Page 51 of Play With Me

“I’m his handler.” I smile.

“What’s that?”

“Oh you know, a little bit of everything. I make sure he remembers to go to the bathroom on time. And that he takes his fiber pills, to you know, tokeephim on time. I get him his teddy bear at night when he feels scared—”

“Okay,” Jude says, clearing his throat. “She’s kidding.”

The woman’s eyebrows are halfway up her forehead.

“I’m not, actually,” I say under my breath to him. “I believe I’ve done all those things for you at one time or another.”

“Hey, I was sick that time I needed Mr. Glug-glug!”

“Mr. Who?” the woman asks.

“It was lovely meeting you,” Jude says. “Please do say hi to your husband for us.”

She seems to finally get the hint and nods.

“I am going to kill you for that,” Jude says as she moves on, looking deeply confused. When she looks over her shoulder, we both smile and wave. “I mean it, Albright. You’re dead meat.” Jude clamps a hand on my thigh and tickles, making me shriek.

“Shh!” he says when I wrench his hand away, barely breathing.

“Not fair,” I gasp as heads turn.

I shrink down in my seat.

“Payback is always fair.” Jude gives me what can only be called a panty-melting grin.

I roll my eyes. “What are you, an athlete?”

The deep rumble of his laughter behind me was even sexier than his grin. But I’d never let him know that.

“I’d almost forgotten how annoying you were.”

“You mispronouncedsexy.”

“Oh my God.”

“You don’t think so? What am I doing wrong? Should there be more winking?” He flicks both his eyes open and closed at varying speeds.

I have to work hard to keep from laughing. “You look like you’re having a seizure.”

“How about the grin? Open mouth?” He flashes his pearly whites. “Or closed?” A smirk following that makes my stupid hormones light up like a fire station.

But I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter what you do, Jude. I’ve seen you sleeping.”

Jude’s beautiful mouth falls open in mock insult. “Iknewit.”

I can’t help laughing. Jude’s ridiculous when he sleeps, and last night just proved it. It’s like his personality can’t stand to be quiet. “You know you snore like a sea lion and take up far more room than even a six-foot-three man needs to.”

“Listen, I can’t help it if I have very vivid dreams.”

“I thought it was bad seeing you passed out on the couch at movie night. With free rein on my bed, you were a nightmare.”

My cheeks prick with heat at the mention of Jude in my bed.

He lifts an eyebrow, clearly amused.

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