Singe (Guardian Protection #1)

I, on the other hand, was pissed—and seriously impressed.

“Did you fake passing out so you could sneak Alex into my apartment?”

Brianna grinned. “I’ve been taking acting classes.”

“Solid performance,” I praised. “Wait. What happened to your obsession with Devon or Johnson?”

Alex grunted but never turned to face us.

She curled an arm around his Herculean waist and pressed her front into his. “They tried too hard. If I had to watch one more game of rock-paper-scissors, I was going to lose my mind. Besides, Alex spent the day silently eye-fucking me from the couch.” She lowered her voice to a purr. “Best sex of my life.” She let out a yelp as his arm moved down in what I assumed was an ass grope.

I laughed, but Jude let out a string of expletives.

“Right,” I said. “Well, then. For future reference, the ocean room is the third room on the right—”

“And the Marriott is two blocks over,” Jude added.

Brianna giggled musically. “Good to know. We’ll…just…leave you two alone now.”

Alex quickly walked out, but my best friend lingered for a second longer, lifting her hands in the air to reveal her crossed fingers. “Wish me luck that the size of the package matches the size of the man,” she whispered.

Jude groaned and shook his head, dropping it back to stare up at the ceiling.

I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling huge. “Good luck. And please, for the love of God, turn on the beach sounds.”

“Sure thing.” She bowed low, almost spilling her boobs out of her top. “Good night, ladies and gentlemen.”

“Night,” Jude muttered, walking to the door.

She’d barely made it out of the room before Jude swung it shut, careful to lock it.

“It’s official,” he said. “That woman is crazier than you.”

“I know! Isn’t it great?”

He dropped the towel and climbed back into bed. “I’m not sure great is the word I was looking for.” He jostled me until I was resting on his chest. Then he folded his arms behind his head. “I’m glad you have someone like her, though I’m gonna have to have a conversation with her about giving out keys to your apartment.”

“It was just Alex.”

“Not my job to care who it was.”

I smiled up at him. “So, you love me, huh?”

“Yeah, and I’m not using a condom next time I’m inside you. Though, unfortunately, that is not gonna be tonight. I need to hurry up and find REM before those two get started.”

“Good plan.” I puckered my lips, and he dipped down for a quick kiss.

Leaning to the side, he flipped the switch by the headboard to turn the lights off before snuggling down for the night.

I was drawing lazy circles on his chest, searching for sleep that I knew was well out of my reach after the excitement of the day—and, now, night—when I heard him say, “We move the tattoo chair, we could put my bed in there and make a room for Val.”

My body went stiff as my throat became tight. A million synonyms for “Yes!” including, We can move the entire apartment if you want, raced to the tip of my tongue, but only a whispered, “Okay, Jude,” came out.

“We’ll start moving my stuff over slowly, but I’m gonna hang on to my apartment for a little while longer, just in case you need some space.”

I wouldn’t need any space. I would have happily lived the rest of my life between those four walls with Jude, but I thought it was really freaking sweet that he would offer to keep his apartment in case I did.

Draping my arm around his middle, I hugged him hard. “You’re real.”

He slid his arm under me and exhaled a reverent, “Love you too, Butterfly.”





One month later…



“Who in the hell moves five days before Christmas in Chicago?” Devon complained as he helped me drag my dining room table off the back of Alex’s truck. “It’s cold as fuck out here!”

“At least it’s not snowing,” Alex grunted.

“Less talking. More moving. We’ve got exactly twenty minutes before Rhion’s uncle gets here.” After pulling two chairs off, I headed straight for the stairwell. I held the door with my back for them to follow through with the table.

“I’m dying to meet this guy,” Devon said, backing up the first step. “I looked into him a while back. He owns these huge real estate companies that buy entire city blocks of property. Maybe he can give me some advice on the market.”

“You planning to buy a tower downtown now?” Alex asked. “Last I heard, you were looking for a roommate so you could afford that penis implant you’ve had your eye on.”

“Oh, fuck you. Two dates with Brianna Talbot and, suddenly, you got jokes.”

Alex held his side of the table in one hand and flipped him off with the other.

“Rhion owns millions in real estate companies,” I corrected. “Pete just runs it for her.”

Devon flashed me a wicked grin. “Yeah, but Rhion’s a stripper. I want to know how the market is looking should I decide to buy a house, not which body oil brand is the best.”

I glowered as the stairwell door slammed shut behind us. “She’s not a fucking stripper.”

“Simmer down. We know she writes books,” Alex said. “We play along because it’s entertaining to watch her make up shit on the fly. She’s sharp—I’ll give her that.”

“Easy!” I yelled as the top of the table scraped against the railing when they made the turn to the second flight.

“Sorry,” Devon said sheepishly. “Anyway, where is Little Miss Creativity anyway? She could at least be holding doors.” He balanced the table on his thigh as he pulled the one to the second floor open.

“She’s been working all morning, trying to finish her book before Pete gets here.”

Thankfully, my table made it the rest of the way up the stairs scratch-and dent-free. Just as we got through the door, I heard Rhion call my name from the bedroom.

Devon and Alex carried the table to the empty dining room, Rhion having given hers to Braydon days earlier. She’d said that she had an attachment to mine, and while I couldn’t deny that it held some seriously fond memories for me too, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about serving my mom and dad Christmas dinner on a table I’d fucked Rhion on. But Rhion had told me that she’d buy a new tablecloth, and then she’d pointed out that they’d be sitting on a couch I’d fucked her on. Sleeping in a guest room I’d fucked her in. Showering in a shower that… Well, you get the point.