Chapter 10 #2
“Finlay,” Willa warned, but she stumbled, and she’d have gone down like a rag doll if Jude hadn’t caught her. “Dammit. I have a flight in the morning. I wasn’t supposed to drink tonight.”
“No, but I did,” Finlay continued. “He was banging Laura Edelson in her mom’s Jeep, and his butt was going like—” She thrust her hips back and forth so hard she got dizzy and spun in a circle.
A group of tourists had to break apart to avoid getting hit by her whirling dervish dance.
“Whoa.” In apology, she held her hands out in front of her. “Sorry.” After they passed, the trio continued in lockstep. “Anyhow. It was hot.”
“Okay, Fee,” Willa said. “Use your inside voice.”
“But I’m outside.”
“I know, but he’s right there.” Willa pointed at Jude.
“I know. I’m talking to him.” She looked at Jude. “I’m talking to you.” Still, he ignored her. “Do you hear me? You’re not saying anything.”
“When you say something worth responding to, I’ll talk,” Jude said gruffly.
“But I did,” Finlay said, confused. “I asked you a question.”
“You asked me if I still bang all the girls.”
“That’s right. Do you?” she asked.
“Sure, Fee.” He released a long-suffering sigh. “I bang.”
“Just not me. That gave me a complex. For the longest time, I thought I wasn’t bangable.”
“Oh, honey, you are,” Willa said. “You’re so bangable. If I were a guy, I would totally bang you.”
“Bang me,” a guy shouted as he passed by with a few friends.
“Okay, ladies.” At the Wild Rose Inn and Saloon, Jude opened the door.
Unlike the riotous bar they’d just left, the red, gold, and dark wood-paneled saloon was quiet, with only a few patrons talking at tables.
Where was everyone? Finlay was used to costumed servers who’d break out in song and dance. “Where’s the piano lady?” she asked.
“My dad said she moved to Las Vegas.” Willa sounded genuinely baffled. “And you know what else?” She gestured around the spacious room. “He didn’t put up the Christmas decorations this year. And worst of all, there’s no yummy food. I have to talk to my dad about it before I leave.”
“You need help up to your rooms, or are you good?” Jude asked.
“We’re good,” Willa said.
“Thanks for walking with us.” Finlay followed her friend across the saloon. But at the bottom of the grand staircase, they crashed into each other, laughing hysterically as they went down.
Two strong arms jerked her back up, and suddenly, the saloon was a blur. Even drunk off her ass, she recognized Jude’s scent. “Mmm. You smell good.” Her feet bumped into his hard, round butt, and her face was nestled into his neck. “Like snow. And sunshine. And pine trees. And manly man.”
“Which room?” he asked.
“This one.” Willa tried to stab her big brass key into the lock, but it didn’t slide in.
Jude snatched it out of her hand and turned it neatly. Kneeing the door open, he carried Finlay to the bed as Willa went into the bathroom and closed the door. Right away, water started running through the pipes.
The room was dark, so he must not have seen the suitcase on the floor. He tripped but somehow managed to keep hold of Finlay, flipping around so he landed on the mattress with her safely cradled in his arms and lying on top of him.
His arms felt so good, his chest so warm and strong, that she couldn’t help but cling to him. “Jude?” She sighed. He felt so good.
“Yeah?”
“Would you hold me? Please? I need a hug.”
He answered by wrapping his arms around her more tightly.
“Yeah.” She exhaled. “Just like that.” He smelled like a piney forest and clean sheets, and she never wanted to be any place other than in his arms. “You make me feel safe.”
“I’m not safe, Fee.” His voice was a dangerous growl. “You understand? You are not safe with me.”
His warning tripped a switch, heating her up and making her burn for him. Her hands wandered underneath his shirt and explored the hard planes and ridges and valleys of Mount Jude. “Mmm.”
“You’ve got to stop making that sound,” he said into her ear.
“But you feel so good.”
“You’ve had too much to drink.”
“Or maybe I’ve had just enough to relax me. I’m too uptight, don’t you think? I take things too seriously.” She loved the feel of his warm chest and silky hair. She loved the power of his big body. “I want to be just like this, only naked with you.”
“Cut it out, Fee. Willa will be out of the bathroom any minute.”
But his erection was hot and hard in his jeans, and she could feel it on her stomach. Her nipples hardened, her fingers curled into his biceps, and her hips—God help her—rocked downward, sandwiching his cock between her thighs. Her body sizzled with pleasure.
To her surprise, he dug a hand under her ass and moved her up and down his shaft. “Not safe.” He thrust a few times, roughly, to make a point. “You get me?”
Sensation streaked through her, an electric, neon burst of pleasure so intense every cell in her body lit up.
But it only lasted a moment before he peeled her off him.
“I’m not sorry.” The world might be spinning, but she was sure that if she didn’t have sex with him, she would die.
Jude got out of bed and rapped lightly on the bathroom door. Light pierced her vision, and she heard the two of them talking. The faucet ran. Pills shook in a bottle.
And then, Jude was back, setting a glass of water on her nightstand. He hauled her up the bed until her head rested on the pillow. He lowered his face—so close she thought he might kiss her. Instead, he whispered, “See you around, Ducky.”