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Adrian joins me, claiming the sofa in front of me and settling in, his attention on me, just me. It’s not uncomfortable. He’s a nice guy—tall, dark, and good looking, with curly dark hair and intelligent, but quite friendly, green eyes. Friendly while not being inappropriate. I like this about him. And he has tattoos. Lots of tattoos. Both his arms are covered, but I’m not looking at the design and really seeing the design. I’m thinking that I just want my tattooed man back.
“There was a Texas A&M Aggie,” Adrian finally says, apparently about to launch into one of the many Texas Longhorns/A&M Aggie jokes, us Texans learn from the moment we can speak. In fact, you don’t even have to like football in Texas to tell these jokes. They’re as much a part of us as is country music, big hair, cowboy boots, and chips and queso.
“I’ve heard all of these jokes,” I warn. “And I mean, all of them.”
“No way. I’m a Texan, too. I’ve got an endless supply.”
“You’re from Texas?”
“Yep. I’m from Waco which back then, wasn’t much of a place to talk about. Which means there wasn’t much to do back in the day but tell jokes.”
“Bad jokes?”
“Is there a better kind?” he teases.
I laugh. “Not if it’s an Aggie joke. I know some really great Aggies.”
“Me, too, which is what makes these jokes even better.” He rubs his hands together. “So here we go. Joke number one. I know you haven’t heard this one. A Texas A&M football player was almost killed in a tragic horseback-riding accident. He fell from the horse and was nearly trampled to death. Thank God the manager of the K-Mart came out and unplugged it.”
“Heard it,” I say.
His lips purse and he hits me again. “Why don’t Aggies use 911 in an emergency? Because they can’t find eleven on the phone dial.”
“Heard it.”
He frowns. “I don’t believe you.” He doesn’t give me time to reply. “Why did the Aggie get fired from the M&M plant as a quality control inspector?”
“He kept throwing out all the W&W’s!” I say. “We sat around telling Aggie jokes in summer camp.”
He scowls this time. “Okay then. I’m going to get inappropriate, but fuck it. You didn’t hear this in summer camp. An Aggie goes to the doctor. The doctor tells him, ‘I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to stop masturbating.’ The Aggie asks, ‘why?’”
I finish for him. “The doctor says, ‘I’m trying to examine you.’”
His eyes go wide. “Well then. I guess summer camp got pretty damn inappropriate. How old were you at camp?”
“Twenty-six.”
He looks confused and I laugh. “Just kidding. Camp didn’t get inappropriate. But have you met Rick Savage, who I was once engaged to? He does. Often.”
“Were engaged to?”
“A long story,” I say quickly. “And I don’t know you.”
“Ah, right.” His hands settle on his black jeans. “If you tell me you’ll have to kill me, and all that shit. Moving on then. Eating makes everything better, especially when talking isn’t an option. Which will it be? Fancy room service or GrubHub Taco Bell?”
Now I laugh. “Taco Bell. I’m in.”
“Taco Bell it is.” He pulls out his phone to place the order and his phone buzzes with a text message. He reads a moment and glances at me. “Your inappropriate, stupid man is on his way up.”
“Stupid?”
“You clearly love him and he clearly lost you. Made that stupid mistake once myself. But then, she was better off without me.” He stands up and walks inside, leaving me chilled in a way the fireplace can’t possibly warm. He believes his love is better off without him, the way I know Rick still feels I’m better off without him. That scares me, but as I hear the front door open, I shove that thought away. I push to my feet and run toward the door. I reach the inside of the room in time to find Rick standing in the center, and Adrian is nowhere in sight. And my God, the man claims the room, a tall, fierce warrior, that scar down his cheek almost a battle cry.
“Come here,” he orders, and perhaps considering my thoughts before I walked in here, I should resist, but I don’t. Just that easily he owns me. Just that easily I comply, and I do so eagerly and willingly. So willingly, that I don’t just walk. I run to him and wrap my arms around him. And when I lift my mouth to his, his hand comes down on my head in that familiar way he touches me, a moment before his lips find my lips. Before his tongue presses past my teeth and slides deep in a long, lavish stroke I feel shiver through every part of my body. It’s a dark kiss, a daunting kiss in the message it speaks without words.
