace, Wade leaned back, watching my expression for any signs of wanting to stop. He trailed his middle finger over the damp center of my thong, teasing my clit through the thin lace.
I bucked my hips into his hand, seeking more pressure, my eyes never straying from his. He broke our gaze, trailing his lips across my throat as he laid sloppy kisses along my skin. He pressed a kiss to the pulse point below my ear, and a shiver snaked its way through my body.
“I need your words, Sunshine,” he teased, nipping my earlobe as he coasted his lips back down my throat and across the tops of my breasts.
I gripped the long strands of his hair, forcing his head back and his gaze eye level.
“I need you to fuck me, Wade Daniels,” I said, a devilish smirk stretching across my face. “Clear enough?”
The resounding growl that crested from his throat was enough to have me unabashedly grinding against him as he trailed kisses over my neck and back to my tits. He reached down, gripping the top of my dress, ready to yank, when a tall figure let out an awkward cough to signal their approach.
Wade turned his head slightly to see who had interrupted and lowered his head into the crook of my neck, groaning in frustration.
“What the fuck do you want, Sterling?”