Rough Ride CV4 (8 page)

Wyn looked at Ezra. “Us?”

ROUGH RIDE

Carol Lynne

53

Ezra blushed and gave him another quick kiss. “I guess it’s something we need to discuss, huh?”

“Uh, yeah,” Wyn said with an exaggerated nod.

Richard laughed and took the empty chair. “If you build a club, I will come.” He laughed.

Wyn felt the rising erection under his butt. “Dance?” he asked Ezra. He wanted to feel the hard ridge of his man’s arousal from the front.

“Thought you’d never ask.”

Ezra lifted Wyn from his lap and grinned at the others. “We’ll be back. Eventually.” Wyn started towards the dance floor, with Ezra’s strong hand on the small of his back.

He couldn’t help notice the looks they were both getting, him from the other big burly bears in the room and Ezra from the cute twinks.

The DJ, Ron he thought Richard said his name was, started a slow country ballad. He turned and Ezra pulled him into a tight embrace. “Perfect,” Ezra said.

Resting his head on Ezra’s broad chest, Wyn moved to the music. He grinned as he felt the press of Ezra’s cock against his lower abdomen. He looked up and winked. “With that thing in your pants you’d better make sure not to dance with anyone but me.” Ezra smiled and squeezed Wyn’s ass. “You’re the only person able to get me this hard.” He moved back and forth several times, delighting at Ezra’s rough groans. His own cock was just as hard, but it was Ezra he enjoyed torturing.

“Are you looking for trouble?” Ezra growled, squeezing Wyn’s ass harder.

“Nope. Just enjoying myself.” Wyn pressed his own erection against Ezra’s thigh.

“Can you feel me?” he asked.

Ezra answered by insinuating his muscular thigh between Wyn’s legs. It gave his cock the added pressure it needed. Wyn found himself riding Ezra’s thigh. “Damn.” He felt sweat bead on his forehead with the overwhelming desire to come. His balls drew up as he started to shake.

Ezra chuckled. “See? It’s not so fun now, is it?”

“I think I need to use the restroom.” Wyn extricated himself from Ezra’s thigh and made a beeline for the men’s room. He barely managed to get his cock out of his jeans and give himself a couple of strokes before he came.

“Shit,” he shouted to the ceiling as his sensitive cock continued to throb.

ROUGH RIDE

Carol Lynne

54

It wasn’t until he started to come down that he looked around. There was a big solitary figure just inside the door with his arms crossed over his chest.

Wyn grinned and reached for a paper towel to clean himself up. “Sorry,” he said to Ezra. “I didn’t mean to ruin our dance.”

Ezra strode forward and ran a hand over Wyn’s cock before stuffing it back into his briefs. “Don’t apologise. I like that I’m able to make you lose control. Besides, that was sexy as fuck.”

Wyn glanced down at the bulge still present behind Ezra’s fly. “You need me to help with that?”

“Later. I like a little torture. Keeps me on my toes.”

* * * *

As the night wore on, Ezra began to really like the guys in Tulsa.. It was nice to have people look him in the eye when he talked. Even back home a lot of people seemed afraid of him. That got him thinking. Maybe it wasn’t the people back home that were different?

He poked Wyn in the side and waited for him to finish his conversation with Mark.

“What?” Wyn asked nuzzling against his side.

“Am I different here?” Ezra asked.

“Different? What do you mean, sweetheart?”

“No one seems to be afraid of me here. Why?”

Wyn grinned and got out of his chair to straddle Ezra’s lap. “Because you aren’t scary here. You’re smiling, talking, you know, basically being friendly. I think the loss of the mountain-man beard could also have something to do with it.” Ezra’s brows drew together. He knew he’d always kept to himself, but he never considered himself an unfriendly person. “I guess I need to work on that, huh?” Wyn leaned in and ran his tongue over Ezra’s bottom lip. “I’ll help you. You’re a wonderful man. It’s about time Cattle Valley knew it.” He opened his mouth and sucked Wyn’s tongue inside. The kiss was deep and loud as they both moaned. “Are you about ready to go?”

“Yep. We just need to find Richard.”

Ezra looked around the room. “Scott, have you seen Richard?” ROUGH RIDE

Carol Lynne

55

Scott shook his head. “Have you?” he asked Mark.

“Nope,” Mark said.

“I saw him go outside earlier with some guy, but I thought he’d be back by now,” Wyn added.

Mark seemed to bristle and stood, looking towards the door. “What did this guy look like?”

Wyn shrugged. “I’m not sure. I only saw him from the back. I know he was bald and had on a leather jacket with chains all over it.” Mark started towards the door. Wyn looked at Scott. “What’s wrong?” Scott stood and started to follow Mark. “Sounds like Richie’s ex, Daddy Paul. He’s bad news but Richie can’t seem to stay away from him.” Wyn was almost dumped to the floor when Ezra stood. “Sorry, baby,” Ezra said, catching him before he fell.

“Go,” Wyn said.

Ezra hurried to catch up with Mark who was talking to Tiny. He turned when he heard Ezra approach. “Tiny didn’t see Paul, but he was on a break earlier.” Ezra turned back to Wyn. “Stay inside.”

Wyn nodded and Ezra followed Tiny and Mark out to the parking lot. They didn’t immediately see anyone. Tiny motioned to the other side of the parking lot. “You two go that way.”

They split up and started searching. “So what’s the story on this ex of Richard’s?” Ezra asked.

Mark shrugged. “They were together for about three years. We tried to tell Richie early on that Paul wasn’t good for him. Richie became a different person there for awhile. It seemed he loved Paul more than he loved himself.”

“Is that such a bad thing?” Ezra asked thinking of the depth of his love for Wyn.

“Not when you have a healthy relationship. That wasn’t the case with Richie and Paul.

He used to beat Richie pretty regularly. Paul’s a player and a mean drunk. I stopped by one time and Richie was shining Paul’s boots so he could go out on a date.” Mark looked Ezra in the eyes. “With someone else.” Ezra’s brows rose. That didn’t sound like the Richard he knew. “So what finally broke them up?”

ROUGH RIDE

Carol Lynne

56

Mark stopped walking and put his hands on his hips. Looking down at the asphalt, he shook his head. “I did. I couldn’t watch my friend go through it again. I told him either dump Paul, or I wouldn’t hang around with him anymore.” Mark looked back up at Ezra. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I love Richie like a brother, but I’ve no doubt that Paul would’ve eventually beaten him to death.” Ezra knew how he felt when he found out Brian Doles had been beating Wyn. “You did the right thing,” he said putting a hand on Mark’s shoulder.

“Over here,” Tiny yelled across the parking lot.

They took off at a run to the side of the club. Tiny was bent over Richard talking on the phone. He looked up at Ezra and Mark and shook his head. Covering the mouthpiece, he whispered. “The ambulance is on its way.”

Ezra stepped around Tiny to kneel beside Richard’s head. He felt his stomach roll at the condition his friend was left in by a man who had supposedly once loved him. He quickly unsnapped and took off his shirt and held it to the mass of cuts on Richard’s chest and abdomen.

He pointed towards the wound on his friend’s leg. “Put pressure on that,” he told Mark.

Mark immediately took off his shirt and held it to the stab wound on Richard’s thigh.

Richard seemed to float in and out of consciousness until the ambulance arrived. The loud sirens brought out a flood of people from the club, including Scott and Wyn. They were all asked to step back as the medical technicians worked to get an IV in Richard.

With Wyn safely tucked under his arm, Ezra watched as they loaded his friend into the back. With its lights flashing and siren blaring, the ambulance pulled out of the parking lot.

Ezra turned to Scott. “Can we get a ride to the hospital? I don’t think the cops are going to hand over Richard’s truck keys.”

“Sure,” Scott said, running his hands through his hair. “I’m gonna shut down the bar, send everyone home and then we’ll be ready.”

Scott shook his head. “I can’t believe this. Nothing like this has ever happened here.” Mark must’ve heard the distress in his partner’s voice. He left Tiny and the policeman to walk over and wrap his arms around Scott. “It isn’t the bar, babe, it’s Paul. Tiny told me he’s been in a couple of times looking for Richie.” Scott buried his face in Mark’s neck. “We need to get to the hospital.” ROUGH RIDE

Carol Lynne

57

“Yeah. I’ve already asked Tiny to have the bartenders help him close up. I’m finished with the police for now, so we’re free to go.”

“Ezra and Wyn need a ride.”

“Sure,” Mark said and placed a kiss on Scott’s forehead. “Richie’ll be okay.” ROUGH RIDE

Carol Lynne

58

“So, how’s your friend?” Nate asked, lounging on one of the display cases.

“Richard will be better once he gets through the trial. That ex of his really did a number on his mind as well as his body,” Wyn said, stocking new merchandise.

“Well, if anyone would know what he’s going through, it would probably be you.”

“Yeah. That’s part of the problem. Part of me feels bad for cutting out of there before the trial.” He and Ezra had stayed in Oklahoma an extra week until they knew for sure Richard would be okay, but he still felt guilty.

“Richard promised Ezra he’d move to Cattle Valley once he was on his feet and finished with all the court stuff.” Wyn picked up the empty box and carried it to the back as Nate followed.

“You two still plan to build a dance club? I hear Jim Brewster’s trying to block it with the council.”

Sighing, he sat down on a chair in the storeroom. At first Ezra had wanted the club so the two of them could own something together, but now it had become more about giving Richard a purpose.

It wasn’t that Wyn wasn’t interested in owning a club, but since they’d been back in town, he felt Ezra slipping away from him.

Smokey always managed to come up with something that required Ezra’s attention on the ranch. The few times Wyn had gone out to the EZ Does It, Smokey had seemed to make a point of letting him know he wasn’t welcome.

Wyn tried on several occasions to bring it up with Ezra, but his lover would chuckle and tell him he was being overly sensitive.

“Wyn? You still with me?” Nate asked.

His head came up and he blinked a couple of times. “Sorry, just thinking.”

“Something wrong?”

“No, not really. I don’t think Smokey likes me dating Ezra.”

“What? Smokey’s one of the nicest guys in town. You must be…” ROUGH RIDE

Carol Lynne

59

Wyn held up his hand cutting Nate off. “Please don’t tell me I’m oversensitive or paranoid. I know when someone doesn’t like me.”

“Ooh, I seem to have hit on a sore spot. What’s Smokey doing?” He sighed. “That’s just it. He hasn’t done anything tangible that I can go to Ezra with.

It’s just the looks he gives me, and half the time when I call the house, and Smokey answers, he doesn’t give Ezra my messages.”

Nate put a hand on Wyn’s shoulder. “Maybe he doesn’t like you coming between him and his best friend.”

Wyn nodded. “Or maybe he wants Ezra for himself?”

* * * *

“Hey, babe,” Ezra said into the phone.

“Hi,” Wyn answered.

“I won’t be able to come into town until late. I’m expecting a delivery of another bull sometime this evening. I thought you might come out and eat supper with me and the boys.” When there was no answer right away, Ezra gripped the phone a little tighter. “Wyn? Is there something going on?” His lover had been very distant the last week or so.

“No. Um, I’ll be out to the ranch after I close up the store.” Ezra hated the sad tone he detected coming from Wyn. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

“Okay, babe. See you then.” Ezra hung up the phone and looked around his office.

Maybe he should just forget the damn bull and have Smokey inspect it.

A knock at the door brought his head up. “Come in.” His best friend and foreman opened the door. “Hey, you have anything else you want the hands to take care of before they head out?”

“Head out? Where’s everyone going?”

“It’s Taco Night at Brewster’s.” Smokey said nudging up his tan cowboy hat.

“Traitors,” Ezra mumbled. Damn that James Brewster. He’d always liked the guy until he started such a fuss over Ezra’s plans to build a dance club.

“No, send them on their way. Wyn’s coming over for dinner. I guess I’ll just find us some leftovers.”

ROUGH RIDE

Carol Lynne

60

“I’m sure I can whip something up,” Smokey said.

“Naw, I think you should go out with the hands. Wyn and I will manage.” If he didn’t know his friend any better he’d almost swear Smokey looked pissed.

“Something wrong?”

“Nope,” Smokey said before walking out.

Ezra went to the office window and watched his friend walk towards the barn. “What the hell did I do now?” It seemed everyone was mad at him lately.

* * * *

Wyn finished closing out the register and was turning off the store lights, when he heard the front door open and close. “Is that you, Nate?” Without waiting for an answer, he quickly went into his office and grabbed the wrapped package of sports shirts that had come in for Nate. Carrying them through to the store, he hollered. “I’ve got your clothes right here.” He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Smokey leaning on the glass checkout counter. “Something I can help you with?”

Smokey’s eyes narrowed just a bit. Wyn swallowed and took a step back, setting the package on the floor. “Smokey?”

“You’re going to destroy everything Ezra’s worked for.. A ranch is only as good as the relationships that are forged in hard work and camaraderie.”

“What are you talking about? I leave Ezra to his business all day. Are you saying that my seeing him at night is going to destroy the ranch?”