Chapter 2
Within half an hour, Jude had purchased three more pieces, and May could barely contain herself. She could tell he really loved the work. He talked about the scenes with her, the techniques used, and they agreed that Giselle was a most talented young lady. Discussing art with Jude had turned into one of her favorite pastimes. Out of all of Stillbrook, he seemed to be the only one who shared her love of art.
Except for the photographers intruding, mentally spinning ridiculous tales about Jude to go with the various photos they took, things were perfect. After his odd mood when he’d first arrived, and all that silly sexual banter, meant to be teasing, she was sure, she had started to doubt the success of the evening.
But now, not only had Jude purchased some remarkable pieces to add to his collection, he wanted her to have them all framed, too.
Still bubbling with success, May led him to a large back room that held her framing supplies, worktables, and numerous shelves. She could hear the crowd in the outer room, probably gossiping about Jude. If only they’d buy something…but they never did. They didn’t have Jude’s appreciation of talent, his eye for quality, or his aesthetic judgment.
Choosing only what she thought would complement the artwork and Jude’s home, May arranged frame samples on a worktable. With him on one side of the table and her on the other side, she displayed the pieces between them.
“When can you have them delivered?”
“Once you make your choices, it won’t take long to frame them. Maybe a couple of days.”
“All right.”
She folded her hands together and waited for him to peruse the collection. But when she glanced up, Jude’s gaze was on her chest, not the frame samples. Heat uncoiled inside her. Feeling awkward, she tugged at the lapels of her suit, trying to hide herself. But like a Rubenesque model, her generous proportions bulged out everywhere.
She glanced up and got caught in Jude’s gaze.
“Well,” she prompted, feeling very agitated and confused, “what do you think? Will any of these work with your décor?”
Rather than answer, he said, “I’m wondering about something.”
May tried to joke her way around her sudden unease. “Uh-oh. With you, that’s usually a bad sign.” She tipped her head, smiling brightly.
“Do you ever wear anything besides suits?”
The question had her blinking twice, and emotionally retreating. “I’m a businesswoman.” She straightened her glasses and smoothed her hands over the front of the jacket, but the lapels wouldn’t lie flat, not with her more than ample bust.
“And businesswomen can’t wear anything else?”
No matter what she wore, the fit was off. Not that she’d let Jude know how he disconcerted her. She’d long ago accepted herself, and if he got his jollies by teasing her, well, so what? He made up for it in art purchases. “Like?”
His gaze slipped over her body. “Something slinky.”
“Right.” Her laugh sounded strained rather than natural. “Slinky is for ultrathin models.”
Jude paused, studying her expression as if he sensed her discomfort. “Slinky is for showing your curves.”
“Yeah, well…” She made a face. “I’ve got plenty of those.”
Her sarcasm couldn’t be missed, and she groaned. She wanted to bite back the words, but it was too late. Already, Jude scrutinized her.
“I agree.” He reached across the table and touched her cheek. “You have sexy, very noticeable curves. You should show them off instead of trying to hide them.”
May went still, held in anticipation and uncertainty. Slowly, he trailed one finger down her jaw, her throat, over her collarbone.
Her glasses nearly fogged. “I’m on the round side and I know it.”
“You’re gorgeous.”
“I—”
He dipped that teasing finger into her cleavage, and then up and over the swell of one breast. He sounded hoarse when he said, “And hot.”
Heat ran up her neck. “I don’t think so.”
“That’s because you’re not male. Thank God.”
Her eyes nearly crossed. She frowned, stepped out of reach, then cleared her throat. Whatever game he was playing, she had to make him quit before she did something stupid, like grabbing him. “Look, Jude—”
“I’m looking,” he promised. “And I like what I see.”
May turned her back on him. If she couldn’t see him, maybe she’d be able to get her thoughts together and form a coherent sentence. “This is ridiculous.” Jude said nothing, and her tension grew. “I don’t understand why you’re doing this.”
“Sure you do.” His voice sounded closer. “I want you.”
Wary, she looked over her shoulder and found him right behind her, eyeing her rump. She jumped forward a step. “Stop that.”
“I don’t think so.” He reached for her.
She spun away, half scandalized, but also…half excited. “Jude!”
“May.”
She stepped back. He couldn’t possibly really want her, not with every bombshell in Hollywood hot on his heels. But…he wasn’t in Hollywood.
He was in Stillbrook.
She cleared her throat. “We’re supposed to be picking out framing, not talking about my clothes or my…”
He stalked toward her. “Sex appeal?”
She continued to back up. “I don’t believe this.”
“Why not?”
“Because…” But she refused to say the obvious, that she wasn’t the type of woman who appealed to a man like him.
Jude didn’t have an ounce of reserve. “Because you don’t want me to picture you in something more revealing?”
With a half laugh, she flapped her hand at him. “As if.”
Appearing dead serious, he kept pace with her until they’d completely circled the table, with May now on the opposite side. She stopped retreating.
“I do. A lot.”
She had no idea what he was talking about. “You do..?”
“Picture you in slinky, revealing clothes.” He smiled. “Or no clothes at all.”
She’d had enough. Taking an aggressive stance, May faced off with him. “Stop being so outrageous, Jude. Stop… toying with me.”
“When I toy with you, you’ll know it—and enjoy it.”
Breath strangled in her throat at that provocative promise. Her thighs trembled, her stomach tingled. But this was all familiar to him; he’d likely said similar things to a hundred women, whereas she’d never had anyone be so bold with her.
But she wasn’t a wimp, and she wouldn’t let him rattle her. “All right, that’s enough. All kidding aside, we both know I don’t have the type of figure that’d occupy your thoughts.”
His brows shot up. “Is that so?”
“Or maybe you just think I’m dumb. Is that it?”
Appearing perplexed, he dazzled her with another smile. “I think you’re smart. And sweet. And—”
“Gullible? Because I’ve seen you on television.” May said it like an accusation. “And in movies.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, a man at leisure. “You mean with women.”
“Exactly. And none of them were anything like me.”
“Now there’s an undisputable truth.”
More confused by the moment, she crossed her arms, too, and glared at him. “There. You see?”
“Yeah, I see.” Moving too fast for her to react, he reached across the table and caught her arm, holding her in place as he moved around to close the distance between them. “They’re actresses, May, assigned to the role. I don’t pick them.”
“But you sure seem to enjoy them.”
He laughed. “Maybe you don’t know it, or maybe you’re just playing coy, I’m not sure which, but you’re every bit as sexy as any of those women.”
“You were just making fun of my suits!” Jude ignored that. “You don’t starve yourself or spend hours in a gym or in front of your mirror, but you’re warm and soft and you’ve got a great ass.”
Oh good Lord. No one had ever discussed her butt so blatantly before. “Most live bodies are warm and soft,” she argued, but she’d lost a lot of her conviction.
“Most people don’t smell as good as you do.” He touched his nose to her temple. “Or act as sweet as you.”
She quit straining away from him. “You really think I’m sweet?” Her brother would argue that point. So would her parents. And some of the people she did business with…
“Mmmm. You don’t look down on others just because of what they have. You don’t judge people by their possessions.” He leaned back to see her face, holding her captive with the intensity of his blue eyes. “And you would never chase a man for his money.”
Something in the way he said that brought May out of the sensual fog of pure fantasy. Jude looked sincere, at least in this. And so incredibly handsome he made clear thoughts nearly impossible.
His inky black hair hung over his brow, bone straight and shiny as silk. His long, dark lashes were at half-mast, his brows slightly drawn. Hollywood had voted him one of the “Most Beautiful People” and she had to agree. Success at the SBC made him revered as a fighter, and success at movies made him a prime catch for any producer. Wise investments had left him ultrarich.
So maybe most people did look more at the package than the real man. Maybe women saw the characters he played, and not Jude Jamison, flesh and blood. Did anyone else realize his love of art? Or his protective streak that ran a mile wide?
Did anyone else see his vulnerability?
They’d never gotten too intimate in conversation, but after the evening’s events, she felt justified in prodding. “Is that what other women have done? They chased you for your money?”
Jude drew back as if she’d smacked him—a very telling reaction.
Had he been hurt? The possibility brought out her own protective instincts. He’d been through so much. Outwardly, he’d dealt with it all; but inside, how did he feel? “Jude?”
“Jesus.” He suddenly looked disgusted. “Don’t start mothering me, okay?”
“But—”
“I need to get laid, May, not coddled.”
Taken aback after all his soft speaking, she flinched and would have stepped away, but he cupped her neck, tipping her face up, holding her close. “Tell me you want me.”
“No.”
“Tell me, May.”
His breath brushed her lips. His hands were big and warm on her sensitive skin, destroying her concentration. To brace herself, she gripped his forearms. “I…it’s a moot point. I can’t get involved.”
“Fine. No major involvement.” His thumb moved over her bottom lip. “That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves.”
May closed her eyes, hurt and disappointed, and embarrassed that, for even a moment, she’d held out some silly hopes. To be sure, she asked, “You want to have sex with me?”
He brought her closer. “I guarantee you’ll enjoy every second.”
Of that, she had no doubt. But she wasn’t a woman who indulged in casual sex. Not even for Jude Jamison. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Impatience sharpened his tone. “You know you want to.”
“Maybe. But I’m a smart woman. I don’t take chances—” She almost added, with my heart, but bit the words off in time.
“Chances?” His expression went cold. “What does that mean, exactly?”
She’d angered him when that had never been her intent. Just because she did want him—more than she’d ever wanted anything—she refused to wear her heart on her sleeve, or give him more reason for amusement. She had her pride, and she’d damn well keep it. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” He used the edge of his fist to tip up her chin, still close, still appealing. “Spell it out, May. Tell me why.”
And then he’d go and never come back? The thought left her shaken, already filled with remorse. In all her twenty-nine years, she’d never known a man like him. If she lived to be a hundred, she’d never meet another. For her, it wasn’t about his money or fame. When with him, she felt…happy. Somehow more complete.
If only he felt the same…
She returned his compelling gaze and made a decision. She would kiss him. Just once, but she deserved that much. If she didn’t, she’d never forgive herself. After tonight, she’d probably never see him again.
It wasn’t easy, but she held herself in check, maintaining the small distance of their bodies, only brushing her mouth over his, lingering for one heartbeat, two. Her breath accelerated. Her heart pounded.
She forced herself to lean away.
Confused, definitely irritated, Jude scowled at her, running his tongue along his lower lip, as if tasting her. “Tell me, was that a weak come-on, or an insulting kiss-off?”
A half laugh took her by surprise. The fact that she couldn’t even kiss him right only proved her point. Playing with Jude was like playing with fire; she already felt burned.
With a groan, she admitted the obvious, “I have the spine of a jellyfish.”
Jude pinched the bridge of his nose. “Swear to God, May, the shit you say has no meaning.”
Fighting her smile, May looked up at him and wished for a different life. “It means I’m weak.” She drew a reinforcing breath. “It means I want—”
“Hello!” Her brother barged into the room with indisputable bad timing, obliterating the mo ment…and saving May from her own foolish babble.
In a drunken slur, Tim Price bellowed, “There you two are.” He tripped over his own feet, fell into the table holding the framing pieces, and sent several lengths of wood and metal clattering to the floor. The table skidded away under the impact, and a corner clipped May’s hip with bruising force.
Startled, she jerked sideways—right into Jude’s arms.
For one tantalizing moment, her breasts pressed against him, her soft thighs nudged his. He’d never held her before, never felt the perfect fit of their bodies, and to experience it now, on the heels of that barely-there kiss, left him raw.
Something dark and dangerous tightened inside him.
If he’d had any doubts at all about the force of his desire for this one particular woman, holding her had eradicated them.
Red faced and disheveled, May pushed away from him. “Good grief. Jude, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Just horny. “You?”
She wouldn’t quite meet his gaze. “I’ll live.” Discreetly, she rubbed her hip where the table clipped her.
Slowly, Jude turned to face Tim. Not since his days in the SBC did he want to take apart another man the way he did now. “Watch what you’re doing next time.”
Tim just laughed. “Next time? Does that mean you plan to make a habit of molesting my sister in the back room?”
May jumped as if goosed. “Tim!”
Too drunk to listen, he waved away the warning. “A little hanky-panky never hurt anyone. Hell, it’ll probably do you some good.”
Face hot, May confronted her brother in a hush. “What in the world are you doing here?”
“What’s this?” He flung out his arms, splashing the contents of his drink onto the floor, the wall, and his sister. “I’m not welcome?”
“You know that’s not what I meant.” After a fast, mortified glance at Jude, May brushed at her sleeve and summoned a sickly smile. “I’m just surprised to see you, that’s all.” Worried that others would hear Tim and become aware of his drunkenness, she looked toward the open door.
Jude took pity on her and quietly closed it without comment.
Alcohol fumes preceded Tim’s guffaw. “Relax, sis. I’m just razzing you. Hell, I’m all for you hooking up with Mr. Celebrity here.”
Jude had started out the night with the firm conviction that he’d end it in bed with May. Now he felt like an ass over his own cocky ego, and that left him in a sour mood, one he would more than gladly take out on Tim.
He took a step forward—and May whirled on him. Voice shrill, posture stiff, she said, “I can handle this.”
Under the circumstances, her insistent demeanor didn’t faze him. “I could handle it better.”
Her fists landed on her hips, and her brows clamped down. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you calling me dumb again?”
Jude rolled his eyes. “I never called you dumb.” He leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper. “I called you sexy.”
Tim, the idiot, remained unaware of the friction he had caused. “So, besides the obvious, what are you guys up to?”
Obliging May, Jude held out his hands, offering to let her answer.
Skeptical at his concession, May turned back to her brother. “Jude’s choosing some frames.”
“Ha!” Tim saluted them both. “S’that’s what we’re calling it these days?”
“Tim!”
“You might as well quit screeching, honey. He’s too drunk to listen to you.”
In an aside, May snapped, “Don’t call me honey.”
Tim looked between them and broke into a loud laugh. “Shit, May, it’s clear he’s got the hots for you. Anyone can see that.”
“Tim…”
“Well, you don’t really think he likes all that stuff he buys?”
“Actually, I do.”
Almost as one, brother and sister turned to stare at Jude.
Smiling, Jude clarified for them, “Have the hots for May, and enjoy what I buy.”
Mortified, May covered her face. “Oh God.”
Staring at May’s bent head, Jude said, “I’m a connoisseur of beautiful things.”
Tim grinned. “There ya go, sis. You have art in common, he likes the looks of ya, and it’s not like you’re gonna find a better catch.” In a ludicrous stage whisper, he added, “And in case you’ve forgotten, he’s friggin’ loaded.”
“Oh. God.”
“He’s right, May, I am.”
May glared at Jude. “You’re not helping.”
Jude shrugged. “I don’t give a shit about help ing Tim. I just want you to understand my position.”
Tim turned to him with a calculating eye. “Yeah, given your black past, God knows you’d be lucky to have her.”
Jude disliked Tim—not only for how he treated his sister, but for his general disrespect of the world and his selfish preoccupation. He owned a car dealership, and when sober, he worked nonstop to bag a sale. Not only was he a drunk, Tim epitomized the clichéd car salesman persona.
When forced into his company, Jude only tolerated him for May’s sake.
“You want to spell that out, Tim?”
Tim tottered toward him. “Most o’the world figures you for a murderer. Laying low with a nice, small-town girl like May would put a stopper in the gossip mills, eh?”
Anger overtook Jude’s tolerant nature. He surged away from the wall.
May didn’t give him a chance to react.
She stepped in front of Tim, blocking Jude’s path. “You’ll shut up right now, Tim Price, or so help me you’ll regret it.”
Jude pulled up short. He’d never heard that particular tone from May, and to hear it now…Was she afraid he’d wring her brother’s neck? Or was she threatening Tim personally?
She didn’t have to worry about him. He wouldn’t really hurt Tim. He might bust a few teeth so the bastard wouldn’t talk so much, but…
Over her shoulder, May said to Jude, “And that’s enough out of you.”
Jude straightened to his full height. “What the hell did I do?”
“You’re provoking him.”
“Bullshit.”
“He’s drunk, but you’re not. Tim probably doesn’t even know what he’s saying.”
“Oh, I think he knows.”
“Damn right I do.” Tim wavered on his feet. “You’re bored hangin’ out with us common folk, and you’re usin’ my sister to spice things up.”
Jude reached past May, but Tim flailed back, then fell on his ass.
May positioned herself between the two men. “There, you see. You’re doing it again.”
“I don’t believe this shit. He insulted you.”
“I’ll deal with him, don’t worry about that. Now, I don’t mean to be rude, but you should go.”
Jude’s brows shot up in disbelief. She was dismissing him? “You’re joking, right?” He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had sent him packing.
“I need to talk to Tim.”
Through set teeth, Jude said, “Fine, go right ahead and talk. I’ll wait for you.”
“No.” She shook her head. “This might take a while and I—”
Light flashed into Jude’s peripheral vision. Shit, shit, shit. He didn’t have to look to know that a photographer had just captured their entire conflict on film.
“Ed Burton! You’re not allowed back here.” Indignant, May pointed a stiff finger at the local photographer who always made a pest of himself. “I want you to leave right now.”
Ignoring her order, Ed turned his camera this way and that, catching the scene from various angles. He had his long, thinning hair pulled back in a ponytail, an unlit cigarette caught in his teeth, and one faded blue eye pressed to the viewfinder.
“Damn it.” May grabbed her brother, hauled him to his feet, and herded him toward the back exit.
Ed made to follow, but Jude stepped into his path. “You heard her. This is a restricted area. No customers allowed.”
“Yeah?” Ed straightened to a height that equaled Jude’s, but he was so skinny, a strong wind could blow him over. “So what are you doing back here?”
Jude crossed his arms over his chest and eyed Ed with the same attention he’d give a slug. “How is that any of your business?”
“The public wants to know.”
He smiled and said, “Fuck the public.”
Raising his camera for a shot, Ed said, “I’ll be sure to share your sentiments.”
“Yeah, you do that.” Jude started forward, deliberately forcing the other man to scamper out of his path until he’d cleared the door frame and was once again in the outer room. More flashes blinded Jude, but he just kept striding forward, deliberately leading the paparazzi all the way to his Mercedes Benz SL, affording May the privacy she needed to send her brother packing.
But by tomorrow morning, he knew his image would be on the editorial desks of every celebrity gossip magazine in the country. Unfortunately, shots of May looking startled and flustered with her brother in a drunken sprawl on the floor would be right beside them.
It infuriated Jude that he could do nothing to protect her from one of the uglier aspects of his world.
He was known as a man in control, yet in this instance, helplessness burned inside his gut.
Maybe May had the right idea, after all. If she got involved with him, even for a casual romp, reporters would breech her privacy, slander her name, and scrutinize her every act. She’d be subject to the same rumor and innuendo that colored his life. He might be rich with some dubious fame, but Tim had nailed it: Most of the world considered him a murderer who’d gotten off the hook, not through innocence, but through money spent.
Despite his disappointment, Jude knew the best he could do for May was leave, and so he did…trailed by camera hounds, ripe speculation, and the gaping interest of the crowd.
Even in Stillbrook, Ohio, some things never changed.