Mr. Judge: A Man Who Knows What He Wants

“Neither have I.”

I reach down, take my shoes off, and then remove my socks. My pants are going to have to stay for now.

Normally I’d strip down to my underwear in a heavy rain and go and get changed, but it’s hardly an appropriate thing for an employer to do.

“What’s wrong, boy?” I say, walking over. “You don’t want Piper to go?”

He pads over to me as I kneel, rubbing his head against my hand, whining softly.

“He really hates the thunder, eh?”

“It must be too loud for him. Their hearing is so much stronger than ours.”

I stand, aware of how close I am to Piper now, my bare chest mere inches from her face. She looks up at me and it takes everything I have not to kiss her.

The only thing holding me back is Bones.

If I kiss her and she doesn’t reciprocate, it means risking her storming out and leaving Bones behind. I can’t stand the thought of that. It’s clear how much he cares about her.

“We’re in a bind here,” I murmur.

“How so?” she asks.

“There’s no way I’m letting you walk to the bus stop in this weather. That means giving you a ride home, but something tells me Bones won’t want to be left with the thunder. One day, he’ll get used to it. He’ll learn not to be afraid. But it’s still early and I don’t want to push him. And if we take him in the car…”

“He’ll be terrified by the sound of the rain on the roof.”

“Exactly. I don’t want to scare him.”

“I agree,” she says, her tone soft, as her gaze moves from my face to my chest.

I wonder what she’s thinking. If she wants me to step away or closer. My instincts say closer, that she wants to feel my arms wrapped around her.

But Bones is standing right there, looking up at us, reminding me of what’s at stake.

Taking a step back, I sigh.

I was going to ask her to stay. But I know I won’t be able to restrain myself if she spends the night here, just down the hall, with this need deep in my vein and that curvy body right there.

Precome leaks out of my enflamed dick just thinking about it.

“I’ll call you a cab,” I tell her. “No charge. Sound good?”

She drops her gaze. It’s like she’s disappointed.

But I could be projecting, wishing her reaction into existence. I don’t know her, not really, even if I feel like I do. Even if I feel like we were made for each other, we’re destined to be together – all that silly stuff – it doesn’t mean she feels the same.

“Sounds good,” she says.

After changing, I walk downstairs and call a cab company. “I’m sorry, sir. We can’t drive in this weather. A city-wide warning has been announced. It’s going to get worse overnight.”

I almost laugh, a smirk touching my lips. It’s like something is trying to keep her here with me.

Something is trying to make me cross the line, claim her, risk what we’re building.

“When is it supposed to stop?”

“In the early hours tomorrow morning.”

“Of course,” I say.

“Excuse me, sir?”

I said of course because something is intent on keeping me with Piper. The universe knows how hungrily I yearn to lay her back, to peel down her pants, to slowly reveal her sexy body before I bring my swollen helm to her soaked-as-fuck hole.

“Nothing,” I say. “Thank you.”

Hanging up, I find Piper in the living room. She sits on the floor, Bones in her lap, her fingers trailing through his fur.

She’s undone another button. I can almost see her bra now. The tip of my cock pushes agonizingly against my pants, which is even worse now because I’m wearing sweatpants.

At least they’re a dark color. Maybe that’ll hide the bulge.

“No luck?” she asks.

I shake my head, sitting on the couch. “Apparently there’s a city-wide warning.”

She nods. “I just got a text.”

I check my phone. “Yep, so did I.”

“So…”

“You’ll stay here,” I say, as my balls pulse like they know we’re getting closer to our ultimate goal.

“Are you sure?”

I laugh grimly. “I’m not going to make you walk home in this. I can’t give you a ride without freaking the little man out. So you’ll stay here.”

“Will it be okay with…”

“With who?” I ask.

She waves a hand. “This is a big house. I wasn’t sure if you lived here alone.”

Is my girl fishing?

“It’s all mine,” I tell her. “I’ve lived here by myself for years.”

She nods.

“What?” I ask.

She giggles intoxicatingly. “What? I didn’t say anything.”

I smirk. “But you wanted to. Don’t be shy.”

“It’s just… this is a huge house for one man.”

I shrug. “It was an investment. Plus I thought that one day I might…”

“Pearce?”

The way she says my name has my head swimming. My fists clench against my thighs. I need to stay strong and hold back.