Against a Wall (Stonecut County, #2)

by Cate C. Wells

“Small, medium, or large?” I ask. Cash tugs the crotch of his cargo pants and winks. “Large, baby.”

Glenna Dobbs finally got rid of fucking Toby Guilfoyle.

“You gonna finally ask her out now?”

My gut aches worse and worse, and Brice has got it wrong. I wasn’t trying to hit her. It was a rebound, and she reached for it, and she caught it with her face.

“Glenna Dobbs is never gonna give you the time of day, my man.” Brice stands, stretches, and scrubs his abs.

In a way, it’s the truth. I’m not hurtin’ for attention. Never have. But on the other hand—I’m full of shit. I might not need her, but I want her. Bad.

“And if I had a thing for Glenna Dobbs, I’d have her eating out my hand.” Now I’m ...

Glenna ain’t never gonna come up to my cabin, though. I heard a rumor she broke up with Toby sophomore year, and I asked her to homecoming, and she pretty much cried and ran away. Couldn’t get a stiffy for weeks after. Definite low point of my high school career.

I’ve given her no end of grief, and it’s rare I can get her to bat an eye. It’d be beneath her.

One day I’m gonna make her lose her temper. It’s gonna be glorious.

I like Glenna Dobbs.

Why is Cash Wall calling me baby?

“Did you just kiss me on the head?” I peer up at his scruffy, sweaty face. “Why would I kiss you on the head?” He keeps his eyes straight ahead on the trail, but the corner of his mouth twitches. What is happening here?

“Been picturing them a long, long time,”

“How you holding up, baby?” he asks, his voice dropping low. Solicitous. “Don’t call me baby.” “How you holding up, female?”

There is an enormous pole raising a tent in his pants. The zipper’s fully exposed. It’s comically large. I’m ignoring it with all my might, but there’s no way to not see it. It’s eye level. “Just ignore it.” Cash’s voice is husky.

though. “So what does all this have to do with capitalism?” “It means the people with power keep the power no matter what they do, and that is that, and that is what’s wrong with people.”

“I’ll slap the stupid from your face.”

“Yeah?” I’m not sure if I want to know. “Doesn’t bear repeating.” Well, now I need to know. “I can be a dick.”

“Are you having low self-esteem ‘cause the girl you want don’t want you back and her daddy thinks you’re shit?” “Maybe.”

I dealt with it the same way I deal with everything—jokes and dicking around. It doesn’t feel right anymore. Maybe it hasn’t for a while.

I might not be a bright man, but I ain’t slow.

This woman owns me, and she has no idea.

“I’m not playing you,” he says. “I’m serious.”

“Why’d you say that about her boobs? You were always lookin’ at them.”

How the hell do I make that happen? Why don’t I know anything anymore? I’m pretty sure I used to know it all.

“I’m going to my dad’s so that I don’t have to spend another second with you. You—you suck.”