Page 16

Number thirty-three.
And… yeah. Cal’s guys aren’t in full gear this time, but the practice wear still hugs every inch of their toned bodies. And they’re not running drills this time, either. Just moving together in a perfect synchrony of stretches and exercises that are impossible to look away from.
Five minutes, ten, fifteen later, and I’m still watching.
I’d feel guilty about it if Addy weren’t, too.
Clearing my throat, I look away as the group of them take off into a run.
“Three miles!” Cal shouts at them. “Let’s go! Let’s hustle!”
The wave of them washes through the yard, hard feet hitting the grass as they pass the pool area and head out through the front gate to the road ahead.
“Holy hell, those boys are hot,” Addy comments, breaking our stretch of silence.
“Holy hell, indeed.” I crack up, and in my effort not to gawk any more than I already have, I lose track of Jude completely.“Damn,”I mutter under my breath. And then I silently admonish myself for being so blatantly…What?Desperate for another glimpse? Forhimto look atme?
To know where we stand,the whispered thought intrudes.
I can admit that I don’t know what to expect when I come face-to-face with him again. A smile? A friendly,Hello?That already familiar, signature scowl of his, and that brutal stare, and all of that…intensityhe radiates? There’s no other word for it, the way his energy pushes all life outside of a room until it feels like the only other heart beating inside of it is his.
It’s intense.
When we were out on Boss’s balcony last night, despite having just clawed my way from the depths of a panic attack, I didn’t feel anyone’s presence but his. I can’t even recall now if there were other people outside when I finally stood up and managed to walk away, heading back into the party to find Addy.
It sounds ridiculous. I know it does. I’ve known Jude for all of a day and a half. But there’s this inexplicablesomethingabout him. Something that allows my inner chaos to be put at ease.
That doesn’t usually happen to me. Not with anyone but Addy.
But Jude, from what I’ve seen so far, seems like someone who has walls built around him stretching a mile high. So why is itthat when he looks at me, I feel like I can breathe? My thoughts settle, and the world quiets, and I can feel myself justbe.It’s the exact opposite of what I should be feeling when someone looks at me like that. Like I’m every mistake he doesn’t plan on making.
I wonder if it’s just me, or if everyone feels that way around him—intentionally pushed outside his bounds but feeling called inside of them anyway. A gravitational pull that’s impossible to ignore.
“Hey, girls!” Cal’s adoring, soothing voice interrupts my musings, putting an immediate smile on my face. Resting his elbows on the fence surrounding the pool, he gives us one of his megawatt grins.
“Hey, Cal.” My smile stretches wider.
“Hi, Dad,” Addy greets.
“And what are my girls up to today?” He folds his arms together, giving us his full attention.
“Not much,” Addy answers with a shrug. “Just hanging out. We’re meeting up with some friends later tonight, though.”
Cal hums in response. “You’ll stick around for lunch, then? I’m planning on grilling up some meat, and Mom’s going to make her famous potato salad.”
“Ooh. Yes, yes. That sounds delicious,” I say, practically drooling over the thought of it.
Addy laughs. “Yeah, we’ll stick around, Daddy.”
“Alright, sounds good.” He pats the fence two times and straightens. “And where are you headed off to tonight, exactly?” he asks, squinting against the sunlight, and he and Addy get into all the specifics—thewho, what, when, where,andwhy.It warms my heart that he cares about that kind of stuff, even as Addy grumbles beside me.
“Weareeighteen now, you know,” she mumbles under her breath, and I nudge her with an elbow, doing my best to keep a smile off my face.
Cal’s attention is redirected, though, as football players flood back into the yard.
“And that’s my cue,” he says before stalking off toward his guys, Coach-mode reactivated. He hollers at them and calls them into a huddle. Muffled shouts can be heard from behind their solid wall of muscle, a finalgrunt, grunt, gruntof some sort ringing loud and clear before they all break apart and head off in different directions.
Boss makes a beeline for Addy, bravely giving her a sweaty kiss that makes her squeal and briefly tips the float we’re laying on.