Page 26 of The Surrender (Arlington Hall #2)

As I walk out of my building, a call comes in from Nick, and I cringe as I reject it, wondering—and worrying—about how I’m going to tell him. And when. I can’t file away that responsibility forever. Wish I could. I squint at the screen of my mobile, thoughtful. Maybe ...

I start to type out a message to him. Stop. Delete it. Start again. Stop again. Delete it again. “Shit.” I stuff my phone in my bag. I can’t tell him via text. I owe him more than that.

My feet slow. I owe him. Do I? Do I really owe him? I sigh to myself. I can’t let him find out how he found out last time. God damn my father; I wouldn’t be in this situation if he’d kept his nose out.

I head to the corner and scan the street, looking for Jude or any of his cars.

Where is he? A horn sounds, startling me, and his black Ferrari pulls up, the passenger window sliding down.

I dip, seeing Jude in the driver’s seat.

His eyebrows are on the ceiling of the car.

I won’t thank him for actually listening to me.

He shouldn’t have accepted that meeting in the first place.

“How was your day?” he asks.

“After dealing with the wayward man in my life, it was a good day.”

He pats the passenger seat next to him. “Come tell me about it.”

I get in and settle beside him in the leather sports seat, but before I can even think to open my mouth and share my work news, Jude’s dragging me across the car.

“Whoa.” I laugh, my legs getting bent at all kinds of uncomfortable angles, my dress hampering my already limited movement.

I land on his lap, my back pressed up against his steering wheel, blowing my hair out of my face.

Intent swirls in his eyes as he slips his hand onto my nape and pulls me onto his mouth.

I’m all in, straddling his thighs, pushing my chest into his, feeling his hands stroke across my backside.

I ignore the various car parts poking me in various places and hum my happiness, running my hands across his rough face, letting my tongue lap gently with his.

It takes everything in me and more not to haul him back onto my lips when he slows our kiss, eventually breaking it. I lick my lips and lean back, spending a few moments absorbing his face.

“What?” he asks, squeezing my arse.

“I think I fancy you more each time I see you.”

“Same.” He gives me a chaste kiss. “How’s your hand?”

I flex it, the bandage starting to annoy me. “A little sore.”

He helps me back across the car to my seat. “Alright?”

“Yeah,” I grunt, my leg at an obscene angle. “This car is really sexy, but it’s not built for sex.” I drop into my seat and blow my hair out of my face again.

I look at Jude. He’s smiling brightly. “So, tell me about your day.”

“Tilda Spector wants to meet me for lunch next Wednesday.” I bite my lip, my eyes surely dancing.

“And she’s the woman who’s retiring and off-loading clients, right?”

He listens. “That’s right.”

“That’s fucking great, baby.”

“I know!” I pull him over to me by the lapels of his jacket, ignoring the flash of pain in my hand, and finally let my excitement leave my body, slamming a hard kiss on his lips.

“If she passes her clients over, there will be nothing Leighton can do to match me. Nothing. Plus, Leo Lombardy emailed to accept my services and—”

“Services?”

“Financial services.”

“And who is Leo Lombardy?”

“The guy I had dinner with at Nonna’s.”

“The older guy?”

“Yes. I think one of the senior partners is having an affair with him, hence she can’t take his file.”

“Scandalous.”

“It really is.”

Jude’s nose scrunches to match mine. “I got you something.” Pulling away, he dips and retrieves a bag from the floor by my feet.

Nervous, I eye it. “What is it?”

“Open it.”

The box is long. A necklace? “Why have you brought me a gift?”

“Because I wanted to. Open it.”

I tentatively peel the gift wrap open under Jude’s watchful eyes, my smile unsure, and, on an inhale, pull the box out, lifting the lid. “A pen,” I say, surprised, taking in the silver ballpoint.

“It’s more what it says on the pen.” Jude takes it out of the box and rolls it to show me.

“It’s engraved,” I breathe, taking it from him and reading. I feel my lip wobble, and my eyes fill, making the engraving blur.

I’ve got you. Jude xxx

“In every aspect of your life,” he says quietly.

And my heart melts to nothing. It’s the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever received, because it truly means something, and that’s his whole point. “I love it,” I say, reaching over and hugging him hard. “Thank you.”

“I’ve got you,” he repeats, injecting so much strength into his cuddle. “And I love you.”

I feel so overwhelmed. So fulfilled. It’s a new feeling, and I’m a fan of it. I move my lips onto his cheek and inhale as I kiss him. “I love you more.”

“I doubt it.” Jude turns his mouth onto mine and nibbles at my lip. “I could do something very explicit to you right now.”

“There’s no room.” I return to my seat as Jude lifts his arse from his, adjusting his trousers. “Okay?” I ask on a sideways smile.

“No.”

I click my pen a few times as my mobile ringing fills the car, and I dip to my bag, slipping my new pen into the side pocket and pulling out my phone.

“Who is it?” Jude asks.

“My mum.” I look at him in apology. “Do you mind?” I can’t not answer, she’ll only worry, and I bet she’s in a spin after Dad’s given her a rundown on our earlier row.

Jude waves a hand flippantly and pulls away slowly, probably being considerate.

But this is a Ferrari, and it’s got a screamer of an engine. “Mum.” I wince.

“Oh, Amelia, I do hate this. Your father’s in a terrible mood, he won’t talk to anyone, and he and Grandma have had words.”

If only I could be happy that Grandma has my back. “He’ll come round.” He always does. He’ll sulk for a few days, and then I’ll go for dinner, he’ll give me a silent hug, and it’ll be like nothing happened.

“And you’re seeing that man again? I can’t keep up!”

I look at Jude across the car, worried about having to make introductions. Can I avoid it? Keep him away from my family?

“I can’t stand the tension,” she rambles on. “And since when do you swear, Amelia Gracie Lazenby? And at your father!”

“I was frustrated.” I see Jude look out the corner of his eye. I roll mine.

“You must come immediately and make peace with him.”

“I’m always making peace with him. Why can’t he make peace with me?”

“Because you swore!” The engine continues to roar. “Where are you?”

I swallow and relax back. “Jude’s just picked me up from work. I’m going to his place.” I laugh on the inside. His place. I make it sound like a two-bed semi.

“In the Rolls-Royce?” Mum whispers, saving Dad’s ears.

“Not today, Mum.”

“Oh.” She sounds disappointed. “Clark says he’s richer than God.”

Jude chuckles beside me, and I narrow my eyes on him. “I’ll pop in tomorrow, okay?” Test the temperature and decide if Dad’s had enough time to sulk.

“Okay, darling. Grandma and Grandpa will be here. We’ll go for a walk in the garden.”

“See you.” I drop my phone in my bag and look at Jude. He’s grinning at the road. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“It’s not my mother you should be worried about, it’s my father.”

He nods mildly, eyes on the road. “So they know you’re seeing that man again?”

I settle back, uncomfortable with the conversation. “Yes, they know.”

“Sounds like they’ve taken it well,” he says, a definite sardonic edge to his tone.

“Don’t take it personally.”

“I’m not. And why were you frustrated?”

“What?”

“You said you were frustrated.”

I don’t like this. Talking about exes never goes down well. “I dropped the f-bomb on him.”

“Why?”

“Because I was frustrated.”

“And ... why were you frustrated?”

“Jude,” I breathe, dropping my head back. “What is this?”

“Just trying to understand the level of disapproval I’m going to face.”

I’m not imagining his car getting faster. “I said don’t take it personally.”

“Is your father still trying to get you back together with Nick?”

“No.” Total lie. “Will you slow down?” The car immediately decelerates, and I watch out the corner of my eye as Jude flexes his hands around the wheel. “You’re as unexpected to them as you were to me.” My voice is soft. Almost pleading. “It just needs some time.”

“And they don’t know why we split up?”

“No. They don’t need to.”

“And will your dad tell Nick about us?”

“I’ve asked him not to. I should do that myself, but it’s still raw. I want to give it some time for him to—”

“Fall out of love with you?”

“I don’t love him,” I say, making that clear. “Can we stop talking about my ex and my dysfunctional family now?”

Jude seems to take a breath, reaching for my knee and squeezing. “I’m sorry. You’re right, best to leave things to settle.”

And how long will that take?

As Jude helps me out of the Ferrari, Anouska comes running out of Arlington Hall, her silky black hair wafting behind her, and practically drags Jude away, leaning up to talk quietly in his ear.

I slowly pull my bag onto my shoulder, inevitably interested.

She passes him something and then waves at me fleetingly before hurrying back inside.

“Is everything okay?” I ask. Jude doesn’t answer. Instead, he takes my hand and pulls me along the line of parked cars. “Where are we going?” I want to kick my heels off and splatter on his bed, hopefully with him on top of me. “Jude,” I breathe when he remains silent.

He eventually stops and takes me by the shoulders, turning me to face him.

I give him an expectant look. He gives me a shy smile.

“I got you another gift.” He holds something up, and it takes me a moment to register what.

A key fob. And I’m not exactly in the know about cars, but I do recognise the logo on it.

I move my eyes to his, my disbelief real. “You bought me a car?”

He sweeps his arm out, indicating the shiny grey car next to us.

“Oh my God,” I whisper, staring at the Jaguar. “You bought me this car?”

“It’s nothing.”