Fool For You (Made for Love Book 4) (38 page)

“I’m sorry,” she sighs. “I just want you to have a good time tonight—Jude or no Jude. It’s Theodora Day. We’re going to drink and be fucking merry! So can we please just go upstairs and get ready? I want to see you in that little lacy number we picked out.”

I nod, knowing that we only have an hour before the gallery closes and we meet up with everyone for dinner. Harper hasn’t told me where we’re going, insisting that it’s a surprise, and I cling to the anticipation of the unknown. Today really has been relaxing and fun, all thanks to my big sister, and I refuse to be a brat simply because everything didn’t turn out
exactly
as I had hoped.

When she smiles at me, I force a smile in return. Then she leans across the console and kisses my cheek, which turns my smile into a real one.

“Come on. Let’s head up.”

We gather all of our belongings and make the trek up the stairs to my apartment. Just as we reach the landing, I spot something sitting at my doorstep.

“
Judah,
” I breathe, racing for the vase full of long-stem red roses. I bend down to pick it up, holding them tight as I spin around to face my sister—the biggest grin on my face. “Not an asshole!” I proclaim.

She laughs as she approaches and then plucks the note from out of the holder. I don’t think fast enough to stop her from reading it, but it doesn’t matter. She takes the little card from the envelope and holds it up for me to see it without even pausing to take a peek herself.

“Definitely not an asshole.”

“See? All that worrying for nothing.”

She’s right. She’s right, and there’s no point in denying it. Instead, I bury my nose in my roses to hide my smile.

“All right, you love-sick goof, get your tatted ass inside. The night’s still young, and we’ve got more celebrating to do.”

I do as she says, bringing my roses straight to my bedroom so that I might admire them as we finish getting ready for the night. Harper and I do our makeup side by side, and she totally hogs the mirror the whole time. It amuses me more than anything else, reminding me of when we used to share a bathroom at our parents’ house. I don’t need a whole lot of working room anyway as I apply only a small amount. With my eyes outlined in pencil, my lashes coated in mascara, and my cheeks tinted with a hint of blush, I call it good. Harper tries to argue that I should let her do my eyeshadow, but I counter with the argument that I’ll only sweat it off when we go dancing later. She then spends another ten minutes in the bathroom while I head back to my room to get dressed.

I stare at the dress laid out across my bed for a moment, still appalled that she was able to convince me to get it. It’s two pieces. The bottom is a skirt that sits high on my waist, over my belly button. The nude fabric is tight and stops mid-thigh, just below my garter tattoo. The navy blue, lacy overlay extends from my waist to my knee, hiding but not exactly covering the lower half of my dreamcatcher. While I’m not usually one to show off my tats,
that
isn’t what makes me pause.

The top is definitely what makes the dress sexy. The nude portion is a bra—
and that’s it
. The lace overlay is like a clingy, short-waisted tank top. It also hides but doesn’t cover my back piece—which is why I decided to keep my hair loose tonight, my red locks straightened down to my waist. Then, to finish the outfit, I’ll carry my favorite teal clutch and wear my bright pink, platform stilettos.

“That dress will look a lot better on your sexy bod then it does on the bed. Chop, chop, Teddy Bear,” Harper demands, smacking her hand on my ass. I turn to offer her a playful scowl, and she winks at me before stripping down to her undies to slide into her short, little, purple sequin dress.

By the time we’re ready to go, it’s seven o’clock on the dot—only, Harper doesn’t seem in any hurry to get going. When I ask her about it, she informs me that Ben will be picking us up, and that he’ll call when he’s arrived. I nod, thinking nothing of it.

Fifteen minutes later, when he’s yet to arrive, I start to grow antsy.

“He’s really late, Harp. He’s a lawyer—aren’t they usually more punctual?”

“Relax. He probably just got stuck in traffic or something. He’ll be here any—” She’s interrupted by the sound of her phone alerting her to a new text. She looks down at her screen before smiling over at me. “It’s time.”

“Yay!” I squeal, hurrying for the door.

“Wait—two seconds,” she insists, catching me around the elbow.

“What?”

“I just want to get one last look at you.” I watch her face as she sweeps my hair off of my shoulders and down my back before she smooths out my skirt—an act that’s completely unnecessary since I haven’t even attempted to sit down since I put it on. “You’re beautiful,” she murmurs. “Happy birthday, Theodora.”

“Thanks, Harper,” I reply, reaching for her hand.

She gives my fingers a squeeze and linked together is how we leave my apartment, heading down the stairs to meet Ben. Except, when we reach the bottom, I don’t see Ben at all. Instead, I see a massive, black, stretch Hummer taking up an obnoxious amount of space in the parking lot. When the back passenger door opens, Harper squeezes my hand. I don’t bother looking at her, my curiosity holding my full attention. My jaw falls open when I see Judah. He’s in a black suit, which is not out of the ordinary—except it’s my birthday, and he’s here, in a huge Hummer, and he looks so fucking hot, I can’t take my eyes off of him.

“
Definitely
not an asshole, right?” Harper whispers in my ear.

I manage to tear my eyes away from Judah as I look beside me at my sister. “You knew?” I gasp. She grins at me and I can’t decide if I want to smack her or hug her.

“He called me Sunday. I think you might have snagged yourself a
good cop
after all.”

I look back at Judah, and I don’t know whether to laugh or to cry. However, I
do
know that there is way too much distance separating me from him. Without another word, I drop Harper’s hand and hurry toward the parking lot. I can’t move
fast
and
gracefully
in this skirt and these heels, but I don’t give a single shit what I look like. The closer I get, the more excited I become; and as soon as I’m in reaching distance, I yelp as I jump up and throw myself at him.

I don’t get very much height from my awkward leap, but he catches me around the waist anyway, offering me a smirk when we’re face to face.

“Hi,” he says, his deep, sexy voice melting me on the spot.

“Hi.”

“There are some people inside who thought you might like to go to dinner. Hope you don’t mind if I tag along.”

I giggle, tightening my arms around him. “I’m so happy to see you.”

“It’s Theodora Day. I had to find a Theodora to celebrate with.”

“Judah?”

“Yes, Teddy?”

“I’m going to kiss you now.”

I
watch as his eyes drop to my lips right before I press them against his. When I flick my tongue out, seeking entrance into his mouth, he opens up and takes over, kissing me deeper. I almost forget where I am, wrapped in his arms and lost in his kiss—that is, until Harper smacks my ass.
Again
. It surprises me, and I squeak as I pull my mouth away from Judah’s.

“Plenty of time for that shit later. We’ve got to get on the road.”

I glance over my shoulder just in time to see her climb into the Hummer, and then I look back at Jude before I ask, “Where are we going?”

“To dinner.”

I can tell by the mischievous look in his eyes that he won’t tell me more, but I’m all right with that. He’s
here
and that fact alone means that tonight will be nothing short of amazing.

“Freckles! They won’t let me open the champagne until you get in here—so get your ass in here,” Geoffrey yells.

I laugh before I ask Judah, “There’s champagne? For me?”

“Sweetheart, that’s just the beginning,” he replies, setting me on my feet. “Get in, or you’ll never know what I have planned for you.”

Every fiber of my being wants to kiss him again, but I restrain myself. He offers me his hand to help me climb into the Hummer, and Geoff is right there, ready and waiting to pull me inside. I fall into his lap and he wraps his arms around me, squeezing me tight. I relax against him and kiss his cheek, happy to see him, too.

“Looks like I get to keep my balls, eh?” he teases, referring back to our bet about whether or not Judah would make it tonight.

“Babe, if I had any balls, I’d owe you both,” I reply.

He laughs and then presses a quick kiss to my lips. “Happy birthday, baby girl.”

We’re interrupted by the sound of someone clearing his throat, and we both shift our attention to the man still standing just outside the door. Judah looks right at me, his lifted eyebrow speaking of his displeasure, and I have to fight my giggle.

“I don’t think he likes it when I kiss you,” Geoff whispers. My eyes are locked on Jude, but I can
hear
the smile on my best friend’s face.

“Not interested in my lady parts, remember?” I say to my jealous man.

He shakes his head once and mutters, “Don’t give a shit.”

“Territorial. I like that,” Geoff says so only I can hear. “Up you go, baby girl. You’ve got other people who want to say hi to you anyway.”

I wink at Jude before I make my way further into what can only be accurately described as a party bus. I say hello to Andrew, Carrie, and Ben before I finally sit and take in my surroundings. The seats are grey leather, the lights underneath them making the carpet look purple. The windows are tinted so dark, they’re almost black, and the overhead lights glow dimly. I notice two moon-roofs, as well.

There are three lit up bar cavities, filled with champagne and flutes for us to drink from. As soon as Judah is inside, Geoff reaches for a bottle and pops it open. Everyone cheers, and as we pull out of the parking lot, we’re all handed a glass. Harper makes a toast, and the night is officially underway.

We ride for a little over an hour, and when we arrive at the Denver restaurant that Judah has chosen for us, I’m tipsy. After the two glasses of wine I have with dinner, I’m well on my way to being drunk—but I feel good and I’m having
so
much fun. It’s just after ten by the time we pile back into the Hummer, ready to head to our next destination. Wishing to be as close to Jude as possible, I settle myself in his lap—the alcohol in my system making me bold. I’m not sure how he’ll respond, but when he circles his arms around my waist, my stomach turns into a mess of drunken butterflies, and I don’t hesitate to kiss him.

“Where are we going now?”

“The Chapel.”

My eyes grow wide in surprise. “I don’t think I’m dressed appropriately for church, Jude.”

He chuckles and I want to kiss him again, but I’m distracted by Harper’s laugh. I turn to look at her only to realize
everyone
is laughing. I frown, wondering what I’ve missed.

“The Chapel is not a church, Teddy,” Ben tells me. “It’s a nightclub. It opened about a year ago and it’s still one of Denver’s hottest places to be.”

“Oh,” I murmur sheepishly.

“Hey,” says Jude, his lips grazing my ear. “Are you going to dance for me tonight, sweetheart?”