Hey Jude (Lennox Valley Chronicles #1)

“Nothing.” He looks away.

“No, tell me,” I challenge him, stopping what I’m doing.

“Just remembering the first time I saw you soaked in the rain,” he answers quietly, smiling to himself.

The memory of that day crashes over me and I wrinkle my nose. “I acted like a jackass.”

“Yeah, you did,” he deadpans.

“Hey!” I laugh. Dipping my fingers in the mud beside me, I flick them at him, spattering his face.

He flinches, his eyes wide. “Oh, it’s like that?” Challenge gleams in his eyes. He flicks muddy fingers back at me, and a small splat hits my cheek.

I recoil, blinking. “Oh, yuck!” I exclaim, my mouth agape as I wipe my face with my wrist. “How dare you!” Narrowing my eyes, I pull off my gloves. Holding Jude’s stare, I reach back into the mud, covering one of my fingers in muck. I stand.

Eyeing me carefully, he gets to his feet, slowly removing his own gloves.

I walk over to him, a grin spreading across my lips, and reach up. Without breaking eye contact, I bite my lip as I draw a line of mud slowly down the ridge of his nose. He watches me, frozen in place under my touch, his breath mingling with my own as the rain pelts us. Several breathless seconds hang heavy and an intense energy thrums in the air between us. The energy of anticipation—of recklessness.

We break into a run at the same moment. I cackle and screech, giddy with exhaustion as he sprints after me. I push my tired limbs to their limits with only adrenaline for fuel. I run as fast as I can, leaping over equipment and piles of dirt, laughing wildly. Our steps splash through the saturated grass, Jude’s close behind mine.

Suddenly, his hand grips my arm and I’m spun around to a stop as his chest slams into mine, almost knocking us both down. My breasts heave against his chest, both of us breathing hard and fast from the chase.

Jude watches my expression as he reaches his hand up to my face, brushing wet hair out of my eyes. Then he slowly wipes a muddy finger down the middle of my cheek and traces my jawline, a half-smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

My eyes close at the intimacy of his touch and at the heat radiating from his body pressed against mine. A warm, tingling sensation pulls low in my belly, my senses tuned to the places he’s touching me.

Opening my eyes, I search his expression.

His gaze is dark and flaring with intensity. The pull between us feels electric. He runs his hand down my arm as his gaze drops to my lips. I’m shivering from the rain and from sheer exhaustion. A drop of water from his hair drips onto my cheek and I lift my face, giving in to this—giving in to him. My eyes flutter shut when I feel his breath against my mouth.

Murphy’s sharp bark jars us and my eyes snap open. Jude’s wide eyes match my own, and for a moment, we’re frozen. More barking. His grip on my arm releases and he breaks eye contact, looking over at his truck, where Murphy has been sheltering from the rain on the passenger seat.

I follow his gaze. Headlights from another vehicle emerge from the trees at the end of the driveway, and he steps away from me, my body suddenly chilled by the cold air filling the space between us. I slowly rub my arms, watching in stunned silence as Jude glances at me one last time before walking over to the driveway, rubbing his hands down his face.

Oh my God. What just happened? Or… almost happened? I put my hands to my chest, trying to steady myself.

“Teddy! I thought you went home!” Jude calls out, sounding surprisingly normal.

I turn and watch them.

Teddy turns off his truck and steps out to talk to him.

I can’t hear their conversation. I realize I’m still standing in a daze where Jude left me. I don’t know what to do with myself. Exhausted, I walk back to the gravel path where we’d been working. I pick up my sodden hoodie and look around in bewilderment.

I hear Teddy’s truck engine again, and Jude walks back over, rubbing his arms.

“Hey,” he says quietly. “Teddy just forgot his phone.” His eyes linger on mine.

I nod, unsure of what to say.

“We should probably pack up; it’s getting cold.” He looks at me cautiously and rubs the back of his neck.

I sense something like regret in his eyes and my heart sinks. He doesn’t want this. He doesn’t want me.

I push down the sting of rejection, my cheeks burning. “Yeah, I need…” I gather up my water bottle and gloves, trying not to look at him. “I need to go. Yeah. And this…” I force myself to meet his eyes, gesturing to the path.

“This can wait,” he says quickly.