Chapter 14
JUDE
Igave her two days. Two because I couldn’t give her a third, not with Dez finally coming home tomorrow. That little piece of knowledge lights me up inside in a way that feels so foreign.
Or it used to.
Because that little feeling keeps popping up every time I think about Arden and the baby. Or when she brought a coffee to the bar for me. Besides my brother, I don’t think anyone has ever done something like that before.
It’s strange and…nice…but I can’t think too much about it right now because I need to have a more important conversation first.
Texting with Arden has been fine but we need to talk.
Really talk.
Raising my knuckles, I knock on the door, my other hand fisted around the stems of the purple flowers in my hand. I have no idea what they are—I just liked them, liked them for her.
“Jude, hey, this is a surprise.” Her eyes rake over me as she braces herself on the doorjamb.
“You look great, but we aren’t dating. We’re coparenting.
” She frowns, taking in my dark wash jeans and the freshly pressed button-up I have on.
I was a little rusty using the iron, but there’s no way you can spend any amount of time in the military and not know how to use one.
“I never agreed to that,” I tell her, offering her the flowers as I use my size to back her into the house, shutting the door behind me.
“Jude…”
“I heard you,” I tell her, lowering my voice and taking a step closer. “Why did you let me touch you?”
“Because I wanted to. I wanted to feel good,” she says as her hands land on her hips.
“And?” I press, moving closer until she’s forced to tilt her head back to look at me.
“Because no one’s ever looked at me the way you do—the way you are right now.”
“And how’s that?” I murmur, letting the pad of my thumb run over her bottom lip.
“Like you want to devour me.” The admission is barely audible, her brown eyes hazy with lust.
“Is that what you want now?”
“What? Jude, I’m pregnant. I’m going to be a mom. I—”
“You’re still an incredibly sexy, infuriating woman who is brilliant and extremely talented.”
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” she hisses as I continue to back her toward the living room.
“We’re just talking.”
“Bullshit,” she snaps, her eyes raking over my chest as I lower myself onto the couch. “You said we were done playing games.”
“No games, Tennessee.” Widening my legs, I dominate the space, and by the way her pulse flutters in her throat, I know she likes it. “Negotiations.”
“What negotiations? I’m not marrying you just because we’re having a baby.”
Taking her hand, I pull her forward until her shins bump into the front of the couch. “Arden,”—I lay the southern drawl on thick, makin’ sure I have her attention—“you can bet your life that when it comes to that, I won’t be sittin’ down.”
“Then what are you doing?” she demands, swallowing hard as I tug her even closer, the movement making her a bit off-balance. “You’re trying to seduce me?”
“The shirt was to seduce you.”
With one of her hands braced on the back of the couch and our faces a breath apart, I wait for her to make a move.
And she doesn’t disappoint. Her legs straddle mine until she’s hovering over my lap.
“What do you want?”
“You,” I tell her honestly, “and a chance.”
“Jude.” There’s so much emotion tangled up in the way she says my name.
“Look at me. Really look. I’m not some douchebag that can’t find your clit or doesn’t know how to change your brake pads. I’m not afraid to buy you tampons and I won’t get jealous if you need a night out with the girls. I’m a grown fucking man, Arden, and I want you.”
“You—” she seethes, her fingers attacking the buttons on my shirt, undoing them all until her nails are digging into my chest. “You don’t get to say shit like that. I can’t resist you when I’m drowning in all these damn hormones.”
“Then give me a chance.”
“To do what? You want to be my boyfriend?”
“I want to date you. I don’t give a shit about the label, only that you’re mine.”
“Baby is yours,” she says, leaning back slightly, “but we—this—isn’t happening.”
Yet.
“And all I’ve asked for is a chance.”
“I don’t want to play house.”
“I know you need a good long fuck to help clear your head, and I’m willing to do that for you.
I told you in the parking lot, I’m not afraid of your mood swings or anything else you wanna throw my way.
You’re about to be my whole God damn personality, so the sooner you accept that the better we’ll both be. ”
“That’s not how it works. You can’t just barge in here and…and…”
Gripping her hips, I grind her down over my erection, her gasp and moan like music to my ears. “Stop tryin’ to run me off, Tennessee. I like your attitude; it turns me on,” I grit out as she rolls her hips.
“That’s not what I’m doing.”
“Yes, it is.” I chuckle, the sound low and dangerous, “And you can try all you want.”
“I want you inside me.”
“Then give me the words, Arden.”
“Fine,” she huffs, her annoyance turning breathy when I pull her shirt over her head and toss it to the floor. “You’ve got your chance.”
That’s my girl.