Page 34 of Knockout (Whiskey Dolls 2)

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Layla

NSync was blaring through my earbuds, and I was bopping around singing along to “Bye, Bye, Bye” while I stood in the laundry room of the building, folding the load of clothes I’d just pulled out of the drier.

I was in the middle of doing the choreographed wave that went with thebye, bye, byewhen someone came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder.

I whipped around with a sharp screech, throwing my hand out in a karate chop and bashing the side of it into something solid and incredibly firm.

“Jesus, Jude,” I panted, placing my hand over my frantically beating heart to keep it from popping out of my chest. “You nearly gave me a heart attack, you creepy sneaker! Let a girl know you’re in the room next time, would you?”

His full lips trembled as he tried to suppress a smile. “I called your name twice, but you were busy...dancing.” He said that last word on a croak as he swallowed down a laugh. “And did you just karate chop me?”

I poked my finger into the solid wall of his chest. “Hey, just count yourself lucky I didn’t try to gouge your eyes out,” I threatened. “I’m extremely dangerous when spooked. Like a tiger.”

He didn’t bother holding his chuckle back with that one as he lifted his hand and wrapped his long, thick fingers around my wrist. A zing shot up my arm, through my chest, and down into my belly at his touch. He held on to me so gently, yet I could still feel the strength in that grip. Being so close, I was overwhelmed with that sensation of being tiny and delicate against his massive, imposing figure, and I was really starting to love that feeling.

This was the first time we’d been alone together since our date a week and a half ago, and those butterflies swarmed my belly with force once more. It had been a week since he caught me getting chummy with his grandmother, and whenever I ran into him in the lobby or parking garage after that, the vein in his forehead would begin to throb, and he’d turn around and storm off, leaving me in hysterics.

“Have no doubt about that, princess,” he said congenially, still holding on to me. “I’ve gotten the brunt of that razor-sharp mean streak over the past months. Or have you forgotten?”

I couldn’t help but smile fondly at the thought of some of my more clever acts of revenge. I could really be creative when I put my mind to it. And now that I’d become bestest buds with Sybil, I had even more ammunition.

She seemed to get a real kick out of providing me plenty of blackmail against her beloved grandson, telling me stories of his childhood that left me in stitches.

“I haven’t forgotten. And you shouldn’t either. Especially now that dear, sweet Gram and I exchanged phone numbers. We talk almost every day, and she’s filled me in on some of your dirty little secrets.”

His white teeth stood out against his tanned skin and stubble as his smile widened. The manreallyknew how to smile. “You don’t have to worry about that happening any time soon. And have I mentioned that I absolutelyhatethat friendship?”

“Too damn bad, because I think I’m going to adopt her as my own grandmother. I can only hope and pray to be as cool as that lady when I get to be her age.”

“All I can pray is I’m dead and buried before that day ever comes. I’ve lived through Gram. Not a chance in hell I could live through you being old and surly like that.”

The washer buzzed just then, bursting the bubble that had cocooned us from the rest of the world for that short handful of minutes. I carefully extracted my wrist from his grip and tucked my hair behind my ear, suddenly feeling those nerves fluttering like crazy beneath my skin.

I glanced back over my shoulder as I moved my load of clothes from the washer to the dryer, trying to sound casual and unaffected as I asked, “So I guess the fact you’re talking to me right now means you’re done avoiding me?”

He looked back at me, his smirk somewhat crooked and totally freaking hot andwinked. The dude actually winked at me! Just when I thought he couldn’t get any sexier, he went and did something like that, making my nipples strain beneath my bra.Damn it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

A sarcastic chortle burst from my throat, and I turned back to my clothes, shaking my head good naturedly. “Uh-huh. Sure you don’t. Because you haven’t been acting like a complete baby the past several days and stomping out of every space I come into.”

His laugh was low and deep, barely more than a chuckle, but it seemed to fill the whole room and cause a wave of goosebumps to prickle across my skin. “I just needed some time to wrap my head around the inevitable chaos that the two of you being friends could mean for the world. Took me a few days to realize there wasn’t anything I could do to stop it. You two are like kids, telling either of you no just makes you want to do it that much more. I’ve come to grips with it now.”

“Smart man.”

We lapsed into silence for a few minutes as we went about doing our laundry, and I couldn’t help but notice how nice it was to be in his presence again. If you had told me just a month ago that I would actually enjoy being around Jude Kingsley, I would have laughed in your face and then had you committed, because clearly you’d done lost your damn mind. But there I was, standing in the middle of the laundry room, desperately trying to come up with something to say that would spark a conversation so he didn’t have reason to leave any time soon.

He beat me to it, however, his husky voice reverberating off the cinderblock walls as he spoke. “So there’s this thing happening in the park next weekend—” But before he could get any further, he was interrupted mid-sentence.

“Hey there, gorgeous,” Bax said as he waltzed into the room like he owned the whole building, carting a basket of clothes under his right arm. “What a coincidence running into you here.”

“She does laundry once a week just like most people,” Jude grunted under his breath, but still loud enough for both Bax and me to hear. His whole demeanor suddenly changed. It was as if that storm cloud that used to hover above him made a reappearance. I hadn’t even realized that damn cloud had been gone. Grumpy Jude left that night at The Groves, but with the snap of the fingers, he was back. Only this time, the grumpiness wasn’t directed at me. It was a nice change of pace if I did say so myself. “Don’t see how that’s much of a coincidence.”

I let out a tiny snort as I tried to stifle my laugh by curling my lips between my teeth and biting down.

Bax cast a quick look in Jude’s direction, the easy-going grin slipping right off his face. “Oh, hey man. Didn’t see you there. How’ve you been?”

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