Fool For You (Made for Love Book 4) (73 page)

I’ve never successfully mixed business with pleasure—not when it comes to women. I didn’t even think twice about going to tonight’s charity dinner alone. However, doubt in regards to my decision crept into the evening when I ran into Benjamin and Harper. I knew that Benjamin would be in attendance, as the charity is one in which he sits on the board. It’s an organization that raises money for neglected and abused children. Like the other charities that Benjamin is involved with, it’s very near and dear to him. I assumed that his presence would no doubt mean Harper’s presence as well—for my brother is the sentimental type. I even anticipated the reprimand for having
not
brought Teddy; but what I didn’t account for was my distracted mind, which spent the better part of dinner imagining what the night would have been like with her in attendance.

The company I kept at the table purchased by Eddalyn’s Interiors didn’t help, either. Eddalyn choose to allow all of our Fort Collins office design associates to come, inviting those with husbands to bring them as well. With Logan and Miranda’s spouses, our group of five became a group of seven. The empty seat beside me, meant for Aunt Eddalyn—who decided not to come, as she wasn’t feeling well—only made me think of Teddy more. Not to mention Logan’s fucking incessant questions as to why I didn’t bring my girlfriend, and when I would bring her around so they could all meet her—as if happy hour with my employees is an idea I’d actually ever entertain.

Needless to say, I found myself in a foul mood by the time I got in my vehicle to head for home. The event was not nearly as enjoyable as I wished it to be. For a couple of hours, I mingled with people I had no interest in speaking to, I barely got a word in with my brother, and every text message I sent to Teddy was left unanswered. By the time I had made the hour-long trip home, it was past eleven o’clock. When I walked into my bedroom, flicking on the lights, my bed had never looked so
uninviting.
Not only was it empty, but the woman I wished to occupy it with was being uncharacteristically quiet.

It hasn’t been so long that I can’t remember the last time she went silent…

I toss a few things in my leather travel duffel and I’m out the door without even stopping to call her. I can’t say for sure that she wouldn’t answer, but I don’t want to take the risk of only getting her voicemail. It would just worry me. My woman doesn’t ignore me for no reason. Though, what could be wrong tonight is a mystery—a mystery that won’t go unsolved until morning.

It takes me less than twenty minutes to get to her apartment—the late night traffic on a Thursday night almost non-existent. I spot her car in the parking lot, and when I reach her front door, I find it locked. My worry wanes and my impatience takes its place as I knock loudly on the door. When she doesn’t answer right away, I knock again—
louder
. Finally, I hear her footsteps, and I begin to relax when she unlocks the door and opens it hesitantly.

“Judah?” she asks sleepily. “What are you doing here?”

“Let me in.”

She steps aside and I enter her apartment, dropping my bag by the door before reaching for her chin. I tilt her head up, wishing to get a good look at her. I see not one trace of distress. Her slightly mused hair and the grey t-shirt she has on, one of mine, are both signs of a woman coming out of sleep—nothing more.

“You didn’t return my texts.”

“That’s why you’re here?” she asks, shutting the door closed. “You’re checking on me?”

“You didn’t return my texts,” I repeat.

“I was with Geoff.” As she says the words, she twists her head, causing my hand to fall away from her face.

“That hasn’t stopped you before.” She lifts and lowers her shoulders in a shrug and I reach for her chin once more. “You’re upset with me.” My observation is met with silence. “Why?”

“I talked to Harper. I know where you were tonight.”

“And?”

She furrows her brow in anger, pushing my hand away from her before she speaks.

“You had a plus one and you didn’t invite me. You knew you were going to see Ben and Harper tonight, and you didn’t even think to include me.”

I slip my hands into my pant pockets as I say, “Tonight was about business, not pleasure.”

She scoffs, bringing her hand to her chest. “
I
can do business. You think I can’t?”

“I didn’t say that, Teddy,” I reply, my irritation evident in my tone. I do not wish to explain myself.

“I should have been there,” she says, jabbing my chest with her finger. “You should have brought me.”

“You don’t think I know that?” I brush her hand away from me and take a step toward her. She steps away from me, and I advance again, until I’ve got her backed up against the wall. “You don’t think I thought of you all night? Why the fuck do you think I was texting you? Huh?”

She’s breathing heavier now, her eyes wide in surprise instead of narrowed in anger. Her doe-eyed expression gets me every damn time, and my dick hardens, our proximity igniting my need.

“Why?” she whispers. “Why didn’t you bring me?”

“I thought you’d be a distraction,” I mutter, pressing my hard-on against her stomach. “Turns out, not having you there wasn’t any less distracting.”

She’s panting now as she reaches for the lapels of my jacket, pulling me closer.

“Next time—”

I don’t give her a chance to complete her thought, crushing my lips against hers instead. She whimpers, her grip tightening on my jacket as she presses herself on her tiptoes to reach me better. I drop my hands down to cup her ass, and she hikes a leg up around my hip. With a grunt, I lift her off her feet, lining up her pussy with my cock.

“Judah,” she breathes, her eyes locking with mine. “Dammit—I want you.”

A small, victorious smile tugs at my lips as I turn us around, heading for her room.

“Let’s go to bed, sweetheart.”

W
hen I wake after the dawn of Saturday, I can sense the silence of the morning that only comes with winter. I open my eyes and look over my shoulder, where I spot a mess of vibrant red hair. Teddy’s head is propped up on my back as she sleeps. More mornings than not, I wake with her touching me in at least one place. It’s as if she wants me to know that she’s not going anywhere, and perhaps that I’m not allowed to go anywhere, either. I don’t mind. It is a part of our dynamic, a part of our routine.

If I stop to think about it, it seems almost unbelievable that in such a short span of time, I have allowed her to imbed herself into my everyday life. I never saw this coming; never imagined that I would uncover the exceptional woman that she is; never foresaw how intimate our relationship would become. If I stop to think about it, I realize that I’ve given her more than I can remember giving any woman in such a very long time. I do so not out of love, but a deep sense of trust—for that is what I can give her. That is what she has earned as she continues to choose me day after day.

I won’t lie here and claim to know how long her love will last, or how long she will remain the pleasure that I seek. Simply knowing that our last day will come is enough for me to accept it without fear. I know that the secrets that we share will remain between us even after we no longer choose each other. Our intimacy will always be ours—it will never be tarnished with lies or betrayal. That is not who she is. That is not who I am. So while we may not have forever, we have our integrity. We have our trust. And we have now—which somehow feels like an immeasurable amount of time.

If this were another morning, I would slip from beneath her and get dressed for a morning workout. However, today, when I turn my head and look out the window to find the reason for such a calm silence, I know that I won’t be getting out of bed any time soon. It’s snowing. By the looks of the blanket of white that covers my backyard, I’d guess that it’s been falling for a few hours. The stillness all but demands more sleep, so I close my eyes and allow the cadence of Teddy’s breath against my skin to pull me back into slumber.

I wake again to the clicking sound of the closing shutters in a camera. Now on my back, I peek open one eye just in time for another shot to sound. When I see Teddy standing on the mattress, hovering over me, I open both eyes and she smiles down at me. She’s got her hair pulled up into a thick knot on top of her head, and she’s drowning in the charcoal grey, pullover sweater I had on last night. She said she liked it—that it brought out my eyes; but it looks sexy as fuck on her right now.

“Good morning,” she practically sings, straddling me with her feet on either side of my waist.

“Good morning,” I reply, skimming my hands up the back of her calves.

“I had to check to make sure you weren’t running a fever when I woke up. You didn’t seem warmer than normal. Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine. Why?” I ask, frowning at her in confusion.

“It’s ten-thirty and you were sleeping. That
never
happens.”

My frown melts into a smirk and she grins before snapping another picture.

“You’re sexy even when you sleep—did you know that?”

“Get down here,” I insist, tickling the back of her knees. She giggles, lowering herself until she’s sitting on top of my hips. “No more pictures.” She relinquishes her camera without a fight, and I set it on my bedside table before rubbing my hands up her tatted thighs. “I sleep more on snowy mornings,” I confess.

“Really? Why?”

“To me, snow is nature’s way of telling us to slow down. When I lived in Chicago, even in Denver, seemed like snow was the only thing that made the city quiet. It doesn’t happen always; those are cities that are used to snow—but if it’s heavy enough, no one goes out. It’s kind of amazing, actually. There’s nothing else like it. Spring, summer, autumn—you never really have a reason to stop quite like you do in winter.”

She tickles my chest, tracing her fingers up my abs, around my pecs, and back down again as her eyes roam my face. For a few seconds, she doesn’t speak at all; and she’s oblivious to the way she’s turning me on right now, I’m sure.

“Is that why winter is your favorite season?” she finally asks.

“Yes,” I say, my hands finding their way underneath my sweater and up her sides.

She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth as I cup her breasts, massaging them tenderly.

“We’re not getting dressed today,” I tell her.

“Okay,” she breathes.

“We’re just going to fuck, eat, and sleep.”

She offers me a shy smile and an enthusiastic nod, and I sit up, sliding my hands behind her back as I hold her close.

“I got you something,” I murmur, pressing my forehead against hers. I meant to present her with my gift last night—but we got carried away.

“You did? What?”

I kiss her lips, both of us keeping our eyes open, and then I encourage her out of my lap. She sits on her knees, her eyes following me as I head for the closet and then the bathroom. She’s fidgeting with the sleeves of my sweater when I return. I toss the bottle of lube between our pillows before I take my seat. I balance the black velvet box on one hand and her eyes dart back and forth between the box and my face until I offer her a nod. She reaches out and opens it, revealing three gold plated, stainless steel butt plugs, with crystal jewels on each end.