When You're With Me (14 page)

“Yeah, he’s trustworthy and heartless.” She tossed a broken chalk stick across the room. “I’ll follow him straight to hell.”

“Stop.” Ross grabbed her arm. “Make amends with him. Yes, he’s blunt and he’s curt, but he’s in your corner.”

Ross wasn’t one to show emotion and he rarely raised his voice. Jude closed her eyes. “Fine.”

“Go.” Ross stood and pulled her into a standing position.

Jude stomped down the hall and stood in front of Ramon’s apartment. Part of her wanted to slug him. Another part of her wanted to run away. The rest of her wanted to go to sleep and wish the whole damned situation away. She rapped her knuckles on the door.

Ramon strode down the hallway. “Hi, hon. Let me open the door for you. I’m supposed to have you stay with me tonight.”

“I don’t want to know who decided that for me. I’ll sleep on the couch.” She stepped into his apartment and stopped. This was too close to being a couple again. “It’s only right since we’re not together.”

“I disagree.”

Jude whirled around. “Oh, you do? I won’t sleep with a man who doesn’t care for me and is acting out of duty to his superior.”

“Let me explain…”

Jude gritted her teeth. “No need. I see everything clearly. I’ll sleep on the couch until Ross gets my apartment sorted out. Period.”

Ramon closed the door and stepped in front of her. He took a deep breath and cupped her chin. Shock rocketed through him that she didn’t back away. “I can’t protect you when you’re out here alone. If you come with me, I can.” She looked away. Ramon cocked his head to regain her gaze. Fear and panic registered in her eyes. “Someone wants something from you, Jude. I want them to go through me before they hurt you.”

Her chin quivered. “So you can hurt me first?”

“Babe.”

Jude jerked out of his grasp and plopped down onto the couch. She tugged the crocheted blanket over her body. “I refuse to sleep with you. You want me only for sex. I put my heart on the line and you smashed it. Not a second time. Go away. I can protect myself.”

Ramon threw his hands in the air and stalked into the bedroom. He glanced around the lonely space. Jude’s essence permeated the room. Her scent marked his pillows. Her things cluttered the bathroom. Her love—thin at the moment—wrapped around his heart. He rubbed his eyes. Did she love him, or just the character Ramon?

The light in the living room flicked off, bathing the apartment in darkness. Ramon sat on the edge of the bed. Ramon’s decree had nothing to do with his feelings. His affection for Jude urged him to protect her. He took a deep breath. Anger or not, he couldn’t stand to be apart from her. He strode into the front part of the apartment. What could he say? He needed to rebuild her trust.

He squatted next to the couch. Jude shifted, yet remained silent.

“Deal.”

Jude looked at him with questions in her blue eyes. “With what?”

Ramon scooped her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. Jude thumped his chest, squirming within his grasp. Undeterred, he dumped her on the bed.

“What are you doing?”

“You’re right. No sex. But I want us to act as a couple of.”
I need you too much.
He bit down hard on the tip of his tongue. Admitting his truths wasn’t going to win him points with her. Still, it couldn’t hurt to try. Putting space between them, he sat on the edge of the bed. “I care about you, very much, Jude. You’re a sweet girl, a fantastic lover, and an inspiring artist. I’m a better man when you’re with me and I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want to lose you.”

Jude considered him a moment. She knotted her fingers together. Did she want to reach for him? “You got me.”

Relief flooded into his mind. “You want to make love?”

Jude rolled her eyes. “You never give up, do you?”

“Never.”

She fell back against the pillow. “Then go to sleep with your pyjamas on.”

Twenty minutes later, Jude fell asleep with her back to him. The desire to spill his secrets and feelings battled with the knowledge that more hidden cameras lurked in his apartment. Who would overhear the specifics of his job if he revealed his true identity? Tiny and anyone else who wanted dirt.

Ramon stroked her hair. A lump formed in his throat. She deserved the love in his heart. When Jude rolled into his arms and snuggled against his chest, Ramon allowed himself to drift to sleep. If she cuddled, she didn’t hate him. If she didn’t hate him, there was a chance they could survive the roadblock. If that happened, they could forge a future together. He needed that future. He needed her.

Chapter Seven

Ramon spent the next four days observing and protecting Jude. He remained at a safe distance. Although she stayed with him, her fear and independent streak kept him just beyond reach. At the same time, he immersed himself more fully in the drug trade within the club. Most of the dancers delivered the condom packets. His bar tab reflected the extra purchases. Ramon made notes and reported to Wallace via text messages and personal meetings.

After he dropped Jude off at the college, Ramon met with Wallace and Mateo at the Curry-n-Carry Deli in Crawford, Ohio. He slid into the booth and unzipped his hooded sweatshirt. The thick plastic creaked and groaned with each movement.

Wallace stirred his coffee. The spoon clinked against the ceramic cup. “I see you became close with the dancers. According to Kenworth, you have a favourite.”

Mateo snorted. “Close? Favourite? Shit. He’s screwing around. I hope your lady friend’s a good lay.”

Ramon growled. As much as he respected his best friend, sometimes friends needed a swift kick in the ass. “You want to do the job for me?”

Wallace sipped his coffee and his gaze vacillated between the two officers. “I wonder if you know what you’re doing.”

“I do.”
I’m in over my head and in love with a woman I can’t have in the end. “
You worry about dickhead here screwing up his traffic detail.”

“Me screw up? Nah.” Mateo burst out laughing. “But you’d better keep that ‘I do’ phrase in mind.”

“Why?”

Wallace folded his napkin. His moustache bobbed as he wiped the corners of his mouth. “She’s under your skin.”

Irritation flowed through Ramon’s veins. “I can walk away.”
I think.
“It’s not as complicated as it looks.”

“Yeah?” Mateo drummed his fingers along the edge of the Formica. “Why didn’t you leave her alone when Malsam cleared her apartment? You let her sleep in your bed like a good, pussy-whipped man. I’m telling you, you’re wrapped around her little finger, man.”

“I’m concerned.”
And in love.
Damn it
.

Wallace pinched the bridge of his nose. His salt and pepper brows knotted together and he sighed. “Are you going to be able to nab him? You don’t have much time left. He’s going to get wise if you piss around.”

“I’m working up to him. The girls are the main distributors. Tiny only deals directly to specific clients. I can see it in his eyes he wants to sell to me, but the bastard’s being careful.”

Mateo slapped his hands on the table. “Then force his ass! Kiss up to another dancer and get her to convince him. You’re slipping and we’re wasting time. We can’t afford to find someone else dead because of his shit cocaine.”

“I will.”
If I can convince Jude it means nothing…

“Take my advice, since I don’t usually get involved in your personal life.” Wallace tapped his finger on the table top. “Forget your piece of ass and get the job done.”

Drew shifted back into his Ramon persona and nodded. He slid away from the booth. Because of his job, her heart was shredded. Because of lies he couldn’t cop to, her trust in him was shaky. Now he had to toss her aside in order to seal the deal. Shit.

* * * *

Ramon drove across town to the community college campus. He pulled into one of the parking spots lining the street. Jude sat on a bench with her sketch pad open. She’d folded her legs beneath her and her skirt flared around her hips.

“Hi.”

She looked up. A small smile flashed upon her lips before fading. “Hello, shadow. Funny seeing you in the daylight.”

Ramon shoved his hands into his pockets. “Well, at least you spoke to me. It’s a start.”

“I know how to be civil.” Jude closed the pad and folded her hands. “Do you know where the Ryman Building is?”

He nodded to the building on the hill. “North campus.”

She placed the spiral drawing pad in her backpack and stood. “Let’s take a walk.”

“Lead on.”

Jude grinned as she fell into step with him. Her hands swung at her sides. Ramon itched to take her hand in his. Would she inch away? Would she slap him? Would she give in? He rubbed his sweaty fingers against the leg of his jeans and reached for her. Although she didn’t look at him, she squeezed his hand…and didn’t pull away.

At the doors to the Ryman Building, she stopped. “I want to show you something. Are you game?”

Ramon stood on the bottom step. “I get it. You want to have your wicked way with me on campus.” He shook his head. “I’m yours. Find the nearest empty classroom and take me.”

Jude raked her free hand through her hair and visibly suppressed a chuckle. “You’re incorrigible. You know that, right?”

“It’s why you like me.”

“I suppose.” She shoved the thick glass door open. “Come on.”

Ramon cheered his small victory and followed her lead. Jude walked a couple of paces ahead of him. Her ass swayed and turned his insides to jelly. His mouth watered and he flexed his fingers, ready to capture her in an embrace. Just to touch her and feel her silky smooth skin under his. He needed his Jude fix.

She stopped in front of a frosted glass door. “You wanted to see my artwork, correct?”

Ramon came to a halt behind her and twirled a lock of her hair between his fingers. “I seem to recall asking that, yes.”

Jude turned the knob. “This is my studio. Not even Tiny knows about it. No cameras, no peepers, nothing.”

Ramon eased past her into the room. Although not much bigger than a nine by nine cell, the space sported a wall of windows, bathing the room in natural light. A storage unit with four shelves housed her supply boxes. Next to the door sat a tall filing cabinet with long flat drawers. The scent of paint and fixative hung persistently in the air. He glanced at the photos tacked on to the corkboard and the painting on the nearby easel. Her knack for capturing personality in her subjects was uncanny. “Beautiful.”

She took a deep breath and nibbled her bottom lip. “This is my sanctuary. I come here when I need to think and escape.”

Ramon opened a portfolio case. The image staring back at him made him pause. She’d captured him at the club on paper. His breath caught in his throat. He looked like Drew—the real man—tired, interested and in awe.

Jude slapped her hands over the image and wrestled to close the black portfolio case. “You weren’t supposed to see that one.”

He cupped her cheek. A bit of the chalk from the drawing smeared on her creamy skin. He didn’t care. To him, she was perfect with smudges. “Was that handsome hunk supposed to be
moi
?”

Crimson streaked across her face, from her hairline to her chin. “Maybe.”

“Why wasn’t I supposed to see that? What are you trying to hide?”

She stared at her hands. “Nothing.”

He dipped his head to meet her gaze. “Your artwork has a little bit of heart in each line. You can’t hide that. When I look at that image, I see more than just me. I see the vulnerability of a woman who knows what she wants and can’t have it. Few artists can achieve that much emotion in one piece, let alone every creation.”

Her smile wobbled. “You really worked hard on that delivery, didn’t you?”

Ramon chuckled. “Did it work?”

Jude toyed with the strings on his sweatshirt. “A little.”

He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “Good, because I need all the help I can get. I’m sorry I got so…me on you. I’m trying to protect you the only way I know how.”

“I appreciate it, even if I’m a brat.” Her shaky breath warmed his skin to fever. He slid his hand down her arm to twine their fingers as she rested her head on his shoulder. “Make love to me where no one can see. No cameras, no voyeurs.”

Ramon eased down onto the drawing horse and pulled her onto his lap, facing him. He tucked a loose lock of her hair behind her ear. Every time he thought he had her pegged, she knocked him for a loop. “I’d love to do whatever you want.”

“But you won’t.” Her gaze fell to her hands.

“Sweet girl.” He rubbed his forehead against hers, forcing her gaze to his. “This is your special place. I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret.”

Jude worked open the fly on his jeans and caressed his cock. “I’ve got condoms in my bag. Just bought them.”

He shivered and cupped her jaw. “From…?” How the hell was he thinking straight when she was massaging his cock? His eyelids drooped.

“The student centre. Crazy the things they sell there.” Jude eased her skirt up, revealing a silky black thong. “I live to surprise you.” Her eyes glittered as she tore open the packet then rolled the condom down his shaft. She pulled the tiny lingerie to the side and lowered herself onto his dick. “This is where we belong—in each other’s arms.”