Page 79 of Out of Reach

Hawk slid to the floor, breathing hard. “Shit, that was good,” he said, leaning his head against the mattress.

Jude made a sound of agreement but couldn’t bring himself to move or speak for several long moments.

Once they were revived, Hawk suggested they clean up and go out to eat. They showered together, too exhausted to do anything more than wash their bodies, then got dressed.

“I talked to Zion last night,” Jude told Hawk when they were seated and had been served their drinks in the small seafood restaurant near the pier.

“Is he doing okay?” Hawk asked.

“He seems to be.” Jude had spoken to his friend several times since Sam’s arrest, and each time, Zion had sounded a little better than the last. Mal had returned months ago, and since then, Jude and Hawk both had been trying to figure out what—if anything—had gone on between them. On the surface, Mal had simply supported Zion while he got back on his feet, but Jude highly suspected Zion had feelings for Mal, and Hawk thought Mal had been acting strangely ever since he got back from New York.

“He wants to get out of there. I suggested he move here,” Jude said casually.

Hawk’s eyes met his. “Don’t tell me you’re matchmaking.”

“Maybe a little,” Jude admitted, shifting slightly on the hard chair to relieve his sore ass. “But Zion’s sister is getting married and moving to Australia. Zion doesn’t want to move there, and he doesn’t want to stay in New York where he hardly knows anyone and no longer has a job since Utopia shut down. It makes sense for him to move here because I’m one of his few friends in the world.”

Hawk nodded. “Okay. Maybe we can find him a job and apartment close-by.”

Jude grinned. “Thank you.”

“What for? I want to help Zion, too.”

“I know, but I also know you’re mainly doing it for me. And I appreciate it.”

“Any word about Seb?”

“Zion said he heard he’s back in Wisconsin with his parents. We hope he’s doing okay there.”

“I got our tickets to go to see my family over the holidays,” Hawk said as their salads were served.

“What day will we leave?”

“The twenty-second.”

“We’d better start Christmas shopping.” Jude let out a breath. “We’re going to be so busy the next few months. The trial. Lizzy’s wedding. Maybe I was stupid to start school this year.”

“No, you weren’t. It kept your mind off things, and look how great you’re doing. I know you’ll do just as well this semester.”

“But no pressure, right?” Jude smiled.

“Of course there’s no pressure. It doesn’t matter what your grades are—I just want you to enjoy yourself and for you to figure out what it is you want to do career-wise.”

“Do you think Jase, West, and Logan will let me help out again on a case?” Recently, Jude had gotten to play, of all things, a street mime meant to draw attention away from a K-pop group performing in LA as Falcon Security ushered them between venues. It had been fun, even though those K-pop fans were crazy. Jude had learned mime back in high school and took some classes to brush up on it. At one point, there had been a close call and he’d had to make a scene in order to keep the crowd’s eyes away from the venue’s entrance, but it had all worked out in the end. The adrenaline rush had stayed with him for days.

“I’m sure they would, but didn’t you just say how busy you are?” Hawk asked.

Jude grinned. “I’d make time for that.”

Later, as they walked hand-in-hand on the beach, the surf lapping at their bare feet, Jude gazed out at the moon which seemed to float over the ocean.

“I’m going to say something really sappy,” he told Hawk.

Hawk looked at him, raising a brow. “Okay.”

“When I was in New York those four years, I used to comfort myself by looking up at the moon at night and imagining you doing the same, wherever you were.” Blushing, he avoided looking at Hawk again as they walked.

Hawk turned and stopped, resting his hands on Jude’s shoulders. “Whoa. You can’t drop something that sweet on me and just keep walking.”