“You don’t need luck.You’re a natural.”
As he watched her walk away, he did his best not to stare at her extremely fine ass.It wasn’t easy.
Archer drove at Reese’s insistence.According tothe man, he and Brantley resembled one another in size, at least from the perspective of anyone who might be following.He wasn’t wrong.
“If you don’t mind me asking, how’d you and Brantley meet?”It was his attempt to make casual conversation while they waited to see if someone would race up behind them.Since it was a long, relatively straight road, Archer figured he would be able to see them coming.Unless they were to come from one of the rare side roads that branched off.
“In town,” he said simply.
Hmm.Was that Reese’s way of shrugging off the question?
“Coyote Ridge, you mean?”
“Yep.”
“Were you born and raised there, too?”
“Yep.”
Archer grinned, checking the mirrors for anyone behind them.So far, they were clear.
“Is it like a secret or something?”
He felt Reese’s eyes on him, so he glanced over.“One-word answers aren’t usually your style.”
Reese sighed.“Sorry.I can’t help but worry about Brantley.”
“In what way?”
“He’s determined to find Kylie, and we still don’t know that she’s alive.”
Archer had noticed that, too.In the past twenty-four hours, Brantley had shifted gears.He’d gone from adamant disbelief to unwavering hope.In a way, Archer understood why.The woman was ultimately family, so it would make sense that Brantley would jump in with both feet.However, as he’d learned a few times in his life, that was a quick way to come up against a wall of disappointment.
“I went on a date with JJ first,” Reese said.
It took a moment for Archer to connect the dots.When he did, he laughed.“Before you and Brantley?”
“Yeah.”Reese grinned.“I’d never been with a man before.”
The way Reese said it sounded like he was embarrassed to admit it.
With his eyes scanning the rearview, Archer said, “I happen to believe we’re pre-programmed for a deep, emotional connection rather than sexual orientation.”
“So you’ve been attracted to women before?”
“Sure.Not the same way I’m attracted to men, but I’ve met a few who could keep my attention.”
“Did you sleep with them?”
“One.When I was young and dumb.It was awful, but I figured that was mostly my fault since she was my first and I didn’t know my ass from a hole in the ground.”He checked his mirrors.“I’ve only been with men since.But I considered the possibility of it a couple of times.When it came down to it, I knew it wasn’t going to satisfy me or her on a physical or emotional level, so I didn’t.”
“That’s pretty deep, Archer.”Reese laughed.“I’m impressed.”
“Just because I’m hot doesn’t make me shallow,” he joked.“And I really do believe that.”He barked a laugh, realizing how that sounded.“Not the hot part.I believe we make connections withpeople, not necessarily their gender.”
“True.”Reese pointed out the window.“When we get to the end, we’re gonna turn right.Unless we’ve got a tail.Then we’ll go left.”
“Roger that.”
