Hooked for Life Read online

  He didn’t know who he was madder at, her for leaving or himself for thinking he could sway her. She didn’t need him and he should have expected that she would go back to her life without a second thought.

  He had been stupid to think getting her into bed would give him an advantage. He should have just told her how he felt. He might plead but he damn sure wasn’t going to beg. Either she wanted him or she didn’t.

  Dropping the broken dishes in the garbage, he went up for a shower.

  By the time he got out, he had three voicemails from Lissa, demanding to know how the date went. He called her back but didn’t want to talk about it and delayed her until they could meet for lunch.

  He got to the pizza place before Lissa. No surprise there, she was never on time. He ordered his usual and was already eating when she decided to finally show her face.

  She sat across from him and began without preamble, “Well?”

  “It went fine, Lissa. We had a good time.”

  She stared at him blankly for a moment and then her eyes narrowed.

  “Then what’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Nothing. I’m fine.”

  “Don’t lie to me, Darren. We have known each other too long. Tell me, maybe I can help.”

  Darren heaved a sigh. “Mike Spiker showed up at the house before Brady left.”

  “Mike Spiker? Darren, you sure do have shitty luck. I’m sure Brady wasn’t happy to see him. She never liked him.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  Lissa sat for a moment and then she asked, “How did she take it?”

  “She left and it’s over, Lissa.” Even just saying it made his chest tight.

  Lissa sat back in her seat with a huff. “So that’s it? You’re just going to give up?”

  “I tried, Lissa, she still left. I’m not going to waste my time chasing someone who doesn’t want to be caught.”

  “You told her how you feel about her then?”

  “Not exactly.” It didn’t surprise him in the least that Lissa had figured out the whole thing and she was right—she did know him well.

  “Then she told you she didn’t want to be caught?”

  “No. Listen, I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “I’m sure you don’t.” But then she went on without missing a beat. She was like a damn annoying little dog that had a hold of his pant leg and he couldn’t shake her off.

  “Darren, listen to me. You can’t leave it like this.”

  “Why not? It’s obviously what Brady wants. How else would you explain her slinking off this morning? If I hadn’t woken up when I did she would have left without a word.”

  “Whoa, wait a minute. This morning?”

  Darren realized too late his slip-up.

  “Did you have sex with Brady, Darren?”

  “I really don’t think that’s any of your business, Lissa.”

  “It is when you’re banging my sister!” Several heads turned their way and he tried to quiet her.

  “Lissa, just leave it alone,” he pleaded.

  “Fine. But I’ll say this. I never expected you to quit at halftime, Darren. No wonder Brady tried to leave without waking you, she probably wanted to avoid the awkwardness of you standing around with your hands in your pockets. Typical male, when it comes right down to it you chicken out.” She stood and threw her purse over her shoulder. “I never knew you to be a coward, Darren.”

  With that parting shot hitting him square in the chest, she left him sitting there alone.

  It took all of two minutes for her words to sink in before he was calling the hotel. She had already checked out. Then he called the airport. Her flight had taken off thirty minutes ago. Since she was midair he didn’t try her cell. He would give her a few hours before he went that route.

  The more he thought about it, he wasn’t sure what he had to say was something that should be done over the phone anyhow. But it hurt that she had just gone back to her life as if nothing had happened between them. He didn’t like being on this end of a weekend fling.

  Pissed he hadn’t caught her before she left town, he headed home to his empty house, glad when an unexpected business trip came up that would keep him busy for the next few days. It would give him time to think, time to regroup.

  Brady was met at her front door by an ecstatic Brett. Dropping her suitcase, she scooped him up and cuddled him, scratching under his chin in just the right spot.

  She still wasn’t sure if she had done the right thing by leaving Darren the way she had but she didn’t want to ruin the memory with any uncomfortable morning after issues. If she looked closely she was more hurt by his shunning at the door than she wanted to admit.

  But that night as she lay in her cold, empty bed all her excuses deserted her and she just wished he was next to her.

  Then she thought about what she had written in the back of the book and hope crept in. If he saw it she didn’t know how he would react. But that was a big if.

  Writing it in the back of the book had been cowardly, she could admit now. But she couldn’t go back and change it. She might do the same thing over anyhow.

  Her phone rang and her heart sped up. It could be him.

  Lissa’s number stared back at her on the screen. Disappointment invaded her heart and she beat it back.

  She hesitated and then didn’t answer. She was too wrung out to keep up with Lissa at the moment. What she really needed was a shower.

  As soon as she was finished, what Lissa had said to her that night at the bar popped into her mind. How Lissa had wondered if they would be closer if Brady moved back home. Then came the guilt, so she called her back, promising she would keep it brief. Brady didn’t give Lissa any details, even though she practically begged. Yes, she had a nice time. No, they hadn’t made plans to see each other again.

  Brady sensed Lissa wanted to say something but held back. No doubt she had talked to Darren today, and they had always been friends. In fact, Brady had always taken it for granted and now she wondered.

  “Lissa?” she interrupted.

  “Yeah?”

  “Did you ever sleep with him?” She had to know.

  Lissa chuckled on the other end. “I wondered if you were ever going to ask! The answer is no, I never slept with him. And before you ask me why not, I’ll tell you. You know Darren has an older brother, right?”

  “Yeah, Kurtis, right? I’ve never met him though.”

  “Well, he came home from college the summer I was a senior. I fell in love with him.” Brady could feel her hurt over the phone. He had broken her heart. “Long story short, he wanted to keep it just between us and I figured it was just because he was seeing a high school girl. But he dropped me like a bag of rocks at the end of the summer and I haven’t heard from him since. Plus Darren would never touch one of his brother’s ex-girlfriends. Some unspoken guy rule, I think.”

  “I didn’t know you had ever fallen in love. Want to talk about it?” It baffled Brady that Lissa hadn’t been able to hold on to a man she wanted. But it might explain why Lissa held all men at arm’s length.

  Of course Lissa did and what was supposed to be brief phone call turned into a revealing two hours.

  Chapter Seven

  Brady got back into her routine. The only change was her daily talks with Lissa. She didn’t question why they were suddenly so close and it was wonderful to have someone to talk to. But she didn’t bring up Darren and neither did Lissa.

  She was thankful she had a ton to do, keeping her days busy enough she only thought of him about a dozen times. She hated she was pining for him, again. Only this time it was worse. She had real images of him in her mind now, not just guesses.

  Those images haunted her. Especially at night when she finally fell asleep, he was there in her dreams. Sometimes it was so real that even after she was awake she could still smell him.

  But as the days went by and then a week she finally had to ask Lissa what he was up to. Lissa hadn’t seen him, explaining an un
expected business trip had called him out of town.

  Darren wasn’t faring much better than Brady. His thoughts went to her constantly and as a result he was unfocused at work and losing sleep. Realizing he wasn’t going to be as productive as he had hoped on this trip, he left it to his lawyer to close the deal up and went home.

  The house seemed quieter than he remembered and he could still smell her on his sheets. He was miserable and still no closer to coming to a decision on what to do about it.

  Flopping down on the couch, he switched on a game for noise, knowing he wouldn’t really watch it.

  The book she had signed for him was still on the floor and he immediately felt guilty for throwing it. Heaving a sigh, he picked it up and smoothed some of the bent pages.

  Black handwriting in the back caught his eye and he stared down at it, thunderstruck. Staggering over to the couch, he sat heavily and read it again.

  Brady had written “It was always you” on the back page.

  Stunned, Darren sat, running through his options. He couldn’t figure out why she would write that, and in the back no less. Did she hope he would never see it? Or was it her way of getting it out? Did it mean she felt something for him?

  If that was the case, did she expect him to do nothing about it? Just to let it go?

  Well, if that was what she thought then she was sorely mistaken. Lissa was right, he was being a coward and he couldn’t live with that.

  If he went to her and told her the truth and she turned him down flat, then and only then would he admit defeat. But not now.

  Grabbing his still-packed suitcase, he went to his room, dumped his dirty things on the bed and loaded up clean clothes. He hoped he would need enough for a couple days so that’s what he packed.

  Throwing the book she signed on top of his clothes, he zipped it up and was on his way to the airport in minutes.

  He knew what city she lived in and booked the next flight, leaving in a half hour. Luck was with him. But he needed her address.

  He dialed Lissa’s number and she answered on the first ring.

  “Darren, are you back in town?”

  “For the moment.” He paused while he listened to the announcement that his plane was boarding. “Look, I don’t have much time, what is Brady’s address?”

  Lissa was silent for a second and then she blurted, “Well, it took you long enough!”

  He couldn’t help but smile as she rattled off the address.

  “Thanks, Lissa. One more thing, don’t warn her I’m coming, okay?”

  “That goes against sister code, Darren. She would kill me if you showed up and she was in her sweatpants or something.”

  “Please.”

  “Oh fine. But you owe me big time.”

  “Deal. Gotta go.” Darren had no doubt she would hold him to it. He went to hang up but heard her voice cut through the line.

  “Darren?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Good luck.”

  “Thanks, Lissa. I’m afraid I’m going to need it.”

  * * * * *

  Brady was sitting in her home office, Brett curled contentedly in her lap. She was absorbed in her new book, the words flowing from her head to the page. For the first time this week Darren wasn’t foremost in her mind.

  She had come to grips with going back home. It hadn’t been as bad as she had thought. Somehow it had been worse. All her fears of what could happen couldn’t compare to falling for her high school crush all over again.

  Only this time she fell as a woman and not a young girl with stars in her eyes. She had to admit, this feeling she had now was a mountain compared to the mole hill she had suffered through before.

  But she was happy she had gone home, if for no other reason than she had reconnected with her sister. It was nice to have a formidable ally in another woman. Not to say she didn’t have friends here but no one could compare to the strength of a tie of blood.

  Unexpectedly there was a knock at her door. Brett jumped from her lap and she tried to think who it could be. She wasn’t expecting anyone and most of her friends wouldn’t stop in unannounced.

  Looking through the peephole, she felt her heart drop when she spotted Darren on the other side. Looking down at her faded jeans and tank top, she wished she had time to change. But at least she wasn’t in her sweatpants. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and they stared at each other.

  Brady opened the door wider and cleared her clogged throat. “Come in.”

  He left his suitcase by the door as he came in, glancing around him briefly, and she wondered what he thought of all the clutter. She wasn’t much of a housekeeper. She liked things out in the open where she could find them.

  There were stacks of papers and reference books on every available surface. To the untrained eye it looked as if she was the most unorganized person in the world. But really everything was neatly categorized—in her mind.

  She couldn’t help running her eyes over him. She had missed him so much, even if she wasn’t ready to tell him so. She was acutely aware of how much now that he stood before her. Then she noticed the book in his hand, the same one she had signed for him, and her heart stuttered before it started pounding. He had obviously seen the back.

  He held it up, catching her eye. “I think you owe me an explanation.”

  “What?”

  “Why did you write that in the back of the book?” He stalked toward her and she took a step back. He looked mad, his hair stood up at odd angles as if he had been running his fingers through it and his eyes were bright and focused on her.

  She didn’t know how to answer him. But she knew there was only one way, the truth. The thought had her insides going shaky and her stomach erupting in butterflies.

  “Brady? Answer me, please.”

  “It’s the truth, Darren. The simple truth.”

  He heaved a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “That’s a clever way to not answer me.”

  “I answered you.”

  He went to the couch and flopped back on it, his legs spread. Brett immediately jumped from his perch on the back into Darren’s lap. He scratched the cat absentmindedly before patting the seat next to him. She knew it was silly but her heart melted at the sight of Darren and her kitty.

  Brady sat down, keeping some much-needed distance between them. Otherwise she might just beg to take Brett’s place in his lap.

  “I guess I owe you an apology,” he began. “It didn’t work out like I had expected when I asked Lissa to talk you into coming home.”

  “Wait. You wanted me to come home?” He just looked at her and she mentally kicked herself. She should have known something was up. Lissa did few things without ulterior motives.

  “I wanted you to come home so we could get to know each other better because…” He cleared his throat and Brady was shocked to notice he was nervous. Turning toward her, he took her hand.

  “Brady, I’m in love with you and honestly I think I always have been. After we spent that night together it only made it more true.”

  She sat stunned, her heart pounding and her hands going sweaty. “Darren, we hardly know each other,” she reasoned.

  “We have known each other for years. I think I knew when I asked Sherri to marry me and all I could picture was you.”

  “You broke it off with Sherri because of me?”

  “I didn’t love her, Brady.”

  “But you can’t love me, Darren.”

  “Why not? I’m willing to accept you don’t love me right now but we are adults now and you can’t tell me you don’t feel anything for me, otherwise you wouldn’t have written that in my book.”

  He was right but she wasn’t sure where they would go from here and what his intentions were.

  “Even if I do have feelings for you, Darren, what can we do about it? I live here and you live there and what happens if your friends are around? Are you going to treat me like you did with Mike? Because, honestly, I won’t deal with that.”


  “I don’t expect you to and I’m sorry about it, I forgot I told him he could stop in over the weekend. He just had exceptionally bad timing. I know you never liked him and the other things we can deal with. All I want is a chance, Brady.”

  “A chance at what, Darren?”

  “You aren’t going to give me an inch, are you?”

  She took pity on him but she wasn’t giving in, so she gave her head a small shake. She wanted it all.

  “Fine, I guess I better do it right then.”

  Brady’s thundering heart stopped altogether when he got down on one knee in front of her and took her hand.

  “Before you get too excited, I’m not proposing just yet. But just so you know, it’s every man’s dream to see the woman he loves go all pale and shaky when he gets down on one knee.”

  The sarcasm wasn’t lost on her and she waited for him to go on.

  “Brady, I think we could be good together and I just want you to give me a chance to make you happy.”

  It was perfect, just the right thing to say, and she smiled at him before she threw herself at him, fusing her mouth against his even as he tumbled backward on the floor.

  “That was quite a tackle. You could have just said yes.”

  “Are you complaining?” she asked with a grin.

  “With a feisty redhead plastered against me? Never.”

  “Good.” Brady felt a strong surge of emotion inside her, the kind that clogged her throat and made her heart race.

  Looking down at him, she saw him smile up at her and her belly flip-flopped. He was sexy as hell, his bright-blue eyes staring up at her.

  Sitting up, she put her hands on his chest to brace her arms and she had an overwhelming urge to rock his world like he had hers.

  Standing, she held her hand out to him and he stood before taking it.

  She led him down the short hall to her bedroom. He glanced around before grinning at her and she was thrilled she could make him so happy. But she was about to do better than that.

  Pushing the jacket he had on off his shoulders, she laid it over the back of a chair. Then she evaded him when he tried to kiss her, giving her head a little shake.