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He chuckled. “So you’ll be blubbering as wego our separate ways?” He walked with her to the airline check-incounter.
“Nope. I prefer the single tear. It doesn’tinterfere with my mascara and exudes an element of control.”
After checking in and passing throughsecurity, they stood in the terminal. Her flight boarded fromConcourse A, his from Concourse B.
“Well, I guess this is it.” She turned andgazed up at him. “Thank you, Rex.”
“For what? Rocking your world?” Hesmirked.
She swatted his quilted vest. “No. Forallowing me to rock yours.” She winked.
He leaned forward, his lips just centimetersfrom her. “That you did, Sunshine. That you did.” Then he pressedhis mouth to hers. He coasted his hands up her arms, over hershoulders to cup her face. His thumbs caressed her jawline withtender strokes.
She grasped his forearms. His kiss made herlightheaded.
When he pulled back, he stared into hereyes. “Safe travels back to the warmth of Florida.” His mouthquirked up on one side.
“You, too.” She pushed up on her toes andplanted one more kiss on his lips. Then she turned on her heels andmarched toward Concourse A and her gate. Though she felt his gazeon her, she didn’t look back. She couldn’t. This had to be a cleanbreak.
Chapter Ten
“Welcome back, snowbird.” Taylor Vince’sdeep voice called from behind the bar as Rex meandered through thefront door of the brewery. “Just in time for the weekend.”
“Hey, T!” Rex locked the door behind him.The brewery didn’t open for another couple of hours. But he had afew reports he had to finish up before he left for Tampa.
“You’re back earlier than expected. Weren’tyou supposed to be in D.C. through the weekend?” Taylor lifted afew pint glasses from the counter and rested them on the shelf,stocking the bar for the Friday evening rush.
“Plans changed. I’m headed to Tampa for theweekend.” Rex set his laptop on the counter and scooted behind thebar.
“Tampa? Problem with one of the bars?”
“No.” Rex grabbed a stack of pint glassesand helped Taylor organize them on the shelf behind the bar. “Metsomeone.” He dropped the words quickly and casually, but knewTaylor wouldn’t let it pass.
“Hold up. What?” Taylor turned to facehim.
“I met someone.” Rex snatched the glassesfrom Taylor and loaded them on the shelf.
Taylor crossed his arms over his chest andnarrowed his gaze on his friend. “You met someone? Like awoman?”
Rex rolled his eyes. “You know I’mstraighter than the pole your momma dances on.”
Taylor chuckled. “Mary Beth would kill youif she heard you say that.”
Rex laughed, too. Of course, he didn’t meanany harm by his words. He loved Taylor’s mom. She was one of thecoolest women he’d ever known. But they always joked about eachother’s moms, except for Brady’s—his mother had left him with hisabusive father. He didn’t make any jokes about their motherseither. Not after they had taken him as their own after meetinghim.
Taylor leaned a hip against the counter, nottaking his scrutinizing gaze off Rex. “I wasn’t questioning yoursexuality. I just know that since Layla, you haven’t seen the samewoman twice.”
What Taylor said had been true. He rarelywent on dates, settling for hook ups with women to avoid anysemblance of a budding relationship. “Until now.”
“So?”
“So what?” Rex moved to the counter andfidgeted with his laptop. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervousabout discussing Anna. Perhaps admitting that he liked her, that hewanted to get to know her would make it real. Very real. And if sherejected him, he’d have to face his friends again with yet anothershattered heart.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Rex. You can’t justdrop this bombshell and not say anything else. Who is she? How’dyou meet her?”
Rex laughed. Even to his own ears, itsounded forced. “What is this? An inquisition?”
“Fuck, yeah, it is.” Taylor slapped his openpalm on the bar top. “What’s her name? At least give me that.”
