Heroic Measures (Blackbridge Security 6)

I press my palm to his chest when he gets close enough to touch, and I want to weep at the stuttering breath he takes at my admission.

My fingers curl, gripping the front of his shirt, but he doesn’t resist when I tug. In a blink, his body is against mine, head pointed down as he scans my face for understanding.

You could hear a pin drop in the room when I stand on the tips of my toes and press my mouth to his. A gasp rushes through his nose, and like I prayed he’d do, his arms circle my waist, pulling my body flush against his. His tongue slips past my lips, and I’m fucking lost to him. I know with this one kiss that he does value the pieces he stole from me while I wasn’t looking. He does care. His show of apathy was just that, a show.

His huge hand cups my jaw when I pull back licking my lips. His eyes focus there for a long moment, and I can feel his response to me against my belly.

“I’m sorry I’ve been such a bi—”

He kisses me again, one hand still on my face, the other low on my back, dangerously close to my ass.

What started as a way for me to get things off my chest has turned into some form of forgiveness, but it’s quickly going to turn pornographic with an audience if we don’t pump the brakes.

“Jude,” I moan against his mouth. “I—”

He shuts me up with another kiss, refusing to stop even when a throat clears behind him. I know my cheeks have got to be flaming red, but the man is relentless, and I’ve denied him so much in the past, there’s no way I can be the one to pull away right now.

“Grab her pussy!”

My eyes widen, even though my mouth is pressed hard against his. Jude takes mercy on me, pulling his head back and brushing his thumb over my bottom lip.

“I’ve missed you.” He whispers the words back to me.

I blink up at him, the threat of tears soon to become a real issue for me, and that’s where I draw the line. I can kiss this man in front of the world but crying in front of his friends isn’t something I can manage.

“Can we find—”

“My dick is hard!”

I gasp.

“Come to Daddy, baby girl. I’ll show you what a real man can do.” The squawk forces me to look around him, but instead of a bird, all I find are a handful of guys staring at us like they can’t believe their eyes.

“That’s Puff Daddy,” Jude explains, his finger pointing to a grey bird across the room. When my eyes find it, the thing is crouched low and vibrating.

The thing starts making kissing noises, but all the guys in the room seem more entertained watching us than the obscene things the bird is saying.

“Is he—”

“Masturbating? Yes,” Jude confirms. “Let’s go to my office. You guys get back to work.”

Laughter follows us down the hallway.

“Get that disgusting bird out of here,” someone snaps.

“Masturbation is common for many species, asshole,” some other guy hisses before Jude opens the door to a room that looks more like a doctor’s office than a business office.

Chapter 35

Jude

Parker’s lips are back on mine the second the door closes, and fuck me if I’m strong enough to take a step back and evaluate the situation. I give as good as I’m getting from her, my hands having a mind of their own. I want to cling to her, touch her everywhere. I want to live in this moment even though I know it can’t last.

She showed up pissed. It was clear in her eyes when she walked into the room, but something happened. Something changed to make her change her mind. I’m not saying I’m upset even though I’m going to have a lot of explaining to do when she leaves.

“Stop,” I manage when her hands start fumbling for the zipper of my jeans.

“Last night, I was scared,” she whispers.

I cup her cheek and make her look up into my eyes. “I know. What happened with Lewis was—”

“That was terrifying,” she interrupts. “But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’ve been scared to tell you how I feel. I’m scared of what I feel, honestly, and each time I garnered the courage you wouldn’t answer the door.”

“Parker—”

“No, please let me get this out while I can. You make me feel things I’ve never felt before, things I never wanted to feel, and I can admit that it makes me want to run. Even standing here with you this close with the taste of your mouth on mine, I want to run. I never wanted to fall—I never wanted to feel this way about anyone. Feelings get people hurt. Feelings are complicated and painful, and until recently, I thought they were just stupid.” She chuckles, a self-deprecating sound I hate coming from her pretty mouth. “My mother was obsessed with a man who didn’t care for her, who only used her. She was a slave to those emotions, and I never wanted anything to do with them. They ruined her. I didn’t want to be ruined, Jude.”