Текст книги "Reclaim Me"

Автор книги: Ann Marie Walker

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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

Chapter Nine

The significance of the location Harper had picked was completely lost on Allie. She was so consumed with thoughts of Hudson and Julian and drug dealers and hit men and private military ops that she didn’t make the connection. Not when she read Harper’s text, not as she jogged through Lincoln Park, and not as she stood waiting on the corner of Division and Clark. It wasn’t until they were standing in line that she realized they weren’t meeting at just any Starbucks. They were meeting for coffee at the location where Nick Chase worked as the shop’s newest barista.

Allie watched him, juggling orders at rapid speed while charming the female customers, and she couldn’t help but smile. For as different as they were, there was still so much about Nick that reminded her of his brother. The same jawline and nose, the same dark, unruly hair, though Nick wore his much longer, and the same confident stride. Their eyes were the most notable exception; Hudson’s being a clear blue while Nick’s were a deep brown. But despite the difference in color, both men expressed themselves clearly with a single glance, and at the moment Nick’s eyes were telling Allie all she needed to know about his feelings for her best friend.

He did a double take when he caught sight of Allie, but instead of flashing his trademark grin, his gaze immediately shifted, searching the crowd to her right and left until he found what he was looking for. Or rather who he was looking for. He locked eyes with Harper and a shy smile curved his lips. When Allie turned to her best friend, she discovered a similarly ridiculous grin had spread across her face. And had the cold air outside turned her cheeks a warm pink or was Harper actually blushing?

Oh, how the tables have turned.

“Is that Nick?” she asked.

Harper squinted and leaned to her left. “Is it?”

Enjoying their little game too much to end it just yet, Allie decided to play along. “I think so. Didn’t he mention something on Christmas Eve about working here?”

“Did he?” Harper chewed on her lip. “You know, I think you’re right.”

Allie fought the urge to roll her eyes as they stepped up to the cashier. She placed her order first, then stood back to take in the scene unfolding in front of her, watching in fascination as Nick tried his best to play it cool, feigning total focus on the espresso maker as it hissed and squealed while stealing glances in Harper’s direction.

“Hi, Nick,” Allie finally said.

“Hey, Allie.” There wasn’t a hint of surprise in his voice or expression. Clearly he’d been expecting them. “Out for a run?”

“Just finished.”

“Grande caramel macchiato,” he called out to the waiting crowd before setting the beverage on the raised counter.

“Looks like you’re quite the pro.”

“I’m getting the hang of it.” Nick reached for the cup marked with Allie’s name and flipped it in the air. “But we’ll see if I can stand up to the ultimate test,” he said, catching the cup with one hand. He read the detailed drink specifications scribbled along the side of the cup and took a deep breath. “Here goes.” He set the cup down, then proceeded to crack his knuckles as part of a dramatic preparation.

This time Allie did roll her eyes. “I’m not that bad.”

Harper appeared by her side, tucking her wallet back into her purse. “Don’t even bother. We both know you too well.”

Nick looked up at the sound of Harper’s voice. “Hey,” he said. They stared at each other for a long beat until the milk Nick was steaming overflowed from the stainless steel pitcher he held in his hand. “Shit,” he said, jumping back as froth splattered all over his green apron.

Allie covered her mouth to hide her laugh, and for about the hundredth time that day found herself wishing Hudson was by her side. Although for Nick’s sake it was probably a good thing he wasn’t. The teasing would have no doubt been swift and relentless. “I’ll grab a table,” she said, leaving the two of them alone at the counter. When Harper joined her a few minutes later, she acted as though nothing was amiss.

“Have you recovered from the jet lag?” she asked, as if everything were perfectly normal and she hadn’t just outed the relationship she’d categorically denied. “I guess that’s one good thing about a twenty-four-hour trip to Europe,” she added, handing Allie her skinny vanilla latte. “My body never had time to adjust.”

“Are we going to pretend like that didn’t just happen?”

“What?”

“Oh please. To quote one of your favorite expressions, ‘I saw the way you two were eye-fucking each other.’”

Harper sputtered into her chai latte, then stole a glance over her shoulder at Nick. He winked and held up a finger to indicate he’d be one more minute.

“So the guy you’re not dating is joining us?”

“He has a break in a few minutes,” she mumbled into her cup.

Allie gave her a self-satisfied smile. “And you just happen to know this how?”

“Fine,” Harper said. “We may have been hanging out a bit over the holidays. But everyone else I know was out of town, and Nick’s trying to keep his distance from—”

“Stop. I think it’s great the two of you are . . . hanging out,” Allie said, parroting Harper’s words. “What I don’t understand is why you keep denying there’s more to it. Anyone can see the attraction between the two of you.”

Harper’s face split into a wide grin. “Really?”

“Yes.” Allie smiled back at her friend. Despite the chaos in her life, at least one person she cared about was genuinely happy. Focusing on that was exactly what Allie needed. “Now tell me what’s been going on with the two of you since Christmas Eve.”

“I don’t know, really. I certainly wasn’t looking for anything when I showed up on your doorstep like a human icicle.” Harper cupped her tea between her hands and rested her elbows on the table. “We just sort of clicked that night.”

“I’d say so.” The image of Harper and Nick sitting side by side in front of the fireplace on Christmas morning filled Allie’s mind.

“Nothing happened. I swear all we did was talk.”

“I believe you. Although it was pretty funny the way Nick jumped up so quickly when Hudson and I came into the room.”

“Like a busted teen.” Harper laughed. “Gotta admit, even I was a bit scared when Hudson walked in the room. That man intimidates the hell out of me.”

“So is that why all the secrecy?”

Harper shrugged. “Nick’s not supposed to be dating so soon into his recovery,” she said, answering Allie’s unspoken question. Obviously Harper knew about Nick’s recent stint in rehab.

“And what, he’s worried Hudson will be disappointed?”

“Yeah. I know they have that tough brother act down pat, but Nick is really grateful to Hudson for everything he’s done. Feels like he saved his life, ya know?”

Allie gave a somber nod. She knew all too well the lengths to which Hudson had gone to protect his brother.

“The last thing Nick wants to do is let him down.”

Allie wasn’t nearly done questioning Harper, but when she spotted Nick making his way toward their table, she knew the rest of her interrogation would have to wait.

Nick picked up a chair and spun it around. He straddled it, then crossed his arms over the wooden back and leaned forward. “How did I get so lucky as to have two of the prettiest girls in Chicago stop by my Starbucks?”

Allie met his gaze with wide, innocent eyes. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because one of them is your girlfriend?”

Nick’s eyes darted to Harper, who sat gaping at Allie. “Guess we weren’t too subtle.” He chuckled. “I take it she knows everything, then?”

“Well, yeah, sort of—I mean no,” Harper stammered. “I never said I was your girlfriend.”

A lopsided grin spread across Nick’s face as he watched Harper struggle. It was a grin Allie had seen before, when he was a young, carefree boy. Her heart swelled at the sight of that smile on his face again.

“It’s all good,” Nick finally said, putting Harper out of her misery. He reached for her hand, bringing their entwined fingers to his mouth and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “That’s what you are, right, babe?”

There was no mistaking Harper’s reaction for windblown cheeks this time. Her face blushed as red as her hair. Allie smiled. Seemed the Chase brothers had more in common than just their looks. Her gaze shifted back and forth between the two lovebirds until she feared someone at another table might actually catcall “Get a room.” She cleared her throat with an exaggerated cough.

“Sorry,” Nick said a bit sheepishly. “It’s not that we didn’t want you to know.”

“It’s okay. Harper explained.”

Nick grew serious. “It’s just . . . Hudson’s been really good to me. I don’t want him to think I’m not taking the program seriously.”

“I get it.”

He grinned. “I knew you would. So you won’t say anything to my bro about . . .” His gaze shifted to Harper.

“I’m trying to keep my conversations with your brother strictly business.” It wasn’t the assurance Nick was looking for, but it was the best she could provide without outright lying to him. In reality she never again wanted to have secrets of any kind between her and Hudson. Not after everything they’d been through, and especially not in light of everything else they were dealing with.

“Yeah, about that,” Nick began.

Allie shook her head. “Oh no, not you too?”

“It’s my fault,” Harper said. “I asked him to gang up on you.”

“I’ll remember this, Nick,” she teased. “Don’t even think about asking me for help when her birthday rolls around.”

Harper frowned. “Can we talk about this seriously for a second?”

No, they couldn’t. Allie couldn’t seriously discuss a life without Hudson in it. She’d barely faked her way through the conversation they’d already had. Harper would surely see through her lies if she had to go into more detail about why she no longer wanted to be with the man she loved. “Harper, I—”

She was saved by the ping of an incoming text. It wouldn’t be Hudson, since they had agreed on radio silence, and since Harper was sitting in front of her that meant it could only be the office. For once, whatever emergency awaited her was a welcome interruption.

But when she pulled her smartphone out of her pocket it wasn’t Colin or Ben whose name appeared on the screen. Instead the sender was listed as private.

Tic Toc, Alessandra.

Allie felt the blood drain from her face as she read Julian’s less than subtle reminder.

“Everything okay?” Harper asked.

Allie looked up to see both Harper and Nick staring at her, concern written all over their faces. “Oh yeah, just a last-minute glitch on a contract I thought we’d already put to bed.” She gathered her coat and coffee. “I need to head up to the office.”

Nick stood when she did. “Want me to grab you a cab?”

“No, sit, enjoy the rest of your break. I’ll call you later, Harper,” she said as she dashed out the door. It took every ounce of strength to fight the impulse to run straight to the Palmolive building and into Hudson’s arms. It had barely been twenty-four hours since they’d been together and already the separation felt like torture. She longed to see him, to feel his touch or just hear his voice. She stared down at the phone still clutched in her hand and sighed. Even a call was too risky. They still had no idea who was acting as Julian’s eyes and ears, or to what lengths he’d gone to keep her under surveillance.

A taxi pulled alongside the curb and she ducked inside, stuffing her phone back into her pocket as she gave the driver the address of Ingram’s headquarters. There might not have been any fires to put out, but losing herself in work sounded like a much better option than pacing the floor of her brownstone. She and Hudson had plans to rendezvous the next day, but for now at least, there wasn’t anything she could do but wait.

Chapter Ten

Hudson’s shoes slammed against the pavement. His feet kicked up water from the slush, which splattered onto his sweatpants. His arms pumped, his fists clenched tight, and his breath shot out of his mouth in clouds of condensation.

Allie had to have been goddamn nuts to suggest this “random” run-in. For once the sun was shining and the sky was clear, but like hell if it was running weather. It was balls-freezing cold. And while there were enough obstacles to obscure the line of sight of someone spying on them from the street, Lincoln Park didn’t render them invisible. God, he wished they were. Then they wouldn’t have to keep creating these orchestrated accidents.

A gust of wind smacked into his face. The cold was rough and raw and would have penetrated his bones if he wasn’t beating the shit out of his running shoes. As he pushed himself harder toward their designated meeting place, his irritation over the situation made every protective instinct roar. He wanted to tell, hell dare, that French fuck to untuck his nut sac and recite his demands directly to him, leaving Allie out of it.

When he reached the Lincoln Monument, Hudson paused. He closed his eyes and stretched his arms above his head, lengthening his spine, and felt the pain in his chest that had been a near constant. It wasn’t work stress—business was thriving, not to mention Forbes had started making inquiries—or Nick, who was owning the twelve step thing. No, the ache that tightened his chest had been there since the day he thought Allie had left him. Again. And now they’d embarked on a game of playing Julian for a fool, not to mention the society pages and their friends, family, and colleagues. The ruse felt too real at times, and it hurt, but not enough to make him regret doing it. If their charade was what it took to keep her safe and have her as his again, then so be it. He just had to keep reminding himself that when it was over, they would move on with their fucking lives. She was his future.

Hudson dropped his arms, then did a check of his watch. Right on time Allie rounded the turn, heading home via the farm and pond at the south end of the Lincoln Park Zoo. He watched for a second, the sight of her hypnotizing him to the point where the city around them receded into the background and the traffic bled into white noise. His body responded immediately in a way that translated straight down to his cock and it thickened, straining both the fabric of his track pants and his self-control. Christ, he was going to be pitching a fucking a tent in the middle of the park if his hard-on didn’t bow out.

But God, he wanted her; wanted her naked and underneath him, her legs locked around his hips and her breath panting his name. And he couldn’t stop thinking about the quickest way to strip her out of those tight running pants and plunge his cock into her fast, hard, and deep.

He cracked his neck to loosen it up as he timed her approach . . . three . . . two . . . then broke into a jog to close the distance between them until he was literally “running” into her.

Allie halted in front of him. Her cheeks were flushed and a sheen of sweat glistened across her skin. “This wasn’t a good idea.”

Hudson stood farther back than he would have liked, his body coiled tight and the muscle in his jaw flexing. No one was close enough to hear what they were saying, but their body language still mattered. “I’m supposed to be trying to win you back. He’s banking on the fact that I will pursue you like last time.”

“Don’t you mean stalking?” The corners of her mouth turned up. “If I recall, you were quite good at it.”

“Don’t smile—you’re not supposed to like me, remember? Besides, when you’re pissed off, it is unbelievably hot.”

Allie looked off toward the lake and pressed her lips together, stifling what he knew without question was a mind-blowing smile. “You’re not helping.”

Hudson shifted closer, doing his best to suppress a grin of his own. “Then I’ll step up my stalker asshole game and we can go back to my place and have angry sex.”

Allie covered her mouth in a fake cough. “Still not helping.” She bent over and braced her hands on her shins, giving her hamstrings a good stretch and Hudson a good view. His gaze fell instinctively to her ass, and he groaned.

“That’s not helping, either.” He scrubbed a hand down his face as if that would wipe away the utterly filthy image he had of her on her hands and knees, perfectly aligned to take him. He knew how slick, hot, and fucking amazing it felt to slip the head of his cock between her folds, teasing her before he fucked her.

Allie straightened. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Too late.”

She shook her head. “What would you like to talk about?”

“Why, Alessandra, are you at a loss for words? Hell just froze over.”

“Funny.” Allie rolled her eyes. “Oh! I saw Nick yesterday.”

“Going from angry sex to the subject of my brother is not the direction I had in mind,” he said in a dry, deep tone.

“Believe me, I’m right there with you. But I’m trying to work with what we have.”

“So where did you see him?” he asked in an effort to toe the line.

“Harper and I had coffee at the Starbucks on Division.”

“Ah yes, my brother the barista. Did he take good care of my girl?”

“He did. And my best friend, the recent coffee connoisseur, as well.”

“Does Harper take twenty minutes to order a coffee, too?” His mouth curved into a wry grin.

“She spent twenty minutes at the counter all right, but not debating her order.”

He raised his brows and crossed his arms over his chest. “Is there something I should know about?”

“Seems your brother and my best friend have become something of an item.”

“What? When did this happen?”

“While we were in Europe. One all-night conversation led to a movie and that led to—”

“I get the idea.” Hudson cut her off. He didn’t need that image sitting front-and-center scratching against his visual cortex. Shit, the notion was already singeing his retinas. “Fuck.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I already told him not to pull his crap with your friend.”

“I don’t think he’s pulling any shit. From what I saw, they really like each other.”

Hudson looked up at the sky. The forecast was for more snow, which was going to give those pigs that must be flying one hell of a time. “This should be an interesting topic of conversation at dinner tonight.”

“You can’t say anything.”

“Why not?”

“Because you can’t tell him that you know. We’re broken up, remember? And even if we weren’t, they asked me not to tell you.”

He cursed under his breath. “This is ridiculous.”

“After everything he’s put you through, Nick wants nothing more than to make you proud, Hudson. Surely you can see that. And he’s worried that breaking the no-dating-during-recovery rule is going to disappoint you.” Her voice softened. “Just let him tell you about this when he’s ready.”

“Fine. Is there anything else I’m not supposed to know?”

“I think that’s it.” She fought the grin he knew threatened to spread across her face, but the sentiment was definitely in her voice; the kind that told him she was enjoying his reaction to this news flash perhaps a little too much. God help him, he loved seeing her happy, even when it was at his expense.

“The rest of the time was pretty much their version of an intervention,” she said.

“Intervention?”

“Mmmhmm. They don’t understand why we’re not together. Can’t say I blame them, really. After seeing how happy we were at Christmas, I’m sure they think I’m a raving bitch for suddenly breaking things off.”

“We can’t tell them what’s really going on. For now we have to play it out. It’s for their own protection.”

“I know.” Allie looked down at the ground. When she lifted her head, he could see the despair in her eyes that came from being in a crappy situation that had no foreseeable end. But hell if he was going to let it settle there. This, them being apart, was temporary. He knew that without question, but it was still a head-fuck.

“I want to touch you.” On impulse he stepped forward, and at the same time Allie shifted back. “Goddamn fucking hell.” The words came out with sharp edges. “I know that was for the watchful eyes, but it’s killing me, Allie.” He ran a hand back through his hair and fisted the dark waves at the base of his neck.

“Me too,” she whispered, blinking back tears.

He let out a resigned breath. “I’m going to work at Chase HQ as much as possible this week.”

Allie nodded. “Of course. I’m sure you’ve got a lot to catch up on there with the holidays and then all this.”

“Well yes, but mostly if we’re seen together all week, Julian will wonder why you haven’t laid out your terms.” Also because it was torture to see her and not be with her. Even though her cold indifference was a farce, it was too close to the reality he never wanted to experience again in any form.

“Right.” She dropped her stare once more and toed a small patch of ice with her running shoe.

Hudson cleared his throat. “We need to afford Max a bit of time for his team to work.”

Allie’s head snapped up. “Who does he have working on it? Does he think they can find something to connect Julian?” There was a flicker of hope in her eyes that went from spark to full-on blaze in no time flat.

“The less you know, the better.” She was already in this mess far deeper than he had ever wanted. And if Max was blurring the lines of the law at his request, Allie didn’t need blow-by-blow intel that could pin her to the wall as an accomplice.

“Don’t give me that crap, Hudson. We’re in this together.” The words slingshot out of her mouth, and he couldn’t stop the slight grin that tugged at his lips.

“Agreed.”

“Then tell me what’s going on. I’ve had enough people keeping me in the dark for whatever reasons they felt were justified.” Her eyes clouded. “If Max has any leads, I want to know about them.”

“He doesn’t. Not yet. But I’ve asked them to use any means at their disposal.” He fixed her with a hard stare. “I won’t involve you with the details of their methods, but I assure you, if they yield any results I will notify you immediately. Now, as much as I hate to say it, you need to leave me standing here, hat in hand. Fortunately your expression is already the perfect mix of frustrated exasperation.”

Allie rubbed her gloved hand over her face, and he knew it was to hide the smile she’d failed to fight.

“One more thing,” he said. “A courier will deliver a package tomorrow. It will contain an encrypted phone. Speaking might be too risky given we don’t know who is on Julian’s payroll, but we can text each other any necessary information.” He smirked. “Or Shakespeare.”

She shook her head. “You’re lucky you’re cute, Chase.”

Hudson lifted a brow. “Cute? Not the adjective I would have chosen.” He kicked his chin toward the Chicago History Museum. “Now go on before I drag you into that building and show you just how cute I can be.”

Her cheeks were already red from the chill of the wind, but when the color deepened he knew without a doubt she was blushing. And when Allie turned and took off toward her brownstone as he broke into a run in the opposite direction, he knew she had taken a piece of him with her.

*   *   *

The run back to his penthouse had nearly put Hudson’s balls into hibernation. Nearly. Toeing off his shoes, he stripped naked and let his longsleeve T-shirt and sweatpants drop to the floor in a wet heap. He walked to the shower, cranked on the dual heads, and stepped under the spray. Closing his eyes, he faced the onslaught and was immediately hit with a poignant sadness and a bone-splitting emptiness.

He tried to concentrate on the heat of the water beating against his chest and rushing over his tired, chilled muscles. Fuck him, it wasn’t happening. Allie and this mess occupied every corner of his mind, and the fact that Max hadn’t turned up shit on Julian was throwing his mood even further into the crapper.

As he started to run through the various scenarios that could nail the connection between Julian and the Sinclair murders, he felt a soft feminine hand on his shoulder, then felt the warmth of naked skin at his back.

Hudson turned, and as he did, Allie’s hands drifted over the hard ridges of his stomach. “How did you get in here?”

“You gave me a key card, remember?” She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his chest.

“An excellent move on my part.” His hands gripped her waist, then slid up her delicate rib cage. “Not that I’m complaining, but address the how.”

“I took the tunnel under Lake Shore and cut through the Drake, then came up through the garage.”

The pads of his thumbs circled her nipples and he felt them tighten under his touch.

Allie drew a breath before continuing. “Last time I saw the black SUV, it was stuck in gridlock. Now, do you want to discuss the traffic on Michigan Avenue, or do you want me to suck your cock?”

He cupped her cheek and brushed a thumb across her bottom lip. “I want your perfect lips wrapped around my cock. And when I come in your mouth, you’ll remember who you belong to.”

“As if I could ever forget.” Her smile was absolute wickedness as she dropped to her knees and into every man’s shower fantasy in flawless HD.

Water hit the back of his neck, sluiced over his shoulders, and dripped off the head of his cock as it jutted out from his hips, begging for attention. Anticipation shot down his spine, going straight between his legs and making him painfully hard. Goddamn, the bastard was pounding.

Allie kept her eyes locked on his as her fingers curled around his thick shaft. She licked her lips, then leaned forward and took the wide head into her mouth—so slick, warm, and wet. The sensations of her drove him half crazed. His stance widened as her hands slid up his thighs to his ass. Her fingers splayed, pulling him deeper until she’d taken all of him.

“Fuck,” he hissed. The sight of her, on her knees before him while she deep throated his cock, almost had him losing it.

Hudson’s palm slapped against the marble and his hips flexed, thrusting himself in and out of all that silky wetness. She pulled back, her tongue stroking his length and her teeth grazing his tip, then her cheeks hollowed as she sucked him back in again.

“Rougher.” His breath punched in and out of his lungs, and when she cupped his heavy sac, a groan ricocheted off the walls.

Fuck him, he could spend eternity working her mouth. Her skill was downright deadly. His arms dropped, his hands seeking, finding, and fisting Allie’s hair. Need surged in him, and he thrust himself even deeper, the drive to fuck overriding all else. An approving hum escaped Allie’s lips as if she were savoring every inch of him, and the sound vibrated up his length. He knew how wet it made her to suck him off, and Jesus Christ, what a turn-on. He wanted to return the favor and go down on her, to taste her and feel her pulse around his tongue as she came. But her punishing rhythm and the graze of her teeth yanked him back into the present.

She fluttered her tongue along the underside of his cock, then her lips closed around the head and she sucked. His grip on her hair tightened and the muscles in his neck chorded. He was dangerously close to the edge, but she didn’t ease up in the slightest. And like hell if he was going to slow things down.

He stole a glance at her as the water beat down around them. No makeup, her skin flushed, her lashes fanned against her face—she couldn’t have been more beautiful. Add to that the visual of him moving in and out of her mouth, her cheeks hollowed, her hands gripping his thighs . . . his breath caught and his body locked as his orgasm shot down his spine. Allie moaned as his release filled her mouth in spasms. “Swallow it,” he grunted. “Take everything.”

Her throat worked his cock while her hands milked him, and damn it to fucking hell, even as his orgasm barreled out of him, he wanted her again. He wanted to press her tits against the cold glass and fuck her hard and fast, pulling her hips back and driving into her until she was shouting his name. And he would. He’d spend the rest of the day inside her. She was there, in his house, and every damn surface would be used without apology.

He had no idea what tomorrow held. But for now, she was his.