by K. A. Linde
“Hey, Heidi,” I said with a smile. “You look great.”
“Thanks.”
“Hi,” Jennifer said, reaching into her bag and pulling out her trusty camera. “I thought I could take some pictures.”
“Yes! Oh my God, I’d love that.” Heidi pulled the door wide and glanced over at her best friend, Emery. “Wouldn’t you love that, Em?”
“Hmm?” she asked, pulling herself out of the giant novel she was reading.
“Having your picture taken?”
Emery narrowed her eyes at Heidi. “I hate you.”
“Right back at you,” she said with a laugh. She turned back to us. “Well, come on in. Jensen and Landon are working on the grill out back. There are drinks in the fridge, if you want anything, and Julia and I put together some finger food in the kitchen. Help yourself.”
“Sutton here yet?” I asked.
Heidi shook her head. “I haven’t seen her or her little cutie, but I’m sure she’ll be here soon.”
Heidi winked at us, her blonde ponytail bouncing as she rushed over to Emery and poked her in the side. Emery rolled her eyes and playfully smacked her with the book.
“I think I need a drink,” I told Jennifer.
“A drink? Aren’t you still drunk?”
“Just one…so I can function.”
“You’re a mess.”
“True story. But after this weekend, it’s serious Annie all the time. Medical school is no joke, and I want to get all of my fun out before I spend the next four years studying my ass off.”
Jennifer immediately softened. “Of course. You’re right. You should have fun. You’ll be so busy later.”
“You will, too! As soon as you get that pharmacy school application in.”
Jennifer’s cheeks colored. “Yes…just as soon as I do that.”
I ruffled her blonde hair and then grabbed a beer out of the fridge. Jennifer disappeared, clicking away with her Canon Rebel like the professional I knew she wanted to be. She always said pharmacy school was her dream, but she had major parental pressure. It sure didn’t help that her older brother was a genius, but it didn’t excuse them not seeing her own passion. The only time she really lit up was when that camera was in front of her face. I sure hoped one day she’d see that, too.
I tipped back the beer, trying to shake off the lingering hangover. I was serious about buckling down once I started school on Monday. Of course, I’d still be around. Jensen and Emery’s wedding was coming up, which I had no plans of missing. But the Annie who everyone knew from the last couple years would soon be gone. I couldn’t afford to fuck this up. Not when I really, really wanted this.
So, I’d have my last week of fun, easygoing, flirtatious Annie. Then it was good-bye freedom and hello medical school.
I downed the rest of the beer and tossed it into the recycling. I grabbed another because why not? Then I stripped out of my cover-up and leaned against the back doorframe as I observed the pool party in full swing.
The rectangular-shaped pool was enormous with a diving board and spa. Already, kids were splashing in the shallow end while guys in board shorts and six-packs tried to coax each other into more outrageous feats off the diving board. Heidi, Emery, and Julia had migrated to beach chairs, where Heidi had lathered up in oil, Emery continued to read her book, and Julia hid her face under a low-hanging baseball cap. As promised, Jensen and Landon were grilling. Jennifer took pictures of the event, careful to keep back from the pool with her precious baby.
And then my eyes snapped to a person who was completely out of place.
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
The hot guy from the bar was here.
3
Annie
I blinked rapidly. I must be hallucinating. What the fuck was Jordan doing at a Wright pool party?
He stood near the grill, observing what was happening but not interfering. He held a beer in his hand and sipped it absentmindedly. And dear fucking God, he was in nothing but short blue swim trunks. The kind reserved for surfers who wanted to show off their tanned, muscular thighs…which he had…and the ripped fucking six-pack, which he also had, and that goddamn V that ended somewhere in his shorts. My mind went fuzzy at the thought of what was underneath that. Because yes, please, and thank you.
I didn’t think. I just reacted, striding across the tiled pool walkway, straight to where he stood.
His eyes flickered over to me for a second, and then he did a double take, as if realizing the same thing that I just had.
I ate up the rest of the steps and then stopped directly in front of him.
“Annie?” he said, as if conjuring my name from thin air.
“Family obligations, huh?”
He laughed, and I melted at the sound. “What are you doing here?”
“Me? This is a Wright pool party. Sutton Wright is my best friend. What exactly are you doing here?”
He grinned devilishly, and for a second, I imagined all the ways he could use that perfect mouth on my body. He held his hand out. “I believe we should start over.”
I slid my hand into his. “Okay?”
“I’m Jordan. Jordan Wright.”
My heart stopped beating. “Jordan…Wright,” I breathed. “As in…you’re the Wright cousin. The one from…Canada?”
“That’s me.”
“Oh,” I squeaked.
He still hadn’t released my hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you again, Annie. Though unexpected.”
Unexpected was an understatement. Now that I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it. Of course, Jordan was a Wright. He had the same characteristic smile and those deep, dark eyes and that style that only money could possibly buy. No wonder I’d been immediately into him. I’d had a childhood crush on all three of Sutton’s completely unattainable, older brothers. But friendship was more important than anything.
Sutton had one rule to our friendship: her brothers were off-limits.
But she hadn’t said anything about her cousins.
Well, this had taken a turn in my favor.
Not just because he was a Wright, of course. That was a bonus. I’d been into Jordan the minute I saw him walk into that bar, and I’d kicked myself all night for not getting his number. I had no intention of wasting the opportunity a second time.
“Well, I think the pleasure is all mine,” I finally managed to get out.
He smiled at my reaction. An honest smile. He was actually pleased to see me. A thrill shot down my spine.
I slowly extracted my hand from his and brushed a lock of my auburn hair behind my ear. I couldn’t keep a smile from my face. What was it about this guy that turned me into a puddle?
“Funny that we keep running into each other. Everyone here tried to reassure me that this isn’t a small town.”
“Well, I mean…it’s not. It’s big enough, but it’s not as big as…wherever you’re from, I’m sure.” I tried to recall if Sutton had mentioned where her cousins were from. She hadn’t told me they were hot, so I hadn’t been paying attention. “Where are you from again?”
“Vancouver. And yeah, Lubbock is tiny in comparison.”
“I’m of the opinion that the universe puts people in our path. Doesn’t really matter the size of the town.”
“I guess I have the universe to thank then.”
My heart skipped a beat. Oh, he was good. Charming and confident and so fucking good-looking. I was in trouble…or maybe he was.
Then Sutton stride into the backyard with her two-year-old son, Jason, in tow. I waved at the pair of them. Sutton’s eyes found mine, and she returned the gesture.
But despite her quirked lips and wave, she didn’t look great. She looked…tired. I felt for my friend. The last year had been rough. After Maverick had died, I’d watched her go from happy-go-lucky party girl to a shell of her former self.
Everyone had noticed her change at first, of course. But a year later, most people thought she was coming around. That things were A-OK again. Or if n
ot perfect, at least she was moving on.
I wished that I saw the same thing. Instead, I saw my friend barely functioning. That her son was the only thing keeping her afloat. She needed to catch a break soon.
“Is she all right?” Jordan asked with a furrowed brow.
I jolted. “What do you mean?”
“She looks so…well, sad.”
My mind froze as I looked up at this man. He didn’t even know Sutton, and somehow, he could see what others couldn’t? That she was a mess.
“You can tell she’s sad?”
“I mean…look at her.”
“I know,” I whispered softly. “She’s been through a lot. She’s been my best friend since we were kids, and it’s so hard to see her like this. I wish there was more that I could do.”
“I get that,” he said easily, his eyes sliding to his brother. “I’ve been protecting my brother my entire life. There are just some things you can’t protect people from.”
“So true.”
Sutton set her stuff aside, put floaties on Jason, and then got into the pool. Emery’s sister, Kimber, was there with her kids, and Jason gravitated to the two older girls to play with them. Jennifer left her camera on a lounge chair and walked into the pool to say hi to Sutton. Then they both turned and looked at me at the same time.
I would have been offended if I hadn’t seen that exact look more times than I could count. Their eyes flitted between me and Jordan, wondering how much of a mess I was getting myself into.
Sutton arched an eyebrow. Her words were clear in my head.
Don’t you dare, Annie.
I grinned devilishly back at her. Oh, I dare, Sut. I definitely dare.
Sutton rolled her eyes. You’re the worst. You and your games.
Just one more weekend, I pleaded with my best friend. Then it’s good-bye flirtatious Annie forever.
She laughed at our silent argument and turned her back on me. She thought that I was trouble. I always had been in the past. There was only one guy I’d ever been serious about, and otherwise, I just liked to have a lot of fun. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with that, but she still worried. She couldn’t take another heartbreak.
Not that I had any interest in love or broken hearts or anything. But Jordan Wright was introspective and gorgeous and right fucking here. He’d been put in my path now…twice. The universe was practically offering him to me on a silver platter. Wouldn’t it be wrong to do nothing?
4
Annie
My green eyes were wide with innocence when I turned back to Jordan. I needed to shift the conversation away from Sutton and back to the matter at hand. Jordan and me. Me and Jordan. This thing that was totally happening between us. But I could hardly remember anything Sut had told me about her cousins. Except that they were visiting and from Canada. I’d mostly checked out after that.
“So, how long are you in town?” I asked.
His eyes found mine, dark and pensive. “We leave tomorrow actually.”
I frowned. That sucked. Fuck. One night. Today was all we had.
“That’s unfortunate. I didn’t even get to show you around Lubbock. What have you done while you’ve been here?”
“Nothing,” he said. “Or it feels like nothing. I went to Wright Construction, met my cousins, both sets.” He shrugged noncommittally. “And I got coffee, obviously.”
“Well, that just will not do.”
“What is there even to do around here?” he asked, sounding dubious.
“Probably not as much as Vancouver, but we have our gems. Lakes and canyons and wineries and Texas Tech football. You’re missing out.”
Jordan was cut off by a cry from the pool. We whipped around at the same time to see a woman I didn’t recognize push a guy into the pool.
“Julian,” Jordan said, stepping forward as if he could stop it. I realized this must be his brother. So, was that also his mom?
Bu there was nothing any of us could do. Julian lost his balance and crashed forward into the watery depths. He fell nearly on top of Jennifer with a huge splash.
“Mom,” Jordan said with a sigh.
But his mom just laughed at the joke. She shrugged.
Julian burst out of the water, sputtering. His hands were on Jennifer’s waist, helping her to her feet as he apologized profusely. He pulled his hands back and then put them back on her wet, naked body. I could hear his string of I’m sorrys from here.
“Jen! Are you okay?” I called.
Jennifer turned as red as a tomato and took a step back from him. She glanced up at me with worry on her face. “Can you check my camera?”
“You okay?”
She nodded. “Just…camera.”
Right. The only thing that mattered to her. Not the hot guy who had just fallen on her.
I strode over to the lounge chair where she’d left the expensive camera wrapped in a towel. The water had gotten on the chair and part of the towel but not the camera. It had been a close call. She should have never left it out here, unattended. Thankfully, the camera was fine.
“All good,” I told her, giving a thumbs up.
Her shoulders visibly relaxed. “Oh, thank god.”
Then she realized that Julian was still worriedly hovering over her.
“I’ll take it inside, so it won’t get splashed,” I told her.
“Thanks,” she said, backing a step from Julian.
I headed back to Jordan. “I have to take this inside for Jennifer. It’s practically irreplaceable.”
“I’ll go with,” he said. He nodded his head to the side as if to say he’d follow me. “She’s a photographer?”
We fell into step as we crossed the lawn up to the house. “I wish she were. More hobby than professional. One day, I hope she takes the plunge.”
“And you? What do you like to do for fun?”
I pulled open the back door, and we entered. “Well…you saw me having fun.”
“True,” he said, his gaze dropping to my lips before pulling back up to my eyes.
We stepped into the guest bedroom, where everyone’s stuff had been deposited. The room was suddenly heated as he took another step closer to me. All the air had been sucked out of the room. I swallowed, feeling off-kilter. Something had shifted with that one step into the room. I’d been the aggressor, pursuing him at the bar and asking him out. Then approaching him here at the pool party in front of his entire family.
But the dynamic had done a one-eighty. He was in charge here, and I could feel the undercurrent pulsing between us. The way he held himself, the curve of those lips, and those eyes drinking me in.
“Are you still going out tonight?” he asked, his hand moving to my hair.
I shivered as he twirled it around his finger and then released it, brushing my shoulder.
“Yes.” I reached for that effortless, flirtatious Annie that I used like a weapon. I sank into a hip and smiled. “Are you coming with me?”
“I think I will.”
The way he’d said that made me tremble. I had a feeling we weren’t talking about going to a bar any longer. And I was totally into it. It’d been a long time since a guy had been able to make me feel like this.
At first, I’d been glad that he was only here for one more night. My final summer fling before I started medical school. But now, looking at that face and feeling the way my stomach did flip-flops, I wasn’t sure it would be that easy.
Jordan Wright might actually be a match for me.
5
Jordan
“Hey, Jordan. Have you seen my cell phone? I don’t know how I always lose the goddamn thing,” Julian said as he entered my room of the hotel suite we’d gotten for the week we were in Lubbock.
“I haven’t seen it.”
I really didn’t understand how he lost everything. As if he just couldn’t fathom the responsibility. This was his third phone this year. If he lost this one, I was going to get him something that would attach to his skin.
&
nbsp; Julian came to a stop and furrowed his brow. “What are you doing?”
“Getting dressed.”
“Obviously,” Julian muttered. “But why are you getting dressed up? Aren’t we just going over to Jensen’s?”
“You and Mom are. I have other plans.”
“What other plans? Since when?”
I finished buttoning up my white shirt and started in on rolling up the sleeves. It was hot as fuck in Texas in August. It probably would have been better to go with a breathable T-shirt, but I wasn’t a T-shirt guy. Definitely not on a date.
“I have a date.”
Julian glared at me. “A date? Seriously?”
“Yeah. So what?”
“So what? You’re leaving tomorrow. You’re going to break this poor girl’s heart and never come back.”
I nearly rolled my eyes at him. Julian, the romantic. Julian, who just looked at a girl and was suddenly in a three-year relationship with her. We were opposites in that regard. Well, in a lot of ways. I’d had relationships, but I’d never been good at them. They always fell apart in my hands.
But Annie was different. She didn’t seem the type of girl to fall apart when I left. In fact, she’d perked up when she found out I was leaving. She was gorgeous and smart and funny. She was exactly what I needed after this hell of a week in Lubbock.
“I’m not you. We’re just going to have fun,” I told him. “Anyway, I saw you flirting with that girl in the pool.”
He crossed his arms. “Yeah. So? You talking to this girl is shitty because you’re leaving and never coming back. It’d be fine for me because I’m moving here in a month.”
I winced at the way he’d said it. I still couldn’t get used to the idea that my mom and Julian were moving all the way to Texas.
“You’re staying in Vancouver,” he reminded me.
“It’s not a big deal,” I said. I did not want to have this conversation again.
Julian followed me out of the hotel room and into the living space. “Is this about Missy?”
