by R. C. Martin
“You have so much ice cream! How does a guy like you have so much ice cream?”
“A guy like me?” he asked, gently extracting his fingers from my grasp. Turning toward the fridge, he queried, “What kind of guy is that?”
I watched as he opened his freezer and pulled out two pints of ice cream. He then reached into his silverware drawer and extracted a couple spoons. When he turned to face me again, he held up each pint. One espresso. One cookies and cream. I pointed at the espresso, and he offered it to me. We both removed the lids and dug in as he leaned against the counter beside me.
“I’m waiting,” he coaxed.
I glanced at the pint in his hands, then made a show of dragging my gaze down the length of his body and back up again. A tired, amused expression was written all over his face. I fought a smile as I said, “You just don’t look like someone who has an ice cream obsession.”
“It’s a weakness. Don’t tell anyone.”
I giggled around my spoon. With ice cream melting on my tongue, I promised, “Your secret is safe with me.”
Judah only ate about four big bites before he put the lid back on and went to discard his spoon in the sink. As he returned the pint to the freezer, I allowed myself one more scoop before I covered mine, as well.
“Don’t stop on my account,” he said as he stood in front of me. He propped the heels of his hands on the lip of the counter on either side of my legs as he explained, “I can afford to indulge in my weakness only if I practice moderation. If I don’t stop now, I’ll eat the whole damn thing. You go ahead. Eat as much as you want.”
“It’s okay. I should stop,” I said, handing it to him. “I’ll never get back to sleep if I eat any more.”
Satisfied with my answer, he took the ice cream and put it back in its place. After he deposited my spoon in the sink, he offered me his hand. I took it and slipped from the counter before I followed him out of the kitchen. He cut out all the lights, and we returned to his room in silence.
We slipped between the sheets, each of us occupying opposite sides of the bed. As physical as I knew Judah was, I learned earlier in the night that he wasn’t one for cuddling. Except, in that moment, I wanted him closer. I wanted him wrapped around me, like he had been when I was too scared to accept his protective hold.
“Judah?” I whispered.
“Hmm?”
I hesitated, a little nervous he might reject me. Then I remembered I was in his bed because he invited me there.
“Will you hold me?”
It was too dark for me to see him, but I could feel his eyes on me as my question was met with silence. After a moment, I found myself holding my breath, and then the bed shifted.
“Turn over,” he instructed, his hand on my side.
I did as I was told, and he spooned me. He was warm, and the weight of his arm draped around me felt good. I felt safe. And as risky as it might have been, I allowed myself to slip into sleep with the feeling that I was his.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Judah was up early on Tuesday morning. Rather than descending into his basement for a workout, he made himself a cup of coffee and settled himself behind his desk. As he drank, he went over the presentation Logan sent him the previous day. Later that morning, they were scheduled for an initial test fit and idea session with a law firm who had recently purchased a new office space in the town of Windsor. Rick, who would oversee the blueprint of the three-floor project, would also be in attendance, along with the contractors hired for the project. Yet, as important as the meeting was, Judah felt distracted.
He forced himself to focus only until his mug was empty, and then he abandoned his work for the shower. As soon as he passed through the doorway of his bedroom, he paused and glanced at his unmade bed. It had been two nights since Teddy slept over. Two nights since she asked him to hold her. Two nights since he experienced a fear so palpable, it almost frightened him.
Since the day he met her, he had seen the flicker of a flame inside of her. More than anything, he was drawn to it—enticed by it—tempted by the possibility of stoking it into a wild inferno; but what he wasn’t aware of was the strength she possessed. She’d thrashed in his arms with an intensity he didn’t know she had in her.
Judah was haunted by his own curiosity. He wanted to know what she was afraid of. He wanted to know the nature of her nightmares—the aftereffects so intense, it could cause such a reaction even after she was fully awake. The fact that she wouldn’t tell him only fed his desire to know. That night brought more meaning to her tattoo than she would have ever been able express with mere words.
He shook away all thoughts of Teddy and willed himself to find his focus. After he was showered and dressed, he didn’t bother with his morning periodical before he headed into the office. Again, he pulled up the presentation Logan sent over and attempted to retain what was in front of him. He took a few notes, then went over them with her an hour later. Not long after, the client and the contractor arrived. They got settled in the large conference room, and the meeting commenced.
It lasted for more than an hour. When it was over, Logan and Judah escorted everyone to the door. The smile Logan wore as they returned to the conference room to gather their things was warranted.
“That went really well. I think I can start working on the necessary pieces for our vision session while Rick reworks the floorplan.”
“Yes. They want to move quickly.” Judah was interrupted by a text alert on his phone. As he reached for his device, he continued, “Show me what you’ve got by week’s end.”
“Okay, I will.”
When Judah saw who it was that texted him, he didn’t hesitate to open the message. For a moment, present company was forgotten.
TF: Look what I bought today…
The subsequent message was sent while he still held the phone in his hand. It was a picture of Teddy. In it, she was holding a paperback copy of Fight Club. She held it in front of her face, so all he could see of her were her bright eyes. Even with her mouth covered, he could tell she was smiling. There was a glint in her bright brown irises he interpreted as something between mischievousness and whatever it was she possessed that made her uniquely demure.
“What is happening right now?” asked Logan, her voice yanking Judah’s attention away from his device. “Who is that?”
Confused as to why she would ask such a thing, Judah frowned and countered, “What are you talking about?”
“That face,” she practically gasped. “Who just sent you a text?”
Narrowing his eyes, he blacked out his screen and asked, “What face?”
She laughed and folded her arms across her chest, her laptop and notepad abandoned on the table. “Don’t play innocent with me. It was a woman. No man makes a face like that unless he’s talking to a woman.”
“What face?” he wanted to know.
“You like her. Who is she? Oh, my god—this is amazing.” She spoke quickly and took a step toward him, shortening the distance between them. “I’ve never seen you smile like that before.”
He tucked his freehand into his pants pocket and spun his phone between his fingers with his other. A part of him knew he should walk away from the conversation Logan wanted to have. He knew her. At least, he knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t drop the subject until she was satisfied with the information she could gather. Only, he had no intention of confirming whatever she thought she knew. He wasn’t convinced he made any sort of expression to warrant her questioning.
Before he could think of a reply, his phone sounded with yet another alert. Logan was quick to take hold of his wrist and peek at the name of the sender. Judah jerked his hand away, but it wasn’t quick enough.
“Teddy,” she hummed contemplatively. “Who is—wait, Teddy? From Mountain Time Art?”
Judah said nothing in reply. Rather, he picked up his notebook and pen before he turned to exit the room. Logan wasn’t deterred. She scooped up her belongings and trailed after hi
m as she kept talking.
“We went there, like, over a month ago. Almost—almost two months. The Dixon project is now fully underway. Are you seeing her? I thought you offended her.”
“I don’t see how this is any of your concern,” he muttered as he entered his office.
“Oh, come on. We’re friends,” she insisted.
“You keep telling me that.”
“Yes. And friends tell each other when they fall for someone new.”
He set aside his things and arched an eyebrow at her. Sliding out of his jacket, he replied, “I’m not falling for anyone.”
Logan grinned. “Tell that to your face.”
“I’m not arguing with you about this,” he stated, hanging his jacket on the back of his chair.
“Fine,” she sighed. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not right and you’re not wrong.”
She turned on her heel and left him. While he should have felt relieved, he watched her go as he sank down into his chair. Her statements haunted him almost as much as the curiosity he battled in regard to Teddy. Truth was, the woman occupied his thoughts more than he was willing to admit. Yet, instead of shoving her from his mind in that moment, he reached for his phone with one thought.
I need to make a stop at the bookstore before I head home. I have a novel to read, and a woman to touch.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“I want to meet him,” demanded Geoffrey.
He reached over my shoulder and plucked the book from my hands. I was quick to spin around in my chair. Extending my arms in a half-hearted attempt to retrieve my stolen possession, I cried, “Don’t make me lose my page.”
He rolled his eyes, glanced at the book and muttered, “One-eight-four. Now, back to me. I want to meet him.”
“Judah?”
“Obviously.”
“Technically, you have.”
I knew before I said it he wouldn’t appreciate my reply. When he tucked my book beneath one arm, then folded his arms across his chest, I had to fight a smile.
“I didn’t meet him. And even if I had, that would have been before he became your boyfriend.”
Sitting up straighter at his use of the term, I stammered, “He’s not—he’s not my boyfriend.”
I said the words knowing they were true. Yet, true as they might have been, it would have been a lie for me to say I hadn’t thought about him, that title, and what it was I wanted. The more time we spent with one another, the less afraid I was of Judah and who he was. The thought of committing myself to him in that way seemed not so undesirable.
“Please. You’ve been doing this song and dance for nearly two months.”
“Well, I’ve known him that long, but—”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Geoffrey interrupted with a shake of his head. “What I want is to meet him. Tonight.”
“Tonight?” I frowned. “Babe, that’s kind of short notice.”
“It’s Thursday. It might as well be the weekend. What is he going to be doing, reading?”
I fought another smile as I remembered the picture Judah sent me on Tuesday evening. Him. In his bed. A copy of Pride and Prejudice on his bare chest. He cut his face out of the frame, but I still appreciated the sentiment.
With a shake of my head, I tried to discard all thoughts of what would happen when he was finished with the book. I hadn’t told Geoffrey about our bet, and I didn’t want a blush to creep into my face and give me away.
“Call him,” insisted Geoffrey before I could think of a response. “Invite him out.”
“Now?”
“Freckles, I want to meet him.”
The expression on his face was a clear indicator of his level of impatience. In all honesty, I wasn’t entirely opposed to his idea. I hadn’t seen Judah in a few days. It was apparent he was having a busy week, as we hadn’t gotten around to making any plans of seeing each other. I wasn’t too proud to admit I missed him. Except, I wasn’t convinced he would say yes to a spontaneous night out with me and my Viking.
“Fine,” Geoffrey said as he turned on his heel and started to walk away.
When I realized he still had my book, I called out, “Wait! Okay. Stop. I’ll call him.”
“Call who?” Andrew inquired, appearing from I didn’t know where with a small stack of papers in his hand.
“Her boyfriend. I want to meet him. Officially.”
“For the record,” I began as I turned to pick up my phone. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
Ignoring my statement, Andrew said, “If Geoff gets to meet him, I want in.”
“Free tonight? I was thinking The Tap Room.”
I spun around, Judah’s contact information ready on my phone, but my hesitation now more prominent than it was before. “The Tap Room? Are you serious? Don’t you remember what happened the last time all three of us ended up there?” I asked Geoffrey. Then, pointing a finger at Andrew, I added, “Andy, you can’t come unless you bring Carrie. I will not let the two of you gang up on him.”
“Deal.” He handed me the papers in his hand and then turned to walk away. “I’ll call Carrie and see if she can set up a babysitter for tonight.”
I hadn’t expected him to hop on the idea so quickly. Suddenly, the prospect of all of us together felt like a big deal. I narrowed my eyes at Geoffrey, as he was the one to blame, and then dialed Judah.
“Hello?” he answered on the third ring.
“Hi, Judah. It’s—Teddy.” I frowned at myself, not entirely sure why I said that.
I wasn’t in the habit of calling the man. In fact, I had only done it twice—but he had my number just as I had his.
“Yes, I know,” he replied, sounding somewhat amused.
“Right. Well, listen, I was wondering if you might be free tonight? I’m going out for some drinks with a couple friends.” As I spoke, my eyes found Geoffrey’s baby blue ones. “We’re going to The Tap Room. Anyway, I was wondering if you might like to come?”
“Would you like me to come?”
It was a simple question. All the same, as soon as he asked it, I felt like the conversation we were having was no longer one I wished to have while staring into another man’s eyes.
Casting my gaze down at my feet, I murmured, “Yes.”
“What time?”
Smiling, I lifted my gaze to find Geoffrey’s once more and asked, “Eight?”
Geoffrey winked as Judah replied, “Okay. I’ll meet you there.”
“All right. See you then.”
I barely had a chance to pull my phone away from my ear, and Geoffrey was right in front of me, holding out my book. Speaking through a grin, he said, “That’s my girl. Now, I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.”
I wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by that. Before I had a chance to ask, a customer entered the gallery and our conversation was brought to an abrupt end. The remainder of the afternoon wore on, and I busied myself with the tasks Andrew left on my desk. All the while, I became more and more aware that in the length of time I called Andrew and Geoffrey my friends, I had never introduced them to a man I was seeing. For more months than I cared to count, all I ever heard from them were reasons why I should have been dating. Now that I was, I wasn’t sure what to expect from either of them.
It was on my drive home when I wrapped my mind around the possibility that I wasn’t worried about Judah meeting my favorite artsy men. Neither was I afraid of Andrew and Geoffrey meeting the guy I was dating. It was me I was concerned about. Or, rather, the version of myself that was bound to show up at the bar with my friends. Judah had a way of turning me upside down. I hoped I didn’t make a fool of myself.
When I arrived at my apartment, I peered through my fridge and my cabinet for something to eat, but nothing looked good. Upon finding a half-eaten pint of ice cream in the freezer, I took it out, feeling both giddy and reminiscent. I allowed myself only four bites, all the while remembering the way Judah held me in his arms after I woke from my nightmare. It was a bittersw
eet memory, as I hated that I’d had a nightmare at all.
I shoved aside what that could mean as I stowed my ice cream. I then went to my room in order to change my clothes for the evening. It was the end of July, but we were still basking in some of the hottest days of summer. That was why I donned a fitted, black, spaghetti strap top and a pair of holey white jeans. I gathered my hair into a low ponytail, freshened up my makeup, and then tucked my feet into flat sandals. Anxious to be on my way, I left without even double checking the time.
I was the first to arrive, but I was happy to be able to snag a table for our party. Soon after I was seated at a high top, Andrew and Carrie joined me. Andrew offered to buy first round, and it wasn’t long before our group was only down by one.
“He’s late,” muttered Geoffrey before taking a swig of his beer.
I checked my phone, saw it was ten after eight, and rolled my eyes.
“Stop. He’ll be here.”
No sooner had I said the words, than a pair of hands were sliding around my waist. I jumped; but judging by the expressions on my friend’s faces, I didn’t have anything to be afraid of. When Judah squeezed my sides, I couldn’t help but to lean back in search of him. My back met his chest, and then his lips were grazing my ear.
“Hello, Teddy.”
“Hi,” I murmured through a smile.
“You’ll never guess what I heard today.”
I turned, just enough to be able to look up into his gray eyes. “What’s that?”
Smirking, he spoke so only I could hear. “I fear Lydia Bennet has run off with that fool, Mr. Wickham. It’s quite the scandal.”
The giggle that burst through my grin was powered by the excitement that stirred within my belly. That excitement was heightened when Judah responded with a kiss. The hum I breathed at his touch was unstoppable. He didn’t linger long; but neither did I need a long exchange to remind me how I had missed him.
When Geoffrey introduced himself, I realized I was so wrapped up in Judah’s greeting, I forgot we weren’t alone. Andrew and Carrie were quick to offer their names as well, and then Judah excused himself to the bar to grab himself a drink.
