by S. L. Scott
“Yes. Never more.”
He smiled. “That’s my girl.” As if this wasn’t about him and his social-climbing goals, as if he was doing her a favor, he added, “I think some fun will do you some good. Go be young tonight. Youth doesn’t last forever.”
She gulped down the relief that filled her and fed his ego. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“You’re welcome. Stay with your cousin. Don’t stray, okay? I’ll handle the hospital.”
“Okay.” She left the room not sure if she should be happy or sad. Rufus seemed intent on her, but Isla seemed intent on him. And how did Hazel fit into this mess? She was scared to find out, but excited to see him again.
Isla made sure Jude was on time and Rufus and Taylor arrived promptly at eight. Isla swung the door open, cutting Nadia off before she had a chance. Jude stayed back a few feet, but when she saw Hazel, she smiled. Rufus cleared his throat and greeted Jude and then Isla with kisses on the cheek, then said goodnight to Nadia right after. The four of them got into a limo. The guys sat at the back and the girls on the sides.
Taylor asked Jude, “Are you feeling better?”
She blushed. She couldn’t help it around him. “Yes. Much better. Thank you for asking.”
“You’re welcome.”
Rufus poured drinks, whiskey all around, then asked, “You girls ready to party?”
Isla responded, “Can’t wait. Right, Judith?”
“Yes, Isla.” Jude was starting to hate her cousin. She was too chipper for Jude’s good, too oblivious to what was happening right in front of her. Or was she? Jude looked at Isla, sitting blissfully unaware of the demons that haunted her every move and wondered what it must be like to live so frivolously. They had tolerated each other since her uncle died, but now she felt a stronger emotion.
Taylor watched Jude sitting in the seat ahead of him, her legs exposed to the thigh. Dirty thoughts were taking over as he looked at her skin and the shape of her legs. It had been months since they’d been together and he’d missed being between them, having her open for him. He’d missed her so much, but he ended that train of thought since it would only make him embarrassingly hard.
Eyeing her, he noticed she was wearing makeup and looked seductive. Her hair was styled but down, the way he liked it. Her red full lips were licked innocently, then her eyes met his and she quickly looked away again. He liked that she couldn’t stare back. Every other girl could. Their experience taught them that trick. Not Jude. Jude’s innocence pervaded her to the bone.
Taylor forced himself to look away, to look at anything but the woman in front of him. He was never good at charades and now he was forced to play some never-ending game of it. “Where are we going?”
Rufus laughed and hit Taylor’s leg. “Relax, man. We got all night. Boehler even said so.” Taylor didn’t like the way he said that. Rufus’s eyes locked on Jude like she was prey. Rufus glanced out the window. “Anyway, we’re here. Let’s go.”
Jude followed Isla and Taylor followed behind her. He wanted to touch her so badly that just the thought was making him harden. It had been too long since the last time they had been together at his place and after earlier in the day, when they were so close to that hotel room, he didn’t know how long he could take this torture. Tonight would be a true test of his willpower, indeed. He eyed her again, brazenly as they walked, while he could get away with it.
Rufus paraded them in front of a long line on the street and past the bouncer. They entered the club and were led by a hostess to a rounded booth that sat one level up from the dance floor. Rufus tipped her and allowed the girls to slide in first, then sat next to Jude, leaving Taylor standing at the end.
“Sit, my friend. We’re in for a long night.”
Taylor glared at him and then slid into the booth next to Isla. Bottles were brought to the table, mixers, and snacks. As they made cocktails, Isla leaned in front of Jude and said, “I want to dance. Let’s dance, Rufus.”
Jude turned to her left, leaned back and her eyes landed on the most handsome man she had ever seen. When Hazel smiled at her, her heart quickened, and she felt love embrace her.
“I don’t dance,” Rufus stated loudly. “Take Taylor.”
“No,” Taylor stated firmly. “But you should dance. Maybe Jude… ith wants to go.”
His slip caught her attention and she looked at him momentarily again before glancing Isla’s way. “I’ll dance with you.” It would beat sitting next to Rufus all night.
The girls slipped out and Isla led Jude by the hand to the packed dance floor.
As the men watched them, Rufus, as if he was truly interested, asked, “What’s going on, Barrett?”
“What do you mean?” He took a drink, not wanting to talk to him at all.
“You know what I mean.” His snake like eyes narrowed on Taylor. “Fucking in The Plaza in the middle of the day, all the bullshit over lunch, the casual, unaffected attitude that shows how affected you really are.” He finished half his drink before he finished speaking. “You’re banging the Boehler girl and for some reason you don’t want me to know about it. For some reason, you don’t want anyone to know. Why is that?”
“First of all, I’m not banging her. Secondly, you’re losing your edge. There’s nothing going on. You’ve misread everything you think you’ve seen.”
Evil flashed in his delirious eyes. “So you’re okay if I bang Boehler and you get the cousin?”
“Stop calling her Boehler.”
Rufus smirked. “What should I call someone I fuck and throw away? Judith?”
“A hooker. Judith isn’t a plaything to entertain you until you get bored. She’s a good girl.”
“I know. That’s why I have this insane desire to turn her into a bad girl.”
Shaking his head in disgust, he said, “You’re fucked in the head. Have you ever cared about anyone other than yourself?”
“No. You shouldn’t either. You’re a man, not a girl.”
“Fuck you.” Anger rose in Taylor’s chest, making him feel hot in the club. He wiped the sweat away from his forehead and angled away from him.
The two men watched the women dance, arms up, arms down, swaying, turning, laughing. Rufus refilled his glass and said, “I’m going to fuck her, Barrett, unless you can give me a reason not to.”
“You fucked my girlfriend. There’s nothing I can say that would stop you from trying to fuck Judith. You have no boundaries. You never did, which is why we’re no longer friends.”
Rufus laughed loudly. Pointing his finger at Taylor, he said, “See? I knew there was a reason you came tonight. And considering you just said we’re not friends, that means you’re here for one of them. And my gut tells me it’s not the cousin.”
Taylor rubbed one of his temples. He sucked at lying, but would do anything to protect Jude. “Take her. You can have Judith.” The one thing he knew about Rufus for certain was that he didn’t want to be given anything. He’d happily pay for sex, but when it came to dating, it was all about the chase, the unattainable. Taylor just hoped he fell for his play and rejected his offer.
Eyeing his enemy, Rufus chuckled. “Since when do you give me anything?”
“That’s right. You prefer to take.”
“You’re damn right. Just like I fucking took Katherine. Had her begging for my cock. Had her begging to marry me.”
“You’re an asshole, Stevens.” Taylor stood up and started to leave.
“This asshole is gonna fuck your life over and over.”
Taylor stopped and turned around. “Why? Why are you after me? This can’t be about a girl when we were seventeen. That was a long fucking time ago.”
“I’m sick of your fucking face. I’m sick of the golden boy getting all the attention. I’m sick—”
“You’re sick?” Taylor slammed his palm down on the table. “You’re fucking sick? I’m sick. You win, Rufus. Don’t you see? I die in ten years and you get to live. You win, so this path of revenge you’re set on will
end at my funeral.”
Rufus drank his drink, watching the girls dance. Taylor might be right, but he wouldn’t rub it in. He couldn’t. He had to protect what he and Jude had, but his insides twisted. Watching Jude out there with a smile on her face, life not burdening her, he wanted that for her always. But selfishly, he also wanted her. When he didn’t respond, Taylor walked away. He went down the steps in a hurry and crossed Jude’s path, making sure he caught her eye. When he disappeared down the hall, she told Isla, “I’ll be back. I’m gonna use the restroom.”
“Want me to come?”
“No. Keep dancing. I’ll be right back.”
Jude hurried to the hall, then slowed down, her heart beating out of her chest. Suddenly, she was grabbed and dragged into a bathroom. The door was locked and she was pressed against the cheap wood. Taylor’s lips were on hers, his hands roaming her body. Her heart was racing and her body was frenzied. She’d missed him so much. She’d missed this so much.
She came up for air while he went down on her chest, kissing the chain that held his ring over her heart. His hands went under her skirt. Panting, he warned, “Don’t wear this skirt again. Do you understand me, Jude?”
“I do,” she exhaled. “I do. I do.” Then it occurred to her and she lifted her head to look at him. “No, I don’t understand. Don’t you like it?”
Just as his hands covered her thighs, he stopped and burst out laughing, leaving her against the door and out of breath. The faucet was turned on and he splashed his face twice with cold water. While he patted dry with a paper towel, he watched her lick her lips. “And that. Don’t do that anymore either.”
“What?”
“Lick your lips.”
It was becoming clear. His comments were becoming clear to her. She cocked an eyebrow and said, “So, no wearing of aforementioned skirt.” She dragged the edge of it up her thigh slowly, oh so slowly. He was following the deliberate rise with his eyes. “And no licking of the lips.” She licked her lips, dragging her tongue over them.
Turning abruptly he slammed the bottom of his fists against the painted cinder block wall, then tossed the towel. “You’re driving me fucking crazy, Jude, but I’m not gonna fuck you in a filthy bathroom.”
“Where are you going to fuck me then?”
Taylor paced back and forth twice before he said, “I want you to come home with me. I know you’ll say you can’t, but please don’t.”
“Is it that you miss me or you miss having sex?”
He laughed, but it was tinged with desperation. “I’m not going to lie to you. Both. But I want you in my bed again any way I can get you. I want to make love to you and I want to wake up to you.” He caressed her face, his body against hers. “Come home with me.”
His breath was inebriating. His heat awakened her body. Her body became alight with desire for this man. Everything that she had tried so hard to protect him from, everything she’d kept hidden, was for him. And here he stood pressed to her, weakening her defenses. He was worth the wrath she would face because she never stood a chance. She kissed his temple, his forehead, the side of his mouth. “Okay,” she whispered against the edge of his lips. “Okay, Hazel. For you. All for you, I’ll come home with you.”
He kissed her again, a smile showing as their lips parted. “Let’s go.” Taking a tight hold of her hand, they left the bathroom much to the relief of everyone in line, waiting for it. He pulled her through the dancing crowd. The music thumped louder, or it was his heart in his ears. He wasn’t sure anymore. The flashing lights kept him from thinking rationally. The only thing he knew to do was to get Jude out of here, to get her to his place, to make love to her. To love her. Again and again.
Taking one last look back at Rufus, the enemy’s eyes fastened on Taylor. Rufus held his glass in the air as a toast, or touché. Taylor knew Rufus had gotten the better of him, but there was no going back now. They would face whatever battle they had to together, repercussions be damned. Glancing down at Jude, he knew he loved her too much to go back anyway.
EVERYTHING ABOUT JUDE—the mystery, the secrets in her eyes, her body, her lips—all of her attracted Taylor like no other. She was different from the girls he had grown up with, dated, was expected to marry. She was uniquely her. She was Jude. And she was his.
“How did we not know each other growing up?” he asked in the car ride to his house, meaning to ask her this long before now.
“We lived upstate until I was fifteen. My stepdad got a promotion and we moved to the city.” She didn’t look at him when she replied.
He didn’t like that. He could see how anxious she was getting and it made him feel bad, like he was taking advantage of her. That was the last thing he wanted to do. “I can take you home.”
She turned to him. “I want to be with you.”
“I don’t want to cause you any more problems.”
Her hand slid across the seat until she found his. She was quiet for a few blocks and then said, “We can go to mine. If you don’t mind sneaking out before morning.”
“I’ll take my chances if it will help you.”
“It will make tomorrow easier.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I’m sure.”
Thank fuck, thought Taylor.
She unlocked the front door and snuck Hazel upstairs. It was late and no one was awake. Apparently staying out late was perfectly acceptable if she was with Isla. She rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness. When they entered her bedroom, she left him standing by the closed door in the dark until she reached the lamp on her bedside table. When it flicked on, she said, “Ignore the pink explosion. It was here, furniture and all, when we moved in. Ryan got the green room. I got stuck in here.”
Taylor stood there in astonishment, not only by the large size of the room, but by the décor. This was not his Jude. This room belonged to a ten-year-old. He was horrified. “Good God, Jude. They’re keeping you young forever.”
She got embarrassed. “It’s just a room. It means nothing.” She didn’t know why he was angry, but she felt it rolling off him in waves. Her teeth scraped over her lip, tugging it in and she stood there awkwardly.
He wasn’t sure what to think about this, but he could see her discomfort so he tried to push the other feelings down and went to her. “I’m sorry. Just from what you’ve told me… and now seeing this. It’s a lot to take in.”
“I loved being at your place. It felt more like home than this room ever has.”
His heart lurched and all he wanted to do was love this woman the way she deserved to be loved, for as long as he was able to love her. His few years would be better than having her stay here. He wanted to save her, to protect her, and to love her. “Jude?”
“Yeah?” she whispered.
“Marry me.” He didn’t whisper.
“What?”
“I want you to marry me.” He pulled her toward the bed and sat, holding her hands as she stood in front of him. “I’m not sex drunk. I’m not drunk at all. I love you. I want you with me.”
She smiled. He always had a way of making her smile from the inside. “Is this because you want me out of this room?”
Not just the room. He wanted her out of the house that had stolen the life from her eyes. He could see it. “I do want you out of this room, but I wouldn’t marry you for that reason.”
She sat on his lap, and ran the tips of her fingers over his mouth. “Have I ever told you how wonderful these lips are?”
He was used to how her mind worked and let her go down this path. “No, tell me.” He reached around her and undid the clasp of the necklace. Sliding the ring he’d given her off the chain, then listened to her while placing the ring on her finger.
“They’re full and kissable, so very kissable.” She kissed him. “And they say the sweetest things to me and they ask me to marry them. When I look at them, I have no restraint whatsoever. So if they really want me to marry them, I will.”
He got up, so sh
e stood. Dropping to one knee in front of her, he said, “Jude, I love you more than anything or anyone.” Bringing her hand to his mouth, he kissed her palm, the ring she was wearing on her finger, and placed her hand on his heart. “I feel you here. I feel you in my soul. I feel your absence when you’re away. I don’t want to be away from you anymore. I promise to love you always. I promise to protect you all of my days, my entire life. Please say yes. Will you marry me?”
She moved her hand to his cheek and kneeled down in front of him. “I’d be honored to marry you, Hazel Barrett.”
He kissed her long and hard until they parted, breathless and restless for more. Her top was the first thing to go, his next. Shoes. His—hers. Her skirt. His pants. Her bra. Things slowed and he undressed completely standing in front of her. She undressed the rest of the way standing in front of him. Her fingers danced across his hard abs that twitched under her touch. It had been so long, too long for both. Her hands slipped around his neck and she pulled him closer until their bodies were together. She whispered, “I missed you. I missed thi—”
He kissed the rest of her words away, leaving her relying on him for air. Large warm hands covered her sides, up and down. He felt his way, reacquainting himself with every inch of her torso.
Pulling him toward the bed, he stopped her just before they reached it. “No, not in that bed. I can’t. I won’t.”
The tears that pooled in her eyes reflected each beat of her heart that cried from his kindness. Loved. Protected. She felt both under his gaze. She went to her closet and pulled down a blanket and two pillows. They each took a corner and spread it out on the floor. Hazel lay down first and beckoned her. She kneeled down and then bent forward to kiss his chest.
Loving seeing her hair down, his fingers wove into it. He loved when the ends touched him when her mouth was on his body. She went lower until her mouth was around him. Closing his eyes, his mouth opened and his breath hit harder.