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He did as she asked and relished the feel of her hands washing and massaging his skin, then pulling him back so the water would rinse the suds away.
“I like your tattoos. I had no idea you had so many until today, Jude.” He was covered in them from his chest, down to his ankles.
He turned back around and took her in his arms, both standing under the pouring stream. He kept his eyes open, feeling the water webbing in his lashes and blinking every now and again as it splashed hard against his face and shoulders. She looked up at him. The woman was smart. She had a fierceness about her, reminding him of a fighter who refused to give up, and there was also incorruptibility and transparency, even when she stood with the likes of him. She had faith in humanity. Forgiveness was who she was. In essence, she was something he’d never been, and could neverbe…
He envied her for that, the way she could still experience and show devotion in a world so damn cruel…
They finished up, dried off, and got dressed. Soon, they discussed their plans for the rest of the day, sharing a few laughs along the way. She walked him to the door, stating she had to leave soon to get Ayanna, then run some errands. Before he left, he couldn’t resist taking her in his arms and kissing her. She kissed him back with the same vigor, and they found themselves struggling to release one another, and be the first to break free. He wished he could stay longer, make love to her a couple more times, but both of them had things to do that couldn’t wait. He raised a hand to his lips and felt her gloss on him as he stepped out of her door into the hall.
“Call me later,” he said, then made his way towards the steps. “Lock your door, and drive safely.”
“I will, baby.”
As he left the building, he felt amazing. Something was happening, way more than he’d bargained for. What he’d prayed for had been delivered to him with a big ass bow, and her name was Iris. From the moment he’d asked her out, his soul knew what he was doing and urged him on. It almost felt like a compulsion. He’d bided his time, observing her, and liked what he saw. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d asked a woman out. Ladies always came to him, so he never had to beg for their attention, especially with him being a man of means and street status. So, he never got a chance to hunt, although that’s what he’d truly desired. To go out into the wilderness, real quiet like, with his rifle cocked, and patiently wait for the chase to begin…
Then, one night, while gathering a few late-night items for Eli who was having a fit at the adult home, he saw her standing there—the girl from the courthouse. Beautiful prey…
The fresh air invigorated him as he made his way to his truck, listening to the sounds of some country song he’d never heard before drifting from a nearby window. Far more people were milling about now than when he’d arrived that morning. Some of them looked at him as if they were debating doing something stupid. He wasn’t in the mood for anyone to bring down his natural high, so he did something he seldom did: avoided confrontation instead of running headfirst toward it. He got in his truck, started it up, and headed on out, his mind still on the woman who had his whole damn body tingling, and his mind, too.
Iris was a different breed. She didn’t care about his wealth and status. All she cared about was what was going on in his heart. That place within him was off limits to the majority of motherfuckers roaming the world, but for Iris? He was sending the welcome wagon, and rolling out the red carpet…
CHAPTER TWELVE
A Change is Going to Come
…A few weeks later
“Okay, have fun.”Lark gave a slow wave as she stood outside of Kroger, waiting for Tom to pick her up, a cigarette dangling out the side of her pink-painted mouth. Iris tugged at her white pleather jacket with fringes and couldn’t stop the butterflies in her belly when Jude pulled up in his truck. Calum Scott’s, ‘Rise’ played in full stereo. Her car was in the shop, and Ayanna had gotten picked up and dropped off by a friend that day. She was relieved when Jude volunteered to take her to work and pick her up after she’d called him from the repair place and was told the news that they had to order a part.
She opened the truck door to climb aboard the massive machine, but before she could jump in, he put the truck in park, jumped out, and helped her in, like a true gentleman. Iris laughed as he pushed on her tush, helping her get inside and settled.
“How ya doin’, Lark?” Jude asked as he made his way back to the driver’s seat. Iris turned to wave to her friend again. Lark looked rather troubled, but perhaps she was imagining things.
“I’m good, Jude,” Lark replied, then began to fiddle with her phone. She hadn’t broken up with Tom yet, and it seemed the two of them argued more than ever.
Jude took off and turned up the music, then reached out to hold her hand. The butterflies within her took flight once again, soaring higher and higher until she was laughing once more. The past few weeks had been incredibly beautiful. There was just no other word for it.
She was being courted, treated like a lady. They’d been on lunch and dinner dates, walks in the park, her favorite local ice cream parlor, a museum that was quite a drive away, and he’d even taken her to a community play, something he had no interest in whatsoever. Iris loved musicals, so he’d succumbed, and then admitted it wasn’t half bad.
This wasn’t how she’d envisioned their relationship going.
Where were the horrific calls from angry addicts at one in the morning? Him slipping out of bed to take care of something treacherous, or drive somewhere dodgy? None of that was happening in front of her. She had no doubt it was occurring, but he somehow managed to keep her away from it all. Jude was definitely a busy person—between checking on his brother in prison, his nephew, his crew as he often called his personnel, and assisting his childhood friend Eli, he was running the brewery and his illicit activities, too. He had his phone on him at all times; in fact, he had several phones, but she didn’t feel sucked into his affairs in any way, shape, or form.
He was so good to her. Attentive. Sexy. Generous. Smart. One evening, he’d surprised her with a picnic on the bed of his truck while they watched a movie at the drive-in movie theater. There were purple rose petals and tin candles, and they’d ended up making out all night.
“Iris, I need to talk to you about something.” He turned the radio off and began to stroke his beard.
“Yes? What is it?”
He didn’t speak for a long while, as if his mind was in a fog and he was frantically trying to find the precise words to weave together amongst the haze.
“Before I met you, I knew I wanted some things in my life to go a certain way. Most of my life, I’ve been pretty clear about what I wanted. After you came into the picture, I had more clarity about how I was going to accomplish those things. I’m still working through the details, Iris, but I just thought you should know I’ve decided this is it. I’m gettin’ out of the game.”
Everything inside of her burst with joy. The words she’d never thought she’d hear anytime soon now drifted right on her lap.
A gift for the taking.
“Jude… thank God! I know I promised to keep an open mind, and I did, but I’ve been so worried about you,” He nodded, not looking exactly happy, but content. “I couldn’t fully relax or give my all to you without some sort of reassurance that this would be comin’ to an end. I didn’t want to push you, but like I told you last week, I feel deeply for you, yet I’ve got to be careful and guarded. I just couldn’t get away from the feelings.”
