The Mogul and the Muscle - Claire Kingsley Page 0,46

job to do, and they did it.

I took off the glasses and set them on the table. I knew I was being sensitive because of what Jude had said last night. He was just doing his job. But what else did I expect? That in the aftermath of a tense and scary situation, we would have fallen into bed together? Had wild, adrenaline-fueled sex until we both collapsed from exhaustion?

The stupid part of me had thought that, yes.

The uncomfortable ache that still lingered between my legs was entirely my fault. I shouldn’t have been fantasizing about him like that. Not when I’d almost been hit by a car.

And why did my thoughts keep returning to Jude and his annoyingly hot body? If he was right, and last night hadn’t been an accident, I had an enormous problem on my hands. Someone was trying to intimidate, hurt, or possibly even kill me. This wasn’t the time to be indulging in daydreams about getting naked with the man who was supposed to protect me.

But it wasn’t just the sex fantasies that had me so distracted my brain was prioritizing the bulge in Jude’s pants over the very real problems in my life. I liked him. There was more than physical attraction at work here, and it was scaring the hell out of me.

I wasn’t ready for this.

My heart was still bruised by Aldrich’s betrayal. I’d let him into my inner circle, and the number of people I allowed that close was very small. My three best friends. To a much lesser extent, the people who worked closely with me, both at Spencer and here at home. But even there, the natural boundaries of being the boss kept distance between us.

And Jude worked for me. I was his client, he was my contractor. That was the nature of our relationship, and I needed to remember that.

Leaving the still-dismantled blender, I went upstairs to change, then subjected myself to leg day with Inda. She coached me through heavy squats, walking lunges, stiff-leg deadlifts, squat jumps, and various other tortures.

I focused on her voice, giving me brisk words of encouragement. On the heat and burn in my muscles. On the sweat that dripped down my back and glistened on my forehead. On the steady stream of eighties music blasting in my home gym.

But even the musical stylings of Wham! and A-ha weren’t enough to break me out of my funk.

When I finished, she sent me out to the kitchen for a breakfast protein shake. Nicholas was there, grumbling that the blender had gone missing. I patted him on the back, told him not to worry about it, and grabbed a premade protein drink from the pantry.

I showered off the effects of Inda’s torture and dressed, feeling like I might be missing something. It was Sunday, so I didn’t have any meetings. I’d worked out. Was there something else on my calendar?

With an unflattering squeak, I dove for my phone and swiped to my calendar. There it was, on my schedule for ten thirty. I couldn’t believe it had slipped my mind, but at least I wasn’t late. I never missed Drag Queen Brunch. And this time, I had a lot to talk about.

I paused with my phone still in my hand and stared out the window. DQB was at Mordecai’s Bistro, over on Las Palomas Boulevard. Not here in Bluewater. Certainly not in my house. Which meant I was supposed to bring Jude.

DQB was girl time. Sacred. It was when we shared the good, the bad, and the ugly of our lives. Asked for advice or gave it. Dished about dates and told each other the truths we kept from the outside world.

How could I do that if Jude was standing ten feet away? Especially when he was one of the things I was desperate to talk to my friends about?

Although the queens would have an absolute field day with him. That was tempting.

Before last night, I probably would have gone without him. Taken it off my calendar so he’d think it was canceled, then left my phone behind so if he checked up on me with his GPS tracker, he’d think I was home.

But last night had happened. And although we didn’t have proof that I’d been the target of that black SUV, I wasn’t stupid or childish enough to risk my safety by going alone.

With a heavy sigh, I texted Jude.

17

Cameron

I’d been worried that seeing Jude today would be awkward, and sure enough,