Page 23 of Out of Reach
Jude had only visited Sam’s estate in the Hamptons a couple of times. Surrounded by huge boxwood hedges that blocked all views of the house from the road and private beach, the gorgeous nine-bedroom home sat on perfectly maintained property only a short walk from the ocean.
One of Sam’s employees immediately approached their rental car to take their baggage inside, and another escorted them around to the side of the house where a long, curved staircase led to the rooms on the upper floor. When Jude had stayed there with Sam, they had slept in the huge master bedroom on the other side of the house. Now he and Hawk were shown to a guest room with a balcony overlooking the pool and grounds.
“What the hell?”
Jude turned at Hawk’s exclamation. He was staring at the wall above the lush king-sized bed. Following his gaze, Jude’s cheeks grew hot when he saw the portrait of him that Sam had commissioned hanging over the headboard.
“He’s got a naked painting of you over the bed!” Hawk growled.
“Yeah, I see that.” Jude closed the door so no one would hear.
In the painting, Jude lay on a chaise lounge, naked except for a thin piece of gold material draped over his lap, eyes gazing into the distance. Jude had completely forgotten about it until that moment.
“Did you sit for that portrait?”
Jude could feel the blush climbing up his neck. “Yeah.”
“Without your clothes?” Hawk looked apoplectic.
“Calm down,” Jude said.
“You need to tell that egotistical prick to take the pornographic picture of you off the wall.”
“It’s art,” Jude said. He wasn’t exactly thrilled to see the painting hanging on the wall of a guest room, but, knowing Sam, he’d only recently hung it there to bother Hawk. “It isn’t showing anything anyway.”
“Are you kidding? Look at all that skin! And I can clearly see the outline of your cock.”
Jude couldn’t help but smile. “You’re ridiculous.”
Clenching his jaw, Hawk turned back to the painting, his broad back a rigid wall between Jude and the bed.
“Don’t be dramatic,” Jude told him, hefting the suitcase onto the bed and opening it. “Sam’s trying to get a rise out of you, and it’s working.”
Hawk mumbled something Jude couldn’t make out before turning and striding into the en suite bathroom and shutting the door hard enough to shake the wall.
As Jude put away their clothes, someone knocked on the door. It was Sam, dressed in white linen slacks and a half-open flowered silk shirt.
Leaning against the door frame, he asked, “Everything all right? I thought I heard yelling.”
“Everything’s fine,” Jude said.
“Then join us for an apértif in the great room.”
“Sure. We’ll be down in a minute.”
When Sam left, Jude knocked on the bathroom door. “Sam wants us to come down for a drink before dinner.”
“Awesome,” Hawk said without enthusiasm. He opened the door, gaze immediately going to the painting. Straightening his shoulders, he said, “Let’s go,” and strode out of the room, leaving Jude to follow.
Downstairs, Sam and a dozen guests—some of whom Jude recognized and some of whom he didn’t—sat before the fireplace made out of floor-to-ceiling white marble.
“There they are!” Sam exclaimed jovially. “Jude, you remember Gabriel, don’t you? And Elijah?” He introduced the others in the room before finally acknowledging Hawk. “And this is Jude’s friend…er, I’m sorry, Hank, was it?”
“Hawk,” Hawk said, stepping forward to shake a few hands. “Jude’sboyfriend.”
“A pleasure to meet you,” Gabriel said, eying Hawk with undisguised interest. Jude remembered him as a regular at Sam’s parties. Jude never stayed long, but before he left, Gabriel was normally either drunk or stoned and had lost a few pieces of clothing.
Hand on Hawk’s back, Jude nudged him toward one of the two luxurious gray sofas.