Thunder rumbles, causing everyone to erupt into nervous laughter.

“I’m not sure how much time we have,” the photographer says to us. “Let’s get a few more shots before the rain falls.”

I glance up at the sky. The clouds are high and billowing and dark as sin and the wind has been steadily picking up. Somehow the rain managed to hold off for the entire ceremony and the photos so far. It’s weird because it’s almost as if the storm has split around us, half of it skirting above the river and obscuring the town with sheets of rain, while the other half is sliding along the base of Cherry Peak. It’s a matter of minutes before the two halves converge.

With my arm linked around Riley’s in our current pose, I pull Riley tighter to me and we smile in unison at the camera. Rachel and Shane are between us, out behind us are Mav and Fox.

I haven’t been able to say anything to Fox since he joined the wedding except a nod, “hey” and that’s it. It doesn’t help that everyone else keeps watching our every move like the two of us are just going to start fucking right here.

“Delilah, can you smile bigger?” the photographer asks, and I quickly oblige. Who knows what kind of expression I just had on my face. I’m pretty sure whenever I’m thinking about Fox now I just look totally confused instead of lovestruck. Maybe a combo of both.

“All right,” he says after he’s snapped a few more. “One more with the wedding party and family.”

We’re all posed by the barn leaning back along the fence, so Dick, Hank, Vernalee and my mother, who were waiting anxiously behind the camera, all come out to join us.

“When this is done, can we start drinking?” Dick asks, rubbing his hand over his weathered face.

“Hell yeah we can,” Shane says with a laugh.

Then Dick takes off his cowboy hat and tosses it to Shane who catches it with ease. The photographer snaps away, getting the hat in the air and then as Shane puts it on his head and gives Rachel a joyous smile.

The first drop of rain falls right down my cleavage.

Time is up.

“Okay that’s a wrap for now,” the photographer says staring up at the sky before quickly putting his camera away.

“It’s going to be a doozy!” Dick yells. “Shane, give me my hat back!”

All of us start to head up the hill to the house and the tents that were luckily set up before the oncoming deluge. The sky flashes with lightning and the thunder rumbles again as the rain starts to fall more steadily. I know we’re going to get soaked soon but I hang back behind everyone else, the end of my dress in my hand so I don’t tread on it, until I’m walking beside Fox.

“Hey stranger,” I tell him with a wary smile, looking him up and down. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a tux before. You didn’t even go to our high school grad.”

He nods, hands in his pockets, eyes focused straight ahead. “Are they mad that I’m late?”

I stop walking and he stops beside me. “Who? Your family?”

“Yeah.”

I frown at him. I can’t tell if he’s drunk or what he is, but he’s cagey, fidgety, liking he’s fighting something internally. “Honestly, I think they’re all just glad you’re here. They know your job, they knew you not showing was a possibility.” Boldly, I reach out and grab his hand, squeezing it tight. “But I’m glad you’re here.”

He blinks at me, as if seeing me for the first time since getting here. He squeezes my hand back. “How is Conan?”

I smile. “He’s good. He’s growing more and more every day. I took him to the wildlife center, by the way, but they’re booked up. Said maybe they can take him next month when the fire season calms down.”

“I don’t think it will ever calm down,” he says, his voice grave.

And just like that, the rain comes down in sheets, slamming into us, bouncing off the dirt. “Shit,” I say.

“Come here,” he says, pulling me toward the closest shelter, which is the barn.

It’s pretty much too late though, my dress is already soaked through and sticking to me.

And now I’m in the barn with Fox, the rain pouring down just outside and echoing off the roof.

He lets go of my hand, as if knowing what I’m thinking, what I’m feeling, realizing he’s alone with me, and he walks off to the first stall, leaning back against it with a sigh. He opens his suit jacket and pulls a flask out of the pocket.

He holds it out offering it to me with a shake of his hand. “You want some?”

“What is it?” I ask, coming over to him. Normally I wouldn’t, but because of the rain and the wedding and the tension between us, I think I just might. Besides, it reminds me of being teenagers, sneaking Hank and Dick’s alcohol out here and drinking it.

“Rye,” he says gruffly. “It gets the job done.”

I take it and have a sip, wincing at the burn as it goes down my throat, then give him a sheepish smile as I give it back to him. “Thanks. Do you always carry this with you?”

“Sometimes,” he says, not smiling, eyes locked on mine as he has another large swig and I can’t tell if he’s joking or not. Then he looks around the barn. “This reminds me of stealing Dick’s whisky and coming here. Then filled his bottles back up with water, of course.”

“I was just thinking that,” I say to him, and he hands me the bourbon again. “Some things never change.”

“No, not really. And then all at once, everything does. Isn’t that life though? One minute becomes a million minutes and you’re just living every day like it isn’t your last and then another minute more and it is.”

Oh dear. He’s definitely in a mood. I study him as I take another shot, this one going down easier. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know. Am I ever okay?”

He exhales, looks down at his feet. It’s then that I notice he has ash and twigs in his hair.

“You have, like, a forest in your hair,” I tell him, taking a step so I’m right up next to him and running my hand through his hair. I pick out a twig and toss it to the ground, brush away some ash.

“I didn’t even have time to shower,” he admits, still looking down, still letting me touch him. “I knew Shane and everyone, you especially, would have slaughtered me if I didn’t make it on time. I did my fucking best.”

Whoa. He’s volatile tonight.

“You know it’s because you and Shane have issues you need to work out,” I tell him, proceeding carefully as I remember Rachel’s plea. “That’s the only reason why anyone would think anything of it.” He just grunts in response and I know he’s not going to elaborate on that one. “But you’re here and that’s all that matters.”

I keep running my fingers through his hair even though all the ash and twigs are gone, enjoying the feel of it, feeling this close to him. He smells like pine, and smoke, and heat and all those things I associate with him, things I’ve grown to love. Occasionally his eyes droop closed, which means he must be enjoying this too.

Finally, he looks up at me with a pained expression. “Hey. I’m sorry about the other night.”

I look at him curiously. “What other night?”

“At the bar. What happened between us.”

Oh. Oh, this isn’t good…he’s sorry? Sorry for the sex?

Brave face. Put on your brave face.

“Okay…” I slowly take my hand away but he reaches out and grabs me by the wrist, holding me.

“I’m sorry that I left things up in the air,” he says, his eyes flashing with intensity as his grip on me tightens. “And I’m sorry I had to leave right away. I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t know what to do.”

“It’s okay, Fox. We’re friends and we just happened to…”

“I have to leave again,” he says quickly. “Tomorrow night.”

The intensity in his gaze deepens, holding me hostage as the air changes around us like we’re our own thunderstorm in the making. Meanwhile, the one outside the barn starts to rage.

He puts his hand at the back of my neck, his palm hot, his grip possessive. He holds me in place as he searches my face, his nostrils flaring slightly. “I don’t want to be alone tonight, Del. I don’t want to go home without you.”

Our storm has reached another level. I can practically feel the lightning striking between us, making my hair stand on end, my heart to be jolted again and again. We’re charged, more alive than ever before.

“Okay,” I say softly.

He slips his other hand around my waist and pulls me right up against him. The flask falls from my fingers as I reach up and grip his jacket.

“I’m wet,” I warn him.

I meant from the rain, but he just grins at me and says, “Good.”

Then he kisses me.

It’s even more electric than the first time.

Maybe it’s the rain, the way my dress sticks to my body, or it’s the fiery taste of rye on his lips, or it’s the storm building outside, or the overall romance of Shane and Rachel’s wedding day. Or it’s just how Fox is kissing me right now, with a wild, unbridled intensity, like he’s been starving for me for weeks. Either way, this kiss feels like it might be the end of me.

“Del,” he whispers against my lips.

But he doesn’t have to say anything else.

He kisses me, wet, hot, then grabs me and pulls me into the nearest stall, the ground covered in hay, his grip on me tight, dominating, commanding.

“Get on the hay,” he says, his voice husky and rich.

Bossy.

I like it.

I drop down to my knees in the hay-covered stall, staring up at him while he quickly unzips his pants. His cock bobs free between him and I'm breathless once again.

I can barely tear my eyes away from his cock to look up at him. Of course he looks smug—why shouldn't he—but there's a sense of awe in his eyes, like he can't believe this is happening again.

That makes two of us.

I close my eyes and tentatively slide my tongue along the sensitive underside before circling his crown, dark and lush, licking at the precum. The salt hits my tongue, revving my desire for him to another level.

His hand goes into my damp hair, pulling lightly, and he groans as I try and take him all into my mouth.

“Del,” he whispers hoarsely. “It’s been too long.” He pulls away from me, his cock wet and bobbing from my mouth and glances down at me with heavy-lidded eyes. “I hate to make you stop sucking my dick because you suck so well but I need to be inside you. I need to fuck your brains out right fucking now. I need you like nothing else.”

Since I'm already on my knees (and totally ruining my dress) and I'm salivating for the taste of him, I grab his ass with one hand, my fingernails digging in as I tug him toward me. With my other hand I grasp his cock at the base, making a ring around it. He's so goddamn hard, it's like velvet steel, and silky to touch. I can feel the hot blood rushing underneath, the way his cock ticks with each beat of his heart.

He jerks his chin at me. “Turn around.”

My heart is pumping hard in anticipation as I pivot around on the hay so I'm on all fours, my ass raised in the air. He drops to his knees behind me and I hold my breath, waiting for his touch.

Swiftly he lifts up my dress until it's bunched around my waist and slides my underwear over.

“God, I need you, need this,” he says gruffly, moments before he grabs my ass, squeezing hard so I stay in place. I flinch, the pressure from his fingertips is firm and yet the moment he yields, I want it even more.

He pulls me toward him as he positions himself and with one swift jerk, pushes into me. The air is expelled from my chest as he fills me, a gasp broken on my lips.

“Are you okay?” he asks, shuddering the words as he pushes himself fully inside.

I can’t speak. I can’t think. I can only feel, every single inch of his hard cock as I squeeze around him. I try and nod, get my breath.

His grip around my ass tightens. “I won’t be gentle, not now, not when I need to fuck you this much.”

Holy hell.

I’ve never seen him like this.

He’s lost to a wild place and I’m carried in the undertow.

“How badly do you want me?” he asks, his voice thicker now. He pauses, slowly pulling out in such a teasing, languid way that it’s torturous. I feel empty, aching for him, I want him to fill me up and up and up, like a balloon ready to burst.

“Yes,” and then he’s pounding into me, fast and deep and relentless. Over and over and over again, this breakneck pace that has me trying to hang on to the hay for dear life, my breasts jiggling with each quick, hard thrust.

“I’ve missed this, missed you,” he says through a husky groan. His pumps become quicker, deeper, and messy, like he’s losing control and going over the edge and taking me with him. I’ve never had a man in so deep like this, not just inside me but inside my head. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted and everything I shouldn’t have and he’s fucking me like we might lose everything tomorrow.

And we might.

“I want you to come,” he growls, grabbing the back of my hair until it’s gathered in his hand, totally ruining my updo. He pushes forward until my cheek is pressed into the hay and he’s holding me down, grunting hard with each thrust.

Jesus. He’s out of control. He’s become someone else, an animal, a beast, as relentless as the flames he fights. I’m at his mercy and I don’t think I’ve ever wanted something more than for him to take such control and just fuck the living hell out of me.

Hell, heaven, whatever this is, I know it’s something I’ll never come back from. I know I’ll never want to. In my wildest, kinkiest dreams about him, it’s never been this good.

While he yanks back at my hair and then holds me down in place, he slips his other hand under my stomach, his fingers finding my clit.

I’m so wet, slick and ready for him, it doesn’t take long for him to push me to the edge. I can feel the fire raging inside me.

He is merciless, grunting hard with each thrust, this rough, animalistic noise that gets louder and louder the closer he gets to coming. It’s such a fucking beautiful noise that it causes the heat to build in my core, coaxing the last bit of fire I have left.

I don’t even have time to tell him I’m coming. It just happens, quick and swift, and I’m swept away, tumbling and turning, over and over as the orgasm churns through me. I’m burning up in flames, I never want it to let me go. My body quakes and shudders from head to toe as I pulse around him. I am light and heavy and my heart has dove wings. I never want to feel anything but this, never want anyone else but him.

“Delilah,” he groans out my name and then I feel him as he comes, the pressure in my hair, the slamming of his hips into my ass. The sounds coming out of his mouth are crude and I’d give anything to watch his face as he empties into me. “Yes. God, yes.”

His thrusts slow down, his hand in my hair slowly letting go, releasing the pressure from my head. He’s breathing hard, his hulking body hovering over me. Drops of sweat fall onto my back, making me shudder.

Then, as the orgasm starts to slide away into the background, the reality of what we’d just done hits me.

Fox just fucked me in the barn. From behind. My head pressed—no, held—to the hay.

He was animal.

He was wild.

He dominated my every move.

Just as he dominates my heart.

I get to my feet, my hands are marked with deep indentations from the hay.

I pull down my dress which isn’t any drier now and take some hay to wipe him off my inner thighs, then turn around to see Fox zipping his fly back up.

I give him a lazy, sated grin. “Well we certainly never did that as teenagers.” I pause. “Unless you had sex in this barn with someone else and if that’s the case, I don’t want to hear about it.”

“Don’t worry about that,” he says as he picks up his suit jacket and shucks it on. “Do I look acceptable?”

I walk over to him, feeling unsteady on my feet and smooth down the front of his shirt, straighten his bowtie, and tug on the lapels of his jacket. “You look ridiculously handsome.”

He gives me a small, almost sad smile before he runs his thumb over my bottom lip. Then he grips my chin between his fingers and kisses me softly. It’s still enough to make my toes curl, my body melt slightly into his.

Is this us now? Is this what we do? Or is this just for here, just in private?

He pulls away and says, “You don’t think they suspect anything between us, do you?”

Oh. Shit.

“Uh,” I begin awkwardly. “I’m pretty sure they’ve figured it out.”

He cocks a brow and reaches over, picking a strand of hay out of my hair. “You told them?”

“It was Riley. She guessed it. And then after that…”

“After that I’m sure even the neighbors knew.”

“Are you mad?”

He runs his hand through his hair. “Mad, Del? No. I just wish it was between us because this feels like something very…I don’t know. New. Special. Private.”

“I’m sorry,” I tell him, feeling like shit. “I didn’t think everyone would know.”

He sighs. “Well, at least I don’t have to lie too much when we go back up there and they’re asking where we were.”

“Honestly, we don’t have to say a thing.”

He steps out of the stall and picks up the fallen flask from the floor, finishing the rest of it. Then he puts it back in his inner pocket and from his other pocket he takes out a couple of round white pills and throws them back in his throat, swallowing them dry.

“What are those?” I ask.

“I get headaches,” he says.

“Like, after sex?”

He smiles softly. “Like, often. Not during sex though, thank god.” He holds out his arm for me. “Come on, the rain has died down. Let’s go eat and be social. If you’re lucky, I might even ask you to dance.”

I put my arm in his and we head out of the barn.