Okay, maybe Calliope had a point about that. She couldn’t help her natural self-preservation instincts. But she still thought Calliope was crazy. Brody was a sought-after commodity. All the women flocked to him. Surely there’d been someone in all these months...
Then again, maybe there hadn’t. There was a network of gossip—especially when it came to who Brody was sleeping with—that would rival network entertainment sites. Some of the women in this town had such finely honed stalking skills they could easily get jobs as paparazzi. If Brody had been sleeping around, or sleeping with anyone since last December, it would have made the rounds of the gossip mill and Tori would have heard about it.
“You know what, Calliope, you might be right about that.”
Calliope lifted one half-drunken brow in question. “I am? Right about what?”
“Brody. Not having been with anyone since December.”
“’Course I’m right, Tori. Told ya. You should jump him.”
Tori laughed. “And I’m cutting you off margaritas. Let’s have some dinner.”
Calliope frowned. “Buzz killer. I had a hard week. Children are evil, you know.”
“You love those kids at the day care center. And you adore your job.”
“I do.” Calliope grinned. “And I love Wyatt. And you. And my sister. And Wyatt’s whole family. And...”
Tori rolled her eyes and signaled for the waitress. Definitely time to put some food into her inebriated best friend.
After some food and several glasses of water, Calliope had sobered up—at least a little, though she did order a post-dinner margarita. And why not—it was Friday night, after all, Calliope had had a miserable week, and her friend deserved to let loose a little.
Tori had thought a lot about what Calliope had said about Brody. Her job would be a lot easier if she and Brody could at least go back to the way things used to be. What had happened between them had been a fluke—a onetime kiss and nothing more. He’d obviously put no expectations on her, she hadn’t lost her job, so nothing had really changed. There was no reason to act as if the world was coming to an end just because they’d kissed, and he never needed to know how she felt about him.
Men were easily clueless, since most of the time they didn’t want to know the truth that was right in front of them anyway.
She decided she’d go back to being her normal self on Monday.
By the end of dinner it was obvious Calliope was not going to be able to drive herself home. When she got back from the restroom, Tori said, “Since you picked me up, I’ll drive you home. Then I’ll bring your car back to your place tomorrow.”
Calliope shook her head. “I already called for a ride home. I’m very smart and I know better than to drive myself home when I’ve been drinking.”
“I’d have driven you home, Calliope.”
“It’s okay. There’s my ride now.”
Tori looked up and her stomach dropped.
Brody. She’d called Brody to drive her home.
Chapter Three
Brody hadn’t expected to run into Tori tonight, but when Calliope had called saying she’d had some cocktails and needed a ride, he had no problem giving it to her, especially since Wyatt was on an out-of-town job this weekend.
What he hadn’t expected was for Tori to be with her, though that shouldn’t surprise him since Calliope and Tori were best friends.
He pulled up a chair at their table. “Celebrating tonight, Calliope?”
She nodded, her curls bouncing. “Yup. I’m celebrating an end to a hellish week. Parents are mean.”
He laughed and tugged on one of her curls. “They can be sometimes. This is a good place to unwind though. Great margaritas.”
Calliope grinned. “I had four.”
“Awesome.” He looked over at Tori, who surprisingly wasn’t ignoring him, just studying him. “How about you?”
“I figured I’d have to drive the lush home, so it was iced tea for me tonight.”
“Hey. Not a lush. I was sober enough to give you love advice, wasn’t I?”
Tori glared at Calliope. Brody gave her a quizzical look. “Love advice?”
“Drunk talk. You ready to go? Calliope picked me up, so I can drive her car home and I’ll bring it back to her house tomorrow.”
“It’s okay. Just follow me to her place and we’ll drop her car. Then I’ll drive you home. Save you a trip back over there tomorrow.”
“It’s not a problem.”
“I need my car early, Tori,” Calliope said. “I have a meeting.”
She hesitated then nodded at Brody. “Okay, fine. I’ll meet you at Wyatt and Calliope’s house.”
Brody scooped Calliope out of her chair and led her to the parking lot.
“Calliope, do you want to ride with me in your car?” Tori asked.
“Oh. No, I’ll ride with Brody. See you at the house.” Calliope gave Tori a wave.
Tori gave them a worried look, then said, “Uh, okay. See you there.” She headed over to Calliope’s car and Brody put Calliope in his truck. She started to sing and he rolled his eyes. Wyatt owed him for this one. It was a good thing he adored his sister-in-law, because he’d left a warm house and a football game on TV for this.
“You need to talk to Tori,” Calliope said as they made the turn down the highway toward Wyatt’s house.
“Huh?”
“Just...well, I can’t say more than that, other than you need to talk to her.”
“Is this about the Christmas party again?”
“Sort of, but it’s about a lot of things, Brody. Open your eyes.”
“My eyes are wide open, Calliope.”
While they sat at a stoplight, she looked over at him, her glasses askew on her face. She slid them up her nose and gave him a stern look. “Men’s eyes are very rarely wide open. You only see what you want to see, not what’s really there.”
“What the hell are you talking about? See, this is the problem with women. You talk in metaphors instead of straight talk, then we’re supposed to figure out what the fuck that all means.”
She laughed. “I know. But Tori’s my friend and I can’t say any more than that. But trust me, you want to talk to her.”
“I’ve already talked to her. She won’t give me the goddamn time of day.”
Calliope looked out the window. “Try again. She might know the time now.”
“There you go again. Fucking metaphors.”
They pulled into the driveway and he helped Calliope slide out of his truck. Brody walked her to the door and helped her find her keys in her purse. She giggled—a lot.
“You really did have a good time tonight, didn’t you?”
She tilted her head back. “Have I mentioned I had a shitty day today?”
“Yup.”
“Then yes. I had a good time tonight.”
“Sounds like you needed it.”
Her head bobbed up and down. “You have no idea.”
He opened the door and turned on the lights, then made sure she got safely inside. By then Tori had pulled Calliope’s car into the garage, so she met them in the kitchen.
“Thanks for picking me up,” Calliope said, giving Brody a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “You’re the best brother-in-law ever.”
“Anytime. You know that.”
Calliope threw her arms around Tori and hugged her, then whispered in her ear. Tori shifted her gaze to Brody, her eyes widening.
“Okay. I’m done for. I’m going to bed. Love you both and lock the door on your way out.”
Brody shook his head as he watched Calliope’s weaving form disappear down the hall. “Night, Calliope.”
Tori gave him a look. “Give me just a second. I’m going to run upstairs and make sure she’s okay. If you don’t mind?”
“I don’t mind. Go ahead.”
He made himself at home by heading into the living room and turning on the television. The game wasn’t over yet, so when Tori came downstairs he asked her to wait
as the last few minutes ticked down. When the game was over, he clicked off the remote and turned to her. She was perched on the edge of the leather sofa.
“She okay?”
“She’s out. Not much of a drinker anyway, so when she decides to put one on, it generally throws her for a loop. I just wanted to make sure she wasn’t going to end up sick. She got into her pajamas and she’s already snoring.”
He laughed. “Good. Everyone needs to cut loose every now and then.”
“True. She had some snooty parents at the day care center to deal with this week who decided to inform her how they thought she should run things. Real know-it-all types and just relentless perfectionists who think their kids don’t ever poop or have boogers.”
Brody snorted. “Yeah, I know the type. In every business there are customers like that. You just have to grin and bear it, when all you want to do is smash a fist in their smug faces.”
“Exactly. And you know Calliope—she’s as sweet as they come, but even she folds under the pressure every now and then. And with Wyatt being out of town, I could tell by her tone of voice at the end of the day today she was ready to explode, so I suggested we go out tonight.”
They closed the front door and Brody made sure everything was locked up before making their way to his truck. “I’m glad you could be there for her so she could let off some steam and vent it out.”
“That’s what friends are for. We’re there for each other.”
They got into the truck and he backed down the driveway to make his way back to town. “I guess she’s always there for you, too.”
Tori stared out the window. “Always.”
“Yeah. Like she gave you love advice tonight?”
Her gaze shot to his. “No she didn’t.”
“She said she did.”
“She was drunk.”
He was silent for a while as he drove toward town. So was Tori, who stared out the window.
“I didn’t know you were seeing someone,” he finally said.
“I’m not seeing anyone.”
“So she gave you advice on how to ask someone out?”
She sighed. “Let it go, Brody.”
He heard the subtle pleading in her voice and decided he should probably let it go. But something twisted in his gut at the thought of Tori dating some random guy. Or any guy, for that matter. She hardly ever went out, and when she did, it didn’t last. She was pretty selective with guys she dated. He wondered why.
“You haven’t had a boyfriend in...hell, Tori, I don’t remember you ever dating anyone seriously.”
She shot him a look. “Why? Do you have a friend you’re thinking of setting me up with?”
He frowned at her. “Hell, no.”
Her lips curved in a hint of a smile.
“Is that funny?”
“No. Not at all.”
“I have great friends.”
“I know you do.”
He thought about all the guys he called friends, the times they’d all gotten together, and which ones had given Tori a second look. Probably all of them, considering she was gorgeous. “Is there one of my friends you want to go out with?”
“Nope.”
That relieved him a little. But only for a second, because he knew damn well that what Calliope had said about the love advice hadn’t been made up, and usually people who’d had too much to drink spilled a little too much of the truth.
When he pulled into Tori’s apartment complex, he got out of the truck and opened her door.
“Thanks for the ride.”
“It’s late. I’ll walk you up.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“I’ll walk you to your door, Tori.”
She blew out a breath. “Fine.”
As they walked up the back stairs, he frowned. “Lots of foliage around here. And you’re on the second floor.”
She fished into her purse for her keys. “And?”
He waited while she unlocked her door, surveying the remoteness of the area. “How long have you lived here?”
“About a year.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Gee, Brody, thanks.”
“I mean it doesn’t look safe. You should move.”
She rolled her eyes and stepped inside. “Thanks for the ride home. I appreciate it. Good night.”
He put his hand on the door. “Seriously, Tori. This isn’t the best neighborhood in town. And this apartment is at the end of a remote corridor. Not the best location.”
“It’s the best I can do, you know?”
He looked down at her. Always so tough, with that “I can take care of myself” attitude. He knew she had no one to take care of her.
Hell, she probably didn’t need anyone to take care of her, but right now maybe he needed it.
He braced his hands on either side of the doorway. “Ask me to come in.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“Let me come in, Tori.”
“Why?”
“I want to see your place.”
“Why?”
“Quit asking why and ask me to come in, Tori.”
She shook her head. “That is so not a good idea, Brody.”
“I know. In fact, it’s a really bad idea. Ask me to come in, anyway.”
Chapter Four
Tori’s heart beat so fast she could feel the pounding in her chest.
Brody wanted in her apartment. What could that mean? A huge mistake, was what it could mean. She should say no. Then again, maybe he was just being chivalrous and wanted to see if the boogeyman was in there. One quick check and then he’d leave.
But the way he looked at her, his sexy gaze giving her a look that said they had a lot to talk about—or maybe that there’d be no talking at all once she invited him past her threshold—definitely gave her pause.
She’d kissed him once and all these months later she couldn’t forget the taste of him. She couldn’t afford to mess with Brody, couldn’t handle letting him take her to bed and then deal with the repercussions of that.
Ridiculous. She was overthinking this, which happened every time she got anywhere near Brody. Then again, this was part of his modus operandi. He messed with your head, and before you knew what was happening, you were naked.
And then he dumped you.
“No.”
He cocked a brow. “What?”
“You can’t come in.”
“Why not?”
“Because...I’m tired.”
He inched a little closer and she breathed in the scent of him. Cool and crisp and ever so male, she wanted to reach out, grab his jacket and haul his mouth against hers, then kiss him until neither one of them could breathe. Oh, why couldn’t she have what she wanted, damn the consequences?
“Tori...you don’t look tired. You look...really good tonight.” He reached out and tugged on one of the curls that always seemed to be falling out of the top knot where she twisted her hair up. “Have I ever told you how much I like your hair?”
“Um...no, you haven’t.” See, there went her brain cells. Everything that screamed intelligent, logical woman had traveled somewhere south, which was now throbbing and screaming his name and begging him to take her and undress her and do wicked things to her.
He took a step closer. “I really like your hair. It’s soft and sexy and God, that red makes me crazy.”
She swallowed, or tried to, but there was currently a boulder in her throat making it impossible. “Brody, what are you doing?”
“Invite me in. You always have such careful control over your life. Tonight, let go. I just want to see if that kiss last Christmas was really as explosive as I thought it was. Did you think it was?”
“Yes.”
“So that was a yes.” He crossed her doorway and pushed the door shut behind him, gathered her in his arms and put his mouth on hers.
Oh, God. He was right. It was an explosion as his fingers dove in her hair and his lips claimed hers and
she suddenly couldn’t breathe as everything in her body ignited. She could do nothing but grab on to him, because Brody was a force to be reckoned with. He turned her around and pushed her up against the door, then fit his body against hers while he explored her mouth with his lips and tongue until she was dizzy with the delight and wonder and realization that this—this was what it was like to be thoroughly kissed and manhandled in the absolute best way.
And his body, pressed full up against hers, was a thing of beauty. She snaked her hands along the firm ridges of muscle that lined his biceps, and let out a soft moan that caused him to deepen the kiss until she was certain she’d have dropped to a heap on the floor if his body hadn’t been wedging her against the door.
It wasn’t fair, this mastery Brody had over women, the way he tangled his fingers in her hair and released the clip holding her hair up. His hand dove into her scalp and further enflamed her senses as he rocked his pelvis against hers.
It was too much—all too much, just like that first kiss last winter. He overloaded her senses and made her want him, made her body weep with joy and need and all the things that were dangerous and bad.
She pressed her palms against his chest and he groaned and God, she didn’t want to stop, wanted to see where this would go. She already knew where it would go—straight to her bedroom, where the two of them would end up naked and entwined. She’d entertained that fantasy so many times it was embarrassing.
But it wasn’t going to become a reality.
She tore her lips from his. “Brody. Stop.”
To his credit, he did. He pulled his head back and looked at her with heavy-lidded eyes that melted her and made her wonder why she hesitated.
She knew why. In some part of her sex-addled brain, she knew why.
He dragged his thumb over her bottom lip. “Yeah, this kiss was just as good as the first one, Tori. Don’t you think so?”
God, yes. Even better, in fact. So much so she knew it could never happen again. She couldn’t lose everything that meant so much to her. Her job, Brody’s family, her friends. Him.
“You should go,” she finally managed to say.
“You should talk to me about why you’re hesitating.”
Romancing the Holiday Page 21