My Best Friend's Ex (2 page)

Garrett waited for her to say she needed to talk to
Janet first. His ex-wife didn’t care. She only thought about herself, always
had, always would, but he couldn’t convince Brooke of that fact. She still
believed Janet cared. He knew better.  “And that is?”

“That I bring something.”  She shifted back and gained
a little distance between them.

“As in food?” He released her hands and glanced around.
Somehow, he’d forgotten where they were. His only thought had been to hold her
close and enjoy the soft caress of her body against his. Now, he realized they
were standing in the middle of a superstore. Luckily, he’d decided not to rush
her and had resisted the urge to kiss her.

“Yes. You said you’d grill steaks, didn’t you?”

His gaze ran over her bobbed, auburn hair and locked
in on her emerald green eyes. He noted the anticipation in their depths and
smiled. “Certainly, we can head to the meat department right now, and you can
pick out the one you want.”

She laughed, the sweet sound playing across his skin
like a lover’s tantalizing touch.

For months, he’d wanted to contact her and suggest they
meet for dinner. Each time, he’d punched in her number, he’d paused. The likelihood
of her hanging up on him had kept him from following through with the call.

After seeing her earlier, he tracked her across the
store. He walked away initially so she wouldn’t become alarmed.  Next, he’d
circled back around to follow her. Meeting her here today seemed like a sign
that they might have a chance. 

“I know I can trust you to pick out the steaks, but I
could bring the salad or a dessert.”

“Dessert?” He lowered his gaze to her lips and
wondered at their flavor. Since his divorce, he’d spend very little time dating
mainly because of a lack of interest. Yes, he missed the sex and indulged when
the opportunity presented itself. But he didn’t trust himself to get involve
with someone, not after making such a big mistake the first time around.

“I can make a strawberry cheesecake. That use to be
your favorite.” Brooke licked her lips and stepped to her cart. “Or I can pick a
cake up from the bakery.”

Thoughts of how many times she’d cook for him flashed
through his head. Janet had informed him before they got married she had little
experience in the kitchen. He’d mistakenly believed she’d learn. Instead, she
invited Brooke over and let her do the chore while she chatted away concerning
some trivial event in her life.

“I’d prefer if you made the cheesecake, but I don’t
want you to go to a lot of trouble.” He spotted the few items in her basket and
shifted several packages to give her room in his. “Why don’t you move your
stuff over here? Then we can finish up our shopping without having to push two
carts around the store.”

“It’s not that big of a deal. I don’t have much more
to pick up.” She stepped forward to continue down the aisle.

He wrapped a hand around her arm and drew her to a
stop. “But you need to help me decide on what steaks to get, and what I should
serve with it.”

She tilted her head and lifted an inquiring brow.
“Meaning, you still don’t like to grocery shop alone.”

Shifting by her, he bent and retrieved her things from
the metal carriage. He dropped each item into his cart before he lifted his
gaze. Noticing the spark of amusement in her green eyes and the indulgent grin on
her kissable lips, he fought the temptation to draw her back into his arms. With
his body tightening with need, he succumbed to the overpowering urge and
wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

She rocked against him as if thrown off-balance by the
embrace. The soft cushion of her breasts hit his chest, and her hand landed
over his heart.

He tightened his hold, and her head swayed back enough
for him to catch her gaze. A spark of desire shimmered in the emerald depths before
her chin dropped. He edged closer. “I’ll let you drive.”

Brooke shifted out of his embrace and pointed a finger
at the handle. “No. If we’re going to do this, I’ll lead the way. You can follow
with the cart. Otherwise, we’ll be here all day. Now, where to first?”

Happy to see she was finally agreeing with his plan
for them to get together, he waved for her to lead the way. “Wherever you go, I
will follow.”

 With a slight frown, she stepped back and eyed him. A
wave of doubt hit him. She might have agreed to dinner, but she didn’t credit
him with seeing her as anything other than a friend.

He wanted to admit that he’d missed her a lot more
than he ever had Janet but held his tongue when her gaze drifted to his chest
and dipped even lower. The frown on her face deepened when her scrutiny of his
body fell on the zipper of his jeans. The hard bulge behind the fabric twitched,
eager for a chance to show her how serious he was to have her in his life.

She stepped forward and commented with a sheepish
grin, “Let’s walk over to the meat department? I want to find out what kind of
beef they have to offer.”

His mind guttered out. Ae fought the sudden ache in
his groin. Stepping forward, he wrapped his hands around the handle of the cart
and tried to focus on something else. The gentle sway of her hips caught his
attention, and his gaze ran over the long length of her legs.

Damn, I’ll never make it until this weekend.

The persistent ringing noise had Brooke fumbling in
the dark for her cell phone. Her hand ran over the surface of her nightstand
until she found the offensive object that had woken her from an erotic dream.
Lifting the device to her ear, she moaned, “Hello.”

The ringing didn’t stop.

“Shit,” she muttered and slid a finger across the
glass front before speaking again. “Hello.”

“Oh, gosh, I’m sorry, Brooke. I forgot what time it
was.” Janet’s voice rang through the phone along with loud music. The
combination jolted Brooke awake and reminded her as to why she’d called her friend
earlier that evening.

With her unavailable, Brooke had left a message.

Now at...she lowered the device enough to see the time
on her phone and read 2:31. She opened her mouth, ready to blurt out her
question to Janet, and forced her jaw close.
Damn
, this wasn’t the way
she wanted to handle this conversation.

Licking her lips, she struggled with what to say and revised
her reply. “Don’t worry about it. I just thought we might get together and
catch up.”

“Sounds great, we’ll need to do that.” The slight
slurred to Janet’s words alerted Brooke.

Added in the late hour and the music blaring through
the phone, she had no doubt Janet was probably drinking and having a good
time.  She wouldn’t welcome a discussion concerning her ex-husband. “Why don’t
you stop by my apartment tomorrow? It’s Saturday, and I don’t have any plans
for most of the day. We can...”

“Of course, you don’t. You never do anything fun. You
really need to find a boyfriend and get a life.” Janet’s snide comment stung.

Suddenly, all the years Brook spent squashing her own
desires to please her friend hit her in the face. Why the hell had she put up
with Janet?

Sitting up, she shoved an extra pillow behind her
back. “That’s exactly what I plan on doing. I have a date tomorrow with a man
I’ve been in love with for a long time.”

“Right, the only man you’ve ever loved is Garrett
Sawyer. And girlfriend, he won’t have anything to do with you. He sees you as
nothing more than his kid sister.” Janet paused. A gurgling noise rang through
the receiver as if she was taking a drink. “Believe me, I don’t care if you two
hooked up, but it won’t happen. The man still isn’t over me.”

Surprised by her friend’s total lack of connection to
reality, Brooke bit her lip and held back her opinion on the subject. Garrett
seemed more than ready to move on. In fact, if she hadn’t read him wrong, he
appeared genuinely interested in her.   

“It’s sad really. If you two had gotten together,
you’d probably already be pregnant with your first child and living the life of
his good, little wife. Think of the money you’d save by not having to pay for
college.” Janet’s words painted a picture that Brooke couldn’t say she was
entirely unhappy with living. Except it didn’t include her goal of someday
teaching.

A deep male voice broke through the phone. “Come on,
Janet. I’m tired. Let’s go to bed.”

“Right, sorry Brooke, I’ve got to go. We’ll talk
soon.”

The phone went dead.

“What, not even a goodbye?” Lowering her phone to her
nightstand, she shifted down in bed and stared at the ceiling. The ambient
light coming in through her bedroom window provided enough visibility for her
to see the bump of the fire alarm and the vent for the heater. Her mind
replayed her conversation with Janet.

Did she have her answer? Was Janet okay with Garrett
moving on? She had stated she didn’t care if he and Brooke dated.

Still...

Brooke allowed her imagination to create the scenario
Janet had described.  Could she be happy as Garrett’s wife? Did she want to
have his child? Live the rest of her life with him?

Thrilled at the possibility, she pictured his moist
lips, hard chest, and lean body. Slowly, she drifted into a sensual dream until
the perfect life turned into a nightmare. 

  Pulling her car into Garrett’s driveway, Brooke
checked the address again to make sure she was at the right house. The
two-story house had a nice yard with holly bushes running next to the porch and
under the front window.

Nervous, Brooke drew in a deep breath and gathered her
things. Stepping out of the car, she shoved her purse strap onto her shoulder
and carefully held the cheesecake with two hands.

For the last few days, she’d debated with herself the
decision to come here.  Even after talking to Janet, Brooke still didn’t know
if this was the right thing to do. Yes, she loved Garrett, had since she met
him as a freshman in high school. She wanted him to be happy. That was the only
reason she’d stepped aside when he showed interest in Janet.

Now, though, things were different. He’d experienced
married life and probably knew more of what he wanted in a wife.

Brooke walked up the steps to his front door. Did he
really want her?

She might not be the small asteroid she was in her
teens, but she still struggled to maintain her weight.

Thunder roared in the west and a few sprinkles hit her
arm. She rubbed her sweaty palms off on her faded jeans. Juggling the serving
dish in her hands, she managed to push the doorbell.

Shouldn’t she at least give them a chance?

After all, she’d stayed away from him during the
divorce. Now, Janet had moved on and was dating other men. She also said she
didn’t care what he did.

Still a small remnant of her dream plagued her, and
she fought to keep a clear head as to the possible pitfalls of them having a relationship. 
“I just need to take this slow and make sure I’m not making a mistake.”

The lock clicked, and the door opened.

Suddenly wanting to escape, she stared at Garrett.

A roller in one hand, he had paint splatters all over
his clothes. Shock flashed across his face. “It can’t be six o’clock?”

Fascinated by the light yellow specks in his dark hair,
Brooke edged backward. “Is it a bad time?”

He opened the door wider and ushered her
into the house.  “No, it’s just that I...forgot the time.”

“I, uh...” Brooke glanced around. The living room had
furniture piled in the center, and a plastic tarp covered the floor next to a
half-painted wall. “Maybe, I should come back later?”

He locked the door and blocked her retreat. “No, I can
have this cleaned up in no time. All I need to do is pour the paint back into
the can and clean the roller. Once I’m done, I’ll fire up the grill. We can start
the movie and eat while we’re watching it.” He closed his hands over the
serving dish and tugged the cheesecake free from her grip.

“I’ll just set this in the kitchen and then store
everything away.” He hurried down the hall.  

Rain beat against the windows. The weather reminded
her of the dreary days of winter, and the nights, she sat huddled on her couch
alone, drinking hot tea. She studied the room and the evidence of his hard
work.

In less than ten minutes, he could be done. At the
sound of his footsteps behind her, she turned.  “But Garrett, you’re not
finished. You don’t want to drag all this stuff back out tomorrow.”

“It’s no big deal. I can always finish later.” The
frown on his face showed his displeasure at forgetting their date. He walked to
the area where he’d been working before she interrupted.  

Brooke smiled and shook her head. “This was one of the
things that drove Janet wild. She hated how you’d go off and spend time helping
friends with their home improvement projects and forget to come home until late.”

The new, light-yellow color lightened the room and welcomed
her. “I never understood why she didn’t go with you? I always thought it would
be fun.”

Crouched down, he studied her for a moment before
pouring the paint from the roller’s tray into the paint can. “It can be a lot
of work and make an awful mess.”

“Yes, but isn’t that why you enjoy doing it?”

His eyes met hers, and an electric current zipped
through the center of her body. She gripped her hands into knots to keep from
brushing a smear of paint from his cheek.

A wicked grin bloomed on his face, and her insides
melted. He set down the tray and stood. “So do you want to get messy?”

Tempted, she raised an eyebrow. “How messy are we
talking?”

He stepped closer. “Depends on the task, some jobs
only require you get your hands dirty. Others...” His gaze fell to her breasts,
and he rubbed his hands along his thighs. “Involve a shower.”

Need sizzled through her body. What was he suggesting?

She pointed to the paint on his shirt and ran a finger
over the smudge on his cheek. Should she take him up on his offer?

Thunder boomed outside and warned her of impending
danger. Could she weather the changes a relationship with him would cause?

His dark brown gaze captured her heart, and she swayed
closer to the strong haven of his arms. “And do you take this shower alone or
with your helper?”

He caught her around the waist and tugged her close.
“A partner is always welcomed.”

The steady beat of his heart greeted her hands, and
she marveled at his warmth. Why did being in his arms feel so right?

“I want you to be completely satisfied with whatever...”
He lowered his head and his mouth hovered inches from hers. “Project we’re
trying to accomplish.”

Energy shot through her body when his lips met hers.
Messy or not, she refused to deny herself the thrill of being in his arms,
enjoying his kisses, or simply spending time with him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled
deeper into his embrace. The erotic stroke of his tongue against her lips
invited her to let him inside her mouth. Unable to deny him, she sighed with pleasure
at his invasion.

His hold tightened, and their bodies lay plastered
together from their shoulders to their knees. Only their clothes separated
them, but his heat seared her, melting through her resistance and filling her
with a need to have so much more. She wanted to remain in his arms for the rest
of the evening.

All too soon, he pulled back and stared down into her
face. “So what’s it going to be? Do we finish this project and head upstairs
for a shower? Or do I put all this away and go upstairs alone?”