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The Judge's eyes darkened. “I will remember this, Taylor. This little power swap is going to cost you.” He caught my wrist easily.
“And what is it going to cost me, exactly?” I asked sweetly.
With one tug, he had me tumbling back on top of him. Nosing the hair that had fallen in front of my ear, he nipped at it and told me exactly what it was going to cost me.
And I couldn't help it. I blushed.
* * *
It was beautiful. Even in the rain, with Judge’s hand firmly clasped in mine, it felt almost like a real date. Romantic. There was only one thing spoiling it, and it wasn't the fact that it wasn't real, because I had decided to put that out of my mind and just enjoy the day. It was the fact that I only had to look at something in passing and he bought it.
“Judge.” Puffing out a breath because I was both exasperated and out of breath from the steep hill we had just climbed, I finally snapped. Whirling on him, I blinked the rain water out of my eyes and stared up at him. “You need to stop.”
Confusion pinched his eyebrows together. “Stop what?” he sounded genuinely confused. “You wanted to go out and explore and I thought that's what we were doing? Is it making you unhappy? Shall we head back to the boat?”
“No, Judge, but you need to stop buying everything in sight. I can't afford any of that stuff. And I definitely don't need it.”
Taking my hand, he brought it to his lips and pressed a kiss to my palm. His eyes met mine over our outstretched arms. “But I can, and I want to spoil you.”
“I don't want to be spoiled. I just wanted to have a nice day and get to know you.”
Anger flooded his face, drawing his features down tight. “This is me, Taylor,” he snapped, and I didn't understand his sudden anger. “This is the life I am offering you. Everything your heart has ever desired laid out at your feet.”
I looked at my boots, an expensive designer pair that looked beautiful but pinched my toes cruelly. “What if I don't want it, Judge? You talk like this is a relationship–”
He cut me off.“It is.”
It hit me all in a rush. In his head, it was a relationship, and it was one he had been in for a long time. He had built this thing between us up into something it wasn’t, and he couldn't wait for me to catch up. Not that I was ever sure I could.
“I need more than just things, Judge.” I finally managed.
Stepping into my space, he didn't miss a beat. “I will give you everything you want, anything, Taylor. You want me to burn the world for you? I will do it. If you want to continue working, I will buy the little bridal shop you work in so you can. Just name it.” Not taking a breath, he wrapped his arms around my waist. “Tell me what you want and I will make it happen.”
“What if I want a normal life? A family with children and–”
He groaned. But it wasn't an exasperated sound. “You want me to fill your belly with babies, I will happily do so.” One hand went down to cup my ass, so he could grind firmly into my lower stomach. “I'll fill you so full of my seed that you won't be able to move.”
His words were filthy, and they had the desired effect. My core clenched. Blowing my wet hair out of my face, I shook my head. “That's not what I mean. What about love, Judge? We don’t know each other and yet you act like you are in love with me, most of the time anyway.” I shrugged.
His arms dropped from around my waist and he stepped back, his face averted. “I will give you everything you want. I will protect you and any children we have with my life, you will–”
I didn’t let him finish. “But you can't give me the one thing I want more than anything, can you?” The answer was there, written plainly on his face. “Love. Can you give me love?”
Slowly, The Judge raised his head to meet my eyes. “Love has nothing to do with what I am offering you. Love fades. I want you by my side forever, Taylor. That should be enough.”
“It isn’t for me. You can't buy my affection, Judge. That's not how I want my future. And you shouldn't want that either. Don't you want someone to love you for you and not what you can give them?”
“I want you. I want you to love me, Taylor.”
With the rain coming down heavier than ever between us, we locked eyes. Neither one of us spoke for several agonising seconds.
“But you can't love me back? You are asking me to give you my heart, but keep yours locked up tight?” Not waiting for him to answer, I turned my back on him and began to traipse back down the hill. I didn't look left or right. I didn’t turn until he caught my wrist and whirled me around to face him again.
“Taylor, stop.” Blowing out a breath, he forced me to stop. “Are you telling me you are in love with me?” Hope shone out of his eyes.
I shook my head, and it evaporated like it had never been there to begin with. “No, of course not. It's much too soon for that. But–”
“But what?” he ground out.
