Page 11 of Stuck on Jude

I tighten my hold on her and immediately regret it. “Careful there.”

“Sorry. I know we’re on ice and next to a gaping hole. But oh my gosh.” She spins in my arms and dangles her catch in my face. “I did it. I caught a fish.”

Her enjoyment is too contagious for me not to chuckle at her excitement. “Yeah, you did.”

“And I couldn’t have done it without you.”

She throws her hands around my neck, slapping the fish against my shoulder as she does. My arms instinctively come up to catch hold of her. Bringing her gently against my chest, I’m all too aware of every curve of her body. I can feel her heart pounding against mine.

I can’t help but notice its beating every bit as fast as mine.

She pulls back slightly, her chin upturned. My gaze flickers to her full lips. They’re barely a breath away. It would be all too easy to lean forward another inch and capture them.

It would be all too easy to lose myself in her and this moment.

Her eyelids flutter shut as I lower my head. I brush mine against hers. Fire stirs inside of me. Before I can act on it, the fish—still dangling on the line—flaps at my shoulder.

Lucy and I jump apart. I grab her arms to hold her steady.

She gives a shaky laugh. “I guess we’d better do something with this guy.”

“Yeah.” I release my hold on her and run a hand through my hair. “Yeah, we should.”

Mentally kicking my ass for thinking fishing would make a romantic date, we put the fish on ice. Lucy chuckles again as we do this.

“What’s so funny?” I ask.

“It’s just. Look at where we’re standing.” She gestures around us. “We’re literally on a sheet of ice, but you have a whole cooler of it here.”

“That is kind of funny.” My lips curve up. Again, my gaze turns to her lips. I barely had a taste of them before. I wouldn’t mind picking up where we left off. But I’m a man of my word. I promised her something last night. And I mean to keep every promise I make to her, no matter how big or small. “I still owe you that hot cocoa.”

FIVE

LUCY

As I settle back in my seat wrapped in a blanket, my heart is still pounding in my ears. I’d like to say it was from the excitement of catching my first fish.

That might have been true ten minutes ago when it was happening.

But as I sit here squeezing my knees together, trying to ignore how damp my panties are becoming as I watch the muscles in Jude’s back strain against his shirt, I know why my heart is racing.

It’s because of him and the kiss. Well, the almost kiss. Until Mr. Fish got in the way, Jude had been about to kiss me. And who knows where things would have gone after that.

Is it any wonder I’m hot and bothered even though we’re sitting on a literal block of ice?

Fanning myself with the back of my hand, I perk up when Jude turns around carrying two mugs.

“As promised, a hot cocoa.” His lips twitch in a perfectly adorable way. “With extra whipped cream.”

“Why thank you.” I try to say the words in a low sultry voice.

“Are you okay?”

I roll my eyes. “Are you ever going to stop asking?”

“I know, I know. But you sounded a little hoarse.” He lifts a shoulder as he takes the seat next to me. “I thought the cold might be getting to you.”

So much for sounding sexy. Ignoring the remark, I raise the mug to my lips.

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