Jude Read online

  After a few poses, I fasten Xavier back into his car seat, so I can head out.

  "Getting practice?" Jax laughs. "Is Sadie still in the five point harness system or just a booster seat these days?"

  "That better be the last one."

  "Okay. I'm done. Until tomorrow. I'm sure I'll think of a few more later tonight."

  I groan and walk back to my big, blue Toyota Tundra, and wait for them to move, so I can leave the driveway. Coach lives just a few streets over from us, right near his gym, and when we pull up to the curb the limo is already in the driveway. It's a big son of a bitch, too. A stretched Cadillac Escalade. A group of kids dressed in prom attire stand around the yard that's also littered with parents and camera flashes.

  “I'm too old for this shit,” I mumble to myself, but nevertheless, climb out of my truck. I know Coach would never forgive me if I back out now.

  I scan the clusters of people, looking for Sadie. When I don't see her I head for her father.

  "Damn, Jude. I'm not sure I've ever seen you in anything but sweats." Coach Briggs chuckles, with a pat on my shoulder.

  "Didn't think my sweats would be appropriate attire tonight," I reply, running my hands down the sky blue vest that, according to the formal wear store, supposedly matched Sadie's dress.

  "Sadie's so excited. Thanks for doing this," he says quietly. "They're waiting for one more couple to show and then they'll be ready to go."

  I nod as I pull my phone out to look at the time, trying to calculate how many hours I have to endure before this nightmare ends. Great, it's just six-thirty.

  "Curfew?" I ask Coach, hoping to God it's early.

  "Nah, not tonight."

  "What?" I exclaim, baffled. I look over and he's standing coolly beside me with his hands in his khaki shorts.

  "Sadie said the prom lasts until two, and then they have a senior breakfast or something around four." He shrugs like letting his teenage daughter stay out all night long is no big deal.

  Four fucking o'clock in the morning? That means I won't be home until...until almost twelve hours from now!

  Twelve. As in a whole goddamn day. I didn't sign up for this shit.

  "But you probably want her home by two, right?" I ask. More like beg.

  "Nah, I know she's in good hands with you."

  I'm completely bewildered and speechless at how I've been blindsided by the old man.

  Again.

  I panic and look around the yard, trying to think of a viable exit strategy. Coming up empty handed, I'm wondering what I've done wrong to warrant God punishing me so severely when my gaze suddenly gets stuck on a tan leg.

  Yep, a leg—singular. There's just one, but that damn thing is being flashed from the toe of silver, strappy fuck-me-harder-heels all the way up to a lean hip bone.

  A fucking hip bone.

  Not a panty line in sight where one typically appears.

  As if that wasn't enough to blow my mind, there's another six inch gap of more golden skin around a sexy flat midriff, showing a teasing hint of navel, before the grand finale of partially covered sequin tits with enough cleavage to smother your face in and die a happy man.

  What the fuck is wrong with the girl's parents letting her leave the house dressed like that? If she still has a v-card that shit is about to get revoked by her date in a matter of hours. Maybe minutes or even seconds. Goddamn this girl is too young to be so fucking sexy.

  For the first time ever, I'm ready to say to hell with my own carefully guarded innocence and throw it out the fucking window. My cock enthusiastically agrees. It's throbbing and twitching in her direction so hard I expect the bastard to start beeping frantically like a metal detector discovering gold.

  My pervy, cradle-robbing ass is instantly imagining a variety of dirty deeds, all of which include ripping the two small teasing pieces of fabric out of the way to get her naked. And knowing there aren’t any fucking panties on underneath...oh shit. I think I just dribbled like an adolescent boy in my boxer-briefs.

  I should've jerked off before coming over here, but how was I supposed to know I'd be this fucking horny and desperate? For a high school girl!

  Oh God, my cock doesn't give a shit about age and is so hard it hurts. I wonder if I have time to say I forgot something in my truck, then rub one off real quick. It won't take but a few strokes to get me there. Two, maybe three, tops.

  I barely suppress my groan of how good it'd feel to wrap my hand around myself to relieve the pressure...or even better wrap her hand around my cock...or her mouth. Oh yeah, I bet she's got an incredible mouth, too.

  When my eyes finally make it above the shoulders of the gorgeous jailbait responsible for making my pants embarrassingly tight, I notice she has long, silky straight blonde hair that falls in a curtain down to the center of her mostly bare back.

  And of course she makes eye contact with me at the exact same moment my hand reaches down to the front of my pants. I’m trying to make a quick crotch adjustment before one of these dads kicks my ass. Her beautiful smile widens, and yes, she has perfect pink and pouty, cock sucking lips I notice right before she heads to me.

  Oh shit!

  I'm so busted. This chick is going to call me out and Sadie will be pissed when she finds out I've been eye-fucking one of her friends. Only...the closer the sexy girl comes, the more familiar she looks.

  "Sadie?" I think I may have asked the preposterous question aloud. No fucking way.

  No.

  Fucking.

  Way.

  It can't be Sadie because this heart-stopper isn't wearing glasses and her hair is stick straight and blonde. But those big green eyes?

  Maybe Sadie has an older sister Coach never told us about. Although, upon closer inspection of her revealing dress, it is the same damn light blue as my vest.

  "Hey sweetie,” Coach calls out to her from beside me, confirming my suspicion. “You ready?"

  Sadie must have a fairy god-damn-mother who bippity-boppity-booped her ass from plain Jane to fine as fuck.

  "What the hell is wrong with you?" I turn and ask her father, apparently loud enough to make everyone in the yard look our way.

  "Excuse me?" Coach replies with a crinkled forehead.

  "You actually let her leave the front door of your house looking like that?"

  "After spending four hundred dollars on that damn dress, I didn't have much choice."

  "That's not a dress. That's...that's..." I snap my gaping mouth closed right before the words "the biggest cock tease I've ever seen" spill out.

  "A losing battle," Coach grumbles with a sigh. "Let me get my camera and I'll be right back."

  No wonder he wanted me to take Sadie to prom! Any of the other guys at the gym would be trying to bend her over right this second in front of God and everyone. Hell, I'm a virgin and I want to bend her over right now in front of God and everyone.

  I have an ironclad grip on that wasteful emotion known as lust. That shit is responsible for the prevailing downfall of most men, and as I know all too well, some women. Or at least I had a grip on it...until two minutes ago when those raging hormones I missed out on in my teenage years roared to life; angry and overcompensating for the delay. Sure, I have needs, but my hand doesn't require fancy dates or any wooing to leave me feeling satisfied whenever I have the urge. The convenience frees up my time for important shit like training.

  When Coach leaves me standing here alone with temptation personified, it turns damn uncomfortable real quick. Sadie even smells sexy tonight, all floral and shit with a hint of peaches. How does her father expect me to go twelve hours without trying to get under the thin pieces of fabric barely covering her top or bottom? I'm already plotting nefariously to do exactly that.

  And how is it possible that Sadie's body is this sexy and I've never noticed it before?

  Thinking back...it must've been the baggy, tomboy clothes she always wears, because if she had walked into the gym like this...holy fuck. My thoughts are so impure I'm prob
ably breaking at least three laws.

  Where's Page?

  I look around the yard for my attorney sister-in-law. I need her to give me a rundown on whether or not I'll get thrown in jail just for thinking about fucking someone so young. And, yes, much to my horror, I still want to fuck her, even though I now know who she is, which is...damn upsetting.

  "So…you don't like my dress?" the temptress asks hesitantly.

  I'd like it better if it was pooling around her ankles. It's a goddamn peek-a-boo tease, from the soft swells overflowing at the top making me wonder what shade of pink her nipples are, to the hip bone being flaunted, knowing exactly what I'll find just three inches to the left, but going crazy wondering how she'd taste. Sweet like peaches and flowers? Oh hell, smack my ass and call me a naughty boy because I'm dying to fall to my knees and beg for a fucking taste.

  High school boys are selfish bastards, so I'd almost bet my balls she's never had anyone lick her pussy until she screams and convulses. Of course I've gone down on a few women over the years. As I see it, it's only fair after they suck my cock, and no, despite my name, I'm not a goddamn saint. When a woman gets on her knees a man doesn't ever refuse that shit. Just ask Bill Clinton.

  I wonder what my chances of getting my head between Sadie's legs are tonight. Sex is a staple for prom, right?

  Oh shit, I've gone off the deep end so far. I don't even know whether or not she's a virgin. How does one tactfully ask such a thing, and then if the answer is no follow it up with “Wanna fuck”? If she's a virgin...well then, unfortunately, all bets are off.

  I could still eat her out, though, right? Hell yes. I'm gonna get my tongue in that tempting pussy if it's the last thing I do.

  While I've been ogling her, she's looking at me expectantly like she's waiting for me to answer a question. What was the question? Oh, right, do I like her dress? Ha!

  Barely suppressing my groan, I bark out a laugh instead at the absurd question and force myself to look anywhere but at her, shaking my head. "That's not a dress, that's...that's a goddamn cruel and unusual torture device."

  "Oh," she says quietly, sounding disappointed.

  "Sadie, no, I didn't mean it as a criticism. I just meant me and every other man, or...boy," I amended since they’re high schoolers. "Probably like it too much. Hell, I didn't even recognize you."

  "I'd hope not," she says softly. "It took four hours of work to avoid looking like my usual dorky self."

  I was about to try and find the words to assure her she's the furthest thing from dorky as she could get when Page interrupts.

  "Okay, I want some pictures," my sister-in-law says when she approaches, phone in hand and at the ready. Here's hoping boners are like vampires and don't show up in photos.

  "Where's Jax?" I ask, attempting once again to reach down and subtly adjust myself.

  "I made him stay in the car with Xavier. He fell asleep on the way here, although it's very possible that he's in a sugar coma."

  "Oh good," I say on an exhale, relieved I won't have to hear anymore of Jax's shit.

  "You look absolutely gorgeous, Sadie," Page tells her, and I adamantly agree. Have I even told her that? "And so do the other girls, which is another reason Jax had to stay in the car. Now, you two, get closer together so I can get some pics."

  "Thank you." Sadie replies sweetly. "Could you take some with my phone, too?"

  "Sure."

  After my face hurts from smiling, the picture takers all finally call it good. Everyone else, three other couples, are already in the limo when we climb in. The damn thing is spacious with bubbly, color changing aquariums and shit. But all the other pairs have claimed their own sections, leaving us on a school bus size bench. And I'm a pretty big dude. And I end up on the right side of Sadie with my thigh against that goddamn Jessica Rabbit slit. Okay, so I just need to look anywhere else but down.

  The other three guys and girls are looking at us, or probably at Sadie. The dudes have similar black tuxes as mine, and the girls are in brightly colored dresses, not even half as flashy and revealing as Sadie's. Well, at least I won't have to worry about my wandering eyes staring at any of them. Once the driver shuts the door everyone stays quiet.

  "Are you going to introduce us, Sadie?" One of the girls in a purple dress finally asks.

  "Oh," Sadie responds. "Everyone, this is Jude Malone-"

  Cue the chilly raindrop racing down my spine despite the fact that I'm wearing a suit and it's hot as fuck. Nah, it's probably just sweat again.

  "No shit, he's The Matrix." One of the guys laughs and the others join him. "Everyone in the state, and probably most of the people in the country, know the Malone brothers."

  "Yeah, but I'm the better looking, smarter, funnier, and less crazy one," I tell them. "Which is only fair since my brother is a badass maniac." My comment is rewarded with a few smiles and chuckles.

  "Yeah, so this is Brayden and her date Graham, Cassie and her date Ross, and Lauren and her date Sean," Sadie says, introducing me to the others.

  "How old are you?" one of the guys, Graham I think, asks.

  "I'll be twenty-two next week."

  "So you can buy us beer or harder shit?" he asks.

  "Graham!" Sadie exclaims.

  "If I wanted to get arrested I could. But sorry, man, your buzz just isn't worth getting kicked out of the cage, despite how shitty things have gone lately," I tell him.

  After that’s out of the way, individual conversations pick up and someone turns on the radio. Sadie stays silent, stiff as a poker beside me. I'm not entirely sure she's breathing.

  "You're awfully quiet. You okay?" I ask bumping her shoulder with mine. Shoulders are safe body parts, right? Unlike...about every other inch of her.

  "Yeah. Are you?" she asks, tilting her head toward me with a smile. I'm too entranced by her sparkling emerald eyes to speak. Without her glasses’ obstruction I notice for the first time that they’re actually scattered with tiny flecks of gold.

  "Yeah, I'm great," I finally say, relaxing enough to stretch my arm out on top of the seat behind her. I'm more than great, I'm ecstatic. I went from dreading this night to almost busting a nut with anticipation of what may or may not happen. If she shows even the slightest hint of interest in getting naked with me, I'm gonna pounce all over that shit. But first, I probably need to make it clear to her that I'm very, very interested.

  "I was just thinking that I'm really glad that asshole dumped you," I tell Sadie, letting my fingertips glide gently over the soft, golden locks of hair on her shoulder.

  Sadie gives a small shiver, and now I don't know if that's a good thing or not. But then she lets out a breath and relaxes her tense posture, so that she's pressed back against my arm when she says, "Me too."

  This is when I notice that the limo's turned quiet again. I worry that everyone's been watching us, but...oh jeez. Apparently the other couples are getting frisky and quickly progressing into various states of making out.

  And fuck if I don't want to maul the girl beside me, but I can't just attack her out of the blue. I need to get her to loosen up, and get her talking in order to find out if my cock will be the first one she's ever seen, touched, sucked or fucked...oh shit. I don't know which would be worse, her answer of yes or no. Thinking about her with some other dude...hell no. But I've got to stop thinking that shit altogether while I've got my dick under control for the moment.

  "So...what's your plan this summer after graduation?" I ask.

  She sighs, and smoothing her hand over her blue satin skirt, says, "Not much anymore."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Nothing."

  "Sadie's dad made her give up senior week at the beach to come to the prom tonight," the girl in the purple dress says after she breaks lip lock with her alcohol requesting prick date. Brayden maybe.

  "You had to give up a week vacation for tonight? Just one night?" I ask in confusion.

  "Ah, yeah. It's no big deal. My dad's been against the beach trip the whol
e time. He was just looking to find a reason to keep me home."

  "That son of a bitch," I mutter in understanding. He played me and her both to get what he wanted. "He can't do that to you. I'll talk to him."

  My comment causes a soft, sweet, tinkling giggle to bubble up out of her. "Thanks, but it won't do any good. The deal is done."

  "We'll see."

  Our limo finally comes to a stop outside of the front of a ritzy looking hotel with large fancy columns, valets in tuxes, and a multi-tier fountain. Are they trying to encourage teen pregnancy by providing these kids easy access to hotel rooms? And who should I thank for this incredibly brilliant idea?

  We all make our way inside, which is just as nice as the exterior with chandeliers and shit. Fancy- schmanzy. More pictures are taken of each couple by a professional photographer, and this time I actually rest my hand on Sadie's hip, tucking her small body against mine.

  After a few snaps of the camera, there's no other legitimate reason to keep my hands on her, so I let her go and we set out to track down the rest of the group from the limo. We find them all sitting around one of the big, decorated tables, but there are only six chairs and they're all taken. That's fine with me, since it'll mean a better chance to get Sadie talking and more comfortable around me. Except, after a few minutes, she's still quiet as her eyes flit around the room like she's looking for someone. Probably that douchebag who’d dumped her.

  Holy hell! What's with the invisible punch to my gut and the sudden clenching of my fists? Is this...jealousy? I was just sitting here wondering if Sadie was wishing she was with him instead of me and wham! It's like a damn train slammed into me. I don't know why the fuck I care, but I want to do whatever I can to make her forget him.

  "Find him yet?" I ask, causing her eyes to snap back up to mine.

  "Who?"

  "The asshole you were supposed to come with."

  Her cheeks turn red, making her even more beautiful, and she tries to hide behind the curtain of her silky hair.

  I use the back of my hand to push the strands behind her shoulder so I can see her face again. "He's going to regret the fuck out of his decision as soon as he sees you."