Christ. Already with thedarlin’.
This was gonna be a looong meal if he was already flashing his dimples and pulling out thedarlin’.
Next thing he’d be calling me V, like no time had passed between now and then, and my panties would be around myankles.
We sipped our drinks and his dark eyes never left mine. And I remembered what happened the last time we’d toasted each other—the night of Jesse and Katie’s wedding. Late in the night, just the two of us, on the deck of thelodge.
The night we lastfucked.
I wondered if he was remembering the samething.
“You always discuss your security needs with promoters in person, over dinner and drinks?” I askedhim.
“Promoters don’t always look like you,” he answered. “You always leave your bra at home when you meet withsecurity?”
I glanced down; my silky halter had draped open a bit too far on one side, exposing a rather generous curve of breast. My nipple was still covered. I could’ve casually smoothed the shirt closed, covering therest.
I left it right where it was and looked him in theeye.
“I’ve never had to meet with security before. As you know, I’ve never done an event this big. Does my lack of bra offendyou?”
“Long as you don’t mind me staring, darlin’, I don’t mind your clothes comin’off.”
* * *
Later,when the food had long been cleared away and I’d hit the bottom of the wine bottle, and Jude was on his third or fourth drink, I asked him, “Are you seeinganyone?”
It wasn’t like it had never occurred to me to wonder. I would’ve driven myself into a mental ward long ago if I’d ever allowed myself to dwell on that topic,though.
Right now, the way he kept looking at me, the way he’d flirted with me all through dinner, the way every conversation kept leading back to some sort of compliment about me… I just suddenly needed toknow.
“No one regular,” he said, vague as fuckingpossible.
“Anyonespecial?”
“Special to me?No.”
“Anyone who’d be bothered by you being here, right now, with me?”And looking at me likethat…
His eyes narrowed slightly, and he didn’t answer right away. So I amended thequestion.
“Anyone who you’dcarewould be bothered by you being here, right now, withme?”
His gaze drifted down my chest. My nipples hardened under the slinky, silky fabric of my shirt, and I truly hoped he saw it. Not because I wanted him to know how his heated glances affected my body. Because I wanted him to remember how my breasts felt in his hands. How my nipples felt in his mouth. How theytasted.
I wanted him to relive every steamy, raunchy, X-rated moment that had ever passed between us—and eat his fucking heartout.
Cruel,maybe.
A tease? I’d never been called that. But Jude, for sure; I’d tease him in aheartbeat.
Why? Because he’d rejected me, not once, but several times in my life, and yes, deep down in places I would never tell a soul, it stillstung.
Alot.
“No,” he said,finally.
“Anyone who makes you feelsafe?”
