Page 16 of The Hookup (Firsts and Forever #13)

Something in the truck bed caught my eye, so I went to take a look and sighed. Tank had painted the words “anal lube” in big letters on a metal barrel. It was on its side and anchored to the truck bed with the straps I used to hold down bales of hay.

I quickly discovered he’d done something to jam the release mechanism on the latches, so I couldn’t unfasten them. When I yelled, “Damn it, Tank,” he burst out laughing and appeared at the end of the porch with his phone, so he could film me struggling.

“I told you I was going to help you get ready for Hal’s visit,” he said. “Do you think fifty-five gallons of lube will be enough?”

“I can’t believe I asked you to look after things this evening. It’s like leaving the monkeys in charge of the circus.”

Tank kept filming and started rambling. “I’ve never heard of a circus with monkeys.

Elephants and lions, sure, but never monkeys.

What would they even do? I mean, I suppose you could dress them in little clown costumes, that’d be pretty cute.

But then what? Which skills do monkeys bring to the table?

Sure, they could do the high wire, but that’s not challenging for them, so I don’t think people would pay to see that. ”

After a minute, I gave up on freeing the barrel. Instead, I grabbed the rim and twisted it, rotating the words to the bottom and hiding them from view. Tank lowered his phone and muttered, “I should’ve painted both sides.”

I shot him a triumphant smile as I brushed my hands together. “Imagine what it’d be like if you used your powers for good instead of evil,” I said. “You could be Batman, but instead, you choose to be the Riddler.”

He pretended to be offended as I climbed into my truck and started the engine. “Hey now. You could at least call me the Joker.”

I rested my elbow on the frame of the open side window and asked, “Is the Joker better than the Riddler, somehow?”

“Of course. He’s way better.”

“Why?”

“He’s got flair!”

I fought the urge to ask follow-up questions. Instead, I called, “See you soon,” and put the truck into gear.

On the drive to town, my nervousness dialed up another notch or two.

Hal was spending his entire week off with me, from Friday evening to the following Sunday.

What if he was unhappy at the ranch? I was fully aware that we lived in two very different worlds.

Now he was about to immerse himself in mine, and I had no idea how that was going to go.

Also, what if he wanted to talk about the future? If we weren’t on the same page, that could ruin everything right there.

I worried all the way to the airport. Moments after I cut the engine in short-term parking, a message from Hal popped up: My connecting flight out of Phoenix is running late. Looks like I’ll be arriving at 8 instead of 6.

Served me right for getting here so early.

That had been motivated by worry, too. I’d wanted to make sure I got here without my ancient truck breaking down, or some other disaster getting in the way.

As nervous as I was, this had to be twice as hard for Hal.

I really wanted everything to go smoothly for his sake, and that started with making sure I was waiting for him when he landed.

I replied: No problem. I’m planning to take you to dinner when you get here, but it’s not the kind of place that takes reservations, so it’s all good.

Well, great. Now I had even longer to sit around and stew in my anxiousness.

Hal’s flight got delayed twice, so it was after ten p.m. when he finally landed. I stood fidgeting in a crowd of other people’s loved ones, wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans as the passengers began to filter in.

I spotted him before he spotted me. Hal looked nervous as he scanned the crowd. He was dressed all in black, like usual, and his arms were tightly folded over his chest.

But the moment he saw me, everything about him changed. His face lit up in a glorious smile, and he straightened his posture and waved. He wound his way through the crowd, and when he got closer I saw he was wearing a pleated skirt that looked a lot like a kilt. I thought that was extremely sexy.

As soon as he reached me, Hal dropped his overnight bag, and I swept him off his feet.

When our lips met in a passionate kiss, all my worries instantly evaporated.

The spark between us was even more overwhelming than it had been in Vegas, and I just knew these next few days were going to be pure bliss.

That kiss went on for a long time. Finally, he rested his forehead against mine and whispered, “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” He felt smaller and lighter than I remembered, but everything else was wonderfully familiar. It was incredible to breathe in his clean scent, touch his skin, and taste him on my lips. All of that had been painfully absent during our virtual dates.

By the time I put him down, most of the crowd had moved on. I scooped up his bag and remarked, “You’re travelling light.”

“Literally never. We need to go find my luggage.”

We walked to the baggage claim hand-in-hand, and while we waited for the bags to show up, he wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled my neck. We were both so distracted that we missed seeing his luggage go by the first time and had to wait for it to circle back around.

It turned out he’d brought two huge suitcases, in addition to the carry-on. “This makes a lot more sense,” I said, as I helped him heave the bags off the rotating carousel.

“Well, yeah. I need wardrobe options. Also, I brought a few projects to work on while you’re busy with ranch stuff.”

“That’s good.” I’d wondered what he’d find to entertain himself while I was working with the horses or doing my chores.

Hal retrieved a toiletry kit from one of the suitcases and told me, “I need a minute to freshen up. Wait here.” Then he hurried to the restroom.

He looked exactly the same when he returned, but there was a sparkle in his dark eyes and a mischievous grin on his lips, as if he was up to something. I wondered what that was about.

After he put away the toiletries, he stacked his carry-on on top of one of the suitcases and took my hand again. Each of us wheeled a big bag to the exit, and as we stepped outside, I said, “Welcome to Texas.”

He squeezed my hand. “I’m so happy to be here.”

Once we reached the truck, I loaded his luggage into the back, and Hal asked, “What’s the barrel for?”

“Crude oil. You know Texas is famous for its rich oil deposits, so everyone with a truck carries an empty barrel with them at all times. You never know when somebody’s going to hit a vein, and oil’s going to start shooting up out of the ground.

We can’t let that stuff go to waste, so we position the barrels to catch as much as we can while we wait for someone to come and cap the gusher. ”

I’d managed to say that with a straight face, but Hal wasn’t even sort of buying it. “What’s the barrel really for?”

I grabbed the edge and rotated it around, and he burst out laughing when the words came into view.

“Tank’s holding down the fort for me tonight.

I don’t like to leave the animals unsupervised for very long, and this way we won’t have to hurry home.

But there’s a price to pay when I ask him for a favor, and it’s usually in the form of a practical joke.

He’s been teasing me about your upcoming visit, and he rigged this while I was taking a shower.

I couldn’t get it out before I left for the airport.

” I rotated the barrel again to hide the words.

“Tank’s awesome.”

“He’s like the younger brother I never wanted.

” Hal was still grinning as he walked around to the passenger door and tried the handle.

“Hang on,” I said, as I hurried over. “There’s a trick to it.

” I showed him how to pull up on the handle and the door at the same time, and after he climbed into the seat, I slammed it shut behind him.

Then I did it two more times, until it finally latched.

When I circled around and slid behind the wheel, Hal asked, “What are the chances that door’s going to swing open while we’re driving?”

“Pretty slim, but wear your seatbelt.” He quickly put on the belt, tugging it a few times to make sure it really was fastened.

He tried to insist on paying the parking fee when we left the lot, and as I pulled onto the street, he said, “It was sweet of you to pay for my plane ticket, but please let me reimburse you.”

I could guess what was happening, so I explained, “I drive this truck for sentimental reasons, not because I’m broke. It belonged to my granddad, and he loved it. I do, too. It doesn’t look like much now, but when I find the time, I want to restore it to its former glory.”

“Okay. I didn’t know if I should be worried about your financial situation.”

“Nah. My grandparents made some smart investments over the years, and they left everything to me. I’m not rich by any means, but I’m lucky, because I don’t have to worry about being able to take care of my animals, the ranch, or myself.

I’ve even been able to set up a trust, so the horse rescue will be able to carry on long after I’m gone. ”

While we were talking, he slid toward me on the bench seat, as far as his seatbelt would allow, and rested his hand on my leg. He was as eager for physical contact as I was, and I loved that.

He said, “I always wondered how you supported yourself.”

“Why didn’t you ask me?”

“It was none of my business.”

“I’m an open book. You can ask me anything.”

“Actually, I do have a question for you.” Hal’s kilt was held closed by a row of buttons running along his left thigh.

He began to unfasten them, working his way up in a way that reminded me of a burlesque show.

When there was only one button remaining at his waistband, the kilt fell open, revealing bare skin all the way to his hip, and he said, “How soon can we fuck?”