Fool for Him (Foolish at Heart Book 1)

by R. C. Martin

  Combatting the knots in my stomach, I walked toward the front counter. I ordered a small, black coffee and then asked if I could borrow their phone. The barista handed me the portable device, and I forced in a deep breath before I dialed.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Judah’s concentration was broken when his phone sounded from on top of his desk. He glanced at the time on his computer monitor and arched an eyebrow in surprise. It was after seven, and he’d lost track of the time. Glancing out of his office, he noticed the other offices were empty and dark—all save one. From his vantage point, he couldn’t tell if it was Logan or Brittany who had stayed late; however, considering it was a Friday night, he was taken aback that it might have been either of them.

  Abandoning his train of thought, he reached for his still ringing phone. He didn’t recognize the 970 number, but that didn’t stop him from swiping his thumb across the screen before he brought the device to his ear.

  “Judah St. Michaels,” he answered.

  At first, he was met with silence. He was about to pull the phone away from his face when he heard the person on the other end take a deep breath. Then she spoke.

  “Hi, Judah,” she began tentatively. “It’s…it’s Teddy.”

  Judah’s eyebrows lifted instantly, and he didn’t fight the slight smile that pulled at his lips upon hearing the sound of her voice. She’d been ignoring him all week, but he wasn’t ready to claim defeat. Had he not been in and out of meetings for the majority of the day, he would have sent her yet another bouquet of flowers—but it seemed his busy afternoon worked in his favor.

  “Teddy, it’s good to hear from you.”

  “Uh—well, you might not think that in a second.”

  His facial expression fell, and he pushed away from his desk as he insisted, “Try me.”

  “So—okay, well, the short of it is, I’m stranded. I locked my phone in the gallery, and then I locked my keys in my car. It’s pouring rain outside, I’m soaking wet, and—I could use some help. Yours is the only number I could find; and I know this is probably weird, but a friend of mine has my spare keys, so if you could just give me a ride to his condo, I would…I guess—I guess I would owe you.”

  Her words poured out of her in a rush, but there was something which wrapped itself around her shy tone—something Judah couldn’t quite identify. Whatever it was, he knew he didn’t like it. Whatever it was, it compelled him out of his chair.

  “Where are you?” He pushed his shoulder up to keep the phone pressed to his ear as he powered off his computer.

  “I’m at a coffee—shit,” she moaned, sounding defeated. “There’s a coffee shop on every corner. That won’t help you. Hold on.”

  She sounded frazzled. Judah imagined, wherever she was, she looked both cute—in an unsuspecting manner—and sexy as fuck—drenched from the rain.

  “Cups. I’m at Cups. It’s on the corner of—”

  “I know where it is,” interjected Judah as he slid into his jacket. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “Really?” she asked, sounding relieved.

  “Yes, Teddy. Really. Sit tight.”

  “Thank you.”

  He disconnected the call as he strode out of his office. Stepping over the threshold, he noted it was Brittany who still had her light on. While he knew there was no security risk in allowing her to be the last left in the building, he was curious why the second youngest member of his staff still lingered after seven o’clock on a Friday night.

  Judah stopped a few feet away from her shared office space and announced, “Brittany, I’m headed out.”

  “Oh.” She smiled as she stood abruptly. It was obvious she was less immersed in her work than he originally surmised. “I’m finished for the night, too. We can walk out together,” she suggested, hurrying to join him.

  Judah spoke not a word in replay. Rather, he waited for her where he stood before they both headed for the exit.

  “So, where are you off to tonight? If you’re looking for company…”

  Brittany let the tail end of her sentence trail off as she looked up at Judah. He arched an eyebrow at her, intrigued by her boldness. He wasn’t interested, but he wondered when the day would come that she would give voice to the silent hints she’d been dropping for months.

  Her timing’s shit, thought Judah as he opened the front door.

  “I’ve got plans,” he stated. After a pause he added, “And I’ve got company.”

  Brittany’s lips fell in a pout, and he offered her a smirk. It wasn’t that he was amused; he simply found it laughable how she thought his mind could be changed with nothing more than the turn of her lips.

  “Better hurry,” he muttered, nodding out the door. “You don’t want to get too wet heading to your car.”

  She coughed out a sigh, her mouth falling open as she stared at him—but she wasn’t good enough to fool him. Judah saw right through her feigned shock at his reply. It was in her eyes, which were playful and flirtatious. In that moment, he thought of Teddy; he saw her hazel-brown eyes, widened by surprise—her freckled cheeks rosy in embarrassment. Well aware he was minutes away from such a genuine specimen, he was suddenly filled with a new sense of urgency.

  “Have a good weekend, Brittany,” he said, hoping to get her moving.

  She took a step backwards into the rain, edging away from him slowly—as if there was still a chance he’d change his mind. Finally, she tossed him a wink and called out, “You, too, Judah.”

  He watched her as she turned and hurried to her vehicle, but he didn’t let his stare linger long. Judah popped the collar on his jacket and buried his hands in his pockets before he, too, made haste to his sportscar. After he climbed inside, he blindly reached into his backseat, hoping to find an umbrella. When he felt it, satisfaction blossomed within him as he powered on the vehicle’s engine.

  It took him less than ten minutes to reach his destination. He pulled up to the corner coffee shop just as someone else was leaving, which provided him a parking spot directly in front of the entrance. As soon as he killed the engine, he reached back for the umbrella, opening it as he stepped out in the rain. He spotted Teddy through the storefront window the instant he ascended onto the sidewalk. For a moment, he felt paralyzed by a sense of wonder he’d never felt before.

  He imagined she would look cute and sexy—but she was more than that. She was ravishing.

  Teddy was sitting alone at a table for two. Her vibrant, red hair was in a tangled pile on top of her head—a single, missed tendril falling down her back. From where he stood, the rain pelting unrelentingly onto the umbrella, Judah admired her profile. He couldn’t help but to appreciate her. Not as merely a woman he wished to take to bed, but as something more. The lines of her body, the color of her skin, the look on her face—everything about her was the picture of feminine grace. She was like a piece of fine china—meant for show and enjoyed only on special occasions.

  And when I enjoy her, it will most certainly be a special occasion.

  Even with the distance that separated them, he could tell the tip of her fine nose was pink. She was shivering, which was a clear sign that the small cup she had in her hand was doing nothing to warm her. This reality pulled him from his trance. He knew it was time to get her out of those wet clothes.

  Judah closed the umbrella before he stepped inside. The moment he did, Teddy’s head snapped up and her gaze crashed into his. She sucked in a quick breath and offered him a shy, silent hello as she stood upon his approach.

  “Thank you,” she said before Judah could utter a single word. “I’m sorry if I’ve ruined your evening. I really appreciate you picking me up.”

  He could tell she was trying to hide the fact that her teeth were chattering. She failed miserably. This was why Judah hardly stopped to think about it before he shrugged his way out of his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. When she looked up at him in surprise, her eyes grew wide—exactly as he remembered.

  “C
ome on,” he insisted. “It’s time I get you out of here.”

  She followed him without complaint as he exited the shop. He opened the umbrella and ensured she was completely covered as he escorted her to the passenger side door of his Porsche. As soon as she was closed inside, he hurried around to his own seat. When he powered on the vehicle, he blasted the heat and then pointed all the vents in her direction.

  “Thank you,” she chattered.

  “Where’s our first stop?”

  Shivering more unabashedly, she turned to him and questioned, “First stop?”

  “Yes. Where does this friend of yours live? I’ll drive you there, wait for you to gather your extra set of keys, and then take you back to your car.”

  “Oh,” she all but squeaked. Shaking her head, Teddy went on in a stammer. “Um, well—you don’t have to do that. I mean, my friend, he can take me.”

  “That won’t be necessary. I can drive you, Teddy. I don’t mind. The gallery is on my way home. Now, where are we going?”

  Teddy hesitated, tugging his jacket around her tighter. “Don’t you have, like, plans? It’s Friday night. It’s still early, and I don’t mean to keep you.”

  “Theodora.” Judah stopped, and as he was growing accustomed, he reached for her chin and held her face captive as he stared at her. “I said I don’t mind. Where are we going?”

  She whimpered, and the sound fell directly into his lap—the feeling not at all undesirable.

  “He lives off of Harmony and Lemay,” she informed him. She then cleared her throat and admitted, “But he’s not home. I’ll have to wait for him. So, see, you only have to make one stop.”

  Judah frowned at her as he processed what she said. Narrowing his eyes, he queried, “Let me get this straight. You want me to take you clear across town only to leave you until your friend gets home? Dressed like you are now—in soaking wet clothes?”

  “Mmmhmm,” she hummed, attempting to look away from him.

  He only gripped her chin tighter as he coughed out a laugh.

  “I’m not doing that,” he stated matter-of-factly.

  “But, I—”

  “You’re shivering, Teddy. You need a hot shower and some dry clothes.”

  As the words were tumbling out of his mouth, an idea crossed his mind. He didn’t even stop to think twice before he let go of her face and shifted his vehicle into reverse.

  “Wait—where are we going?”

  He backed out of his parking spot, not bothering to look at her as he answered, “You’re coming home with me.”

  “What?” she shrieked. “Judah, no. That—oh, god—that is not necessary.”

  “Tell me, when will this friend of yours be home?” he asked, certain he already knew the answer wouldn’t be soon. When she didn’t reply at all, Judah shook his head in disbelief. “Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

  “But, Judah—I don’t even—I mean—I can’t come over to your house!”

  “You can. You will. And you won’t argue. I’m not kidnapping you, Teddy. You called me, remember? I’m simply following through on this little rescue mission.”

  “Oh, dear God, I can’t believe this is happening,” Teddy whispered.

  Her voice was so low, Judah knew the words weren’t meant for him. Even so, he breathed them in, and it made him feel victorious. A sly smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

  Seduction, he thought to himself. A byproduct of simply being in my presence.

  It seemed as though fate was in his favor, offering him an opportunity—one he would not take for granted.

  Tonight, I up the ante.

  Chapter Twenty

  I scoured my brain in an anxious attempt to think of any list of reasons why Judah should have taken me to Geoffrey’s place and abandoned me. As if my entire body was conspiring against me, I couldn’t think of one. I was so cold, and the idea of sitting in an empty hallway—soaked from head to toe—made me shiver even harder. The only list I could come up with was the list of reasons why going to Judah’s house was actually a really appealing idea.

  Seeing as I couldn’t find the words to argue with him, I said nothing at all. I pulled his jacket around me tighter and tried desperately not to get lost in his scent. It was everywhere, and it was frighteningly delicious. I knew, if I wasn’t careful, I’d be completely hypnotized by it. In an attempt to distract myself, I stared out the window and tried not to panic.

  Just as he said he would, he passed by the gallery and then took a left, headed down Mountain Avenue. Mountain was one of the most beautiful streets in all of Fort Collins. It was lined with gorgeous old houses and huge trees that made the changing of seasons something to look forward to. There was even a trolley that ran down the wide median during the summertime.

  When we neared the end of the long stretch of road, Judah slowed down and turned into the driveway of his brick-faced home. He pulled into the garage and parked next to a fancy looking SUV. Suddenly, that list of reasons why I shouldn’t have been there started to accumulate. I knew I didn’t belong.

  “Come,” he said, extracting me from my thoughts.

  Remembering I was cold down to my bones, I got out of the car and followed him into the house. The door we passed through opened into a little mud room. By the looks of it, I was convinced it never saw any mud. His golf clubs were propped in the corner, across from a beautiful copper basin sink. Judah dropped the wet umbrella inside the aforementioned sink and then escorted me into a short hallway.

  I could tell, by the hint of light that was trying desperately to meet us, there were windows nearby—but the rain clouds had Judah flipping on the light switch. A warm, golden glow filled the space, and my eyes caught the wide metal staircase beyond the mouth of the hallway. I had never seen something so industrial and modern in anyone’s home before, and I immediately wanted to climb them. Except, that wasn’t the direction we were headed.

  Judah took a right, but my eyes went left. I saw the front door beyond his modest foyer, and what I assumed was a coat closet; or perhaps not. There were two doors. They faced each other on opposite sides of the foyer, each of them painted the same grayish blue as his walls. I wondered what was behind each of them. My fascination was creeping up my spine, my curiosity warming me from the inside out as I inched my way further into the man’s home.

  I noticed the floor in his entryway was the same as that underneath my feet—some sort of dark hardwood. For reasons I seemed to know intrinsically, I understood this fit him to a T. As I finally turned to follow after him, I couldn’t stop my gaze from soaking in as much of his place as I could. On the back side of his eye-catching staircase, I saw what I assumed was his office behind a pair of glass-paned French doors. Even from where I stood, I could tell it was sleek, masculine, and spacious inside.

  I was so enraptured by the hints of him that surrounded me, I hardly noticed as I trailed behind him, headed directly for his bedroom. It took only one foot over the threshold for me to grasp hold of the certainty that the room was definitely his. It smelled like him. It felt like him. So much so that it brought me to an abrupt halt.

  It was dark—dark and manly but exquisite. The walls and ceiling were covered with what could have been wallpaper, or maybe even fabric—the texture masquerading as various shades of dark gray cement. It was rugged and understated at the same time. His bed, which was situated in the middle of the room, was pushed up against a floor-to-ceiling, wooden wall partition. The wall was only wide enough for the bed and his two floating nightstands, which were obviously built into the partition. The lamps that sat upon each side table were black, but distressed and antique looking; and his mattress was covered with a slate navy blue comforter that looked rumpled on purpose—complete with more earth-toned throw pillows than I had in my entire apartment.

  On the wall, opposite the foot of his bed, was a mounted, wide-screen television. Below it, there was a geometric shelving unit filled with books. But it was the window on the wall directly across from me
that stole my eye. It was huge. In fact, there was more window than wall. With his curtains drawn open, I could see what I guessed was a portion of his backyard. Even with the darkness brought about by the storm, I saw his natural fence line of trees, which somehow added to the décor of his room.

  I didn’t know how long I stood there staring. It was so overwhelming. The sophistication of it all was like a glimpse beyond the shell that Judah wore—the persona he had shown me. This space didn’t belong to an asshole. It was too warm. Too intimate. Full of his belongings, it was like I was looking at him—stripped down to the bones that were his foundation.

  “I’m not a small man,” he said, yanking me out of my own head.

  I jerked my gaze in the direction from which his voice came and saw him step out from around the corner. I leaned into the room a little, wondering if I could get a peek at what other secrets the space held, but I couldn’t see much from my vantage point.

  Before I could say a word, he handed me a couple pieces of folded clothing. He then informed me, “The bathroom is that way.” He pointed toward the space on the other side of the partition wall. “The shower’s not hard to figure out.”

  I brought my eyes up to meet his, and my mouth opened and closed as I tried to find my words. He hadn’t just gone to grab me dry clothes—he expected me to use his private facilities. For reasons I didn’t think needed explaining, that seemed like too much.

  “Uh—you—wait—you want me to use your shower? I mean, you don’t have a guest room or something?”

  “No, I don’t,” he replied.

  The half-smile that formed on his lips made my knees weak.

  “I have a shower in the basement, but no guest room. The one in here is bigger. I insist,” he went on to tell me, nodding in its direction.