After a while, Emmy snapped out of her Tristan bubble and grinned at me. “Have you been trying that technique with Chopper?”

“What technique?” Dex asked, before I could shake my head to swear Emmy off the topic.

I wanted to pound Dex good tonight. But what did it matter anyway. Jude was only a friend. A friend who’d given me the most erotic blow job of my life. And whose lips I would’ve died to have anywhere on me again.

If only he wasn’t so afraid to allow anybody to get too close.

“Cory didn’t tell you?” Emmy said and I knocked her leg beneath the table. When she threw me a clueless look, I decided to be the one to explain.

“No big thing. Chopper was being a pain in the ass the other day at the new park, getting aggressive with the other dogs.”

“Actually he was trying to dominate Patch,” Emmy said.

“Patch from the shelter?” Tristan asked and then looked at Emmy. “Your Patch?”

Her eyes practically melted and I looked away from their moment. Too sugary sweet.

“He won’t be mine for long,” she said, pouting. There had been a pre-visit with a new family this week, but I didn’t have a good feeling about them, either.

“So what’s this about a technique?” Tristan asked.

“So Jude York hopped over the fence from the skate park and saved the day,” Emmy said, transporting me back to that moment when Jude had scaled the railing. His instincts had been innate and I could almost picture him on that farm. Almost. It didn’t exactly jibe with his city-boy skateboard persona. Confusing.

The whole table grew silent and stared at us.

“What am I missing?” I heard Tristan lean over and ask Emmy. Seems not everybody was in on the town gossip.

“Jude York?” Nate said. “Emo skater dude?”

Jessie burst out laughing and I narrowed my eyes at her.

“Oh here we go,” Dex said into his beer, remembering all too well how I snapped at him a couple of weeks back.

“He’s not emo,” I said, and I realized how defensive I sounded, so I toned it down. “He’s just quiet.”

“Does he talk in your sessions?” Bennett asked and I shrugged. I could tell he was just curious but it felt difficult to explain.

“Or do you talk his goddamn ear off?” Dex said, smirking. “Because dude, you can talk.”

I felt a line of heat crawl across my neck.

“Look who the fuck can’t shut his trap tonight?” I said and Jessie cracked up.

“Anyway, seems he and Cory have become friends,” Emmy said as if she knew the ins and outs of our relationship. “And he knows his dogs. Said he grew up on a farm.”

I let her friendship comment go and filled in more of the blanks. “He has this way with dogs. Chopper should’ve been left on his doorstep instead of mine.”

Jessie’s eyebrow arched and I was thankfully saved by Tristan. “So what was his technique?”

“He used some kind of noise and rolled Chopper on his side,” Emmy said.

“Ah, the dominance down technique,” Tristan said. “Hotly debated method but in my opinion, effective if it’s done to command respect without too much aggression.”

“Oh those dogs respected him for sure,” she said. “He had a quiet, gentle way about him. Don’t you think, Cory?”

I nodded absently, thinking about Jude and his subdued and gentle mannerisms.

“Yeah?” Bennett said. “Does it work?”

“Works great for him,” I said and Bennett laughed. “But I’m still figuring it out.”

“Does anyone else feel like they’ve just stepped into the twilight zone?” Jessie said.

“Whatever,” I said. “Just goes to show you shouldn’t judge anyone until you get to know them.”

Jessie leaned over. “I think somebody’s got a crush.”

“I think I’m going to kick your ass,” I said and she grinned.

“It’s nice to see you like this, Cory.”

“Like how?”

“Maybe . . . grounded is the word.”

Conflicted was more like it.

Chapter Twenty-one

The following week, I had a full day of appointments. I’d managed to stay away from the Hog’s Den, but I hadn’t kept away from the park. I watched Jude and his skate buddies perform their tricks and when I sat on a bench closer to the bowl, I heard their chatter about the upcoming extreme games.

Jude was undertaking some maneuvers that might’ve been inspired by his excitement about the event coming to town and during breaks he’d come visit Chopper and Ace, though I hoped it was also to see me. He’d kneel down and pet my dogs and we’d make small talk. The tension between us was crazy thick but we just acted like acquaintances.

I only once attempted to ask him about what he was so fearful of the other night before he shut me down, so I didn’t want to keep pushing it. I didn’t understand how Jude was linked to the Disciples and he wasn’t budging on telling me anything.

I also noticed and sometimes only heard that Smoke seemed to be patrolling Jude’s vicinity on his bike.

Jude was scheduled for his final tattoo appointment and I was feeling kind of bummed because it had become an enjoyable time for us together. Behind closed doors. Something we hadn’t experienced nearly enough.

We had shared some heart-stopping intimacy. But that was all it was, just brain-melting moments in time. And I wasn’t sure if you could string together moments to create a relationship. No matter how much I desperately wished for that chance.