Family Tied (Being A Wade Book 1) Read online

  FAMILY TIED

  Being a Wade Part One

  Annie Hughes

  Dylan Wade

  An angel.

  That’s the only way to describe my girl, my Rayleigh. I brush softly at her skin, not wanting to wake her up, but unable to keep from touching her. We’ve always been like this, ever since that rainy day in college almost five years ago. Our connection had been instant and intense, knocking us both on our asses. We fought it, her not wanting to get involved with a ‘bad boy’ like me, and me not wanting to drag her down into the pit that my life is. It had been a piss poor attempt though, none of us able to deny our feelings for too long, but fuck me I tried. I really fucking tried. Her quiet, shy demeanor was no match to my overrated social status. I’m a name, a fucking beacon in this town, and she’s an outsider that no one had heard of back then. We’ve been through hell, fighting obstacle after obstacle, in order to stay together. My family hadn’t approved of her at first, hadn’t accepted that I couldn’t breathe without her. It had come down to a choice in the end, a choice that had almost killed me, and her.

  She stirs slightly in her sleep so I pull back my hand and continue to watch her silently. Her soft black curls are fanned over her face, hiding the long thick lashes that frame the biggest blue eyes I’ve ever seen. She was beautiful, simply flawless, and I was one lucky son of a bitch. She’s always been pretty, but now, at just 24 years old, she’s a fucking Goddess. Men everywhere crane their neck just to get a look at her and she doesn’t even notice. She never has understood why anyone found her attractive. It’s one of the things I love most about her, her modesty.

  “Dylan shh,” she moans quietly, her arm moving to cover her face. “You’re thinking too loud.”

  I chuckle. I love Morning Rayleigh the best, moody and adorable. I snake my arm over her hips and pull her close to me, her back plush against my chest. She moulds into me instantly, her tiny frame slotting perfectly with mine.

  “Good morning, Baby,” I murmur into her ear.

  “Morning,” she snaps, not even trying to hide the fact she’s pissed that I’ve woken her up.

  I laugh and move my hand slowly from her hips and down her leg. She sighs softly as I bring it back up the inside of her thigh. The sound causes my dick to pulse and I push harder against her back so I know she feels it. My hand travels up her stomach and cups her breast, my thumb tracing gently over her nipple. It hardens instantly and a low moan escapes her mouth.

  “Are you mad at me?” I whisper in her ear, and she responds with pushing her ass back against my dick. I smile against her neck and rub over her nipple again.

  Her hand reaches back and grasps my rock hard length, causing me to groan in her ear.

  “Yes,” she says, but the breathy tone in her voice gives her away.

  “Does that mean you want me to stop?” I tease.

  “If you stop, it will only make me madder.”

  “Well then, who am I to disappoint the queen?”

  She laughs, a beautiful sound, and spins to face me. I push the hair from her face so I can really look at her, reveling in her beauty. She raises her eyes to mine, searching me the way she always does. Rayleigh never just looks at a person, she looks through them. She sees things in people that they don’t even see themselves. It was what had drawn me to her in the beginning, the way she saw right to my soul. She saw me for who I wanted to be, and not for who I was on the outside. It was just a shame that person is still on the inside, faded into the background, having not made it out in time.

  “Almost five years and you’re still here,” I say, not really meaning to speak my thoughts aloud. It still amazed me every day that she chose to stand by me when I was forced to take my father’s place. I thought for sure that she’d run a mile, not wanting any part in the shady work my family deals in. Especially since the family had almost ruined her.

  She smiles and places her hand gently on my bare chest.

  “Always,” she replies, then brings her mouth up to mine.

  My hand is in her hair within seconds, pushing so my body covers hers as we kiss. She parts her lips, allowing my tongue entrance, then moans around it. Her hand is at the back of my neck and her legs wrap around my waist, pulling me closer to her. I will never get enough of this girl, ever. She’s given me everything, but I always want more, crave it. Just one look has me readjusting myself, trying to hide the automatic boner she gives me. I look down at her now, open and ready for me, as she tells me she needs me. Her words almost have me blowing my load right there. Even after all these years, sex with Rayleigh just never gets old. It never gets boring, and my body never gets tired of her. It helps that with every day that passes, she seems to get hotter, her body amazing me as it changes. She’s no longer the frail, skinny girl I first met. She’s now perfectly curved with a chest that makes me water at the mouth, which means keeping my hands to myself is extremely difficult. I didn’t have to now though, now she was spread out below me, mine for the taking. I lower my mouth around her nipple, tugging at it gently and causing her back to arch. The sight was glorious. The only thing hotter than Rayleigh naked, is Rayleigh in the throes of passion, her eyes rolling back, mouth agape as her breathing becomes labored. I could look at her like this all day, and have done, often.

  We moved into the apartment above the family bar straight after graduating. We didn’t leave the bedroom for the entire first week, excited that we no longer had to worry about roommates. We couldn’t get enough of each other, each as insatiable as the other. We still are for the most part, but business means I can’t be with her as much as I want to be. Plus Rayleigh works every day at the high school in town. She doesn’t need to work, I make enough money here for both of us to live very comfortably, but she insists. She doesn’t want to throw away her teaching degree by sitting at home and doing nothing. And she really doesn’t want to live off the family money. I can understand that, she might have been quiet at college but she was the most independent and determined person I knew. Still, we’ve fought about it on more than a few occasions. But, school is out for summer, so I have her all to myself, finally.

  She writhes below me as I continue to torture her breasts, the tip of my dick pressing on the nub of her clit. When she begins to beg I can’t hold out any more. I rear back, lining myself up to enter the sweet heaven I know awaits me.

  A loud bang coming from below stops us, just as I’m getting ready to push myself inside her.

  “Damn it,” I groan as I rest my forehead against hers. Somehow this always manages to happen. Every. Fucking. Time. Honestly, the timing is fucking incredible. That’s one of the worst parts about living here. People come in and out as they damn well please, meaning we rarely get privacy. “I’m gonna kill them,” I growl as I push myself off her.

  “No you’re not. Go see what’s happening, I’ll just...” she pauses and looks down at herself then back up at me smirking, “...put some clothes on and meet you down there.”

  I’m about to respond to what I know she’s hinting at, when another loud bang courses through the building, followed by the angry voice of my best friend and right hand man, Kade Walton. I jump up, knowing it can’t be good, and rush to the closet to find a shirt. Rayleigh follows me, pushing her long legs into a pair of jeans that make her ass look amazing. Damn it, Dyl. Not the time to be thinking about your girl’s ass.

  “Stay up here until I know what’s happening,” I warn but I know it’s fruitless. Rayleigh isn’t the type to run in the face of trouble, not anymore. Not since college.

  The usual guilt I feel at that begins to claw up my throat but I knock it down. Now is not the time to think about what me, and my life, have done to my sweet
girl. I kiss her quick then head out the door and down the stairs to find out what all the noise was. I can hear Kade’s deep voice bellowing from the bar so I rush there, pissed that my time with Rayleigh has been interrupted, again. I stop dead when I see who he’s shouting at. Never would I think I’d be staring at his face again. He must have a death wish coming in here. I step forward, silence descending over the room as I look him over. He still has the same boy band blond hair, the same almost grey eyes, and exudes the same ‘I’m better than you’ attitude. I’ve known this guy since we were kids, trusted him with everything I have, and he betrayed me in the worst possible way. I haven’t seen him in four years and I hoped it would be longer. My mind flashes through images of what he did, of my broken angel lying on that concrete floor. Anger races through me, my fists clenching at my side.

  “What the fuck are you doing here, Rome?” I growl at him.

  He doesn’t get to respond. A loud click and silver barrel appearing at the side of his head renders him mute. I glance at Rayleigh, her arm as steady as a rock as she holds a glock to my former best friend’s head. I can see the surprise registering on Rome’s face. Yeah, she definitely isn’t the same girl she was in college. Thanks to you, Asshole. The old Rayleigh would never have owned a gun, never mind used one. But this life, my life, changes people. Not always for the better.

  “Rayleigh Stevens,” Rome smirks.

  His confidence is as false as the tits on a glamour model, I can see it. He’s scared and confused, not that I can blame him. The last time he saw her she was the sweet, innocent girl I met in college, who barely spoke and hid behind oversized jumpers.

  “Hi Asshole,” she says dryly, her voice unwavering.

  I watch Rome as his jaw begins to twitch, a single bead of sweat falling down the side of his head. I can only imagine the things running through his mind right now.

  His hands go up to either side of his head. “I just want to talk,” he says, his eyes beginning to plead with mine as Rayleigh presses the gun to his skin. “Family business,” he adds quickly.

  I almost laugh. Family business. Is he for real? He might be my cousin by blood, but he was not my family. He was no longer a Wade. Gone, tossed out the second he went against family business, and hurt one of our own, one of mine. I don’t know if I can ever forgive him for that, and I just know Rayleigh can’t.

  “You’re supposed to be in jail,” I comment. Surely Uncle Craig would have warned me that he was getting out. Does Uncle Craig know? Does my father know? They can’t do.

  “I got out this morning. I came straight here to see you, to talk. It’s important.” He releases a breath, his eyes darting to Rayleigh again. “Please Dyl, we were brothers once. Just give me 5 minutes.”

  I look to Rayleigh who turns and meets my eyes. Her lips form a hard line as I try to convey some understanding to her through my look. I have to hear what he wants to say. I need to know. As much as he fucked up, I have to know what was so important that he’d risk stepping one single foot in here. He has a point, we were brothers once. I don’t expect her to understand. She hasn’t been through what Rome and I have been through. She didn’t see the bond, didn’t know him before college. College changed him, gave him some fake sense of superiority which had fucked with his brain. But before that, before the craziness, he was my brother and I would have died for him. Still would, probably.

  Eventually, she lowers the gun and turns to me. Her eyes glare into mine and I just know I’m in for a fight with her later. Gone is the sweet, playful girl I had upstairs. She doesn’t make it downstairs, not ever. Now she’s hard, cold even, and unforgiving. It was going to take more than a new pair of shoes to win her over this time. I just knew it.

  “Fine. But if he’s here, I’m out,” she barks before storming out the front door.

  I turn to Kade, motioning for him to follow her and make sure she’s alright. Rayleigh has a habit of wandering off when she was pissed and not returning for hours. She’ll have me out of my mind worrying, only to return like nothing had happened. When she first started doing it, I thought that she’d been sleeping with someone else. I was about ready to fucking murder someone, but I was wrong, thankfully. It turned out that she was going to the gym and beating the shit out of a sparring bag. I’m not really sure that’s better to be honest. The anger she holds inside scares me sometimes, and I know Rome being in town is about to unleash it all over the damn place. One way or another we’ll find out if she is really ready for this life.

  I wait for Kade to follow her out, then eventually release the breath I was holding. Rome relaxes in front of me as I look at him.

  “This better be fucking good,” I say, then pray to high heaven that he isn’t fucking me around again.

  Roman Wade

  My eyes can’t help but watch Rayleigh as she marches away from us. As thankful as I am that she no longer has a gun pressed to my head, I’m glad she’s finally standing up for herself. The girl was too damn quiet in college, hell she looked like a fucking victim back then. Still, it eats at me every single day what I put her through. I didn’t mean for it to get so out of control back then, but I couldn’t reign in my fury. Four years in jail taught me how. Four years with just my thoughts and regrets for company. Rayleigh Stevens is one of my biggest. And fuck me, she’s hot! She’s always been beautiful, but there is something about her now that has inappropriate parts of my body standing to attention. Her hair is longer, falling all the way down her back in thick waves. And those eyes... those big fucking blue eyes that burn a whole the size of Japan into the retinas of your own, trapping you, and making you want to spill all the secrets you never knew you had. Her perfect body slips through the door of the bar, so I look back to Dylan as he lets out a frustrated breath and eyes me coolly. Turning up here probably isn’t exactly my best idea, but I know he’s on top now. I know he’s been in charge since his old man has gotten sick. I know he was my way back in to the family business. At least, I hope he is.

  “This better be fucking good,” he says, kicking out a chair for me to sit on.

  I nod and take it, then watch as he takes the one opposite. We stay like that for what feels like hours, silently staring at each other as unspoken words pollute the air. It shouldn’t be like this between us, awkward and tense. We were raised together, from babies to men, inseparable until her.

  Rayleigh Stevens.

  She’d been a game changer, for him at least. I guess for me too, considering everything that happened after they got together. I knew even before he did that he’d choose her over me. I could see it in his eyes every time she walked into the fucking room. He’d light up like fucking Christmas, spent all his time with her, not giving two fucks about who he let down in the process. I knew he’d put her before the family, before anything. Compulsive bastard. What I didn’t know at the time, was how much it would fucking mess with my mind. No, that was a big shock to the system, one I didn’t understand until jail, where I had nothing else to do but go over all the events in my mind.

  “So, Rayleigh’s changed.”

  He snorts at my comment. “Yeah, she’s a far cry from the girl you terrorized.” My eyes fall to the floor as he continues, the shame and guilt rippling through my entire frame. “Look, I don’t want to talk about Ray with you. You’re lucky I didn’t let her kick your ass. What do you want, Roman?”

  Rayleigh kick my ass? I just can’t see it. Then again, I never thought I’d see the day where she could hold a gun like it’s a natural part of her body. “I want back in, I’m coming home.”

  He laughs. Actually laughs, his eyes wide with humor, and I squash down the urge to punch him square in the face. Is he really that surprised? What else did he think I’d do when I got out? My name is still Wade. This is where I belong.

  “I’m serious, Dyl.” I rub the back of my neck, hoping to relieve some tension. “I’m not asking to be your number two, but I’m coming back. This is home. I did my time, learnt my lesson, and now I gotta fix shit
. It’s been four years, man. We have to move past this bullshit at some point.”

  He releases a breath before searching my face, an inner battle evident all over him. Dylan never has been able to hide his emotions “I can’t trust you. I really fucking wish I could, as it would make this whole thing a lot easier, but I just can’t.” His head shakes, a hand running through his hair. “You fucked shit up real bad, Rome.” He pinches the bridge of his nose, something he always does when he’s tense. “Fuck, I don’t even know how you managed half of it.” He laughs sarcastically, and I can’t help the small smile that touches the corner of my mouth. “It took me over a year to get things straight with Dwayne and his boys over all the chaos you unleashed.”

  I nod. I didn’t expect him to agree to this straight off. I have to offer him something, to prove myself. I’m not an idiot, I know how this shit works. I’ve had years to think about how I fucking ruined everything. Time I’ll never get back, doing nothing but wanting to tear my own head off. I reach into my pocket and throw the small slip of paper I’ve been carrying around on the table between us.

  “That’s the contact information for a guy I met in Clandon. He’s interested in pushing his stuff through here. I said I could try and set something up but that it would all depend on what you thought, no promises. It’s a good deal, even you gotta see that. He supplies, we distribute. You might hate me, but here.” I push the number further across the table to him. “Take it, don’t take it, makes no difference to me. He’s from Harley Hill, big family with even bigger wallets, and loyal as fuck.”

  I stand, and with one last look at the man I used to call my best friend, I turn and head to the door. He’ll either take the deal, or not. If he does, Joey is gonna want me to be a part of it, but I don’t need to tell Dyl that right now. That’s just small print. If he doesn’t take it, I’ll have to take my request back into the Inner Circle to my dad. God I hope he takes the fucking deal. I’m not really feeling a reunion with Pops today. I’m two steps away when I hear him call my name. Hope rises in me, but I don’t let him see it, or let myself feel it. This may just be him telling me to fuck off, he probably should just tell me to fuck off. I turn slowly as he walks up to me, paper in hand.