“Aw, baby.” I leaned up and kissed him again. “Don’t you know? Women always like the brother with the biggerdick.”
He grunted. “Women like blond anddangerous.”
Right. Blond anddangerous.
Piper. Zane.Taze.
All the guys I’d fucked when I should’ve been fuckinghim.
And maybe for the first time I was really starting to understand what a sore spot that was. That maybe Jude hadalwaysfelt like he was in his brother’s shadow in someway.
Standing in Dirty’s shadows couldn’t have done much to dispel that feeling over theyears.
Jude Grayson had strength and confidence and charisma; those were three of the things I’d always been most drawn to in him. But he was human. He was full of contradictions, weaknesses and insecurities, just likeanyone.
He was a man who’d once let himself start to fall for a girl he thought chose his brother over him. A brother he loved and looked up to, which probably just made itworse.
“Women like dark and mysterious, too,” I told him. I ran my hand down the side of his face, over his soft stubble, looking in his darkeyes.
“True. Pretty sure Jesse gets laid once in awhile.”
“Women like devoted,” I told him, in all seriousness. “Women like respect. Women like to beloved.”
His eyes softened as he gazed at my lips. “Thatso?”
“Women like men who make them feel like the only woman in theworld.”
“Mmm.” He walked me slowly back until we bumped up against my desk. “I don’t think I’ve respected you on this desk yet,” he murmured, brushing his lips over mine again… and sending a shiver of desire through me, sostrong.
Then he curled his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me to him for a toe-curling kiss… while his other hand roamed down my body and started peeling off myclothes…
And he made me feel like the only woman in the world, the way only he knewhow.
Epilogue
Maggie
“Shit…”
I opened my front door to Jude. I’d glimpsed him through the peep hole, standing at my door on a Sunday morning—mere days before we left ontour.
He hadn’t called me first and he hadn’t texted. I’d had no heads up whatsoever that he was coming by or even that he wanted to speak withme.
Whatever this was, it wasn’tgood.
My breakfast roiled in a glob in my stomach as I swung the door wide and put on a smile, like I was delighted by this littlesurprise.
I was notdelighted.
“Hey, good morning! What are you doinghere?”
My discomfort must have sang right through, because his eyes narrowed atme.
“Brought you a coffee,” he said. “It’smocha.”
Then, without being invited, he walked rightin.
“Cool. You coming from Jesse’s?” I closed the door behind him and tried not to panic. I tried to convince myself that this could actually just be a pleasant socialcall.
