Authors: Bethany Bazile
Kylie
We all gather in the lobby of a cozy Italian restaurant with an
old-world feel and a mouth-watering aroma lingering in the air. The deep V cut in my black dress allows Jude to rest his hand on my bare back. His thumb lightly caresses the small of my back, keeping me teetering on the edge of arousal.
The dinner is casual with a small group of the bride
’s and groom’s family. Jude doesn’t do casual like most of us. Once I got a glimpse of him in his dark blue jeans with a buttoned-up black shirt overlaid by a vest, silver tie, and the hottest leather jacket, I was glad I opted for my sexy little black dress. Jude’s idea of casual always makes me want to pull out my camera and publish him in a magazine, but then I would have to share him. He has a penchant for dark clothing, and that sexy stubble that always graces his face drives me insane.
Emma
is like a whole new person around her fiancé. She still pretty much ignores me, but I can see a glimpse of the little sister Jude adores. She’s laughing and glowing with happiness.
“You look lovely, Kylie,”
Teresa says, smiling at the possessive manner in which Jude is holding me.
“Thank you.”
“The next time I come into the city, we must do lunch.”
Jude shakes his head at her with a smirk on his face.
“What?” she says to him. “Why are you smiling at me?”
“It’s too
soon to be trying to arrange another wedding, Mom.”
“That’s
not what I was trying to do.” She gives him a horrified look.
“Mom…” He cocks his head and gives her a questioning glare.
She breaks out into a big smile and rolls her eyes. “Okay, but I wasn’t going to talk about weddings. Maybe I’d give her a few tips on getting you to give her the ring first.”
“She doesn’t need it, Mom. She’s doing fine on her own.” He kisses my forehead and wraps an arm around my shoulders.
“Fine, but I would like some grandkids before you run out of stamina. That hotel is taking everything out of you.”
“Do
n’t worry. I have plenty of stamina left.” That is without a doubt. He has the kind of stamina to ride me to the early hours of the morning.
“I still want t
o do lunch sometime.”
“I’d love that,
Teresa,” I say.
She looks to my left
, and her smile slips from her face, replaced with an expression of shock.
“Oh. My. God,
” she says in a hushed tone. “You came.”
Jude and I spin around j
ust as she throws herself into a tall man’s arm. He tucks his head into her shoulder, and she’s clinging to him.
“I’m so glad you came,
” Teresa says as she pulls away from him. “It’s been so long.”
“Two
years,” he responds.
“Well
, it’s time we fix this family, and a wedding is just the place to do it.”
He nods at her then looks up. His eyes lock
with mine, and he smiles. Chills run up my spine as his creepy smile widens.
“Oh
, I’m being so rude.” Teresa pulls him toward Jude and me. I stand there with a smile planted on my face as if my heart isn’t beating out of my chest.
“Kylie, this is my other son
, Mason. Kylie is your brother’s new girlfriend.”
“Ah…
we’re just friends,” I blurt out. Jude’s grip tightens on my shoulder, and he pulls me farther into his body as Mason holds out his hand to me. I accept his hand but quickly release it.
I knew Mason was Jude’s brother, but
Mason gave me the impression he was totally estranged from Jude and the rest of his family. His appearance here tonight has shifted things in a very bad way. One bad move and Jude will discover what I’ve been keeping from him, and Mason will realize I have real feelings for Jude. The glares he’s giving his brother are murderous, and if he found out I have anything to do with Mason, we’re done.
“Oh my God, Mason!
” Emma jumps into his arm, giving Jude a chance to slip away. Jude walks toward the doors, and I have a feeling he’s going to try to make a quick escape. I pull on his arm just as he reaches for the door. The anger simmering in his eyes is intense.
“Where are you going?”
“I can’t stay here, not with him here. Come with me.”
“You can’t leave
. Your sister is getting married tomorrow. You can’t just walk away.”
“They know how I feel about Mason. They’ll understand.” He turns and pushes out the glass door.
“Don’t go.” I pull on the cuff of his shirt, and he pauses. “You can do this. Don’t let him win. We can do this together.” I sound braver than I really am. Mason’s the one person I fear the most in this world, but I can’t let Jude do something he’ll regret. Emma is so important to him, and I know he needs to be here for her.
He cups my face and lays his head against my forehead, taking a deep breath that caresses my face. “Fine, but you owe me big
time tonight.” He smiles against my lips, and then kisses me softly.
“Whatever you
need, baby.” I don’t know when our relationship shifted, but I love being able to express how I feel about him through these little, sweet moments. The words are stuck in my throat, but I’m sure he can feel what I feel when we’re together. I pull him back into the restaurant and hope Mason won’t be able to detect how deeply I’ve grown to love his brother.
After everyone settles into their seats at the table, an awkward tension begins to rise. Mason is sitting across from Jude and
me, staring at us pensively. His expression is blank, but I’m pretty sure I can hear his thoughts. He’s thinking Jude and I are more than I claimed, and he’s thinking I’m going to try to betray him again.
What he
needs from Jude’s safe is important to him. He won’t make a move to reveal our connection. I’m counting on how badly he needs that file to keep him from outing me and ruining any chance I have with Jude.
Teresa
and Emma keep Mason involved in light conversation as each course is served. Everyone’s doing a great job of ignoring the huge elephant in the room. The animosity between these two men is more than sibling rivalry. It’s dangerous, and it feels like everyone is bracing for an eruption. Jude keeps his focus on whatever’s on his plate, but I notice his jaw clench or twitch every time Mason comments on missing the family.
“So how long have you been dating my brother?” Silence
falls over the table as Mason’s gaze lands on me. Jude drops his fork and glares at Mason.
“A little over a month,” I answer hoping Mason will go back to pretending I’m invisible after he gets his answer.
“You two must be getting serious. You’ve already met the family.” He smirks, ignoring Jude’s angry glares. I shrug and pretend to be distracted with my dessert.
“How’d you two meet?”
My eyes are practically pleading him to stop. Before I can open my mouth to answer, Jude jumps up and tosses his napkin on the table.
“What’s with the inquisition?” His fists are planted on the tabletop, his body leaning toward Mason, ready to pounce. “We agreed you’d stay out of my life
, and I would—” He stops and looks around the table. Whatever they agreed, to his family has no idea and he doesn’t want them to.
Mason leans back in his chair. “This is my family too.”
Jude grabs my hand, pulling me out of my seat. He kisses his mother and Emma as he passes them. He whispers what I think is an apology in Emma’s ear before we walk out of the restaurant.
Time is running out. Mason doesn’t like anyone having power over him. Whatever’s in that file caused Mason to stay away from his family all this time. Mason usually manipulates people with the things he knows about them, but Jude has flipped the tables on him. Mason wants the upper hand back
, and I’m his only key to getting it.
********
Jude was uncomfortably quiet and tense the rest of the night. He gazed up at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts for hours. I tried to get him to talk about it, maybe give me a better grasp into what’s going on between him and Mason, but he brushed me off.
Now a
s we walk into the hall housing Emma’s reception, I hope I don’t look as exhausted as I feel. Mason's surprise appearance last night at Emma’s rehearsal dinner was stressful on everyone.
I’ve never been to a wedding
, so I didn’t expect to be amazed by it all. Teresa Baxter created some kind of magical oasis for this reception. The tables and chairs are covered in a fantastic white fabric. The tables glow with soft candlelight, and tall vases billow with white roses. What really makes the place feel ethereal is the black ceilings with thousands of sparkly lights hanging from it. They’re like stars in a clear country night.
I didn’t think rooms could be romantic
, but the decor is definitely flirting with my softer side. I follow Jude to our table, glad when I notice Mason sitting two tables away.
Mason kept his distance at the wedding, completely
ignoring our presence, and I’m hoping he continues. I can’t keep track of everyone Jude introduces me to, and I get tired of correcting them when they call me his girlfriend. Besides, Jude’s mood has been getting worse every time I deny being his girlfriend.
The dinner is delicious
, and Jude’s tension eases as the party winds down. Mason has forgotten we exist, or is pretending to. The music slows, and Jude pulls me to the center of the floor. We flow to the music, forgetting about the other couples. My head rests on his chest, his heart thudding rapidly in my ear. He slips his fingers down to cup my butt. I look up at his bold move, and he just smiles and shrugs. The mischievous glint that was missing in his eyes last night is back. A familiar moment of passion passes between us, sparking arousal. He leans in; I lean in closer. Our breaths mingle, our eyelids lower, and his firm lips brush lightly against mine, gliding his finger over my neck. It’s a perfect moment. If described in words, it would be poetic lust. Our eyes lock, he licks my lower lip, and a shadow falls over us.
“May I cut in?”
Kendra, go away!
The little voice in my head screams at her, but she remains there.
Would it be wrong for me to tell her to fuck off
? I want the magic back. I want to feel the swirl of emotional and physical sensations Jude and I were sharing moments ago, but it’s too late. Jude kisses my cheek, and I grudgingly let Kendra cut into our moment.
She
’s smiling and whispering into his ear before I even make it across the room to my table. I hate how great they look together. I get why Emma would want them to be a couple. I bite back my resentment and turn toward the restroom. There’s no need to let jealousy eat me up by watching Kendra dazzle my man.
Mason watches me as I cross the room
, so I walk faster. Everything is going to crumble. That moment I shared with Jude is all I want, but there’s no way out now. My heart is pounding as I stand in front of the restroom mirror. I need to step back and let him be happy. Find someone like Kendra, someone who’s uncomplicated. Someone who isn’t lying to him.
A toilet flushes behind me.
Emma steps up to the mirror next to mine, and I take a deep breath to calm my nerves.
She stares at me
, and then turns back to her reflection. At least she didn’t make me feel any shittier than I already do. I rush to the door and almost make my escape before she speaks up. “He really is different with you.”
What?
Her soft tone surprises me enough to make me face her. Her eyes are serious; lips form a tight line. I think it almost killed her to say that.
“I want him to be happy…
You make him happy.”
I think I see the corner of her lip rise
, but she turns around so fast, I can’t be sure.
Mason is waiting for me on the other
side of the door. I attempt to ignore him, but he just walks down the hall with me.
“That was quite a romantic moment on the dance floor.”
Yeah, it was. So much so, I forgot Mason was in the room to witness it. Jude is off the dance floor, but he and Kendra are having a conversation near our table.
“We need to talk,”
Mason says.
I stop walking because he’s just going to follow me to my table. “Not now.”
Jude notices us, immediately cuts his conversation with Kendra, and makes his way over. I dart away from Mason and meet Jude in the middle of the room. He wraps an arm around me and walks me back to our table, looking over his shoulder at Mason.
“I need you to stay away from him.” His voice is cold and
direct. I nod my head and take my seat. The topic of Mason is not something I want to have a conversation about with Jude. So I quickly agree to put it to rest.
Kylie