Tequila Rose (Tequila Rose 1)

I swear her hazel eyes flash when she decides to turn on her charm. My first reaction is to shake my head at her in feigned disapproval. Let’s be real, though, I love a good piece of man candy.

I’m half hoping it’s someone doing construction on the old hardware store downtown. I know it’s in the process of being torn down and I envision a crew of construction workers, bodies glistening in the heat.

My body feels alive with awareness but my heart stutters, somersaulting over itself. I was not expecting to see a man I know.

I recognize his eyes first then his broad shoulders. The flash of a memory lights my body on fire. Thump, thump, my heart comes back to life.

Brody. The hiss of his name moaned years ago ricochets in my memory.

He looks all of the man I remember him to be, with a bit of wrinkles that are new around his eyes. The proof of his age only adds to how handsome he is. He has stubble I can see from here; it darkens his strong jaw.

The smile falls from my face in slow motion. He’s looking at me and I’m looking at him.

Oh shit. I suck in a deep breath, clutching the cloth napkin in my lap.

He saw me.

Brody

There’s an undeniable feeling when you meet the gaze of someone who knows you. Take that sensation and multiply it by a thousand, and you still wouldn’t come close to what I felt when her blue eyes finally found mine.

I knew it was her. The second I saw her, recognition washed over me. It started at the back of my neck and traveled lower. Taking its time just like she did when she drank me in.

That’s exactly what she did. The look in her eyes changed from mournful to longing and then grew hotter, blazing until she knew I saw her too.

Caught in my stare, her lips parted like I’d seen them do before and her eyes went wide. I can practically hear her heart hammering in her chest even though we’re across the patio of this restaurant.

“Dude, what the fuck?” Griffin’s comment distracts me, pulling my attention from her for just a split second.

His brow is cocked and his mouth open but no words come out. With a gesture of his hand, he silently scolds me for staring her down. It’s enough of a distraction, causing enough time to go by for Rose to hightail it out of there, her chair sliding back noisily and nearly falling over. I don’t remember a time when I’ve wanted to kick his ass more than this.

“Mags!” the woman she’s with calls out as Rose’s floral skirt takes off in a blur.

The iron legs of my chair scrape against the floor as I get up to follow her. It’s her. It is absolutely her. Why she’s running? I have no idea but every instinct in me forces my muscles to cord and tense so I can follow her while I call out, “Rose?”

“Dude!” Griffin yells out, causing the onlookers who were focused on the object of my own attention to turn their prying eyes toward me. I couldn’t give two shits … if it wasn’t for the woman now standing up from her seat and refusing to let me pass. She’s blocking my path by the railing, preventing me from running down the steps and around the corner where Rose just took off.

“I don’t know who you are,” the tall woman says below her breath with her lips barely moving. She’s tall and thin but somehow still appears athletic. Her eyes narrow as she looks at me and continues, “But I swear to all things holy,” the threat very real in her wide wild hazel eyes, “I will scream bloody murder if you go after my friend.”

What the hell? This is all like a weird dream.

Adrenaline shoots through my veins. It’s ice cold and as shocked as the woman in front of me is. In worn jeans and an oversized hoodie, she’s hardly a threat, but she’s terrified.

Her hands are up, palms facing me and I mirror her body language, glancing behind her to try to find Rose, but she’s long gone.

“I’m not going after her,” I tell her, mimicking the way she said it as I catch my reeling breath. Griffin speaks behind me at the same time, startling the hell out of me. “He would never hurt a woman; he’s just confused.”

We share a glance, but the auburn-haired woman doesn’t react. She’s still playing defense and I’d bet good money that she’d attempt a tackle if I rounded her and made a break in between the table and the railing.

“I’m Brody. I just recognized your friend Rose. That’s it.”

“Well, it looks like she recognized you too,” she says, indignation draping a veil over her words until recognition hits her eyes, widening them even more and her breath hitches. She knows who I am. I fucking know she does. Every ounce of fight leaves her and something else takes its place when she speaks again. “Anyway, looks like she doesn’t want to see you … so maybe you should just sit back down.” She doesn’t look up at either of us as she reaches for her purse to leave.