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His eyes sparked as he closed in on me. “I only want to see your selfie.”
My hand shot up to the middle of his chest, keeping him at arm’s length. “I deleted it.”
His mouth curled into a devilish grin. “You know you want to show me, Stripes.”
His palm wrapped around my hip, squeezing gently. I should have reminded him not to take liberties with me, but his thumb brushed my bare skin, and I forgot words existed for a few seconds.
By the time I regained the use of my tongue and brain, Jude had reached behind me and slipped my phone from my pocket. He swiped a finger on the screen, frowning.
“Damn, where’s the trust?”
I snatched my password protected phone from him and tapped in the numbers. Scrolling past the pictures I’d taken of him, I landed on a selfie I really had taken and showed it to him.
“See?”
He took my phone from me again, tapping the screen a few times before handing it back. He hadn’t scrolled away from the picture.
“What did you do?” I asked.
He took out his phone, showing me the screen. “I’m now in possession of my first Tali Stripes selfie.”
“Did you text yourself?” A wave of apprehension washed over me.
“Yeah…” He sounded unsure. Probably because I looked as pissed as I felt.
“Why would you think I would want you to have my phone number or a picture of me?” I pushed away from the wall—and Jude. “Why would you do that?”
We’d gone all these years without knowing each other’s phone number. As soon as we broke up, I’d changed mine, and a few months later, in a moment of weakness, I’d dialed his from memory, only to find it had been disconnected. In a very real sense, we’d been completely disconnected.
And now, he’d just taken away that safe distance we’d maintained in one fell swoop.
It didn’t matter that Jude wasn’t the volatile drug addict he once was. It didn’t matter that our breakup had happened over a decade ago. Something in me, an old wound I hadn’t realized was still around, had been pried apart and picked at by that one action.
“Jesus, Tali.” Jude tugged at his hair, his brows pulled together in the middle. “I’m sorry. I obviously wasn’t thinking. I got caught up in the day, thinking we were friends.”
My arms crossed over my chest. “I meant what I said on the roof. I have plenty of friends and no desire to be yours.” I checked the time on my watch. “I need to get back. Do you want to walk with me, or will you find your own way?”
Jude’s lips were pressed into a thin line as he searched my face for something he’d never find. With a sigh, he shook his head. “I’ll see you, Stripes.”
I left him there, needing to recreate the illusion of distance between us. With each step I took, I felt worse and worse, both about ditching Jude in Berlin and being so damn harsh. He’d overstepped, sure, but it wasn’t the end of the world. Not by a mile.
Pulling over into an empty doorway, I took out my phone.
I may have overreacted.
I also attached the picture I’d taken of him.
I also may have lied a little.
When he didn’t reply, I stared at my phone as if I could will a message from him to appear.
It didn’t, so I left my quiet doorway and began the long walk back to the hotel.
“Stripes!”
My breath caught in my throat, as it was wont to do lately, and I turned. Jude strode toward me, his long legs eating the distance between us.
He stopped a foot away. “I’m sorry. You may have lied, but you didn’t overreact. You have every right to your privacy from me.”
I held up my phone, showing him the new entry in my contacts.
The corners of his mouth lifted. “Hazel Eyes, huh?”
I returned his slow smile. “Just don’t pull me into a group text. And no dick pics. I’ll end you.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled as he laughed. “I have no fucking doubt you would.” He laid his hand on the small of my back. “Should we head back?”
Inordinately relieved to be in his presence, despite my boomeranging emotions, I bit my lower lip. “I’m in no hurry.”
His palm slid up my spine, then down again, stopping at the waistband of my shorts. “I’m in no hurry either. We can take our time.”
