Chapter 9
Jude could feel May’s tension when she said, “That’s not funny, Ash.”
“Sure it is.” Ashley gathered up her purse and pushed in her chair. “Besides, why would anyone want to hurt me? I’m not a part of this.”
“What if someone saw you come here?”
Ashley’s mocking gaze went to Denny. “Then that’d mean he’s not as good at watching for tails as he claimed. Surely, you don’t want to insult Denny like that.”
Denny snorted.
“She’s right, you know,” Jude said. “Denny’s good, but there could still be a risk involved.”
“Sorry. School comes first.” She waggled her brows at Jude. “Even before hunky movie stars.”
“What if someone sees you leave here?” May asked. “What if someone comes after you?”
“The mood I’m in, the sorry SOB will wish he’d never met me.”
Denny laughed. “You’ve got cojones, child.”
“Yeah, I know.” And then to May, “Now, stop looking like that. For crying out loud, I’ll be fine. I’ll catch a nap before work.”
“Work?” Denny asked. “You’re working tonight, too?”
“Yeah, we middle-class stiffs have to pay the bills.”
“Both jobs?” May asked, and Ashley just shrugged.
Denny scowled darkly. “What do you mean by both? She has more than one job?”
“She waits tables at a restaurant a couple of times a week, too.”
“I get great tips. It’s all the personality, ya know.”
Denny scoffed.
The way May looked at him, Jude could tell she wanted him to fix things somehow. But his impression of Ashley Miles was that she made her own decisions, and neither wanted nor needed input from a near stranger.
Still, he tried. “If you’d like to take the night off, I’d be happy to compensate you for your wages.”
“Nope, but thanks anyway.”
“You’ve been an enormous help. It’s the least I can do.”
“It’s not necessary.”
“Stubborn,” Denny groused. “Will it offend your independent nature to log my number and Jude’s into your phone, so you can call us quick if you have a problem?”
“Good thinking.” She tossed her cell phone to Denny. “Have at it.”
In seconds, Denny had both numbers programmed in for her. “You had May as number one, so now I’m number two and Jude is number three. Just push a button and you’re bound to get one of us.”
“Aye aye, captain.” She tucked the phone back into her pocket. “May, you got my car keys?”
Reluctantly, May handed them over. “Please be very, very careful.”
Flashing a glance at Jude, Ashley said, “Yeah, you, too.”
“Come on, Ashley,” Jude said, “I’ll walk you to your car.” He didn’t want her warning May away from him, and he needed a chance to talk with her, anyway.
To his surprise, May didn’t try to follow. Instead, she hugged her friend good-bye, thanking her profusely for her help and making her promise to call if she needed anything. Then she turned to Denny and asked if he’d show her where Tim’s room would be.
As soon as they left the kitchen, Ashley told him, “She’s up to something.”
Because he’d been thinking the same thing, Jude raised a brow. “Do tell.”
“Normally, she’d dog my heels all the way to the car, then stand in the driveway waving until she couldn’t see me anymore.”
“Elton Pascal,” Jude said, thinking aloud. “She probably plans to drill Denny about him.”
“And he is?”
Someone Jude didn’t want to talk about, and a person May would never get near. “No one important. Just a nutcase who doesn’t like me.”
“Ah, yeah. I have some of those people in my life, too. Best to ignore them.”
“That’s what I always say.” They stepped outside into a warm September day, humid from the recent rains and still a little overcast. “So you work and go to school, both?”
“Yeah, ain’t I amazing?”
Pretty much, yeah. Compared with someone like Tim who waited for a handout, Ashley’s attitude was more than admirable. But Jude didn’t say so. He could tell she treated her determination and motivation with sarcastic wit. “What about your parents?”
She unlocked her car door. “Pretend I don’t have any.”
Oh. That stumped him, and made him respect her that much more. It couldn’t be easy for her, facing life completely on her own. Sure, she had May, but every young woman needed familial support and caring parents to back her.
Turning to lean against the side of the car, Ashley shook her head. “Don’t feel bad for me, Jude. I was the lucky one.”
In so many ways, she looked like May, just leaner and lankier. They were both such pretty women, with intelligent, kind brown eyes, dark feathery lashes, and high arched brows. But this was the very topic he’d meant to discuss, so he put his visual comparisons aside and kept her talking. “Meaning May was unlucky?”
“Are you kidding? I take it you haven’t met her folks yet.”
“They’re that bad?”
Ashley drew in a deep breath and let it out slow while staring off at the immense fountain gurgling in the side yard. “She’s got the psycho mom from hell, the father who’s a habitual liar about everything, and into the mix comes Tim, who in their eyes can do no wrong.”
“And that leaves her..?”
“To take care of them all.”
“I figured as much.”
“It’s totally weird. May’s mom blamed her for anything Tim did wrong. Not Tim. May. And when Tim needed something, even if it was something May had worked hard for, her folks expected her to give it to him.”
“Why?”
“Who the heck knows? They’d say, ‘If he had it, he’d give it to you,’ as if that’d ever happen.”
Jude knew the type. “Easy enough to claim, because Tim would never have anything May needed, so the theory can’t be proved.”
“Exactly. It’s easy to slap noble intentions on someone who won’t ever have to live up to them. Money, introductions, time, attention…they expected May to give to Tim. School was the worst. She couldn’t get involved in much because Tim was involved—and she had to take him to events, cheer him on, and then take him back home. Her mom forever claims to be sick, and her dad is too busy chasing skirts.”
“Damn.” It sounded worse than he’d imagined.
“She fought his fights, propped him up and hugged him when he needed it. She even did his homework, if you can believe that crap. Olympia, May’s mom, threw on the guilt, telling her that Tim didn’t understand the work, but she did. It was easy for her and hard for him. It’s a wonder the creep graduated—and he probably wouldn’t have without May.”
“And her mom and dad?”
“She runs for them, too. Every little thing falls on May. And if it interferes with her life, too bad.” Ashley’s voice dropped. “The amazing thing is that she’s still so damn nice. To all of them.”
And the responsibility she felt was deeply ingrained. Anyone who cared for May would have to understand her priorities and accept her unusual duty to her family.
It couldn’t be easy, yet she and Ashley remained friends. “You two are close.”
“Like sisters. I care more about her than any blood relatives. More than anyone. May thinks it was a big deal for me to do without a little sleep for her today, but she’s done so much for me, I’m glad for a chance to repay her whenever I can.”
Jude bent his knees, bringing his gaze level with Ashley’s averted face. “What’d she do for you, Ash?”
Shaking her head, she said, “A better question would be, what hasn’t she done?” She laughed. “So I owe her. And God forbid I be like Tim, forever a taker without ever giving back.”
“I don’t think anyone would accuse you of that. From what I could tell, you’re a damn good friend.”
Her eyes, so much like May’s, met his. “May deserves the very best. In all things.”
“I agree.” Jude propped one arm on the top of the open car door. “So, are you going to lecture me about hurting her?”
“Nah. May’s an adult. She can take care of herself—she’s been doing it since she was born.” Ashley turned her head toward him, giving him a hard stare. She looked lethal, but her tone was soft, almost teasing. “Only a real asshole would deliberately use May. And c’mon, Jude, you’re not an asshole, are you?”
Jude couldn’t help but laugh. “I have no intention of doing anything to hurt her.”
“Yeah, well, keep that thought in mind for when you meet her folks.” She climbed into the car and put the key in the ignition. “Wherever May is, one of them shows up. And given what you’ve got… let’s just say, I imagine you’ll have a visitor before too much longer.”
“What I’ve got?”
“Money, fame, influence. Yep, they’re gonna love you.” She pulled her door shut and spoke to him through the open window. “If you really mean to have Tim sign loan papers, get it done as soon as possible, because her dad will be on you before you know it.”
Jude stepped back as she started the car and drove away. So Ashley thought May’s father would drop in on him? His biggest problem with that possibility was that it meant he’d have little time to get closer to May.
Better get to work on it now—while he could ensure some privacy.
Jude started toward the house, determined that May would get the rest she needed…after he got what he needed even more.
Her.
May tuned out Tim’s complaints as they went down to the lower level of Jude’s house to the rooms he’d use. She’d already noticed the elaborate wine rack in the kitchen, and the first thing she saw downstairs was a long, well-lit, mahogany wet bar that filled an entire wall. In front of that and to her right was a game room. To her left, through an oversized arched doorway, was the home theater. On the farthest wall behind her was an elaborate gym area that contained a heavyweight bag, a speed bag, a treadmill, and an assortment of barbells and weights with a bench.
The mahogany bar, though elegant and rich, might as well have contained blinking neon lights for the way it held all her attention. Glass shelves sported a variety of glasses, while a tinted glass cabinet protected more wine bottles and hard liquors.
Her stomach churned at the sight of so much alcohol. Did Jude imbibe while watching movies on the sixteen-foot screen? Maybe while he exercised? Did he consider drink an accompaniment to anything he did?
Most women wouldn’t care. They’d love Jude’s company, no matter how they spent their time. Other women didn’t have her loony family to contend with, either.
A glance at Tim told her that he’d noticed the liquor supply, too, and that couldn’t be a good thing. Her brother had adopted their mother’s unfortunate habit of overindulging. Right now, he looked at all that alcohol with covetous greed.
Trying to sound enthusiastic, May turned a full circle to see everything. “I can’t believe the size of this house.”
“There’s a lot more to see,” Denny told her. Then, denying Tim the opportunity to ogle the bar, he said, “This way.” Down a short hall, he opened a door to a moderate suite of rooms, including a bedroom, bathroom, and sitting area with a television, DVD player, and the requisite monitor—though this monitor wasn’t on.
Tim made a beeline for the bed and cautiously stretched out atop the beautiful quilt with a heavy sigh. “God, I’m sore.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, and with a look of distaste, Denny eyed him. “Lying around will only make it worse. The pool and sauna are at the other end of the floor. You’ve got ten minutes, then I’ll be ready for you, so don’t fall asleep.”
Eyes closed, Tim said, “I don’t have a swimsuit.”
“Don’t need one. There aren’t any ladies here except your sister, and she’ll be resting.” And in a final warning, “Ten minutes.”
May touched her brother’s foot. “Denny will have you feeling better in no time.”
Giving her the cold shoulder, Tim gingerly turned to his side without a reply. It embarrassed May that her brother could be so childish and unappreciative, especially when she saw Denny’s jaw flex in anger. She strode out of the room—but again stopped to stare at that elaborate bar with worry.
“Surly jerk,” Denny muttered as he joined her. He patted her shoulder and said, “Even the young and stupid have to grow up, whether they want to or not. Life has a way of seeing to it.”
On the pretense of cleaning her glasses, May ducked her head. But Denny, not one to miss much, noted her preoccupation with the bar. Scowling, he took two quick steps back into the room to confront Tim. “By the way, alcohol might dull the pain, but it does more harm than good.”
“Oh God, not a lecture on top of everything else.”
“I’ll lecture you whenever I damn well feel like it, and you’ll either listen, or take a hike down the driveway to deal with your problems on your own.”
Tim curled a little tighter on the bed but refrained from arguing.
“Now here’s a lesson you should take to heart. Booze might appeal to you right now, but it’s a downer, and you’re lower than a snake’s belly already. It directly affects brain cells—in those who have them, that is. I’m still undecided about you.”
“Ha-ha. Don’t make me laugh.”
Unfazed by Tim’s sarcasm, Denny continued, “It increases the workload on the heart, making you more tired than usual, and causes high blood pressure, vomiting, and ulcers. It widens blood vessels, which’d make your headache worse and cause a drop in your temperature. Because it reduces your body’s ability to make blood cells, it can leave you more susceptible to infection. And it can stop your kidneys from maintaining a proper balance of body fluids, meaning it’ll bloat your not-so-pretty mug.”
“All that, huh?”
“And more.”
“So why the hell does Jude have a supply if it’s such awful stuff?”
Denny smoothed his hand over his hair, and for the flash of a second, May could see a tattoo on his skull. “For parties and guests and a responsible social drink here and there. But drinking is forbidden when you train with me.”
“I’m not training with you.”
“As of right now you are, so understand this. I know exactly how much alcohol is in every bottle. If you touch so much as a single drop, I’ll make sure you regret it.”
Tim said something May couldn’t hear, but she saw Denny nod before pulling the door shut.
“Thank you.” After years of practice, making excuses for her brother came naturally to her. “He’s out of sorts, but I’m sure he appreciates all you’re doing.”
“No, he doesn’t. But who cares? Ain’t doing it for him, anyway.”
May wondered about that but let it go when Denny took her arm. “So what’d you want to talk to me about?”
Surprised, May gave a self-conscious laugh. “How did you know..?”
“You’re easy to read, missy. A refreshing quality, if you don’t mind me saying so.”
“No, I don’t mind.” They walked together through the game room and beyond. Denny was all business, whereas she took in her surroundings with awe. Just as Jude had claimed, he still had plenty of bare walls. The pieces he’d purchased would look wonderful with his décor, but she had a few more in mind that would really fit the overall tone of his home.
She’d discuss it with him, May decided. And whether he liked it or not, she’d gift him with a few pieces out of appreciation for all he’d done and still intended to do. She couldn’t personally afford many of the artists that she represented, but excluding her commission would help.
“This is the racquetball court,” Denny explained, letting her poke her head through a thick door where tall white walls and a glass viewing area framed light, highly polished wooden floors. “Jude loves the sport. And of course, this is the pool. That room at the end there is the sauna.”
“Wow.” Seeing the enormous indoor pool that resembled a natural pond almost made her forget the questions she wanted to ask. Lush plants, smooth rock, and boulder walls were everywhere. At one end of the irregularly shaped design, a small waterfall trickled into the water, rippling the surface. A space had been sectioned off for a connecting hot tub. “This is incredible.”
Denny laughed. “According to his mamma, Jude’s a water baby. He’s happiest near the ocean, a lake or pond, or even a mountain creek. There’re waterfalls everywhere in the house, and that big fountain in front, and the stocked pond out back.”
“I love water, too.”
“S’that right?” Crossing his arms over his chest, Denny lounged against what appeared to be a wall of chiseled rock softened by hanging vines. Across from the pool, floor-to-ceiling windows let in sunshine and reflected off his piercing green eyes. “Maybe you and Jude could take a swim later tonight.”
That got May back on track. “Oh no, thank you, anyway. But I did want to talk to you. You told Tim he could have a few minutes, so if you’re not too busy right now…”
“You wanna know about Elton Pascal, don’t you?”
Disgruntled, she crossed her arms, too. “It’s weird how you do that. What are you, a mind reader?”
He rolled one big shoulder, which was decorated with an elaborate tribal tattoo. Jude had said tattoos were popular among the fighters, and she’d seen for herself how most of the men sported them on limbs, backs, and like Denny, their heads. Some weren’t bad, some looked overdone.
Denny’s tattoos fascinated her.
He chuckled. “Got this one on my arm when I first started competing. The one on my head was a moment of adrenaline-related weakness, and a dare I should have passed up. But hey, live and learn.”
He’d known her thoughts again.
“Like I said, you’re easy to read. And since Jude’s no idiot, you should make it quick. He probably figures you’re down here grilling me now, and let me tell you, Pascal is not one of his favorite topics. If he had his way, the man’s name would never be mentioned.”
Taking Denny’s warning to heart, May shook off her distraction and started grilling. “You said he’s harassed Jude, and that he’s been very accusatory.”
“He outright lies, and some idiots believe him.”
“Isn’t there anything Jude can do about it?”
Shaking his head, Denny pushed away from the wall and went to a stone bench with a wood cabinet built beneath it. “You gotta know Jude. He has a chip on his shoulder the size of this house.” After pulling out some towels, he glanced at May. “A lot like your little friend.”
“Little friend?” May laughed. “You mean Ashley?”
“Yeah. Nice kid—but she works the tough routine to the bone. She needs to relax a little.”
“Yeah, well, good luck getting her to do that. I’ve been trying forever.”
“With a helping hand from me, she’d have more free time.”
Denny didn’t know Ash well if he thought she’d take his help. “For as long as I’ve known her, she’s been on her own.”
“You two have that in common, huh?”
“We share a background, but our upbringings were different. Ashley’s parents were superstrict to the point of being mean. Mine just…” She floundered for the right words.
“Favored your brother?”
That was a nice way of putting it. “Yes. But Ash didn’t have any siblings to deflect her parents’ attention. Whereas I never went without, they were always dirt poor, at least when it came to Ash. There were times that she wouldn’t have lunch money, but her dad had a motorcycle that he took out every weekend, and her mom got her nails done all the time.”
“Kids should come first.”
“I’ve always thought so.”
Denny smiled at her. “She didn’t like me helping her. Pitched a real fit about it.”
Coming from Denny, the observation sounded like a compliment. “When Ash was a kid, her family willingly accepted help from anyone and everyone. They were on food stamps, and every holiday the church gave them food and sometimes cash. The school even offered her family some secondhand clothes, so Ashley could dress better. I don’t think she ever got over it.”
“She shouldn’t have been through it in the first place.”
May agreed wholeheartedly. “When we were in eighth grade, this one bully started saying mean things to her. He wouldn’t stop, and I could tell it was hurting her.”
“I bet she chewed him up and spit him out, didn’t she?”
It had taken years for Ashley to get the take-no-prisoners attitude she affected now. Lost in the memories, May whispered, “She was different back then.”
“How so?”
“A lot more vulnerable. She tried ignoring him, but he wouldn’t let up—so I lost it. I jumped on his back and pulled his hair, and we both hit the ground hard. He broke his wrist, and I knocked the wind out of myself.”
“Good for you.”
May laughed. “I got suspended for two days for fighting in school, but so did he for antagonizing Ashley. And it was worth it, because after that, he left her alone.”
“Wish I could have seen it,” Denny commented. “Too bad you didn’t punch him in his face.”
That reminded her of how she’d slugged Jude, and she winced. “These days, Ashley looks at an offer of help like an insult. She takes it to mean she’s weak or something.”
“If she were my daughter, I wouldn’t let anyone hurt her.”
Denny really was a very sweet guy beneath the rough, kick-ass exterior. “She and her father haven’t spoken in years.”
“Stupid bastard.”
“Yeah.” Ashley could use a father figure like Denny in her life. But if he hoped to befriend her, he’d have to tread carefully. “I think Ashley needs to do things for herself now, or else it doesn’t mean as much to her.”
Nodding in sage understanding, he said, “Bullheaded, like Jude. He gets an idea in his head, and he won’t let it go. Like all those damn accusations Elton flings around.”
“You think Elton is still doing it?”
“Damn right, he is. If a reporter gets within ten feet of him, he takes it as an opportunity to trash-talk Jude. I’m not saying the scandal around Jude will ever disappear completely, not with the guilty one still running loose. But Pascal won’t even give it a chance to cool down. He can’t stand the thought of Jude being happy.”
“He blames Jude, doesn’t he?”
“For stealing Blair, if for nothing else. Christ, she was better than twenty years younger than Elton. A confused kid, trying to adjust to fame.” He shook his head. “And Elton, like an old fool, thought he’d found true love or some such shit.”
“I read that Jude’s limo blew up with Blair inside.”
“Blair and the driver both. Since Jude left the limo to get a cola out of a vending machine, and there wasn’t anyone else around on that stretch of highway, it looked really damning.”
“But you know him well enough to know he’s not capable of murder.”
Sharp-eyed and surly, Denny growled, “Damn right, I do. Jude’s about the fairest man I know. Hell, he goes out of his way to give back to others, to help when he can.”
May tipped her head and asked very softly, “Are you talking about me?”
He snorted. “About myself, actually. Jude gave me a home, and at my age, putting down roots was important.”
Appreciating his protectiveness and honesty, May reached out and squeezed Denny’s hand. “I’m so glad he has you in his corner.”
“I figured I was there for all his fights, I couldn’t skip the biggest fight of his life. And he won. He got acquitted. But it still haunts him—just as Elton wants it to.”
May paced a few feet away, thinking about the awful circumstances of that day. “Since he’s been found innocent, couldn’t Jude sue Elton or something? Wouldn’t his accusations fall under slander or libel?”
“Maybe. But Jude says he’s done nothing wrong, so he shouldn’t have to defend himself over anything Elton says. When Elton shoots off his mouth, Jude just ignores him—like your friend tried to ignore the school bully. He figures that his true friends will see through the bastard.”
And in the meantime, most of the nation figured Jude had just bought himself out of a guilty verdict. How awful it would be to live with that.
Opening the storage area beneath another bench, Denny pulled out a bottle of water. Before he could close the discreet contraption again, May saw the tumblers and ice bucket.
Good grief, did Jude drink everywhere and anywhere he went? Would he drink while she stayed with him?
She couldn’t very well criticize him for doing so. Unlike many of the people in her life, she knew for a fact Jude wasn’t a drunk. But she had a unique phobia concerning alcohol, a phobia she couldn’t control.
She realized Denny watched her, and that he’d seen her disgust over the hidden stash. Her face heated as she stared back and muttered, “Sorry.”
“Discuss it with Jude,” he suggested. “He might surprise you.”
The words no sooner left Denny’s mouth than Jude strode through the door. He looked wary and primed, but the second he spotted May, he stopped, and his expression softened. That sexy little half smile curved his mouth, and his eyes brightened. “There you are.”
“Did you think I’d run her off?” After a quick wink at May, Denny started out of the room. “I was showing her the pool, but now I’m ready for Tim.”
Jude paid Denny no mind at all. Gaze locked on May, he asked, “So what do you think?”
She couldn’t think, not with him staring at her like that. “About?”
“My pool.”
The door clicked shut behind Denny, leaving them in isolation with only the sounds of the gurgling waterfall and May’s uneven breathing. But their moment of privacy wouldn’t last. Denny would return soon with her brother.
May straightened her glasses and cleared her throat.
“I love it.” She didn’t mean to, but her gaze skimmed over Jude from head to foot and back up again. In a flash, she took in every inch: the muscles, the strength, the raw sex appeal. Her stomach did a little flip-flop in excitement—a familiar feeling whenever she got near Jude.
“Keep looking at me like that,” he warned softly, “and I’m going to have to dive right in.”
“What?”
“The water.” He looked like a rogue, smiling in a sexy, teasing way. “But I’m not sure it’s cold enough to help.”
Embarrassed and turned on, May jerked around to face the pool. “The rocks are fabulous. And all the plants. The big windows. It looks so natural, like something you’d find in Tahiti.”
“That’s the point.”
Blast her nervous blathering. “I love it.” She faced him—and saw the lust in his expression. Oh, wow. “I assume you have people who come over to keep it so sparkling clean?” Oh God, May, could you not say something so stupid?
Jude grinned. “Denny more than earns what I pay him without responsibility for extras like the pool. So, yeah, I have people that come once a week. For the pool. The yard. The house. Mondays I catch up on phone calls while the maintenance people are here, supervised by Denny.”
“He really is invaluable to you.”
“And he knows it.” Jude took a few steps closer to her. “He’ll want this room for your brother. And you’ve done enough worrying about Tim for one day.” He held out a hand. “Come on. You look ready to collapse.”
He had to be every bit as tired, so she said, “I’m fine.”
“No.” His voice went hoarse. “Time for bed, May. I insist.”
Oh, the way he said that. Her heart skipped a few beats, then galloped wildly. She couldn’t delude herself: Both she and Jude were exhausted, but neither of them had sleep on their minds. If she went with him now, it’d be to make love.
And it’d be wonderful, but…temporary.
Did that still matter, when she wanted him so much, and when she sensed that he needed her, too?
He stood there, hand extended, patient, expectant.
Slowly, May slipped her hand into his.