Rafi walks in just as the cash is being exchanged and laughs. “Told you. I saw what I saw.”
Anders’ face scrunches up, and he says, “We have neither confirmed nor denied anything. You don’t even know what you saw.”
Parker shakes her head. “Anders, his hand is still on your ass.”
“Oh, will you look at that.” I laugh, giving him one more squeeze before letting my hand drop.
“I don’t like this,” Anders says, crossing his arms over his chest. “I feel like y’all are teasing me.”
I laugh long and hard at that one. “Really? That’s strange. I totally get the appeal now. In fact, I plan on teasing you for a long, long time.”
21
Anders
Oh,he thinks he’s funny. Payback is going to be such a bitch.
Our friends stayed for a little while, ribbing the both of us. I’m surprised that he’s taking it so well. Maybe it’s a side effect, or maybe…I’m not going to think too much in that direction.
Thankfully the serum worked well enough that we were able to get him on the plane this morning, and we’ve just landed in Wimberley after a flight from hell.
First of all, I understand it was windy, but I have always found Hedy’s flying skills suspect. On top of that, Omar was relentless. And he didn’t just make fun of me, he led everybody on the plane to start making fun of me as well.
“What two things does Anders bring with him on every op?”
“Condoms and a body bag.”
“Lube and a scalpel.”
“Rib spreaders and a ball gag.”
That last one was my mother, by the way.
I throw my hands up. “Y’all’re making it sound like I’m fucking dead people, which,gross.”
“No,Dr. Bash, we’re implying you like to be prepared for all possibilities.”
I won’t lie—every time Omar calls me Dr. Bash it does something funny to my heart.
Now that we’re on the ground, Odd is driving our parents to the winery, and Samuel is riding with them. I don’t think he realizes they’ve adopted him, but I’m fairly certain that when they rebuild, he will always be welcome at their house and will have a spot at every holiday table.
Omar, the jerk, sidles up next to me, whispering in my ear, “Now I know you’re not staying here to pout in your cramped little dorm. I need round-the-clock medical care, Doc. The kind that only you can give me.”
I glare at him, if only to remind him that he doesn’t always get his way. His returning smirk tells me otherwise.
“What if I have a debriefing to attend?”
“There’s this thing called technology that allows you to participate without actually being there in person to do a debrief.”
“You know I do have friends here. People whoactuallylike me.”
He looks around for witnesses, then growls in my ear, “Oh, baby. I like you very, very much.”
God, I hope so.The others start to gather around us, and I step away.
“Are you sure? Because you just teased me for the entire flight.”
His mouth opens in shock. “Seriously? You teased me for two months straight. You broke into my apartment on numerous occasions.You set my car on fire.”
