Authors Notes:

Hello readers! Yes, it's been a long time, and yes, the pen name is different, but it's still me!

And so begins the Green sequel. I got such fantastic feedback, and I loved the pairing so much I couldn't let them go so easily. I changed Wade a little. I made him less... predatory. I hope you don't mind. Love reviews, thanks so much for reading!

Disclaimer: Characters do not belong to me, nor is any money being made through this production. But... if anyone wanted to hand them over to me for safekeeping... I would take very good care of them.

I woke up with a start. Chest heaving, pulse pounding... wiping sweat off my brow. Another one. Another one atop the hundreds of others. Another dream- about him. Not a bad dream. No, my dreams about him are never bad. Matter of fact, most people would look forward to dreams like this.

Sexy dreams, with sweaty sheets and hot bodies, he gasps for air but I don't let him get it, pulling him down again.

I don't mind the dreams themselves. It's the waking up and turning over and staring into his face as he lies, still asleep.

Green eyes hidden behind pale lids and blonde lashes.

Waking and realizing that my dreams are just that. Dreams.

I've slept with him before, of course. I've experienced first hand those sweaty sheets and that heat building from the inside out.

But in my dreams, he kisses me. They're so underestimated those moments of locked lips, but they can mean so much. And of course, I've kissed him before and tasted the whiskey lingering in his mouth, but it was just a prelude of what was to come. Merely an opening ceremony for a more passionate endeavor. It meant nothing. I just wanted to get him in the mood.

But at night, he reaches for me, timidly looking from my eyes to my mouth, hands shyly flitting across the hem of my shirt. At night, his mouth searches out mine, and with familiar chapped lips and breath that tastes like cheap alcohol he proclaims,

"I love you". And I see in his eyes that he means it.

At night, I belong to someone.

Sometimes it's hard being a leader. Hell, it's hard being a leader all the time. Everyone looks to you to take care of them. Tell me what to do, they say, and I'll do it. But doing whatever "it" is isn't that hard. When something goes wrong, I gotta fix it and I gotta punish whoever screwed up. The world's on my shoulders and I gotta hold it up for as long as it rests on me. And you know what- sometimes my shoulders get sore. But I'm Ben Wade and nothing's supposed to get me down.

But sometimes it does. I hide it, of course. No one knows. I glanced at Charlie lying next to me, breathing slowly and rhythmically all cares forgotten as he dreams of... something. Maybe the next job, or the home he left God knows how long ago... or of women. Beautiful women that beckon to him with smoldering eyes, patting the bed they sit on. But I'm just feeling sorry for myself. How I managed to fall in love with Charlie- with a man for God's sake- I'll never know. But it doesn't matter. It'll never matter cause I'll never tell him and he'll never know and one day I'll realize how stupid I've been- that I don't really love him. That I never really loved him. It was just loneliness and the desert heat that brought this about. Men don't love other men. Men don't lust after their companions. The Bible says men like that burn in hell.

Not that hell can be much better than this life.

I groaned and stretched my arms out over my head, squinting out at the horizon and the slight pink of the sky. The sun was going to rise soon. We should be heading off. Off where? We don't have a job lined up yet... not that we need the money. We hit it big after the last coach turned out to be much pricier than it looked. I let my eyes wander to Charlie again, drinking in the sight. The few traces of pale morning sunlight reflected off his skin making him glow, throwing the shadows on his face into sharp relief, accentuating his cheek bones and bridge of his nose... the dip right below his lower lip, above his chin.

At that moment, I don't think that beautiful was the right word. Or was handsome or alluring. Charlie Prince was bewitching, in every sense of the word. I scanned the other members of my crew. All dead to the world, more than one clutching an empty bottle to their chest. I gave in to temptation and let my fingers trip across the sleeping Prince, brushing hair off his forehead, stroking his cheek, tracing his lower lip... and then I pulled back harshly as he murmured something and stirred slightly out of sleep. I leaned nonchalantly against the rock behind me, clasping my hands together in my lap and stared out across the horizon- the perfect picture of a man lost in calm thought. But I wasn't calm. My heart was beating out of my chest and it took everything I had to silence my raspy breaths. Almost caught- I need to be more careful next time. Next to me Charlie sat up and stretched his arms and twisted. I could hear his back popping back into place after a night of sleeping on craggy ground.

He spoke without looking at me. It wasn't harsh, or impersonal- that's just how our conversations generally went, looks exchanged only when words were unnecessary or impossible to find.

" 'S gunna be a good couple of months."

I knew he was talking about our newfound wealth. I nodded. "We spend wisely, it could be a good year." He nodded. I glanced at him sideways.

"Bunch a' the boys are fixin' to head down to Mexico. Find themselves some... entertainment." We both knew what that really meant. There were plenty of beautiful women to occupy their time. "You plannin' to join 'em this time?"

His jaw stiffened, probably remembering what happened the last time he chose to stay with me rather than join the rest of the crew.

Crumpled, sweaty sheets, harsh breathing, finger shaped bruises along his arms, wrists, and inner thighs.

"You want some time alone, boss?"

I was surprised at the bitter tone that colored his voice. He tried to hide it, of course, but I could always read Charlie like a book. He wore his emotions on his sleeves and in his eyes... and God Almighty did I like looking into his eyes.

Green eyes fogged with lust gazing up at me from the bed.

"No need to get all defensive, Charlie. Just askin' a question."

He nodded tightly. "Is this one o' those questions I could get wrong?"

"No Charlie. I don't quite understand why you're so worried about it."

I've lied before. All men have. But that lie was different simply because it was so much more false than any lie I'd ever told before. Course I knew why he was worried. I treated him like a whore, and object, something to be used and then discarded. He deserved so much better. But I couldn't let him know that. I couldn't let him think that what I felt for him was anything but lust. Pure, unadulterated, lust. He needed to think that I was craving entertainment and, bored with the usual feminine fare, decided for something more exciting. I played with him like a child plays with a toy. Oh, sure he wasn't complaining then, but the months afterwards gave him time to think about it, to realize what he'd done. What I'd done to him.

I don't think he was pleased with what he realized.

And now, I was pretending like it never happened, and he was pissed. I could see it in the way his swallowed forcefully, his jaw clenched even harder than before. It's awful, to feel like you're worthless and it tortures me to have to put Charlie through it. But I can't tell him the truth. After a moment of tense silence he cleared his throat. "Well, sir, if it's all th' same to you, I'm not quite feelin' up to a trip south."

I tried very hard to keep the shock- and relief- off my face. I thought he'd be begging to get away from me. I waited until my voice was safely under my control before saying cooly,

"Alright then, Charlie. I ain't gunna force you to leave."

"But do ya want me to stay? I mean..." He paused "I mean, do ya mind my company?"

My heart skipped a beat. No, that's another lie. My heart skipped quite a few beats. God no Charlie. I revel in your company, I soak it up like a plant does the sun. I want you with me always. I need you. Dear God, Charlie, I love you!

"Nope."

He nodded shortly and stood up, stalking over to the horses to get his bags in order.

The rest of the crew left the next morning for Mexico. Me and Charlie watched them go.