Page 98 of Reckless

We’ve made our way down through Wisconsin, stopping at a few lakes and small towns along the way, then crossed into Iowa over the last week. Our route is following the Mississippi River so there have been no shortages of cool places to stop.

The original two weeks Jude was supposed to stay has long passed us by. Things haven’t been strained, we’re spending as much time together, he’s sleeping in the bed with me every night, but when we’re out of the RV he’s being much more cautious.

I’ve found him reading my first book a few times though. He joked that it will probably take a year to get through it because he’s a terrible reader, but he is making steady progress and he keeps asking me tons of questions. He admitted he read the last chapter of one book but it wasn’t this one, so he doesn’t know where it is going.

The label are forcing him to make a statement about the shit with their manager. I agree with him that he doesn’t need to tell anyone anything about his personal life, but it isn’t going to go away until he says something. Press speculation is getting wilder.

We’ve stopped just outside the city of Dubuque where they’ve arranged for him to meet with a pre-approved media outlet at a hotel. He doesn’t want me involved in any of it and has told me to stay back with Riggs, while he goes into the city with Luther.

He comes out of the bedroom, freshly showered, his hair still damp. He looks like the man who wandered into that clearing. Except the beard growth. He hasn’t shaved once since he joined me. I like it, it’s at a good length now that doesn’t leave a red blush all over my skin. He has on all black and his old boots, his tattoos are on show. His expression is grim.

“Are you okay?” I ask, looking up from the notes I’ve been scribbling.

“At the risk of sounding like a toddler, I don’t want to go.” He drops into the seat opposite me at the dining table.

“It might help,” I say, trying to put a positive spin on the situation.

“Hmm,” he looks out of the window.

Setting aside my notes, I get up, walk around, and sit down on his lap. He moves to make space, one arm automatically goes around my waist the other lands high up on my thigh. I wrap my arms around his neck, and he tilts his head to look up at me better.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” I stroke the hair at the nape of his neck, knowing it is a move that calms him.

“Nothing,” he says after a while.

“Jude,” I squeeze the back of his neck.

“I’m always going to be at their beck and call,” he says after a few moments of being quiet.

There isn’t much I can say to that because it’s true and I won’t lie to make him feel better. His eyes lift to mine and some of the wariness goes out of him as he looks at me. Brianna’s words come back to me. But my mouth refuses to say the words.

“It’s an hour out of your life, go say what they want you to say, then come back.”

“Right,” he squeezes my thigh. “What are you going to do while I’m in hell?”

“Pump Riggs for information about you.”

He smirks. “Anything you need to know you can ask me. You do know that, right?” the smirk turns to a frown.

“Yeah, but you won’t tell me all the embarrassing shit.”

He laughs and although it doesn’t quite reach his eyes his mood is lighter. I want to take this unease away from him. I want to wipe the frown marring his beautiful face away. Everything I need to say is on the tip of my tongue. He’s watching me, his gaze intense, but a knock at the door makes me jump.

“Fucking perfect timing,” Jude shakes his head. “I better go.” I slip off his lap and stand back so he can get up. He pulls me into him and kisses me. “Hopefully I won’t be long.”

“It’ll be fine.”

He nods, presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth then heads to the RV door and outside. I hear them talking then a few moments later, Riggs pops his head in.

“I’ll be out here, if you need anything.”

“Riggs, you don’t need to stay outside.”

He looks hesitant. Luther pulls away in the car. I can’t see Jude from where I’m standing. Riggs watches them too before looking at me.

“Come on, I’ll make coffee.”

Chapter 24

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