by Lori Foster
Denny laughed. “According to his mamma, Jude’s a water baby. He’s happiest near the ocean, a lake or pond, or even a mountain creek. There’re waterfalls everywhere in the house, and that big fountain in front, and the stocked pond out back.”
“I love water, too.”
“S’that right?” Crossing his arms over his chest, Denny lounged against what appeared to be a wall of chiseled rock softened by hanging vines. Across from the pool, floor-to-ceiling windows let in sunshine and reflected off his piercing green eyes. “Maybe you and Jude could take a swim later tonight.”
That got May back on track. “Oh no, thank you, anyway. But I did want to talk to you. You told Tim he could have a few minutes, so if you’re not too busy right now…”
“You wanna know about Elton Pascal, don’t you?”
Disgruntled, she crossed her arms, too. “It’s weird how you do that. What are you, a mind reader?”
He rolled one big shoulder, which was decorated with an elaborate tribal tattoo. Jude had said tattoos were popular among the fighters, and she’d seen for herself how most of the men sported them on limbs, backs, and like Denny, their heads. Some weren’t bad, some looked overdone.
Denny’s tattoos fascinated her.
He chuckled. “Got this one on my arm when I first started competing. The one on my head was a moment of adrenaline-related weakness, and a dare I should have passed up. But hey, live and learn.”
He’d known her thoughts again.
“Like I said, you’re easy to read. And since Jude’s no idiot, you should make it quick. He probably figures you’re down here grilling me now, and let me tell you, Pascal is not one of his favorite topics. If he had his way, the man’s name would never be mentioned.”
Taking Denny’s warning to heart, May shook off her distraction and started grilling. “You said he’s harassed Jude, and that he’s been very accusatory.”
“He outright lies, and some idiots believe him.”
“Isn’t there anything Jude can do about it?”
Shaking his head, Denny pushed away from the wall and went to a stone bench with a wood cabinet built beneath it. “You gotta know Jude. He has a chip on his shoulder the size of this house.” After pulling out some towels, he glanced at May. “A lot like your little friend.”
“Little friend?” May laughed. “You mean Ashley?”
“Yeah. Nice kid—but she works the tough routine to the bone. She needs to relax a little.”
“Yeah, well, good luck getting her to do that. I’ve been trying forever.”
“With a helping hand from me, she’d have more free time.”
Denny didn’t know Ash well if he thought she’d take his help. “For as long as I’ve known her, she’s been on her own.”
“You two have that in common, huh?”
“We share a background, but our upbringings were different. Ashley’s parents were superstrict to the point of being mean. Mine just…” She floundered for the right words.
“Favored your brother?”
That was a nice way of putting it, “Yes. But Ash didn’t have any siblings to deflect her parents’ attention. Whereas I never went without, they were always dirt poor, at least when it came to Ash. There were times that she wouldn’t have lunch money, but her dad had a motorcycle that he took out every weekend, and her mom got her nails done all the time.”
“Kids should come first.”
“I’ve always thought so.”
Denny smiled at her. “She didn’t like me helping her. Pitched a real fit about it.”
Coming from Denny, the observation sounded like a compliment. “When Ash was a kid, her family willingly accepted help from anyone and everyone. They were on food stamps, and every holiday the church gave them food and sometimes cash. The school even offered her family some secondhand clothes, so Ashley could dress better. I don’t think she ever got over it.”
“She shouldn’t have been through it in the first place.”
May agreed wholeheartedly. “When we were in eighth grade, this one bully started saying mean things to her. He wouldn’t stop, and I could tell it was hurting her.”
“I bet she chewed him up and spit him out, didn’t she?”
It had taken years for Ashley to get the take-no-prisoners attitude she affected now. Lost in the memories, May whispered, “She was different back then.”
“How so?”
“A lot more vulnerable. She tried ignoring him, but he wouldn’t let up—so I lost it. I jumped on his back and pulled his hair, and we both hit the ground hard. He broke his wrist, and I knocked the wind out of myself.”
“Good for you.”
May laughed. “I got suspended for two days for fighting in school, but so did he for antagonizing Ashley. And it was worth it, because after that, he left her alone.”
“Wish I could have seen it,” Denny commented. “Too bad you didn’t punch him in his face.”
That reminded her of how she’d slugged Jude, and she winced. “These days, Ashley looks at an offer of help like an insult. She takes it to mean she’s weak or something.”
“If she were my daughter, I wouldn’t let anyone hurt her.”
Denny really was a very sweet guy beneath the rough, kick-ass exterior. “She and her father haven’t spoken in years.”
“Stupid bastard.”
“Yeah.” Ashley could use a father figure like Denny in her life. But if he hoped to befriend her, he’d have to tread carefully. “I think Ashley needs to do things for herself now, or else it doesn’t mean as much to her.”
Nodding in sage understanding, he said, “Bull-headed, like Jude. He gets an idea in his head, and he won’t let it go. Like all those damn accusations Elton flings around.”
“You think Elton is still doing it?”
“Damn right, he is. If a reporter gets within ten feet of him, he takes it as an opportunity to trash-talk Jude. I’m not saying the scandal around Jude will ever disappear completely, not with the guilty one still running loose. But Pascal won’t even give it a chance to cool down. He can’t stand the thought of Jude being happy.”
“He blames Jude, doesn’t he?”
“For stealing Blair, if for nothing else. Christ, she was better than twenty years younger than Elton. A confused kid, trying to adjust to fame.” He shook his head. “And Elton, like an old fool, thought he’d found true love or some such shit.”
“I read that Jude’s limo blew up with Blair inside.”
“Blair and the driver both. Since Jude left the limo to get a cola out of a vending machine, and there wasn’t anyone else around on that stretch of highway, it looked really damning.”
“But you know him well enough to know he’s not capable of murder.”
Sharp-eyed and surly, Denny growled, “Damn right, I do. Jude’s about the fairest man I know. Hell, he goes out of his way to give back to others, to help when he can.”
May tipped her head and asked very softly, “Are you talking about me?”
He snorted. “About myself, actually. Jude gave me a home, and at my age, putting down roots was important.”
Appreciating his protectiveness and honesty, May reached out and squeezed Denny’s hand. “I’m so glad he has you in his corner.”
“I figured I was there for all his fights, I couldn’t skip the biggest fight of his life. And he won. He got acquitted. But it still haunts him—just as Elton wants it to.”
May paced a few feet away, thinking about the awful circumstances of that day. “Since he’s been found innocent, couldn’t Jude sue Elton or something? Wouldn’t his accusations fall under slander or libel?”
“Maybe. But Jude says he’s done nothing wrong, so he shouldn’t have to defend himself over anything Elton says. When Elton shoots off his mouth, Jude just ignores him—like your friend tried to ignore the school bully. He figures that his true friends will see through the bastard.”
And in the meantime, most of the nation figured Jude had just bought himself out of a guilty
verdict. How awful it would be to live with that.
Opening the storage area beneath another bench, Denny pulled out a bottle of water. Before he could close the discreet contraption again, May saw the tumblers and ice bucket.
Good grief, did Jude drink everywhere and anywhere he went? Would he drink while she stayed with him?
She couldn’t very well criticize him for doing so. Unlike many of the people in her life, she knew for a fact Jude wasn’t a drunk. But she had a unique phobia concerning alcohol, a phobia she couldn’t control.
She realized Denny watched her, and that he’d seen her disgust over the hidden stash. Her face heated as she stared back and muttered, “Sorry.”
“Discuss it with Jude,” he suggested. “He might surprise you.”
The words no sooner left Denny’s mouth than Jude strode through the door. He looked wary and primed, but the second he spotted May, he stopped, and his expression softened. That sexy little half smile curved his mouth, and his eyes brightened. “There you are.”
“Did you think I’d run her off?” After a quick wink at May, Denny started out of the room. “I was showing her the pool, but now I’m ready for Tim.”
Jude paid Denny no mind at all. Gaze locked on May, he asked, “So what do you think?”
She couldn’t think, not with him staring at her like that. “About?”
“My pool.”
The door clicked shut behind Denny, leaving them in isolation with only the sounds of the gurgling waterfall and May’s uneven breathing. But their moment of privacy wouldn’t last. Denny would return soon with her brother.
May straightened her glasses and cleared her throat.
“I love it.” She didn’t mean to, but her gaze skimmed over Jude from head to foot and back up again. In a flash, she took in every inch: the muscles, the strength, the raw sex appeal. Her stomach did a little flip-flop in excitement—a familiar feeling whenever she got near Jude.
“Keep looking at me like that,” he warned softly, “and I’m going to have to dive right in.”
“What?”
“The water.” He looked like a rogue, smiling in a sexy, teasing way. “But I’m not sure it’s cold enough to help.”
Embarrassed and turned on, May jerked around to face the pool. “The rocks are fabulous. And all the plants. The big windows. It looks so natural, like something you’d find in Tahiti.”
“That’s the point.”
Blast her nervous blathering. “I love it.” She faced him—and saw the lust in his expression. Oh, wow. “I assume you have people who come over to keep it so sparkling clean?” Oh God, May, could you not say something so stupid?
Jude grinned. “Denny more than earns what I pay him without responsibility for extras like the pool. So, yeah, I have people that come once a week. For the pool. The yard. The house. Mondays I catch up on phone calls while the maintenance people are here, supervised by Denny.”
“He really is invaluable to you.”
“And he knows it.” Jude took a few steps closer to her. “He’ll want this room for your brother. And you’ve done enough worrying about Tim for one day.” He held out a hand. “Come on. You look ready to collapse.”
He had to be every bit as tired, so she said, “I’m fine.”
“No.” His voice went hoarse. “Time for bed, May. I insist.”
Oh, the way he said that. Her heart skipped a few beats, then galloped wildly. She couldn’t delude herself: Both she and Jude were exhausted, but neither of them had sleep on their minds. If she went with him now, it’d be to make love.
And it’d be wonderful, but… temporary.
Did that still matter, when she wanted him so much, and when she sensed that he needed her, too?
He stood there, hand extended, patient, expectant.
Slowly, May slipped her hand into his.
Chapter 10
Jude didn’t move a single muscle. May’s compliance meant so much to him, more than he’d expected. When he’d started linking intimacy with trust, he didn’t know. He only knew that she would never get sexually involved with him if she doubted him, if she didn’t genuinely like him.
Celebrity, popularity, power… those things meant nothing to May. He thought of how the night would end, how he’d make it end, and the heated thoughts expanded his lust. No matter what, he wouldn’t let May hide from him any longer. She claimed to want him; now he’d see how much.
He’d been patient far too long.
The intrusion of Tim’s whining voice jolted Jude into action. Her brother made him see red, but he kept his voice moderate. “Let’s go.”
She didn’t say a word, but he could feel the trembling in her hand, see the added flush to her cheeks. Driven by urgency, he hurried her along, giving her no chance to console her brother, and Tim no chance to cry on her shoulder.
He and Denny worked well together, because while Jude led May one way, Denny led Tim another. As Tim’s complaints escalated, May looked over her shoulder with fretful concern.
Because he wanted her attention on him, and only him, as soon as he got her out of sight of Tim, Jude said, “I’m going to strip you naked, you know.”
She faltered to a stop at the bottom of the stairwell. Feathery lashes fluttered, her lips parted, more color rushed into her cheeks.
The subtle, sexy scent of her skin intensified with her blush. Jude breathed it in—and knew he couldn’t wait to kiss her.
Out of view, Tim’s and Denny’s muted voices placed them near the pool. The memory of each earlier kiss came back to Jude with the effect of a tsunami. Lust tightened his muscles and thickened his breath.
“Jude?” she whispered, sounding pretty turned-on herself.
He caught her arms above the elbows and lifted her to her tiptoes. Her eyes widened, her lips parted—and he took her mouth with all the savage intensity that boiled inside him.
On a groan, she went limp, slumping against him, her mouth warm and wet and open to his. His tongue thrust in, withdrew, entered again for a more thorough tasting, lazily twining with her tongue, exploring her mouth. It was a kiss of complete possession, whether May realized it or not.
She pushed closer to him, and he could feel her stiffened nipples on his chest, her belly against his crotch. From one heartbeat to the next, he got an erection that even a virgin wouldn’t miss.
With a sound of approval, May rubbed against him, countering his every move. Soon he’d kiss her like this again—with them both naked, her legs around his waist, her nails on his back.
Only when Jude heard the loud splash and Tim’s curse did he recall the here and now.
“My room,” he whispered against her lips. “Tell me yes, May.”
Eyes still closed, she swallowed, nodded, and breathed, “Yes.”
“Thank God.”
One hand on his chest, her face tilted up to his, May laughed. And that, as much as anything else, caused the coiling tension to snap. His patience was at an end.
In all the many times that he’d imagined making love to May, not once had he thought of racing her up the steps. He’d never considered his loss of finesse, or hearing her giggle at his haste, or the heavy, nearly impossible weight of his heart as it seemed to expand in his chest.
In the carpeted second floor hallway, she stumbled, and Jude scooped her up. Mortified, she flailed around, trying to get loose, but no way in hell would he let that happen.
“Settle down, May.”
“You can’t carry me!”
“Apparently, I can.” He kissed her mouth, hard and fast, and took the last few steps to his room. Her mortified groan fired his blood, and he added, “I like holding you, May. You’re a very soft, warm armful.”
Knotting one hand in the hair on the back of his head, she growled, “Is that another crack on my weight?”
Jude looked down at where her hefty breasts smashed up against his chest. “No.” He shifted his arm, jostling her behind, and he kissed the frown off her forehead. “You’re
perfect, every ounce of you.”
Shoving his bedroom door open, then kicking it shut again, he strode for the bed.
May looked up, and her mouth dropped open. “Holy crap.”
“Like it?” He didn’t pause in his trek toward the bed, but when he started to lower her to the oversized mattress, she clung like a vine. “May?”
Reaching out, she ran her fingertips lightly along the bottom left Corinthian column of his iron and walnut bed. “I’ve never seen furniture so big.”
“It’s a big room.”
Her dark eyes focused on the plush down comforter. “And you’re a big man?”
Damn. “You won’t have any complaints.”
Her smile came and went. She looked at the curving wall of windows and the double doors that led to his bath. Her gaze skimmed over two paintings he’d bought from her, the wall monitor, and then the floor-to-ceiling fountain on the opposite wall that supplied the soothing sounds of running water. “You actually sleep in here?”
“It’s a bedroom. What’d you think I’d do in here?”
Perplexed, she stared up at him. “It’s so big. Don’t you feel… lost?”
“No.” He pried her loose and followed her down onto the bed, sliding his hands from her shoulders down to her wrists and beyond, until he could twine his fingers with hers. He stretched her arms up high, and then just stared down into her beautiful dark eyes. “This is my favorite room. I love the furniture, the fountain, the view, and especially the incredible artwork that one very talented gallery owner helped me choose.”
Tipping her head back, she studied the majestic columns at each corner of his bed, visually tracing the fluted wood up to the broad, masculine finials, and then up to his ceiling.
Her eyes rounded. “Jude?”
Already knowing her thoughts, adoring her more by the minute, he said, “Hmmm?”
“Why is there such a bright light right over your bed?”
Grinning, Jude slid his right hand under the hem of her shirt, up her waist, and over her breast. Her eyes closed, her lips parted on a sharp breath.
Feeling her, the plump flesh, the stiffened nipple, made it difficult for him to speak. But he enjoyed playing with May too much not to take advantage of the silly questions.