“Yep. I’m sure you can stay over but I’m not telling you what we’re going to do. It’s a surprise.”
“Give me just a little hint. Please.”
Jude laughed. “No. I better let you go. I’m sure you want to make sure that you get your beauty sleep. Not that you need beauty sleep but you know what I mean.”
Mellenda laughed. “Goodnight Jude.”
“I’m gonna dream about having sex with you.”
Mellenda smiled. “I know.”
“Don’t you dream about having sex with me? C’mon Mellenda. Admit that you want me half as much as I want you and I’ll be happy for the rest of my life.”
“Jude, of course I want you. But it doesn’t mean that we have to act like horny teenagers all the time.”
“We are horny teenagers. We’re gonna be horny teenagers until we turn twenty. Or I know that I am and I hope that you still will be.”
“You are a goof. Goodnight Jude.”
“Night Mellenda. If I show up in your dreams, make sure it’s good okay?”
Mellenda shook her head. “Bye Jude.”
“Bye baby.”
Mellenda hung up her phone. She returned her hygienic products to their places and then lay back on her bed. She wondered what he had asked his mom to help him pick out. The thought of an engagement ring loomed uneasily in her mind but she quickly dismissed the idea.
Thoughts of Jude filled her mind as she drifted off to sleep. She knew that she was falling for him hard and fast, but she wasn’t sure that she wanted the feelings to stop. She was enjoying them far too much.
Chapter 10
The next morning she awoke early to the sound of a text message on her phone. She yawned and picked it up, glancing at the time. It was a few minutes after seven. She groaned, and then smiled when she saw that the message was from Jude.
She opened it and read ‘Good morning baby. Happy birthday. I want to take you out to breakfast. My parents are cool with you staying at my house tonight. My brother and sisters are all gonna be gone, so it’s just gonna be you, me and my parents. They said you can’t sleep in my bed though. That sucks but I think I can probably sneak you in there anyway at least for a while. I’ll pick you up in half an hour.’
‘Jude’ she typed. ‘You woke me up. I didn’t get a chance to shower last night because one of those creepy lesbians that want to be a social worker came onto me when I was in the shower room. I have to shower and get dressed. I won’t be ready in half an hour.’
‘I didn’t mean to wake you. I guess I don’t think about the fact that not everyone gets up as early as I do. Can you be ready in an hour? I’m starving. I wanted to spend the whole day with you.’
‘You’re so sweet. An hour is fine. If I can get ready before then, I’ll text you.’
‘Okay. You should wear those jeans that make your ass look really hot.’
‘I thought you said all my jeans make my ass look hot.’
‘They do but I’m talking about the ones that are cut lower. You should wear a thong too, that would be so hot.’
‘It looks gross when girls walk around like that. I don’t really like wearing thongs. And I definitely don’t like looking at guys when their pants are pulled halfway down either.’
‘You said I looked sexy when you could see the edge of my boxers sticking out.’
‘That’s you and you don’t wear your pants so big that you trip over them. I’ll think about wearing a thong. Are you talking about my dark blue jeans with the designs on the back pockets?’
‘Oh yeah. When we live together, I’m gonna buy you those pants that say things on the butt so I’ll have an excuse to look at your butt.’
‘You are so horny.’
‘Duh. I’ll let you go now baby. I’ll see you soon.’
‘Okay Jude. Bye.’
‘Bye Mellenda.’
Mellenda shook her head as she sat her phone on her nightstand. Sometimes she wondered if Jude ever thought about anything besides sex. Then again, she certainly thought about sex a lot too, especially when she was around him.
She chose her clothes carefully. She picked out a t-shirt that wasn’t too tight but showed her breasts off and was low cut enough that it gave a glimpse of her cleavage. She dug out a bra that was sexy but comfortable and rummaged around in her drawer until she found the only thong she owned that she could stand to wear. Then she found the jeans that Jude had asked her to wear.
She wondered if her parents would bother to call her. They’d sent her a card and her allowance had been almost twice as much as usual, so she figured that was supposed to be her birthday gift, but what kind of parents didn’t call their kid on their eighteenth birthday?
She sighed as she headed to the shower with her clothes and her toiletries. She knew that it was going to be hard for her parents to think of her turning eighteen when Adrina had been eighteen when she died, but she wished that they would at least pretend that they still loved her.
The shower room was empty so she took a long shower. She dried off and dressed quickly, her heart starting to beat fast as she headed back to her room. It still blew her mind sometimes how much she liked Jude. It seemed almost insane to her that she had fallen for one player in her life, let alone two.
She put her pajamas in the hamper and then went to the bathroom. She blow dried her hair and then applied a little makeup. She’d worn more before she’d started hanging out with Jude, but he always told her she was so pretty that she didn’t need it. At first, she’d thought that he was just trying to talk his way into her pants, but she’d soon realized that he really meant it.
When her hair was done to her satisfaction, she went back to the bedroom. She looked at her cell phone and saw that almost the whole hour that she had promised Jude had passed. She shrugged as she picked up her phone. It wasn’t as if he would have starved to death in an hour.
She dialed Jude’s number. He picked up on the first ring. “Baby, why do you take so damned long to get ready when you are the finest woman on the planet?”
Mellenda shook her head as she grabbed her jacket. “Sometimes I wonder if you’re for real Jude. You’ve already been in my pants so you don’t need to keep telling me how fine I am all the time.”
“Do you prefer beautiful, sexy, or gorgeous? ‘Cause you’re all of those things and more. I am so lucky to be going out with you Mellenda. Sometimes when I’m with you, I want to pinch myself because I know that I’ve got to be dreaming.”
Mellenda rolled her eyes as she grabbed her purse. “I’m ready Jude. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
“I’m waiting for you. I’m really hungry, but I think I can forgive you if you’re wearing those jeans we talked about earlier.”
“I am. You’re already here? How long have you been waiting for me Jude?”
“Half an hour.” She could hear the grin in his voice.
“Dork. I said I’d be an hour at least.”
“Nope. You said that you might be an hour but that you’d text me if you were ready sooner. I was hoping that you’d be ready sooner. But you are my favorite girl in the whole world and it’s your birthday so I’ll let you get away with it.”
“How can you be so sweet to me when you used to be such a player? Sometimes I feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop Jude. You say nice things to me all the time, you let me drive your truck and you never pressure me into having sex with you. I like your family and I think that they like me too. You’re hot and you are so good in bed that I usually don’t tell you because I don’t want you to get an inflated ego. You can be a dork and a pervert and an asshole sometimes, but you make me feel things that make me think I’m going crazy.”
“Of course my family likes you. Baby, you are gorgeous. You’re smart and you’re sweet even if you do call me a goof and a dork all the time. You make me believe that there’s hope for average guys to catch really special girls. I don’t need another girl when I have you. I may have been a player, but I think
I just hadn’t found the right girl. And now I have. Are you on your way?”
Mellenda laughed. “I am. I just went outside. You’re not average Jude. You’re smart and you’re cute and you’re so good with your little sisters and brother. And I meant what I said when I said you’re good in bed. I’m not just being nice when I say that.”
“Oh darlin’ you have boosted my ego for the rest of my life. To know that I can please you-damn. I know that you probably look totally hot. It’s gonna be hard to not think about having sex with you when I’m supposed to be romantic and sweet and make sure you have a good time on your birthday.”
“I’m sure I’ll have a good time Jude. Thank you. Are you behind the shack?”
“Yep. I’m gonna let you go baby. I’m gonna smoke a cigarette before you get here.”
“Do you have breath mints?”
“Baby, I’ve even talked you into sharing a cigarette with me after sex. I thought it didn’t bug you anymore.”
“It doesn’t always, but right now I want to taste you and not a cigarette.”
“Okay. Hurry your pretty little butt up.”
Mellenda laughed. “I’m going to walk slow.”
“C’mon baby. Give a guy a break.”
“I was kidding Jude. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
“Okay. Bye babe.”
“Bye Jude.”
Mellenda hung up her phone and put it in her purse. She walked fast and reached the shack in only a few minutes. Jude was leaning against his truck. He smiled. “Mmm. Nothin’ better than lookin’ at a gorgeous woman in the morning and knowing that she’s all yours.”
Mellenda smiled. “You’d better be all mine too.”
Jude took her into his arms. “I am the luckiest man in the world Mellenda. Do you think I’m going to screw that up?”
She looked at him seriously. “I hope not.”
He kissed her, slow and easy. When he pulled back several minutes later, he groaned. “You’ve got me hard as a rock like usual. You sure you don’t want to start your birthday off with some hot sex?”
Mellenda shook her head. “We can have sex later. I’m hungry too.”
Jude sighed. “Figures. Do you want your present now or later?”
“Now please.”
Jude reached through the open window of the truck and brought out a velvet covered jewelry box. Mellenda’s heart started to beat fast, but it was the wrong size for a ring. He gave her a shy grin as he opened the box. “I hope you like it. My mom thought you would.”
Mellenda felt tears sting her eyes. She thought the necklace was beautiful. It was a thin gold chain with a charm dangling down. The charm was two intertwined hearts that had her birthstone in the middle. “Oh Jude, you didn’t have to buy me something so nice. It was must have cost you quite a bit.”
He shrugged. “I could never spend too much money on you. You like it don’t you?”
Mellenda slugged him gently in the shoulder. “Of course I like it. It’s beautiful. Will you put it on for me?”
She offered him her neck. She noticed that his hands shook a little as he undid the clasp. When he placed it around her neck, she knew that he took a peek down her shirt. She hid a smile and gave him a kiss. “Thank you.”
Jude squeezed her hand. “Let’s eat. That isn’t your only surprise. I’ve got the whole day planned out for us. We have to have dinner with my parents though. My mom made me promise that I’d let her cook for you.”
“That’s fine.”
Jude tossed her the keys. As she turned to get into the truck he let out a whistle. “You even wore a thong for me. I thought so when I touched your butt before but now I know. You look so hot with your clothes on right now that I’m not sure I want you to take them off.”
Mellenda rolled her eyes as they got into the truck. She put the keys in the ignition. “Every time I start to think you’re too good to be true, you act like a total pervert again.”
Jude grinned. “I am a man.”
She shook her head at him, then started the truck and backed out onto the road. “Are we going to the diner for breakfast?”
“Wherever you want baby. It’s your day.”
“What did you do on your eighteenth birthday besides getting drunk with your dad?”
“My mom got me stoned. She said she’d get you stoned tonight too if you wanted to.”
“I don’t know Jude. I’ve never done it before.”
“I forget that you really are a good girl. Even Tory smokes weed.”
“Yeah, but she’s engaged to a drug dealer.”
“It’ll help you loosen up babe. You’re so tense sometimes that it drives me crazy.”
“I don’t want to act like an idiot in front of your parents.”
“Baby, they have four kids and I’m one of them. They’ve seen everything. And they’ll be stoned too so it won’t matter. You’ll laugh a lot. If we wait to have sex until after you’re stoned, it will feel even better.”
“Yeah right. And how are we going to have sex with your parents’ right there?”
Jude snorted. “We’ll do it in my truck in the driveway like we always do. They’ll pass out and I’ll take you back to my bedroom after we’re done having sex. I’d say that we’d do it in my bed, but they’re not gonna be that out of it.”
“I don’t know. I’ll think about it.”
“No pressure. Just wanted you to know that it’s an option. Mom was gonna make some brownies, but Dad said that you can really taste the weed when she does that and it can also get you way more high that way.”
“Okay. Since the diner is probably the only place open, I guess we will go there. Wait, are you sure that we should go out in public together? This is the first time that we’ve really been out together since we’ve been together besides going to work out.”
Jude shrugged. “I don’t care. It’s too damned early for any of the town gossips to be out and about anyway.”
“True.”
Mellenda pulled the truck into the parking lot of the diner. She parked and they got out of the truck. Jude opened the door for her and then took her hand. She smiled at him. She was happy that it was him that she was spending her birthday with. She honestly didn’t think that there was anyone else she’d rather spend the day with.
Jude gave her a puzzled look. “Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something hanging out of my nose?”
Mellenda shook her head at him. “I was thinking that there is no one else I’d rather spend the day with and then you ask me if you have a booger hanging out of your nose. You are the world’s biggest dork.”
Jude grinned. “Guilty as charged. Let’s eat baby.”
They walked to the diner. Jude held the door open for her. A tired looking waitress seated them and took their drink orders. Mellenda couldn’t decide what she wanted to eat. She’d lost a little weight and it was hard to feel self-conscious about her body when Jude was constantly telling her how hot it was, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted the calories that came with a traditional diner breakfast.
Finally she decided that she was going to eat whatever she wanted that day and not feel guilty about it, because it wasn’t like she was ever going to have another eighteenth birthday.
The waitress came back with their drinks and to take their food orders. Jude grinned at her when the waitress had walked away.
“I thought my baby only ate crap every once in a while.”
“I do. But it’s my birthday and I don’t care.”
“It’s good to eat healthy darlin’ but if you lose much more weight you’re going to start to lose your sexy curves. You’ll break my heart if you do that.”
“I’ve only lost ten pounds Jude.”
“Okay. But I’m serious. You’re not fat. Your body is the most beautiful thing in the world. Especially when you’re naked.” He winked.
“Pervert. You’ve put on some nice muscle.”
He flexed his arm. “Bulkin’ up for my favorit
e girl.”
Mellenda shook her head at him. She reached across the table and twined her fingers through his. “Your surprise doesn’t have anything to do with working out does it? I’m still sore from the last time.”
“Oh, we’re gonna be doing some working out later or at least I hope so, but it’ll be in a horizontal position.”
“Jude.”
He laughed. “No working out. I have plans for the first part of the day and then we’ll head back to my house and eat dinner with my parents. My mom found a recipe for chicken that she hopes you’ll like. My dad was kinda bitching at her, because he didn’t think that it sounded good, but she gave him a dirty look and reminded him that it’s not his birthday.”
The waitress returned with their food. They thanked her. When she had walked away again Mellenda said “She didn’t need to go to so much trouble for me.”
“My parents liked Tory. They kinda tolerated Molli, because they had heard that she was sleeping with Eduardo. You, they love. They see how happy you make me. My mom almost cried when she helped me pick out that necklace. She gave me shit about helping me pick out an engagement ring for you someday.”
Mellenda’s face got hot. “Do you really think of me like that?”
“I almost pissed my pants the first time you said you wanted to hang out with me. I thought I had to be living out any man’s fantasy when you wanted to fool around. When you asked me out, I was sure that I had died and went to heaven. Mellenda, I can’t tell you how much you mean to me.”
Mellenda smiled, though she felt tears sting her eyes again. “Thank you. You mean a lot to me too.”
Jude squeezed her hand briefly. They were silent as they ate. When they had finished, Jude signaled the waitress for the check. He left a tip and then paid at the register.
When they were outside, he said “You’re gonna have to let me drive now. I don’t want to spoil the surprise by giving you directions to where we’re going.”
Mellenda gave him a pout. “It’s my birthday and you won’t even let me drive.”
Misty Reigenborn Romance Boxed Set Page 179
