Page 3 of Reckless Forever (Jennings Mafia Family #3)

Ivy Montana

Well, only second to the voice that changed my body temperature.

Judah’s. His voice was low and deep, but it rumbled like thunder outside the house.

My godfather warned me that we would be having guests until the storm passed, but when I came downstairs, I didn’t expect to see a man so fine sitting at the dinner table.

He was tall, brown, with eyes that looked like they had no end, a fresh line up, and a neatly trimmed beard.

At first glance, he looked a little intimidating.

With those tattoos covering his arm and up to his neck.

But that’s where things stopped being so put together with him.

Because as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, his humor made him warm and welcoming.

He genuinely had me laughing the entire time that we were at the table, especially when it came to the banter between him and his brother.

They seemed like they loved each other and couldn’t get along all at once, and it was the funniest thing to witness.

Just as the lightning flashed, I saw a silhouette on the ground. Then I heard the door handle turn and the door creak. Normally, I would think it was one of the maids, but tonight I knew better.

“Why are you always up at this time of the morning, Shorty?” The human thunder cut my thoughts, as I turned around and saw Judah standing there.

Because I was sitting and he was standing, the first thing that my eyes landed on was the pole sitting along his thigh, in those pajama pants.

I know for a fact the designer of those pants didn’t intend for them to be able to carry his pet snake.

I turned and closed my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths.

Damn. My mind scolded me for looking, but now it was going to be seared in my memory.

I cleared my throat and my mind before responding.

“I come out every day around 2 a.m., because that’s when the stars are the clearest and the sky is full of dreams,” I answered as I looked back up at the stars. Refocusing on the reason why I had actually been out here in the first place.

“Damn, you see all that? Cause I don’t see shit,” He chuckled, and it made me holler out in laughter.

“I’m sure you don’t. Maybe I just have an eye for it.”

“Could be, but my moms always said you’re not supposed to stare at stars, Shorty, or you’ll wake up with one on your eye. And no offense, Meena might not have a degree in that shit, but she doesn’t lie,” He laughed.

“Is that a superstition in the States?”

“I don’t even know. My moms got a superstition for everything.”

“We have one similar here, too. That you can’t point at them. There’s no truth in it, I promise. My grandma used to slap my hand down every time I did it. I’m twenty-six now, and I still hesitate.” We laughed as he took a seat next to me on the chair.

There was only one chair out there, and it was long enough so that we weren’t that close, but I could still feel the heat between us.

Before he could sit on the chair good, the conversation between us started.

It was natural, and it flowed so well. Once you got past his menacing poker face, you uncovered the humor.

Then, underneath that, was the smartest man I had ever conversed with.

Especially when he started talking about security and tech.

It was crazy that he was so layered. If I had to be honest, I never would have guessed.

“So I take it, you’re very close with your mom?”

“Yeah, both my parents. They’ve been together for almost forty years.

I call them for everything. Aside from my brothers and sisters-in-law, my moms is my best friend.

I ask my pops for advice on everything. I call him before I make any moves in business, because that’s how much I trust his opinion.

If you ever see me doing some dumb shit, that’s all me. Cause they raised me right.”

I swooned at the pride in his voice when he spoke about his parents. It was sweet to see how openly he expressed his love for them. It was heartwarming.

“That’s beautiful. I can tell that you and your brother are close.”

“Who, Jaxon? I hate that nigga.” He said, making me almost fall out of the chair.

He caught me before I slipped, “Nah, I’m bullshitting. We’re all close. We don’t have a choice; Pops would kill us any other way.”

The sounds of the sky drowned out some of our conversation, and the flashes of the lightning lit up the town with a pale shade of blue.

I threw my hands around myself and rubbed my forearms. The wind was colder than it had been the night before.

I was enjoying the conversation, but I didn’t know how long I would last outside.

“You cold?” He asked but didn’t let me respond before he took off his shirt and gave it to me. Instead of putting it on, I wrapped it around my body like a blanket. He was like 6’4”, so the shirt would definitely serve its purpose of keeping me warm.

“You only have on an undershirt; you’re going to be cold now.”

“I’m good.” He said as he stared at me. He did that a lot, and not in a way that made me uncomfortable. It was actually quite the opposite. It flattered me and made me want to know what he was thinking. I didn’t have to wait for long because he said it almost immediately.

“You gone give me your number now? We’re housemates, I need to know how to reach you in case of an emergency,” He asked as he tucked his lip between his teeth.

The fact that he didn’t laugh when I did let me know that this was just who he was without even trying.

I exhaled deeply. I wanted to give him my number, but I didn’t want to blur the lines. We were just acquaintances at the time. We only conversed on the balcony or in passing in the kitchen. Giving him my number would only strengthen what I wanted to suppress.

“Judah, I don’t think-”

“I said emergencies, Ma.” He said as he watched me intently.

Losing my internal battle, I handed him my phone and told him to call himself.

He did it and handed it back to me. When he gave me back my phone, instead of placing it into my hand, he let his entire hand cover mine, and he held it for a moment too long.

I shook my head and took my hand from his and turned back toward the rain.

Judah was pushing the boundaries between innocent and flirting.

I couldn’t say that I didn’t like it. Men came and went from this house on a daily basis, and no one had gotten a second glance from me.

But neither of them was Judah. A man I barely knew, but his aura felt different than anyone who had ever been in my presence. In the craziest way, it felt familiar.

The fact that he was nice to look at heightened it.

Discreetly, I searched his face for a flaw earlier at dinner.

I had hoped that maybe I disliked the bridge of his nose or the shape of his eyebrows, but the man was literally perfect.

He checked off several of the boxes that I wanted my ideal man to have. It was insane.

The attraction between us was clear. But it was unspoken and not acted on. And for that I was grateful. I couldn’t have anything happening on my behalf right now.

He smiled at me, and just as he did, I noticed that the storm started to slow. The rain on the roof panels stopped sounding like a drum and whistled instead. The balcony felt calmer, too. Then Judah leaned back and stretched his long legs out behind me like he was getting comfortable.

“You know what, Shorty? I thought you were a lil nerd at the table, but you aight,” he said as his eyes lingered on me as I stood from my position.

“If that’s a compliment, then thank you,” I chuckled as I snuggled the shirt around me even tighter, knowing that I should probably go.

“You going to bed?”

“Yeah, the storm is rolling over for right now. The thunder is in the distance.”

He nodded but didn’t move.

I walked toward the door and put my hand on the knob. “Goodnight, Judah,” I said just as I turned it and disappeared into the darkness.

“Aight, Shorty,” I heard him say right before I closed the door behind me.

I leaned against the door once it had closed. It wasn’t supposed to feel like I had known him for more than a day. I started to feel like I needed to reevaluate myself or get out more because how the hell could a stranger have this effect on me?

The storm had introduced us, and now it was leaving me to figure out what to make of it. Then a loud roar of thunder came back, making me jump. It was the first time that I had that reaction to the sound in a long time.

But Judah…he scared me much more than thunder ever could.

Closing my laptop for the night, I could just pass out.

I was tired, hungry, and my eyes were hurting from being glued to the screen all day.

I had been at the computer for over ten hours doing research for the assignment that I had just been given, and I wanted to ensure that I had everything I needed before the call.

Sliding my chair away from the desk, I went downstairs to get the plate I’m sure my godfather had made sure the housemaids left for me.

I could hear talking in the distance, and I quickly recognized Judah’s voice.

Even though I probably shouldn’t have, I stood at the corner and eavesdropped on what I realized was a business phone call.

“Who the fuck walked onto Mateo’s property without security clearance?

That’s not a minor mistake, the only reason why you’re not dead is because I ain’t there.

As a matter fact,” Then I heard silence for a second before he started talking again.

“Take care of Riccardo, he was sleeping on the job; he needs a nap.”

My hands gripped the railing of the stairs, and my eyebrows rose at his tone; the lighthearted and humorous Judah was gone, and in his place was a man with status and authority. His voice even sounded different. All that warm energy that had me giggling was replaced with ice in a second.