Page 103 of Jude

He bowed and left us as we gaped at the treat on the platter.

A dense wall of glossy, plump, fresh raspberries ringed it, accented with a single glistening lychee dome in the middle.

A real, edible, gold-leafed sugar bloom topped the succulent dessert.

Next to it, resting in an ornate silver bucket overflowing with crushed ice, stood an imposing, yellow bottle of Veuve Clicquot Brut champagne.

Jude popped the cork and poured the sparkling liquid into two crystal flutes, handing me one.

‘To your freedom, babe,’ he said, clinking his glass with mine. ‘To the most awesome future possible for you and me.’

Chapter 21

SOFIA

With my legal problems over, the following day, as Jude and the band rehearsed at the arena, I celebrated with a few hours in our hotel’s spa.

I got a massage, a facial, and a mud cleanse before I ended up in the stunning, heated pool built into the foundations of the grand establishment.

Bijou but breathtaking, the indoor plunge pool featured recessed soft glow lamps underwater, its jeweled blue-and-white tiles reflecting the chandelier lights.

Jude joined me after a brutal three-hour practice session.

‘You found heaven, then?’ he asked, stepping through the curving stone archways towards me.

‘It’s magnificent down here, Jude,’ I murmured, gesturing toward the water.

The intimate retreat felt a million miles away from the bustling Paris streets above us.

‘The spa staff explained the entire offering to me before my treatment,’ I said, pointing to a printed brochure from the French wellness brand Omnisens. ‘They offer a naturopathic wellness menu which ranges from Japanese Kobido facials and lemon-meringue-pie-scented massages to light-therapy masks and anti-aging rituals.’

‘A lemon meringue pie?’ Jude huffed, his emerald eyes dancing as they traced my face. ‘Do it, you’ll smell delicious all day, and I’ll just want to take a bite.’

His eyes raked me with heat, and I ducked my head, averting my eyes from his.

I sensed his gaze locked onto me as the quiet yearning between us thickened.

I changed the subject as I stepped closer to the edge of the tiled pool.

‘You should get a massage. They have two rooms that can be combined for couples’ treatments, a sauna, and a stylish fitness room in the hotel’s lower levels. You’ll thank yourself for it.

‘You’re not wrong, woman, my shoulders are stiff as timber,’ he gritted out, rubbing a hand over the tight muscles at the back of his neck. ‘Next time I have three hours to kill, I’ll book one in.’

With that, Jude slipped away into the change room and returned wearing nothing but his charcoal swim shorts.

The sudden sight of him stripped down to bare skin almost caused my breath to hitch in my throat.

I’d seen him naked before, but I still wasn’t used to his beauty.

His broad shoulders sloped into a chest defined by hard, ripped muscle ridges, the ink of his tattoos twisting down the length of his arms.

A silver chain, his Aquila del Bonelli pendant, and rings gleamed in the light.

His low hips and lean waist revealed an athletic power born of years of disciplined exercise and training.

I forced my eyes away from him to keep from gaping like a starstruck teenager.

Even more concerning to me were the growing feelings I had for him.