"Are you fucking kidding me with this shit, Portia? What the hell is your problem?" I'd woken up filled with regret and the intention of making things right with Portia. The problem was, by the time I got out of bed, took a shower, and felt human enough to form sentences, I was dehydrated. I'd screwed up. It didn't matter if I'd thought it was all in good fun or believed she wouldn't find out, much less be hurt by my actions. I loved Portia, and that should have trumped anything else I thought was going on last night. I didn't have a reason for why it didn't, only that it wouldn't happen again. I'd been ready to make that commitment and that apology until I had strolled into the kitchen-feeling like death-to find Ernie, Hensley, and Portia waiting to pounce."I did what I thought was in your best interest, Jude. And that was telling Mom and Dad." Portia tried to maintain her resolve, but she was seconds from breaking down."And you thought telling them I went to a party last

Jude had avoided me last night, and this morning, he'd done exactly what I predicted the moment we got into the car to make the three-and-a-half-hour drive from Carondale to Cape Cod-he put on his headphones and opened a book. Ernie and Hensley talked amongst themselves, so I got out my iPad and played word scramble until my eyes crossed.The four of us checked in to the quaint bed and breakfast Hensley had arranged, and even though I knew it was coming, I was still shocked when Ernie handed me a key to the room Jude and I would share for the next week-alone. I'd hoped I would be paired off with Hensley and Ernie and Jude could do the boy thing. I knew better. They'd been clear that they intended for us to find a way through the issue at Christmas, and while I was willing to do what it took, Jude held fast to resistance. The guy was stubborn as a mule and always had been. God almighty couldn't make Jude Thomas do something he wasn't inclined to do. I groaned as I walked down the h

Waking the next morning, I wondered if the previous night had been a dream. The heat of a body curled into my side confessed the truth. Portia's dark hair flowed in a river of black covering the arm I had wrapped around her, and my fingers danced on her bare skin. Every second of our time together was crystal clear, yet I couldn't quite bring myself to believe it was real. With her soft breaths prancing across my chest, I carefully lifted the comforter, verifying the two of us remained unclothed. Portia stirred with the intrusive draft from the cool air in the room, and her hand slid along my side. I peered down my nose to see the smile begin to form, and even though she didn't open her eyes, the corners of her mouth lifted in happiness. "Good morning," she cooed in a husky voice that made my dick twitch. Her fingers continued to explore my bare flesh until she cupped my ass in her hand and squeezed. A sensual groan of satisfaction parted my lips and carried a word with it. "M

"Do you think Hensley saw us?" Portia craned her neck, peering around my shoulder. "If she had, she wouldn't have kept walking." I could see the thrum of Portia's anxious heartbeat in the vein that ran along her neck. I'd be worried if she weren't grinning from ear to ear. Her fingers dug into my sides as she practically climbed my body to bring my face low enough for her to reclaim my lips. I'd learned quickly over the last four days that Portia was big into public displays of affection. There was no doubt the two of us were together, and to anyone we encountered it appeared we had been for ages. We'd held hands all over town, taken a couple of little day trips to see shit neither of us cared about as an excuse to have time away from Ernie and Hensley, and even if they were around, we found ways to sneak in stolen kisses and quick glances. Part of me worried if the thrill of hiding from them held the appeal for Portia.I pulled away from her kiss, distracted by my thoughts, as

Neither of us took into consideration how hard the separation would be, much less how difficult keeping our relationship a secret would be. When I got back to school, Jet honed in on the difference in my attitude before I'd left compared to when I returned, and I couldn't give her anything other than Jude and I had worked through our differences. I had to sneak phone calls to him and change my tone when she walked in the room. But it was the physical loss of not having him near that was the hardest to deal with. She'd gone to class, leaving me in our room alone. I was biding my time until I could call Jude. As soon as I was certain he wasn't at school, I unlocked my phone and touched his name on my favorites list. "Hey, babe." Those two words uttered from his mouth in a deep, rich baritone released my frustration and warmed my heart. I never thought I'd crave hearing a common term of endearment, but something in his inflection, the casual way he said it, and how the words hit