“What’s wrong?”
“Why do you think something would be wrong?”
“Because you’re out here destroying your blender and it’s not even six in the morning. Did you sleep?”
I tested the fit of the base that housed the motor. I was going to have to shave down some of the plastic to make it fit. Or maybe fabricate a new one. “Yes, I slept. I woke up early. And I’m not destroying my blender. It sucks. Or it did. It won’t when I’m done with it.”
“Okay,” she said in a tone that made it clear she didn’t believe me. “Are you going to finish up first, or…?”
“Why? Isn’t it my day off?”
“From work? Yes, it’s Sunday.”
“No, from you.”
She laughed. “Nope. Leg day.”
I eyed her over the top of the glasses. Evil woman. “Fine. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“I already set your workout clothes on your bed.”
“You think of everything, don’t you?”
“Just doing my job,” she said with a smile, then turned on her heel and left.
Of course she was just doing her job. Most of the people in my life were around because they worked for me. They had a job to do, and they did it.
I took off the glasses and set them on the table. I knew I was being sensitive because of what Jude had said last night. He was just doing his job. But what else did I expect? That in the aftermath of a tense and scary situation, we would have fallen into bed together? Had wild, adrenaline-fueled sex until we both collapsed from exhaustion?
The stupid part of me had thought that, yes.
The uncomfortable ache that still lingered between my legs was entirely my fault. I shouldn’t have been fantasizing about him like that. Not when I’d almost been hit by a car.
And why did my thoughts keep returning to Jude and his annoyingly hot body? If he was right, and last night hadn’t been an accident, I had an enormous problem on my hands. Someone was trying to intimidate, hurt, or possibly even kill me. This wasn’t the time to be indulging in daydreams about getting naked with the man who was supposed to protect me.
But it wasn’t just the sex fantasies that had me so distracted my brain was prioritizing the bulge in Jude’s pants over the very real problems in my life. I liked him. There was more than physical attraction at work here, and it was scaring the hell out of me.
I wasn’t ready for this.
My heart was still bruised by Aldrich’s betrayal. I’d let him into my inner circle, and the number of people I allowed that close was very small. My three best friends. To a much lesser extent, the people who worked closely with me, both at Spencer and here at home. But even there, the natural boundaries of being the boss kept distance between us.
And Jude worked for me. I was his client, he was my contractor. That was the nature of our relationship, and I needed to remember that.
Leaving the still-dismantled blender, I went upstairs to change, then subjected myself to leg day with Inda. She coached me through heavy squats, walking lunges, stiff-leg deadlifts, squat jumps, and various other tortures.
I focused on her voice, giving me brisk words of encouragement. On the heat and burn in my muscles. On the sweat that dripped down my back and glistened on my forehead. On the steady stream of eighties music blasting in my home gym.
But even the musical stylings of Wham! and A-ha weren’t enough to break me out of my funk.
When I finished, she sent me out to the kitchen for a breakfast protein shake. Nicholas was there, grumbling that the blender had gone missing. I patted him on the back, told him not to worry about it, and grabbed a premade protein drink from the pantry.
I showered off the effects of Inda’s torture and dressed, feeling like I might be missing something. It was Sunday, so I didn’t have any meetings. I’d worked out. Was there something else on my calendar?
With an unflattering squeak, I dove for my phone and swiped to my calendar. There it was, on my schedule for ten thirty. I couldn’t believe it had slipped my mind, but at least I wasn’t late. I never missed Drag Queen Brunch. And this time, I had a lot to talk about.
I paused with my phone still in my hand and stared out the window. DQB was at Mordecai’s Bistro, over on Las Palomas Boulevard. Not here in Bluewater. Certainly not in my house. Which meant I was supposed to bring Jude.