Page 71 of Reckless

Shit, the press. Do they know where Jude is now? Does this mean he is going to have to leave?

It feels like everything is spiraling. We’ve been fine for days on our own. Throw some other people in the mix and everything is going to crap.

Wayne is observing me, waiting to see what I’m going to do. I resist the urge to grab my phone and call Jude. He’s not my man. Wayne called him that twice already. I’m about to say so when Drew comes back into the room carrying a tray of drinks. She looks between us, sensing tension.

“What did I walk in on?”

“You haven’t told her?” I ask him.

“Told me what?”

“That trouble last night at Zenith. It was a Reckless Soul thing,” Wayne says.

“Your man?” Drew turns to me.

“Why is everyone suddenly calling him my man?”

“Well, I wanted to reserve judgment until I saw the two of you together. But seen as how he’s not here yet, I’m just going with it.”

“He’s not my man.”

Drew waves a hand. “What happened?” she asks her husband.

Wayne tells us a fight broke out. He isn’t sure over what, but he knows the guitarist from Reckless Soul was involved. And that five people got arrested, him included. Jude must be going out of his mind.

“Simon is always calling the police unnecessarily,” Drew says. “He has no business running a nightclub. Fights happen. His security should be able to deal with that.”

“Not usually involving celebrities,” Wayne points out.

“Can we stop talking about this?” I say, wanting to change the subject. “I’m starving.”

“Me too,” another voice calls.

Xander is coming along the hall to the guest wing. He’s wearing basketball shorts and a sleeveless top with arm holes that nearly reach his waist, showing way too much skin. But that is Xander.

“Benke,” he walks over. The hug is brief, and he kisses the side of my hair. “Looking fine as ever.”

“Shut up, Xander,” Drew rolls her eyes.

“What’s for lunch?”

“Go make your own lunch, degenerate,” Wayne says. “Krista, you want to get settled while Xander makes us lunch?”

“Hey!” he groans.

Drew tips her head for me to make my escape as she grabs her brother-in-law’s arm and tugs him towards their massive kitchen. It’s only the fact I know he is a great cook, I don’t freak out about him making us lunch.

I settle my stuff in the room, fix my hair and check my phone. Re-reading Jude’s texts, I feel bad for not answering him. He’s probably up to his eyeballs in trouble. I don’t want him to think I’m ignoring him, or pissed about him not coming back when he knew we had plans.

Krista

Hope you’re okay. Take your time. Here is the address

Once I’ve tapped in the address and hit send, I put the phone on the dresser and look at myself in the mirror over it. Am I being foolish, thinking there is something between Jude and me? I’d never experienced the burning, uncontrollable attraction to any man before I saw him outside my RV.

Is that really enough?

God, what am I thinking? This isn’t going anywhere. Sex was probably a mistake, but when I think about it, it was inevitable. And it was great, mind blowing, in fact. Now we’ve done it twice, I can’t see either of us backing off.

---