Shut up and kiss me, p.21
Shut Up and Kiss Me,
p.21
It’s never sounded better.
A few minutes later, Jude returns, sliding up by my side to read over my shoulder, his breath near my ear. “I hope you have not been leading a double life, pretending to be wicked and being good all the time. That would be hypocrisy.” He stops before I melt, because yeah, that’s the best I’ve ever heard this play. “Do you like Oscar Wilde?”
“Very much so,” I say, trying to stay cool. “You?”
“A lot,” he says, and neither one of us is talking about the Irish poet.
But I feel Wilde would approve of everything I’m about to do.
“Go out with me tonight, Jude,” I say, as a tangle of heat rushes down my chest, curls into a knot in my belly.
“I was hoping you’d ask. But . . .” He pauses, and my stomach plummets. This is when he’ll disappoint me. “I have to work till nine. Can you meet at nine-thirty?
That’s it? That’s the but? I would meet him at three in the morning. At noon. Now.
I keep all that eagerness to myself. “Yeah. Want to meet at a pub? Get a beer? That sounds so very English.”
“And it also sounds so very good,” he says. “Where are you staying?”
“Not far from here. My hotel’s near Piccadilly Circus.”
“Meet me at The Magpie.”
“I’ll be there.”
He points to the book. “Is this the edition you came for? The one with the two men in top hats?”
“It’s perfect.”
“Did you really want the book?”
I swallow roughly, meet his eyes, speak the whole truth. “I really want the book,” I say, and it’s not a lie. It also might have a double meaning.
As he heads to the counter, I follow him. I feel like I’d follow him anywhere, and that’s a dangerous thought. But now’s not the time for analyzing.
Now is a time for doing.
Jude rings me up, slides the card reader across the counter, then takes out his phone. After I swipe my credit card, he says, “And I believe you were going to give me your number, TJ.”
As I slide him the card reader, he gives me his phone. I keep my head down, so he can’t see the size of my smile as I tap in my digits then swivel the device back to him. Seconds later, he sends me a text.
* * *
Jude: Mark my words. I’ll figure out what TJ stands for. I have my ways.
* * *
TJ: Just try them on me.
* * *
Then, since it’s always good to leave them wanting more, I take the Wilde and go. As I walk off, I can see the rest of my days and nights in London in a whole new way.
* * *
You can order Hopelessly Bromantic everywhere!
* * *
And now here’s a preview of Jason’s romance in THE BOYFRIEND COMEBACK …
* * *
Jason…
* * *
He bends closer and hands me the cat, his fingers brushing mine.
He did not just touch me intentionally. That was a cat handoff, that’s all.
As he heads away to the bathroom, I drag a hand through my hair, trying to process the shift in the mood—the date-like feel of the night, the way he’s giving off flirty vibes.
But then, I press the brakes.
I don’t know Beck from Adam. Don’t know his agenda, so it’s best to assume it’s truly just this TV show he’s staying for.
“I’m getting the distinct impression you have a crush on my dog.” The feminine voice from the TV show reconnects me to reality. Well, TV reality.
Shit. I didn’t even pause the show when Beck left. The clicker’s in the middle of the couch, so I scoot over and grab it, point it at the screen, and back up thirty seconds.
Beck returns to the living room, circling the couch. To get back to his seat, he has to go by me, and his dark eyes are on mine as he slinks past. “You stole my cat,” he says, his tone teasing, flirty, his eyes sparkling.
What is going on?
He sits down.
Closer to me.
He’s a whole cushion closer.
I don’t know what to do.
“Anything good happen while I was gone?” he asks.
I swallow, trying to form words. “I rewound it,” I say, stating the obvious since the screen is paused.
Then I hit play, and I do my damnedest to watch Unfinished Business. When Jamie and Zoe stop in the stairwell, I don’t move. I laser in on the screen. The kiss gets a little hot, a little heavy.
No idea what Beck is doing, and I refuse to peek, even when Bandit leaves my lap to curl up in his.
Lucky cat.
When the episode ends, I bet he’ll say thanks and take off. But once the credits roll, he clears his throat, takes a breath, then blurts out, “Want to watch another?”
His question is Mach speed as if it’s fueled by hope.
A spark slides down my spine. I’m supposed to be in control. But I don’t feel that way right now.
And I like that feeling too much.
“Sure.”
THE BOYFRIEND COMEBACK is available everywhere!
* * *
Easton’s romance is available in COME AGAIN, and Katie and Harlan’s romance is told in A Wild Card Kiss!
Also by Lauren Blakely
FULL PACKAGE, the #1 New York Times Bestselling romantic comedy!
* * *
BIG ROCK, the hit New York Times Bestselling standalone romantic comedy!
* * *
THE SEXY ONE, a New York Times Bestselling standalone romance!
* * *
THE KNOCKED UP PLAN, a multi-week USA Today and Amazon Charts Bestselling standalone romance!
* * *
MOST VALUABLE PLAYBOY, a sexy multi-week USA Today Bestselling sports romance! And its companion sports romance, MOST LIKELY TO SCORE!
* * *
WANDERLUST, a USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance!
* * *
COME AS YOU ARE, a Wall Street Journal and multi-week USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance!
* * *
PART-TIME LOVER, a multi-week USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance!
* * *
UNBREAK MY HEART, an emotional second chance USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance!
* * *
BEST LAID PLANS, a sexy friends-to-lovers USA Today Bestselling romance!
* * *
The Heartbreakers! The USA Today and WSJ Bestselling rock star series of standalone!
* * *
P.S. IT’S ALWAYS BEEN YOU, a sweeping, second chance romance!
* * *
MY ONE WEEK HUSBAND, a sexy standalone romance!
Contact
You can find Lauren on Twitter at LaurenBlakely3, Instagram at LaurenBlakelyBooks, Facebook at LaurenBlakelyBooks, or online at LaurenBlakely.com. You can also email her at laurenblakelybooks@gmail.com
Lauren Blakely, Shut Up and Kiss Me
