One kiss, Brunswick. It was one kiss and a cheek kiss at that. Slow your damn roll.
Yes, yes. Great advice. Still, he had to admit, Jude rattled him. Who knew niceness was such a turn-on? And what in the hell was wrong with her ex-fiancé?
After brunch, he hit the gym, putting himself through a punishing high-intensity routine designed to push aside thoughts of Jude and the goofy bar bet that prevented him from just picking up the phone, calling her, and asking her out. That’s what strenuous exercise was good for. Wearing a man out so he wouldn’t think about a certain blue-eyed lady with gorgeous legs and a killer smile.
Once he was back at his apartment, he checked his text messages again.
One was from Brenna.
Hi, Tom. Remember me? UR probably surprised 2 hear from me again so soon, but my schedule got changed. I’m flying out of O’Hare for Costa Rica tomorrow. And guess what? I’m available 2night—all night. Love 2 see you.
Hmm. Should he ignore her text? Normally, he’d jump up and clean the house in anticipation for an evening romp with her, but he really wanted to win that bet. Plus, there was Jude. For some illogical reason, he couldn’t shake her from his head.
His cell phone buzzed in his hand. Not a text this time. Brenna was calling.
Not really sure why, he answered. “Hello?”
“So, Tommy, did you get my text?” Brenna purred with all the subtlety of his Mustang’s eight-cylinder engine.
Tom grimaced. He hated being called Tommy. He’d left that nickname behind in the fifth grade. “Just saw it.”
“You don’t keep your phone with you at all times?” Brenna sounded astonished that his phone wasn’t fused to his body.
“I was at the gym.”
“Ahh,” she said, and an even sexier tone curled into her voice. “I wish I’d known. I would have come by to work out with you. It’s been such a long time since I’ve worked up a vigorous sweat, and all those hours in the cockpit take a toil.”
The woman was attractive and an airline pilot, very impressive. Plus, she was ready and eager for a hookup. If it hadn’t been for that no-sex bet…
Tell the truth. Not being interested in Brenna has as much to do with your attraction to Jude as it does that dumb contest.
“Yeah, you see, that’s just it…” Tom trailed off.
“What’s just it?” Brenna sounded as bright as a new coin.
“This is bad timing.”
“How so?”
“Um…I’m in the middle of a forty-day ice bucket challenge.”
“Ice bucket challenge?” Brenna sounded confused and he didn’t blame her. He was babbling. “I’m not following you.”
Briefly, he explained about the celibacy challenge.
“You’re actually serious?” She sounded incredulous and a little ticked off. “You’d pass up a night with me just because of a silly frat boy pact?”
All of sudden it occurred to him that Dirk might have put Brenna up to the phone call. It was so like his former roommate to keep throwing temptation at Tom.
“Nice try,” he said.
“Huh?”
“Sexy as you are, Brenna, I’m not falling for it.”
“Excuse me?” Her voice went up an octave on “me.”
Okay, if Dirk was using her to foil Tom and get him to throw in the towel in order to be with Brenna, that meant she wasn’t in on the fix, but that didn’t mean Dirk hadn’t manipulated her into calling. His friend was wily.
“By the way, where did you get my number? Was it Dirk Poomph?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Did Dirk put you up to calling me.”
“No.”
“You sure?”
“I did dance with Dirk last night, but he was completely complimentary about you.” She was really starting to sound irritated now. “He said you were a great guy, if that’s what you’re getting at. But Tommy, I’m beginning to think otherwise. No, Dirk didn’t give me your number. It was Tara.”
“Oh.” He paused. “Sorry to sound so suspicious, but Dirk is the one who instigated the bar bet, and I had to make sure you weren’t in on trying to bring me down.”
She was silent for a bit, then said in a tight voice, “I see.”
“Yeah.”
“You thought he was using me as a bait to lead you astray?”
“Sadly, I’m afraid so.”
“He’s not.”
“I believe you.”
“And yet, you’d still rather win this silly bet than spend the day with me?”
“I didn’t say that. I can be with you in thirty-five days, after I win the bet. I’ll be flush with cash and we can hit the swankiest restaurant in town.”
Tom heard the sound of the connection being severed.
Brenna had hung up on him.
Well, darn. He was sorry she’d gotten caught up in Dirk’s ploy, and he supposed he owed her an apology.
He texted her a remorseful emoji.
She texted back. Call me when you grow up.
Okay. He deserved that. He’d allowed Dirk to get inside his head. Bring it on, Poomph. I can resist any woman you throw at me.
But even as he thought it, Tom couldn’t help feeling that Brenna made a good point. Why was he letting a decade long college rivalry control his love life?
Then she texted. FYI, Dirk did talk about your date last nite. A lot!!! I think he has a crush on Jude.
6
While Tom was brunching, hitting the gym, and disappointing Brenna, Jude slept in on Sunday morning after a night of dancing. The slow steady rain drumming on the roof made staying in bed easy.
Lazing, she drifted in and out of dreams about Tom Brunswick. Sexy dreams she had no business dreaming. She barely knew the guy, but wow, the dreams were fun.
Shortly before noon, her cell phone rang, yanking her from juicy visions of Tom showering beneath a Hawaiian waterfall. She grabbed for her phone, welcoming any call to jolt her back to reality.
The caller ID said “Unknown caller,” but she answered it anyway.
“Jude Bailey?” asked a vaguely familiar male voice.
“Yes,” she admitted guardedly, thinking of the quickest but kindest way to get rid of telemarketers.
“This is Dirk.”
“Dirk?” She drew a blank.
“Dirk Poomph, rhymes with oomph. We danced at the wedding.”
“Oh, sure. Hi, Dirk.”
“How ya doing?”
Um, what was this about? “Great, just great.”
“I thought maybe I’d put a little oomph in your life,” he chuckled. “Say Saturday night? Ballroom dancing at my country club?”
“Are you asking me out?”
“That sounded kind of arrogant, didn’t it?”
“A tad.”
“Apologies. I just enjoyed dancing with you so much that I’m eager to do it again. What do you say?”
“Hmm…” She drew in a deep breath, still feeling a little hazy from those steamy dreams about Tom. “I appreciate the invitation, but I’m not really dating right now.”
“No?”
“I got stood up at the altar six months ago, and I’m giving myself a year to hit the pause button on serious relationships. I’m not interested in a rebound man.”