Page 92 of Elf-ish

“Thank you for that,” I whisper with sarcasm, leaning down to kiss her shoulder.

“Should I have told them how we exchanged dates instead?”

Her eyes focus on my face as I slowly lift my head. “These people obviously care about you, Jude.”

I shrug. Is it obvious?

“Seriously,” Fitz clutches my shoulder, pulling my attention from Angelica again. “You should have reached out to one of us.”

“I’m fine. There isn’t anything anyone could have done for me.” But looking back at Angelica, I decide my statement might not be correct.

She’s done more than she’ll ever know for me.

chapter 28

[Angelica]

We finish out the rest of the game in the box section, finding a thread of commonality in being sports fans. While we don’t spend a long time with these people who are clearly Jude’s friends on some level, what strikes me most is that they are just men, like the firehouse guys. They might have bigger wallets, but they talk about the same things. Sports. Mortgages. Women. And aging.

When the game ends, we shuffle along with the masses to the parking lot. Jude wraps his arm over my shoulders, and I lean into his side.

“Have fun?” His question is hesitant, like he’s worried I didn’t.

“Loved it,” I admit. It was a great night. A great date. Between a light buzz and the laughter of the evening, plus all the little touches Jude has been giving me, I’m not ready for the night to end.

“Come over?” he asks me, pressing a kiss into the side of my head, before we reach his car.

Relief washes through me. “I thought you’d never ask,” I tease.

By the time we enter his high-rise condo, he’s already kissed me silly in the elevator.

Once inside his place, I push him against the hallway wall.

“What the hell?” His voice is sharp, and my confidence falters. But as I lean into Jude, taking his mouth with mine, he settles in. His lips curl against mine, and I pull back to witness a crooked smile.

“Where is this coming from?” He chuckles. The sound is so honest.

“Watching hockey, I guess. I never realized how much I might like it. Something so primitive about checking a guy into the boards.” I hold my arm against Jude’s chest like I’m doing it to him. “Don’t even get me started on those warm-up moves.”

“What warm-up moves?”

“The one where the guys are on their knees, holding their upper body off the ice, but their lower body dips and thrusts toward it. The way those hips move . . .” I hum and chew at my lower lip.

“You like that move, huh?” He arches a brow, the curl of his mouth almost sinister, seductive.

I hum and reach for his belt to answer his question.

“Whoa,” he says, as I unbuckle it with a little too much force.

“Want me to stop?” I glance up at him. The entire night is catching up with me. Jude asking me to attend the game with him. The fact he bought separate tickets for us to be alone. He called in a favor to help me with my brother’s wedding. Then he shared his small group of friends with me. The whole experience opened my eyes to who he truly is.

Quiet and kind. Thoughtful, not boastful. Possibly shy. Definitely an extroverted introvert.

“Is Santa’s favorite color red?”

I tilt my head. “What’s your favorite color?”

His eyes widen. “Are we really doing this now?” He glances down to where his belt dangles open and my fingers are on the button holding his jeans closed.