Page 127 of The Winslow Brothers

And my next and final message is a simple one.

Me: Wednesday. 7pm. Wear the hottest dress you own.

Wednesday, April 4th

Sophie

The cool evening air causes goose bumps to form on my arms and my legs, and even harden my nipples beneath the dress I chose to wear tonight. It’s a silky black number that ends just below my knee but has a slit on one side that nearly reaches my right hip. The material is so thin, provides absolutely zero warmth, and is completely open at the back.

Basically, the absolute last dress you want to be wearing when it’s anything but over seventy degrees outside. And itmightbe early spring in New York, but it’s far from seventy degrees.

I check the address on my phone once more, the one Jude sent to me, and even though the cab driver managed to drop me off on the street where I thought said place was located, I don’t see anything but an alleyway that’s lit up by one pathetic streetlamp.

This can’t be right.

I glance over my shoulder, prepared to seek out my cab driver for some help, but all I witness is retreating red lights, making it apparent that he’s hauling ass to his next destination.

On a sigh, I glance down at my phone again, and6:55 p.m.stares back at me.

I’m five minutes early, which is a rarity for me, but since I skipped my therapy appointment last minute so I could meet Jude on time, I was dressed and ready about an hour earlier than I normally would.

Besides our daily text conversations, this will be the first time I’ve seen him since I had dinner with his family. Six days probably shouldn’t seem like a long time, but after being inside each other’s pockets twenty-four seven in Vegas and the first few days after that, it kind of feels like an eternity.

I’ve grown so used to seeing him all the time, it feels like there’s now a hole inside my chest that only he can fill.

I’m sure Dr. Winters is probably wondering what would keep me from our standing Wednesday appointments, but my track record is starting to show that whenever Jude wants me to meet him somewhere, I drop everything and do it.

Which is kind of preposterous.

Yeah, well, that’s what you do when you’re falling in love with someone.

I roll my eyes at myself and ignore my pesky subconscious. Instead, I distract my mind by copying the address into Google Maps to figure out where I went wrong.

But when I hit enter and the map updates, I find that I’m right where I’m supposed to be.

Seriously?

I glance around the alleyway and find nothing but a few dumpsters and discarded trash on the sidewalk. And when I look directly in front of me, I just see a big steel door with no windows and a fire escape that resides directly above it.

A shiver of discomfort rolls up my spine and I start to call Jude for an explanation, but just before my finger hits the phone-shaped button under his name, I spot his tall, muscular form turning the corner and heading down the street in my direction.

“Shit, babe,” he comments as he comes to a stop in front of me. “You’re early.” He glances at his watch and grins. “Well, actually, you’re right on time, but for you, that’s early.”

“Uh…mind explaining why you have me standing in the middle of a deserted alley?”

“I will,” he says with his notorious playboy smirk, and he reaches out to grip my hips to pull me closer. “But first, I want to say hello.”

Lips to mine, he takes my mouth in a deep, tantalizing kiss, and he doesn’t release me until I’m breathless and being cold is no longer an issue.

“I missed you, Soph.” My heart jolts against my ribs, and he brushes his lips against my mouth,once, twice, threetimes. Then, he leans his head back to lock his now playful gaze with mine. “You look stunning, babe. That dress could give a man a heart attack.”

“Thank you.” I blush and giggle in the way that only Jude seems to be able to make me do. “And…I missed you too.”

The words feel all-too-right on my tongue. Because I did miss him.A lot.

“Ready to get wild?” he asks and waggles his brows.

“Iam,but…I’m still not understanding how this alley leads to anything but getting robbed.”

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