In this moment, lying on top of him and feeling every inch of his muscled body against mine, I was hot all over.
“I’m fine, I swear.Are you okay?”I repeated.
“Are we just going to ask that question in a circle?”he said.
Neither one of us moved to untangle ourselves.“No, but you haven’t answered me yet.”
“I’m fine.Fuck, Kendall, you scared me.”His hands slid up and down my back as if checking to make sure I was okay.
“I’m fine,” I repeated.
I thought he caught me and rolled underneath me to make sure I didn’t hit the ground.A twinge of guilt pricked at me.“Did you roll under me?
Jude narrowed his eyes, those stunning silver-blue eyes.“That’s exactly what I did.I didn’t want you to get hurt.”
“Well, I didn’t want you to get hurt!”I exclaimed.
“Can you save tasks like climbing up on a ladder for when someone is here to help?”he asked next.
“No,” I muttered, even though I knew he sort of had a point.Maybe.
“Just text me.You know if I’m available, I will come right over.If I’m not available, text my mom.She’ll come over.She can hold the ladder.”
“Jude, it would have been fine if?—”
“Don’t blame this on me showing up.”
“Travis got excited because you’re here and because you’re his boyfriend.”
Jude burst out laughing.“I’m not his boyfriend.”
“Oh, you aresototally Travis’s boyfriend.”
When Jude’s gaze met mine, the air felt like it shifted around us again.The rumble of his chuckle faded, and we stared at each other.The urge to lean forward and close what couldn’t have been more than an inch between our lips was almost overpowering.
“Kendall,” he rasped, his hand tightening where it had come to rest on one of my hips.
ChapterFour
Jude
Kendall stared at me, her brown hair pulled up in a messy ponytail, and her wide brown eyes, flecked with little gold specks, locked onto mine.
I contemplated if we’d ever been this close before.She’d been my friend since middle school, and I’d had a crush on her for what felt like forever.I tried to kid myself that I’d hidden it very well.
But right this second, shehadto notice my reaction to her.She was stretched out on top of me, all soft curves.I didn’t needanyreminders of her curves.I’d been trying and utterly failing to forget the memory of her bare breasts when I accidentally walked in on her getting dressed months ago.Fuck me.
I wanted to count the freckles scattered across her cheeks like gold dust.I wanted to kiss the corners of her lips.I wanted to unwrap her like the gift she was and learn all of her secrets.
Her lips parted, and she whispered, “Jude.”
I could literally feel the heat of that single word when she spoke it, because a tiny puff of air came out with it.She wassoclose.
My hand flexed on the curve of her hip, savoring the soft give of it.I wanted to touch more, so much more.
I knew I was about to throw away years of friendship with a careless kiss, because there wasno wayKendall felt the same way about me.
Travis, my canine boyfriend, snapped through the moment when he came running over, flinging himself onto the hay-covered floor beside us and rolling over.He let out these little yips before nuzzling my ear, his tongue lolling out in a happy smile when I glanced over.
