Page 37 of Mad Rivals
I’m shocked when my phone starts to ring and it’s Madden Bradley calling me.
Calling me.
“Uh, Clem? We’ve got a nine-one-one situation here.”
Her eyes move to mine as I flash her my screen.
“What are you waiting for? Answer it!” she screeches.
“Hello?” I say tentatively.
“Is that really what you think I’m doing?” he demands, cutting right to the chase.
I blow out a breath. “I don’t really know what to think.”
“What are you doing right now?”
“None of your business.”
He chuckles. “That’s the most Kennedy answer of all time. Come meet me for a drink.”
“How do you know I’m not busy?” I ask, a little sass in my tone.
“Because you’re texting me on a Friday night, and it’s quiet at your house.”
“How do you know I’m at my house?”
“Admittedly, it’s an assumption,” he says. “Would it be creepier if I said it’s because I’m watching you?”
I can’t help but bark out a laugh at that. “Definitely.”
“I’m not, just for the record. So how about that drink?”
“I already have a drink in hand, but thanks.”
“What does Kennedy Van Buren drink on a relaxing Friday night at home?”
“Tito’s and soda with a lime.” I take a sip as if it’s proving a point even though he can’t see me.
“In case you’re wondering, I’m nursing a beer.”
“I wasn’t wondering.”
He laughs. “Goddammit, Kennedy. I really like you.”
“Why?”
He quiets on the other end of the line. “Do you really want me to answer that?” His voice is warm and husky when he poses the question, and it sends a shot directly to my vagina.
This is a terrible idea, but I can’t seem to stop myself.
“I do.”
“I noticed your hair was different. I know your Starbucks order. I know that you click your pen three times when you’re making a point, and I wondered if it was for emphasis or just a nervous habit. I’m noticing things about you I’ve never really cared to look at before.”
“What can I say? I’m fascinating,” I say dryly.
He chuckles. “I can’t argue that. But it’s not just those things. You’re fierce, and you’re funny. You’re blunt as hell and don’t seem to give a fuck. It was your beauty that first caught my interest, but it’s your personality that kept it.”
