“I’d say ‘Never,’” Ari said sweetly, smirking at her friend-formerly-with-benefits, “but there are definitely circumstances under which it’s okay to ask someone if a sprained ankle is a sex injury. For instance, when one of your frum friends has just gotten married and you know she’s finally having sex, and you need to point it out as frequently as possible.”
Bella blushed and told everyone to shut up as they all pointedly looked in her direction, but Zach laughed and squeezed her hand. “I’m just really glad Bella let me know all her friends were giant perverts somewhere around date number two.”
“Well, Inever.” Akiva’s hand fluttered to his chest. “And hey, where’s Judah? I thought you guys were gonna bring him home from shul.”
Noah peeked back out the door. “He’s right behind us. I think he just needed twenty feet of space from Danny and Liana’s arguing.”
“They were also screaming out names for possible sex injuries on the way home,” Emily offered helpfully. “I wouldn’t have minded two or three feet of space from ‘hornia’ either.”
“But that was the best one!” Danny protested just as Judah stepped inside, looking distinctly sour at their friends’ hijinks. Before Arielle could even get a good look, Akiva swooped in and gave his brother a hug.
“Jude! Glad you made it.”
Judah nodded, then seemed to remember that he should be happy to be there and gave Akiva a small smile and shoulder squeeze.
Akiva stepped away as Judah removed his long black overcoat, and Arielle sucked in a sharp breath.
It was one thing to think Judah Klein was kinda hot. Another thing to think Judah Klein was kinda hot and know he was a good kisser.
It was an entirely different thing to know Judah Klein was a good kisser and then see him in an immaculate three-piece suit, hanging so perfectly on his lean frame that it was easy to imagine he’d been the inspiration for its design. He looked like a goddamn historical romance hero, all dapper and sophisticated, andGodhow she wanted to tear him apart, to hear and feel and taste that want the way she had in Aleah’s bridal suite.
Fuck me.
“Everyone, you all know Judah, right? Except maybe Emily?” Akiva was clearly oblivious to Arielle’s libidinal torment as she watched Judah get introduced to Noah’s girlfriend. He nodded at everyone else… and froze when he spotted Ari perched on the couch. Whoops. Could he tell she was drinking him in like a cold, sweet glass of moscato?
But his gaze promptly flickered past her. No special greeting, apparently, for the girl who’d had his tongue down her throat. Which she knew she shouldn’t care about—sheknew—but it still pissed her off. Did he only find her hot in a bridesmaid’s dress? Was that a weird kink of his or something? Granted, she wasn’t wearing anything special right now—a comfy jersey dress from Old Navy—but still.Nothing?
“Rabbi Jacobs, please get on with kiddush,” Danny begged Noah. “I’m starving.”
Noah raised an eyebrow as he filled his cup with the wine Gideon had brought and prepared to make the blessing. “You had a plate of cholent the size of your face at kiddush in shul.”
“I’m a growing boy!”
Judah turned to Akiva. “You don’t wash first?”
“Why would we wash first?” Noah asked.
“Yekke custom—one I don’t keep, obviously,” said Akiva.
Emily cocked her head. “Huh, I didn’t even know you were a Yekke.”
“We have like five generations of German blood. People just forget I’m Yekke because I’m always late to things.” He gestured to Judah with a wave of his hand. “My brother wears the label a lot better, shall we say. And we can wash first if you want to.”
“That’s okay. I can just do it.” Judah slipped into the kitchen, and the rushing of the sink water into a washing cup followed a moment later. For no explicable reason, everyone stayed quiet as Judah washed, as if he’d commanded silence for his holy activities. When he emerged, Noah made kiddush, and there was none of the usual jostling and jockeying for seats just to be annoying. Instead, there was a weird, quiet reverence through both kiddush and the rest of them washing, and the vibe was getting increasingly annoying to Arielle.
He’s not always this super-uptight Nice Jewish Boy, you know!she wanted to scream. But sitting there in his fancy suit, making Motzi for the rest of them over the immaculate challahs Emily had somehow managed to make around her bonkers schedule, it was suddenly clear exactly how he had eleven million entirely shomer negiah dates under his belt; his entire air screamed “untouchable.”
Well, he wasn’t, and maybe he needed to be reminded.
With Pesach only a week away, conversation turned to everyone’s plans over challah, dips, and gefilte fish, and graduated to Liana and Gideon’s wedding as people filtered in and out of the kitchen for the buffet. Ari happily joined in while keeping one eye on Judah’s plate, and once it was emptied, she shifted her gaze to the kitchen. Sure enough, a moment later, he entered her eyeline, and as soon as he disappeared inside, she followed.
She waited patiently for him to start filling his plate with the turkey kale Caesar salad she’d provided (and the only thing she knew how to make) without saying a word. Finally, when he neared theend of the counter at which she stood, she said, “So, I hear you’re coming to your brother’s party. Is that a first for you?”
“It is.” He didn’t so much as glance in her direction as he sliced himself a small piece of potato kugel.
“Interesting. Any particular reason you’re making an exception this time?” she asked, lashes fluttering as she helped herself to a heap of green beans.
“He asked me,” Judah answered coolly, refusing to rise to the bait.
