Page 30 of Salvation

"Wesley!” She squeals, turning as the cold water hits her. She throws her hands up like she can stop it.

I gasp dramatically and bring my hand up to cover my mouth. “It was an accident,” I say innocently.

“You little shit!” She lunges forward and snatches the hose from my hand in an attempt to turn it on me. We both wrestle for control until I gain the upper hand and back her against the counter. I let go of the hose, letting it find its way back to the sink. I don’t care where it goes, don’t watch the mess it makes as our bodies press together. Her hips, now trapped beneath mine. I can see and feel her every breath. We both stop dead as we realize just how close we are. Her eyes bounce between my eyes and my lips, and her chest rises faster and faster.

“Missed a spot.” She whispers as she brings the towel she’s been holding up to wipe at the corner of my mouth. She pauses, towel in the air between us. She licks her lips, and Igroanat the sight.

“Don’t do that.” I whisper.

“Why not?” Her hot breath fans against my lips, and I instinctively lean closer –

“Hey, kids! Bring us more wine!” My mom’s voice is like a bucket of ice pulling me back to reality, both of us back to reality. We jump apart, her cheeks vibrant and red. She avoids meeting my eyes as she scrambles away from me. I sigh as I watch her leave the room, soaking wet. I lean against the cool marble and try not to think about the fact that I almost just fuckingkissedBlake Warner.

Chapter 30

Blake

“Harper knows how to plan a party.” I say to Whitney as I staple the bright orange paper to one of the bulletin boards on the street. She stopped by this morning to give us some fliers to help promote the karaoke bar this Friday. I turn to Whitney. “It’s been like, what? A day? And I’m pretty sure she bought out the convenience store’s party supplies.”

Whitney chuckles. “Sounds about right.”

“Hey, I’m headed to the Ranch to see Wyatt during break. You want to come along? We can grab something on the way back.”

We both grabbed a rather large breakfast together this morning, so I’m sure she won’t mind putting off lunch. Her nausea has been kicking her ass lately too, so I doubt much sounds good right now. “I’m down. I could use some fresh air.” She wrinkles her nose. “My car, or yours?”

“We can take mine.”

***

Whitney and I finally hit the entrance to the ranch shortly after she agreed to join me. The drive here was fairly quick, considering how small the town is. Whitney and I spent the trip placing bets on who will be the most shit-faced by the end of the Harvest festival. My money's on Ana, but she's betting on Haden. I don't know much about Haden's drinking habits, but I know Ana could rival a frat boy on spring break.

I notice on the drive down just how quickly the weather is changing. Green leaves transform into various shades of reds, oranges, and yellows. The breeze feels just a little bit harsher with the windows rolled down. I’ll have to check out the boutique for some cold-friendly outfits here soon.

A “Buddies’ Ranch” sign swings overhead as we approach, and what I assume is one of the ranch hands swings open the entrance gate. I’ve seen it before, but I don’t really remember it. We didn’t spend much time here as kids. Most of our days consisted of hanging out at the bar or one of our mom's houses. Wyatt was here more often than not, though.

“Holy, shit. This is huge.” I speak.

“Yeah.” Whitney replies as she looks out the window. “He holds a few rodeos here and there. But not as often anymore.”

I hum. “Wonder why?”

“Beats me.” She sighs.

We pull to a stop when we see Wyatt standing near one of the gates where some horses are being worked on. As we step out, Wyatt comes around to greet me. I give him a quick hug, and his smile falters a tad when he sees whom I brought.

“Whitney.” He says, a bit shocked, it sounds like. Some tension that I remember from the first day in the coffee shop makes an appearance again.

“I asked her to tag along. Hope that’s okay.” I cut in.

“No problem at all.” He gives us a tight smile before motioning with his head for us to follow. I turn to ask Whitney a question but find that she’s no longer at my side. She’s stopped at a gate where a man is whipping a large, black horse.

“He’s being a bit rough with her, don’t you think?” Whitney asks Wyatt, but he just shrugs.

“She’s stubborn. Gives us all a real hard time. I’ve had my fair share of difficult ones, but she hasn’t budged. This guy was on the list of people to call if all else fails.”

She cocks her head at him, and I just wish I could understand what’s going on inside that head of hers. Then she hops over the gate.

“Whitney!” I shout and lounge forward. At the same time, Wyatt grits out, “Don’t you dare!”

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