Thorn's Challenge - Brenda Jackson [21]
“Possibly. However, it may take a while since she feels she let someone down.”
Thorn decided not to ask, but curiosity got the best of Storm and he did the asking. “Who did Tara let down?”
“The children.”
“Oh.” Storm glared at Thorn after throwing out a card. “I’d forgotten about Kids’ World. So I guess that also means I’m going to lose the bet. Thorn will never make any points with Tara by pissing her off.”
Thorn decided he needed a break and placed his cards face-down on the table. “Where is Shelly, Dare? I need a drink of water.”
Dare didn’t look up from studying his hand. “She’s probably upstairs watching a movie or something, but you know where the refrigerator is. Help yourself. There’s beer and soda in there as well.”
Thorn stood up from the dining room table as all of the brothers except for Dare glared at him. He walked into the kitchen and pulled out a pitcher of water from the refrigerator. He’d reached the max for beers he could consume and still ride his bike.
After reaching into the cabinet for a glass, he filled it with cold water and glanced across the way at a framed photograph that was on Dare and Shelly’s living-room table. It was a photograph of Shelly, Tara and Delaney taken during a shopping trip the three women had taken to New York a few months ago.
Tara.
He hadn’t seen her or talked to her since the day of their bike ride almost a week ago, but there hadn’t been a day that passed when she hadn’t crossed his mind. He had called her and left her a couple of messages, but she hadn’t returned his calls, not that he had really expected her to. He hated admitting it, but Storm was right. It would be hard for him to garner any points with her because she was totally pissed off with him. But still, the thought of standing in front of a camera, posing for a photographer—as he’d done for Patrice—was something he was hell-bent against doing.
“Thorn! If you’re still in the game, we need you out here!”
He recognized Stone’s voice. “Keep your underwear on. I’m coming.”
As he went back to the card game, Thorn returned his brothers’ glares.
“I don’t like losing, Thorn,” Storm said as he watched him intently.
Thorn knew Storm was talking about the bet his brothers had made and not about the card game. He sighed. He knew what Tara wanted from him, and he knew what he wanted from her. Suddenly, he had an idea how they could both get what they wanted. Satisfied he had come up with a workable plan, one he thought was strategically sound, he met Storm’s intense stare. “Don’t give up on me yet, bro.”
Storm’s lips eased into a relieved smile. “Thanks, Thorn. I knew I could count on you.”
Thorn pulled his bike to a stop in front of Tara’s apartment. A number of lights were still on inside which must mean she hadn’t gone to bed yet. He quickly shut off the bike’s engine and made his way to her door, wondering if she would agree to the offer he intended to make.
He rang her doorbell and waited for her to answer. He didn’t wait long. First he registered her surprise and then her frown. “Thorn. What are you doing here?”
He leaned against the doorjamb. “I needed to talk to you about something.”
He saw the lifting of her brow. He also noticed that although she hadn’t gone to bed, she was wearing a white velour bathrobe. He couldn’t help but wonder what, if anything, she wore underneath the robe.
“Talk to me about what?”
“The possibility of me doing that calendar.”
She met his gaze and he saw uncertainty. “You’ve changed your mind about doing it?”
He shook his head. “No, not yet. However, I think the two of us can work something out where I might be able to swing it.”
The uncertainty in her gaze changed to hope. “All right. Come in,” she invited, opening the door to him and standing back.
He entered and closed the door behind him. More than anything, he wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her senseless. He had missed her taste, her scent and every damn thing about her. But he didn’t think she would appreciate him touching her just yet.
“Would you like something to drink?”
Her voice,