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I laugh even harder when her next dart centers in on the bullseye and Nick throws his hands into the air with a shouted, “Bullshit! How the fuck—”
“Alright, alright!” Antonio cuts in with a deep laugh. “You owe the girl another fifty dollars. Don’t be a whiny bitch about it, just hand over the dough.”
Nick grumbles something under his breath about needing another shot, before handing over the cash and stalking off toward the bar.
I’m still laughing when Jude nudges my side, his head tipped toward the front doors. I follow his line of sight and suck in an audible breath when I spot Boss making his way through the crowd of people. His imposing form is impossible to miss, so when Addy glances over, too, she sees him right away.
Immediately, she bursts into tears, her hands rushing up to cover her face and muffle her sob.
Boss strides toward her like a man on a mission. There’s only a handful of steps between them before he reaches her and sweeps her off her feet and into his arms, murmuring something low into her ear that none of us can hear.
She hiccups with soft cry, throwing her arms around him, burying her face into his neck with a repetitive nod.
With that, he hefts her closer, kisses her deeply, and carries her out of the bar with a wink thrown my way.
And then they’re gone.
Just like that.
A smile tips my lips. I’m not sure what just happened, but I’ve beenTeam Bossfrom the very beginning, and the way he just stormed into this bar after traveling halfway across the country to claim back his girl, only has me rooting for him more.
It’s the perfect way to end the night.
______
It’s a few days later when I’m at Jude’s place.
Or Jude’s room, at Elijah’s place.
We started a movie a while ago, but we got caught up talking—about life, and this upcoming year—and now the end credits are rolling up the screen.
Jude’s arm rests beneath his head, his flexed bicep sinking deeper into his pillow as he gets more comfortable. “I leave next week,” he says, and the reminder pierces like thorns into my skin. “But I have no intention of ending this, Declan.”
My mouth opens with a response, because of course we can’t end this, but he continues with, “You were adamant about not doing the long-distance thing this past year. But it’s different now.We’redifferent. And I know it won’t be easy, but with us, I believe it’s possible.”
He’s right. Thingsaredifferent. Not just between us, but with me, too.
“I think so, too. And I really,reallywant that, too.” The corners of my mouth lift in a soft smile.
“Yeah?” He shifts infinitesimally closer.
“More than anything.” I nod.
His lids grow heavier, his smile sleepier. “I’m falling for you, Little D. It’s fucking terrifying.”
The light pressure of tears rushes forward behind my eyelids, contained only by my deep, intentional breaths. My heart swells, and its beats swim through my limbs, and I’m scared, too, but I have to tell him— “I’m falling for you, too.”
His face brightens between one second and the next. The sleepiness that hangs over him evaporates into thin air, and he lifts himself up onto his elbow, leaning closer as the mattress dips down between us and forces me closer, too. “Yeah?” he asks, trapping his bottom lip between his teeth. His smile gets caught up in there, too.
I nod, my throat swelling, too many emotions flitting through me to catch a single one.
His smile escapes the confines of his teeth, and then he tilts closer, and his lips land on mine.
The feel of him, the taste of him, the scent of him… all brush up against my senses at once. The smooth expanse of skin and muscle and Jude beneath my fingertips. Mint and sweetness on my tongue. It’s overwhelming, consuming, taking my heart in a firm grasp and squeezing tightly, until every single one of my synapses are firing the same thing—Jude, Jude, Jude.
I swallow, a hum escaping my lungs, and he consumes the sound before echoing it back at me.
He slips his tongue into my mouth and swirls it around mine, beckoning me closer with every flick and slide. I push my body up into his, pulling him closer, writhing against him.