Decision solidified in his mind, he made his way down the bleachers, intending to go back to his apartment and check out other places to rent online. Putting distance between him and Brooke would be the best way to deal with the temptation of knowing she was only a couple of floors away from him.
He needed to get out of here before she saw him.
“Dane? What are you doing here?”
Damn, he’d been so close to leaving and she’d never have known he’d been watching her. “I wanted to see you and apologize for walking out on you so early this morning.”
“Well, that’s nice, but unnecessary. I understand all about training regimes.”
“Yeah, I know you do, but still I spent the evening with you. Kept you awake when you should’ve been getting over your jetlag.” He lowered his voice. “But I can’t deny, I want to spend more time with you.”
Dickhead.
Why was he saying that to her after he’d come to the decision that pursuing Brooke while she was here was a bad idea? He needed his head examined.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
Why the hell was he arguing? Brooke had just given him an out. Why wasn’t he grasping it with both hands?
“I’m here to train. And—” she pointed to the area she’d come from, “I want to make a good impression. I haven’t travelled halfway around the world to mess it up.”
“I’m pretty sure Susie will give you more than a fair chance. And from what I observed, she would be pretty pleased with what you showed her.”
“Let’s hope so.” She stepped away from him. He sensed it wasn’t just a physical distance being put between them. “Look, I appreciate you coming here to apologize, but there’s no need. Last night was—” she shrugged, “—wonderful, but this thing between us, well, it’s not going anywhere. I live in Colorado and you live here.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. “Bye, Dane.”
Speechless, he watched Brooke walk back toward the changing rooms. Everything she said made sense. It even matched his own logical arguments about concentrating on his own career.
So, why did it feel like he’d been told he could never swim again?
* * *
Dane closed the lid down on his laptop in frustration. He couldn’t find any place to rent close to the training facility that he liked the look of. Or the ones he did like cost more than what he was willing to spend. The idea of getting a roommate didn’t appeal. He liked his own space. Looking at pictures on realtors’ websites was never a good indication of whether the place was suitable or not. He’d have to make appointments to view them. Not ideal, but if worse came to worst—it’s what he’d end up doing.
A knock sounded at the door. He glanced at his watch and saw it was after six in the evening. The only person he wouldn’t mind knocking on his door wouldn’t be who would be standing there when he opened it. Her goodbye had been painfully final.
He looked through the peephole and saw one of the other guys from the swim team standing there.
“Hey, Greg, what’s up?” Dane asked as he opened the door.
“A group of us are heading into town for dinner and wanted to know if you’d like to join us.”
Going out hadn’t been on his radar as a way to spend the evening, but being around a group sure beat sitting on the couch channel surfing.
“Sounds like a plan. Let me grab my phone and wallet.”
Forty minutes later the group walked into a café down at The Rocks. For a Wednesday evening, the place was busy. The main dining room had an eclectic feel to it with its different-colored lampshades and wooden bar along the back wall. The room was filled with small groups of people, most dressed in business casual, suggesting they’d come straight from work. It was a young, hip place, and he imagined it would be packed on the weekends. Surprisingly, one of the guys had the foresight to book a table, so they were led into a small room off the main dining area.
“So, James just told me that we’re meeting some girls here.” Greg gave Dane a nudge in the ribs. “Don’t steal them all.”
“Mate, you don’t have to worry. I’ve just moved here. No time for girls.”
“There’s always time for girls.”
“Well, tonight, they’re all yours.”
Greg raised his eyebrows in question, but Dane ignored it. He wasn’t close friends with the other guy. He didn’t owe him an explanation.
“Whoa, mate, isn’t that the girl you hooked up with at the Olympics?” Greg’s question startled him and Dane took a second to peruse the other occupants of the private room. There she was, her face turned toward the girl next to her.
Brooke.
His body perked up as the message went from his eyes, to his brain, to his dick. Her eyes sparkled as she laughed at whatever the other girl was saying. She looked refreshed and as tantalizing as always, the tiredness he’d seen in her during their conversation at the pool gone. He tamped down the urge to stride over there and kiss her hello. Not the best thing to do in front of a group of his teammates. Especially after he’d espoused he had no time for girls.
“Dane?”
He redirected his attention back to Greg. “Yeah, that’s Brooke. She’s here to do some training.”
“Ahh, so that’s the reason for your comment about being too busy for girls.”
Dane had never been one to discuss his personal relationships, especially after the whole incident with Therese. He had no plans to change his ways tonight.
“Drop it, Greg.”
At that instant, Brooke glanced over and saw him. The way her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open, seeing him was as much of a surprise to her as it was to him.
So much for keeping his distance.
7
How in God’s name was she going to get through this evening? When she’d accepted the dinner invitation from a couple of the girls she’d chatted to after her training session, she never expected to see the person she’d been trying hard to avoid.
When Geena had mentioned that some guys were planning on joining them for dinner, never had she thought Dane would’ve been part of the group. But there he stood, looking all delicious in a gold polo shirt that matched the color of his eyes and his blond hair. The knit shirt highlighted his broad swimmers shoulders and lean stomach. His jeans hugged him in all the right places. He was the quintessential swimmer—tall, muscled and gorgeous.
And … oh shit … he was walking their way.
“Hey, Dane, this is a surprise.” There, she sounded totally in control. It didn’t matter that her heartbeat had tripled its rate.
“Yeah, it is.” His crooked smile affected the elasticity of her legs. “You’re looking…rested.”
“I had a nap this afternoon. I’m starting to feel a little more human.”
This was good. They were having a civil conversation. No one would ever guess they’d spent the previous evening wrapped in each other’s arms. It didn’t help that everyone seemed to be studying the both of them, speculation rife in their gazes.
Recognition hit. A few of the guys that arrived with Dane had been on the Australian swim team in Rio.
Crap.
She and Dane hadn’t been too discreet about spending time together at the Games. She’d watched every final he’d been in. Even went with Dane to a couple of the team events.
There was only one way to deal with the situation before it became even more awkward. Brooke lifted her hand and waved. “Hi guys, fancy seeing you here.”
The next few minutes passed in a blur of hugs and hellos and what are you doing here questions. They never asked the question she knew had to be burning in their minds, What’s happening with Dane? Are you and he together? Questions Brooke had no idea how to answer. When she’d left Dane standing on the pool deck earlier that day, she’d hope she wouldn’t run into him again. He trained first thing in the morning and her training schedule was going to be mid-morning. Plus, she’d made it clear th
at they wouldn’t be picking up where they left off in Brazil, regardless of the fact they’d spent the previous evening sharing her bed.
A shiver wracked her body as memories of their night together swept over her.
“Are you cold?” Dane’s husky voice pulled her from her erotic memories. She’d forgotten he stood close to her.
“No, I’m fine. Hungry.” Brooke looked at the group of athletes, ignoring their speculative gazes. “Shall we sit down?”
Her breath whooshed out when everyone started pulling out chairs. Of course, they left two seats side by side free so she and Dane had no choice but to sit in them.
“Relax,” he murmured as he leaned toward her. “We’re in the middle of a restaurant. I’m not going to jump your bones.”
“I never thought you were.”
“Uh-huh.”
Brooke picked up the menu in a vain attempt to distract her thoughts from their legs and arms tangled up together on a bed. His or hers, she wasn’t fussy about which bed they ended up in.
No.
There could be no more romps among the sheets between them. No matter how tempted she was.
She reached for the glass of water the waiter had filled up, taking a couple of long gulps.
Out of the corner of her eye, Brooke spied Dane subtly adjusting his pants. She recognized the move. His arousal for her was as high as hers was for him.
This was going to be a long dinner.
An hour later and a tension headache was building inside her. For the whole dinner, except when he ate his meal, Dane had kept his arm around the back of her chair. Every now and then his fingers would brush against the back of her neck. With each touch, her muscles coiled tighter and tighter until now they felt stretched tighter than a piano string. Pluck her and she’d twang.
This day had her being pulled from one emotion to the next. This hadn’t been what she’d been expecting would happen when she arrived in Australia. What she’d expected was she would train, eat and sleep. Rinse and repeat.
Dane’s hand dropped to the base of her neck and began to squeeze gently. It took an amazing amount of willpower to stop herself from closing her eyes and dropping her neck forward to let his fingers work their magic.
Of course, doing that in the middle of a restaurant surrounded by people who seemed to be watching their every move would only add fuel to the gossip train she knew was gathering steam, ready to share its cargo by text message or on every social media site available.
“Please stop,” she muttered in a low voice meant only for his ears.
“Isn’t it helping?”
More than you could ever know. But she swallowed the words. Although why he had to ask was beyond her. Surely he remembered that he only had to touch her for her to melt.
This wasn’t supposed to be happening.
She pushed her chair back abruptly and stood. “I think I’ll go. You know, jetlag is kicking my butt.”
Hopefully everyone believed her because it wasn’t the truth. The need to get away from Dane and the confusing feelings his touch elicited in her overrode politeness. She reached into her handbag and pulled out her wallet. The brightly-colored money was something she still wasn’t used to. She grabbed two twenties and placed the notes in the middle of the table. “That should cover my food and tip. Thanks for a great evening everyone.”
Before anyone could object too loudly, Brooke exited the room. Tension still rode in her shoulders, waiting for that touch preventing her departure. Waiting for Dane to catch up to her and say he’d make sure she got back safe.
Only the touch never came.
8
This was a bad idea. Dane knew it when he walked out of his flat. Knew it when he clomped down the stairs. Knew it now, as he stood at Brooke’s front door. He seemed to be forever doing things he swore he wouldn’t.
It had been three days since the night he’d seen Brooke at dinner. It had taken everything in him not to march out of the restaurant and catch a cab home with her. As it was, the moment she’d left the restaurant everyone had fired questions in his direction, wanting to know what was going on between the two of them. He’d answered the best way he knew how, playing it off as a casual friendship, but he was pretty sure no one believed a word he said. Over the last couple of days, he’d made sure to keep his distance from her. Now, though, he couldn’t stay away.
It was now or never. There were two choices—knock on the door or continue down the stairs away from her.
He lifted his hand and rapped on the door twice, then stuck his hands in his pockets and waited.
The door opened and there stood Brooke, looking delectable in a pair of skinny jeans and a white blouse with a deep neckline, highlighting her sweet cleavage. “Dane, what are you doing here?”
I missed you and wanted to see you.
Uh-no, not the best way to lead into a conversation. In fact, he hadn’t known what he was going to say when Brooke opened the door. Now seeing her, his mind was not firing on all neurons.
“I, um—” he started and stopped. “Do you have any plans for this afternoon?”
The way Brooke was dressed was a clear indication she hadn’t planned to spend the afternoon sitting on her couch or training. Now that he’d moved his focus off her luscious body, he noticed her hair was curled and brushed over one shoulder and she wore a light coating of makeup. She looked like a woman who was going on a date or at least meeting someone.
“I’d planned to go into the city and then catch one of those buses that goes around and stops at all the tourist attractions. It sounded like a great way to spend a Saturday and an ideal way to the see the city when I heard the ad on the radio.”
Even though Dane had been to Sydney numerous times, there were still plenty of places he hadn’t seen. Maybe she wouldn’t mind some company. Unless she’d made other arrangements which would explain why she was dressed to impress.
“Are you meeting someone?” The question popped out before he could stop it. It was totally the wrong thing to ask. He had no claim over her. They weren’t dating, even though he wouldn’t have minded that happening. But he was a man who respected a woman’s wishes. Standing at her door might seem like he wasn’t, but he still considered her a friend, and friends spent time together.
“What if I am?” Her brusque tone let him know in no uncertain terms she didn’t like his line of questioning.
He sighed. “Close the door.”
“What?”
“Close the door so I can start over again.”
Brooke quirked an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Can you please close the door?”
An eye roll was the last thing he saw before the door closed. He knocked again.
“Oh, my goodness, Dane, this is surprise,” Brooke mocked as she opened the door again. “Would you like to come in?”
He so deserved her mockery. His actions over the last five minutes were enough to drive even the sanest person a little crazy. With a nod, he accepted her invitation to enter her flat.
“Hi, Brooke,” he paused waiting for her to close the door. Once they were cocooned in her small place he continued. “I was wondering if you were free today as I’ve got some appointments to see some flats and wanted to know if you’d like to come with me. I could use a second opinion.” He took a breath. “And afterwards, I promise to take you around to see some of Sydney’s wonderful attractions.”
Her eyes widened, definitely surprised at what he’d just said.
“Um, I’m not sure.”
Okay, he’d been expecting this response. Her apprehension was understandable. “Look, we’re friends, right?” At her hesitant nod, he continued. “Well you’ve been here less than a week. I imagine all you’ve been doing is training hard. You need a little downtime, and I need a friend’s opinion on the places I’m looking at.”
“But why me? Like you said, I haven’t been here long and I don’t know the best places to live.”
“I’m looking around this
area. I want to stay close to the training facility. And well, I suppose I could ask one of the guys, but I’d prefer to get a female perspective.”
God, he hoped he hadn’t sounded sexist. It was the last thing he wanted.
“And I trust you to give me an honest opinion,” he tacked on the end.
“I’m still not convinced I’ll be of much use, but okay, why not? It could be fun. But,” she pointed her finger at him. “I expect the full tourist experience after.”
He laughed. “No worries, you’ll have the best time.”
“Right. Let me get my purse and jacket.”
Ten minutes later, Brooke’s floral perfume swirled around the car. It was intoxicating and reminded him of the nights they’d spent together. He had to concentrate on keeping his hands on the steering wheel and not placing one on her leg, trailing it up and down the course denim.
“So what are you looking for in a place?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, that’s helpful.”
Dane chuckled. “Sorry. I’ve got a nice place in Melbourne. I know I’m going to move back when I retire from swimming.”
“When will that be?”
“Not sure. When the fun goes out of competing or my body tells me it’s time.”
“Yep, no one ever knows when their time in the sport will be up. Diving is really fickle, too.”
Fighting for Love (The Elite Book 3) Page 4