He felt his nostrils flare. “Fine. Go with him. I don’t care.”
Oh, he fucking cared. He cared so fucking much that if he didn’t leave this room right this second, he was liable to punch a fist through a wall.
He stormed past her down the hallway and slammed his bedroom door.
Inhaling deep breaths, he stalked around the room. The kiss played over and over in his mind.
Did Brody kiss her differently? Better than he did?
The question made his body quake with anger. Images of her in Brody’s arms tormented him, making Tommy fist his hands and want to pummel something.
No, he did not want her with that man.
He didn’t want her with any man.
He wanted her for himself.
Considering his certainty that he took after his mother, that had to be the most selfish thing he’d ever wanted. But, God help him, he couldn’t sit back and let another man steal her away. He could only hope there was some romantic tenderness inside him somewhere. Julie deserved a man who was insanely attracted to her but who could still sit on the couch with her, hold her, kiss her, without pouncing on her in blind lust.
Maybe if he could do that much, the urge to flee from her in the morning wouldn’t set in and ruin their friendship completely. Maybe with her, he could stick around.
And he planned to prove he could do just that.
To her…and to himself.
…
Julie slipped into the house, giving the dogs a good ruffling as they trotted up to greet her. She glanced but everything was quite. Tommy’s rental car was outside, so he had to be here. Today would be the first time she’d seen him in a week. Somehow she’d been able to avoid him, ever since she told him she wanted to take Brody to the wedding. God knew she’d had to stay away.
Once the anger had worn off, the realization had set in.
Tommy Sparks, the man she’d spent more of her life in love with than not, had finally kissed her.
Without one ounce of passion.
On the surface, she’d known that. It was why the kiss had made her so furious. The meaning, however, had taken a little longer to sink in.
Even though he’d kissed her, he still wasn’t attracted to her. How could he be, and be so cold as he touched her?
Mortification set in, so ugly its shame had burrowed deep in her chest and, for the second time in a week, she had cried over Tommy. Mostly she’d cried for the teenage girl who’d always believed that one day a wonderful kiss would change the way Tommy looked at her.
Because that girl had just been proven wrong.
It hadn’t been wonderful, and it hadn’t changed him. If anything, it had made things a whole lot worse.
In her teenage fantasies, some other boy’s interest in her would always spark a fit of jealousy that had Tommy yanking her to him and kissing her. But unlike what had happened in reality, in her fantasy as soon as his lips touched her, his jealousy fled. He would groan against her mouth in passionate desire, gather her close to his chest, and thoroughly kiss her in a way that made every fantasy she’d ever had seem like child’s play to the real thing.
It was supposed to be awe-inspiring, mind-blowing…life-altering.
Okay, yeah. It had been life-altering—just not in the way she’d fantasized. She’d had to face the fact that Tommy had finally kissed her…and hadn’t felt anything. That had been a hard truth to swallow, and she’d spent the entire week coping with her turbulent feelings. She’d slip out of the house before he got up, remaining at the clinic for lunch, then staying out with Brody or Melody until late. When she got home for the night, she’d pass Tommy with a quick good night and go straight to her room. One thing was clear, though—he hadn’t found a place to live yet. And she couldn’t continue avoiding him in her own home.
It was time to let it go and move on.
The kiss had been a mistake. Nothing had changed between them. Their relationship was the same as it ever was.
So tonight, instead of going out, she’d decided to stay and face the music. Just her luck he wasn’t anywhere in sight. She went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of Merlot. Now she just wanted to slip into a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt and enjoy a glass of wine before she took a long bath and enjoyed a second glass of wine. God, that sounded heavenly. She really missed her quiet evenings at home.
After she changed, she wandered into the living room. Still no Tommy. She went to the back door and opened it. Grunts and oofs immediately assailed her.
What in the world?
Tommy and Mac were wrestling on a blue mat they’d laid down on the grass. All kinds of equipment was scattered around, as well. Grappling dummies, pads, gloves, even a freestanding bag with one of those sand-filled bases. So Tommy was trying to get back in the cage.
Good for him.
She stepped out on the patio and waited until they broke apart. “How’s it going?”
Tommy’s head snapped over in her direction, and the smile that came to his lips made her heart stutter.