Wyatt (Lucky River Ranch, #2)

by Jessica Peterson

“I do miss you,” I blurt. “All the fucking time, Sally. I worry you’ll forget about me. I’m happy you’re living your dream—don’t get me wrong. But life…it’s suddenly all so different, you know? My parents died. And right now, with you, is the first time I feel like I might not die too.”

“You’re like sunshine, you know? Sounds cheesy, but it’s true. I always feel so much better when you’re around.”

My entire being rebels at the thought of letting this girl go. Every single one of my cells screams at me to keep her here, to make her mine. That’s when I know I’m in love with her.

But in my heart of hearts, I know that somehow, over the course of an hour, maybe less, I’ve fallen in love with my best friend. Or maybe I’ve been in love with her all along, and the realization is only hitting me now.

She doesn’t know that asking me to show her has me thinking about showing her lots of things. Most of them involving nudity and my face between her legs.

“I have a favor to ask.” I reach for the thermos and refill the cup, grateful for the excuse to not look at Wyatt. “Answer’s yes.” “Let me ask it first.” “Answer’s still yes.”

His expression smooths ever so slightly. “You sayin’ I’m the best time you’ve ever had?”

“But you wanna ask me to be your date, then yeah. Answer’s yes. How many times I gotta repeat myself?”

“Nah, Sunshine. That ain’t how this is gonna work.” The playful, cocky gleam in his eye is back. “You date me, you don’t drive. You definitely don’t make the plans. I’ll buy some tickets. Then I’ll come grab you, and we’ll have some of that fun you been missin’. Sounds like we have a lot of lost time to make up for.”

“I’mma show you how fun is done. How it should be done.” He reaches over to put the cap back on the thermos and flashes me a handsome smile. “Hell, you’d better hope I don’t ruin you for everybody else, Sal, because I’m real good at this shit.” That’s exactly what I’m worried about.

Fuck me for falling in love with a girl who was never, ever going to be mine.

My thoughts whirl—tell her he’ll come back, say she’s just upping the stakes, ask her to marry you—but I can’t make myself say the words.

Sally’s face is close to mine. Too close. Not nearly close enough. I swear this girl is gonna kill me.

“We crushed it. Beck definitely wants to take you home. How could he not? You were confident as all get out back there. You played poker like you had nothing to lose. Not to mention you’re a total knockout in that dress.”

“Don’t make me say it. You know, Sunshine. You know I wanna be your guy.”

“I…want to feel something. I want to feel like time has stopped and I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. Like I don’t want to be anywhere else, with anyone else, because the experience of the kiss is so freaking delicious. I want to fall into it. I just…yeah, I want to feel.”

I am so fucking obsessed with you it’s not even funny. “I’m real happy to see you, Sally.” I reach for the coffees. “Thank you kindly for bringing these.”

Or do I jump in with both feet and tell my best friend I’ve been in love with her for over a decade? Ask her to stay at my place tonight and every night after that, please and thank you?

“So…about last night.” Sally looks at me as she runs her free hand up and down her thigh. I chuckle. “I’m glad you wanna talk about it because I do too.” “I loved it,” she blurts. “Every minute, Wy. I loved every damn minute of it. You—everything—you

you are so, so good at it. That’s what I came here to tell you. I was able to just be in the moment—I wasn’t in my head at all—and that felt libe...

In reply, I jerk my hips. At the same time, I push a finger inside her. She is so tight and wet I can’t see straight. I wanna fuck her here so bad I can’t see straight.

I’m a fool for you, I think as I drink in the sight of her panting, ready, waiting. Not for Beck Wallace. Not for some Yankee douchebag. For me. I love the slopes of her belly and the strong yet feminine lines of her back.

“I want you to swallow me. All of me. You want me to pull out, I will. But I want to come in your mouth, same as you came in mine.”

“I ain’t askin’ you again. Spit on my dick, Sally. Then I want you to spread it around with your tongue before you take me inside your mouth.”

Her eyes flick to meet mine. “Ready?” I’ve been ready my whole life to be loved by you this way. “I am if you are.”

But I can warm her up. Make her feel loved. Wanted. Needed.

“This is what you do to me,” I whisper. “If you ask me, we make a mighty fine mess, Sunshine.”

This kiss—it tastes like love.

I’m learning kissing chemistry is real, it’s rare, and Wyatt and I have it in spades.

The way he teased me, dipping the blunt tip of his finger inside me before using the moisture he gathered to play with my clit⁠—

“All I do know is that I’m so happy you’re here. I want you to stay. I want to be around you all the time. I want you to be my guy. Not just the guy I have a good time with. But the guy I call, and confide in, and come home to. You’re my favorite human, Wy.” I sniffle. “No one else even comes clo⁠—”

“I’ll be your guy.” He nudges my nose with his. “If you’ll be my girl. I want so much more than just sex, Sally. I was full of shit when I said that, and I’m sorry.”

“Let’s play it safe, yeah?”

“Are you kidding?” Sally’s turn to scoff. “Take off my pants and see just how attractive I find your courage. Your honesty. Your way with mashed potatoes.”

I’m so in love with you I can’t breathe, I think, even as I keep laughing.

All this smiling, this laughing, this longing—it fucking hurts, it’s so good.

“So you don’t hate the books then,” she says thickly. Joyfully. I scoff, my breath rustling the dark brown hair that falls into her face. “I fuckin’ love ’em, Sally. Almost as much as I love you.”

“Don’t act so surprised, Sunshine. I’m in love with you. Been in love with you for a long, long time.”

“Ever consider you could never ever hold me back, even if you tried? You’re not a roadblock, Wyatt. You’re the wind beneath my fucking wings.”

“You give me confidence. You make me laugh. You listen. You’re always there for me, Wyatt.” She opens her eyes. “All while you’ve been dealing with some heavy shit.”

“Hi.” “How was your day?” “Better now.” We have this exact conversation every day. And every day, it makes me feel like I’m floating.

“Yellow” by Coldplay fill the