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First, he was going to tackle dating even though he knew it was a fucking bad idea. He let Whiskey and Luci set him up on a blind date. Hell, he didn’t even go on regular dates and this was a fucking awful idea, but he needed to get laid and Whiskey was right—he wasn’t getting any younger. He had moved back to Texas, following Whiskey and his new little family to a small town just outside of Huston. Anders loved that he was close enough to all four major FBI field offices in Huston, El Paso, Dallas, and San Antonio but also got the small-town life that he loved. He missed that when he lived in Huntsville, Alabama, and following Whiskey’s family was a no-brainer for him. He was close to the border for quick trips down to Mexico, but still, far enough from the town he and Whiskey grew up in not to be bothered by the ghosts of his past.
Whiskey had set up this little date, telling his friend that he had picked a woman he knew he’d be interested in. So help him, if Whiskey was busting his balls and setting him up to fall on his face, he’d beat the shit out of the guy. It didn’t matter to him that Whiskey was almost double his size, he’d still find a way to beat his ass. Anders settled at the bar on a stool in the back corner so he could keep his back to the wall and his eyes on the door. If a single woman walked in there and seemed to be looking for someone, he could give her the once over before he decided if he wanted to stick it out or hightail it out the side door. He knew that made him sound like an ass, but he didn’t care. He was already anxious enough about agreeing to this disastrous idea.
He watched as a sexy little brunette walked into the place and looked around, even smiling over at him. But Anders was quickly disappointed when a big guy in a cowboy hat, trying way too hard to fit in, walked in behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist. Yeah—that one stung a little. He checked his watch for the millionth time and swallowed down the last of his beer. It was his second since he got there, and he was done drinking alone and done waiting on a woman who didn’t want to meet him.
“Thanks,” Anders said, throwing down two twenties and nodding to the bartender. “Keep the change.” He stood to leave and was almost out of the bar when a spunky little redhead came barreling through the double doors, running right into him. Anders wrapped his arms around her body, trying to steady her and when she looked up at him with her big green eyes and her cute little button nose speckled with freckles, he knew exactly who he cradled up against his chest.
“Texas Holloway,” he whispered. She leaned into his body and damn if she didn’t feel right plastered up against him.
“Hi Anders,” she said back. “Long time no see,” she teased. He’d seen her plenty in the last twelve years since they graduated high school, but that involved his nightly dreams and her being naked underneath his body, shouting out his name.
“Yeah,” he choked, not knowing what else to say to the sexy fireball. He had a crush on her for all four years of high school and when he finally got the nerve up to ask her to prom, she told him that Whiskey had beat him to it and she was going with him. Yeah, that felt like a fucking punch to the gut, but he bowed out gracefully and even helped his best friend find a cheap tux to rent. Anders sat at home that night sulking—even vowing that when he got to Georgetown, he'd never speak to any of them again, including Whiskey. That was a joke because he broke down and called Whiskey the very next morning, waking him to see how his date went with Texas. When his best friend gave a nonchalant answer, acting as if he didn’t give a shit about Anders’s walking wet dream, he got pissed off again and told Whiskey to go fuck himself. He didn’t talk to his friend for over two weeks, not that Whiskey didn’t try to figure out what the hell he did wrong. He didn’t do anything wrong—Anders was mad at himself for blowing his chance with Texas. He was a chicken shit who never had the balls to ask her out and when he finally did, it was too late. The question now was did fate drop her back into his life or did he have his best friend to thank for seeing her again? Either way, he wasn’t going to fuck things up again and wait too long to ask her out. He learned his lesson the hard way as a teenage kid.
“Go out with me,” he whispered.
Texas
Texas couldn’t believe her bad luck when one of her old high school friends, Whiskey O’Brian, ran into her out of the blue, at the grocery store. He and his beautiful wife and precious baby boy were enough to make her want to gag. Sure, she liked the guy back in the day. She even went to prom with him but that was because he was the only boy to ask her. She had a thing for his best friend, Anders Taylor, but he never asked her. For all she knew she was pining away for a boy who didn’t even know that she existed. So, she settled for the next best thing and went to prom with his best friend and then talked incessantly about Anders. When the dance was over, most of the kids went to after-parties, but Whiskey insisted on taking her home and who could blame the guy? What guy in his right mind would want to hang out with a girl who talked about his best friend like he was the best thing since sliced bread? The last person on the planet she wanted to run into was Whiskey O’Brian, but when it came to the universe listening to what she wanted, she had given up.
He told her all about how he and his sexy-as-sin new wife and son just moved to the area, and then he dropped the bomb that Anders had moved back not too long ago himself. She tried to play it cool, but she was sure she was coming off as corny as that teenage girl who followed him around the halls of the high school day in and day out. She told Whiskey that she had been living in the area for almost five years now and no—she wasn’t married or even with someone for that matter. Texas didn’t miss the looks of pity exchanged by Whiskey and his new missus. Yeah—she got it, she was a total loser and would never be as happy as they seemed to be. Whatever.
She made some lame excuse about having to be on her way because she was just there to pick up a loaf of bread for her peanut butter and jelly sandwich—which was going to be her dinner for the third night in a row, but she wasn’t about to tell Whiskey and his beautiful blushing bride that fact. No, she needed to keep things calm, cool, and collected because that’s the way she liked to play things. It was who she was—well, who she wanted to be but that was beside the point. She waved at them as she made her way to the register. She felt good about the way she had “adulted” after seeing the guy who took her to prom and couldn’t seem to get away from her fast enough. She handled herself like a pro, given the circumstances.
But, then she made the mistake of glancing over to where Whiskey and his wifey were having a heated whispering match and sighed, knowing that he was spilling all the gory details about her one night of complete humiliation and judging from the sympathetic looks coming from his new judgey soul mate—she was going to have to face them both down and have another (adult) conversation.
“Um,” the bombshell brunette murmured. God, what was her name again—oh yeah, Luciana.
“Hi Luciana,” Texas breathed, pretty damn proud of herself for remembering the woman’s name.
“Hi,” she said back. “Listen, I know it’s not my place but I’m going to stick my butt in here.” Whiskey barked out his laugh and pulled his wife into his side.
“It’s not your butt you’re sticking into her business, Honey. It’s your nose. You are sticking your nose where it does not belong,” he said.
“Yes,” Luciana said. “Thank you for that correction, Darling.” Texas had never been married but she was pretty sure that Luciana’s use of the word “Darling” wasn’t meant as an endearment. Texas giggled and Whiskey shrugged.
“As I was saying,” she continued. “I’d like to stick my nose in your business. You see, Whiskey said that you had a crush on Anders in high school.” Texas shot Whiskey a look to let him know she wanted to stab him repeatedly and he had the nerve to shrug again.
“I didn’t think it was a secret, Texas. You did talk about him throughout our entire date,” Whiskey defended.
“Okay, fine. I admit I used to have a thing for Anders Taylor but that was a long time ago. He’s probably moved on and forgotten that I even existed.” Yeah, she sounded like a pouty baby but she couldn’t help it. It still kind of stung that she carried around her unrequited love for four whole years.
“Well, he hasn’t,” Luciana said, interrupting her internal monologue. “Moved on, that is. He’s here in this new town and all alone. Whiskey and I have each other and well, it would be nice for Anders to get out and go on a date. So, how about it?” Luciana asked.
“How about what?” Texas questioned.
“Let us set you up on a date with Anders,” Whiskey said, trying to help speed things along. He was holding his son and the baby started to fuss.
“Like a blind date?” Texas asked, trying not to sound too enthusiastic or hopeful. But, God, she wanted to go on this date with Anders. She wanted her chance to finally tell him that she wasn’t that same geek in high school who used to follow him around, pining for him. She hated that she never got her chance to tell him yes—to go on a real date with him. Hell, she wanted just one goodnight kiss from Anders Taylor and now just might be her chance.
“Wait,” she said. “Is he still cute?” Not that it mattered but the boy she remembered had to have grown up into one fine-ass man. There would be no way that Anders grew up to be ugly. Whiskey pulled out his cell phone and handed his son over to Luciana. He thumbed through some pictures and found one of just him and Anders, holding the phone out for Texas to see.
“Wow,” she mouthed, studying the picture of the two handsome guys. Anders was even better than she had imagined in her nightly fantasies. His dark hair and blue eyes had always drawn her in but she had to admit that she liked the beard—it was a nice addition.
“So—how about it?” Whiskey asked.
She shrugged, trying for casual once again even though she felt like she could burst into flames. “All right,” she said. Texas took Whiskey’s phone from his hands and typed in her name and phone number. “I’m free this Thursday. Just text me the details.” She got back in line at the register and paid for her items, waving to Whiskey and his family on her way out. She didn’t want to give him the chance to change his mind, and she high tailed it out of that grocery store as fast as her legs could carry her.
Now, she was pressed up against Ander’s chest, waiting for him to make the next move. At least he seemed to remember her but everything else felt like a blur since she ran into him.
