“I’m so glad you could make it. Dinner is ready and keeping warm on the stove,” I said, placing my hand on George’s back to help guide him to a chair.
“He usually shoos me away when I do that,” Jude scoffed as he followed his father.
“That’s because she’s far more enchanting than you trying to micromanage every step I take,” George said, throwing me a wink as he trudged through the yard and toward the table.
“I can’t argue with that,” Jude said in an almost whisper. My head whipped to him, a half-smile blooming on his lips. I swore I spotted his eyes drift lower before he tore them away. He stayed close enough to us for me to get a whiff of his cologne or whatever magic he used to always smell that damn good.
It had been a long time since I’d had a crush on anyone, and I guessed that was what this was, although I couldn’t remember the constant distraction of it being this fucking exhausting.
But this was no big deal, or I’d work to stop making it one. I was attracted to Jude. Very attracted. But I didn’t know anything about him or what made him run so hot and cold with me. What I was feeling was just plain lust and not based in any kind of reality.
My panting over Jude was simply a chemical reaction like indigestion or the headache that hit me sometimes when I had too much wine. I could handle this tonight and in the foreseeable future when I officially moved here. I threw him a quick smile as we both eased George into one of the chairs.
“This is a nice setup,” George said, sweeping his gaze over the yard as Jude slid his walker behind him. “I haven’t been back here in a while. Jake does good work. He’s a show-off about it, but I wouldn’t begrudge him.”
“Yes,” I said, the nervous chuckle bubbling out of my chest already annoying the shit out of me. “I’ve enjoyed hanging out back here for the last few weeks. It’s the perfect place to do absolutely nothing. The best I had in Brooklyn was the stoop in front of my building, but I wouldn’t describe that as peaceful.”
I grazed my hand down my neck and slid it over my clammy shoulder, my strapless blue dress now feeling small and flimsy as Jude scrutinized me from the other side of the table, almost as if I were too exposed. The dress was snug around my chest but loose and flowy from the waist down, coming up to just above my knee. Maybe it wasn’t the dress that made me feel on display. I could have slipped on a potato sack and still felt naked in front of Jude.
This fixation withdrawal was going stellar so far.
I ticked my eyes to his and finally took him in. How could a man be that hot in a dark T-shirt over khaki shorts? It was a challenge not to focus on the stretch of cotton over his defined chest or the vein popping out of his forearm as he held on to the back of one of the chairs.
“Help yourself to the salad on the table. Peyton had five bottles of dressing, so I pulled them all out since I never asked what you both liked. I have drinks in the cooler for whatever you want.” I turned toward Jude. “You can start plating while I grab dinner off the stove.”
“My son will help you with that,” George offered. “And we’ll wait to eat and drink until you sit down. The least we can do after your generous invitation is to be polite guests. Right, son?”
I bit back a smile when he turned to Jude, his eyes narrowed at his son. That look made me homesick for my mother, who would always nudge me in the same way, putting me on the spot with people I couldn’t talk back in front of so I would do whatever she wanted without a hassle.
“Right,” Jude said, clearing his throat while he tore his gaze from mine as if he was in the same weird trance I was for a minute. “Ladies first.” He jutted his stubbled chin toward the door. I noted the extra day or two of scruff before I shot a smile at George, and I headed back inside.
“I just need to scoop the lo mein into a bowl and get a hot plate onto the table,” I said, not looking back as I made my way to the stove and shut off the burner. I tucked a stray piece of hair that had fallen out of the messy-looking-but-really-complicated-bun on top of my head as I dished out the chicken and noodles into a serving bowl. The lock of hair came loose again, tickling my nose despite my efforts to blow it out of my eyes.
“Like I said, not as good as my dad would serve in his restaurant, but I learned enough from him to be dangerous with a wok.”
I lifted my head when I was done and found Jude watching me, just like I thought I’d seen on our walk back from his house that night. His gaze was intense and heavy as it searched mine, and I didn’t know if it was because he resented being here or if he was about to kiss the hell out of me.
If it was the latter, I’d let him without hesitation, regardless of where dinner was or who was outside or the exhausting mixed signals he was throwing in my direction. His tongue darted out and swiped his full bottom lip when he nodded, as if he’d read my mind.
Between the hormone surges and the confusion they left in their wake, I was dizzy and frustrated. Men never made me stupid in their presence, yet this one had me losing brain cells all over the place.
“Better get this out there before it gets cold,” I said, pulling out a couple of potholders from the kitchen drawer and grabbing the bowl on both sides to slide it to Jude.
He inched closer, his eyes still on mine, and he tucked the loose piece of hair behind my ear, huffing out a soft chuckle as his finger grazed my jaw before he dropped his hand and took a half step back.
“I got it,” he whispered, raising the heavy bowl as if it were nothing but a feather. My gaze lingered on the flex of his biceps as he headed to the open screen door. “Thank you. For having us tonight. I don’t want you to think I don’t appreciate the invite too. Dad is kind enough to always point out when I’m being a dick.”
A real laugh slipped out of me, and Jude grinned, his smile relaxed and easy.
“You’re not being a dick. You’re intense. Don’t apologize. It works for you.” I gave his shoulder a light squeeze before I could help myself.
Once my fingertips sank into the hard muscle, I knew this fight to not be so damn affected by the beautiful man in the kitchen would be a waste. The best I could do would be to work on not being as obvious about it until my weird feelings—hopefully and eventually—passed.
I grabbed the hot plate as Jude followed me outside, still feeling the jolt from the graze of his skin against mine.
A drawback I hadn’t anticipated in my consideration of moving from Brooklyn to a small town was the probably limited number of single men within the town limits. I needed to get laid—badly and soon.
Hooking up with anyone in Kelly Lakes was probably something you couldn’t do without everyone finding out. City living could be cold, but I already missed the anonymity.
