“Leave now and we won’t have to call an ambulance to pick you up.” Jude’s chilling tone caused the guy to put up his hands in surrender. Jude shoved his arm against Mike’s neck harder and then released him.
Mike stumbled away coughing and cussing. We’d attracted a small crowd, and I looked around at the faces then finally brought myself to look at Jude. I knew the moment I looked at him I would burst into tears. And I did not disappoint myself. His green eyes were a mixture of rage and concern.
He reached for my hand, but I pulled it away.
“You win,” I blurted through sobs and ran back through the house and to my room. I was fairly certain I’d elbowed my way through the crowd without Finley noticing. I was glad for that. Even though my night had gone from bad to horribly ugly within the space of half an hour, I definitely didn’t want it to stop Finley’s night.
A whimper of relief fell from my lips as I reached my room. I flopped onto my bed and buried my face into my pillow just as a knock sounded on the door.
“Eden, it’s me. Let me in.” The sound of Jude’s voice pushed the tears harder.
“I’m fine, Jude. Just go away.”
The door opened and he stepped inside. I didn’t look up from the pillow.
“Go ahead and say I told you so,” I muttered into the pillow. “You were right. I couldn’t handle it.”
“Actually, I didn’t see that coming. I mean Mike’s an asshole and everything, but I had no idea he’d pull that shit.” He was directly over my bed, but I still couldn’t bring myself to look at him. “Come on, Eden, take your face out of that pillow. I just want to know that you’re all right.”
“Okay, but I must warn you that my nose and eyes get really puffy when I cry.” I wiped my tears with the palm of my hand and sat up against the headboard.
Jude crossed his hands in front of his face. “Holy shit, that is frightening.”
I threw my pillow at him, which he deftly snatched from the air before it made contact. He sat on the edge of my bed, and once again, I was acutely aware of his nearness as if electric charges were sparking between us.
“Thank you, by the way.” My eyes watered again. I’d had unwanted advances from guys before but I’d never been as scared as I had been this time. “Let’s not tell Finley.”
“Agreed,” he said. “Hopefully people are already too wasted to relay the story. At the moment, she’s busy swooning over Max.”
“Is he a trustworthy guy?” I felt better switching subjects and getting my mind off of my traumatic experience.
“Max is all right.” Jude combed his fingers through his black hair and it stuck out in every direction. I’d been so busy surviving the party, I hadn’t noticed just how heartbreaking he looked in his black t-shirt and jeans. “Fin has had a thing for the guy for the last three years. And I think he’s always liked her, but—”
“But he doesn’t realize how bad her problems are?”
“I don’t think Cole talks about it much. Just like my dad, he kind of likes to shrug it off like it’s no big deal. I don’t want her to get hurt. It’s the last thing she needs.”
“Your sister might be dealing with some things, but she has an incredible grasp on people and the world. I don’t think she’ll lose her head over him. He’s just a guy, after all,” I added with a grin.
“I’d say you’ve got a pretty incredible grasp yourself there, Valley. You’ve known my sister for a few days and it’s as if you’ve known her a lifetime.”
“I feel like I’ve known her a lifetime. Hey, she mentioned you were pissed at Cole for inviting someone you didn’t want to see. Was that sleazebag, Mike, the guy?”
He shook his head. “Nope. That was a different sleazebag. Although after tonight, Mike’s definitely the king of sleaze. The other guy didn’t show. I think Cole told him not to come after my subtle warning.”
I laughed. “Was it anything like the subtle warning you gave Mike? I thought he was going to pee his pants. It would have been so great if he had. Who was this guy that you disinvited?”
“He’s the reason I’m wearing this thing.” He held up his ankle. “His cocaine, my freedom. I got pulled over in my car for speeding, and the fool dropped it between the seats. But my sentence is almost done now.”
“Then I guess you’ll be leaving soon?”
“Did Fin tell you that?” The green in his eyes moved from light gray to green depending on the light.
“She mentioned you’d be out of here once they took it off.”
He nodded and pushed up from the bed. He stared down at me and the electricity I’d felt when he sat near me only intensified. “So you’ve never lost your head over a guy?”
The way he looked at me had knocked the breath from me, and it took me a moment to find the air to speak. “Nope, never.”
His mouth turned up on one side. “Maybe you just haven’t met the right guy yet.” He walked to the door, opened it, and looked back. “I guess we can call the bet a draw since unforeseen circumstances got in the way.”
“No, you won fair and square. But I have to warn you, I’m a boring subject for a painting.”
“Trust me, Valley, you’re anything but boring.” He shut the door behind him.
Chapter 11
I sat in bed reading, waiting for Finley to wake up. I could still hear voices downstairs as if people were just sobering up enough to leave. Her knock came earlier than I’d expected.
She raced across the floor and jumped into my bed reminding me of my little sisters. “So much fun last night.” She flopped back and brought her hands to her heart. “He’s just as awesome as ever.” She sprang up to sit. When she was excited about something, she tended to move quickly and without warning like a hummingbird. “I hope you weren’t too bored. I didn’t see you much.” She grabbed my hand and her eyes went wide. “Supposedly Jude had to come to some girl’s rescue last night in the garden. The guy he kicked out is a real jerk. Everyone was happy to see him go. Did you see any of it?” she asked.
“No. I got hit with a nasty headache, so I turned in early.”
“Your eyes do look a little swollen. How are you feeling this morning?”
“I’m feeling a lot better, thanks.”
She slid off the bed. “Well, Becky will be here in an hour to do our tattoos, so I’ll meet you down in the kitchen.” She skittered across the floor like an excited little kid. It was fun to see her so happy, but there was always that unnerving feeling that her mood could change instantly. “Jude drew me the cutest picture of Some Pig. I can’t wait to have Becky put it on my shoulder.” She flew out of the room.
Several pairs of unfamiliar bloodshot eyes peered up over the back of the couch when I stepped into the kitchen. They didn’t look terribly pleased with the clamor Finley was making. It was obvious she was being extra noisy on purpose. Even Some Pig seemed to be snorting in his food with extra loud zeal.
“Eggs all right?” she asked.
“Yep.
“Maybe we should add some onions and anchovies,” she said loudly in the direction of the couch. Groans of nausea followed the lingering party guests out of the room. “Ta ta and don’t let the door hit you on your sorry ass on the way out.”
“Uh, you were just kidding about the onions and anchovies, right?”
“Heck yeah. That would be gross even without a hangover.”
We sat to eat, but Finley just picked through the eggs and daydreamed with starry eyes.
I picked up a forkful. “You look like you’re stuck in fairy tale land.”
“I am. He’s just as funny and dreamy as ever,” she said. “And I’m pretty sure he likes me too.”
“Pretty sure? You two sat and talked together as if you were completely alone. An entire party went on around you, but neither of you were aware of it.” Momentarily memories of the horrid night flashed through my mind, but I pushed them back out of reach. Finley had been so absorbed in her evening with Max, she’d only heard vague rumors of what had happened, and I planned to keep it that way. It wasn’t anything she needed to hear about, and I definitely didn’t ever want to talk about it.