“That’s what I’m thinking. I think we need to head into Llano tonight. Go out for a few beers?”
“Yeah. Maybe.” Even though getting laid wasn’t really what I wanted. At least not with some stranger.
The truth was, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking of Saryn ever since that damn shopping trip. When she stayed in the ER with me the other day, she truly looked concerned, which I knew was insane. She had even stated that she’d only stayed to see something new. It was clear she wasn’t interested in anything other than friendship, and I needed to keep that in mind. She was fresh out of a divorce and told me she wasn’t looking for anything more.
“Come on, dude, let’s head back to the cabin.”
After getting back, showering, and grabbing a bite to eat, everyone decided a night out would do us all some good. Paul, on the other hand, decided he was staying at the cabin and FaceTiming his wife. Roger teased him about having video phone sex, and a part of me wasn’t sure my brother was that far off. Paul was in that lovesick stage still, fresh off his honeymoon and pining for his wife. He had almost called off coming on this trip, but Ryan had practically dragged him out of the house.
As we walked into the bar in Llano, it became clear that picking up women tonight wouldn’t be an issue. All eyes turned to us as we walked in. I knew we were a good-looking bunch, and the way we were being eye-fucked, the ladies in the bar obviously agreed.
“Oh, hell yes. Look at the cowgirls in this place!” Ryan said. He was newly out of a long-term relationship and ready to pounce on the first person who showed interest. I hadn’t informed him or Roger that they’d both slept with Lucy, not that I thought either of them would care, to be honest. I doubted it was the first time the two of them had slept with the same girl.
After ordering our beers, we took a seat at a table in the back corner. Ryan slid in next to me and pointed to a blonde dancing with two other women. A redhead and a brunette.
“You can have the blonde, I’ll take the redhead, and Roger and Jack can fight for the brunette.”
Roger laughed. “What makes you think I don’t want the redhead?”
“What makes you think I want the blonde?” I asked with a smile.
“You like blondes.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Shay’s blonde,” Ryan stated.
“She was a fuck buddy, that’s all,” I said.
“Was?” both Roger and Ryan asked at the same time.
“You got your eye on someone?” Ryan asked.
My gaze caught Roger’s before I looked out over the dance floor.
“Anyone hear from Nolan lately?” Roger asked, purposely changing the subject. It seemed like my brother was actually on my side in some instances.
Nolan was one of our best friends from high school. He’d joined the Air Force straight after graduation and was now a test pilot stationed in Louisiana. He hardly ever came back home. Both of his parents had died and he had some pretty bad memories of Texas. Memories he was constantly attempting to drown out with the crazy-ass adrenaline rush shit he did all the time.
“Last I heard from him, he was in New Zealand and was going zorbing,” I said.
Ryan furrowed his brows. “What the hell is zorbing?”
Jack pulled out his phone, typed something into it and then handed it to Ryan, who lost it laughing.
“He’s a giant fucking gerbil in a plastic ball?” Ryan said, looking up from the phone and at each of us with a horrified expression. “What the fuck is the military doing to our friend?”
“At least he didn’t ask us to go. The last trip we went on with him, I nearly shit my own pants bungee jumping off that damn bridge in Colorado,” Roger said, his body visibly shaking at the memory of that day.
We all laughed.
After I took a drink from my beer, my smile faded. “I wish he’d come back.”
Ryan handed Jack back his phone. “He will, someday. It will probably take you getting married in order for him to do it. He sure as shit didn’t like Paul that much if he didn’t come back for his wedding.”
“In Paul’s defense, Nolan was in England on some B-52 bomber training exercise,” Jack said.
I nodded. We all knew the reason he wouldn’t return to Boerne, and only Nolan could work those demons out for himself.
The three women on the dance floor made their way over to us, stopping and flashing smiles all around.
“Evening, gentleman. Feel like some company?” the blonde said, eyeing me, then Ryan. The way she was looking at us told me this woman probably wouldn’t mind having us both. At the same time. That was a hard pass for me. No chance in hell I’d risk crossing swords with any other guy, not even if the woman was a fucking goddess.