Page 51 of Mr. Perfect
Jude held a large storage box in one arm and tried to cover his cock and balls with his free hand. “A little help here, please.”
Felix stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled like Tracey had shown him. Pete and Pearl turned their heads in his direction, then sauntered over. Felix petted the top of their heads while they cooed happily.
“You have attack peacocks?” Jude asked.
“I don’t own them, so I can’t be sure what kind of training they’ve had. Pete and Pearl live at the property next door, but for some reason, the birds seem to like me.”
He’d never forget the first time Pete shrieked outside his window in the middle of the night. It had scared him so much that Felix had rolled out of bed and landed on the floor with a jarring thud. They’d had a rough introduction, but the birds grew on him.
“They don’t seem to care for you, though.” Felix looked away from the birds and met Jude’s gaze. “What are you doing here?”
“We had dinner plans.”
“No,” Felix said, shaking his head. “You made plans and expected me to abide by them.”
“The guy I used to know could never resist the offer of a pulled pork dinner and swimming.”
“I’m not the guy you knew, Jude. I’m not sure what it’s going to take for you to realize how much I’ve changed.”
Jude heaved a heavy sigh and took a few steps away from the garage door. “I catch an occasional glimpse of the boy I adored before you tuck him away again. It’s why I can’t give up.”
“Get him, Pete,” Felix said, pointing at Jude. The male peacock looked between Felix and Jude before taking a few steps toward his uninvited guest.
Jude flattened himself against the garage door once more. “Fine. I’ll leave the food and get out of here.” Jude’s voice was resigned, and defeat clung to him like a cloak. Felix had won.
Then why did he feel so hollow inside?
Would Felix spend the rest of his life wondering why Jude had betrayed him? Would he regret not letting the man say whatever it was he needed to get off his chest?
“Come, Pete and Pearl,” Felix said, turning and retracing his steps to the backyard. “You can come too, Jude.”
I’m a fucking fool.
Jude followed him around to the back patio. His property probably paled in comparison to Jude’s, but he loved it. Felix didn’t have a pool, but he had a gorgeous koi pond with a soothing water fountain. The brightly colored orange and white fish fascinated the peacocks, and although they were omnivores, they never tried to eat any of the koi. Pete helped himself to a tadpole every now and then, but he and Pearl preferred to eat bugs and small reptiles.
“You have a pretty home.”
“Thanks. I’m really happy here.” Felix opened the sliding patio door and gestured for Jude to enter ahead of him.
Jude set the box down on the farmhouse table Felix had fallen in love with at a flea market. He released a shaky breath, then locked eyes with Felix. “I never told a single soul about your mom.”
“Okay, we’re doing this now. I’ll play along,” Felix said, even though it was difficult with those delicious aromas wafting out of the cardboard box. He detected smoked meat and cheesy potatoes, and it was almost enough to derail his focus. “If not you, then who did?”
“Bobby Cooper,” Jude said.
“Coop? Your roommate? He was hardly ever there.” That’s why they’d been able to fuck like rabbits pretty much anytime they’d wanted.
“Seldom isn’t the same thing as never,” Jude said. “He was in the dorm at one point that night because some of my things were moved the next morning. He loved playing stupid little mind-fuck games. He either purposely spied on us or overheard our conversation.”
“Why would he blab about my personal business?” Felix asked, even though he knew the answer.
“To cause trouble for us,” Jude replied. “Coop wanted me for himself.”
“Oh, wow. Arrogant much?”
“He hit on me before we started dating, several times during, and again afterward. Coop wanted to break us up in such a horrible way that you wouldn’t give me the time of day, let alone allow me to defend myself.”
Jude sounded so sincere, and Felix had been aware of Coop’s crush on Jude. Bile surged upward, but Felix swallowed it back down. He’d had his own suspicions about Jude’s roommate. He’d shoved them aside every time they crept into his psyche. It was safer for Felix to believe Jude had betrayed him than to doubt himself.