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  I moaned softly when my puckered nipple found its way into his demanding mouth and I arched my back again, wanting him on all parts of me at once.

  Yanking him closer, I allowed my fingertips to trail over the lines of his shoulders, pulling up his faded black Nirvana shirt.

  A moan escaped my lips when I saw a mass of rippling muscles. I would have never guessed he was so toned by his seemingly lean frame but the realization only made me wetter and I groaned loudly when his teeth nipped against my flesh.

  A bolt of shivers coursed through me and I managed to wrest his top over his head, our eyes locking in a clash of brown and greens as a slow smile formed on his mouth.

  “Kiss me,” I breathed, wanting to taste his lips again and his beam widened.

  “I intend to,” he replied, his fingers sliding off my panties as he spoke. Our gazes never wavered until his fingers slid through the sopping cleft of my center.

  “Oh shit,” I purred, curving my neck to the side as my ass moved up toward him. His head disappeared between my legs and the kisses resumed, soft and burning around the skin of my longing core.

  When the first lap of his tongue met throbbing clit, I cried out, not because I wasn’t expecting it but because he hit the precise spot he was meant to touch.

  “Shh,” he muttered, his mouth still pressed against my dripping lips. “I don’t want this to get cut short.”

  Obediently I clamped my mouth shut, reaching my arms above my head for a pillow for which to muffle my sighs of pleasure. He was right; there was no way I wanted our tryst to be interrupted.

  Still, I couldn’t rush the sensations flooding my trembling body. Each swipe of his tongue against me brought me closer to the climax mounting in the depth of me.

  His large hands cupped my cheeks, raising me deeper into his face and I felt beads of sweat forming on my forehead.

  “Oh god, yes. Please. More,” I whispered breathlessly.

  I was going to cum and he sensed it, spreading my ass apart to toy with my entrance. I howled into the pillow, bucking upward uncontrollably as I spilled forward in hot streams of ecstasy. He was ready for me, lapping each drop with his coarse organ until I felt a second climax following.

  But he didn’t let me complete my double orgasm, and suddenly, I was on my stomach, legs spread wide as he mounted me from behind.

  Jude’s breaths were short gasps and a long, pleasured moan emanated from his lips as he plunged into me without warning.

  Instantly, the muscles of my center clenched around him, drawing his massive cock into me like a vacuum.

  I couldn’t suppress the scream as he filled me with more intensity than I’d ever been taken in my life.

  My breaths couldn’t be caught as his fingers closed into my hips, guiding me higher against his washboard abs, his sack spanking me against my swollen button as I struggled to keep myself on my shaking arms.

  But he didn’t want me on all fours and his fingers swept into my hair, twisting my chestnut waves into a knot as he pressed me into the covers.

  I let my arms fall, inhaling the material but not noticing the scent of lilacs in the sheets.

  All I was aware of was the feeling of Jude’s massive cock filling me harder and faster, slipping and sliding. That second orgasm was nigh and I couldn’t take it for another second.

  “Fuck!” I bellowed, clenching my cheeks against his thrusting shaft, pushing myself so that I felt he had become a part of me, our sweating, shaking bodies becoming one.

  He grunted and his muscled form tensed. In seconds, his hot seed was pouring into me like I was a glass for his pitcher of passion.

  Again, I squeezed against him, not wanting to lose a second of his release and he held fast to me as his moans lessened and his body slowly relaxed against me.

  An unexpected shiver coursed through me and another round of gooseflesh covered me but all the tenseness in me dissipated into a puddle and evaporated from the room as if it had never been there.

  “Wow,” Jude laughed, falling out of me to lie at my side, his emerald eyes fixated on the ceiling. “That was fun.”

  I snickered at his characterization.

  I bet he said that to all the girls.

  “Yeah,” I replied. “It was all right.”

  He turned his head to look at me, his eyes still bright with desire, and he leaned forward to pressed a gentle kiss to my lips.

  I hadn’t been expecting it.

  Honestly, I didn’t expect to hook up with some stranger at a party my best friend had thrown in my honor. A stranger whom I knew Elsa and the others didn’t even want there.

  A flash of guilt hit my stomach and I pulled away, sitting up to straighten myself out. This was wrong. I was already falling back into my old patterns, being a rebel without a cause. Was I acting out for shock value or a reaction or…what? Attention?

  Shit, what have I done?

  I reasoned that a one-night stand was not going to make or break me but I wondered if I hadn’t just pursued it because of Jude’s kind words about my singing.

  It didn’t matter; it wasn’t going to happen again. It was a one-off.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, sounding hurt that I was already on my feet. I ran a hand through my tresses and offered him a tight smile.

  “Nothing,” I lied. “But we should get back to the party before they dig the pitchforks out of the cabana.”

  Jude snorted and ambled to his feet also, snatching his pants off the floor.

  “Oh well, I should probably get the fuck out of here before that stake gets warmed up. I’m sure Elsa’s been adding logs to the fire since she first saw me here.”

  We grinned at one another.

  “Well…maybe I’ll see you around town,” I told him, unsure of what else to say.

  He grabbed my hand before I could reach the door handles and spun me back as if we were in the middle of a salsa dance.

  I laughed as he brought his face inches to mine, a lazy smile forming on his face.

  “You’ll be seeing me around,” he agreed, his eyes boring into mine. I couldn’t believe that he was still giving me shivers. Maybe it was going to take another round before I got him out of my system.

  “Actually, there’s an open mic in Alexandria on Thursday nights. You should come. With me.” he offered.

  I laughed again.

  “Yeah, I don’t know about that,” I replied, gently and reluctantly removing my arm from his grasp. Truthfully, I could feel the heat building in my crotch again and I worried if I didn’t move then, we were definitely going to get caught because I was ready to go for another round.

  Why did that excite me more?

  “The place is called JoJo’s,” he continued as if I hadn’t refused. “I can pick you up if you want.”

  I smirked and opened the door to the bedroom. Instantly my smile faded as Elsa glared at us like a pissed off rattlesnake.

  It was me who recoiled.

  “Really?” she barked but she was talking to Jude, not me. “You really went there after our talk?”

  Oh shit. What talk?

  Jude slipped past us, a bemused expression on his face but I could still smell the telltale scent of sex in the air.

  There will be no lying my way out of this one, I thought, slightly embarrassed at being caught. I wasn’t sure which was more humiliating; being caught having sex in her house or who I had been having sex with.

  I guess both had a part to play in my shame.

  “I think this is my cue to leave,” he quipped lightly, bowing formally and sarcastically as he ducked out.

  Elsa spun to look at me.

  “Please tell me you didn’t do what I think you did,” she sighed, disappointment clouding her blue eyes.

  “What do you mean?” I asked innocently, starting back toward the party, my cheeks flushed as she followed me.

  “Gen, you’re a grown-ass woman and I’m the last person to tell you what to do – even if you are under my roof.”

>   I bristled at the not-so-subtle reminder but I held my tongue. It wasn’t a power play. It was just Elsa being Elsa.

  “But Jude is bad news,” Elsa insisted, joining my side. “I’m not blowing hot air. You can ask anyone.”

  “What’s so bad about him? He’s had a few lovers? Who hasn’t?”

  I eyed the blonde perfectionist, trying to remember how many men she’d been with before marrying Jake and suddenly I felt like a whore.

  Most of us have had a few lovers. No one else in the world is as pure as Elsa.

  Curiosity had gotten the better of me. It had to be more than the fact he was just a playboy. We had known our fair share of Lotharios and I’d never seen Elsa so hell-bent on keeping me away from a man in my life.

  “He’s a nobody,” she grumbled. “He has no ambition, no drive. He’s what you left here to escape and he’ll just suck you back in. I could kill Jake for letting him stay.”

  Inexplicably, I felt a shock of defensiveness.

  “That’s hardly a fair thing to say, Else. Everyone finds their groove at different times. Just because we happened to get what we wanted early, doesn’t mean he’s a lost cause.”

  She sighed and stopped walking.

  “I know you’re having second thoughts about your career and everything right now, Gen, but don’t get dragged into Jude LaCroix’s bullshit. He has a girlfriend he’s been stringing along for years, refusing to commit. He sits around and strums his guitar because it gets all the local girls hot for him but he’s a bum. Trust me. I’ve known him for years.”

  She stared at me, her face softening.

  “Like I said, I know you’re a grown woman but I also know you’re vulnerable – ”

  “I am not vulnerable,” I snapped. “I’ve always taken care of myself and one muscle-laden player is not going to change that. Have a little faith in me.”

  She chuckled mirthlessly.

  “I have all the faith in you,” she replied shortly. “It’s Jude whom I have absolutely none.”

  “God, you are such a mother. Save this protectiveness for Cath and don’t worry about me.”

  She didn’t respond but her lips were pursed so finely, I almost couldn’t see them.

  As we returned to the party, I realized I was bothered what she’d said for more than one reason.

  Had I just slept with a guy who has a girlfriend?

  The idea made me sick to my stomach, given the fact that my daddy had been unable to keep it in his pants while married to my mama.

  I had always vowed never to be the “other woman.”

  I swallowed the sick twisting in my gut.

  If what Elsa was saying was true, I definitely had to stay away from Jude. But why did I feel like it was going to be so much harder than I was letting on?

  Chapter Five

  Jude

  It was probably a bad idea but I couldn’t help myself. The alternative was asking Jake but that would likely mean he’d tell his wife and she’d warn Geneva I was coming.

  There was no fucking way I was letting that happen.

  Fuck no, I had to do it this way, even if I came across as somewhat stalkerish for it.

  I’d parked at the mouth of Little Piney RV Park and waited for some sign of the girl who had been on my mind endlessly for the past four days.

  I wished I’d gotten her number but a part of me wondered if she would have given it to me. She seemed determined to leave what had happened between us behind the walls of the bedroom.

  It was strange to have the shoe on the other foot for once. Hell, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had to chase a girl. Probably not since elementary school and even then, I can’t say I recall a specific incident.

  The women had always flocked to me, cooing over my dark lashes and fawning over the green of my eyes.

  I was brought lunch and given shoulder rubs, just to play a song or two. I’d never had to court; I’d always been the courted.

  But Geneva was not just any woman; she was everything I’d been looking for and not just because of her stunning attractiveness.

  I had not been able to stop playing her songs on loop until I had memorized the lyrics to every one I could find.

  Damn, I couldn’t get enough of her voice, of her soulful eyes and her heartfelt words.

  She pierced me as so few musicians had but I knew I couldn’t just walk away from her.

  I needed to know why she had given it all up. I needed to know how she found her inspiration. God damn it, I just needed to see her again.

  For two hours, I’d been sitting in my truck and I wished I hadn’t drunk that last Red Bull. I was going to need to find a washroom soon but I still had no idea which trailer hers was. I’d tried asking a couple of the residents but they were old and surly with no desire to help me whatsoever.

  I was just about ready to give up when the door to the last structure opened and my heart skipped like I was some twelve-year-old in puppy love.

  Without thinking about what I was going to say, I leaped from the cab and hurried toward her as she locked the door.

  “Hey.”

  She spun, obviously startled by my abrupt arrival.

  Her eyes narrowed but not before I saw a spark of interest light them.

  “Jude! What are you doing here?”

  “Honestly, I really need to use your washroom,” I told her truthfully and she eyed me skeptically, unmoving as if she was trying to measure the danger my presence might present.

  “They don’t have bathrooms in Oakdale?”

  “They do,” I replied, suddenly very uncomfortable as I shifted my weight from one foot to another. “But I’m currently standing outside your place and Oakdale is fifteen minutes from here.”

  She continued to stare at me suspiciously but she unlocked the door and let me push my way inside.

  It didn’t take much to find the toilet and a moment later, I was back in the living room area where she stared at me with her arms crossed over her chest.

  “Are you stalking me?” she asked. “This is kinda weird, Jude.”

  “I’m not stalking you,” I promised but I suddenly saw precisely how weird it was. “Listen, I really wanted to see you again.”

  “Have you ever heard of a phone? Or email? I think I might even feel better about online trolling than this right now.”

  “I have but you didn’t give me your number,” I reminded her. “And I had a feeling that Elsa wasn’t about to hand over your calling card any time soon. I really wanted to see you, face-to-face, not be your Facebook friend.”

  Her arms remained firmly in place.

  “Jude, I already told you – that was a onetime thing. And I had no idea you had a girlfriend. I’m a little pissed you didn’t mention it, actually.”

  I blinked and stared at her blankly, my mind spinning at her words.

  “I don’t have a girlfriend,” I replied, wondering what horseshit Elsa and the others were feeding her. “I swear to God, I don’t.”

  “Oh.”

  A look of relief crossed her face before she could hide it and I felt a flash of victory.

  That’s one obstacle overcome, I mused. If those bitches are going to sabotage, they’re going to have to do better than that.

  “I can go if you want,” I told her, stepping toward her. “Or we can go to that open mic I was telling you about.”

  She didn’t shy away from me, which I took as a good sign and I brushed a strand of hair out of her face as I peered down at her. Her brow knit slightly.

  “Yeah, I don’t know. I was just going into town for some supplies,” she replied but I could hear the uncertainty in her voice. She wanted to say yes.

  “We can stop on the way back. I know a twenty-four-hour grocery in Alexandria,” I promised. “I also know a place which makes the best jambalaya this side of Nola. We can stop on the way.”

  “Jude, I don’t know…” she said again but any resolve she seemed to have was disappearing with each word she spoke. />
  “How can you say no to jambalaya?” I insisted. “Are you sure you’re a Louisiana girl?”

  She sighed and hung her head as if I had defeated her.

  “Food sounds good, but I’m not sure about the open mic.”

  I got it. She wasn’t fighting a date with me; she was fighting the idea of getting up on stage.

  “Fine,” I relented. “We’ll go and if you hate it, we’ll get the hell outta there. Deal? No pressure, no commitments.”

  She bit on her lower lip but I knew the cat was in the bag. She had decided from the minute I had told her I was single.

  “What do you say?” I urged, wanting her to say it aloud.

  “On one condition.”

  “Anything.”

  “You can’t tell people what you know about me.”

  I cocked my head to the side and studied her face pensively. Why was it such a secret? What didn’t I know?

  I was determined to find out.

  “I promise.”

  “Now tell me, how good is this jambalaya?” she asked and I chuckled.

  “You’ll be thanking me for days,” I vowed but it wasn’t the food I foresaw her being grateful for.

  She was impressed with the jambalaya and I tried to remember the last time I’d eaten at the little shack off route 165, just outside Glenmora.

  Once upon a time, I had stopped there every week on my way to the bar to perform on Thursday nights but it had been a long time since I’d had the motivation to go.

  Life had been sucking the will to live out of me and maybe I’d given up on the music more than I’d realized.

  I hadn’t gone to the open mic in at least a year and I wasn’t even sure it was still being hosted at JoJo’s anymore. Fuck. I really should have researched it online before making such a grand gesture toward Geneva. I really hoped it did because I’d been working on a song for Geneva for the last three days and I wanted to play it for her.

  “I should warn you,” I told her. “There will be very little talent in that room, myself included.”