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He shrugged. “I like you.”
“Honest to God, if you tell me you like me one more time, I’m going to knee you in the nuts.”
“I do like you.”
She closed her eyes and counted to ten, because Judah had no idea.
He didn’t know she’d given Levi fourteen years of everything she had. Didn’t know that what she’d gotten in return was a Dear Katie letter that praised her for being such a good friend, such a likable, faithful spaniel of a wife.
I really like you, Katie.
Levi had told her that and then skipped town with the contents of their joint bank account, leaving her to close up their business and move home in disgrace.
And Judah didn’t know, but Jesus, how was it possible that the first guy she’d tried to sleep with since Levi was handing her the same godforsaken line?
“Judah,” she said. “You hired me and Sean. You had us drive all the way here from Ohio, and then you made us sit around. That was really rude.”
“I know, but—”
“And I get the impression you don’t want to talk about these threatening messages you’re supposedly getting. Maybe there aren’t even any messages.”
“No, there are.”
“So tell me about them.”
His forehead wrinkled up. “No.”
“Tell me something. Tell me why I’m here.”
He sighed and flung his arms out against the couch cushions. “I don’t know why you’re here,” he said. “You’re just supposed to be.”
“Supposed to work with you?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Supposed to sleep with you?”
“I thought so.”
Katie stared at him for a long time, trying to decide if he was drunk and confused and pitiable or if he was a spoiled celebrity asshole who’d jerked her around because he felt like it. If she had the words Use Me invisibly painted across her forehead.
Or if he really meant it—if he really believed he needed her.
And if she cared.
She did, for some reason that had a lot to do with the dark circles under Judah’s eyes and the real fear she heard in his voice.
Something was wrong with him. He didn’t trust her enough to tell her, but he seemed to wish he could. She saw it in his eyes. In his face. In the way he rubbed his thumb restlessly over the nap of the suedelike couch cushion.
She reached out and put a hand on his arm. “Judah, you can trust me. Whatever’s going on that convinced you to bring me and Caleb all the way to Chicago to talk to you, it’s got to be important. It’s got to be, or I wouldn’t be here.”
He covered her hand with his. The same thing Sean had done, but the touch felt completely different. He opened his eyes and looked right into hers, and for a second she saw through his facade to the real Judah Pratt.
He wasn’t cocksure at all. He wasn’t drunk, either. He was needy. Guarded and scared.
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“I can’t,” he said.
