Free Pick Me by Kristine Mason

Dallas.”
    “No shit. I gotta hear this.” Eyeing Colt’s empty beer bottle, he said, “I could use one of those first, though.”
    They went to the kitchen, and after Colt grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge, they sat at the table large enough to seat eight. He had a big family, and while he didn’t entertain much, he’d made sure his home was as open and comfortable as his parents’ house had been. Win, his older brother, and now patriarch of the family, hadn’t taken that thought into consideration. But Colt had. After his mom had died, then his dad, two years later, his brothers and sister needed to have a place they could always come to. Which was why it never bothered him when any of his siblings barged right on in as if they owned the place.
    After taking a long draw off his beer, Ruger eyed him. “So, does your mystery lady have anything to do with why I had to gas up your Ranger and fill it with all that arsenal?”
    Colt smiled as he lifted the bottle to his lips. After taking a swig, he shrugged. “Yep. But, what I’m about to say stays between us, I don’t want anyone else, especially Remi, catching wind of this.” He loved his sister. She had a big heart, but an even bigger mouth.
    Ruger nodded and set his hat on the table. “You know I won’t say squat.”
    He did know. Ruger was ten months younger than him, Irish Twins, his mother had called them. While he loved all of his brothers and his little sister, Ruger was his best friend and confidant.
    “Okay, here’s what’s going on.” Colt told him about the bet he’d lost to Macavey, and from there, brought him up to speed—giving him the PG version regarding what happened against Valentina’s car last night, and again against his Ranger this afternoon. Damn, maybe he ought to start carrying an air mattress with him, not that he was complaining about having sex in odd places, but he’d love to lay with her, sink into her sweet body without worrying about either of them cracking their skulls against metal.
    Giggling like a braced-faced school girl, Ruger wiped his eyes. “Man, this is too funny.”
    Colt twisted the empty beer bottle in his hands. “Yeah, I figured you’d get a kick out of me making an ass of myself on television.”
    “No, it’s not that, although that’ll be something I won’t want to miss. But I’m talking about you actually wanting to date this girl.”
    With a frown, Colt shoved his chair back, then went to the fridge to grab a couple of more beers. “I date women all the time.”
    “No, you sleep with them. Seriously, when was the last time you took a woman to lunch, just because, or a movie, or out for an ice cream?”
    Racking his brain all the way back to high school, Colt came up empty. He slid the bottle across the table to his brother, and swore as he plopped into the chair. Ruger was right, he’d never done any of those things, but could instantly picture spending time with Valentina…just because. Sure, sex would likely be at the forefront of his mind, he was a guy, after all. But he wanted to also simply hang out with her, discover her likes and dislikes, what made her laugh and cry. Other than how her body responded to his touch, he knew next to nothing about her.
    Not true. When they were in Denver, they’d talked deep into the night. About nothing, about everything. Lain in bed and whispered their dreams, their darkest fears. Looking back, he still couldn’t believe he’d opened himself to her. To a stranger. Although in retrospect, he’d never once looked at her as a stranger. From the moment she’d flashed him a smile, he had a weird sense of déjà vu, as if they shared some sort of connection. Not that he believed in all that weird cosmic crap. Then again, he’d never thought he’d lay his eyes on her again after Denver, and here they’d ended up not only living in the same city, but on a reality show together. Maybe the universe was trying to tell them something. Or maybe it