One Lucky Deal (12 page)

“Yeah? Are you about to tell me it was a mistake?” Tad asked. He was just the slightest bit breathless, and her brain took her immediately back to the last time he was talking to her all out of breath.

“No. It was amazing,” Candace replied honestly and ran a little harder to fight the embarrassment of that truth. “I just—I don’t know if it was smart.”

“No. I mean yes to the amazing.” He laughed. “But no, it definitely wasn’t smart.”

“I don’t want things to be weird.”

“Let’s not let it be.” Tad shrugged.

“So we probably shouldn’t slip up again?” she asked, but it came out sounding like this was her game plan.

“Right.”

Damn it all to hell.
She was sort of hoping that he’d fight her on that. So she covered her disappointment with more words. “I mean—I understand we’re forcing intimacy on ourselves with this challenge thing, and we’re both obviously undersexed, but…”

Tad looked over at her, and she flamed wherever his gaze brushed. “I don’t want to ruin what we have.”

She glanced over beside her. “Neither do I.” The moment seemed really tense and really serious so Candace smiled and joked. “I mean, I’d be out a place to live.”

Tad laughed but he didn’t joke back. “I would never kick you out.”

Her heart clutched. “Are we still doing this challenge thing, then?”

“Well, we can’t just chicken out; besides we’ve come this far. It can’t last for too much longer, can it? Then we’re home free.” They could see the wedding spot still set up from last night. Joe and Ronnie were there taking things down. Candace hadn’t thought about that. They should probably stay and help.

“Truce, then?” Candace asked.

Tad stopped, and Candace turned around to head back to him. He was sweating. His dark hair stuck to his forehead. His shirt clung to his chest except for where the wind whipped it about. He looked good. Sexy. She had no idea how she was supposed to keep her hands off him now that, after all these years, she’d put them back on him.

Tad held out his hand for her. She gripped his fingertips with her fingertips and they bent forward and kissed the pad of each other’s thumb.

They started jogging again along the surf of the beach. “Hey.” Tad nodded toward the tent. “Race ya?”

“It’s on.” Candace grinned but she was thrown off when Tad ran past her, smacking her on the ass as he went. Yeah, she had no idea how they were going to go back to being just friends. She wanted him bad—like her next breath.

“Hey, what happened to you two last night? We couldn’t find you anywhere.” Ronnie was stuffed into a pair of loose-leg trousers and a pink tank with what looked like a man’s long-sleeve dress shirt on top. She had the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and a mess of long necklaces hung about her neck. It was strange how she could make being pregnant look so fashionable.

“Uh … we left,” Candace simply replied. She unleashed the dogs and let them run and play along the beach with each other.

“With who?” Joe raised his eyebrows.

Candace tried to think up a lie, but obviously Tad wasn’t so worried about it. “Each other.”

“Oh,” Joe said, sounding mildly disappointed. Candace was amazed that neither of them seemed to even think twice about it.

“Need some help?” Tad asked, lifting his shirt up to wipe at his brow.

“No, we’re done. The company Reed rented the tent from is going to come out and take it down. Man, I can’t believe you guys went home so early. You missed a great party.”

Tad looked at Candace. She could feel his eyes on her. She knew what he was thinking. Last night—how they’d gone home and had a party of their own. She couldn’t believe it had been her idea for no repeats. Was she nuts? Something that felt so good and so right could not be wrong. Yet he’d agreed to it. So where did that leave them?

“Well, apparently, since Reagan and Reed are going to be on their honeymoon, we are the new brains of this Operation Relationship … so are you ready for your next challenge?”

“Yeah, Tad cooked me breakfast yesterday, so we finally completed the last challenge. Bring on the next one.”

“You have to introduce him to your friends.” Ronnie smiled.

“What?”

“Well, we’d have you both introduce each other to your friends but you already know all of Tad’s. Introduce him to Jeannie,” Ronnie suggested.

“Okay. I’m not complaining, but Reagan was way better at this.”

“Shut up.” Ronnie rolled her eyes. “Help me carry this to our car.”

Tad bent over and picked up the box. “I can introduce her to my friends.” Joe and Ronnie stopped and looked at him. “She hasn’t met my other friends yet, and believe it or not, I do have other friends.” Tad headed for their vehicles while Candace whistled for the dogs to follow them.

“Why haven’t I met them?” Ronnie asked.

“Because I haven’t,” Joe said, popping the trunk. “Why haven’t I met them? Why hasn’t Candace?”

“You have. They’re younger—guys I graduated with.” Tad slid the box of centerpieces and miscellaneous decorations into the back of their car. “She would have met them sooner if the last several months hadn’t been crazy enough with Chloe running away, two weddings, a big birthday party, and that convenience store holdup…”

“Ah, you’re talking Max and them.” Joe nodded. “Well, have fun with your little friends,” he joked and opened the car door for his very pregnant wife.

“How much longer do you have to incubate that thing?” Tad pointed to Ronnie’s protruding belly.

“Beginning of September, but we’re hoping the baby will come before then.” Joe lit up when he talked about their unborn baby, and Candace wondered if she’d been right about everyone thinking about settling down eventually. “See you guys later. Poker still on?”

“Uh, of course.” Candace smiled. “Ronnie, you could come and fill in for Reed.”

“Okay.”

“Bring Chloe too. We’ll make a whole thing of it.”

“Sounds great. See you.” Ronnie smiled and pulled her door shut. They stood there and watched them drive off.

Rudy let out a rough bark as he wagged his tail, obviously wanting Candace to open the door so he could climb up into it. The sky looked like rain, so Tad let Sasha and Zeke climb up into the cab of his truck. “See you at home.”

She missed him already and he was just pulling out of his parking space. Candace knew that was not what her heart meant. She missed him. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted her hands on his body. She wanted to feel him move inside her.

Maybe when Reagan got back from her honeymoon Candace would dye her hair blonde. She could give it a try for a while. Candace laughed at herself, and when Rudy barked again she opened the door for him and Sara. She drove herself home, praying for one of two things: that Tad would crack and make another move, or that she could find a way—any way to stop wanting him.

* * * *

“Eggs okay?” Tad called from the kitchen when Candace came in the door with Rudolph leading and Sara pulling up the rear.

“They’re fine.” He could hear her shrugging out of her hoodie. “Are they going to be ready now, or do I have time to take a shower?”

“I’m almost finished,” Tad told her with a look over his shoulder.

That looked turned into two, then a triple-take, and then before he knew it he was just out-and-out staring. Apparently all that was under her hoodie had been a running bra. She was stretching out her middle with her arms above her head, and Tad’s mouth went bone dry at the sight.

He’d seen it before. She often just walked around the house in yoga pants and a tank top, but this was a running bra. Did she have to do that on the same day she just announced that he would not be getting a round two?

“I’ll set the table, then.” She smiled at him and brushed past him to reach into the cupboard. She’d just run, and he’d made sure that she ran hard, but she smelled better now than ever before. He forced himself to look away from her, but it was a struggle. She was beautiful. Maybe not in the over-the-top barroom blonde way that he was used to, but he was kind of glad for that.

“What?” Candace asked him as she came back down from her tiptoes. “Do I smell?” She lifted an arm and did a sniff test.

“No.” Tad shook his head and wondered if maybe he should have said yes. If she wasn’t thinking this way about him he didn’t want to humiliate himself by disclosing to her that he was.

Her gaze caught on his and he had to look away, because if she’d held his eye contact for just a second too long he would have thrown her down across the poker table. He was pretty sure it wouldn’t have been able to withstand what he was thinking of doing on it.

He couldn’t understand it. Maybe it was because he was typically the one to walk away … or run, as it usually went. She’d gotten up and left him before he’d even come back out of the bathroom. She was the one who had made the morning-after speech, and Tad’s head was reeling. He didn’t want it to be over. He’d barely gotten started.

“Milk or orange juice?” Candace pulled open the fridge and bent over to peer into its depths.

Tad caught the most amazing view of her ass. He hadn’t gotten enough glimpses of that last night. They’d been so rushed he’d had no time to explore, and now, looking at her like that, he wished he would have taken the time because now all he could think about was sinking his teeth into it.

“Tad?” Candace turned to look at him over her shoulder—still bent over.

“A beer,” he finally coughed out.

“It’s eleven in the morning.” Candace laughed.

“So what; your parents do it. They just do it with fancier drinks like mimosas or Irish coffee. Beer me.” Tad took the eggs off the burner.

Candace grabbed him a beer and slapped the cap off on the edge of the counter. “Here ya go.” She handed him the cold longneck. “When you’re finished I’ll drive you.”

“Where?” Tad asked after taking a long gulp.

“Your AA meeting.” Candace gave him a tongue-in-cheek smile and carried the plate of bacon to the table. “Hi, my name is Tad Dundee and I’ve been sober for oh about twenty minutes,” she teased.

“Yeah, I see you grabbed yourself one too there, drunky.” Tad followed her to the table with his pan of eggs.

“What kind of friend would I be if I let you drink alone?” Candace took a seat with a smile.

“The truly horrible kind.” Tad clinked the neck of his bottle against hers in quasi-cheers and tried hard not to stare down the front of her bra. What kind of friend was he to be having these kinds of thoughts? The kind of thoughts that involved her blushing, red-lipped, openmouthed, nails dragging across his skin, and his name on her lips? Also the truly horrible kind.

Chapter 10

“So, that challenge I was telling you about?” Candace and Jeannie were talking over lunch at work the next day. Jeannie sat on Candace’s desk while Candace demolished her tuna on rye.

“Yeah.” Jeannie rolled her eyes but smiled. Candace knew that she liked to pretend she found the whole thing silly, but she was actually completely intrigued and wanted to stay on top of all the latest mini-challenges.

Over the course of this challenge and discussing it with Jeannie, Candace had begun to feel exceptionally close to her. Reagan, her sister and best friend, was off on her honeymoon. Her other sister was busy with her own expectant life and trying to orchestrate these challenges. Because of this, Candace was very tempted to open up to Jeannie in a new way.

She’d like to come clean to someone about Tad, because avoiding him was not an option. Trying to move on wasn’t working, either. Wanting him and not having him was killing her, but he couldn’t be hers, and she knew that. Even if they did slip up and find themselves in bed again together, Tad didn’t do relationships … and for a long time neither did she.

“Well, the next challenge is I have to introduce him to my friends, and well … I want you to meet him. I know you’ve seen him around but I want you to meet him—meet him.”

Jeannie smiled broadly. “I’d love to.”

“Great.” Candace sighed. She’d been afraid that she’d misread their friendship. She was glad they were becoming better friends, possibly even more than just friendly coworkers. The truth was, Candace could use more girlfriends around.

“Oh, this is perfect!” Jeannie jumped. “I’m having this party Friday! You guys should come out.” She covered her mouth as she took a bite of her sandwich. “It’s going to be so fun.”

“We’d love to.” Tad and Candace loved a good party. At least, they used to back before this challenge when they were each other’s wingman.

“Okay. Wear white … and be prepared to get messy.”

“Okay.” Candace watched Jeannie walk away, but she sat there expecting her to turn around and explain her last comment to her. She never did. Candace, who was a glutton for punishment, didn’t ask.

* * * *

Candace came home that night to find Tad and Joe out in front of their house playing one-on-one basketball. Both of them had soaked through their shirts with sweat. It wasn’t an easy game. It was hard-core. Tad only played like that when he needed a stress release. Something must have really been weighing on his mind.

Candace slowed down to admire how he looked all worn out and sweaty in those basketball shorts. Tad was wearing a shirt that he’d ripped off the sleeves and most of the sides. He had a ribbed tank underneath, but his biceps were bared and free for her eyes to drink up. There was something about that nautical compass tattoo on his arm that instantly made her mouth water.

Joe stopped playing once he spotted Candace. Tad made another layup around Joe’s defenses with his sudden lack of interest in the game. Tad stopped playing and looked over his shoulder, presumably to figure out what Joe was looking at.

“Hey.” Joe bent over to catch his breath with his hands on his knees.

“What’s going on?” Candace smiled and walked across the street toward them.

“Hey.” Tad went back to shooting ball. “Come on. One more game, first to ten.” He checked the ball at Joe, but the ball just hit Joe in the chest.

“I can’t, man.” Joe laughed. “I can’t keep up with you tonight. I’ve got to go home. Hopefully that beautiful blonde I married will nurse my wounds.” Joe waved good-bye as he headed off with a slight limp and a hand clutching his side.