Boarded by Love Read online

  “Yup, I’m getting my business major so I can take over one day or maybe open a studio somewhere else. Or do Vegas shows. You never know.”

  “That’s good. I’m glad. I haven’t seen you in a long time, and I’m not lying when I say you’ve gotten hotter. You’re beautiful.”

  She smiles. “Thank you.”

  “Why don’t I give you my number, and we can go somewhere after you get done?”

  He pulls out his phone but she shakes her head. “Sorry, Patrick, but I’m with someone.”

  He eyes her. “Is it serious? Can I steal you away?” he asks with a cheeky smile.

  She shakes her head, a warm grin coming over her face. “No, it’s superserious. He’s pretty amazing, makes me really happy.”

  “That’s good. I’m glad you’re happy, you deserve that,” he says and then he smiles. “I should have snatched you up when you turned eighteen. I still think about our time together.”

  Her face burns with color as she pushes him away. “Oh, hush!”

  He laughs and she giggles as she reaches for a bag of popcorn. “I gotta go. I don’t know where my man is, must have fallen in the toilet or something. I’ll see you around, Patrick,” she says, and then gives him a sideways hug.

  “It was great seeing you,” he says, wrapping both his arms around her and hugging her tightly.

  “You too, bye,” she says, and when she turns, she sees me, a grin coming over her face but I can’t enjoy it because fuck-a-doodle-doo is watching her ass as she walks away. I glare at him, and he meets my gaze and then grins. Chucking his chin at me, he turns and thankfully is gone as Claire wraps her arms around me. “What happened to you?”

  “Nothing,” I say, and it comes out sharper than I intended. She eyes me curiously and I say, “I heard your whole conversation with that guy. Past boyfriend?”

  “Nope, I almost had sex with him to drive Phillip crazy, but it was nothing and I only see him at Assassins functions,” she says, releasing me and going to the cooler for a water like it’s no big deal. I know it shouldn’t be, but it bothers me.

  “So I shouldn’t be mad, right? Or let this bother me?”

  She looks up at me and shakes her head. “I promise it’s not a big deal. It was the old me, the nasty one who had a bad childhood.”

  “That you still haven’t shared with me, by the way.”

  She nods. “You’re right. Maybe I should change that?”

  As she looks up at me, I know that she’s right. I shouldn’t be mad or anything. She’s mine. Completely and utterly mine. I was pretty confident about that earlier, but now that she wants to share her past with me when before she didn’t has to mean something. Reaching out, I lace my fingers with hers, bringing her close to me before kissing her nose. “I’d like that,” I say in a whisper against her nose. “I want to know everything about you.”

  “Okay, well, you have been warned. So no running, okay?”

  I shake my head. “I couldn’t run away from you if I tried.”

  She grins as she reaches up, cupping the back of my neck to bring me down for a long stomach-flipping kiss. When we part, I kiss her bottom lip and say, “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Yeah, I’m gonna be late,” she says as we rush to get out of the gas station. It doesn’t take long to get to the studio as it’s right down the road, and thankfully, we’re not late. Hopping off the bike, she tucks her helmet under her arm and then grabs her bag. “You’ll be here around three?”

  I take ahold of her shirt, bringing her to me. “Yeah, I’ll be here.”

  She smiles sweetly before bending down for a quick kiss, but that isn’t enough for me. Deepening the kiss, I hold her face as my lips move against hers. Pulling back, she smiles as she kisses me one last time and whispers, “I love you.”

  Matching her grin, I run my thumb along her bottom lip as my whole body tingles for this girl. “I love you more.”

  “Hey, guys.”

  I look away from Claire to see her aunt Reese coming toward us. She matches Claire, wearing sweats with her hair pulled up in a high ponytail.

  “Hey,” we both say as Claire backs away some, but I snake my arm around her waist, pulling her back to me.

  Smiling, Reese says, “So, how’s it going?”

  “Good, thank you. You?” I say.

  “Good, thanks,” she says and then meets Claire’s eyes. They stare at each other for what seems like ever, and as I watch them, I wonder if they are telepathically talking to each other. It’s weird, but finally, Reese looks at me and says, “How would you like to come to dinner Wednesday?”

  “He’s busy,” Claire says, giving me a look that says I am very busy in fact, but I don’t remember being busy.

  Shrugging my shoulders, I say, “I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to say I’m busy, but I can’t remember with what.”

  “Jerk,” she mutters, pulling herself out of my arms and shrugging her shoulders. “It’s your funeral.”

  I laugh as Reese rolls her eyes. “It’s not a big deal. Phillip will be nice, I swear.”

  “You can’t guarantee that,” Claire says and then looks back at me. “She can’t guarantee that.”

  “Oh, hush, it will be fine. I’ll figure out the details with Claire. Excited to see you on Wednesday!”

  “See you then,” I say as she waves and then heads inside. I reach for Claire, pulling her to me as I hold the bike up. “Don’t you want me to meet your uncle? You met my family.”

  “You’ve meet Reese. Believe me, that’s good enough. He’s gonna be an asshole, and I promise you’re going to say I’m not worth all that trouble.”

  I smile as I nuzzle my nose against her ear, taking in her sweet scent. “Don’t you know that you are worth all the trouble in the world and that I will never stop loving you?”

  She doesn’t say anything so I look at her, hoping she sees it in my eyes, but hers are suddenly so sad. With a melancholy smile, she says, “I wish you could guarantee me that.”

  Cupping her jaw, I bring her eyes up to mine and say, “I can.”

  “How?”

  I smile as I stroke her jaw with my thumb. “Easy. As long as there are stars in the sky, I am yours. Forever and always.”

  “Some nights it’s cloudy, though,” she points out.

  I nod. “You’re right, but the stars are still there. And that means that I may be mad or upset with you, but I’ll always love you. I mean, come on, Claire, it’s taken me twenty years to find the person I’m meant to love. That doesn’t ever stop.”

  “That was supercorny,” she says, her eyes playful.

  I laugh as I nod. “Sometimes you get supercorny when a person makes you feel like this.”

  “Feel like what?”

  “Like they’ve taken over you. Flood your thoughts, make you so breathless and blown away by them. It’s a crazy thing, love, and sometimes it brings out the crazy in you.”

  “Crazy in love? Like the song?” she says, her lips curving into an even bigger grin.

  “Exactly.”

  Reaching up, she traces my lips with her finger before saying, “I love you, Jude.”

  I smile, nipping her finger and making her jump before crashing my lips to hers. As I kiss her, I hold her close and the love pours out of me for this girl. I mean every word I say. She is it. She is my forever. Is it too damn soon to know that? I don’t think so. I think when you know, you know. Everyone wants that person, the one who they’ll spend forever with, and thankfully I found mine and knew right away. Do people think we’re nuts? Hell, do we think we’re nuts? Yes. Do I fucking care? No, because I love her.

  Pulling away much too soon, I say, “I love you. Now go before I steal you and take you back to my place.”

  She lets me go and grins. “I think I might like that.”

  “Oh, you would, believe me,” I groan, my dick coming to life in my pants.

  “I think I’d like it more on that bike though,” she says and then she bites her lip play