Hey Jude (Lennox Valley Chronicles #1)

He pops his head around the corner, his eyebrows raised.

“It says here it might take multiple wash cycles to get rid of all the bear spray residue.” I’m lying in his bed, naked under the warm blankets. My hair is still damp from the shower.

“So, no clothes for a few hours? I don’t hear any bad news,” he deadpans, arching an eyebrow at me.

I grin back at him, scrunching my nose. “Scoundrel.”

He chuckles, looking satisfied.

“I guess you’ll have to keep me for a while longer,” I say with a coy smile.

Jude walks slowly into the room, shirtless, and crawls over me on the bed, taking care not to bump my injured shin. I drop my phone beside me and shift my leg out of the way with a small wince. I slide my hands over his shoulders.

“Oh, no,” he says, kissing my neck softly, “what will we do to pass the time?”

A slow grin spreads over my face and I bite my lip as his mouth brushes under my ear, my eyes closing at the warmth of his lips. I gently drag my fingernails over his back.

“Gosh, I can’t think of anything,” I say, playing along innocently. He smells so good. I missed him.

A yawn takes me by surprise and I try unsuccessfully to stifle it. The adrenaline crash after the ordeal with Sean must be finally catching up to me.

Hearing my exhaustion, Jude lies down beside me, sliding under the blankets.

I turn onto my side to face him, tucking my hands between my cheek and the pillow.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” he asks gently.

“Not now,” I say, dropping my gaze away from his. “I don’t think it’s really hit me yet.” I meet his eyes again.

He nods, his thumb brushing the curve of my waist. “What do you need right now?”

“I think just to be here… with you.” I pause as he smiles softly. “To have this little slice of normalcy to distract me—just for tonight, at least.”

“Distraction.” He grins. “I think I can manage that.”

“Plus—” I raise an eyebrow at him. “I could get used to watching you do my laundry.”

His eyebrows quirk up in amusement. “Is that like a domestic porn thing or something? Have we discovered your secret fetish?” He gives me a crooked smile.

I grin and bite my lip. “If it features you? One hundred percent yes.”

“Well, alright, but you might have a tough time convincing me to let you have your clothes back,” he says, his deep voice rumbling as his fingers graze lower on my bare stomach.

I suck in a quick breath and lean closer to kiss him.

“And hey,” he says, reaching up to trace my jawline with a finger, “I know you don’t want me to play bodyguard or swoop in to save you—you can clearly fight your own monsters.” He raises his eyebrows pointedly. “But maybe we can both take care of you.”

I smile at him, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. “Yeah? Is that ‘cause you looooove me?” I grin a huge, cheesy grin.

“Damn right. C’mere.” He kisses me. “But seriously. Just because you can handle hard things all on your own doesn’t mean you have to,” he adds. “My brother pointed out to me earlier…” He pauses, frowning. “Oh, God, was that just today?” He shakes his head in disbelief. “Feels like a lifetime ago.”

I make a soft sound of agreement. So much has happened in the last few hours.

“Anyway, Miles was saying it’s kind of my thing to take care of people.” He cups my face with his hand, rubbing his thumb over my cheek. “So, how about this: I won’t jump in to save you, and you won’t pretend to be fine when you’re not.” He raises an eyebrow. “Deal?”

“Well, I suppose you could be my faithful sidekick.” I smile softly.

“Ooh, sidekick? How generous,” he says, chuckling.