“What are your plans for the future?”
“This isn’t telling me what you’re looking for in an apartment. And why are you looking, anyway? Why not stay in the place you’re in now?”
“I suppose I could stay where I am. But I like to put a little distance between my home life and swimming. Living there feels like a temporary place. My move was such a last-minute decision and Carl was great in finding this place for me.”
“But it’s still not your own.”
“Yes. You get it.”
“Yeah, I do,” she murmured as she looked out the window.
Dane stopped out the front of a building about twenty minutes away from the training facility. It looked nice as far as buildings went, nothing flashy, but it didn’t look rundown. It had an art deco feel to it and lovely ornate windows.
“This place looks nice,” Brooke commented as she undid her seatbelt.
“It does. One of the reasons I picked it. Plus there are three flats available to lease at the moment.”
He got out of the car and darted around the front to open Brooke’s door. He was too late. She was out before he could reach her side. Instead, he cupped her elbow and steered her toward the front door.
“Does it worry you that there a few apartments available at the same time?” Brooke asked as they walked into the foyer, pulling away from his hold. He didn’t like it. He liked it when she was close to him.
They stopped in the middle of the foyer and looked around. Dane wasn’t one who spent time oohing and aahing over décor of any kind, but he couldn’t deny the high ceilings and black marble tile gave the impression the building was high-class and the quality of tenants would be good.
“This looks nice. Maybe you don’t have anything to worry about the vacancies.”
Dane shrugged. “I’m not worried, anyway. It could be something as simple as timing. Plus, I’ve got appointments to see all the flats. I’m sure if there are any issues we’ll be able to see them. Or we can play good cop/bad cop. You can be the bad cop.”
“Ha ha, not likely. I’m going to be the quiet observer. This is your place.”
Dane pressed the button for the lift and slung an arm around Brooke’s shoulder, pleased when she didn’t move away this time. “Okay, you be the good cop and I’ll be the bad cop.” Pressing his luck, he leaned in close to her. “I can be really bad when I want to be.”
A spark of satisfaction flowed through him when he felt the shiver ripple over her. The lift doors opened and he ushered them both inside, pressing the button for the floor of the first flat.
This was going to be a good afternoon.
9
Brooke licked her chocolate ice cream cone and sighed at the sight of the sparkling Sydney Harbor in front of her. Her feet ached, but she didn’t mind the pain. Not after the day she’d had with Dane. It reminded her of their time in Rio. This would be another memory she could lock away inside of her. But being this close to him also reminded her what a bad idea spending time with him really was. How could she ignore the lure of him though? The fact he’d kept his distance from her after the group dinner had surprised her. And disappointed her if she was truthful with herself.
The last person she’d expected to see on the other side of her door earlier today had been Dane, his invitation even more surprising. The sensible thing would’ve been saying no to his request.
“I can hear you thinking.”
“I’m enjoying the view.”
“And thinking.”
“Well, you should be thinking, too. Thinking about which place you’re going to pick.” Brooke looked over to him but she couldn’t read his expression behind his sunglasses. The sun glinted off his blond hair. God, he was so damn sexy. The urge to dump her ice cream and cuddle into his side overwhelmed her.
Brooke got up and deposited her half eaten cone in the trash can, her appetite lost in the wake of her desire for Dane. She wandered over to the railing and admired the infamous Sydney Harbor Bridge.
She knew the minute he came up beside her. The air shifted around her, increasing the craving to lose herself in his arms.
“What makes you think I’m going to choose one of the three places we saw today?” he asked her quietly.
She kept her gazed fixed on the bridge, knowing if she looked at him again she’d be lost. “You’re a person with a plan. Sure, this move here might have been a spur-of-the-moment decision, but it was for your career. So it was still a plan of sorts. These places you looked at are probably the only ones that appealed to you.”
Her breath caught when Dane wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace. She knew she should fight it, should pull herself away, but it felt right. It always had. From the first night she saw him, she’d wanted nothing more than to be close to him. And, amazingly enough, he appeared to feel the same way.
“What are we doing, Dane?” She shivered as he rubbed his cheek against hers and huffed out a breath against her ear.
“I tried to resist you. Tried to stay away, but it’s hopeless. I can’t ignore this anymore.”
“You need to try. This can’t go anywhere.”
Dane placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. “I know. Logistically, it won’t work. But we had fun together at the Games, so why can’t we have some fun here?”
Oh, he did not just say that. Brooke pulled away from his embrace. “So let me get this right. While I’m here, you want to have fun. Pick up where we left off? You want to have me tucked in your back pocket, so you can knock on my door anytime for a booty call?”
“What?” Dane took a step back and stuck his hands in his jacket pockets. “How did you get me wanting you for booty calls by saying we can have some fun while you’re here? I thought what we were doing today was having fun. As far as I can tell, we’re not horizontal on a bed.”
“You were kissing me when you said it.”
“On the cheek, Brooke. I was kissing you on the cheek.” He shook his head as though he couldn’t quite believe what was happening. “This is ridiculous. I think we should go back home.”
He turned away from her and walked away. If she wanted to get back to her place, she would need to follow him.
How had the day gone from fun to disaster quicker than one of his swim turns?
Oh, shit, had she misunderstood his suggestion? Had he really only been talking about spending time together like they were doing right now? Or had he quickly changed his tune because she’d called him out?
Brooke couldn’t deny there was truth in his words. They’d been having fun. After they’d look at the apartments, he’d kept his word and had taken her to see some of the high points of Sydney. Going to the top of the Sydney Tower, the second tallest tower in the southern hemisphere according to the tour guide, had been a nerve-wracking experience. He teased away her anxiety, making her laugh at his silly jokes. He’d held her hand and she appreciated the strength in that small gesture. He’d walked the Harbor Bridge with her and waited while she took numerous photos.
They reached the car and she waited for Dane to unlock the door. Even annoyed with her, he opened it for her. She paused and gazed up at him.
“Dane,” she started. “I wa—”
“Don’t,” he interrupted. “Just don’t.”
Brooke clamped her mouth shut and got into the passenger seat. The trip home was going to be a nightmare.
* * *
“This is a bad idea,” she muttered. “Bad. Bad. Bad idea.”
Why was she standing in the hallway in front of Dane’s front door? Because she’d spent the last three hours feeling like the biggest bitch in the world, that’s why.
She sucked in a breath. Before she had a second, third or fourth thought, she lifted her hand and rapped her knuckles on the wood.
No going back now.
Minutes seemed to pass, but in reality it was only a few seconds before the door opened and Dane stood there, wearing nothing but a pair of grey sweatpants that hung low on his hips.
Moisture sparkled on his bare chest.
Oh yes, this was a bad idea.
“Hi, Dane,” her voice cracked.
“What are you doing here?”
“Um—” she started and stopped. Her mind focused on the bare chest in front of her, fighting memories of the way his chest muscles jumped beneath her fingers her first night in Sydney. Before she could even lecture herself on how bad an idea it was, her hand moved and rested on his warm skin. She heard his sudden intake of breath as fingers closed around her wrist, pulling it away from his chest. Their gazes locked and everything within her zeroed in on the man in front of her. Time froze and there was only her and Dane. The next instant, she was tugged into the room. Dane’s head lowered and his lips sought hers. Groaning she allowed him access.
On the way to Dane’s apartment she’d gone over what she was going to do. It had been quite simple—apologize for wrecking the afternoon and ask if they could still be friends. Now, wrapped in his arms, she knew being friends would never be simple. They had a history that couldn’t be denied and a story that still needed to be told.
Her arms crept around his neck and her fingers slid through his closely-cropped hair. She should pull away from him. Put distance between them. Find the strength to say what she wanted to say and then leave. Only being this close to him, she couldn’t. Like Rio, when they hadn’t been together, she hadn’t felt whole. It was a feeling she’d never encountered before. From the second they met, their attraction was instant. Had grown with every waking second they’d spent together. When she returned to Colorado after the Games, she’d attempted to convince herself it had only been an Olympic fling. The truth of the matter was, what she and Dane shared was no fling. And that scared the crap out of her.
Out of somewhere, she found the will to pull away, her breathing as ragged and harsh as his.
Brooke ran a shaky hand through her hair and took a deep breath, trying in vain to regain a semblance of control over herself, and the situation they now found themselves in.
“I..uh...” She couldn’t look him in the eye, too afraid of what she’d see in his gaze. “I came to say sorry for jumping to conclusions this afternoon.”
Although now, after the scorching kiss they’d just shared, she had to wonder if she’d been right all along and Dane’s interpretation of fun was horizontal on a soft bed, arms and legs entwined. The image her thoughts conjured up was vivid. Damn, now she wanted that type of fun.
“Thank you and no, you shouldn’t have made the assumption you did,” Dane responded. He reached out and hooked a finger under her chin. She had no choice but to look into his eyes. God, it was so easy to drown in them. A hint of his arousal remained evident in his gaze, and no doubt, if she chanced a look south she’d find his sweatpants doing a poor job of disguising his need for her. “And I probably shouldn’t have kissed you.” The right side of his mouth lifted in a half smile.
The temptation to pull him close again for another kiss dragged at her sensibilities.
Walk away. You’ve said what you wanted to say.
The little voice in her head was right. She should walk away. Only her feet appeared to be cemented to the cheap carpet of his living room.
Nothing good will come of staying, unless of course you want to continue with that kiss.
And the little voice went from sensible to skanky.
“I don’t think you need to apologize for kissing me. I was with you every step of the way.”
“Come and sit down. “I’ll get us something to drink.”
She made her way over to a couch that looked eerily similar to hers. And when she sat, she sank to the middle like Dane had done the night he’d come to see her.
“How is it possible your couch and my couch sag in the exact same place?” she asked when he walked back into the room with two glasses of juice, placing them on the squat wooden coffee table.
“Who knows?” He sat and she promptly fell into his side. His arm swept around her not giving her any opportunity to put some distance between them.
In that moment, clarity hit. How could being this close to someone she cared about be wrong? Why fight the inevitable? Brooke curled her legs up on the couch and cuddled into Dane’s side, her hand running over his bare chest. She sighed when he kissed the top of her head. “I can’t seem to stay away,” she whispered.
“I know the feeling.”
Her breath caught when she lifted her head and looked at him. Yes, there was desire shining in his hazel depths, but also something else. Something she would describe as caring but the term was too tame for what reached out to her. “We’re in trouble, aren’t we?”
Once again, he chuckled, the sound warm and inviting to her ears. “I wouldn’t say trouble, but an interesting situation, for sure.”
As much as she liked lying against Dane, his close proximity was frying her senses. There was a lot they needed to sort out and a clear head would be needed to make sure she didn’t react emotionally.
Brooke pushed away from the haven, also known as Dane’s chest, and reached forward to grab the juice. She took a couple of deep swallows. Any normal person would be gulping down alcohol. The possibility of finding alcohol in Dane’s apartment was about the same as finding it in hers—zilch, zero, not a chance. Alcohol wasn’t good for their careers. Although there were plenty of athletes who drank, alcohol had never appealed to her and even if she weren’t an athlete, Brooke didn’t think she’d be a huge drinker.
Feeling more capable of not letting her hormones cloud her thought synapses, she placed the glass back on the table and faced Dane.
“An interesting situation, huh?”
As though he needed to maintain some sort of physical connection between them, Dane reached forward and grabbed her hand. Brooke tensed, waiting for him to tug her close again. A combination of relief and disappointment swelled through her when he didn’t attempt it.
“Interesting because neither one of us expected to be sitting beside the other a few weeks after the Games finished. Even though it was hard, we’d both known our time together was going to be limited. A long-distance relationship would be almost impossible to maintain, considering time differences and our practice schedules. Yet, here we are. Unable to stay away from each other.”
How could she deny the validity of his words? They were unerringly accurate. The past few days not seeing him had been miserable. She’d trained diligently and Susie was happy with her progress. But knowing Dane was so close by and not being able to share her successes with him had been difficult. Which was why she hadn’t protested too much when he asked her to join him on his apartment hunting trip.
“I know, but those problems are always going to be there, aren’t they?”
“What will you do if Susie decides she wants to take you on? You do know she’s based here. Her whole family is here. If you’re serious about moving to individual diving, are you prepared to move across the world to achieve that goal? You can do a lot of things over the internet, but I’m not sure coaching a diver is one that will be effective. Not to mention the time difference factor.”
“To be honest, I haven’t given much thought beyond this six weeks. I’ve been let down too many times when I hoped for a good outcome.”
“What do you mean? It’s a pretty big deal just getting to the Olympics, you know. Not everyone makes it. And when they do, sometimes a false start ruins their one and only shot at competing in an Olympic race.”
“I know. I just wish I knew what happened in Rio. Lulu and I nailed every dive at the Olympic qualifiers in Indiana. We nailed our timing with every single dive. I felt so confident we would kill it in Rio. I knew the Chinese would be tough to beat but, hey, they could have an off day. Instead, it was us that had an off day.” She closed her eyes briefly before lowering her head. She knew what she said next could change Dane’s perspective of her. “I think it became too much for Lulu. God, I feel like such a bitch even voicing it. I’ve been wondering if she cracked under t
he pressure of being at the Games. I think that’s the real reason she retired, not because she was tired of diving and all the training involved, like she told me. The expectation from me and our coach was too much for her and she choked.”
Brooke chanced at peek at him, expecting disgust at the way she’d thrown her friend under the bus. Instead, she found compassion. She didn’t deserve it, though. But dammit, she wanted a medal. She wanted to experience all that Dane had experienced having the heavy, round disc placed around her neck. And if she did enough to win gold, to stand on the top podium with her hand over heart as “The Star-Spangled Banner” blared loudly over the sound system.
She wanted it all. And she wanted it badly.
“She wouldn’t be the first competitor to be overwhelmed at the Olympics. It’s a pretty intimidating meet.”
“And yet look at the success you and Mitch have had.”
Dane pulled her closer so the distance she’d put between them disappeared, and she was once again wrapped in his arms. “Princess, my first major event was the Commonwealth Games. I swam so bad I didn’t even make the finals. Two years later, at my first Olympics, I pushed myself so hard in my heat that I got out of the pool and threw up all over the pool deck. People react different ways. I’m sure Lulu wishes things had been different.”
“Yeah, I know. As I said, I’m such a bitch for being so disappointed in our results.”
“No, you’re not. You’re human. It’s natural to feel disappointed and there’s nothing wrong with it, either.”
Brooke looked at him in amazement. “I can’t believe you’re not condemning me.”
“Why would I do that? I’m an athlete. I know the hunger and drive it takes to win a medal. You have that fire in you. Of course, you want it. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t. Which brings us full circle—what are you going to do if Susie wants to train you?”
Fear at the uncertainty of her future clutched at Brooke’s throat. What would she do if Susie asked her to stay?
Fighting for Love (The Elite Book 3) Page 5