CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jude leaned back in his seat and stretched, a smile tickling his lips. Damn, it felt good to be back at work, good to be feeling like himself again. He glanced at Bri, seated at her desk, for the tenth time in the last hour. She leaned forward, phone to her ear, smiling.
It had been four days since he'd touched her or kissed her in any way that couldn't be mistaken for brotherly affection. He'd told her he hadn't been feeling well enough to pay her the attention she deserved, but the truth was that he'd enjoyed spending time with her without getting physical, learning more about the woman she'd become than how gorgeous her skin felt against his or how her eyes sparked with heat and light when he touched her.
He'd felt like he'd made a dent in those thick walls she had up. He'd finally felt he was getting to know the real Brianne, the tough, wary, generous, loving woman she'd become. They'd hung out and watched movies and played video games and lounged around together, and they'd laughed. They'd laughed until his cheeks ached and his sides hurt. So many times, he'd stopped himself from grabbing her and pulling her against him, because he didn't want her to remember that she'd let her guard down, that she'd relaxed with him.
She hadn't relaxed entirely. She'd told him about her life and about Max's daughter, even showed him a million pictures, but he could tell she was holding back. He suspected it had to do with the fact that her life was in Towle and his was in Vegas. He had a plan to fix that for her, to fix everything. He wasn't willing to let her go. He needed her in his life, needed her in his bed. He hated the idea of her going back to Towle without him there to remind her to experience every moment, to drop her inhibitions.
Until she'd walked back into his life, he'd been missing her without even realizing it. She'd made his life brighter and more fun, filling his days with the anticipation of seeing her, of talking to her. He'd fallen for her. So damn hard.
He watched as she stretched, arching her back so that her full, gorgeous breasts lifted and pushed forward against her inhibiting blouse. His heart slowed and he stood, ready to damn all his plans and drag her into his office to give them both what he'd been denying them for weeks. He took two steps toward her and his phone rang, reminding him that he wouldn't allow himself to be ruled by lust.
He sat back down at his desk and got lost in his work, got lost in staring at a screen full of numbers. He picked up the phone and dialed Tessa.
"I've still got nothing, Jude," she said, before he had a chance to speak. "Yes, more money has gone missing, but it still doesn't look like anyone's hacking your systems. My people haven't figured it out, yet."
He sighed. He'd known that before he'd called, but it was good to hear her reassurance. "Have you checked everything? The cash thefts might be a distraction so they can sabotage the casino or steal customer information. Have you investigated every angle?"
"You should stop, Jude, before I get insulted. I love you, but I am not afraid to tell you to go find someone else to run your casino's cyber security. I have clients with actual problems, not to mention a mile-long waiting list."
"I know. I'm sorry." He ran a hand through his hair, hating that he couldn't just accept that everything was fine, that Max wasn't stealing from him or trying to destroy his company, or using Brianne to get to him. "Keep an eye on things. I won't call again unless I hear from you."
"That would be a nice change. Look, Jude, I get how it feels to be betrayed. I understand how hard it is to trust again, but I can also tell you that seeing betrayal in every dark corner and acting like a paranoid recluse isn't any way to live."
"Letting your guard down completely and not having any kind of defenses in place isn't any way to live either, Tessa."
She sighed. "Listen, Nicholas has been complaining that he hasn't had a chance for that Yahtzee rematch he's been talking about since you beat him last month. Why don't you stop over for dinner this weekend?"
He glanced over at Bri again. If he was going to convince her to stay in Vegas, she needed to see what it could be like to be a local. She needed more friends here than Isla. "Could I bring Brianne?"
"Really, Jude? That would be wonderful."
"Great. How's Saturday night sound?"
"Perfect."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"How do you know Tessa and Nicholas again?" Bri asked, pulling at the hem of a light blue sun dress that showed off enough thigh to distract Jude and make him consider turning the car around.
"I've known Tessa since college," Jude said. "She met Nicholas later. He's a good guy, a bit intense, but a good guy."
"Right. I don't know why I'm so nervous. It's just been so long since I've . . ."
He laced his fingers through hers and squeezed. "It's okay, Brianne. There's nothing to be nervous about. We're just friends spending time together."
She folded her hands in her lap and nodded, though she couldn't manage to calm her nerves. "I just don't want . . ." She turned in her seat and faced him. "Jude, you know I'm leaving in a few weeks, right? Getting to know you again has been great, but I have to go back to Maureen and Addy. I can't stay here."
He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "We won't really know what we have unless we commit to it fully while you're here. I have to know if you like my friends or not. It's kind of a deal breaker for me."
"Right. Okay. As long as--"
He parked in the driveway of Tessa and Nicholas's palatial home. "We're here. Let's not keep them waiting."
She smoothed her dress and met him around the front of the car. "We should have brought something. Maybe we should run back out and get a bottle of wine or--"
"I've got tickets for the latest Cirque du soleil show for them in my wallet. They'll like that better than wine."
He laced his fingers through hers and she walked with him to the front door. The door swung open as soon as they stepped onto the porch and Tessa smiled. "I'm Tessa," she said, offering her hand to Bri. "It's so great to finally meet the woman who has thawed Jude's frozen heart."
Bri shook the other woman's hand, relaxing a bit. "It's so nice to meet you. Jude says you're a miracle worker."
Tessa grinned and released her hand. "Compliments, too. You really have changed him."
"Don't be ridiculous," Jude said. "I've complimented you by continuing to patronize your services. What more do you want from me?"
Tessa's smile widened. "Come on in. Nic is out back with the grill going, but he'll be in shortly."
Bri followed Tessa through the expansive, but homey, home and fought the urge to run back to the front door and escape. She felt way too comfortable here, too much like she could see herself on Jude's arm visiting this house for a get together on a regular basis. Too much like the other half of a couple.
"Have a seat," Tessa said when they arrived in the kitchen. Bri had half expected to be led into a dining room or a formal sitting room, but the kitchen was warm and bright. Copper pots hung over a granite-topped island and state-of-the-art appliances modernized a space that otherwise looked rustic, with wood floors and farmhouse-style fixtures. The kitchen table Tessa pointed them to was set for four with colorful, artsy place settings. If she'd expected Tessa's home to be as modern and sophisticated as the woman herself, she'd have been dead wrong.
Bri followed Jude and pulled out a chair at the table, but he yanked her onto his lap, taking her completely by surprise. Judging by the way Tessa's eyes widened, she was also surprised. Obviously Jude didn't make a habit of asking women to sit on his lap.
"Is there anything I can do to help with dinner?" Bri asked.
"Not a thing," Tessa said. "Nic is grilling corn and steaks, and I've got mashed potatoes and salad all set to go."
"You must love to cook," Bri said, gesturing to the kitchen.
Tessa smiled. "Nic and I both love to cook. It's a way to relax for both of us. And, we love to share food, to entertain."
A tall, broad man walked in through the back door, balancing a large platter in one hand. Dr
essed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, it was clear the guy spent a ton of time in the gym. He looked over at Jude and Bri and his icy blue eyes lit, his smile making his rugged face infinitely more handsome. "Jude. It's been too long, man."
Bri shifted so she could stand, but Jude held her tight on his lap. "Nicholas. This is my girlfriend, Brianne."
Girlfriend. The word, said so casually, sent a thrill of happiness pulsing through Bri. "You can call me Bri. Everyone but Jude does."
Nic set the platter, overflowing with roasted corn on the cob and steaks, on the table and held out a large hand to her. "And everyone calls me Nic, except Jude."
"And your parents appreciate it," Jude said. "They didn't give you a name only for it to be butchered by everyone who claims to know you."
Nicholas helped Tessa put the rest of the food on the table and they sat down to eat. Jude finally released Bri, so that she could have her own space for dinner, but he kept a hand on her thigh, like he couldn't stop touching her.
Bri fell into conversation with Tessa and Nic easily, and found herself laughing and having one of the better nights she could remember with a group of friends. After dinner, they sat out back around a roaring chimenea and made s'mores.
Jude relaxed with his friends and she loved how he was always touching her, always making sure she was included in the conversation. She loved being his girlfriend and, for the time they were at Tessa and Nic's house, she allowed herself to pretend that she could be his girlfriend for the long-term, that they actually had a shot at the future.
#
"Stay at my place tonight?" Jude asked, once they were back in his car outside Tessa and Nic's house.
She looked over at him, the hard planes of his face lit by the porch light, and her heart tripped. Damn, it was going to hurt to let him go. For the six hundredth time that night, she wondered if there was a way for them to make it work and, for the six hundredth time, she had to admit that the options were few and far between. Still, for the next couple weeks, she could be with him. She could love him. Because she did love him, as much as she wished she didn't. "I'd like that."
He smiled and drove them back to the strip, his fingers linked through hers. She breathed in deep and watched his face as he drove, trying to be present in every moment she had with him, trying to make memories that would last, even when she couldn't be with him.
Back in his small room, he spun her around, her back against the door, and kissed her like it had been weeks since they'd last kissed. "I've been wanting to do this all night," he said, his mouth moving against hers as he spoke.
She slid her hands under his shirt, and he let her pull it off over his head. He leaned in to kiss her again, but she leaned back and pulled her sundress off, dropping it on the floor next to them. "Jude, I want you so much."
His gaze moved over her face, taking her in, his expression serious. "I want you, too, Brianne. So much. But I need to know you're in this with me, that you want the same things I want."
"I want you naked and inside me," she said, fully aware that wasn't what he wanted to hear. "Is that what you want?"
"I do." His warm hands roamed her body, pulling at the waistband of her panties and sliding beneath to squeeze her ass. "I want that and more Brianne. I want everything." He stilled, his gaze intent. "Brianne, I love you so damn much."
She opened her mouth to say the words, but she couldn't do it. Not because she didn't feel them, but because saying them felt too much like making a promise she couldn't keep. Instead, she pressed her mouth to his and showed him how she felt.
He kissed her back while she reached for the waistband of his jeans. She unbuttoned and unzipped and gripped his hard, hot length. "Brianne--"
She didn't give him a chance to say any of the things she suspected she wouldn't want to hear. She needed him, needed to have this moment with him. She dropped to her knees and took him in her mouth. He groaned and cursed, and she used her tongue and her lips and her mouth to drive him insane, to make him lose control.
His hips jerked and he grabbed her and pulled her up to his mouth with a moan. "I'm never not going to want you," he said.
He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist, wishing she never had to let go, wishing she would never have to leave him. He spun and dropped to the bed with her. He slid down her body and placed his mouth on her core. If she'd been showing him how she felt, his tongue and his lips and the way he loved her and gave her so much pleasure, brought tears to her eyes. She could feel it in every swipe of his tongue, in every pump of his fingers, in the way he gripped her hips. She felt loved and wanted and like herself again, like the Bri she'd lost and the Bri she'd become and the Bri he'd helped her find.
She orgasmed with a sharp cry, the intense pleasure surprising her with its suddenness. She watched him, admiring his beautiful body, as he walked over to the nightstand and took out a condom. He knelt between her legs as she moved up the bed and rolled on the condom while she watched. He was so perfect.
He hovered over her, eyes on hers, as he slowly entered her. The pleasure and the want on his face made her arch her back and raise her hips to meet him, but he pressed her back down, his weight on hers as he kissed her and thrust into her, filling her completely. He felt better than she remembered, and she'd been thinking about their night together several times a day and more often at night for the past few weeks.
He kissed her while he moved his hips, filling all her senses, keeping her attention entirely on him. Together, they reached their climax and Bri felt like she was floating, drifting in a beautiful, ephemeral dream of a happiness she could never possess.
After cleaning them both up, Jude tucked her in against his chest and kissed her cheek. "I love you," he said, his voice husky.
She wanted to say it back, to tell him how much he meant to her, but she couldn't say the words. So, she lay still, letting her breathing go heavy, pretending to be asleep, until she really was.
#
"Bri," Max said taking a seat at the small bistro table, his face creased in a wide smile. "It's good to see you." He needed a haircut, but his smile hadn't changed, even if his eyes had lost some of their light. He was bigger and broader, than he'd been four years ago, his body language and expression no longer open and friendly. He'd become the kind of guy women took a second look at and then crossed the street to avoid when they got a good look at the 'stay away' vibes emanating from him.
She bit her tongue. Hard. He hadn't been able to find the time to see her since he'd arrived in Vegas. She'd asked him to meet her for lunch, dinner, breakfast, a game of cards at the apartment, but it wasn't until she texted him with the promise of quick money that he'd managed to make time for her. She hadn't told Jude she was going to meet with Max, hadn't even told him that Max was in town. "There is no job. No fast money scheme that's going to make us all rich."
He frowned. "What's going on, Bri?"
She smiled sweetly at the waitress as she ordered a tea and Max ordered a burger, but was all seriousness when the waitress left and Bri turned her attention back to Max. "I needed to get you here, to see your face when I told you that I know exactly what happened between you and Jude five years ago."
He smiled a lazy, nonchalant smile. "Bri. Come on. That was a long time ago. You can't honestly care about that."
"Except I do care, Max. I care about Jude. I always have, but the lies you told me about him made me hate him."
"Look, I don't know what he told you, but I never said anything about him that wasn't true--"
"I know everything that happened between the two of you and, honestly, Max I trust Jude right now more than I do you."
"I don't see what the big deal is. So, I lied about how things went down. It doesn't change anything. He kicked me out of the company. He wouldn't listen to me when I explained to him I needed the money for Addy. He didn't care that I had the best intentions. He took everything from me."
She nailed him down with her glare. "I've been really
understanding, Max, every time you've called to say you can't make it to see Addy. I've been taking care of your daughter and our mother because I love them, and I love you. Don't pay me back for that with more lies, or we're done."
He leaned back in his seat, his expression hardening. "You'd turn your back on your family? Because of some mistake I made years ago? Jude is just a selfish asshole we used to be friends with."
She knew Max well enough to see the vulnerability beneath his harsh words and tone. He was feeling defensive. She leaned across the table. "I'm in love with that asshole we used to be friends with, and I'm asking you, Max, to please tell me the truth. Tell me why you stole from him." It felt oddly freeing to finally admit how badly she'd failed at keeping her distance from Jude.
He drummed his fingers on the table while the waiter delivered her tea and his food. Once he'd stuffed in a few bites of his sandwich, he nodded. "I'd just found out Lizzy was pregnant." He closed his eyes, breathed through his nose a few times and opened them. "That's a lie." He looked away, pinched his nose and looked back at her. "Fuck. Fine. You want to know the kind of man I am. Here you go. I fell in lust, Bri. Lizzy was so fucking hot, but she was way out of my league, you know? She was from a fucking rich family and she had certain . . . Expectations. I knew the company would be making real money soon, but I wanted to impress her before she moved on to someone else. I just borrowed a little bit. I didn't think anyone would notice it was gone."
A drumbeat of a headache took up residence in her temples and the tea turned bitter on her tongue. "Over a million dollars, Max. That's not a little bit of money."
He shrugged. "I didn't realize how much I'd taken until Jude showed me the numbers. I'd only taken a little at a time, but it had added up quick."
"Explain to me, Max, how you aren't in jail. Explain to me how you thought it was okay to tell Jude I'd asked you to steal from him."
He scowled. "He was talking about bringing in the police. I couldn't go to jail."
How to Lasso a Billionaire Page 19