Hooked for Life Read online

  Brady stared at him in shock, not sure where he was going with this. “Why would you want to get closer to me?”

  He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees and she could no longer see his face as he turned away to look down the street. He sat for a moment and she wondered if he was going to answer her. But then he seemed to come to a decision and turned to look at her again.

  “Really? You have no idea, Brady?”

  She didn’t like his irritated tone. “I wouldn’t have asked if I already knew the answer.”

  He stood suddenly and paced in front of her, running his fingers through his dark hair. Stopping, he dropped to his haunches in front of her and, taking her hand, he said, “I want you, Brady.”

  Chapter Two

  Darren watched her face for a reaction but she didn’t reveal much there. But the hand he was holding got clammy.

  This was not how he had planned to do this. Getting her to come home had been a bigger problem than he had expected. He had planned to take her to dinner and over some romantic candlelight tell her he had been pining for her for years.

  But he should have remembered nothing went as planned where Brady was concerned.

  He waited patiently for her to respond but it was killing him. “Say something, Brady.”

  “I don’t believe you.” Her voice was flat, emotionless and it stabbed him right in the heart.

  “Then give me a chance to prove it. Let me take you out for dinner.” He hated that he was pleading but he realized this was his last chance with her and he knew what he wanted. Her.

  “I’m really not up to it tonight but thanks for the offer.” She stood, forcing him to do the same, and she pulled her hand free. “Thank you for helping me get out of there, Darren, take care of yourself.”

  Then she surprised them both by rising up on her toes to brush his cheek with her lips. He watched her hurry away down the sidewalk, easily avoiding the groups of people standing about enjoying the warm summer air.

  Sitting back on the bench, Darren cursed himself. It wasn’t going to be easy, not that he had really thought it was. But he had hoped.

  All this last week, once he was sure she was coming home, his dreams had been filled with her falling into his arms. It wasn’t lost on him that if his friends found out how bad he had it he would be the source of jokes and good-natured ribbing for years to come.

  But that was what had gotten him in trouble all those years ago. Worrying what other people thought. He wasn’t going to let it happen again.

  Brady was right, she had changed a lot. He had seen pictures of her that Melissa brought home after going out to visit her but they didn’t do her justice. Her long red curls just begged for his fingers and her body no longer looked like a high school girl’s.

  But it had always been her eyes that got to him, clear forest-green that could see right through him.

  Seeing her again brought back memories, like the time he had gone to a study group at Melissa’s and watched her come down the stairs. He had been hooked after that first sight. But they had been young and didn’t hang out in the same crowd.

  He thought he had been so smart when he had come up with the idea to have her tutor him. He could get to know her and his friends would never be the wiser. But his best friend Mike had guessed the motive, even if he had guessed backward and hadn’t been quiet about it. In the lunchroom, in front of half the school, he had said Brady only wanted to tutor him because she had a thing for him.

  Darren would never forget the look on her face when all those heads had turned her way. She had gone beet-red and in the span of a few seconds the color drained, leaving her white as a sheet. She had headed for the nearest exit as fast as she could, tripping over a chair and falling to the floor, her books scattering around her.

  Everyone had laughed, including him, and it had sealed the door between them.

  He had brushed it off as a silly crush after that and had spent time chasing easier girls for the rest of high school. But she had always been in the back of his mind and when he had asked Sherri to marry him, her face had immediately come to mind.

  He realized then it was more than a crush and had broken it off with Sherri two months before the wedding. It didn’t take him long to decide he needed a plan and had enlisted Lissa’s help to get Brady to come home.

  He suspected Lissa knew where his mind was at but thankfully she hadn’t asked. Lissa had always been his friend and after one quick attempt at a romantic relationship they had sworn it off between them.

  She had called Brady and had badgered and pleaded until she agreed to come home for her birthday, but only after Darren had flat-out asked her to.

  Brady didn’t believe he wanted her and she probably thought he just wanted sex. While he wasn’t opposed to the idea, he wanted more than that. He was thirty now and he had watched people around him fall in love and get married. While he wasn’t sure if he was ready for all that, he knew what he wanted. And he wanted Brady. He wasn’t sure if they were perfect for each other. But he knew he had to try.

  Standing up from the bench, he turned and headed for his car. He only had a couple days to get her to see the light and he didn’t have any time to waste.

  But he prayed the ace up his sleeve would work. A romance writer would be a sucker for a romantic setting. He hoped.

  Brady closed the door to her hotel room behind her and breathed a sigh of relief. Running into Darren had been a surprise to say the least, but she could have died of shock when he apologized for laughing at her all those years ago.

  It had broken her heart to see him chuckling with his friends from her spot on the cafeteria floor. But no matter how much she wished it, she could never hate him.

  Changing into pajamas, she switched the TV on for background noise and picked up the book she was reading. But the words made no sense and she had to reread the page she was on twice. All that kept going through her head was Darren saying, “I want you.”

  Brushing it off, she figured he just had too much to drink and it made him spout out nonsense. Concentrating, she finally got Darren out of her head and got into the story.

  Two paragraphs later her cell phone was ringing and it was a number she didn’t recognize.

  “Hello?” she answered.

  “You never answered me about dinner, Brady.” The voice on the other end was low and she knew it immediately.

  “Darren! How did you get my number?”

  “Lissa gave it to me. So how about dinner tomorrow night?”

  “I don’t remember you being this persistent.”

  “Yeah, well, there are a lot of things you don’t remember about me,” he answered with a chuckle and she couldn’t stifle a smile.

  “Why dinner, Darren?”

  “Because I want to. Can I pick you up about seven?”

  She had no idea why but knew she was going to say yes.

  “Fine, pick me up at seven.”

  “Great, I’ll look forward to seeing you then.”

  Brady hung up and stared at her phone for a full five minutes before she started panicking. What was going on with him? Why did he suddenly want to have dinner with her? Why hadn’t he gotten married? Worse than that, what was she going to wear?

  Jumping up, she went to the closet where she had hung her few outfits she had brought for the weekend. None of them were going to work. Nothing for it, she would have to buy something tomorrow. Maybe Lissa would want to tag along, if she didn’t party the whole night away.

  Chapter Three

  Brady slept in for once and since it was after nine she called Lissa to see if she wanted to shop. Of course she did and they made plans to meet for lunch first.

  Brady got to their usual pizza place, the same one they had eaten at as kids, and slid happily into her favorite booth. Lissa was late as usual, seemed that hadn’t changed either. Ordering a soda, Brady waited patiently until Lissa breezed in, looking fresh and beautiful even though she had partied ’til god knows w
hen.

  “Brady!” she hollered as she came to the booth and sat down. Lissa ordered her food without looking at the menu and Brady ordered the same. But as the waiter walked away the two sisters stared at each other, an awkward silence filling the space between them.

  Lissa broke the silence first. “So you ran into Darren last night?”

  “Yes, we are having dinner tonight.”

  Lissa nodded like she already knew this and Brady immediately suspected something. “Why did you give him my number?”

  Lissa stared at her as if she had no idea what she was talking about, and just like that they were little girls again, bonded by blood. Brady couldn’t keep the smile from curving her lips and Lissa smiled back.

  “Was that not okay? I saw you guys talking and I just assumed you had forgotten to give it to him,” Lissa said with a flirty smile to a waiter walking by.

  “Yeah, it’s fine,” Brady answered and smiled again when Lissa only nodded, her eyes still following the jean-clad waiter. Thankfully their food was served and it drew her sister’s attention back to the table. The ice broken, they moved on easily to other things and caught up on what was going on each other’s lives. Soon they were outside, walking along the street and peeking into the shops, looking for the perfect outfit for Brady’s date.

  Brady wanted a pair of slacks and a pretty shirt but Lissa was having none of that. Dragging her into a dress shop, Lissa piled Brady’s arms full of prospective items and hustled her off to the changing room.

  Brady had forgotten how much work it was to shop with Lissa. She was a whirlwind and never seemed to get tired of shopping. But Brady had to admit Lissa had good taste and before Brady knew it she had a whole new outfit. Complete with sexy black lace underwear no one would ever see and strappy black shoes with killer heels.

  They circled back around to the restaurant they had started at and went in for drinks. They took a seat at the bar instead of sitting in one of the booths where they had lunch earlier.

  “So tell me, Brady, do you still have a thing for Darren?”

  Brady was in mid-drink and almost embarrassed herself by spitting her mouthful out all over the bar. Swallowing, she gaped at her sister, who was looking back all too knowingly. “Did you always know, Lissa?”

  “Pretty much. You weren’t as sneaky as you thought when you came to his games. Seeing how I know you hate football, I figured there was something else going on and it didn’t take me long to figure it out.”

  “I’ll admit I had a crush on him in school but that was a long time ago.”

  “It was a long time ago but I’m sure you have realized some things don’t change. Just promise me something?”

  “What’s that?” Lissa would never know if she crossed her fingers behind her back. Brady had learned early, promising her sister something before she knew what she was promising was asking for trouble.

  “Give him a chance.”

  “What? Darren?” Now Brady was sure her sister knew something she didn’t.

  “No, Brad Pitt! Of course Darren.”

  “We are just having dinner, Lissa, and I go home tomorrow.”

  “I know. Do you think you will ever move back here?”

  The question took her by surprise. They had never talked about it before. “Honestly, I didn’t think you cared one way or the other.”

  “Of course I care! We are sisters and even though we have never been close I sometimes wonder if that would change if we lived in the same state at least.”

  Brady was even more shocked when Lissa wrapped her arms around her and kissed her on the cheek. “Call me in the morning and let me know how the date went?”

  Brady nodded her assent, already knowing she wouldn’t as Lissa grabbed her things and waved at the door.

  Things were not going like she expected at all. She was slowly realizing that even though everything looked the same around her, nothing really was.

  It was almost six by the time she made it back to the hotel. She had delayed going back to her room on purpose so she wouldn’t have time to overthink and make herself nervous. But then she regretted it when she spent too much time blow-drying and brushing her hair until it was shiny and fell in pretty waves. It was the best she could do and now she needed to hurry.

  Stepping into her new dress, she had to admit it looked good on her. It was a dark-gray material that clung to the right places. But when she looked in the mirror she about called the whole thing off. The plunging neckline showed more than her raciest outfit. But it was her own fault for letting Lissa talk her into it.

  Taking a deep breath, she told herself not to be a coward and grabbed her new shoes and strapped them on. She was just finishing when she heard a knock at the door. He was early and it was too late to back out now.

  Sucking in a deep, calming breath, she opened the door and almost swooned. He looked amazing. She blamed the dim lighting the night before for not seeing how mouthwatering he was.

  His black hair was longer now and some of it flopped forward on his forehead, giving him that “just rolled out of bed” look. He wore slacks and a dark-blue blazer, making his shoulders look impossibly wide and his eyes, they stared at her without blinking.

  He cleared his throat. “You look beautiful.”

  “Thank you. Do you want to come in?”

  “No, we have reservations at seven-fifteen. It was all I could get on such short notice.”

  “Okay, let me just grab my purse.” Brady left him at the door as she grabbed her bag, taking her time and trying to slow her thundering heart.

  Darren tried his best but he couldn’t keep his eyes from Brady’s perfect ass as she walked away. He had always thought she was beautiful but seeing her in that dress had sent all his blood to a place that shouldn’t be rising at the moment.

  She was a woman now and it only made him more determined to get what he was after. She came back toward him, a little smile on her face, and he almost dropped to his knees then and there, begging her to let him get his hands on her. But that would never work because he didn’t just want her for a quick roll in the sheets.

  He had a feeling if she knew what he really had in mind she would run the other way as fast as her pretty feet would carry her.

  He was a little nervous, which was a totally new feeling to him. But he figured that was good, it would keep him on his toes. He didn’t want to botch things up like he had before.

  She stopped in front of him, a little nervous too, he could tell by the way she clutched her little purse.

  He held out his hand and in that moment he felt something monumental about to happen and a second of pure terror when she hesitated. Catching her gaze, he held it and slowly she laid her hand in his.

  He breathed a sigh of relief and grinned down at her as she closed the door behind them.

  It was a total lie that they had reservations at seven-fifteen. But he needed to work fast if he was going to keep her from leaving in the morning.

  Placing a hand low on her back, he steered her through the lobby of the hotel and out into the setting sun. The last of the golden rays caught the fire in her hair and he stood for a moment just looking at her. She smiled at him and he smiled back as they continued walking to the car. Closing the car door after her, he went around to the driver’s side, praying what he had in mind for the evening would do the trick.

  Brady had a heck of a time sliding into Darren’s little sports car gracefully in her new heels but she had managed. She wondered where they were going and stole little glances at him while he drove the car effortlessly through traffic.

  Once the other cars thinned out she asked, “Where are we going?”

  He glanced her way and, smiling, said, “It’s a surprise.”

  She remembered the town well and she didn’t think there was a restaurant in the way he was heading. But it had been a long time, she could be wrong. All she could bring to mind was a few houses grouped together and…oh Lord. The Blacks’ farm was at the end of this
road.

  A simple dinner out in a public place suddenly turned awkward and intimate. Exactly what she had wanted to avoid.

  “Are you taking me to your parents’ house?” she blurted out and her voice sounded loud even to her own ears in the quiet of the car.

  “It used to be my parents’ house but they moved to Florida after I came home from college. It’s just me now,” he answered with a smile.

  Brady thought about it for a moment and decided she didn’t like that any better, maybe even less.

  Then something else occurred to her. Was he planning on seducing her? She had refused to even contemplate the thought until now. But how did she feel about it?

  Glancing over at him, she decided it might be just what she needed. A quick, uncomplicated tangle between the sheets and she could put this whole infatuation with Darren Black behind her.

  There was no way he was going to be anywhere near as good as she had built him up to be in her head all these years and then it would be over. Then she could go back to her quiet life of writing and leave it all behind her.

  A little inspiration wouldn’t be unwanted anyway. It was getting harder and harder to write the intimate scenes from memory. It had been too long since she had found someone who caught her interest. But Darren certainly did.

  Brady decided she wasn’t opposed to the idea of him seducing her at all. There was no reason she couldn’t move things along a little, just in case seduction wasn’t what he had in mind.

  “Are you cooking?” she asked with a smile and turned toward him in the seat. It made the dress slide up her legs just enough to almost be indecent.

  “Uh, no,” he said as his eyes jerked from her legs back to the road, “I’m not much of a cook.”

  “Me either.” Actually she was a pretty good cook but she wasn’t getting dragged into cooking tonight.

  “I didn’t expect you to cook, Brady, I had old Marge cook for us.”