Chapter 18
SOFIA
The ring of Jude’s phone shattered the kitchen’s quiet just as I wiped down the marble counter the following day.
He answered, lifting the device to his ear.
‘Kian,’ Jude rasped. ‘Give it to me straight. Did the cops track the gunman?’
I froze, the damp cloth squeezing tight in my palm.
I stepped closer to the island when Jude tapped the audio to speaker.
‘Patinski’s department bagged the operation, Judah,’ Kian growled.
‘They tailed his sedan to a rundown motor lodge outside Nashville. Local units breached the room an hour ago. They found Dario with three kilos of uncut narcotics and five young women locked in the bathroom. Luisa and Marcos were counting cash bundles. They had phones confirming their link to the Compagni Syndicate. They’re going away for twenty years minimum. ’
I let out an unexpected, ragged gasp.
The kitchen counter tilted as it hit me; the mobsters who’d chased me across state lines were sitting behind steel bars.
Jude dropped his phone, rounded the stone island in two massive strides, and hauled me to him.
He gripped me, his tattooed arms wrapped around my shoulders, pulling my smaller form to his ribs.
I shook with the sudden release of weeks of terror.
‘It’s over,’ he muttered into my hair, his chest vibrating under my cheek. ‘The monsters are locked in a cage. You’re safe now. Nobody’s going to touch you again.’
I clung to his shirt, inhaling his scent of cedar wood and musk, more shielded, sheltered, and secure than I had ever been in my life.
I was also falling deeply in love with this brooding, beautiful man.
I rose to my tiptoes, intending to press my lips to his jawline in gratitude.
Jude shifted.
His head turned.
A sudden, ragged groan rumbled in his throat, as if he was losing his leash.
His hand slid to the back of my neck, his fingers tangling into my long hair to tilt my head back, pinning me in place.
He came down on my mouth in a bruising, passionate kiss.
I shuddered at how possessive, demanding, and raw it was.
He tasted like Pinot Gris we’d had at dinner, and pure temptation, his lips crushing mine with an intensity that told me he was done fighting himself.
He wanted me.
He craved to consume me, his tongue driving deep, marking his territory.
A breathless moan escaped my throat, a sound of surrender.
I met his aggression with equal desire, wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling myself closer until no air remained between us.
My lips parted for him, returning the bruising rhythm, matching the desperate fire consuming his restraint.
For a chaotic, unhinged ten seconds, our agreement didn’t exist; duty vanished.
There was only his mouth, his sinewed hands gripping my hips to his.
His throbbing erection hit my stomach, making it clear that he found me irresistible.
Then, Jude tore himself away.
He stepped back, his chest heaving as he drew air.
His eyes, flaming and untamed with unchecked passion a second ago, iced over.
A shadow flitted across his features.
He rubbed his healing upper arm, his face hardening.
‘I’ve got to get to the studio,’ he muttered.
He turned on his heel and prowled out of the kitchen, leaving me flushed and aching in the sudden quiet.
Shit was getting tangled. Did he actually want this, or was he playing with me?
Later, I sat on the window seat in my guest suite, wearing his hoodie, which I’d started to wear when alone in my room, and even to bed.
I stared up at the Tennessee night sky while the wind rattled the oak branches outside.
I was so far out of my depth.
I was finally safe from the mafia, but my heart was gone, tangled up with Jude.
I yearned for him to stop fighting the fire between us.
However, if this arrangement ended as soon as my paperwork was finalized, especially given that I was out of danger, I needed the strength to walk away without breaking.
With a sigh, I surrendered to the outcome.
Jude didn’t seem to be in a hurry to end us; heck, the following week he got me a car.
It was a sleek BMW iX3 EV that zipped around the tightest corners with firm precision.
I had my Italian license and knew how to operate a vehicle; I’d also spent years making truck deliveries from the factory floor to towns outside Milan.
We arranged a trip to the local DMV, where I used my federal temporary visa waiver to sit for the written knowledge test.
Within two hours, I had a valid Tennessee driver’s permit in my hands.
The plastic card handed me back my independence.
Jude sat shotgun for three practice runs, guiding me through the local road rules until I was comfortable behind the wheel.
After that, I started driving myself to The Sanctuary every morning.
A week later, Misty and I decided to skip our usual routine of eating at our desks.
We headed to a suburban mall to find a new lunch spot.
Walking toward the upstairs food hall, a jewelry store display caught my attention.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
Inside the glass case sat a matte-black man’s titanium wedding ring, split down the center by a fine ten-karat yellow-gold inlay.
The eight-millimeter band was stunning, and it cost a few hundred dollars, nothing outrageous.
Since Jude took care of every household expense, my entire salary from The Sanctuary sat untouched in a new bank account.
I wore a diamond on my left hand, so why shouldn’t he?
He’d also bought me my ring.
I could buy him one too, I mused.
I went home that afternoon with the image of the ring burned into my mind.
I debated the choice for three days.
I wrestled with the doubt that I was overstepping an invisible boundary.
Until I made a decision; I drove back to the mall alone during my lunch break and purchased it.
That night, the humid Tennessee heat settled over the valley, thick with the scent of damp earth and blooming honeysuckle.
We sat outside on the pool deck, the trill of crickets coming from the shadows between the trees.
Jude leaned back in his Adirondack chair, his long legs stretched out.
His shoulders sagged, and he rubbed his palms over his face, letting out a ragged breath.
‘Exhausted?’ I asked.
‘It’s just the final push for the album,’ he muttered, his timbre gravelly and rough from a drawn-out day in the studio.
‘We’re finalizing the last three songs, and they need a bunch of work.
I was at the console by five this morning because Deacon and the producers wanted to capture a specific vocal from me.
Then we hit a wall on the bridge of the second track and argued over a single bass line for four hours. My brain’s like scrambled eggs.’
‘I’m sorry,’ I commiserated, wanting to stroke his clenched jawline. ‘You’re carrying a lot on your mind right now.’
‘Comes with the territory,’ he said, squinting out into the dark yard, then leaning back on the rest to close his eyes. ‘Just need to get across the finish line. Then I can sleep for a week.’
Seeing him so drained made my chest ache, but it also sparked a sudden idea.
I thought about the velvet package hidden upstairs.
Perhaps this was what he needed to lift his mood.
Maybe a reminder that he had a home, a partner, and a life outside that chaotic studio would boost his spirits and give him a reason to smile tonight.
‘I’ve got a gift for you.’
‘Hmm?’ he rasped, cracking one eye open.
‘I’ll get it.’
I went inside and returned.
Taking a slow breath to steady my racing pulse, I set a square ebony velvet box wrapped in a black bow on his armrest.
Jude turned his head, his brow furrowing as his gaze dropped to the package. ‘What’s this?’
‘Just a token of my appreciation,’ I said.
He arched an eyebrow, his lean fingers working loose the ribbon.
He flipped the velvet lid up, blinked, and went still.
He stared at the titanium band for a long, agonizing beat, his face shifting into an unreadable mask.
My heartbeat raced as a sudden chill seized my chest.
‘Sofia,’ he muttered in his hoarse timbre, stretching out the end of my name, his tone dropping a couple of octaves.
‘I know it’s unexpected,’ I blurted, my hands clenching in my lap as I tried to read his expression. ‘However you bought me a ring, my phone and a car, Jude. You’ve given me safety, a home, a whole new life. I wanted to give you a tangible gift in return, to show my appreciation.’
Silence fell between us before he broke it by clearing his throat, his eyes still on the band in the box.
‘This is different, Sofia,’ he said, his thumb stroking the gold inlay without removing the ring from its velvet slot.
He sighed, a rough sound that seemed to pull from his lungs.
‘First of all, you need to know I’m not a fan of metal on my skin during performances. I take off my rings during shows.’
My heart sank.
‘So wear it on a chain,’ I blurted.
He scarcely met my gaze, and I sensed he was reaching for an excuse.
‘Also, a band like this one carries significance I’m just not ready for. It changes the math between us.’
Shame burned hot behind my eyes.
I reached out, my fingers trembling as I moved to retrieve the box from his armrest.
‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed. Let me take it back.’
His hand clamped over mine, stopping me. He closed the lid and tucked it into his shirt pocket, confusing me.
‘Second thoughts, I’m keeping it. I won’t wear it yet, but I might be primed for it sometime soon, Sofia. Apologies for being a cad about this. It just came as a total surprise, and my brain goes straight to defense mode when things shift too fast.’
‘It’s fine,’ I lied, forcing a smile brittle enough to shatter.
I hid the ache deep inside my chest, but the rejection gnawed at my stomach, a harsh reminder that our hearts existed in two separate lanes.
He was doing his duty; I was losing my mind and falling for my husband.
The quiet between us stretched, thick and suffocating.
‘I’m exhausted,’ I muttered, sliding my legs off my chair and standing up before my tears betrayed me. ‘I’ll go to bed.’
Jude stood up with me, towering over me on the terrace.
He reached out to me as if he wanted to pull me into his chest, then he pushed his hands into his pockets, only adding to the distance he had just created.
His lips parted, and for a second, I was certain he was about to friend-zone me.
I braced for a speech about how we had agreed to keep things professional.
He closed his mouth, pursing his lips without a word, wary and closed off.
‘Goodnight, Jude,’ I whispered, turning on my heel.
I marched down the corridor to my room, locking the door behind me.
I sank to the floor, spine to the wood, burying my face in my hands.
Cazzo! You stupid, blind idiot, I scolded myself.
The silent curse echoed in my mind as I stared at the ceiling, questioning why I ever believed this arrangement might turn into a shot at real love.