by Lori Foster
Jude smiled on his path to Elton, his gait steady and sure.
One of the men noticed them first, and he shoved back his chair to stand—until he saw Denny, and behind him, Tim. Then he wavered, confusion and concern replacing the antagonism. Obviously, he’d expected Tim to be long gone.
Jude reached Elton’s table, planted his hands on the tabletop, and leaned in.
Elton pressed back.
“The police have Vic,” Jude told him.
Elton’s eyes darted this way and that, as if seeking an avenue of escape. “Vic who?”
Slowly shaking his head, Jude smiled. “I see you sweating, Elton. I see the color leeching out of your face. You know your time is up.”
Blustering, Elton coughed up a laugh. “Drop dead.”
“Sorry, but I’m not that accommodating. You’re stuck with me being around, and that means I’m going to keep digging. From now on, I’ll be watching your ass day and night. There’ll be no more goons like Vic to take the fall for you. No more secretive meetings with drivers.”
Elton swayed in his seat, and May knew Jude had hit a nerve. So she’d been right. Sid had known Elton, and he’d turned traitor on Jude.
How must that make Jude feel?
The man sitting closest to Elton ground his teeth together in frustration. He looked at Elton to reply, and when Elton remained mute, he knotted his fists on the table. “Fuck off, Jamison. You don’t have shit and you know it.”
Jude didn’t appear to notice the other man. “I can’t prove you’re the one who murdered Blair, but I can damn sure set the groundwork to keep you from ever doing anything like it again.”
In a rasp, Elton said, “You’re delusional.”
“You blew her up, you bastard.”
Elton made a small sound of distress. “I loved her.”
“And she hated you.”
“You stole her from me.”
“So you had Sid toss a bomb into the limo, and the poor bastard didn’t know he’d blow up, too.” Jude shook his head. “The irony is that I didn’t want her. I felt sorry for Blair, but beyond that I didn’t even like her company.”
Elton launched himself out of his chair. It clattered back and fell. “Bastard!” Everyone in the restaurant looked up. Silence filled the air.
The men on either side of him grabbed at his arms, restraining him so that he didn’t do anything irreparable in front of witnesses.
A flash left Elton blinking hard, and when he finally registered Ed with a recorder and camera, he panicked. “What are you doing? You can’t come in and invade my privacy. Where’s the manager? I’ll call the cops.”
“They’re on the way. I called them before I came in. Good luck convincing them of your innocence.”
Elton and his men went mute, identical expressions of alarm on their faces.
Satisfied, Jude stepped back. “Ed’s a reporter. I’m giving him an exclusive, dating back to the day Blair and Sid were killed in the explosion. Once I’m finished, even if Vic doesn’t spill his guts, the whole world will be watching you. If anything happens to me, or May, or her family, you’ll be the first person they come to. You better hope we all have long, happy lives.”
“Check!” Elton looked around, frantic to find his waitress.
Knowing he wouldn’t make it out of the restaurant in time to avoid the police, Jude laughed, turned, put his arm around May, and headed for the door. “Now,” he said, “I feel better.”
She heard the continued clicking of Ed’s camera as he backed out, staying close to Jude. She felt her brother’s awe and his nervousness.
Inside, she shook so badly she thought her heart might rattle loose. But on the outside, she maintained a look of calm. She was so proud of Jude.
And so very much in love with him.
Once they reached the parking lot, Jude clapped Ed on the shoulder, triumphant and exhilarated. “Thank you.”
“Are you kidding?” Ed let the camera dangle from one hand while he tugged at his own ponytail with the other. “I feel like a kid in a candy store. This is going to be my breakout story.”
“Just watch yourself. Don’t take Elton lightly. If he manages to wiggle out of this one, he might be out for revenge, and I don’t want you hurt.”
Ed grinned hugely. “I’m a coward at heart. I’ve already arranged for protection, at least until the story breaks. After that, thanks to your maneuvering, I should be safe enough. Like you said, anything happens to me, they’ll know where to look for a suspect.”
———
“If you keep causing me to miss meals,” May teased, “I’m not going to be plump anymore.”
“Who says you’re plump? You’re perfect.”
She laughed and tried to collapse down over Jude’s chest, but he kept her upright with his hands on her breasts. He raised his knees and urged her to lean back on them. He already had a condom on, but he wasn’t yet inside her.
He wanted to make it last.
“I don’t go on about it, and I don’t really care, but you know I’m on the heavy side.”
While toying with her nipples, Jude said, “I adore your curves.”
She sighed and gave him a very sultry look. “Then quit teasing me. We might still make it downstairs in time for dinner.”
“I want to see you come first,” he whispered.
“Jude…” Her protest broke into a gasp when he slipped one hand between her legs.
It didn’t take long before May reached her breaking point. And Jude watched every nuance on her face, the rise and fall of her breasts, the way her belly contracted and she bit her lip while groaning long and low.
“Damn.” A little rough and a lot impatient, he gripped her hips and lifted her limp body so that he could slide in. “Now you’re nice and wet,” he remarked, and even saying it turned him on more. He knew he wouldn’t last beyond a few strokes, but when May opened her eyes and smiled at him, a smile of contentment and sensuality and completion, he gave up the struggle.
Flipping her beneath him, he rode her hard and relished the way she stroked his back and kissed his shoulder as he came.
A long time passed before Jude could dredge up coherent words. May had her arms and legs around him, and she didn’t seem inclined to let him go when he leaned up to see her face. Despite her hold, she looked utterly relaxed.
“You aren’t falling asleep, are you?” Tenderly, he stroked the wild tumble of her hair away from her face. She didn’t move. “You want to go downstairs to get something to eat?”
She hugged him tighter, and if Jude didn’t miss his bet, a little desperately. “No, not yet.”
So attuned to her moods, Jude understood right off that something was wrong. “May? What are you thinking about?”
“My life.”
Not our life. Together. Some of the peace he’d felt began to fade. Keeping his voice calm, his hold gentle, he said, “That sounds serious.”
“Maybe.” She rubbed her cheek against his chest. “I can’t keep staying here, Jude. I don’t want to give you up, but I need to return to my apartment. I need to get back to my own routine.”
Jude ran his hands up and down her back and decided, no matter what, he wouldn’t let her go. “You said you’re going back to work on Monday.”
“Which means I need to be in my apartment tonight. I have to start sleeping regular hours again. I have to catch up on what’s happened in the office while I was away. I have to… to get used to reality instead of this fairy tale you’ve created.”
Her words disturbed him, so Jude decided to tease a little while formulating a response. “You saying I wake you up too much during the night?” Last night, he’d awakened her twice, once to make love to her and once just to hold her close.
He hadn’t actually had a nightmare, but he’d thought of losing her, and his blood ran cold. Nothing and no one had ever scared him as much as the idea of losing May. Touching her was the only thing that made him feel better.
“It wasn�
�t a complaint.” She crossed her arms and propped her head up on his chest. “I’m going to miss having you wake me up.”
Jude pushed her hair away from her face. He’d seen her with makeup and without. He’d seen her eyes swollen with tears and sparking with anger. He’d seen the hurt he’d caused and the worse hurt caused by her parents. He’d seen her soft from pleasure and determined to be protective.
“We don’t know if it’s over, May. Until the cops tell me that Vic has confessed all, or that Elton is behind bars, I need to know you’re safe.”
She leaned forward and kissed him. “But that’s something that could happen tomorrow, next week, or a month from now. I can’t continue to use it as an excuse. Besides, after what you told him today, I doubt Elton will try anything around here.”
Footsteps pounded down the hallway and seconds later, a fist rapped on the door. “Jude!”
Sensing Denny’s urgency, Jude levered May to the side of him and pushed out of bed. “What is it?” He padded across the floor to the door.
“I just got a call. You aren’t going to believe this.”
Jude glanced back to see May modestly covered by blankets while fumbling on the nightstand for her glasses. He opened the door and stepped out into the hall. “Something to do with Elton?”
“I was checking around like you asked, and there are two guys who claim Sid was with Elton the night before your limo blew.”
For one of the few times in his life, Jude’s knees felt weak. “Son of a bitch.”
“That’s exactly what I said! But there’s more. I called the detective who arrested Vic. He said Vic is spilling his guts. Seems he’s more afraid of Elton than he is of going to jail. They convinced him that since he never actually killed anyone, the courts would go easier on him if he cooperated.” Denny lifted his shoulders. “And so he is.”
“Did…” Jude had to clear his throat before he could continue. They were coming at him so fast, he could barely take in all the changes. Would he finally get his life back? “Did Vic say Elton planned the bombing? That he deliberately murdered Blair?”
Denny nodded. “I’m sorry, Jude. But according to Vic, the sick fuck figured that if he couldn’t have Blair, no one could.”
“But he always blamed me,” Jude reasoned aloud, still trying to get it to sink in. “And when he says he hates me, it’s not a lie. He really does. I can see it in his eyes.”
Denny put a comforting hand on Jude’s shoulder. “Vic said Elton hated you for turning down what he wanted so much.”
“Jesus.”
The bed squeaked, and a second later May joined them. Wrapped in a blanket toga-style, her hair tumbling down her back and her big eyes serious behind the lenses of her glasses, she sidled up close to Jude. “It makes sense, Jude. I imagine many men look at you with jealousy, my brother included. No one sees the hard work and dedication.”
Jude stared down at her. From the beginning May had seen all of him. Damn, he couldn’t lose her.
Crediting his silence to the news, May leaned her head on his shoulder and hugged his arm. “Most people only see your accomplishments and how easy you make it all seem. You’re a very tough act to follow.”
“We could finally wrap up this ugly business,” Denny said. “They’re going to arrest Elton now. By tomorrow, it should be over.” He smiled at May. “We’ll be able to live in peace.”
Denny walked off whistling, and Jude knew that Denny had accepted May in the house as much as he had.
Once they were back in the bedroom, May asked, “You look a little shell shocked. Are you okay?”
“I’d be better if you didn’t insist on leaving.” Jude scrambled to find reasons to make her stay. “What if Elton gets away? If anything, this might make him more desperate. I want you here, where I can keep you safe.”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“Why?”
Her chin lifted, and she peered stubbornly through her glasses. “I need to get hold of my parents.”
Jude went blank for several seconds. “Whatever for? They wrote you off. They’re done with you.”
May used one hand to hold the sheet in place and the other to wave away his statements. “It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last. They don’t even mean it. They get mad and they say awful things. My mother was drinking, and that always makes her more hateful.”
Jude remembered Olympia’s red eyes and the traveler’s cup she’d carried. Horrid woman. May’s mother. Good God.
“Dad doesn’t know how to deal with her, and anyway, he doesn’t want to expend the energy trying. Tim can’t deal with either of them.”
“So it all falls to you? That’s bullshit.”
Her mouth firmed over his language. “I don’t expect you to understand, but they depend on me. They need me.”
“Incredible.” So this was it? May’s grandstand and her reason for walking away from him was because she thought he couldn’t understand. He’d make her rethink that bit of nonsense. He understood all too well.
She wanted their love. She needed their respect.
But he doubted she’d ever get it.
May stood stiff and proud before him. “They’re my parents. That’s something that won’t ever change. Sure, there are things about them I don’t like, but we don’t get to choose our parents. We love what we get, and we try to make it work.”
“You shouldn’t be the only one trying, though.”
“I’m not going to completely cut them out of my life just because they can be offensive.” Her bottom lip trembled but was quickly stilled. “That’s just not something I can do.”
“I despise the way they treat you, May.”
Sadness filled her eyes. “I know.”
Jude stepped closer. “But I’m not about to let you off that easy.”
Her mouth fell open. “What?”
“You want to associate with them, then we will. We. Not just you. I suppose holidays are a given. And there’s always sickness or financial snafus and shit like that.” He paced, thinking it all through. “Of course, we might not always be around.”
“What are you talking about?” Her voice was high and breathless.
“I’m not going back to Hollywood. I told my agent to pass on the action flick. It was a great offer, not just money but exposure, but I’m just not interested.”
She trotted to keep up with his agitated pacing. “You’re not?”
Head down, hands on his hips, he kept moving but glanced at her. “Did you ever see that movie Get Shorty?” Before she could answer, he remarked, “Great flick. Travolta’s a class act.”
“Jude?”
“In the movie, Travolta’s character, Chili Palmer, says to someone that most actors don’t know their own zip code or telephone number.”
May stopped and stared at him.
“That’s not a huge exaggeration, you know.” Jude laughed. “Actors are notoriously self-absorbed. Sometimes really shallow. I dated a woman once who got collagen injections in the balls of her feet so that she could wear really high heels while walking the red carpet. Do you believe that shit?” He shuddered just thinking about it.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I’m talking about keeping it real. Hollywood’s not for me. It was a nice gig, and I appreciate the breaks, but I’ve been thinking.” He planted his feet and faced her. “Actually, your brother inspired me.”
“My brother?” May crossed her arms and cocked out one hip. In the blankets, she looked adorable. “Do tell.”
“Lots of troubled guys come to the SBC to find new opportunities. Some have been victims of child abuse, some were orphans, and some have done jail time. Once you have a record, it’s hard to find work. These guys are looking for constructive ways to channel their anger, and they’re looking for a family. Backup. People who care.”
May nodded but kept silent.
On a deep breath, Jude said, “That’s the SBC. A big family. People
you can count on. You watch their backs, and they watch yours. As a trainer, Denny’s turned around more than one young man. I have faith he’ll work wonders with Tim.”
Her mouth fell open again. “You’re serious?”
“Tim didn’t tell you?”
Mute, she shook her head.
Damn her brother for being a chickenshit. “I think he’s going to do a circuit with Denny. I imagine your mom and dad will pitch a real bitch fit, but trust me, it’ll be good for Tim. Toughen him up and teach him humility and responsibility and maybe some independence.”
May just stared at him.
This wasn’t going quite as he’d planned it. “Anyway, I thought about things and how I trust the foundation of the SBC a hell of a lot more than I do any Hollywood gimmick.”
When he hesitated, she prompted him. “And?”
“I’ve decided I want to invest in some programs within the SBC. You know, sponsor some young men who maybe wouldn’t be able to get involved otherwise. I’ll get some other sponsors to step up, too. I don’t have it all worked out yet, but I know I want to do a series of commercials and paper ads and…” He smiled, held out his arms. “I bought half the company.”
“You…” May inhaled. “You bought half the SBC?”
“Yeah. I love it. You love it… You do, right?”
“I do.”
“Great. I was going to tell you about it, but damn woman, I get around you and I have sex on the brain. I’d like to steal your blankets right now and lay you on the floor and—”
“Jude.”
“You see? Anyway, it’s going to involve some travel. But I figured, what the hell, you could look for artwork while we’re in Germany and Japan and Brazil. Right?”
She blinked rapidly. “You expect me to go with you?”
“Well, I’m sure as hell not going if you don’t.”
She did some more blinking. “But…”
“When we’re in the States, we’ll visit my parents—and yours, of course. I can take it, I swear. I’m tougher than you think. We’ll work out something.”
As if to contain her heart, she flattened a hand to her chest. “Jude, my parents are not your responsibility. They’re not even my responsibility, except that I’ve chosen to make them such. There’s no reason why you’d have to—”
