Boarded by Love
Page 61

“Oh my God! You know I won, and you’re also lying!” I accuse, but he just smiles.
“No, you didn’t win, and I’m not lying at all.”
“Yes, I did, and yes, you are.”
Sending me an evil grin, he says, “Guess you’ll have to wait, huh?” He then leans in, his mouth right by mine, and with a grin on his face, he whispers, “And you cheated.”
Pushing him away, I yell, “You’re impossible!”
He gathers me in his arms, pressing his lips to mine, and I can’t help but love every moment with him. And when he pulls back, his eyes blazing with lust and everything hot, my heart does a little flip-flop in my chest.
He whispers, “You’re such a beautiful, gorgeous, amazing cheater.”
Closing my eyes, I laugh so hard that tears sting my eyes, and I know that I’ve fallen a little bit more for Jude motherfucking Sinclair.
The next day I’m walking through the quad with a huge grin on my face.
After spending most of the night in Jude’s bed, I went to work and it was a wonderful night. I made a ton of money, and the girls are catching on to my choreography perfectly. The investors will be here soon, and I’m confident in what I have. I know I’ll land them, and I think Ms. Prissy knows too. When she told me how proud she was of me, I took my phone out to text Jude but then stopped myself. What was I going to say? It ruined my night, but then I woke up this morning to the sweetest text ever.
Hey Jude: Today is going to be special.
Hey Jude: Not cause I plan on banging you.
Hey Jude: Which I do, but because I get to see you and be with you.
Hey Jude: And ask you a very important question.
It was sweet and amazing, and I’m still grinning like a lovesick fool. I never thought I’d want this. I’ve never wanted someone as much as I want him, and while it’s freaky stuff, I’m excited for our future. I know that he’s going to ask me be his, and I plan on screaming yes. No matter what, I know I want to be with him, but I also want to share my accomplishments. I don’t want to blow the investors away and then not being able to tell him because I’m hiding it. It’s time to tell him. No matter how much that scares me.
“Claire.”
I turn to find Jayden coming up toward me. “Hey Jayden,” I say with a smile. “What’s up?”
“I have been sent to find you.”
Raising a brow, I ask, “Oh really? By who?”
“Jude,” he says, rolling his eyes. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?” I ask, but I don’t expect him to tell me. Glancing down at my phone, I see that it’s two minutes before four and a grin spreads across my face.
Thankfully, Jayden doesn’t prove me wrong when he ignores my questions and says, “You’ve changed my brother, and I have to thank you for that.”
A smile tugs at my mouth as I hug my books. “He’s pretty amazing.”
“Yeah, but only when he’s with you. It’s like he’s a different person. You make him a better person.”
I’m fully smiling now, and when I see that we’re going into the hockey arena, I look over at him. “He wanted you to bring me to the rink? Am I going to watch him play?”
He laughs. “No, come on,” he says, leading me up a back staircase that I didn’t know existed. When we reach the top, he throws open the door and jerks his head to the side, telling me to go. I do as he asks and turn to wait for him, but he shakes his head. “Go to the edge.”
Looking at the railing and then back at him, I ask, “Why? Are you going to push me off?” He gives me a look and I shrug. “I saw it on some killer show. Brother was jealous of brother, so he killed the other’s girlfriend.”
“Wow, yeah, you two are made for each other,” he says, then mutters, “Weirdo.”
“I am not!” I say and he laughs.
“No, I’m not going to push you. I’m not going to take away the person who makes my brother happy. So go,” he demands, pointing to the railing.
I send him a grin. “That’s incredibly sweet.”
“Yeah, whatever, don’t tell him I told you that or I’ll push ya next time,” he says and then he winks before going out the door, slamming it behind him. When “Not a Bad Thing” by Justin Timberlake starts to blare through the arena, I start for the railing, curious. But when I get to the edge and look over, I don’t expect to see what I see.
Standing in the middle of the rink on the ice is Jude, looking dashing in a pair of jeans and a Bullies sweatshirt, holding a big bouquet of roses, a grin on his beautiful face as he looks up at me. But that isn’t what catches my gaze, surprisingly. It’s that below him, spelled out in hockey pucks that take up most of the ice, it reads:
Claire, be my girlfriend?
Tears rush to my eyes as my breath catches in my throat.
This. Can. Not. Be. Happening.
I drop the books that are in my arms and hold my chest as a sob fights to come out. When he starts to sing along with the words to the song, my heart explodes in my chest, and it feels as if millions and millions of butterflies are going nuts in my stomach.
“Cheesy and romantic enough?” he calls up to me.
I smile as I nod, tears flooding my eyes, but I don’t want to let them fall. I don’t want this to affect me as much as it is, but soon I can’t keep them in. Slowly they roll down my face and I know I love him.
I love Jude Sinclair with a fierceness that cannot be touched.
Yes, it’s insane that it’s only been two weeks, but this is different. We’re different. We’re special, and I can’t get enough of him. As I slowly shake my head, I wonder if I’m dreaming, and if I am, I hope I never wake up. This is simply perfect. Amazing.
“Come on down here,” he says then. “I want to dry those tears. They better be happy ones! And you better say yes!”
Laughter bubbles in my chest, but when it comes out, it sounds more like I’m choking than laughing. “You know damn well the answer is yes. Hold on, let me take a picture.”
“No, come down here with me, pictures later.”
Deciding that he’s right because I want to kiss the stuffing out of him, I throw my bag down and rush down the stairs, wiping my face free of tears. Soon I’m in the cool rink and I rush to the ice to find my man, my boyfriend, standing there waiting for me. A grin curves his lips and his cheeks are warm with color. Taking my time, I go on the ice and he meets me halfway, the roses dropping to the ice as he takes me in his arms, meeting his lips to mine. Wrapping my arms tightly around his neck, I move my tongue with his as he picks me up off the ice, holding me up and close against him.