“Now that I'm a free man, I no longer feel guilty though,” he said, his voice rolling over me like velvet. “And believe me when I say this, you can stay here for as long as you like.”
I sighed contently, inhaling the scent of him. His cologne was sexy enough but combined with the scent of his body and our sex, it was utterly intoxicating. I still couldn't believe this was happening to me.
“And trust me when I say I am willing to help you in any way I can,” I said.
I shot him a salacious grin as I pressed my lips to his.
“Oh trust me, I have a few ideas about how you could help out,” he growled.
“I'm sure you do,” I said, giggling as he kissed me again.
I forgot everything that was going on with my mom, and how technically speaking, I was homeless. Jude's strong arms held me close to him, my head now resting on his chest. I closed my eyes and listened to his heart beating in his chest, and before I knew it, I had dozed off.
Apparently, so did he.
***
I'm not sure how much time had passed, but we were awoken by the sound of someone knocking on the door. I sat up, suddenly feeling incredibly exposed in Jude's living room. He joined me, checking the time on his phone and cursing under his breath.
“Sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep,” he said, his voice still thick with sleep.
His hair was mussed up a bit, and he looked so incredibly cute. Almost boyishly handsome with his messy hair and crooked grin. He kissed me again, as the knocking started again. “We probably should get dressed,” I said.
“Probably,” he grumbled. “Though Dom would probably appreciate seeing you naked. Me? Not so much.”
“Dom? As in your best man, Dominic?” I asked.
Jude nodded, pulling his pants up. “The one and only.”
I grabbed my clothes and hurried up the steps just as Jude answered the door. His shirt was still lying on the floor next to the couch, he hadn't even bothered to pick it up. I took another glance at his chiseled, perfect abs and had to grab the hand
railing to keep myself from falling.
“Come back down when you get dressed,” he yelled up at me.
I heard Dominic's voice ask, “Who are you talking to?”
“Ember,” Jude said casually.
I stood at the top of the stairs, meaning to go in and get dressed, but found myself eavesdropping instead. How casually he'd referred to me and what had just happened between us surprised me. It made me smile, knowing that he wasn't going to keep it a secret. I didn't know why, but I liked that.
“Ember?” I heard Dominic's voice. “As in your ex-stepdaughter?”
“That's the one,” Jude said.
I heard footsteps as the two men walked into the living room and their voices became muffled. A moment later, I couldn't hear their voices at all anymore. I was grinning from ear-to-ear though, like a damned fool, as I hurried and put my clothes back on. I checked my hair and makeup. Makeup was beyond repair, so I used the soap in the bathroom to wash it all off. Going bare-faced beat streaky mascara and smeared lipstick any day. My hair was a mess too, and without a brush, I was limited. I raked my fingers through the waves and pulled it back into a messy, high ponytail. With a smile on my face, I walked downstairs. Dominic, the tall, dark best man from my mother's wedding, looked up as I stepped into the room, an amused grin on his face.
Jude turned around as I entered, smiling wide. He'd slipped his shirt back on. Damn.
“Ember, you remember my best friend, Dominic,” he said. “Dom, this is Ember.”
“Yeah, we briefly met at her mom's wedding,” Dominic said, cocking an eyebrow at Jude as he shook my hand. “Considering the circumstances, I'm a little surprised to see you again.”
“It's a long story,” I sighed.
“Well, I'm certainly up to hearing it sometime,” Dominic said, his gaze flitting over to Jude.
“Another time,” Jude said.