Page 7 of Cupid
“I hope you’ll be comfortable in here. It’s basically the same as my room, but nicer since it’s brand-new. So, you’re not missing out on much.” He bit his lip and looked up at me. “Do you need the second room while you’re here…or is it okay if I camp out in there? I promise not to get in your way.”
“No, that’s fine. I plan to spend most of my time on the deck or in the water.” Again, I had to remind myself not to reach for him when the unexplained instinct kicked in. “And you don’t have to hide in the room. I’m just happy to have a quiet place with a beautiful view to decompress for a week. I’m not good at taking vacations, but I can see myself getting pretty comfortable here.”
Jude’s eyes seemed to darken as I looked at him, which was surprising for a human. I didn’t know their pupils could respond so quickly to…lust? Was that it? Was he interested in me? “Thank you for understanding. You’re my first, and probably last, guest, so I’m not exactly sure what the protocol is.”
I shrugged and tossed my bag onto the bed. “I’m not big on protocol. If you don’t mind, I’d love to take a shower and then maybe grab something to eat. Are there takeout places nearby?”
“There are a couple great places that deliver, but I just stocked the kitchen. I’d be happy to make something.”
I cocked my head and gestured toward his wrist. “Are you sure you can cook with one hand? I can probably throw something together when I get out of the shower…for both of us.”
Jude’s cheeks flushed slightly, and he grinned. “If you don’t mind leftovers, I have a pot roast from yesterday that I was planning to warm up with some fresh-from-frozen dinner rolls. It’s a pretty hearty meal.”
“That sounds amazing. I’ll just quickly rinse off, and then I can help.”
His eyes trailed down my body and then darted back up before he cleared his throat. “I’m in no rush. Take as long as you need.”
With looks from him like that, I would need a bit longer. Long enough to rub one out and take the edge off. My boner was in full force, and I didn’t want to make this sweet omega feel uncomfortable with having an unmated alpha sporting wood in his home.
Once Jude excused himself, I unzipped my bag to dig out clean clothes. Unfortunately, the scent of sunscreen overwhelmed me, and I realized my tube of cream had opened up in my bag. Most of my clothes were coated in white slime. “Fuck.”
I pulled everything out to see what I could salvage. At the bottom of the bag, I found a pair of sweats and three pairs of socks that were completely clean. Everything else needed to be washed.
Annoyed that I hadn’t put the tube in a plastic bag like I had intended to, I left the messy clothes in a pile on the floor and headed into the shower. I’d deal with it after I washed up.
The water pressure was amazing and instantly soothed my tight muscles. As much as I wanted to hurry back to Jude, I also needed a bit of extra time with…myself. And within a few minutes, I’d rinsed off my body and unloaded my balls, getting into the right mindset to appropriately deal with a sweet and adorable omega who was staying in the same house as me for the upcoming week. Talk about the most torturous kind of torture.
With that done, I was ready to fill my belly. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until that moment.
After dropping the damp towel from around my waist, I slipped into the clean sweats and walked barefoot out to the kitchen. Jude was just putting some rolls into the oven when I leaned against the door jamb and took a moment to appreciate the view.
There was something so innocent and gentle about him.
I could tell that he was genuinely kind, and the fact that I knew that after spending just a few moments with him did something funny in my gut.
Not to mention the fact that the purple haze was still floating around him but trailing like smoke toward me, as if seeking the right place to land.
I decided to ignore it, not wanting to analyze too hard what it meant as I cleared my throat to get his attention.
Jude was just wiping his hands on the towel hanging from the oven door when he looked in my direction and startled. His jaw dropped and he stared, probably not expecting to find me half naked in his kitchen. “Oh, hi. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I just had a bit of a mishap with my clothes.” I held up the pile in my arms. “Do you have a washer I can use?”
“Yeah, of course.” He pointed to the louvered doors across from the kitchen, and I suddenly remembered that part of his tour. “You’re welcome to use anything you need. I can go ahead and get a load started for you, if you’d like.”
I tightened my grip on the load in my arms and shook my head. “Thanks, but you don’t have to do it for me. If you walk me through the steps so I don’t break your machines, I should be fine.”
Jude gestured toward the laundry nook so I could take the few steps toward it, then he scooted past me to show me the basics. “It’s pretty easy. Just two buttons, really.”
Once he pointed out how to set it for a standard wash, I felt a little self-conscious about what I was wearing. Or more accurately, what I wasn’t wearing. “Sorry to be shirtless, but these sweats are the only thing that survived… Well, these and a few pairs of socks.”
Jude looked right at my chest and then glanced lower toward my waistband. “Um, I’d offer to let you borrow something, but…” Jude’s eyes trailed across my chest once again, and he seemed to be lost in thought for just a moment before remembering that he hadn’t finished his sentence. “I doubt anything I have will fit.”
At some level, I was happy that he didn’t have a closet full of men’s clothes that would fit me. Even though it didn’t mean anything, I was relieved, nonetheless.
FIVE
JUDE
