Page 43 of Dirty Like Jude
“He’s a biker with an outlaw motorcycle club. He wears club colors and he carries a gun. He thinks of me as his, and if anyone tried to hurt me, he’d have a large-size problem withit.”
“Thatit?”
“Like I said. He makes me feelsafe.”
Jude stared at me with those gorgeous dark eyes of his, and I just tried not tosquirm.
“He’s younger than you. He make you feel safe likethat?”
“Likewhat?”
“Like someone who’d never leave you because he looks up to you. Because you’re better thanhim.”
“I never said I was better thanhim.”
He sipped his drink. “He do what you want him to? Do everything yousay?”
I laughed. “Hardly.”
“Andyet.”
“And yet,what?” I was getting irritated with this line of questioning. Me, sitting here defending my relationship, which was none of his business. Instead of discussing the business we were supposedly here todiscuss.
“And yet,” he said, “you are better thanhim.”
I feigned disinterest, glancing at the menu myself. “And what do you base thaton?”
“Everything.”
“Everything? Could you be morevague?”
“You want a list?” He leaned back in his seat, dark gaze fixed on me. “You have a legitimate source of income and a career. Two careers. You own your own home. You’reolder.”
“We’ve established that. And we all get older, so I won’t fault Taze for his year ofbirth.”
“You have moremoney.”
“And you would know that,how?”
“You’re smarter,” he said, ignoring that. “More well-spoken. You’re kinder. More confident. Classier.” His eyes drifted down to the exposed slice of skin between my breasts. “You have better style. You smellbetter.”
“Says you,” I said, completely cool. How or why he’d ever been close enough to Taze to smell him, I wasn’t sure, and also wasn’t sure I wanted to know. “Thatall?”
“Mmm,” he said, sipping his drink. “That’s a start. You’re better looking.” His gaze roamed over my face. “You have prettiereyes.”
“Is this your idea of flirting?” I asked. “Comparing me to a man you don’tlike?”
“Wasn’t flirting,” he said. “Just speakin’ thetruth.”
A waitress appeared with a bottle of white wine, which Jude had apparently ordered. It was the same wine I was drinking, and she topped up my glass before placing the bottle on the table. Jude just sipped his drink as she ran through the night’s features. We ordered, and when she’d departed, he said, “You’re stronger than him,too.”
I saidnothing.
He lifted his glass. “Congratulations. Putting together a Dirty show is no small feat. Impressing Brody, even biggerfeat.”
I clinked the rim of my glass to his. “I’m not sure I’ve actually impressed him. Won his trust, for now,maybe.”
“With Brody, that’s pretty much the same damn thing,darlin’.”
