Run to Love (Triple R Book 1)

by Dixon,Jules

  I inhaled sharply.

  “What?” Drexel’s eyes narrowed.

  I reread the text and my eyes watered.

  I started from the first text Jude sent me last night and read through today’s texts. What I should’ve done before I agreed to have drinks with another man.

  Jude: Here’s the truth. That was my ex-girlfriend from ISU, Kiera Maxwell. She’s in town for the night. I invited her to dinner at my place. No, I didn’t tell her about you and no, I didn’t tell you about her. I’m sorry, that was wrong. She told me she was going to be moving to Omaha and she tried to kiss me. That’s what you saw. I did NOT kiss her. Then I ran after you, because Presley, I only want you. Not her.

  My chest constricted.

  It is a misunderstanding.

  Jude: I’m sorry. I know they are only words but I really do mean them. I don’t want to be vague by text. Please let me explain.

  My heart pounded.

  He means them and he remembers I don’t like vague answers.

  Jude: If you are still awake, can you please just let me know that you are okay? I’m worried about you.

  My lips quivered.

  He worries because he cares … about me.

  Jude: Good morning (well, not good). Again, I’m sorry for what happened last night. I want to say thank you for trying to surprise me with Chinese food. That was very thoughtful. I’m sorry you’re the one who really got a surprise. I’d like a chance to talk to you, just hear me out for five minutes, please.

  My hands shook.

  He wants to talk.

  Jude: Hope your day is going okay. We’re supposed to have dinner tonight. If your schedule is still open, I’d still like to make you dinner and talk. Please, Presley.

  My stomach dropped.

  It should be Jude sitting across from me.

  Jude: I feel like a stalker. I don’t know what more to say. I already miss you, Presley. Kiera told me women don’t like men to beg, but I’m going to ignore her. Please, Presley, all I ask is a few minutes to talk. Please.

  My heart rose.

  He was ignoring her advice because he knew what I needed to hear.

  And the text he just sent me.

  Jude: I should have told you yesterday morning when I wanted to but I thought saying the words would make you run from me. That happened anyway. I have nothing to lose. Presley Bradenhurst, I love you and I always will.

  My eyes closed.

  He loves me, too.

  Drexel reached across the table to squeeze my other hand. “What’s wrong?”

  “Presley.”

  My heart exploded in my chest upon hearing the familiar deep-tone boom.

  Drexel released my hand and turned in his seat.

  When I brought my eyes up, like always, I wasn’t prepared for the vision of the beautiful man that had painted his name across my heart in a colorful script.

  “Hey.” Drexel eyed Jude up and Jude stepped to the table.

  “Jude Saylor.” He held out his hand.

  “Drexel Mason.” They shook hands while I wiped my tears. “So you’re Presley’s boyfriend?”

  Jude didn’t hesitate. “I am. And you’re the guy who acts like an ass to her because you would like to be her boyfriend, but you’re not.”

  Drexel’s jaw ticked, but he chuckled lightly. “Yes, Jude, I know what you have, and honestly, I’m pissed as hell at myself that I missed my chance.” Drexel stood. “But after sitting here and having her a million miles away, I’m assuming thinking about you, I know I’m too late. Right, Miss Perfect?”

  I nodded the tiniest of nods to let him know he was right.

  Jude stepped closer to him. “You don’t get to call her that ever again, Dixless.”

  After having a long stare-down with Jude, Drexel twisted to me. “Is that what you call me?” His bright blue eyes dimmed.

  “I’m sorry, Drexel. My roomie made up the nickname after you sprayed my white dress-shirt with water in the break room.”

  Jude grunted his disapproval at that bit of information.

  It was a long time ago.

  Drexel closed his eyes and shook his head at himself. “All right, maybe I deserved the nickname.” He reopened his eyes and smirked. “That was an entertaining day though, very eye-opening.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “It’s time to leave, Mason.” Jude’s body language was like a peacock ready to defend its mate.

  Fitting.

  “Okay, okay!” Drexel held up his hands in surrender. “I get the point. No need to go all protective mammal on me, Saylor. See you at work tomorrow, Miss … Presley. Good night and good luck, Jude.” Drexel turned and walked out the side fence to his car.

  Jude watched until he drove from the parking lot.

  The waitress came over with the appetizers and my second martini. She skimmed Jude up and down. I cleared my throat at her. She dropped the food and drink and hightailed it away.

  Jude rounded the table, stopping beside my chair. “Did you get my messages?”

  “I read the texts right before you showed. I’m assuming Willow—”

  “Yes, she did. Can we talk, please, Prez?”

  “There’s nothing to talk about.”

  His face washed of all emotion, his hazel eyes clouded to a smoky brown, and the glitter of gold disappeared. “So we’re done? I can’t believe you won’t just—”

  I tugged his shirt and guided him in between my legs. We’d gained the attention of most of the guests on the patio, but I didn’t care. I ran a hand down his handsome face, the whiskers tickling my palm. “I should have told you yesterday morning when I wanted to but I thought saying the words would make you run. Now I have everything to gain. Jude Saylor, I love you and…” I gazed deep into his beautiful eyes as they gained back their sparkle. “I always will.”

  The gasping of onlookers gave me goose bumps.

  Jude cracked his smirky smile. “No more running, Presley.”

  The words were a demand, not a question, and at this moment it was clear—I never would run, ever again.

  “Couldn’t even if I wanted to.” I winked. “Asthma.”

  He chuckled but stopped and sighed. “I love you, Presley Bradenhurst.”

  “I love you, Ponytail.”

  Using the grip I had on his shirt, I tugged his body to mine and he closed the distance. His lips met mine. The cheers around us made us giggle against each other’s mouths.

  “Wanna come to my house?” I asked in his ear.

  “No.”

  I started to back away.

  “No, Presley, I want you to come to my house. I have a motorcycle we need to ride.”

  I puffed a desire-filled breath into his ear and nuzzled into his neck, grabbing the soft skin with my teeth, leaving a light red mark.

  My mark.

  “Get ready to call in sick tomorrow cause I’m gonna shatter your world over and over and over again,” he whispered into my ear, nipping at my lobe which sent shivers of anticipation through me. “Let’s go.”

  “Need to pay.” I called the waitress over.

  She stepped to the table. “Your other guy got it. Told me he had a feeling he’d be leaving early and alone.”

  Jude threw his head back laughing. “At least Dixless knows when he’s struck out.”

  After playing major league baseball, he really does.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Jude

  I followed Presley to her house. She collected Foo-Foo’s dog items and her own to stay over while I played with the dog in the backyard. I could feel the anticipation in the air and a little anxiety on Presley’s side.

  “Jude, I’m ready,” she yelled from the kitchen.

  I picked up the tiny ball of white and dropped my mouth to Foo’s ear. “Foo-Foo, you need to be nice to my cat, Ninja. Don’t expect you to be friends right away. Give him time and he’ll come around. Or I guess you’ll be mortal enemies and that’s okay, too.”

  She barked and I
laughed.

  When I got to the door, Presley’s smile told me I had done something she liked. “What were you telling Foo-Foo?”

  “I was letting her know that Ninja’s not a huge dog fan, but not to take it personally.” I stopped inside the door. “Are you okay, Prez?”

  She tipped her head and nodded but her silence spoke more than a multi-volume novel.

  “Anything you want to know about last night?” I asked.

  Presley bit her lip. “How long did she stay?”

  “Until nine.”

  “Did she kiss you?”

  “No.”

  “Do you still have feelings for her?”

  “Nothing more than friendship.”

  “Are you going to see her again?”

  “Only if you’re there with me.”

  “Do these questions make me seem psycho?”

  “Yes, but I love your kind of psycho.”

  She laughed and pulled on my arm. “Let’s go. There’s a motorcycle I’m dying to ride.”

  I snarled low and animal-like at her and she let out a shriek of fake fear. If my imagination was anything like what would happen on that bike, it was hot and I was going to need to clean it up. The bike, not my imagination.

  Before we made it to the door, I shuffled to a stop.

  Presley turned. “What’s wrong?”

  I stretched the words. “You have any condoms?”

  “What? I have to bring my own protection?” she said with fake shock while she moved her hand up to my neck. I adjusted Foo-Foo to sit under one arm so I could pull my girlfriend close.

  I kissed down the side of Presley’s soft neck. “We can stop and I’ll get some. Not a problem.”

  “I have some in my bag. Have you always been safe?”

  “Yes, and I’ve been tested … clean, no partners after my test.”

  “Then I’ll let you decide. I’ve been on the pill for years. I can’t say an accident wouldn’t ever happen, but as far as I know, I’m covered. And since I’ve only had sex about a dozen times, and we used condoms, I’m 99.9 percent sure I’m clean, too.”

  A dozen times?

  I dipped my head and grazed her lips. “Honestly, not to scare you, but someday in the future, to have our baby inside of you will be the greatest gift, besides yourself, that you will ever give me, Presley.”

  Then I realized we’d never talked about kids and if she wanted them, but what I saw in her eyes wasn’t fear of the idea. It was love. And it rocked my world as well as the weightlifter’s. I raised my eyebrows and her eyes widened.

  “Apparently, somebody really likes that idea.” She moved closer to me, pressing my erection against my lower stomach. “Really, really likes that idea, and you know I can’t say I disagree with him. Are you sure you don’t want to stay here?”

  “Yes. I’m sure.” The blood started to stream from my head to below the belt. “I think.” I took a deep breath. “Let’s go before I change my mind.”

  After the quick drive, Presley and I had Foo-Foo settled in my side of the duplex. Ninja came out of hiding and acted like the little dog was completely annoying but that he couldn’t care less. She licked his face and he jumped onto the back of the chair, looking down on the playful fuzzball as if to say, “Felines rule, canines drool.” Presley drew her hand down Ninja’s back, and he was in heaven.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Not for food,” she returned with a husky timbre.

  “Presley…” I pulled her against me. “I want to make love to you, but I haven’t eaten since eleven this morning. I have to eat or I may just pass out from the blood rushing to my weightlifter.”

  Shit, did I just say that?

  “Weightlifter?” Her head shook on the word.

  I looked down and shrugged my shoulders.

  She broke out laughing. “You did not name your penis the weightlifter!”

  My ego took a small hit, but I recovered quickly. “I did.” I walked backward to the kitchen. “Want a glass of wine?”

  “Yes, please. Well, I’m pretty impressed with the weightlifter. I hope he’s ready to get pumped.” She said the last words like a ‘roided up bodybuilder.

  Oh, I’ll show you pumped.

  I spun and picked her up, and she released a happy little squeal of surprise. I set her on the counter and started our night out right. My mouth covered hers, my tongue licked along her delicate lips, and teeth pulled at the plump flesh. Her hands rounded my neck, pulling me as close as I could be. I tugged her forward on the counter and our bodies connected intimately through our clothes. Her thin yoga pants didn’t provide any substantial coverage to prevent the bulge in my jeans from being evident. I rolled my hips, rubbing the hardness against her. The friction caused her to moan deeply. Her head crashed into the crook of my neck, vibrating her want against my skin.

  “How’s that for pumped?” My lips were right at her ear, pulsating the words in time to my hips.

  Her fingers dug through my hair, nails scraped across my scalp and sent skin-rippling tremors down my spine.

  “Do you really need to eat?” Her breathy voice weakened my knees. She turned her head and her eyes glowed with passion.

  “I could eat you instead.”

  I slid my lips down her neck, pulling the skin through my teeth.

  Presley’s hands gripped my head and brought my eyes to hers. Her eyes heated to green fireballs. “Please.”

  I made quick work of getting her yoga pants and underwear off, then I dropped to my knees and lost myself in her heaven. I loved hearing her gasps as her fingers dug into my scalp when she was close to cresting. I brought her to the edge and back down several times. Her body trembled and calmed. It was a fine line between torture and building the height of her climax but since she was so responsive, I could tell when she was close but not going to shatter. She was at the point of no return when she gave me the raspiest moan, almost pained but in a good way. I helped her over the threshold into bliss and her body trembled beautifully. My hands grasped her hips and held her safely in place. Her mouth released my name in time with the waves of her orgasm, like a mantra of appreciation. I brought her down slowly and stood to view her beautiful green eyes … so soft and so satiated.

  I leaned in to give her a kiss.

  “Jude?” Zane called out. “Hi, there. Who are you?” I heard him say to Foo-Foo and the tiny dog scampered into the kitchen.

  Shit! I didn’t even hear the door.

  “Zane! Don’t come in here!” I yelled before he walked into the kitchen. I moved to shield Presley’s body in case he misunderstood the urgency of my words.

  “Are you masturbating in the kitchen, dude?”

  Presley burst out in a full-body laugh, throwing her head back and slamming it against the upper cabinets. I grabbed her head and kissed the pain away, and she continued to laugh.

  I helped Presley to get her clothes back on.

  “No, I’m not!” I called back. “If you can’t hear, there is a beautiful female who is laughing wildly at your jackass comment. I’m not alone.”

  “Dude! Sorry. I can come back later. Just needed to grab something from my room.”

  Presley indicated she was fine with meeting him but she rolled a finger around at my face, signifying I needed to clean up.

  “Wait a second, Zane.” I helped Presley off of the counter and cleaned up at the sink. “Better?” I mouthed.

  “Yes.” She wiped my chin with a paper towel.

  Presley kissed me deeply, her tongue searching for the flavor of her juices on my tongue.

  “I taste good,” she said, her voracious voice intoxicating.

  “Fuck me,” I moaned.

  “Dude … I heard that.” Zane chuckled.

  I led Presley into the entryway. “Presley Bradenhurst, I’d like you to meet my brother, Zane Saylor. Zane, this is Presley, my girlfriend.”

  “God, you’re gorgeous. I mean, nice to meet you, Presley.” Zane shook Presley’s hand and he
ld on for a moment, acquiring her full attention with his hazel eyes.

  “Nice to meet you, too, Zane. I see both of the Saylor boys have the same excess problem with confidence.”

  Zane chuckled. “I like her, Jude. Sorry to interrupt, um, dinner?” Zane said, raising one eyebrow.

  “Oh, don’t worry. Jude only finished his first course. The main course and dessert are just heating up,” Presley replied calmly and my eyes popped from my head.

  Zane rolled with laughter while I yanked Presley close to me.

  I laughed into her ear. “You are going to get it!”

  “I hope so.” Her fresh confidence made me want to chase Zane away to his own side of the duplex.

  “Bro … your shit. Get it now and leave.” I kept my eyes on Presley.

  Zane stopped laughing, caught my drift, and made his way to his room, returning with a bag full of items. The whole time he was gone I laid a long kiss on Presley.

  Zane cleared his throat. “Nice meeting you, Presley, and maybe we can…” He squinted like he was trying to figure out the answer to the meaning of life. He shook his head. “Well, double plus-one date with you sometime?”

  “Great idea. I know Yori from high school. Please tell her I said hello. Look forward to meeting Britney.” Presley’s hands were doing fantastic things to my ass inside the back pockets of my jeans as she spoke.

  “Cool. Have fun, bro. Later, Presley.” Zane closed the door behind him.

  Presley pulled her hands from my jeans. “Okay, we’d better actually eat. My stomach is growling. Want help making something?”

  I pecked her forehead with a kiss. “No, I’ve got it. How about pasta with sausage, tomatoes, and spinach?”

  “Uh, what? You can actually cook?”

  “Yeah.” I pulled out ingredients and pans.

  “So you don’t have a fridge full of power shakes and cabinets full of power bars?”

  I shook my head. “No. Is that what you thought I ate?”

  “Well, that and probably delivery or carry-out?”

  “My mom taught Zane and I how to cook real meals. I cook. Zane eats whatever someone sets in front of him. So does pasta sound okay?”

  “Sure.” She stretched the word like she didn’t really believe the meal was going to happen or be edible.