Page 18 of Filthy Rich Brother’s Best Friends (Filthy Rich Harems #5)

Lola

T here’s nothing quite like fucking away your problems.

Jude’s touch is warm against my skin. His fingers move in slow, unhurried strokes, tracing the curve of my hip. He keeps his face buried in my neck.

I feel precious in his arms. There’s a softness to him that I’ve never experienced with anyone before.

That’s the problem.

I’m not built for soft. Especially not right now when everything else in my life is in pieces. I’m exhausted . I don’t even get a break when I come home. My roommates, once friends, now seem determined to turn my safe space into enemy territory.

Softness doesn’t fix any of that.

I’m afraid of missing out on what life could be like with Jude. But I’m just as scared to let him in.

What if he decides I’m too much—or worse, not enough? I can’t afford to lose anything—or anyone—else. I’m already full of cracks and if I let myself have him and then lose him, I will certainly shatter.

Then there’s the other problem. The Reid problem. I have now hooked up with two of the three dangerously attractive men living next door. And I still want the third. Reid may know about Jude, but Jude doesn’t know about Reid. Or at least I don’t think he does.

Everything with Jude feels simple. But there’s nothing simple about the mess I’ve made.

Jude kisses my shoulder so softly I barely feel it. It cracks something in me that I can’t stop to think about right now.

“You hungry?” he asks. “I could make us something. Or grab some takeout.”

I hum in response. It’s barely audible, but it’s the best I can offer. I keep my face turned toward the window. I’m too scared to meet his eyes right now. Will he be able to read the truth in them? If he does, this will be over before it ever even begins.

My phone buzzes on the nightstand.

Dread floods my mind before I can even reach for it. Isn’t that just perfect? A full-body panic response triggered by a notification. I’m pretty sure it’s become a Pavlovian response at this point. My phone goes off, and panic takes hold.

My heart rate slows back to almost normal when I see it’s just my brother. And then spikes right back up when I see what it says.

Wes: Had a meeting near your place. You around?

Panic hits so hard I shoot upright before I can think.

“Everything okay?” Jude asks behind me. He pushes up on one elbow.

I nod too quickly. “Yeah. Yep. Totally.”

He watches me, clearly unconvinced. I can feel his gaze tracking every movement as I slide out of bed and start grabbing for my clothes.

“I just—need to go. And…so do you. Now. Please.”

His brow lifts, but he doesn’t argue.

He climbs out of bed, moving slower than I want him to, and starts pulling on his clothes. I grab a pair of shorts, tug on a shirt and try to arrange my hair into a ponytail that doesn’t scream just got laid .

Wes cannot know what just happened. He can’t see Jude . I’m guessing he knows Jude. It feels like he should. He’s living with Wes’s two best friends, so they have to at least be friendly, right?

I shove my phone into my bra, then cross to the window. He literally just texted me, but apparently I’m paranoid. I peek through the blinds, and scan the street. Nothing yet, but he didn’t say how close he was.

I spin on my heel. “You have to go out the back.”

Jude, now dressed, blinks at me from beside the bed. “Lola?—”

“No,” I cut in, already herding him toward the door. “No time. You just—can you not ask questions right now?”

He nods and grabs his shoes. I crack open the door. Thankfully there’s no sign of my roommates. I take Jude’s hand and lead him out. He follows me through the kitchen, out the back door, and onto the patio without a word.

I keep my arms crossed as he pulls on his shoes.

He studies me as he moves, and I know he’s trying to figure out if he should ask questions. I don’t give him the chance.

“Thanks for the smoothie,” I say. “And…for everything else.”

He looks at me for a second too long. Then his grip finds my waist, and he pulls me in before pressing a soft kiss to my mouth.

“You’ll let me know if you need anything?”

I force a smile. “Sure.”

He doesn’t believe me; I can see it in his eyes. But he walks away anyway.

The moment the gate clicks shut, I sag against the doorframe.

My life is a disaster. And day by day it’s getting more complicated.