He hated that his twin always seemed to get the last word.
Tom showed up at Aunt Pru and Uncle Horace’s house on Thanksgiving afternoon, promptly at two p.m. as instructed. The house was packed with relatives and it was easy—after the arrival hugs and greetings—to find a spot out of the fray.
He was sitting in the corner playing a game on his phone when the front door opened and two more guests were ushered in.
Dirk and his date…
Jude.
His college buddy had his arm draped around Jude’s shoulders as if it belonged there.
Tom positioned himself out of their direct line of sight, then ducked his head and prayed they didn’t see him. He was also trying to gauge if he could slip out the back door unnoticed and get the hell out of there. Considering the number of nephews engaged in horseplay between Tom and the door, he guessed his chances were slim to none.
One of his aunts ushered Dirk and Jude into the kitchen to deposit the food they’d brought, and Tom took the opportunity to head upstairs.
At the top of the landing, he ran into his sister who was coming out of the restroom, readjusting her clothing. Her grinning new husband followed, zipping up his pants.
“At Aunt Pru’s? For shame, sister.” Tom shook his head.
“We’re married.” Tara jutted her triumphant chin in the air. “It’s allowed.”
“Maybe I should just ask Aunt Pru about that. Or Mom.”
“No, don’t!” Tara grabbed his arm.
“She talks a big game.” Ben kissed the top of Tara’s head. “But she’s terrified of your mother and her sisters.”
“Hell,” Tom said. “I am too, but…” He pointed his index finger at his twin. “I have a bone to pick with you.”
“Me?” Tara put a palm to her chest. “What did I do?”
“Why are Dirk and Tara standing in Aunt Pru’s kitchen?”
She shrugged and raised both palms but couldn’t meet his gaze. “I dunno. The aunties might have mentioned something about inviting Dirk, but I knew nothing about the Jude thing.”
“They’re pretty much a couple nowadays,” Ben said, along with a soft oof as Tara nudged him in the ribs with her elbow.
Dirk with Jude? They were dating? Tom’s stomach sickened. He’d shoved her right into Dirk’s arms.
“We should go downstairs,” Tara said.
“Are you going to punch Dirk?” Ben asked. “You look like you’re going to punch him.”
“I’m not going to punch him,” Tom said.
“Why don’t I believe you?” Tara canted her head and sized him up with a dramatic side-eye.
“Aunt Pru just texted,” Ben said. “She wants everyone at the table. She’s serving dinner now. Her text is in all caps, so I think she means business.”
“Gotta go!” Tara trotted past him down the stairs.
“Don’t worry.” Ben clamped a hand on Tom’s shoulder. “Watching them together—Jude and Dirk—I don’t think the chemistry is right.”
“You saw them together?”
Ben looked rueful.
“When?”
“Tara and I double-dated with them last night. We went to The Loophole.”
“What!”
“I told Tara you’d be upset.”
“Next you’ll tell me their vibes don’t vibrate.” Tom scowled all the way to his cheeks.
“Your sister thinks Jude’s pining over you.”
“Really?” His heart lurched and suddenly he was as needy as a teenager with his first crush.
“Tara is pretty perceptive. Trust her instincts.” Ben’s cell phone dinged again. “Oops, I’m not gonna be the one to incur Aunt Pru’s wrath. Dinner is on the table.”
Ben zoomed away.
His brother-in-law was right. Time to face the music. Tom had created this mess and he was the only one who could fix it.
Hauling in a deep breath, Tom followed Ben into the dining room packed with people and the woman he couldn’t get off his mind.
Jude’s heart had skipped a beat when she’d first seen Tom. She must have been crazy to come to his aunt’s Thanksgiving dinner, even with Tara and Dirk coaching her that it was the right thing to do.
She had her doubts.
Seeing him standing in the doorway, his stare fixed on her, sent Jude’s heart shooting into her throat. It was horrible feeling like a lovestruck teenager, tormented by physical longing even in the midst of a crowd. She wanted to spend every waking and sleeping moment with Tom, but she didn’t want to talk to him.
How could that be?
Coward!
She never should have come, but Dirk had been insistent that Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt Pru and Uncle Horace’s house was the perfect place and time to tell Tom the truth.
Jude took a deep breath, then straightened her spine. She had to put the ball in his court again. If he let her go again, she’d have to stop yearning for him and move on.
But there was no way she could sit down to dinner with Tom across the table and eat a bite of food. Not until they’d straightened things out between them.
Tom was all the way across the room, although his eyes had never once left hers. She couldn’t read his face. Had no idea what he was thinking. She hadn’t heard a peep from him in two weeks.
He wore a white chambray shirt with sleeves rolled to his elbows and the top snaps open to reveal a sexy V and a thatch of silky brown hair. His jeans hugged his thighs and didn’t do much to turn off her overly active imagination. He was the only man she knew who was X-rated in ordinary clothes.
Jude wasn’t even aware that they were moving toward each other, but suddenly they were in front of each other, the lively family members all around them.
“Hello,” Tom said, his voice coming out a little ragged. “We need to talk.”
“Yes,” she said, her own voice none too stable. “Someplace private.”
“The basement okay?”
“That’ll do.”
“Hurry back,” Aunt Pru said. “We’ll wait to carve the turkey.”
“No, we won’t,” Uncle Horace added. “You take all the time you need. We have three microwaves that’ll heat up any cold food nicely.”
Jude looked over her shoulder at Dirk, giving him a thumbs-up. He nodded and waved her away.
Tom scowled and she had the crazy idea he would throw her over his shoulder and carry her out if she didn’t hurry. The same way he’d carried her up three flights of stairs the last time she’d seen him.
Instead, he took her elbow and literally pulled her into the basement and locked the door behind them.
Her heart galloped.
He smiled for the first time a wicked grin that made her feel hot needles in her nether regions. For some reason she couldn’t fathom, he seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.
“What is it?” she whispered.
The look he gave her could melt butter. “Jude, I’ve got a burning question I need an answer to.”
“All right.” She braced herself, unsure what he was going to ask.
“Are you and Dirk…” He gulped so hard his Adam’s apple jerked. “Did he…win you?”