Page 78 of Rough
Clyde takes over for him. “That doesn’t mean we can’t be forgiven. Massive mistakes were made, but we want a chance to prove to you that we’ve learned and grown from them.” He stops swinging the rope and moves closer to me. “I’ll get better at communicatin’. I know it’s hard for me, but I’m dedicated to tryin’ for you.”
“Iknowyou still feel somethin’ for us. You always have, haven’t you, Bets?” Remy’s question stiffens my spine. I refuse to answer him. Ican’tanswer him. “You and Clyde, you and Wild. There was a you and me too, wasn’t there? That night when we danced? I felt it just as much as you did.”
“Nothin’ happened that night,” I defend. And it’s true. He danced with me because he pitied me before he took me home. How I felt was just the result of a teenage crush and I’ll keep trying to convince myself of the lie I know it is.
He shakes his head. “Somethin’didhappen that night. It just wasn’t right for me to act on it, not until I wasn’t datin’ that girl anymore.”
Scoffing at him, I turn away. “That was over a year before ya’ll took off. Ample opportunity, cowboy.”
“Maybe,” he says. “But I also hadn’t ever felt like that about someone before, either. Pretty scary when bein’ faced with it for the first time. I was chickenshit, but I’m not now.”
“I need to go,” I tell them, not able to hear anymore. “I appreciate all of your apologizin’. Like I said before, we’ll move past it. If ya’ll plan to stay in the area, I see no issues with acomfortable workin’ relationship. Friendship, even. Thanks for stoppin’ by and gettin’ me ahead on my chores for the day.”
With a wave, I hurry away and start jogging toward the barn. Frank needs a ride, I’m sure. Plus, there’s some bookkeeping that needs done as well. When Remy mutters, “Do it,” I pick up my speed as their feet pound behind me.
Oh hell no. We are NOT doin’ this again!
I catch the rope flying for me from the corner of my eye, but I twist my body to the left and let it smack into my shoulder, avoiding the loop. “Eat a dick!” I shout over my shoulder, then press my lips together to stop from laughing when I hear Clyde burst out laughing for the first time in years. An honest to God laugh.
When I veer off at an angle, I catch Wilder running alongside me. He tosses me a wink, staying a couple feet away from me. “Out for your mornin’ jog there, Wild?”
He flashes his teeth in a wide smile. “Nope, just on standby as an extra hand when I’m needed.”
“When?” I pant out, trying to run faster. Look, you can tell me all day long that it’s ridiculous I’m enjoying this, but something happened between last night and now. Maybe I’m just tired of fighting it, but whatever it is, I think I’m okay. Just not okay enough to stop them from working for it.
“When.” He seems certain that Clyde is going to—
This mother fucker distracted me.
The rope circles my upper body and the man on the other end of the length wrenches it back and tightens it, pinning my arms to my sides and halting my sprint.
“Oh look! I’m needed.” I glare at Wilder’s gleeful exclamation as I fight to loosen the rope, but he’s already knocking my feet out from underneath me, only to catch my body and stop me from hitting the ground when Clyde tugs me backhard. “Easy aswranglin’ a week-old calf.” Grinning, he drops to his knees and starts twisting the rope around my arms.
Wilder is a pretty man, but not always aware of the dangers that surround him. Pulling my knees to my chest, I shoot out a foot and nail him right between his legs, forcing him to fall back with a groan. Cackling, I roll to my side and wrestle out of the ropes as he cups his balls.
“O—kay,” he wheezes out. “Maybe a month-old calf. Bit of a nasty kick, but not strong enough to do any lasting damage.” He finishes his statement by grabbing my ankle and yanking me toward his prostrated body.
“Damn it, Wild!” I yell out, digging at the dirt as he draws me closer, giving Clyde and Remy a chance to reach my side while I’m still incapacitated.
The other two quickly wrap my legs and arms up while Wild hangs onto me, and by the time they’re done, I’m on my stomach with my cheek pressed to the ground, blowing out gusts of air, winded from the fight.
They all sit back for a moment to catch their breath while I wriggle around to get more comfortable. “What the fuck now? Clearly, you had a plan to be annoying assholes today, so hurry this shit up so I can get back to work.”
I know I’m talking a big game, but it doesn’t stop my excitement from kicking up a notch when Remy laughs loudly. He stands up and drags me from the ground to sling me over his shoulder. Again, I find myself hanging head down, only this time I can’t hit him because my arms are tied.
The other two find their feet, Wilder a bit slower than Clyde who saunters up to me. Grabbing my braid, he digs his fingers into the roots and pulls my head until I’m eye level with him, my mouth opening with a gasp. Instead of answering me, he presses a hot, hard, and quick kiss to my lips, then lets me go with a smirk.
Remy hikes my body into a more comfortable position as he strolls toward my house. I can’t see much, but when I turn my head to the side, I whistle for Lucy, who’s sniffing around my compost pile. She immediately starts to run toward us, yipping in excitement over the fact that we’re going somewhere new.
Wilder opens my front door, then scolds me. “With you bein’ online now, you really need to start lockin’ your door, Bets.”
“I wouldn’t be online if it weren’t foryouidiots,” I bite back, but Remy smacks my ass to shut me up. It doesn’t work. “Ow!You fuckin’ asshole. That hurt!” It didn’t, and he knows it. He only slaps it again, then runs his fingers over the sting to soothe me. His palm is warm through my jeans, causing a shiver to run through me.
“Better?” Another stroke runs over my ass, further toward where the tops of my thighs touch and I swear to God, my pussy convulses.
“No,” I whine, letting my body fully relax against him as the four of us walk up the stairs. Then I cry out when we make it to my room, and I’m flung off his shoulder to land on my bed with a bounce. As soon as I’m down, Remy steps back, leaving me alone.
Wilder takes over and lifts his leg over my body to straddle my waist, picking at the front buttons of my shirt. Slipping each one out one at a time, he keeps an eye on my face for my reaction.
