Текст книги "Remind Me "

Автор книги: Ann Marie Walker

Соавторы: Amy K. Rogers
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Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

He gave her a halfhearted smile and pressed a soft, quick kiss to her lips. “I appreciate that, but Nick’s my responsibility, not yours.”

In that moment Allie realized Hudson had always seen Nick not just as his responsibility, but also his failure. As she listened to his story, she couldn’t help but feel as though she shared part of the blame. If she hadn’t disappeared from Hudson’s life without so much as a good-bye, would she have been someone he could’ve turned to? A friend when he needed one the most? He’d had to face his battles alone then, but it didn’t have to be that way now.

“Hudson, you’ve taken on so much already. Let me help if I can. I just . . . ,” she choked back a sob. “I wish I could go back. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I’m sorry I hurt you.”

His fingers touched her cheek. “No need to apologize, Allie. I’ve never regretted any of the time we spent together. Those days with you were the best of my life.” He cocked a slight grin. “You were the first woman I cared about and didn’t just want to take for a ride.”

Allie smiled and shook her head. Ever the bad boy. “I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about that last night on the boat a time or two over the past ten years. Or the night we rode that Ferris wheel about a dozen times.” She snuggled against the warmth of his chest. “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier than I was that summer.”

“And this?” His hand stroked up and down her back. “This feels good, doesn’t it?”

Allie tensed, knowing he was asking so much more than a simple question, and Hudson stilled.

“Don’t answer that,” he said, sliding out from behind her. He stood and jogged up the stairs. When he returned he had something in his hand and that shy smile on his lips.

“I believe this is yours.” He held out his hand and a delicate string of shells dangled from his fingertip.

Allie’s mouth fell open on a gasp. It was a shell anklet, her shell anklet. She recognized it immediately. To her, that anklet represented all they had once shared. She’d been devastated when she lost it on their last night together, leaving her with nothing to remember him by.

“I never thought I’d see that again.” Her eyes filled with tears. “You kept it all this time?”

“I did.” Hudson sat down beside her on the rug and gently pulled her foot into his lap. The shells slid along the clear string, filling the spaces of ones lost over time as he wrapped them around her leg. When it was clasped, his hand lingered and his fingers caressed her skin. Allie wondered if, like her, he was remembering the night he first put it there.

Gently, he lifted her leg and pressed a soft kiss to the side of her ankle. “You made me feel hopeful,” he whispered.

Allie slipped her leg out of Hudson’s grasp and moved into his lap, her thighs straddling his hips as she held his face between her hands.

“Hudson . . .” Her voice trailed off. There was so much they needed to discuss, so much she wanted to say. But in that moment, the words escaped her.

He reached up and brushed her cheek with his knuckles. “What’s wrong, Allie?”

Her eyes drifted shut and she leaned into his touch. When she opened them, his fierce blue eyes searched hers as if her were trying to see not only into her thoughts, but her very soul. Her heart lurched and she was lost. The only thing that mattered was this man, this moment. She needed to show him with her body all her heart could never say.

She drew a stuttering breath. “Nothing’s wrong. Make love to me, Hudson.”

His hand curled around her nape and he pulled her to his mouth, kissing her long and slow and deep. Allie’s fingers slid into his hair and she held him to her as his tongue slid greedily over hers in lush, dragging sweeps. With a soft moan, she kissed him back, matching his strokes with her own. Exploring, tasting, consuming.

This kiss went on and on like a seductive dance until Allie thought she might come from the sheer pleasure of his lips moving with hers.

Running his hands down her back, Hudson cupped her ass and squeezed. Allie gasped as he yanked her forward, bringing her in intimate contact with the impressive erection straining the front of his jeans.

“What you make me feel . . . ,” he whispered in a low, ragged voice. He held her gaze as he flexed his hips. The thin fabric of her yoga pants offered little barrier, allowing the thick ridge of his arousal to hit that sweet spot between her thighs. His mouth slanted over hers once more, and with a roll of his hips, he pushed into her again and again, mimicking the motion of him inside her until she writhed restlessly in his lap.

Hudson reached down, lifted the hem of Allie’s sweater, and pulled it over her head. Her breath hitched as his fingers traced the lace cups of her bra before curling around the straps and sliding them down her arms. He leaned forward, nuzzling her hair as his hands followed the band to her back. With a flick of his wrist he released the clasp, letting the bra fall wherever it landed.

Lowering his head, he pressed his warm, wet mouth to her shoulder, then dragged his tongue along her collarbone. Anticipation thrummed hot and heavy through Allie’s veins, and she arched her back in silent entreaty. Hudson palmed her breast in one hand, brushing the pad of his thumb over her erect nipple, and flattened his other hand on the middle of her spine. With his fingers splayed wide, he pressed against her, urging her to bend further back.

“So beautiful,” he murmured. His tongue flickered across one nipple, then he kissed his way to the other, leaving a trail of damp heat on her sensitive skin. He laved her slowly, drawing lazy circles around the hardened peak before suckling it deep into his mouth. Her body shuddered and a helpless moan escaped her lips as he tugged the tender tip between his teeth.

Wanting to feel his skin against hers, Allie slipped her fingers under the edge of Hudson’s T-shirt. The palms of her hands glided across his taut stomach and chest, leisurely exploring his muscular contours as she worked the fabric higher.

Gathering the cotton fabric in her fingers, she lifted it over his head and tossed it to the side. Her hands moved over his broad shoulders before drifting lower. He sucked in a sharp breath as her thumbnails scraped across his nipples, and then suddenly his arms were around her, holding her close as his mouth claimed hers in a passionate kiss. This time when he pulled her into his arms, there were no barriers, no walls. Just skin against skin. Her breathing was ragged and aroused, her nipples brushing against his chest with every rise and fall of her breasts.

In a swift move he lowered her to the floor, sweeping her black yoga pants down her legs and tossing them to the side before stretching out next to her in front of the fire. His heated gaze raked over her from head to toe.

“No panties?” He licked his lips and she practically convulsed.

Dropping her hands, Allie caressed his erection through the soft denim of his jeans. “I prefer wearing yours.” She tugged on his fly, popping the small buttons open one by one, and then slipped her fingers under the waistband of his boxer briefs. He twitched as she took him in her hand, gently squeezing and stroking him from root to tip until a deep groan vibrated in his throat. “In fact, I think I’ll take them now if you don’t mind.”

A sexy grin curved his lips. “By all means.”

He stared up at her, his eyes glittering in the warm glow of the fire as she tugged his boxers and jeans down his legs in one sweep. When his erection sprang free she reached for him again, curling her fingers firmly around his length. Hudson’s eyes closed briefly and he flexed into her palm.

“Now what?” The amusement in his voice was gone, replaced by a raw, heated desire. His blatant need sent a rush of warmth through her body.

“I want you in my mouth,” she whispered.

His answering groan was a sound of sweet misery.

Bending down, she teased him with soft laps of her tongue before parting her lips and taking him inside. Hudson watched her through hooded eyes as she slowly drew him back out, blowing a breath of warm air across his moistened flesh. He flexed his hips and she smiled. Hmm, now who wants more? Only too happy to oblige, she swirled her tongue across the tip, then ran it up and down his length as she moved him in and out of her mouth.

His fingers tangled in her hair and his body arched, pushing him deeper. “Yes,” he hissed between clenched teeth.

The feel of him throbbing and pulsing in her mouth drove her wild. She loved that she could do this to him, make him lose himself in the moment, lose himself in her. Spurred on by his pleasure, she sucked harder, finding a perfect rhythm with her hands and mouth.

His stomach muscles tensed. “Enough. I want to be inside you when I come.” The words came out in a rush. He curled toward her, pulling her up the length of his body and crushing his mouth to hers.

With a groan he rolled Allie onto her back, kneeing her legs apart and settling between her thighs. Bearing his weight on his elbows, he threaded his fingers with hers and held them on either side of her head. He gazed down at her and gently brushed his lips across her mouth. The kiss deepened as he brought their bodies together, licking his way into her mouth as he pushed himself farther inside her.

Once buried to the hilt, he stilled; the peace and tranquility of the room broken only by the sounds of their mingled breaths and the roaring fire.

“You’re all I need,” he murmured. Slowly he began to move, pulling back and then flexing into her with a deliberate, unhurried rhythm.

Allie moaned, loving the feel of him inside her, filling her, moving with her. She wrapped her legs around him, her heels digging into his ass as she urged him on.

“Slow,” he whispered, running his tongue along her bottom lip before lazily pulling it between his teeth. “I want to take this slow.”

He continued his leisurely torment, drawing back to the tip before gliding into her again. Allie’s neck arched on a frustrated groan. His carefully timed thrusts were driving her wild. Heaven and hell all rolled into one.

She lifted her body into his and gasped as he slid deeper. “Please, Hudson . . .”

Gradually he increased his rhythm, and slowly but surely she began to climb. His body rolled against hers with measured determination as he drove her higher and higher. Allie felt her insides begin to quicken as his thrusts became shorter, sharper.

“That’s it, Allie,” he growled. “Come with me.”

His words were her undoing and she came in a dizzying rush. Her orgasm went on and on, pulsing through her like waves as he stroked into her again and again.

Hudson’s fingers squeezed hers and he came long and hard, his hips slicing forward one last time as he poured himself into her. With their hands still linked, he collapsed on top of her and buried his face in her neck.

When he released her hands, she wrapped her arms around him and held him tight, emotions welling up inside her like the tears that stung her eyes.

Chapter Thirty-three

After miles of roping turns, Hudson maneuvered the Range Rover through the light Sunday traffic on I-94, his grip tight on the wheel and the air in the SUV thick with silence. There was so much he wanted to say to Allie that his mind raced and his head pounded. But every time he opened his damn mouth, the threat to spill his guts was doing a jig on the end of his tongue. Being the other man wasn’t in his nature, and whenever he thought about that marquis fucker his territorial impulses were triggered.

Headlights on the other side of the highway intermittently illuminated the car, highlighting her face and allowing him to steal a glimpse of her. His eyes glided over Allie’s delicate profile before looking back at the road in front of him. Her attempts at making conversation with his monosyllabic responses had been getting them nowhere, but as the towering skyline of the city appeared in the distance, she tried again.

“Do you have a busy day tomorrow?” she asked.

“Shit.” He reached for his phone and turned it on. The thing lit up like a goddamn Christmas tree with notifications of missed messages, e-mails, and texts. All that was missing were smoke signals.

Hudson hit the voice mail and Nick’s panicked voice came over the speaker. “It’s me. Call me as soon as you get this.” There was a low, deep sigh, then his voice grew stronger. “Where the fuck are you?”

The message ended and another began to play, then another and another. With each one Nick sounded progressively worse, spiraling into a full-blown panic attack. Hudson cursed under his breath when the next message began to play and that raspy, heavy with nicotine voice filled the car.

“Hudson, my man, need to get your ass down here . . .”

He snapped the cell out of the cradle and pressed it to his ear. He could feel Allie watching him as he curbed the SUV in front of his building and shifted into park.

“I need to get Nick. Go on upstairs and make yourself at home.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“No.” His tone was insistent. “Wait for me.” He lifted his hips, reached into the pocket of his jeans, and pulled a card out of his wallet. “For the elevator,” he said, handing it to her. “It will take you straight up.”

Her hand gripped the door handle. “Is Nick okay?” The worry in her voice was palpable. He wanted to take her face between his hands and tell her everything was going to be fine, but he didn’t know that it would be.

“Yeah . . . I think.” He pushed the speed dial on his phone and held it up to his ear as Allie reluctantly got out of the car. With a screech, he merged with the oncoming traffic. In his rearview mirror he could still see Allie standing at the curb, watching him.

When the call was answered he didn’t wait for hello. “How bad?” he barked into the phone, speeding through a yellow light just as it changed to red.

***

The bar owner cocked his fingers like a gun and pointed in the direction of the back room as soon as Hudson walked through the door. His stomach turned as he made his way through the dingy establishment. The place never seemed to lose that stale beer stench and must have been breaking about a dozen health codes.

Cranking the knob, Hudson walked into the back room, only for his stride to falter. He stumbled back a step and shoved his hand into his hair. The gruesome scene was straight out of his recurring nightmare. Blood, lots of it, and front and center a man was sprawled unconscious. Not wanting to touch the guy, Hudson nudged him with his foot. Nothing.

He looked to Nick and found him pacing like a caged animal. There were a couple contusions already starting to swell on his face, and blood trailed from a cut below his eye, dripping off his chin.

Hudson’s eyes dropped to the DOA with the cracked skull and the remnants of a broken chair beside him. Blood pooled under the guy’s head, his greasy hair marinating in the dense liquid. As it began to ooze toward Hudson’s shoes, images flashed in rapid succession. A gunshot. Blood-soaked jeans. His father shouting.

Turning his back on the scene, Hudson drew a deep breath and put a lockdown on his memories. He shut the door, then pegged his little brother with a hard stare. “What the fuck happened, Nick?”

“It was an accident, Hudson, I swear. The bastard was going to kill me.” Nick paced back and forth, back and forth. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

Hudson’s eyes tracked Nick’s movements. “Who is he?”

Nick stopped pacing and his shell-shocked eyes focused on Hudson. “He’s . . . ah, just a guy I know.”

Hudson’s glare narrowed. “Bullshit. Who the fuck is he, Nick?”

“My . . . yeah, my dealer.”

“What happened?” he said through gritted teeth.

“I don’t want to get you involved.”

“Too late.” He grabbed Nick by the collar and pushed him into a chair. “Start talking. Now.”

“I don’t know, man, it all went down so fast. I guess he hit his head.” Nick blew out a breath and wiped his palms on his thighs. “He wanted the money I owe him. I told him I didn’t have it and he went crazy, started coming after me with a fucking chair.”

Hudson’s eyes flicked down to the broken chair, now suited for kindling.

“He was beating the shit out of me, bro. I’m pretty sure he woulda killed me if I hadn’t pushed him.”

“Fuck, Nick.” Hudson knew his brother was on the up and up. When shit got real, Nick’s instincts had kicked into gear, refusing to take a beatdown of the six-feet-under variety. But what a fucking mess. The press would have a field day with this one, and the DA would fry Nick just to prove relatives of the rich and famous weren’t above the law. Hell if he was going to lose his brother to another system, one he’d have no chance of getting him out of even with his means and a team of lawyers.

The door creaked open and Hudson shot Nick a shut-the-fuck-up look.

“You two about done with the family reunion?”

Hudson heard the rasp of a lighter and turned to find the bar owner lighting up another one. “Anyone else know?”

“No, in this part of town you mind your own fucking business. Most of the guys in here have records as long as my arm.” He took a long drag off his cigarette. “They’re gonna scatter like roaches if the cops start poking around.”

“Good. Keep it that way.” Hudson flipped open his wallet. “I’m sure in this neighborhood another dead junkie isn’t breaking news.”

“Yeah, you wouldn’t believe the shit we find in the trash out back.”

Hudson thumbed through a stack of benji’s, counting them off while the bar owner watched like a salivating dog. “Consider this a down payment.”

Chapter Thirty-four

Allie was staring blankly at the television screen, mindlessly flipping through hundreds of channels, when she heard the distant ping of the elevator. Finally! It had been almost two hours since Hudson had left her on the sidewalk in front of his penthouse, and she was going out of her mind with worry.

She scrambled off the couch and flew down the stairs, reaching the bottom just as the elevator doors slid open.

Hudson stepped off first. His face was set in hard lines as he strode through the foyer without so much as a glance in her direction. Nick was tight on his heels with his head down and his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans.

Self-conscious, Allie tugged at the hem of her borrowed T-shirt. With her suitcase still in the car, it wasn’t like she’d had many options. But it had been ten years since she’d seen Nick, and although Hudson’s shirt was plenty long enough, she wouldn’t have changed for bed if she’d known he was coming over. Then again, this was hardly the typical reunion.

She hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say, then cleared her throat and kept it simple. “Hi, Nick.”

He stopped short at the sound of her voice. “Oh hey, Allie. I didn’t know you were here.”

Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my God . . .”

Nick’s clothes were splattered with blood and his face had been horribly beaten. He stared at her like a deer in headlights before tucking his head back down and following his brother into the penthouse.

Allie was right behind him.

She found them in the kitchen. Hudson radiated a barely restrained fury, opening and closing cabinets with more force than necessary until he found a bottle of Blue Label. He poured himself a sizable shot while Nick stood quietly at the end of the breakfast bar, shifting from one foot to the other. Waiting for instructions, she presumed.

“What happened?” she asked him.

“Um . . .” Nick’s bloodshot eyes darted to his brother.

Hudson paused with his glass halfway to his mouth. The look he shot Nick spoke volumes, not the least of which was “don’t you fucking dare.”

Allie let out an exasperated breath. The wall was back up. There was no way she was letting the subject drop indefinitely, but at the moment Nick’s injuries were her main concern. “Let me see.” She brushed his hair back from his face, trying to inspect the deep cut below his eye. “Do you think you need stitches?”

Nick winced and ducked out of her reach. “Nah, I’m fine. S’all good. Just need some soap and water.”

“I think it needs more than that.” She turned back to Hudson. “Do you have a first-aid kit?”

“He’s a big boy, Alessandra. He can take care of it.” The muscles in his jaw clenched as he glared at his younger brother. “Go to bed, Nick.”

“Ah . . . yeah. It’s been a long one.” Nick licked at the dried blood in the corner of his mouth.

“Well at least let me give you some ice.” Allie turned and reached for a clean dish towel, filling it with a handful of ice cubes. “Here, this will help with the swelling.”

He gave her a weak smile. “Thanks, Allie. Good seeing you again.”

“Yeah, you too.” She watched as Nick lumbered out of the room. He stumbled into the wall once but quickly righted himself before heading toward the stairs. Allie followed to make sure he made it down in one piece, then went to find Hudson.

He was in the living room, sipping scotch while staring out the window at the black shadow of Lake Michigan. Obviously he was upset by whatever he’d found when he went to get Nick, but what she couldn’t understand was why he was acting so cold toward the younger brother she knew he loved. Not to mention the anger she felt directed at her. Hostility rolled off him in waves, and part of her couldn’t help but wonder if it had something to do with his mood on the car ride home. Their weekend together had been perfect; but then everything started to unravel the moment they left the lake, and the closer they got to the city limits, the more she’d felt him pulling away.

When he’d drained his glass, he went to the kitchen to pour himself another. Allie waited for him to offer an explanation—or hell, say anything at all—but he merely turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.

She followed him into his office. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

He leaned against the corner of his desk and took a sip of the amber liquid. “How about you go first?”

“What do you mean?”

“This.” He gestured between them. “This farce. After all these years I’m still your dirty little secret, aren’t I?”

Allie stiffened. “Of course not.”

“Sure as hell been acting like it. Your mother saw us at the symphony and your first reaction was to run.”

“I couldn’t tell her the truth.”

“Right, because I’ll always be the kid from the wrong part of town. Doesn’t matter how much money I have, I’ll never be good enough.”

“That’s not true,” she said. Her voice was small. “I’m engaged, Hudson. You knew that from the beginning.”

He contemplated her words with narrowed eyes, then tossed back the rest of his drink. “Fair point.” His movements were smooth and methodical as he set the empty glass behind him and crossed his arms over his chest. When he spoke, his voice was menacingly calm. “Tell me, Alessandra, did he ask you to go with him to Paris? Two weeks is a long time to be apart. How many times has he called while he—”

Allie held up her hand. “Stop.” Enough was enough. She turned to leave but he caught her wrist.

“Not until you stop lying to yourself and end this charade.”

“It’s not that simple,” she shot back.

Hudson let out a harsh laugh. “Why, because the fucking invitations have gone out? Is that some rule of high society? No turning back once the announcement has run on page six? The rules you’ve lived by, the ones you had no say in creating no longer apply, Alessandra. If you continue to allow people to lead you down a predetermined path, then you’re not the woman I think you are.”

Tears pooled in Allie’s eyes. “I don’t know what you want from me.” She took an involuntary step backward as Hudson pushed away from the desk. He stepped closer until he stood before her, the bookshelf at her back. His proximity and the intensity of his gaze overwhelmed her, and she looked away, torn between the urge to run and the urge to wrap her arms around him and never let him go.

He cupped her jaw and gently turned her head. His blue eyes burned with sincerity. “What I want is for you to ask yourself what makes you happy. Not your parents, but you.”

A stray tear slid down her cheek and he caught it with his thumb.

“You have it in you to get what you want,” he said, his voice low and coaxing. “You have all along.”

Dipping his head, Hudson took her mouth in a tender kiss. His lips moved softly over hers, his tongue lightly tracing the seam of her lips until she opened for him. He entered slowly, reverently, teasing and tasting her with soft, shallow licks as her body melted into his.

He sighed deeply and let his forehead rest against hers. “I promised myself I wouldn’t bring this up till next weekend, but I can’t do this anymore, Allie. I can’t keep pretending two weeks will be enough.” His impassioned voice was barely a whisper. “The thought of you leaving tears me apart, a knife twisting into my soul.”

His confession burned through her like fire, igniting her body with a desperate need. She grabbed him, pulling him to her and kissing him with all the pent-up emotion of the past two weeks. Every feeling, every desire, every unspoken word poured into that one kiss.

“I won’t share you,” he murmured against her lips. “I can’t. And it’s not just male pride.”

Hudson leaned back to look at her, his eyes dark and smoldering. “The thought of another man touching you . . .” His hand smoothed over the curve of her waist. “Making love to you . . .” His fingers dug into her hip. “It’s unbearable.”

Grasping the back of her thigh, he lifted her leg, draping it over his as he placed his foot on one of the lower shelves. With a flex of his hips he pressed her against the bookshelf. “It’s either me or him.”

Her body moved of its own volition, pushing back against the erection straining the seam of his fly.

He watched her through hooded eyes. “If you can honestly tell me you want to walk away from this, I won’t stand in your way.” His fingers threaded with hers and he lifted her hand, pinning it above her head. “I’ll leave you alone if that’s what you decide.”

Allie felt her engagement ring slip from her finger.

“But tonight you’re mine.”

Hudson moved fast and swift, undoing his fly and shifting her panties. In one lithe movement he thrust inside her, emphasizing his words with the force of his body. She moaned, relishing the feel of him, but then all too quickly he withdrew. The emptiness she felt brought an unwelcome ache.

“More?” His voice was thick and husky.

“Yes.”

He groaned and drove to the hilt once more.

“Harder,” she breathed, wanting all he had to give.

Allie gasped as he surged into her, claiming both her body and her mouth. Over and over he took her, his tongue stroking hers with the same ferocious passion as his thrusts. Her senses were overloaded. The scent of his skin, the feel of his body, the taste of his mouth. She was surrounded by him, inside and out.

His arm banded around her waist, pulling her down to meet his punishing drives, and she tilted her hips, trying to take more of him. She clung to his shoulders and felt the muscles in his back flex as he gripped the shelf above her head. With his foot leveraged on the lower shelf, he powered into her, practically climbing the bookcase as he tried to get deeper and deeper inside her.

Her eyes fluttered closed, memorizing the feel of him moving hard and strong inside her—filling her, stretching her, possessing her—and a hot tear slid down her cheek. The intensity of their connection was almost more than she could bear.

He moved faster, pushed higher, until finally it became too much. Her back arched against the shelves and her body exploded in a violent rush.

“Again,” he growled, and with a roll of his hips drove her over the edge once more. Her head fell back on a desperate cry of his name as fierce tremors pulsed through her. Hudson was tireless, grinding into her with unrelenting thrusts until she came again and again, each orgasm rolling into the next as her core clenched and released.

With a long, deep groan he drove hard one last time, burying his face in her neck as he found his release. His breath was harsh and hot against her skin. “Never enough, Allie. It will never be enough.”

Her body shuddered on a silent sob and she collapsed against his chest. Totally exhausted. Totally sated.

Totally his.