Текст книги "Remind Me "

Автор книги: Ann Marie Walker

Соавторы: Amy K. Rogers
сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

Chapter Twenty-four

The limo moved at a crawl down Astor. Hudson straightened his tie for what must have been the tenth time since they’d turned down the street. When they finally came to a stop in front of Allie’s brownstone, he forced his hands to give the tie a rest and gripped the lever on the door at the same time his driver opened his.

“I got this, Max.”

“Yes, sir.” Max nodded and pulled his door shut.

Hudson got out of the limo and buttoned his jacket. God, he was nervous. Like first date, sweaty palms nervous. He moved toward the brownstone in powerful strides, taking the stairs two at a time until he was standing in front of her door. He punched the doorbell, then ran a hand through his hair.

The door swung open and Hudson’s breath came short and fast at the sight of her in an elegant, charcoal-gray gown that was clinging for its life to each of her lush curves. He wasn’t sure what was holding it all together as his eyes drifted over every inch of Allie’s exposed skin. He couldn’t tear his greedy gaze away from her, and his thoughts immediately went to the images that had been permanently burned into his mind. What she looked like under him with her blond hair spilling over the pillows; over him with her hands splayed on his chest as she took him; or in front of him as he pushed in deep from behind. Christ, he could practically feel her soft ass against his groin as he moved in and out of her tight, hot body. He was getting hard just thinking about it. Thank fuck he buttoned his jacket so his dick didn’t arrive at the door before he did. He wanted tonight to be about her. To be perfect.

Allie pinched the diamond chandelier earring dangling from her left lobe between her fingers. “Hi.”

“Hi, yourself. You look beautiful. That dress is making me want to either cover you up or revise our plans for the evening.”

“Your message was very mysterious, Mr. Chase. Why did I need to get so dressed up?”

“It’s a surprise.” Hudson took the wrap from Allie’s hands and draped it around her shoulders. He pulled her hair out from underneath it, and when his index finger grazed the back of her neck he had to fight the impulse to press his lips to her nape.

His hand fell to the small of her back, skin-to-skin, and he led her to the limo where Max was waiting with an open door. Allie slid across the bench and Hudson moved in beside her. As he did, he became acutely aware of how incredible she smelled, and it was doing nothing to ease the ache between his legs. He dragged in a deep breath. This was going to be a long night, and he wasn’t exactly the kind of guy used to keeping his hands to himself. Especially when she was looking sexy as hell in a dress that was begging to be unzipped.

Allie stared out the window as the limo picked up speed. Hudson could sense her wheels turning, trying to figure out where he was taking her based on their location. Nervous anticipation crackled between them as he watched her try to put the pieces of the puzzle together in her head.

He reached for her, curling his fingers around her hand and rhythmically brushing his thumb over the inside of her palm. It was a simple gesture meant to soothe her and reassure him, but all it did was drive him crazy and make him focus on the potential disaster waiting to knock him on his ass.

The limo rolled to a stop. Traffic surrounded them and pedestrians parted around the car, all squinting to figure out what hotshot was in the ride while trying to play it cool as they did so. Allie ducked her head, peering out the window at the front of a large building with Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach blasted into stone. Recognition spread across her face and she turned to him and smiled. “The symphony?”

Hudson breathed a silent sigh of relief at her reaction. “I was able to pull a few strings and score tickets.”

Allie leaned across the seat and pressed her lips against his. “Thank you.”

His index finger caressed her jaw, then slipped underneath her chin. “It’s my pleasure.” Taking advantage of the tinted windows, he slanted his mouth over hers. Her lips parted and his tongue slid inside, savoring her softly and slowly. He heard the muted click of her seat belt, the equivalent of a green light, and tugged her into his lap. She was the most incredible thing he’d ever known. He groaned into her mouth, deepening the kiss—licking, teasing, tasting. And it made him want to kiss her elsewhere with the same eagerness. His hands slid down the bare skin of her back as her fingers raked into his hair, pulling just how he liked it.

On the verge of losing control, he dragged his mouth away from hers. His breath was harsh against her lips. “Christ, Allie, I need to get you out of this limo before I tell my driver to keep going.”

She hesitated for a moment with her lips hovering over his before sliding off his lap. Hudson hissed as she shifted over the erection beating like a drum against his fly. He adjusted himself and thought how he’d misjudged in thinking this was going to be a long night. It was going to be excruciating.

The door opened, and when she stepped onto the sidewalk he was right behind her, catching her wrap as the wind blew it off her bare shoulders. He draped it across her and then placed his hand discreetly beneath it, stroking his thumb down her spine. His fingers lingered at the top of her zipper and all he could think about was peeling her out of that dress, laying her back on the leather seats, and spreading her wide. Fuck. He ran a hand through his hair and slammed the door to the limo shut to keep from yanking her back into the car and enjoying the hell out of her in the middle of Chicago.

Walking up to the brick and stone orchestra hall, Hudson placed his hand on the small of Allie’s back. When he did, he couldn’t help but notice the sudden stiffness in her body.

“Don’t,” she murmured under her breath.

He held the door open and dropped his hand from her back. The tension in her shoulders visibly eased as if it was his hand that had held it there. As they crossed the gold CSO emblem hammered into the marble tile, he reminded himself that this kind of place was as regular a joint to her as McDonalds had been to a guy like him.

They started up the stairs and Hudson watched her hand drift up the varnished banister. He wanted her gentle hand to be on his arm, her delicate fingers curled around his bicep. God, he wanted that connection; to feel her hand close the distance he suddenly felt between them. But he understood her trepidation. Being here with him and displaying anything other than a professional front was guaranteed to make the damn society pages. She was an engaged heiress and he was the playboy billionaire. A dark secret once again.

When they reached the top, Hudson guided her through the mingling crowd, all humming about this year’s “season.” Man, the people surrounding them were colder than the ice they wore on their ears and around their necks. When her gaze swept the room, his followed, stopping short on the bar across the room. He dipped his mouth to Allie’s ear.

“Would you like a drink?” He straightened back up. “I know I could use one.” Or five.

Allie nodded.

“Be right back.”

Women turned as he walked through the room, their stares following him to the bar; no doubt curious about all the recent press or wagering his net worth. To them he’d just gotten lucky. Funny how the harder he worked, the luckier he seemed.

“Pinot Grigio and Blue Label, neat.”

When the bartender set his order on the bar, Hudson curled his fingers around a crystal glass filled with the finest scotch, and yet he still felt like he was holding a can of Budweiser. He tossed back his drink and ordered another, the heat of the recognizing stares burning into his back.

Fuck, this was becoming an increasingly bad idea.

He dropped a fifty on the bar and worked his way back through the throngs of people. The closer he got, the more he could see the nervousness on Allie’s face, the way she fidgeted with her clutch.

“I’m sorry if this was a mistake,” he said, handing her the glass of white wine.

Allie’s eyes shot up to his and softened. “I love that you surprised me with these tickets, that you remembered . . .” Her voice trailed off. “It was very thoughtful of you.”

“We can leave if you’d like.”

“No, I want to be here.”

“Would you rather I leave? I can pick you up after the show if that—”

She placed her hand on his forearm. “I want to be here with you.”

The contact was casual, but the intimacy made his chest hurt as she if she was squeezing his heart. He lowered his head and everything around them faded. The clanking of glasses, the murmurs of conversation, the sounds of the orchestra warming up. All of it disappeared. In that moment she was his whole world.

His lips inched closer to hers, and at the same time she lifted onto her toes.

The overhead lights began to flicker the five-minute warning, and all sound returned to the room. Allie dropped smoothly back on her heels and Hudson straightened. What the fuck was he doing? They were in public, for Christ’s sake. Yet with her, everything around him evaporated.

“We better get to our seats,” Hudson said. He waved in the direction of the box but refrained from laying his hand on her back. Once inside the private box, he pulled the door closed and ducked around the red velvet curtain to join Allie at their seats.

Hudson walked up behind her plush red chair, the vantage point affording him a spectacular view. She crossed her legs and the slit of her dress fell open. Sweet Jesus, those legs. The next three hours were going to be one helluva practice in self-control.

He dropped his mouth to her ear. The movement was innocuous enough, someone attempting to speak to another over the sound of bows warming over strings in the orchestra pit. His lips brushed against her ear as he whispered, “I can’t wait to get you home. And naked.” He took his seat and flashed her a salacious grin. “Then again, all manner of things happen in the dark.”

Chapter Twenty-five

Allie’s mouth gaped open as the lights of the CSO dimmed. All eyes were on the conductor as he took his place at the podium. All eyes but hers. She was far too busy staring at Hudson’s impassive profile to pay much attention to a waving baton. Alexander Borodin’s “In the Steppes of Central Asia” had always been one of her favorites, but not even the rousing French horn could capture her attention.

All manner of things happen in the dark.

Surely he was joking. He wouldn’t really try something in the box. Out in the open. Where anyone could see. He wouldn’t dare. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. Or would he?

As it turned out, she had nothing to fear. Hudson was a perfect gentleman during the first performance, and when it came to a close, Allie found herself feeling more than a bit foolish for expecting otherwise. And if she were really honest with herself, a tad disappointed. Jeez, Sinclair, get a grip. Where was all this coming from? She thought about it and realized that what she was really hoping for was a bit of reassurance that she hadn’t hurt his feelings. After the way she behaved when they arrived, it was a wonder he was still in the building. She had totally overreacted. What difference did it make if someone saw them together? It wasn’t a big deal to go to the symphony with a friend. She snorted softly to herself. Yeah right—a friend who’s spent the past week taking her on every surface imaginable.

Khachaturian’s flute concerto served as the second portion of the evening’s entertainment. Allie stole a glance at Hudson as it began, hoping he wasn’t bored out of his mind. Their eyes met and to her great relief, he smiled. A warm blush spread across her cheeks. What was it about this man that could make her feel so uninhibited one minute and so unbelievably shy the next? He held her stare and slowly his gaze began to shift. It became darker, more heated, and she found herself squirming from the sheer intensity.

Allie looked away, staring blindly at the stage in front of her. Hudson shifted so his hand was on the armrest next to hers, not touching her, but close enough that she could feel the radiating warmth of his body. And then, with a subtle shift of his wrist, there was contact. It was small, hardly visible to the eye, but it felt as though a current of electricity passed between them at that one tiny point where skin touched skin.

A blare of trumpets signaled the start of Tchaikovsky’s fourth symphony, and a hush fell over the crowd. Hudson inclined his head toward hers ever so slightly. “Put your wrap over your legs,” he told her in a low, raspy voice.

Her eyes flashed to his and found them alight with some wicked thought. She hesitated, his words both exciting and terrifying. The balcony wall shielded them from prying eyes, but still . . .

“Do it,” he mouthed.

Allie’s heartbeat quickened as she pulled the wrap from her shoulders and arranged it carefully across her lap. Her body hummed with anticipation as he casually lowered his hand to his own right thigh, now pressed tightly to her left. She waited with bated breath for . . . nothing. The first movement ended as it began, with Hudson paying rapt attention to the tuxedo-clad musicians and Allie squirming, untouched, in her seat.

Perplexed, she exhaled and crossed her legs, right over left. His movement was so subtle that she never even noticed his hand leave his thigh. Instead she felt it. His fingers slipped under her cashmere wrap and brushed lightly over her calf. Allie startled and his fingers stilled. When she relaxed he continued, stroking and caressing as he slowly worked his way higher. He paused to draw lazy circles around her kneecap before letting his fingers drift back down her calf, only to start the tortuous circuit all over again. He continued the same pattern, stroking up, then back down, while Allie tried desperately to keep her erratic breathing under control.

The music swelled and his hand dropped to the back of her knee, gently nudging it. Her wide hazel eyes met the silent entreaty of his blazing blues, and she slowly uncrossed her legs.

His fingers parted the slit of her dress. The wide pashmina covered him, but still Allie adjusted it. Her heart pounded as he stroked her bare skin, going higher and higher with each brush of his hand. Back and forth. Back and forth. The steady rhythm perfectly matched the music of the second movement, and as the conductor transitioned to the third, so did Hudson. Without warning, his hand delved between her thighs. His fingers slipped beneath her panties, and she heard a faint hiss when he discovered the evidence of her desire.

The music slowed to a hush as he brushed his fingers right where she was wet and aching for his touch. Then a long note from a flute penetrated the hushed room and two thick fingers pushed deep inside her. Her eyes darted to his and he held her gaze, his unmoving fingers filling her, stretching her. Slowly, he began to move in deliberate, even strokes, careful not to draw attention with any sudden or repetitive movements that could be seen above the balcony wall. With a flick of his wrist his fingers twisted, expertly finding that sweet spot that had her melting in his hand.

Allie stifled a moan as his thumb suddenly skimmed the top of her sex, moving in rhythmic circles while his fingers continued their provocative caress. Her gaze swept the crowd below, but all eyes were following the conductor’s mad gestures, completely oblivious to the explosion building in the private box above them.

She felt the weight of his stare, watching her reactions. She knew from the heat of her cheeks that her face was flushed. But could he see her heart hammering against her chest? Had he noticed the wild racing of her pulse? Or the way her lips had parted on a silent gasp? Her hands gripped the velvet armrests as she tried to quell the riotous feelings inside her, but it was no use. The ache between her legs was becoming unbearable as he pushed her closer and closer to losing all control.

And yet there he sat, seemingly unaffected.

As if reading her mind, Hudson took her hand and surreptitiously placed it on his lap, careful to shield her with his program.

“Touch me,” he whispered. “Feel how hard I am for you.”

His erection strained against the fabric of his suit pants, and with a slight shift of his hips, he flexed into her palm. He wanted her, and at any cost, it seemed. It was too much. She’d maintained a modicum of control up until then, resisting the urge to rock against his questing fingers. But feeling the hard evidence of his arousal, his blatant need and desire, shattered her sense of reason. In a bold move, her fingers curled around his length and squeezed. His eyes closed briefly, and when he opened them, they were burning with need.

“We’re leaving,” he said, as the fourth and final movement began. He stood, taking Allie by the hand and pulling her to her feet. He yanked the velvet curtain back, dragging her toward the door, but when he reached for the handle, the curtain fell back into place, shrouding them in near total darkness.

Hudson stopped and spun on his heel. In one swift move he lunged at her, pushing her against the wall of the box. Her mouth fell open on a gasp and he took full advantage, kissing her ferociously with long, deep sweeps of his tongue. His taut body pinned her, enveloped her, overwhelmed her, and she moaned with a desperate hunger as her hands raked into his hair.

“I can’t wait until we get home.” He moved away for a handful of seconds and she heard the faint clink of his belt buckle. “I’m going to fuck you. Here. Now.”

His erotic, untamed words thrilled her, and a surge of pure lust coursed through her veins.

“Someone could walk in,” she panted.

“I don’t care.”

And in that moment, neither did she. Not even a little. There were hundreds of people below them, all listening intently as Tchaikovsky’s fourth movement wafted through the symphony hall, and yet all she could think about was the how badly she needed to feel him inside her.

His hands shifted from his fly to between her thighs, lifting her dress higher until he found the soaked satin of her panties. He groaned as his fingertips brushed the wet material, and then his grip tightened around the edge. Allie felt a sharp tug as the delicate fabric was shredded from her body, and then a rush of cool air against her aching core.

She reached for him, pushing his pants just low enough to free him from his boxer briefs, and then he closed the distance between them, grinding his mouth against hers and pressing her between the wall and his hard, muscular body. She felt the throb of his erection straining hard and hot against her, and she shuddered. Once he was inside, she knew it was going to be a fast, fierce ride.

Hudson’s hand smoothed up the back of her thigh. He lifted her leg, spreading her, and hooked her knee around his hip. The heavy curtain afforded almost total darkness, but in the thin strip of light coming from beneath the door, she could see a haze of lust clouding his bright blue eyes. He bent his knees and pushed into her in one long thrust that had her sucking in a sharp, gasping breath. He pulled back and thrust again, forcing his way deeper until she was utterly impaled and it was impossible to tell where he ended and she began.

Her head fell back against the wall as he moved inside her in slick, relentless drives that had her moaning at how perfectly they fit together. No one had ever come close to igniting her passion the way Hudson did. He was what she needed, what she craved.

The sound of pounding drums surrounded them, a fiery rhythm pushing them higher and higher as his thrusts grew wilder and more desperate. Her fingers clutched the shoulders of his jacket, holding on tight as a white-hot rush threatened to consume her.

The music swelled to a crescendo and her entire body began to quake. Rippling tremors started in her core and then pulsed like waves throughout her body, in perfect time to the clashing symbols on the stage below. Drums pounded their way through the finale and Allie dropped her head, burying her face in Hudson’s neck to muffle the keening cry that escaped her lips. Her climax washed over her and her teeth sank into Hudson’s neck. He groaned as she marked him and his body jerked, driving to the hilt one last time as he came.

Once the tremors subsided, Hudson lowered her carefully back to her feet. She wobbled on her heels and he steadied her with an arm around her waist.

“I believe I’m starting to develop an appreciation for classical music,” he said.

Still short of breath, she managed a slight laugh. “I thought it all sounded the same to you?”

“This one is different.” His expression grew serious as he brushed the pad of his thumb over Allie’s swollen lips, but then he quickly flashed a wicked grin. “In fact, I need to go home and listen to it a few more times.”