Chapter 63 - picking up from school

Rosie

I walked out of the school door at the end of another long, exhausting day, fumbling with my bag while trying to straighten out the wrinkles on my jacket when I heard it—the collective gasp followed immediately by high-pitched fangirl screaming that had become an unfortunately regular occurrence, and I rolled my eyes.

Here we go again.

Every single time Jude dropped by to pick me up from the pack school, the reaction was always the same. People would stop mid-conversation and stare. Some would whisper excitedly to each other. And the unmarried women, hell, even some of the married ones, would always gush and coo about how incredibly lucky I was to have him.

And yes, I was really, truly lucky to have Jude in my life. I knew that. I thanked the moon goddess for him every single day. But that didn’t mean the constant attention and swooning wasn’t sometimes annoying when I was tired and my feet hurt and I just wanted to go home.

But what made me pause mid-step and actually stop walking was that Jude hadn’t brought Baby with him today.

He always, always waited for me, sitting on his beloved motorcycle with his helmet hanging off the handlebars, looking like every woman’s fantasy come to life. But today was different; he was leaning casually against a sleek black car that I’d never seen before, and he looked so devastatingly attractive it should honestly be illegal.

He wore a black Harley shirt that fit his muscular frame absolutely perfectly, the fabric stretched tight across his broad chest and showing off those defined pecs that I loved resting my head against when we cuddled. His arms were completely bare and crossed over his chest, the muscles in his biceps and forearms bulging prominently in a way that made my mouth go dry. His black hair was adorably tousled like he’d been running his fingers through it.

And I wanted to drool. Actually drool right there in front of everyone.

This gorgeous perfect man was mine. All mine.

I started walking toward him while ignoring the swooning sounds and whispered comments happening in the background from the small crowd that had gathered to watch.

"Jude," I called out breathlessly. His scorching gaze was already locked on me, and he pinned me with that gaze that seems to always take my breath away.

The moment I reached him, he pulled me close with gentle hands, careful of my belly, and placed a lingering tender kiss on my forehead. I melted into his touch, my eyes fluttering closed at the simple gesture.

Fuck, I absolutely loved his forehead kisses. There was something so intimate, and I needed to recharge after all the screaming and teaching in class today. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"How was school, sweetheart?" he asked in that low, rumbly voice, and then he playfully flickered my nose, making me scrunch it up automatically.

"Much better now that you’re here," I responded.

He smiled at my answer and then walked around to the other side of the car, opening the passenger door for me with an exaggerated gentlemanliness, and I absolutely swooned at the gesture.

I climbed into the car carefully, maneuvering my way into the seat, and before I could even reach for the seatbelt, he was already there, leaning into the car.

He helped me fasten the seatbelt, his fingers brushing against my belly as he clicked it into place, making sure it sat comfortably and wasn’t too tight across my stomach. Then he leaned in even closer and kissed my lips softly.

Only after making sure I was completely settled and comfortable did he finally close my door and walk around to slide into the driver’s seat.

I watched him settle behind the wheel and couldn’t hold back my curiosity any longer. "Why the change of ride?" I asked, gesturing vaguely at the unfamiliar car interior around us. "Did you finally ditch Baby?”

He actually snorted at that while tapping his long fingers against the steering wheel. "Baby is still my number one," he responded. "But I didn’t want to cause you any discomfort or put you at risk. It’s not safe for you to ride on a motorcycle when you’re this pregnant."

I couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease him because his adorably serious expression was just too charming to pass up. I rolled my eyes dramatically and said in my most offended tone, "So Baby is number one while I am what, exactly?”

His eyes immediately went comically wide, and his entire body turned toward me in the seat, one hand leaving the steering wheel to reach toward me in a placating gesture. "You know I don’t mean it like that, sweetheart," he said quickly, and I could see the panic in his expression at the thought that he might have actually hurt my feelings. "I meant it like... Baby is my number one vehicle, but you’re my number one everything else. You’re my mate, my whole world, the most important—"

I smiled wickedly at watching him fumble over his words and decided to put him out of his misery. I interrupted his rambling explanation by leaning closer across the center console and placing a feather-light kiss against his jaw.

"I’m joking, Jude," I said softly against his skin and felt him release a huge breath of relief.

"You’re going to give me a heart attack one of these days, sweetheart," he muttered, but there was amusement in his voice now.

I pulled back slightly so I could look into his eyes and added with complete sincerity, "But that doesn’t mean I’m not actually a little bit jealous of Baby sometimes." That motorcycle gets a lot of your attention and affection."

His breath audibly hitched at my confession, and I watched his pupils dilate with desire.

I chuckled at his reaction and started to lean back into my own seat to give him space, but he didn’t allow it. His hand came up to cup the back of my neck, and he pulled me back in, devouring my lips in a kiss, his tongue sliding against mine as he kissed me.

When he finally pulled back, we were both breathing hard, and he kept his forehead pressed against mine. "Sweetheart, you need to take it easy on my heart," he murmured, and his voice was rough and strained. "You can’t just say things like that and expect me to function normally."

I grinned, feeling absolutely delighted with myself, and deliberately licked at the thin string of saliva connecting our lips. "But that heart is mine," I said playfully and winked at him. "So I can do whatever I want with it."

He groaned at my words, and his eyes flashed gold for just a second, then he flicked my nose again. "Yes," he agreed in a voice that was warm. Always yours, sweetheart. Every single piece of me is yours."

My own heart skipped in my chest at his words, and I had to resist the urge to just climb into his lap right there in the school parking lot and kiss him senseless. Instead, I settled back into my seat properly and let him start the car.

We drove home in perfect, comfortable silence and harmony, his free hand reaching across the center console to hold mine, his thumb rubbing gentle c ircles against my knuckles. The radio played soft music in the background, and I watched the familiar scenery pass by the window as we made our way back to the Winter mansion.