If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was in hot pursuit. Something had definitely shifted forward betweenus.
And it feltgood.
But I was still proceeding with caution, still trying to protect myself. Because he still hadn’t suggested changing the terms of our little “just sex” arrangement, which meant that neither wouldI.
“Hey. You texting your man in the middle of girls’night?”
Katie was playing with her phone under the table, and her best friend had bustedher.
“I thought this table was a husband-and-boyfriend-free zone,” Devisaid.
“It is,” Katie protested, “but he was just checking to see if I needed a ride or anything. He says he’s just finished up with Jude and they’re splittingup.”
“Jesse’s out with Jude?” It bothered me how instantaneously bothered I was that she knew what Jude was doing tonight, and Ididn’t.
“Yeah. Well, they were having a beer. But Jude took off to a Kings party, so Jesse’s heading back home. He’s got the Ferrari,” she said, getting all lovey-dovey-eyed as she tucked her phone away, “which means he’s probablyhorny.”
“And he thought of you?” Jessa teased. “Howsweet.”
“Yeah. He’s romantic like that.” Katie snickered. “Don’t worry," she assured Devi. “I’m not going anywhere. Not until you divulge about that model guy you hooked up with lastnight.”
“What model guy?” Amber asked, and as Devi filled the girls in on her date of last night, my mind got stuck in a loop. A loop where I obsessed over the fact that Jude was heading to a Kings party… and he wasn’t taking me withhim.
He didn’t even ask me if I wanted to go withhim.
Secretly, I’d been really hoping to see him tonight. Last night he’d called me like I told him to, but I’d ended up working pretty late with Talia, tying up a bunch of random loose ends on a couple of events we were planning for January, and I didn’t end up seeing him. I didn’t mind brushing him offonce. Keep him on his toes,right?
But when we’d texted earlier today and casually talked about hooking up later tonight, he didn’t mention he was going to a Kings party. He didn’t mention a club party atall.
And all I could think was:Taze would’ve takenme.
And just like that, all the old wounds ripped rightopen.
* * *
Jude showedup at my place that night, just like he said he would—but half an hourlate.
Toward the end of girls’ night, he’d finally texted me, putting out his usual feeler. TheWanna fuck?feeler. And yeah, I wanted to fuck. So I told him we could meet up at myplace.
But then he arrived late. And by then, I was feeling raw all over again. And whatever warm and fuzzy feeling his texts had given me while I finished off my beer had frosted rightover.
“Hey, fuck buddy,” I said as I opened the door tohim.
His eyes immediately narrowed as he caught my tone. He stepped inside, and as soon I’d shut the door behind him, I walked right into the living room. No hug. No kiss. No welcoming ass-grab.
Nothing.
I stood in the living room with my arms crossed as he made his way slowly into the room. His dark eyes scanned me, head-to-toe.
“Youalright?”
“Been better. Not feeling so much like fucking tonight,buddy.”
“Okay.” He slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans and stood there, staring at me. “You got somethin’ you wannasay?”
“Oh. I didn’t know we were actually allowed to have a conversation in the middle of the night. Usually we just fuck, then you gohome.”
His eyes narrowed at me again, and he took a long fucking time to start talking. “If our arrangement isn’t working for you, V, you’ve got every right to sayso.”
