by Lori Foster
He wouldn’t incriminate himself to the wrong person. “I need to know. Is this Elton Pascal?”
“What if it is?”
“Then I can help you.”
A thick laugh of hilarity came through the line. “I seriously doubt that.”
He wasn’t buying it. Tim clutched the phone tighter. He had to convince Elton to take part in the plan. He had to get himself out of this mess. “I can find out things.”
“Yeah?” Elton gave a heavy pause. “What kind of things?”
“I know where Jude goes, what he does.” Sensing Elton’s interest, Tim sought a detail that would matter. “For instance, I know he confronted you at the restaurant today.”
“I see.” Another pause, then, “So tell me, Tim. How did Jude know where to find me? Can you tell me that?”
Relief washed through Tim. “As a matter of fact, I can.”
Muffled whispering and more than one voice led to a chortle. “All right, Tim. We’ll talk. But I don’t like phones.”
“Then how—”
“Tomorrow. We’ll meet tomorrow. Then you can tell me everything you know.”
———
As May stretched awake, she felt a warm hand move over her backside, pulling her closer. Her eyes popped open, and she found herself staring at a slumbering Jude.
Dark hair mussed, morning whiskers and all, he took her breath away. Some time during the night he had wrapped himself around her with his head near her breast, his mouth less than an inch from her nipple. She felt every brush of his deep, even breathing, stirring emotions within her.
Their legs were entwined. His arm snaked around her, keeping her close, and even in sleep, his hand clasped her behind possessively.
Content just to look at him, to be with him, May saw no reason to wake him up. She studied his face, the way his dark lashes left shadows on his high cheekbones, the shape of his masculine nose, the sensual curve of his mouth, and his stubborn jaw and chin. Few fighters escaped without telltale battle scars, but Jude was as beautiful now as the day he’d first started in the SBC. It was a testament to his skill.
Not that a few scars could have detracted from his good looks. His appeal came as much from within him as from what the world could view.
He looked so peaceful, indefinably different from when awake. Did he carry the memories of the past year with him always, only escaping them in sleep? She wanted to put her arms around him and hold him close, and somehow protect him—odd, given his capabilities and strength of will.
A knock at the door brought his eyes open, and he looked first at her breast before tracking his gaze up to her face. “Morning.” He smiled.
She smiled, too. “Good morning.”
Denny called in, “Hey, you slugs. The day is wastin’ away.”
Jude looked back at her breast, his expression oddly intent, growing heated. His fingers contracted on her cheek. “Go away, Denny.”
“You’ve got packages arriving. Okay to have the driver bring them to the door?”
“Yeah.” His lashes lowered and he burrowed closer. “I expected them. But use care.”
“Will do. Plan on breakfast in an hour.”
“Right.” Jude leaned forward and drew her nipple into his mouth, sucking softly.
Warm and wet, the suction could be felt in her belly and between her legs. May’s breath shuddered. “Jude.”
“Mmmm?” His hand began to wander.
She pushed him away. “I need to… you know.”
He scrutinized her, then realized she wanted a run to the bathroom. “Oh.” He grinned. “Yeah, me, too. But promise you’ll come back to bed naked.”
That sounded like a perfect idea to her. “All right.”
He fell to his back, and May scampered from the bed, making a beeline for the bathroom. She knew Jude watched her every step—and she liked his attention. Within a single minute, time enough to also splash her face and rinse her mouth, she opened the door and found Jude standing there.
“My turn,” he said and went in around her.
May hurried to the bed, climbed in under the covers, and propped herself against the headboard. When Jude came back out, scratching his belly and yawning, she took in the show with utter delight.
“I could get used to this,” she said, and Jude looked up, understanding that she’d become a spectator.
He grinned. “Does that mean you don’t often have naked men strutting around your bedroom?”
“You know I don’t. And even if I did, they wouldn’t be you.”
He came to stand beside the bed, and without warning, whisked away the covers. May screeched and tried to scuttle away, but he caught her around the waist and hauled her back, climbing atop her and pinning her down.
They both laughed as they wrestled, knowing exactly what the outcome would be. Still, May didn’t give up easily, and because Jude treated her with care, it took some doing to finally get her stretched out beneath him, her arms raised high, her legs forced open around his hips.
Panting, laughing, thoroughly aroused, May asked, “How can I tap out if you hold my hands?”
“You don’t get to give up that easy.” He kissed her neck, her throat, down to her breasts. “Besides, I don’t want to get slugged.”
“Why would I slug you?”
He lifted his head, and the smile melted away, replaced with incredible tenderness. He brushed a kiss over her mouth, then her cheek, before saying, “You know what I considered the best part of acting?”
Sensing his seriousness, May quit fighting him. “What?”
“Having money to buy gifts.”
She knew just where this was going, and warned, “I don’t need gifts from you, Jude.”
“Never said you did. I said I enjoyed buying gifts. There’s a big difference between needing and accepting.”
“I won’t accept gifts, either.”
He must have had his own interpretation for that, because he asked, “Have I ever told you how impressed I am with you? Not just your mouthwatering body, and not just your great attitude about life. But your incredible strength.”
That boggled May, and she gave an embarrassed laugh. “Compared to a man who has muscles on his muscles, I’m puny.”
“Emotional strength is a more difficult commodity than physical strength any day. I learned that while going through the trial.”
Thinking of how hurtful it must have been for him made her hurt, too. “I’m so sorry you went through that.”
He skimmed over his own emotional strength. “The way you deal with things, how you sort of roll with the punches, has always awed me.”
While the blows he’d suffered had been for public consumption, shown on every news station and printed in every paper, no one really knew of the punches she’d received, not really. But still the compliment filled her heart. Jude was a strong man, so it thrilled her to know he saw her as a strong woman. “I’m happy.”
“I know, and I’m glad. Now, don’t interrupt my story. I want to tell you about the gift I bought my dad.”
“Okay.” She wanted to hear about his family, so she had no complaint with that plan.
“All my life we’d had used cars. Dad kept them running nice, and they were clean other than the usual junk and mud kids bring in after a sporting event or a night at the movies. Big cars, with enough room to accommodate two parents and three kids and a dog. You know, station wagons and roomy sedans.”
“Family cars.”
He smiled. “Yeah, family cars. But I can remember when the family car would die, usually of old age. Mom and Dad would sit at the dining table and go over the bills and figure out how to juggle things so they could get transportation again.”
“That’s not an unpleasant picture.”
“No. They sipped coffee and talked quietly. And they worked things out.”
Why the tears stung her eyes, May couldn’t say. Maybe because she couldn’t recall her parents ever having a quiet time like that. Arguments
, sure. The cops had been called to her house more than once, always for domestic disputes that caused her endless embarrassment and fortified her determination to be different.
At least once a month talk of divorce erupted. There were nights when she’d pray it would happen, though she knew it never would. As often as he cheated, and strange as it seemed, her father liked being married. And because her mother had never been independent, she chose to blame anyone and everyone, to feel sorry for herself and insist on help, rather than find a way to stand on her own two feet.
May could recall all the unhappiness, but she couldn’t recall them ever sitting down together to work out a problem.
“When I got my first big chunk of money, I bought Dad this big, bright red truck. Fully loaded. It was really sweet, all detailed out, with a rumbling motor and the coolest wheels I could find. Dad argued with me for a week before he finally accepted it. I even had to show him my bank statements to make him understand that it wasn’t an extravagance for me and wouldn’t leave me broke.”
“He didn’t need gifts from you.” May wiggled, wishing she could touch him, but he still held her stretched out. “He loved you, you loved him, and that was enough.”
An odd expression darkened his blue eyes to midnight. He stared at her, somehow struck by the obvious truth of her words. “That’s almost exactly what he said.” He cleared his throat and forged on with more stories. “For Christmas, I bought my mom a new kitchen.”
That disclosure had May laughing. “A whole kitchen, huh?”
“Yeah. Cabinets, countertops, flooring, appliances—the whole shebang. Unlike Dad, she only blustered about it for a day or so, then she welcomed the designer with open arms and spent a couple of months getting everything just right. Whenever she wanted to order something cheap, to try to cut back on the cost, the designer refused.”
“Only the best for Mom.”
“Exactly.”
“And for your siblings?” May had no doubt that he’d bought them gifts as well.
“They make decent money now themselves, but yeah, there’ve been gifts. A horse for Beth, then later, the land she’d admired but cost too much. She built a nice house there, with outbuildings enough to stable several horses. For my brother it was every audio and video toy imaginable. For a stuntman, Neil’s a real gadget geek.”
“So being able to afford generous gifts is what you liked best about acting?”
“Yeah.”
May didn’t want to ruin the mood, but she sensed his need to talk. “Jude?”
“Hmm?”
“What was the worst part?”
He looked away, and May felt not only the physical disconnection, but the emotional, too. It lasted only a moment, but she hated it. Then he released her wrists, caught her waist, and rolled so that she rested atop him. “You wanna know the truth?”
Finally, she could touch him. She cupped his face and kissed his brow, the bridge of his nose, and his mouth. “Yes, please.”
“The traitors.” As usual, his hands settled on her tush. “The people who believed the bullshit and seemed to enjoy seeing me knocked down a peg.”
“It’s hard for me to imagine anyone who knew you buying into the charge.”
“Yeah, well, invitations quit coming. People steered clear. I’d walk into a room, and there’d be whispers.”
Her heart breaking, May laid her head on his chest and squeezed him tight. “People can be such idiots.”
“You have no idea…” He stopped. In a much quieter, strained voice, he said, “You can’t imagine what it’s like to have the cops come for you. I was in the middle of dinner. I greeted them and invited them in. I asked if they had any news.” He snorted. The last I’d seen them was to report what had happened. Then suddenly, they were there, reading me my rights, pulling out the handcuffs.”
They cuffed you?” Incensed on his behalf, May stiffened.
“Yeah, they listed off the charges and I was stunned. I knew I hadn’t done a damn thing, and still, seeing the looks on everyone’s faces, watching the report on the news, I felt guilty. And then there was Pascal, fueling the fire, making false accusations and egging people on.”
“I am so, so sorry you went through all that.”
“I’m still going through it,” he said, and for once, he sounded bitter, which only made sense. “Oh, sure, Hollywood wants me back. Thanks to the trial, I’ve got this unwarranted bad boy rep going, and God help them, there are women who like that shit. I draw crowds, as much from curiosity—like a friggin’ train wreck—as anything else. But other than a few select people—”
“Like Uma?”
“Yeah.” He kissed the top of her head. “Most of those people mean nothing to me. In my situation, you learn fast who the real people are, and who’s a phony.”
May smoothed her hand over his chest, then settled in on his heart. “It’s good information to have.”
“You know who backed me up?”
“Denny.”
He laughed. “No kidding. Jesus, Denny wanted to go on a rampage and take people apart. Starting with Elton, of course. Reining him in wasn’t easy.” Jude tucked his chin in so he could see her. “But it wasn’t just him. All the guys from the SBC got behind me like a big family. Guys I’d beat in the ring. Guys I’d trained, or who had trained with me. Some who had insulted the hell out of me because they didn’t like losing, or because they wanted to trump up interest in our fight. But no matter the trash talk, they knew me. Really knew me. And because of that, they stood with me through it all.”
Trying to be subtle, May wiped away her tears. “I’m glad you had them.”
“Yeah.” He lifted his head more. “Hey, are you crying?”
“No.” Her voice broke.
Jude said, “Aw, honey, don’t.” He turned, again putting her beneath him. He smoothed back her hair and rubbed away her tears with his thumbs. “You know what you can do to make me feel better?”
May gulped, blinked out more tears, and squeaked, “What?”
“Take the stuff I’ve bought you.”
Affronted, knowing she’d just been had, she gasped and tried to swat him. Jude only laughed and caught her hands.
“I told you you’d slug me!”
“I didn’t.” She continued to struggle.
“Only because you can’t.” He gave her a long, tickling, laughing smooch on the lips. “Settle down and just say yes.”
“No.”
“No, you won’t say yes, or no, you won’t take the clothes I bought you?”
“I can buy my own clothes.”
“You can pay for them, sure, but the question is, should you be buying your own clothes? Considering your style preferences—or lack thereof—you might as well be wearing burlap or hammered armor.”
“You’re insulting me!”
“I’m insulting your lack of fashion sense. Come on, May. You’re a beautiful woman with a beautiful figure, and I want to show it off.”
Show it off? Horror ended her struggles. “Oh God. What did you buy?”
His grin turned wicked. “What do you think? Something risqué? Something revealing? Do you expect me to whip out a leather bustier and leopard print tights? Maybe some pasties or fringe-trimmed thongs?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, get your mind out of the gutter. Or better yet, open your mind to new things—like accepting gifts—and let me bring in the packages. You can look everything over. Anything you don’t like we can send back.”
She couldn’t believe his gall. “You have stuff here, already? How is that even possible?”
“I spent some time on the computer and did overnight delivery. It’s easy.”
May dropped her head back and closed her eyes. “Says a man of unlimited means.”
He took the opportunity to kiss her throat. “I have excellent taste. And the bank official will be here later. Do you really want to meet him wearing my clothes?”
“I could just make a run to m
y apartment, you know. I have more than enough clothes there.”
He made a face. “Trust me, what I have is better. The least you can do is look at it. Please?”
Every ounce of pride she had insisted she refuse any gift. But he looked so excited by the prospect, hopeful like a little boy almost. And he’d said he loved giving gifts. She’d feel like an ogre to outright refuse him. “Under duress, I’ll… look.”
“And try things on?”
Her size. She hadn’t even thought of that, but good grief, he had to have given a size in order to select her clothes. There wasn’t anything petite about her. “I don’t know—”
“You’re going to love my choices.” He kissed her again. “Make me happy, May. Say yes.”
He made it sound like a proposal. “All right.”
“Thank you.”
Exasperated, she said, “You can’t thank me when you’re the one giving the gift.”
“I can when the recipient is a very stubborn, thoroughly independent woman who keeps me on my toes.” He jumped out of the bed with the admonition, “Stay put, I’ll be right back.” Buck naked, he stepped into the hall and disappeared from sight
May didn’t know what to think, but she hoped whatever he’d bought her wouldn’t accentuate the fullness of her figure. She didn’t have a concave belly or protruding hipbones or a disappearing waist. Her boobs were big, her backside bigger, and damn it, if he bought her anything that’d make her look foolish, she would slug him.
Approaching voices reached her. It was Denny and Jude talking on their way to the bedroom, and May took a mad dash to the bathroom to hide. But the voices didn’t enter together. Denny’s faded away, Jude’s whistle came inside, and then she heard the ripping of bags and the rustle of boxes.
Jude tapped on the bathroom door. “Here, try this outfit on first. I think it’ll look great to wear today.”
Apprehensive, May opened the door enough to stick out her arm. Jude pushed it open more, gently forcing her back so he could step in. He laid a pair of cropped jeans with a pink chiffon cami onto the counter. Smiling, he held up a pair of one-inch heeled sandals of the same cotton-candy pink.