Jude is too good for me. I’d hurt him, break him, leave him wondering why he even bothered with me in the first place. Leaving is actually saving us both.
Chapter 25
Jude
“You sure you don’t want me to take a look?” I ask Brooks when he hisses as he drops to the sofa.
“I’m good,” he mutters, his hand reaching for his junk but not actually making contact with it.
“If it’s still hurting two hours later, I think getting checked out is best.”
He just glares at me a long moment before snapping his eyes to Kit who chuckles.
“Getting kicked in the balls is funny to you?”
Kit shrugs. “Just glad it wasn’t me, man.”
“You shouldn’t have tried to kiss her hand,” I remind him.
“It didn’t go down like that and you know it,” Brooks argues.
“I just,” Gaige, Blackbridge’s acquisitions expert, begins, his big hand scraping over the top of his head. “I thought Quinten was going to go ballistic.”
We all sober. Even joking about what happened this morning seems wrong.
Hayden returned to work this morning, less than a week after shooting a man there, only to be snatched up by someone connected to the man she shot in her office. Quinten dropped her off and saw the entire thing, so he was able to call the guys in.
She was back and safe in his arms in less than an hour, but it has made every one of us take a step back and reevaluate. Our team is usually the one running in to help and save, but that doesn’t compare to it being someone that’s close to us. I can’t imagine what Quinten would do if things ended badly. He and Hayden have apparently gotten close in the last two months, and a little bit of bitterness settles inside of me since I’ve known Parker almost the same amount of time, and we aren’t even speaking to each other.
In my head, I call it obligation when I pull out my phone and fire off a text to her.
Me: Just wanted to make sure you’re okay after what happened to Hayden.
She won’t text back. Of that I’m certain. I don’t know if she’s upset that I asked her to leave after telling her we were no longer sleeping together or if she honestly just doesn’t care. The way she acted last week in the office makes me lean more toward her just not giving a shit. Combine that with Hayden’s declaration that Parker is destined to always be single doesn’t help any either.
My phone doesn’t chime with a return text, and I let the screen go dark.
“It’s too quiet here,” Kit mutters. “Where is everyone else?”
“At home getting laid,” Brooks grumbles with a bitterness in his tone that’s unfamiliar for the normally happy man.
“Their reactions to what happened today is completely normal,” I say. “Psychologically, when you see people go through things it makes you think of that in relation to your own life. Quinten could’ve lost Hayden today, and that makes them want to go home and reaffirm that the women they love are safe and protected.”
“Love is for idiots,” Brooks grumbles, pulling a chuckle from Kit and a sound of agreement from Gaige.
“We could go for a pint of Gat,” Finnegan says, his Irish accent thick.
“I hate Guinness,” Brooks mutters.
“What is your problem?” Gaige asks, kicking his foot out to knock it against Brooks’ leg. “You are in a sour-ass mood.”
Brooks glares at him for a long moment before answering, “Did you forget I took a foot to the balls earlier?”
“Does that ruin your plans for the evening?” Kit teases, earning another nasty look.
“So, is that a no to the pints?” Finnegan asks.
I laugh. “It’s not even noon.”
He shrugs. “Never a bad time for a drink.”
“Why are we all just sitting around here when Quinten, Wren, Deacon, Flynn, and Ignacio are all getting laid right now?” Kit asks, his eyes darting around to each of us.
“It’s not even noon,” I say again.
Gaige and Brooks, our two resident ladies’ men, both laugh.
“Sex doesn’t only happen at night,” Gaige says.
“I know,” I grumble, hating that I’m the focus when it seems sex is going to be the topic.
The last time this happened, I went to Parker’s apartment. I don’t exactly regret that I had sex with her, just that I wasn’t paying enough attention and let my stupid heart get a little involved.
“Are you sure?” Gaige challenges.
“Logistically, sex can occur any time of the day,” I say.
“A man has to have an erection,” Gaige argues.
“No,” I counter. “Lesbian women can have sex, and it’s not uncommon for the bottom in a gay relationship not to have an erection while the sex act is occurring.”
“Maybe he’s too in his head,” Brooks hisses, drawing all of our eyes.
“Umm… something you want to get off your chest?” Kit asks.