Trace + Olivia Series Boxed Set (108 page)

“Wanna grab something to eat before you go to work?” Jude asked me. “I’m starving and I’d really like to have a pretty girl to sit with me.”

“Jude,” I grumbled, “I really don’t have the time.”

“You have an hour before you need to be there,” he bumped my shoulder with his as we stopped beside my car.

I stared up at him. “The fact that you know my work schedule is mildly disturbing. Don’t you have better things to do to occupy your time than take me to dinner?”

“That would be a no,” he grinned, adjusting the beanie he wore. “Come on, Row. I’ll even buy your meal.”

I
was
hungry, and while I’d been planning to use my spare hour of studying, I decided what the heck. I did deserve to have some fun now and then.

“Okay,” I agreed.

Jude appeared taken aback.

“Excuse me, can you repeat that? I don’t think I heard you right.” He turned his ear towards me.

“I said okay,” I shrugged.

“It’s a miracle folks,” Jude began to clap like we had an audience.

I rolled my eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”

“And you’re always turning me down. This is a moment that should be documented in history.”

“Oh, whatever. You know I’m busy,” I told him. I did feel bad though, that I tended to ignore my friends, but I had so much going on and they didn’t even know the half of it.

“Yeah, I know,” he reached up and removed his beanie, twisting it in his hands, “but sometimes you need to be a normal twenty-one year old for a while. Otherwise you might go crazy.” He tweaked my nose.

I pushed his hand off of me, glaring at him. “We haven’t even gotten dinner yet, and I’m already regretting my decision to say yes.”

“Oh, Row, straight to the heart,” he put a hand against his chest, dramatically acting like he’d been shot. People were beginning to stare.

“Quit it, Jude,” I grumbled under my breath, not liking the unwanted attention.

“Aw, come on, Row, don’t get so worked up,” he slung an arm over my shoulders.

I shrugged his arm off. “Are we going to eat or not? I
do
have to get to work,” I warned him, grabbing a clip off my bag and using it to pull my hair out of my face.

“Alright, bossy pants. Let’s get some food in you. You get grumpy when you’re hungry,” he smirked.

“I’ll follow you,” I opened the driver’s door of my car.

“I knew you liked looking at my butt, Row,” he winked, sauntering away.

“Your truck! I’ll follow your truck! Who said anything about looking at your butt?” I called after him.

He threw his head back and laughed, completely ignoring me.

Ugh. Jude could be so irritating sometimes.

I got in my car, tossing my purse and backpack onto the passenger’s seat. I followed his truck out into the traffic and through the town. He parked on the street and I was lucky to grab a spot not too far away from his.

He jogged over to where I was, blowing air into his hands. “Fuck, it’s cold,” he groaned.

“It’s not that bad,” I shrugged. “There isn’t even any snow.”

He rolled his eyes, jumping in place. “It’s cold,” he stated. “You’re crazy and feel nothing.”

I chose to ignore his statement. “Lead the way. I don’t know where we’re going.”

Jude shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and looked both ways before jogging across the street. I did the same, letting my long legs carry me to the sidewalk. He led me up a set of steps and in through the back of the restaurant. We passed a formal dining room and bathrooms, before it opened up into a large bar. I saw a door leading to a deck and outdoor patio, but of course it wasn’t open in the winter months.

Jude picked a booth in the back corner. I took the seat across from him, looking around.

“You’ve never been here?” He asked.

“No,” I shrugged, running my finger along the shiny lacquered tabletop. “I don’t have extra money to go out to eat at nice places like this.”

“Row…”

I looked up and flinched when I saw the pity in his gaze. I should’ve kept my mouth shut. I wasn’t ashamed that I was poor. Lots of people were. But I hated when people looked at me like I was missing out on stuff because of my lack of money. I already knew I was and I didn’t need to see the reminder in their eyes.

“Just the two of you?” A waitress appeared beside our table, glaring at Jude. Geez, I couldn’t go anywhere with guy. Had he slept with everyone?

“Yeah, just the two of us,” Jude replied, leaning back in the booth with an easy grin.

She dropped the menus on the table and the plastic made a smacking sound as it hit the table. “What can I get you to drink then?”

“Water,” I answered.

“Same,” Jude replied, smiling at the waitress.

She rolled her eyes and turned sharply on her heel.

“She’s so going to spit in my drink,” I grumbled.

Jude chuckled, pulling off his beanie and running his fingers through his hair. “Nah, she won’t bother you. It’s me that’ll be drinking her spit.”

“Ew,” I wrinkled my nose. “Anyway,” I picked up the menu, “what’s good here?”

“Everything,” he replied.

“That’s real helpful, Jude.”

“Hey, it’s the truth,” he chuckled, scratching his stubbled jaw.

Since I was starving and running out of time before I had to get to work, I ordered a turkey club sandwich. Jude ordered the same and cheese fries for an appetizer.

“Uh… Rowan?” He leaned forward with both his hands on the table, looking at something over my shoulder.

“Yes?” I responded, inspecting my water for any foreign substances.

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

“God no, Jude! You know that! And no, I’m not going to date you!”

“Hey,” he raised his hands in defense, “I know you’re not interested in me, that’s why we’re friends. But that dude over there is glaring at me like he wants to rip my balls from my body.”

“Thanks for that disturbing visual, Jude,” I groaned.

I looked over my shoulder to see who he was talking about, but couldn’t see anything, because the top of the booth blocked my line of sight.

“Did he leave?” I asked.

“Nope,” Jude picked up the wrapper from his straw and began playing with it, “he’s still staring. I think he’s planning to kill me and trying to figure out the best place to hide my body so no one finds me.” He reached across the table and took my hand. “If I don’t make it out of this alive, please tell my mom I love her.”

“Are you sure you’re not studying to be an actor?” I pulled my hand from his grasp.

“Oh, fuck,” Jude paled, sitting up straight, “he’s coming over. I think he’s pissed that I held your hand.”

“Hello, Rowan.” Both words were said through gritted teeth, telling me the person who spoke them was beyond mad.

A shiver danced down my spine as I recognized the voice.

“Hi, Trenton.” I tried to keep my tone light and sound unaffected, even though my whole body was humming with pleasant zings at his close proximity.

“You know this guy?” Jude asked me, his mouth falling open in shock that I might possibly know someone other than him that possessed a penis.

I nodded. There was no way I could deny it, and I didn’t want Trent to cause a scene. Well, an even bigger scene.

“Oh, she knows me better than I’m sure she knows you,” Trent smiled—and there was nothing pleasant about it—as he slid into the booth beside me. “Who are you?”

“You don’t have to say anything,” I warned Jude, taking a sip of water.

Trent glared at me.

Jude swallowed thickly, looking like a deer caught in headlights. “I’m Jude.”

“And are you on a date with my friend here?” Trent tilted his head towards me.

“No-o-o.” Jude’s voice shook. Scaredy-cat. “We’re just grabbing a bite to eat.” Jude was a tough guy, and I found the fact that he was scared of Trent to be hilarious. I’m sure with the way Jude got around he’d run into plenty of jealous boyfriends, and had to fight his way out of a sticky situation, but something about Trent had him shaking in his boots.

“Yeah, and I bet you’re trying to figure out how you’re going to get her to go back to your place, aren’t you? I bet she’s just another conquest to someone like you. I know your type. You’re always looking for an easy fuck. So, I suggest you look elsewhere.”

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped at Trent’s words. I punched his arm as hard as I could, forcing him to acknowledge my presence. I could tell Jude was pissed too, and opened his mouth to say something to Trent, but I didn’t need Jude to fight my battles.

“I can’t believe you just said that to him,” I spat at Trent, keeping my voice hushed so we didn’t disturb the other people in the restaurant.

“Yeah, well,” Trent reached up and ran his fingers nervously through his hair, obviously ashamed of his behavior, “I’m a bit pissed off that you keep wanting to brush me off, but you’re out with this guy. You turned me down for dinner last night, but here you are with him,” he pointed a forceful finger at Jude.

“This guy,” Jude pointed to himself, “has a name, and it’s Jude. J. U. D. E.”

“Do I look like I care?” Trent glared, his nostrils flaring with anger.

“I’m
not
on a date, so stop being rude to him,” I told Trent. I was tempted to kick him, but since he was beside me, that would’ve been quite difficult.

“Then what are you doing?” Trent looked from me to Jude.

“Why should I tell you? You’re the one that came over here like a dog pissing on its territory,” I seethed.

“Oh, this is good,” Jude chuckled. I turned in his direction to see him shoving cheese fries in his mouth. “Please, continue.”

I ignored Jude and went back to glaring at Trent. I was embarrassed by his behavior and I knew I’d have a lot of explaining to do, because Jude would want to know what was going on between Trent and I. I’d do my best to avoid that conversation for as long as possible. I didn’t want to go into details with Jude about my past with Trenton.

“And you’re the one that acts like you hate me, then I kiss you, and it’s obvious you do want me,” Trent countered, referring to the night after we shopped for groceries. “You can keep denying this as long as you want, but as long as your body continues reacting to me, I’ll keep coming back.”

“You kissed him?” Jude asked, dipping three fries in ranch. Of course, out of all of that the only part Jude noticed included kissing.

“
He
kissed
me
,” I argued, glaring daggers at the two guys. “And it hardly was a kiss at all.”

“Whatever you need to tell yourself to feel better,” Trent smirked in my direction. “Can I have some of those?” He asked Jude, pointing to the fries.

“Sure, as long as you promise not to kill me and cut me up into tiny pieces,” Jude shrugged, sliding the plate closer to where Trent and I sat. I guessed they were best friends forever now thanks to the magical bond of cheese fries. “Now, tell me about this kiss,” Jude probed Trent for answers.

“There’s nothing to tell,” I spoke up before Trent could open his big fat mouth.

“It was a simple kiss goodnight,” Trent shrugged, taking a fry as he talked over me.

“You naughty girl. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” Jude winked.

“Why would I tell you?” I muttered under my breath. “You’re a guy. Besides, it wasn’t worth talking about.”

“Burn,” Jude coughed, eyeing Trent warily in case he decided to jump across the table and strangle him.

“Well, then,” Trenton turned to face me, a challenge glimmering in his blue eyes, “I guess I’ll have to give you something to talk about then.”

“Huh?”

In a lightning fast move, he grabbed my face between his large hands and pressed his lips against mine. The kiss was demanding and forceful, but somehow still passionate. It was the kind of combination that left your world spinning. I found my traitorous body responding to the feel of his tongue against my lips. I felt insecure and unsure what to do. I hadn’t been with anyone since Trenton and that had been five years ago, so I was clearly out of practice. I found that my body seemed to know what to do though, despite my lack of knowledge. I grasped his sweatshirt between my fingers, curling the fabric into my fist. His tongue flicked against mine and a soft moan escaped me. My mind had gone completely blank and all I could do was feel. My lips followed his in a passionate dance.

Cold water flicked against my face and I pulled away from Trent. We both wiped our faces and looked in the direction the water had come from. Jude sat there grinning, wiping his hands on a napkin. “Y’all looked like you needed a cold shower. Seeing as how we’re a little low on showers at the moment,” he looked around the restaurant, “I thought this would suffice,” he pointed to his glass of water.

My cheeks flamed. I couldn’t believe I’d just let Trent kiss me like we were making a porno in the middle of a restaurant.

I pushed Trent’s shoulders and he looked down at me. “What?”

“Get out,” I pushed him harder.

“I’m not leaving.” He refused to budge and he wasn’t a little guy, so I was making no headway with my efforts to dump him on the floor.

“I need to go to the bathroom.”

That got him to move. As soon as I was free, I ran to the bathrooms. I didn’t want either of them to see me upset.

I turned the water on, lightly splashing my face. I counted to ten in my head—but it did nothing to calm me down. Trenton was the only person that had the ability to mess with my emotions. Normally, I was calm, cool, and collected. Trenton Wentworth turned me into some weepy, weak, little girl. I prided myself on being strong and not needing anyone. But being around Trent made me question what it would be like to have someone. Well, not
someone
. The only person I could ever see myself with was Trent. I knew it would be unfair to let myself be with him, even if it was only for a little while. Once upon a time he’d told me he loved me, and I knew I could never return that emotion. The only people I loved were Tristan and Ivy. I knew they’d never leave me, but Trent? He would, eventually. Like all other guys, he’d get bored and move onto another plaything. I couldn’t allow myself to get attached.

Oh, who was I kidding? I was already attached. I’d belonged to Trenton since I was sixteen years old.