“That’s from a lapse of judgment from being horny and tipsy,” I halfway lie, but she doesn’t need to know the specifics.
“That doesn’t answer my question ofwho…”
I grab a tumbler from the cabinet and fill it with ice and water before meeting her in the living room where she’s eagerly waiting.
“You cannot freak out,” I warn her. “But it was Wilder.”
She dramatically smacks her hand down on the couch. “I fuckin’ knew it! About goddamn time you two hooked up considerin’ y’all go out so much.”
“He stopped us before we could have sex, so don’t get too excited.”
“Wait…hestopped it?”
“Hold on…we’re gonna need somethin’ much stronger than water.” Standing, I go to the kitchen and find a bottle of whitewine. All the glasses are dirty, so I unscrew the top and take a swig.
I might as well tell her everything and get it off my chest.
Chapter Five
Wilder
“Well…how’d it go? Are you behind bars? Do you need bail money? Or has some dude named Ralph made you his bitch already?”
Smirking, I replay Delilah’s voice memo in my truck just to hear her voice and laughter again.
Holding up my phone, I take a selfie with my tongue sticking out and two fingers up.
“Not behind bars and no one’s bitch…but I got a misdemeanor charge with a year probation—which means if I get into any more legal trouble before it’s over, they’ll send me to jail for the remainder of the time. There’s a no contact order in place because Wesley’s a little bitch who thinks I’ll knock him out again. I have a hefty fine to pay, a hundred hours of community service, and then I have to take an anger management class. I’m almost wonderin’ if you told ’em that. There’ll be a review hearing in ninety days to check my progress.”
Laughing at that last part, I send the voice memo and then buckle in so I can get the hell out of here and back to the ranch.
Delilah
Now that I know you’re not behind bars, I can yell at you for giving me a hickey and then not telling me before we went to lunch with all your siblings!!!
I can’t help the wide grin that spreads across my face when I read her text.
Wilder
Whoops…guess it slipped my mind.
Truthfully, I liked seeing it on her neck, fresh and purple, a memory that the night before happened regardless of her insisting we don’t talk about it.
Tasting her for the first time is something I’ll forever remember and never forget.
But I figured she’d see it in the mirror when she went to the bathroom. When she came back out and didn’t say anything, I didn’t either.
Once I’m parked in front of my place, I rush inside and change into my work clothes.
“Seriously, though, it sounds like you got lucky. Did Wesley show up? What did the judge say?”
Her next memo comes through and I debate calling her instead, but I’m already four hours behind my work schedule, so I quickly record another one while I get dressed.
“Yep, he sure did. Lookin’ smug as hell too until the judge questioned him about patrollin’ while off-duty. Apparently, he was parked at the Twisted Bull,watchingsomeone he suspects is dealin’ drugs and was waitin’ to see them drive away so he could follow. But he wasconcerned—which I call bullshit—when you stormed out of the bar and then five minutes later, I jumpedinto the passenger seat. When we left, he followed to make sure we weren’t drinkin’ and drivin’. But again, I call bullshit. Knowing Wesley, he wanted any reason to fuck with me and used you to do it.”
I send the memo and then grab everything I need before rushing down to my truck.
Once it’s started, I hit record again and drive toward the retreat.