Page 35 of Reckless Curves
She shook away the memory. She’d never met a man who stirred her heart like Tom had—and still did.
The kiss last night proved to her she was still susceptible to his male charisma. But one-sided love did not make for a good marriage.
She heard movement on the landing outside her door, and a moment later, someone knocked.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
Opening the door, Kendra’s breathing stopped at the sight of Tom. The black jeans he wore hinted at his strong thighs. He wore a solid red button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. It emphasized his broad shoulders and brought out the color of his eyes.
Tom was dressed to impress and he surely did. He usually always wore old jeans and T-shirts or tank tops. He looked incredible and her desire to kiss him almost overwhelmed her.
He gave her a quizzical look. “Can I come in?”
“Oh! Of course.” She waved him inside. “Sorry. You look nice.”
As he walked past her, the faint scent of an expensive fragrance reached her nostrils. It only increased her hunger for him. How was she supposed to concentrate on rentals when he looked and smelled so good?
Tom smiled as he turned to her. “I clean up pretty good—when I feel like it, which isn’t too often. You look nice, too.”
Kendra looked down at her blue skirt and white spaghetti strap top. “You’re just being kind,” she said. “These are just old clothes. Gone are the days where I could afford designer anything.”
His gaze raked over her. “You could wear a burlap bag and still be sexy as hell, Kendra.”
Why was it so hot in here? Kendra suddenly couldn’t breathe as desire gleamed in his eyes. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what? Like I want you? Like you drive me crazy? Because you do. You always have. I just couldn’t let you know it.”
Kendra couldn’t lie to herself or him. “I wish you would’ve.”
His lips curved in a wry smile. “I should’ve, but I was scared.”
“Scared of what?”
He lifted a hand and cupped her cheek. “Screwing up with you just like my parents. All those fights… And then losing my best friend over nothing.”
His touch made her pulse speed up. The remorse in his eyes filled her with sympathy. “It wasn’t all your fault, Tom. I wanted you so much that I jumped at the chance to be with you when you’d made it very clear it was a onetime thing. I’m ashamed, but I was young and had stars in my eyes. I was so stupid and reckless once I found out I’d had a second chance at life.”
He stared into her eyes. “If you’d asked, I might have postponed going.”
“No you wouldn’t. I have thought about that a lot.” Kendra put her hand over his. “Besides, I couldn’t ask you to put your career on hold. I didn’t want to hold you guys back. I’m not sure my brother would have won without you.”
“You could’ve come with me.”
Kendra’s eyes widened. “What and sit at the hotel? Like a track bunny? Not me, sorry.”
He sighed. “You’re right. I wasn’t good enough for you after everything you’d been through. You deserved more than to tag along behind me. You had a life to live, and I had to make my way in mine. Maybe that’s how it was meant to be? Because we both had time to grow and mature to the point we know what we want.”
“Maybe…” Kendra thought maybe there were second chances. She broke away from Tom so he could not see how much she would have wanted to be with him. “And you were being loyal to Marcus too, right? I know the bro code.” She crossed the room to the windows.
“We were all too young but we aren’t now.”
Soon he was next to her and turned her around. “I’m done worrying about what Marcus thinks. He’s an adult and needs to get over it. I was just trying to be respectful to him and you. I didn’t want to ruin my friendship with Marcus if there was nothing serious between us and back then I wasn’t ready for anything serious. But I am now. Now we have Connor to think about too.”
“I’m not sure you really are. It simply suits you to say so because of Connor, but you haven’t been interested in me since you’ve been back.”
Tom’s gaze wavered. “I know but—”
