Michel had to laugh.
“Yes, I know,” he said. “You know about the key party her friends threw, right?”
Jude told him no but Michel could see by his expression he knew what was coming.
“They held it for her a few months after you left. I was supposed to be her match, but one of the women at the party messed up their plan and she ended up with that tall redhead who works nights with her.”
“Alex,” Jude told him, and Michel just shrugged. “It doesn’t surprise me that Rachel and Bree did that for her.”
Michel ran the backs of his fingers up the inside of Jude’s arm, over his shoulder and down his chest until they brushed over one of his nipples.
“I have always been more attracted to you, Jude.”
There it was again, that endearing uncertainty slipping into his expression.
“Do not get me wrong,” he circled Jude’s nipple lightly with his knuckle, “she is a beautiful woman. I’m sure we would have had a fine time if we had gone to bed together.” That small circle of dark-tan skin tightened and Michel pinched it gently. “But I always wanted you far more than I ever wanted her. And once I found out the two of you were no longer a couple…?” He smiled and let the thought go unfinished.
He could see by the way Jude’s pupils were starting to go wide and his chest was rising and falling with the quickening pace of his breath that he’d made his point.
“Come on.” Michel lifted his leg off Jude’s and rolled toward the side of the bed, motioning for Jude to follow as he got up and made his way to the bathroom. “Let’s go play in the shower, shall we?”
He disposed of the used condom and started the water in the large, square shower stall. It took quite a bit of concentration to make sure the water wasn’t too hot when Jude wrapped his arms around him from behind. He kissed him between his shoulder blades, trailed a path up Michel’s spine to his hairline then licked his way over until he was gently sucking and biting on his earlobe.
He turned and drew Jude into his arms as he backed into the stall, their mouths connected, kissing with the slow laziness that should rightly settle in after that first urgent fuck. Their legs slid together as they moved as one under the running water. They clung to each other until it washed over their faces and forced them to come apart so they could breathe.
They soaped each other thoroughly, both of them learning the lines of the other’s body—kissing, touching, laughing and murmuring to each other intimately as they teased each other to fully aroused again.
And when Jude pushed Michel against the wall opposite the showerhead and dropped to his knees, it was with a desperation that had the temperature in Michel’s blood hot to the point of scorching again.
He rested against the wall and watched through heavily lidded eyes as Jude worshiped his cock with his entire mouth. He quickly brought him to the point where he was thrusting deep into Jude’s throat as he came with another agonized groan that only Jude had ever brought out of him.
They dried each other off slowly and went to bed, Jude on his back and Michel with one arm and leg draped heavily over his chest and thigh, his head on Jude’s shoulder.
“I think I might buy her a new car to thank her for pulling this off,” Jude said long after Michel thought he’d fallen asleep.
“I will go in on it with you. We will make it a really good one.”
Jude’s body shook with silent laughter and Michel smiled.
“On second thought maybe a vacation house would be better. She already has a nice car,” Jude told him. “We could get her a nice little stretch of beach in the Bahamas.”
“Her own private island,” he countered, running his hand down Jude’s side.
Then Jude angled his head so his nose and mouth were touching the top of Michel’s head. “Good to know it’s not just me,” he murmured, and then drifted off to sleep.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Michel whispered, then did the same.
Chapter Four
Jude had been lying awake for a little while, enjoying the decadence of Michel’s bed while he took in the loft he hadn’t had a chance to see much of the night before.
The space was huge, taking up the second story over both the men’s clothing store and the floral shop below. High, opaque glass windows ran the length of the long front and rear walls, letting in lots of light. Aside from the bathroom, several wide support beams and the long island between the gourmet kitchen and the large dining area that shared the center of the space, it was one wide open room.
He wasn’t sure why, but he’d expected the decor to be minimalistic. Michel’s way of dressing was so modern and sleek, always in blacks and grays and dark, subdued colors, Jude was surprised by the vibrant colors in his home.
The furniture was large and welcoming and upholstered in rich creams, deep browns and vivid reds. The floors were old, dark, highly polished wood. Large, gorgeously patterned rugs were used to designate different areas—the living room, a reading space in front of a ceiling-to-floor bookcase on the far wall, the dining area with its eight-person table. A quick peek over the side of the massive bed confirmed there was another under there as well.
Michel must have gotten out of bed before Jude woke up because he didn’t see or hear him anywhere. He didn’t see a note letting Jude know where he’d gone either, which left him lying there with those doubts that had almost sent him running from the restaurant creeping back into his thoughts.
Jude tried to remember the gorgeous words Michel had said to him the night before. He’d left no question about the fact that he wanted Jude, but now he was wondering how long that was going to last.
He shouldn’t have been letting any kind of worries trouble him after one date. Yes, it had been one fantastic date, but that didn’t mean he had any claim on Michel. And yes, he’d been with Petra for most of his adult life and wasn’t used to one-night stands in the traditional sense. Even when he and Petra had spent the night with someone else they’d always gone home to each other afterward. But waking up with fear and insecurity ruling his thoughts wasn’t like him at all. At least it didn’t used to be.
Was he really in any position to be questioning what came next anyway? The lease on his apartment was only for six months. He still had to decide whether he was going to work for another nonprofit or accept his dad’s most recent offer to join the family practice. He really had no idea where he was going to be in a few weeks, let alone a few months or a year down the road.
When it didn’t seem as if Michel was going to return any time soon Jude got up, found his clothes had been hung neatly over the back of a chair near the foot of the bed and started to get dressed. He’d just put on his shoes and was reaching for his jacket when the door opened and a woman came inside carrying an enormous shoulder bag and a reusable tote full of groceries. She kicked the door closed behind her at the same time she spotted Jude near the bed across the room and froze, her eyes wide.
Jude’s first thought was wow.She was very young, very beautiful and very petite with long, wavy black hair and large dark eyes. And while she looked momentarily startled to see him, she didn’t seem especially frightened or surprised.
His second thought was what the fuck?
Jude found his tongue and told her, “I’m Jude Starling. A friend of Michel’s,” before she could panic, but she surprised him by doing nothing more than turn her back on him and take her bags to the kitchen.
He watched her with a feeling of elevated confusion.
“I didn’t realize anyone else lived here,” he said as he put on his jacket.
Still nothing. She dropped the bags heavily onto the granite top of the island.
Jude braced himself for her to round on him and react, but she simply started to put her groceries away without giving him so much as a second glance.
He wanted to say something, but what was he supposed to say? Sorry, I assumed your—Boyfriend? Lover? Naughty college professor?—was unattached when he brought me here so we could spe
nd most of the night sucking each other’s dicks?
A million other questions were running through his mind at the same time. Because seriously, who was she? She’d let herself in with her own key so she was clearly someone who was free to come and go as she pleased. Why on earth would Michel have brought him there and then just left him to be found? Was he some kind of twisted lothario with a penchant for causing drama?
But the girl, while clearly annoyed with his presence, didn’t seem to want any answers as to who he was and what he was doing there. Not knowing what else to do, Jude offered her a quiet apology and left.
He hustled down the steps and out to the street and as he gave the cab driver his address and settled onto the backseat he started to feel sick to his stomach. Sick for being played by a man who probably had to be the best actor in the world. Sick that he’d fallen for those pretty words because he’d been lonely and desperate in a way only more than a year of celibacy could make a man.
Jude propped his elbow on the car window and worried his bottom lip between his finger and thumb, troubled by the sincerity he thought he’d seen in Michel’s eyes as he’d confessed he’d been the one who’d asked Petra to set them up. The seductive words he’d spoken throughout the night ran on a loop in his mind, alternating with images of the almost reverent way they’d both fucked and made love to each other.
He could still feel the way Michel’s hands had felt on his skin, see the way he’d looked up while his beautiful mouth had been wrapped around his cock. Hear the way he’d groaned when he’d come while buried so deep inside Jude’s body.
His heart felt like a dead stone in his chest as he rode the elevator up to his apartment and headed straight for the shower. He soaped Michel’s scent off his skin, but no matter how hard he scrubbed he couldn’t wash away the feeling of shame that had settled deep below the surface.
As he shut off the water and reached for a towel he could hear his doorbell ringing, followed by heavy knocking. He wrapped one towel around his hips and grabbed another to dry off his upper body as he made his way to see who it was.
Jude looked through the peephole and his stomach flip-flopped. His stilled heart tried to beat again, but he took a step away from the door and forced himself to think.
And then he opened the door.
Michel was standing there, looking gorgeous in a heavy black pullover sweater and jeans, his wavy dark hair slightly windblown and his blue eyes bright. He was holding a cup carrier with two coffees and a small bakery bag nestled between them.
“You left before breakfast,” he said with an amused smile, his eyes traveling over Jude, who realized he was clutching his towel to his chest.
Jude didn’t understand how Michel could be smiling. Did he have no shame?
“I didn’t realize we were expecting another guest,” Jude countered, not moving aside to let him in. “So imagine my surprise when—”
“We were not expecting anyone else.” Michel’s smile widened and his gaze drifted up to Jude’s. “I had no idea my daughter was coming because I turned my phone off when I got to the restaurant last night and never turned it on again.”
The rush his words caused nearly staggered Jude.
“Your daughter,” he parroted.
Michel lifted the cup carrier. “The coffee is probably cold by now, but the blueberry muffins are amazing. If you let me in I will give you one and tell you all about her.”
On autopilot now, Jude stepped backward and let him in.
“You can reheat the coffee in the microwave if you’d like,” he said, and watched Michel curl his lip in disgust. “Or I can make coffee after I get dressed.”
Michel tsked regretfully. “Must you?” he asked, looking over his shoulder as he headed for the kitchen, his eyes roaming hungrily over Jude. “Get dressed that is?”
Despite the way his dick stirred in answer, Jude told, “I’ll be right back,” and went to his room. With shaky hands he pulled on a pair of workout pants and a t-shirt, then found Michel making himself at home when he rejoined him in the kitchen. He’d started a fresh pot of coffee and was opening and closing cupboard doors.
“Where do you keep plates?” he asked when he realized Jude was back in the room.
“I’ve got them,” Jude told him. They were at the opposite end of the kitchen from where he’d been looking.
“I was not expecting Marion for another week,” Michel started, leaning on the counter to watch Jude take plates and coffee cups out of the right cupboard. “She is going to Northwestern this fall so she is staying with me until we find her an apartment of her own near campus. She did not speak to you because she is deaf and she assumes no one speaks sign language.”
Jude set the plates down, leaned in the corner made by the L-shaped counter and crossed one ankle over the other. “She assumed right in my case.”
“She is also almost nineteen and can be just as rude as a lot of teenagers these days,” Michel added with an affectionate smile.
Jude breathed out a quiet, relieved laugh. “I thought she was your girlfriend. I thought…I don’t know. Her reaction was so strange, as if coming home to find a stranger getting out of your bed wasn’t an unusual occurrence.”
“I am flattered you think I could get a girl so young. I thought I was pushing my luck trying to entice a man who is what,” he narrowed his eyes, “twice her age?”
Jude nodded. He was exactly twice Marion’s age.
“I only found out about her a year ago.” He turned to face Jude. “Her mother Allison was someone I dated for a few weeks when I was in my late twenties. She wanted to get married after a very short time, but I did not love her. The breakup was ugly. She moved away and never spoke to me again. I had no idea she was pregnant.”
Jude wanted to reach out and put his arms around Michel, but he waited.
“She refused to tell Marion about me,” Michel continued after a moment. “So when she turned eighteen she did a little investigating and found me on her own.”
“That had to have been quite a shock when she contacted you.”
“I thought I was imagining it when she walked into my office for the first time. She looks exactly like my mother at that age.”
“How did she tell you? Do you speak sign language?”
“Not at the time. She marched up to my desk and handed me a typed piece of paper saying who she was, who her mother was and how she found out about me.” He smiled, obviously remembering. “We wrote back and forth on paper that day. After that we started texting and exchanging emails. I have taken sign language lessons, but I’m not fluent yet. She laughs at me for making mistakes all the time.”
“But you’re learning.”
Michel’s smile widened as he nodded. “Jude, the day she walked into my life and I knew from that very first glance that she was my daughter?” He put his hands over his heart and sighed. “It was the happiest day of my life. Getting to know her the past year has been wonderful. She comes to visit me often, stays for weeks at a time when she can. She loves the city and has even made friends with a couple of the girls who work in the coffee shop across the street from my apartment.”
“Have you spoken to her mother about keeping her a secret?”
“No. We have talked, but not about that. There is nothing to say because she did the right thing. The person I was when we dated,” he shook his head, “I am ashamed to admit I would not have believed her when she told me the baby was mine, and then I would have resented her once she proved it. Besides, she did an amazing job raising Marion to be a strong, independent woman on her own.”
Jude remembered the way Marion had seemed startled but not especially surprised to see him. “And she knows you like both men and women?”
Michel laughed softly. “I have always been very open about my sexuality.”
Jude’s cock stirred as Michel moved close enough Jude could breathe in his scent.
“I am so sorry I was not there when you woke up,” Michel said, stepping
closer, his gaze on Jude’s mouth. “And I am sorry you mistook my daughter for someone else.” He met Jude’s eyes again. “I really thought I would have returned before you woke up so we could have coffee and muffins,” he straddled Jude’s legs and rested his hands lightly on his waist, “then spend the rest of the day in bed.”
With his heart rapidly pumping all of his blood to what was quickly becoming a full-blown erection, Jude ran his hands up Michel’s arms and over his shoulders. So many more questions had presented themselves, but they could wait because Michel didn’t have a girlfriend and he hadn’t been spouting bullshit pillow talk the night before. He was there, solid and real and in Jude’s apartment.
“That might have been bad if she’d come in after we’d gone back to bed.”
Michel leaned in and kissed his neck. Jude’s breath caught when their cocks rubbed together through their clothes.
“Very bad,” Michel agreed, moving to kiss the other side.
Jude slid his hands down the length of Michel’s spine and pulled him close. “We could always pick up where we left off. Maybe hit the sack again first?”
Michel stroked Jude’s skin with his tongue then sucked and bit him gently before he said, “I think that is the best idea I have heard in a long time.”
Chapter Five
For a moment Michel had been afraid Jude wouldn’t open the door for him. He’d been ringing the doorbell and knocking for what had felt like a long time. The amount of relief he’d felt the moment the door swung open was huge, but it was nothing compared to the way Michel felt as their mouths came together.
He’d been thinking throughout the morning about the way he and Jude fit as though they were made for each other, to the point he’d nearly given himself a hard-on while he’d been standing in line for coffee at the bakery. There was no reaching one way or the other for his amazing mouth—it was right there. Their arms just seemed to know where to go to hold the other. Their chests and stomachs and cocks and legs lined up in exactly the right way.
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