Page 93 of Jude

The primal certainty in his voice washed over my fears, dissolving the panic and leaving a warm, cautious happiness blooming in its place.

I took a breath, letting out a soft laugh as the realization settled in.

‘Rome,’ I murmured, glancing up at him. ‘I’ve only ever been there twice, and both times were before I turned twenty. I scarcely got to experience it. It’s going to be amazing to actually see all the sights properly; the Colosseum, the winding side streets in Trastevere, the fountains.’

‘Then you’ll see every damn square inch of it,’ Jude rumbled, his thumb sweeping over my cheek.

Before my mind could talk me out of it, I leaned in and pressed a warm kiss on his bearded cheek.

‘Thank you, Jude. So, so much.’

Jude went rigid for a fraction of a second, his breath hitching in his chest.

A slow crimson flush crept up his neck, darkening the black ink along his jawline.

He stepped back, a wry, crooked smile breaking through his usual stoic expression as he rubbed the back of his neck.

‘Don’t mention it,’ he muttered in a gravelly rasp, turning his attention back to the paperwork to hide his sudden reaction to my touch. ‘It’s the least I could do.’

I got the gist. This was his apology after the wedding ring debacle.

I tilted my head and smiled at him.

‘I understand, and I think it’s a very good grovel.’

He winked at me, his eyes glinting.

‘I’ll go let Nari and Mason know.’

My eyes followed him as he prowled away, my chest expanding with a sudden, overwhelming wave of emotion that left me breathless.

Hunched over the marble island, I traced the outline of my diamond band.

My mind slipped back to the sheer absurdity of how this journey had even begun.

To think that my entire future had pivoted on a random, chaotic collision in a crowded airport terminal, bumping into a giant, tattooed stranger while I was running for my life.

The depth of my gratitude was almost too overwhelming to think of.

Jude claimed it was the least he could do; however, to a woman who’d lived with a target on her back for years, Jude was giving me an entire universe of safety and freedom.

Chapter 20

SOFIA

The twin turbine engines of the chartered Boeing aircraft settled into a rhythmic thrum as we cleared the clouds over the Atlantic.

I sat nestled in a butter-soft leather chair, staring in awe at the cabin at the rear of the plane.

Rows of aluminum cases secured the band’s guitars, pedal boards, and mixing gear.

It amazed me how many crew members and pieces of equipment it took to stage Six Sinners, as 40 tons of steel and sound equipment took flight with us.

Aside from the general chaos, there was a delay with the custom lighting rigs and the temporary misplacement of the high-tech camera kit at the airport terminal.

This led the Production Head, Grant, to unleash a spectacular, vein-popping tirade at the cargo supervisor.

However, it was all soon sorted, and we were on our way, all twenty-one of us: from the band to the sound and film crew, and two managers.