Strangely Normal

by Tess Oliver

  He pushed my face up with the tip of his thumb. His hungry gaze floated down to my lips. “And now that I’m holding you,” his voice was low and jagged, “it is once again, too much to bear. I want every inch of you Eden.” He lowered his mouth to mine, and it hovered so near, I could feel his warm breath on my skin. “Starting with these incredible lips.” The space between us vanished and his mouth found mine. His kiss started gently, but as each second passed, a sense of urgency consumed both of us. His tongue traced my lips and then his kiss deepened and I pressed my body hard against his. A deep groan came from his throat as his hands trailed down my back and slipped beneath my shirt. He caressed the skin on my back and my hands encircled his neck to pull his mouth even closer to mine. I could not get near enough to him, and he held me so tightly that his grasp along with the intoxicating kiss left me breathless and lightheaded.

  He lifted his face and stared down at me with a flood of passion that would have scared me if it had not been Jude.

  His hands came up between us, and he deftly unbuttoned my shirt. Then his long, rough fingers slid between the open sides of my blouse and parted it. “There’s that damn bra again.” He leaned down and tugged down the top of my bra, exposing my naked breast to his mouth. His tongue traced circles around it and I pushed harder against his mouth. “Shit, Valley, do you know what you do to me?” he mumbled against my bare skin.

  My thigh pressed between his legs and I laughed softly. “I have an idea, yeah.”

  He lifted his face and grinned wickedly before continuing his trail of kisses down my neck. Heat swirled through my body and tugged at me with a need that I knew only he could satisfy. I’d been with other guys before, but none of them had ever elicited such a profound physical reaction as this. I felt completely out of control, and I loved every second of it.

  We were lost in each other’s touch and scent when an urgent knock rattled the door of the pool house.

  “Jude!” Cole called through the door.

  Jude sighed loudly and pressed his forehead against mine. “If you want to live, Cole, go away.” His fingers traced the tops of my breasts.

  “It’s Finley,” Cole said through the crack in the door.

  We separated as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice water on us. Jude raced to the door, and I followed closely at his heels. He opened the door.

  Even in the dim light it was easy to see that Cole looked upset.

  “Where is she?” Jude asked.

  “She went back to the house. Max mentioned going to—” Jude and I were out the door before Cole could finish.

  My heart was pounding by the time we reached the back door. Jude slid it open so hard it nearly came off its slider. “Finley!” he yelled.

  “Finley,” I echoed his call.

  “I’m right here,” a small voice came from the couch. Aside from the lights coming from the clocks on the kitchen appliances, the room was dark.

  Jude switched on the lamp, and Finley lifted up her hand to block the harsh light. Mascara rimmed her eyes as if she’d been crying. She hugged her knees to her chest.

  I sat down next to her. “What happened?”

  “Nothing. I’m never going to be normal, that’s all.”

  I was relieved to see that she was not completely freaked out or in a panic attack. She was just upset, and I couldn’t blame her. “That’s not true, Finley. You’re more normal than any girl I have ever met. I’ve never bonded so quickly with anyone in my life.”

  She wiped clumsily at her nose and looked at me. “Maybe you’re not normal either.”

  “You’ve got a point. Maybe we’re both normal in a strange way.” I threw my arms around her, and she hugged me back. “We’re going to get you out of this world you’ve built yourself, Finley. Don’t give up.”

  We sat back and Jude plunked down on the other side of her. She peered over at him. “I knew you liked her, you big boob. The moment you saw her in the gym that first day, I saw that hungry gleam in your eye.” Then her tone turned serious. “Jude don’t do anything to fuck this up. I know you thought this was a bad idea—”

  “I was wrong,” he said abruptly. “I was totally and completely wrong. And besides, Valley claims she’s never lost her head over any guy. So it’s all good.”

  I leaned forward, and his grin was as wide as the coffee table.

  “Cocky bastard,” I mumbled as I leaned back against the couch cushion.

  Cole appeared in the doorway. “I sent everyone home. Told them I was still feeling shitty from too much partying last night. Max said he’d call you later.”

  “Finley, why don’t you tell him what you’re dealing with,” I suggested. “Max seems like a decent guy. I think he’ll understand.”

  She leaned her head on Jude’s shoulder. “Maybe some time. But not yet.”

  Cole plopped down next to me, and we all sat in silence staring at the dark television set. “Is anyone else thinking Silence of the Lambs down in the theater?” Cole suggested.

  “I’ve only seen that movie on a small, blurry television set and it freaked me out so badly I crawled into bed with my parents,” I confessed.

  “Can’t really blame you. It is a damn creepy movie. It could really freak out a kid. I’m surprised your parents let you watch it,” Finley said.

  I looked over at her. “I was sixteen.”

  We erupted into a major bout of laughter and then headed down to the theater. Jude stood behind me in the elevator, his fingers hooked in the waist of my jeans. He tugged the material down an inch, and he tickled my back. I gasped and a shiver raced through me.

  Finley glanced over at me. “Are you all right?”

  “Uh huh,” the sound cracked out of my throat, “just a little chill in the air.”

  As I’d expected, the movie was even more disturbing on a large screen with surround sound, and I spent the first half of the movie with my face buried against Jude’s shoulder.

  “I have a newfound appreciation of this movie,” Jude commented, as I scooted closer to him with each horrendous scene.

  “Yep,” Cole said from the seat he’d taken two rows back. “I make a point of showing it when I’m with a girl who I’m sure will climb into my lap before the end of the movie.”

  “I’m feeling nauseous,” Finley called back from the front row where she’d situated herself with a giant bucket of popcorn. Jude and I had chosen seats between their two rows and we’d lifted the arm rest to make it one large seat.

  “I’m just saying, if you’re going to watch a horror flick make sure the girl is easy—”

  An entire shower of popcorn flew at Cole from the front seat.

  He picked a piece off his shoulder and ate it. “Needs butter. And you didn’t let me finish. I was going to say easy to scare.” More popcorn flew his way.

  Jude threw his arm around my shoulder. “The boy never knows when to shut up.”

  Finley stood and stretched. “I’m tired. I think I’ll turn in. I already know how it ends.”

  “I’ll walk you upstairs just in case there are any cannibals lurking in the hallway,” Cole said. “Hey, Jude, I’m going down to Corky’s Bar and Grille to meet some people. You want to come?”

  “Nope.”

  “Kind of thought you’d say no. See you later.”

  Finley and Cole left the room and Jude grabbed me. “I thought they’d never leave. Now where were we?” He laid me down on the seat and his mouth devoured mine instantly. But after a few moments, I pulled my lips away. The look of disappointment in his eyes nearly made me laugh. “I understand your newfound respect for this movie and all, but do you really want me to think about Hannibal and his fava beans every time we kiss?”

  “Good point.” He hopped up, muted the movie, and turned on music instead.

  This time he lowered himself over me slowly, his gaze never le
aving my face as he pressed his body along the length of me. His mouth lowered over mine, and the kiss built with urgency again, the same unequaled urgency I’d felt in the pool house. His hands explored every inch of skin on my arms, stomach and breasts. My fingers grasped for the hem of his shirt and I pushed it up, exposing his skin. I lifted my head and ran my lips and tongue along the hard, muscular ridges of his chest.

  Physically, I felt completely vulnerable as if I had no intention of stopping what we’d started, but my mind kept tugging at my self-control, pulling me from the dizzying swirl of pleasure and back into reality. I wasn’t prepared for this yet. I knew once I’d given into it all, I was risking everything, including my heart. Jude seemed to sense my hesitancy. His hands moved up to my face, and he pressed his palm against my cheek and kissed my lips.

  “I’m sorry, Jude. I’m not ready yet.”

  “I understand,” he said. “It’s killing me but I understand.” He stretched out next to me on the seat.

  “Now that you’re free again, I suppose you’ll be taking off soon. At least that’s the rumor I keep hearing.” I wasn’t completely sure what’d prompted the topic at this particular moment, but suddenly, I wanted to know.

  “Rumors, huh? This town is famous for gossip.” He leaned down and kissed me lightly. “Look, Eden, I know this complicates things some—”

  I peered up into his incredibly perfect face. “You think?”

  “All right, it complicates things a lot, but contrary to what my sister may have told you, I’m not a complete jerk.”

  “Actually, she uses the word ass more than jerk.”

  “I’m not a complete ass,” he continued. “Maybe a partial ass but not a complete one.” He fell silent and then reached up and pushed the hair off my face. “I’m here right now because I badly want to be with you. And as my sister can tell you, there aren’t many people I want to be with.”

  Everything would have been much easier if my initial dislike of the guy had stuck, but it had been obliterated almost from the start. In fact, it had disintegrated so completely I questioned whether I’d ever truly disliked him at all. Now there seemed to be no turning back. I just needed to remember to keep my head.

  Jude leaned down and kissed me again, and a tingling sensation warmed my skin.

  Keeping my head was not going to be easy.

  “Hey, tomorrow, I’ll take you on a ride on the bike. If you want to go-that is? And we’ll have to clear it with the Empress. But we could just take a short ride. What do you say?”

  “Uh, let me think— hell yeah. Do I get to wear one of those cool Harley helmets?”

  “Yeah, it’s kind of the law out here in L.A.”

  “Yippee.”

  Chapter 14

  Finley and I had spent the morning attempting to knit. She was quite skilled at it, but I’d spent more time untangling the yarn than actually getting it around the needle point.

  I held up my project. “It looks more like a spider web than a scarf.”

  Finley’s phone had buzzed several times during our knitting session, and each time she’d looked at it and then put it back down.

  “You’re a popular girl this morning,” I said.

  “It’s Max. He wants me to call him. He says he’s worried about me.”

  I lowered my yarn disaster into my lap. “So call him. You know how many guys out there take the time to worry about anyone but themselves?”

  “Three maybe four?” Finley laughed.

  “That’s being generous. Call him.”

  “I will. When you go on your ride with Jude.” She looked slyly up at me.

  “Oh, he asked you already?”

  “This morning. But I told him not to go far. That thing is dangerous.” She picked up her yarn, and her fingers moved quickly with the needles. “Just be careful, Eden.”

  “I wasn’t planning on jumping off the back or anything.”

  She stopped knitting. “You know what I mean. And it has got nothing to do with the ride.”

  “I know.” We’d been sitting with our legs crossed on the floor, and I stretched them out to wake my sleepy feet. “All I can tell you is that I’m usually pretty level headed when it comes to guys.”

  “Have you ever been with a guy like Jude?”

  “No, definitely not.”

  “That’s why I’m telling you to be careful. He likes you for sure. That I’ve known from the start, but my brother has never settled down with one girl before.”

  I wasn’t sure if she was telling me this for my protection or her own. I knew falling for Jude completely screwed things up, and I as much as I didn’t want to mess up this awesome summer job, I’d never had a guy like Jude interested in me before. I was, after all, only human.

  Finley stretched out her legs too. “Like I’ve said before, I love him but sometimes he’s an ass.”

  “Mental note taken.” Unfortunately, I sort of knew what I was getting into with Jude. For a guy like him this was probably just a summer fling, or now that he was off house arrest, it might just be a June fling. Or even a one week fling. I was determined not to go crazy about the guy. Even if he left, I would stay on with Finley and be perfectly content. Hopefully.

  I pulled on jeans and sneakers for the ride. I only wished I’d had a pair of cool motorcycle boots to go with the helmet. And maybe a leather jacket with a flaming skull on the back.

  Jude was out front dressed head to toe in black and looking completely breathtaking straddling his bike. His smile matched my enthusiasm for the ride.

  He adjusted the helmet strap beneath my chin and then leaned over and kissed me. “Let’s go, biker mama.”

  I threw my leg over the seat and wrapped my arms around his rock hard stomach. “I’m ready to roll.”

  The bike rumbled beneath us as we turned down the tree-lined path and through the security gates. The experience was exactly as I’d dreamed it. It felt like we were flying, and I laughed like a little kid as he picked up speed and raced down the street. We toured the scenic streets around the estate. Grand, stately mansions lined both sides of the road, as we rode through a world so different than mine it was like being on a different planet. And as beautiful and grand as it all was, I still missed my modest little home and nutty parents. Even though I was having a blast and the summer of a lifetime, I felt the constant ache of homesickness.

  We pulled onto a pathway that led to a small park. The grass was as green as an Irish landscape and flowers lined the children’s play area. Aside from one older woman in a maid’s uniform who watched attentively as two small girls played on the slide, the place was deserted. We parked the bike and got off.

  Jude took my hand. “There’s a cool, little manmade waterfall and pond around the bend.”

  “Well, of course there is. I mean every park I’ve ever been to has a waterfall and pond.”

  We walked along a neatly paved path. One side of it was bordered by a small stream that looked as if each polished stone had been hand placed to create the perfect flow of water. Large, smooth rocks and a sparkling waterfall sat at the top of small hill. We walked under the shade of a tree with manicured branches that jutted out like a massive umbrella. Jude leaned back against the wide trunk and pulled me into his arms.

  “You seemed to know exactly where to lead me— to this wonderfully secluded tree. Almost as if you’ve been here quite often before,” I teased.

  “Contrary to what my backstabbing siblings may have told you, I am not an animal.” He reached up and held my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “I like you a lot, Eden. And I don’t like many people. I’m not using you.”

  “No?” I lifted my face and kissed his jaw. “Because I’m totally using you for that friggin’ Harley back there.”

  “Yeah, I already figured that out. But I’m willing to accept it as long as you spend time with me.
”

  I startled when a squirrel traveled across a branch overhead but was certain my nerves had more to do with the guy standing in front of me than the small woodland creature. I laughed at my silly reaction. “The wildlife in Beverly Hills is fearsome.” I glanced around. “I’m surprised there aren’t more people here.”

  “Nannies aren’t done with their chores yet. This place gets crowded later in the afternoon.”

  “Nannies? So mommies don’t come, just nannies?”

  “For the most part.”

  “And that,” I said, “is where this whole idyllic world falls apart.”

  He yanked me closer against him. “What do you mean? Are you making a social comment on my people?”

  “Your people? You make rich and snobby sound like its own culture.”

  “It sort of is.”

  “I guess. But what’s the good of coming to a park if you can’t show your mom how good you are at climbing the slide? A nanny isn’t going to give a hoot about your accomplishments.”

  “Some mothers don’t either,” he said. “So you think we’re all out of touch?”

  “Strangely enough, no. Even though you three have grown up in a magnificent house with every luxury you could wish for and a father who is supremely famous, or as my dad would say, the god of rock, Finley, Cole and you are completely down to earth. You argue just like everyone else and you watch each other’s back. Just like regular siblings. One might even say normal. Even the stuff Finley deals with is pretty common. Everyone gets anxiety. I used to panic right before tests. I used to pressure myself so much, I was certain if I got anything less than a perfect score the whole world would dissolve beneath my feet. Once I pushed myself into a major panic attack before a calculus test and was convinced I was having a stroke. So everyone deals with stress in their own way. Finley just deals badly.” I rubbed my palm along the stubble on his chin. “I guess you know she blames herself for her sister’s death.”

  “I know. It never mattered how hard we tried to convince her otherwise, she insisted she caused it.”