Page 27 of The Billionaire Love Match

She smiled back and they kept walking, the surf every so often covering over their toes.

“Did you say dude a lot?” she asked. “Since you’re a stereotype and all.”

He laughed. “Dude, I will neither confirm nor deny these rumors. How about you. Texas, huh? Are you packing heat?”

She laughed and gestured to her bathing suit. “This does not lend itself to concealed carry.”

He tried not to spend too much time admiring her in the suit. She looked amazing, but it also left a lot to his imagination. Which he needed to close down because it was definitely starting to imagine. He cleared his throat.

“I like your suit, by the way. But no—it wouldn’t be good for hiding your piece. How many pairs of cowboy boots do you own?”

“No comment,” she said.

“More than the two I’ve seen?”

“Um.”

“More than...four?”

“I have five. Okay? And if you aren’t from Texas, you might not understand. But I’m not some crazy shoe diva with a whole room for shoes. Just so we’re clear.”

“Don’t give you a hard time about the boots. Got it. Next question. You don’t have an accent. Did you grow up in Texas?”

“I did, but I’m from Houston. Don’t get me wrong—it’s still very Texas. But it’s also a big city. Lots of diversity, lots of people moving in and out for oil and gas. There are some neat little pockets and places that used to be cities but got eaten by the sprawl. They have more of a small-town-in-the-city feel. But we don’t really get the accents like they do in West Texas or a smaller towns.”

“Do you like LA?”

“Yes...and no. It has a certain magic to it, you know? But also a sense of hunger or desperation underneath. Like we’re all competing for something. I just don’t know what.”

Her words jolted through him. They were incredibly insightful. He loved and hated LA. While he wanted to continue to work in film, the sprawl of the city, the smog, the sheer number of people, plus the element that came with his level of fame: paparazzi, crazed fans, and the need to have a layer of protection. The hunger she spoke of was very real.

A part of him had always longed for a small town. Or smaller anyway. Somewhere without the hamster wheel of accomplishments and accolades. Somewhere he could raise a family. He wondered if Casey would leave LA. His heartbeat picked up as he realized how clearly he could see her, sitting across from him at a dinner table or at the other end of a comfy couch in a living room.

They hadn’t even had a real date. This was crazy. Reign it in, he told himself.

“That’s spot on,” he said. They were quiet again for a moment. “Back to Texas: did you grow up with big hair, a concealed handgun license, and a cowboy hat?”

She laughed and shook her hair. “At the beach I still get big hair. But no—I missed that era mostly growing up. Plus I didn’t do things like drill team or cheerleading that require true big hair. Though big in Texas is relative. Ever played two truths and a lie?”

“Not for a long time. Is it pretty much what it sounds like?”

“Yup. I’ll give you three things. You choose correctly and I will...hm. What would make a good prize?”

“You can kiss me,” he said, his voice sounding more throaty than he intended.

Her checks turned pink. “I can do that. And if you guess incorrectly, you kiss me.”

He laughed and squeezed her hand. “I like this game. Everyone wins.”

She slapped his arm playfully. “Okay, here goes. I got my concealed handgun license and my first pistol on my 18th birthday. I’m a killer two-stepper. And I’ve got a tattoo somewhere you’ll never see.”

“Never?” He challenged.

She laughed. “I’ll put it this way: you’d only see it if you were taking me out of my wedding dress.”

His breath caught as he tried not to follow this image she just put in his head. This got real heavy, real quick. She didn’t seem to understand the way those words affected him and sent his mind wishing for things that were not appropriate for the current context. He cleared his throat.

“Wow. Okay. I’m going to have to go with...two stepping. That’s the lie. Because—and don’t take this personally—you seem a little clumsy.”

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