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my mate home. It won t always be like this.
So, does your family have a lot of money or something? Should I
know who you are?
I m nobody, Whitley answered, and sounded like he believed it.
You didn t answer my question, though. How old are you, Mr.
Chambers?
Two hundred and nineteen, Jude answered, watching his mate
carefully for his reaction.
Cool. That s all he said, and Jude sighed in relief that it wasn t
going to be an issue for the man.
They rode in companionable silence for a few miles before Jude
tried again. Seriously, what s up with the limo? Who are you?
Whitley closed his eyes briefly and groaned. It s not a big deal.
My dad does some work for UPAC, that s all.
What does he do? Jude reclined in his seat with his arm thrown
over the back, not wanting to appear too eager for the information.
You know those nifty cells that UPAC uses to hold
paranormals?
Splash and Elegance 37
Jude nodded casually to show he understood, though on the inside
he was doing a mental fist pump at the information. There was still
one more thing he needed to know, but he didn t want to push too
hard just yet. Your dad designs those? Your dad is Seymour
Turner?
Whitley nodded, seemingly unimpressed. Yep. He does a few
other odd things on the side for different covens, packs, and whatnot,
but most of the family money comes from designing and constructing
those holding cells.
He s a brilliant man. He spoke the truth, though grudgingly. He
couldn t deny that the cells were ingenious when used appropriately.
Normal human cells were all well and good for& well, humans& but
an angry dragon or a clever witch would reduce it to a pile of rubble
within minutes. The UPAC cells were specially designed to negate a
paranormal s powers so that they couldn t use them to break out.
Yeah, I guess so.
Jude had the feeling there might be some bad blood between
father and son. He was also getting the impression that Whitley didn t
care to talk about it. With his own problems to dwell on, Jude wasn t
too upset by that. If his mate wanted to share with him, he d be more
than happy to listen, but he wasn t going to prod for information
until he needed it.
What did you do back in California? Are you going to be able to
find a job like that here in Virginia?
I ve done a lot of different things over the years. I m not rich, but
I have enough put back to survive on for a while if I need. Back
home, I built custom-designed boats for people with more money than
brains.
Whitley sat up a little straighter and his eyes lit up. Wow, really?
That s great. So, that s definitely something you could do here,
right?
Yeah, I guess I could. That didn t mean he wanted to, but he
supposed it was technically true.
38 Gabrielle Evans
The car slowed and turned, and Whitley whipped around to stare
out the window. We re here, but I want to hear all about your job the
minute we re alone. Got it?
Jude chuckled and bobbed his head. Yeah, I got it. It wasn t that
important to him, more like a hobby. Most people found it pretty
damn boring, but if Whit wanted to hear about the architectural
designing of a boat, he didn t mind sharing.
So, what do you do?
I work for my dad. Whitley left it at that and didn t elaborate.
My mom is waiting for us. He closed his eyes and groaned.
It s fine, Whit. Relax. I m going to have to meet your parents
eventually. We might as well get it over with. Jude didn t mind
meeting his mate s family. He was actually looking forward to it.
Will your dad be here?
I m not sure. He s almost always in one kind of meeting or
another. He paused and glanced out the window again, fidgeting
nervously in his seat. My mom can be a little intense. So, if it gets to
be too much, just tell me, and we ll leave, okay?
Whit, come here. Jude crooked his finger for his mate to come
to him, smiling when Whitley complied instantly. Once he had him
molded against his side, he wrapped an arm around his shoulders and
kissed the top of his head. It s going to be fine. I know I m going to
get the third degree, and I m okay with that. They re only doing it
because they care about you.
Whitley nodded weakly. Just don t leave. You can change
anything you want. We never have to see my parents. We can go back
to California if you want. Just& just don t leave.
Even though Whitley didn t say it, Jude heard him loud and clear.
He wasn t as scared that Jude would leave as he was that Jude would
leave him. They barely knew each other, and Whitley s already
extreme attachment made him uncomfortable.
He couldn t deny that something about Whitley drew out his
protective instincts. There was no way for him to know if those
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