Page 26 of Wilde Nights in Paradise

And he’d made her this way.

Every ounce of irritation in Jude drained away at that sobering thought. He’d lost his shit after their split, diving headlong into his burn all bridges and take no prisoners approach to life, but Libby must have done the opposite, withdrawing further into herself and throwing all of her energy into earning her law degree.

Damn. He’d destroyed her confidence, smothered that spark he’d once found so attractive. At this point, any kind of forgiveness or reconciliation was a pipe dream, but he could give her some of her old self back. It’d be a helluva challenge, but she deserved it.

He drifted toward the patio doors and peeked outside. She’d gone back to her book in one of the loungers by the pool.

Perfect.

Backing up, he edged out the front door and stopped on the porch to scan the garden. Didn’t take long to find what he was looking for: a large, deep pink bloom that all but sparkled with life and color—exactly like the Libby he remembered. He leaned over the railing and plucked it from its plant, tested its scent. Sweet, also like Libby.

Yes, he thought, twirling the stem between his fingers as he walked back into the house. This definitely might take a while.

Good thing he had nothing but time on his hands.

Chapter Nine

Libby heard a splash and lowered her book. It was too small of a sound to have been Jude jumping in for a swim, and a sharp spike of worry made her set her book aside.

“Sam?”

Not that Sam would voluntarily go anywhere near the water’s edge. In typical feline fashion, he hated being wet, but there was always a chance he could’ve fallen in…

Nope, he still lay curled up at her feet, dozing contentedly in the sun. He lifted his head at the sound of his name and blinked his big green eyes as if to say, “Yes?”

She scratched under his chin. “Nothing, kitty cat. Go back to sleep.”

So what had made the splash? She scanned the pool’s surface and saw nothing. Okay, maybe she imagined it. It was more than possible. She’d been so absorbed in her book that she didn’t even realize how late it was getting. The sun had been high in the sky when she came out here to get away from Jude, but now slanted across the patio at a stark angle, casting shadows over the pool.

She really should go inside and face Jude. Couldn’t avoid him forever. Besides, she was getting hungry.

With a sigh, she crawled off the lounger and stretched her arms up over her head. Her body felt loose and warm from the sun, her muscles more relaxed than they had been in years, but she still couldn’t shake the notion that she was shirking her responsibilities by taking time off from work. Yes, it was time she’d earned. And, yes, other people took time off with no repercussions. It didn’t make her less of a lawyer, somehow inferior to her counterparts.

And still.

Maybe she could sneak some work in tomorrow. Jude usually swam laps for an hour or so in the morning. She could do it without him knowing. A quick call to Noah for an update, a couple e-mails… Really, what would it hurt? She highly doubted K-Bar had the kind of technology needed to track her all the way down to Florida from one little phone call to her office.

The idea of work cheered her as she turned around to gather her things—and spotted a huge green monster swimming across the pool toward her.

She shrieked and dropped both her book and towel. The book skidded across the concrete deck and landed in the water with a soft plop. The towel disappeared from view, but she didn’t dare drop her gaze to look for it. Not with that…thing…swimming closer. Closer. Closer.

Sam hissed and arched up onto his toes, and she snatched him up in a hug, unmindful of his extended claws.

Closer. Closer.

She couldn’t move, her knees locked in terror. She imagined giant teeth clamping on to her leg, pulling her under the surface until water filled her lungs and choked her. Powerful jaws ripping through muscle and bone and dragging her dead body away. Nobody would know what happened to her until the alligator died and someone cut it open and found what was left of her in its belly.

Oh God.

“Libby!” Jude appeared in the patio doorway in nothing but his boxer-briefs, his hair mussed from a recent nap. He held his gun in a two-handed grip in front of him, but kept it pointed toward the ground as he edged to her side. He ran a hand over her hair, her arms, and her back as if checking for injuries, then took the terrified cat out of her arms and set him on the ground. Sam tore off toward the house in a streak of orange fur, and Jude returned his full attention to her. He clasped her neck, made her look at him with the pressure of his thumb against her jaw.

“What’s wrong? Hey, Libs, talk to me. Are you okay? What did you see?”

Unable to force sound through her frozen vocal cords, she pointed a shaking finger at the pool. He turned…and laughed.

Laughed.At analligator.

He really was crazy.

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