Текст книги "Reclaim Me"
Автор книги: Ann Marie Walker
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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 17 страниц)
Chapter Eleven
Allie looked up from her computer as Colin plopped a brown paper bag on her desk. Whatever was inside smelled delicious and her stomach growled in agreement.
“What’s that?”
“It’s called lunch,” he deadpanned. “Traditionally served somewhere between breakfast and dinner.”
“I know what lunch is.” She rolled her eyes. “I meant why is there a bag of it on my desk?”
“Because when two o’clock rolled around and you hadn’t so much as poked your head through that door, I figured you weren’t going out for lunch. So,” he said, snapping a paper napkin open with an exaggerated flourish and spreading it out in front of her, “lunch came to you.”
“That’s very sweet, but you really didn’t need to do this,” she said, although he was right about her skipping lunch. Again. In an effort to take her mind off Hudson, she’d spent the past week working round the clock. And while her frantic pace hadn’t done anything to lessen the emptiness she felt inside, it had managed to make her forget a few meals.
“Oh, but I did. You’re wasting away to nothing right before my eyes.”
Allie snorted. “Hardly. And flattery won’t get you a raise,” she teased. “You haven’t been here long enough.” While it was true Colin had only been her assistant for a little over a month, he actually did deserve a raise. He’d already proven himself to be a trusted and invaluable member of her team. The scope of his duties seemed to expand almost daily to matters far more important than arranging lunch, although his thoughtfulness, not to mention the food, was certainly an added bonus. She made a mental note to speak to Ben about offering Colin a contract, something that would not only increase his salary but also secure his position. At the very least, she wanted to insure he was given adequate severance should push come to shove. Regardless of what lay ahead in terms of her future at Ingram, Allie wanted to make sure Colin’s career wasn’t affected by any fallout from corporate maneuverings.
He pulled a clear plastic container out of the bag. “Hope salad’s okay.”
“Perfect,” she said. “And thank you. What do I owe you for all this?”
“Nothing. I charged it to your card.” He dug into the bag for a second box. “And you bought one for me as well.”
Allie lifted a brow but she couldn’t hide the smile that tugged at her lips. “How generous of me.”
“I thought so too.” He returned her smile with an impish grin and held up the two containers. “Asian Veggie or Southwest Chicken?”
Allie reached for the Asian salad.
“We can make it a working lunch,” he said as he took a seat across from her. “Go over your schedule for next week, maybe?”
“Great idea. But let’s talk about the gala instead since it’s only two weeks from tomorrow.”
Colin passed her a can of lemon LaCroix and popped the top on his Diet Coke. “Can take the girl out of the event planning business but can’t take the event planner out of the girl?”
She laughed. “Something like that.” But truth be told, a lot was riding on this event, and Allie wanted to make sure it went smoothly. The annual Ingram Foundation Gala was the single largest event the company held, both in terms of fund-raising as well as community relations. The event she’d organized in the fall for Better Start had been small in comparison, and whereas the proceeds from the dinner at the Field Museum had benefited only that one charity, the annual gala would fund all twelve of Ingram’s charitable interests. With the board scrutinizing her every move, Allie needed to make sure the event was not only a success, but that it went off without a hitch. She was quite sure her father never took a hands-on approach to such matters, but given her background in fund-raising, she knew the board would hold her personally accountable if the evening was considered a failure, despite the fact that the planning had begun long before she ever joined the company. Which is why she’d handpicked her team, bringing both Harper and Colin in to oversee the final stages of preparation.
Colin wiped his hands on a his napkin and flipped open the cover to his tablet. For the next thirty minutes they munched on salads while he gave Allie a detailed rundown on everything from the crab claws the hotel was having flown in from Alaska to the color of the tablecloths.
“And each couple will receive gift bags with a pair of his and hers UGG slippers and a box of Godiva truffles as a thank-you gift when they leave,” he added at the end.
A box of candy for the limo ride home and some comfy slippers to change into after hours spent networking and dancing was a very nice finishing touch. It seemed as though he and Harper had truly thought of everything. Allie was impressed. She was about to tell him so when he hit her with one last detail.
“Speaking of couples,” he said, trying and failing to sound nonchalant. “Shall I put you down for a plus one?”
She decided to ignore the question behind the question and instead merely answered the one he’d asked. “No, I won’t be bringing anyone. Between the board and the donors, I’ll barely have a free minute. Plus, I want to be available if anything comes up last minute. If I brought a date he’d just end up feeling neglected.”
“Harper and I can handle any issues that pop up.”
“I’m sure you can.” She gave him a genuine smile. “But I still won’t be bringing a date.” Without missing a beat she segued out of that minefield. “Thank you, by the way. I realize working with Harper on this event isn’t technically part of your job description. I really appreciate you jumping in with both feet.”
“Not a problem. And Harper’s great. Planning this with her doesn’t seem like work at all.” Colin leaned back in his chair. He crossed one ankle over the opposite knee, giving Allie a prime view of his Gucci oxfords. No wonder he and Harper got along so well. They both had a penchant for shoes that cost them a week’s pay.
“You still in for tonight?” he asked, referring to the plans they’d made with Harper. She’d been trying to set a date for the three of them to go out clubbing pretty much since the first time she and Colin spoke on the phone.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe you feel like having me there will keep you from switching out of work mode and cutting loose.” His brows rose. “Or maybe you have a hot date?”
The plus one might have been Colin’s idea of subtle, but this approach was an all-out freight train charging full steam ahead.
“Tell you what,” she said. “I’ll promise to forget about the office and resist the urge to dictate memos if you’ll promise to stop fishing for details on my nonexistent social life and resist the urge to fix me up at the club.”
He clapped his hands together as he stood. “No can do, Boss Lady. I’m on a mission to make sure your dance card is full tonight. You need to let your hair down and have some fun for a change.”
Before she had a chance to object, he was halfway out the door. Allie sagged back in her chair. Colin was right about one thing: she could definitely use a night off from the worry and stress that had plagued her the last two weeks. But what she really needed was a night with Hudson.
It had been a nearly a week since she’d surprised him in the shower. Five days, to be exact. And as wonderful as it had been to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon at his penthouse, she’d taken a huge risk by sneaking into his building, one they both agreed she shouldn’t repeat. So instead they’d spent the week apart, each working in their respective towers on opposite banks of the Chicago River.
Allie spun her chair around to face the windows. In the distance she could see the Chase Industries building. The mere sight of the postmodern structure, towering over the city in an architectural display of masculine power, sent a sharp pang of longing through her. Instinctively she opened her desk drawer and reached for the burner phone she kept tucked in a pocket of her purse. The text she sent was simple and to the point and told Hudson exactly how she felt.
I miss you.
She waited a few minutes, watching the screen for the tiny bubbles that would indicate Hudson was typing a reply, but none came. She knew she shouldn’t have expected an immediate response. It wasn’t as though he was sitting around his office waiting for a random message from her. He had a multibillion dollar conglomerate to run. Not to mention his responsibilities at Ingram and the investigation he was spearheading into Julian’s involvement in her parents’ murders. How the man found time to sleep, much less text, was a mystery.
Her thumb had just pressed the lock button when she heard a soft ping. His answer was equally direct.
I want you.
A feeling of warmth spread through her. Before she had a chance to reply, another message from Hudson popped up on the screen.
Did you and Colin have a nice lunch?
What? How the hell did he know about that? Was he at Ingram HQ while she was holed up in her office with Colin? She was about to ask when her phone lit up again.
That color looks lovely on you, by the way.
Her mouth popped open. You can see me?
Yes.
How? A thought occurred to her and she quickly typed a follow-up question. Did you buy a telescope?
No.
Then how?
I may have procured some equipment from my recently assembled team.
Stalker.
Just utilizing available technology. Lift your skirt.
Pervert.
Do it.
Why?
Because I’ve been wondering all day if you’re wearing garters.
Maybe.
Show me, Alessandra. Now.
It was just a text, but as she read it she could almost hear the deep timbre of his voice commanding her to submit to his will, and a surge of heated pleasure shot straight to her core. Slowly, she slid the hem of her skirt up her thigh until the black garter was revealed, along with the lace edge of her stockings.
Her phone pinged. Higher.
She pulled the fabric higher, so her lace panties were visible.
Fucking hell.
This isn’t fair, she typed.
The fact that I’m now inconveniently hard and you’re across the river? I agree.
That’s your own fault. She laughed.
I meant that you can see me. All I can do is stare at granite and glass and try to picture you in your office.
And what are you picturing?
A wicked smile curved her lips. Hudson might have started their little game, but two could play. You at your desk. Me under it.
Now who’s the pervert?
She ignored his comment and continued to describe the image in her mind with a series of rapid-fire texts.
Rather like that time in the chair.
But instead of riding your cock, I’d be on my knees...sucking you off while you rule over your kingdom.
There was a long beat of silence, then her phone rang in her hand.
“I’m coming over,” he said. His voice was tight with a barely leashed restraint.
“No, don’t. It’s too risky. We don’t know who at Ingram is on Julian’s payroll. And we’ve taken far too many chances as it is.”
“I’m your business partner, for fuck’s sake. Any number of issues can bring me to that building.” His frustration was palpable, but they couldn’t do anything to blow their cover or to encourage Julian to move up his timetable.
“If we’re alone together too often, he’ll expect progress, and we need more time.”
“Then we’ll stay in plain sight.” His tone softened. “Christ, Allie, I need to see you. I’m losing my mind without you.”
“I feel the same way, but . . .”
“But what?”
Her words tumbled out in a rush. “I can’t bear to see you and not be able to touch you. And I don’t want to have to pretend that I hate you. It kills me. Because even though you know it’s an act, there’s a tiny piece of you that still feels it. I can see it in your eyes and it breaks my heart.”
He let out an resigned breath. “Tonight, then. Give me an hour or so to come up with a plan.”
“I can’t. I’m meeting Harper and Colin at a club.”
“First lunch and now drinks? I’m starting to get jealous of your assistant.”
Allie gave a small laugh. “Don’t be. I’m not his type.” She stood and walked over to the window. “I miss you,” she said, echoing the words she’d typed at the start of their conversation.
“I miss you, too. More than you know.”
She pressed her palm to the glass, and wondered if across the river, he was doing the same. “Tell me it will all work out, Hudson. Tell me the good guys will win this time. Tell me we’ll end up with our happily ever after.”
His voice was hoarse when he answered. “We will, Allie. I swear to you, somehow we will.”
Chapter Twelve
Allie eyed Harper over the rim of her glass. She was wearing a short sequined dress that caught each beat of the lights that pulsed over the crowd, and heels that, despite her petite frame, made her legs look like they went on for miles. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright and glassy, and her toes tapped to the pounding bass. She was in total club mode. With one exception. Harper Hayes hadn’t so much as looked at a guy. Not a glance, not a wink. Not even a smile. And she certainly hadn’t passed her phone number to the bartender despite the fact that, as Colin was quick to point out, he looked like Ian Somerhalder. Even Allie had given him a second glance, but Harper seemed completely impervious to his devilishly handsome good looks, and for that there could be only one explanation.
Nick.
Harper hadn’t said anything about her budding relationship with Hudson’s brother, but Allie was confident he was the reason for her best friend’s sudden lack of interest in the male population. At least when it came to finding a potential date for herself. She was having no problem using her well-honed skills to find Allie a man, and she’d been putting them to good use all night.
“There was nothing wrong with that one,” Harper said as the guy in question moved on to another table. “And the first three were perfectly fine, too.”
Allie wrinkled her nose. She didn’t want perfectly fine, she wanted perfect. She wanted Hudson Chase.
“It’s not like you’re picking out china patterns,” she said. “They just wanted to buy you a drink.”
“I can buy my own drinks, thank you very much.” Allie downed the last of her lemon drop martini, her third of the night. Usually she followed Harper’s “martinis are like boobs” motto when it came to her drink of choice. In other words, one was not enough, and three was too many. But tonight she wanted to lose herself in that heady combination of drinking too much alcohol in a club where the music was much too loud. And for that, Asylum was the perfect destination.
The entire club pulsed with a hypnotic energy. Hundreds of bodies filled the circular dance floor in the center of the club, all writhing and swaying under the multihued lighting that kept time to the pounding music. Above them the ceiling soared three stories high, with the balconies on each level wrapping around all three hundred and sixty degrees, and in the distance a DJ held court on a raised platform.
“Well, the next one’s on me.” Colin caught the eye of their waitress and signaled for another round. “As for your many admirers, no offense, Boss Lady, but you really only have yourself to blame.”
“First, we agreed I’m not your boss tonight. Second, how do you figure?”
“Well, if you didn’t want to spend the night fending off guys left and right, then you shouldn’t look so hot.” He hid his smile behind his glass.
Allie gaped at him. She would have been offended if it weren’t for the irresistible combination of amusement and affection that sparkled in his bright green eyes.
“What?” he asked, aiming for innocent and failing miserably. “You said you’re not my boss tonight.”
Allie laughed and shook her head. “Right, but the flattery-won’t-get-you-a-raise policy is still in effect.”
“Ah, but it’s true. Look at you, hair in a perfectly disheveled updo, makeup completely on point with those smoky eyes and glossy nude lips. And that dress.” His eyes raked over the slinky black halter dress that dipped low in the back. “I mean, damn, even I want to hit that.” He smirked. “And you’re lacking the proper anatomy.”
“I think she’s too busy pining away over the Muscled Mogul to give any of these guys a chance,” Harper chimed in.
Aaaand we’re back to the nicknames.
Colin choked on his vodka tonic. “Muscled Mogul? I take it she means . . .” He lifted his brows.
“Yes. Fair warning, Colin, Harper has a thing for nicknames.” Allie shot her friend a look. “And apparently no one is off-limits.”
Harper beamed back at her. “That’s not even my best work. Personally, I thought the Tempting Tycoon was much better.”
“Well, I think that all of this is just your way of diverting attention from the real issue.”
Colin leaned forward conspiratorially, resting his elbows on their tall-boy table. “Oh, this sounds good. Do tell.”
“Harper here has made it her night’s mission to find a man for me so we won’t notice the fact that she’s now off the market.”
“Am not,” she protested. “I just haven’t seen anyone I like.”
“Bullshit. Damon Salvatore’s doppelganger was mixing your Cosmo and you didn’t so much as bat an eye.” Allie laughed. “Admit it. You are one hundred percent head over heels for Nick Chase.”
Colin slumped back in his chair. “Can’t blame her there. Actually, I can’t blame either of you. That gene pool definitely has an extra dose of tall, dark, and handsome.”
“Here’s an idea,” Harper interrupted. “Let’s talk about Colin instead.”
He laughed. “Nice try.”
“No, she’s right.” Other than what was on Colin’s résumé and a few mundane details, Allie actually knew very little about the man who had become such an integral part of her daily life. “Tell us the Colin James story.”
The waitress appeared at the table with a fresh round of drinks on her tray. Colin waited while she set the glasses on the table and cleared the empty ones. “Not much to tell, really.” He lifted the lime wedge off the side of his glass and squeezed it into his drink. “Born and raised in the Midwest; three older sisters; loves Beyoncé, long walks on the beach, and Harry Styles’s hair.”
Harper cocked one perfectly arched brow. “Is that your match.com bio?”
“Saw it on there, did ya?” Colin shot back without missing a beat.
She lifted her new Cosmo in salute. “Touché.”
Allie shook her head. “How did I end up with you two?”
“Luck.” They said as one before clinking their glasses together.
“So, anyone special in your life?” Harper asked him.
“There was. But after we graduated, he took a job at a station on the West Coast. An Ingram affiliate, actually.”
“Which one?” Allie asked.
“Seattle.” Colin shoved a hand through the light brown hair that hung in an artful mess over his forehead. “We tried the long distance thing for a few months, but . . .” He gave a slight shrug and reached for his glass.
“Okay,” Harper announced. “New plan. ‘Operation: Find a Man for Colin’ shall now commence.”
“No need,” he said, sliding off his stool and grinning. “I got this.”
They watched as he strolled toward the bar.
“I like him,” Harper said.
“But not as much as you like Nick.” Allie didn’t even bother to phrase it as a question.
“Back to that, are we?”
“Oh, that’s rich. This from Miss Relentless?”
“Using my own tactics against me?”
Allie wasn’t sure if Harper was referring to the persistent questioning or the annoying moniker. Perhaps both. “If that’s what it takes.” She licked a bit of sugar from the rim of her martini glass. The warm buzz of alcohol was making her feel loose and relaxed, but not so much that she was beyond pumping her friend for long overdue details. “You still haven’t given me the full scoop.”
“I like him,” Harper said. “And yes, more than Colin.” Allie expected a pithy quip, or at the very least an eye roll, but instead Harper grew uncharacteristically serious. “More than anyone I’ve ever known, actually.”
The look on Harper’s face told Allie all she needed to know. It was clear her friend had fallen hard for the younger Chase brother. But Nick had been through a lot, and there had to be a reason why his sponsor suggested avoiding new relationships during the first few months of sobriety. As much as Allie loved the idea of two people she cared about finding happiness together, it also made her worry. “How does he feel?”
“The same.” She twirled the stem of her glass between her fingers. “Although he’s not super talkative about his feelings.”
Allie nodded at yet another characteristic the two brothers seemed to share.
A spark lit Harper’s eyes. “But hey, he’s willing to rent a tux for me, so if that doesn’t say true love, I don’t know what does.”
“A tux?”
“Yeah, I was going to bring him as my date to the gala. If that’s all right with you? I know I’m working and all, but he gets that. Our only concern was how you and Hudson would feel about it.”
Nick in a tux? This she had to see. “If you two are happy, then I’m happy. I’m sure Hudson will see it that way, too.” And if he didn’t, Allie would just have to find a way to convince him.
“Have you talked to him at all since you’ve been back?”
“A few times, but only about work.”
“Still not buying this,” Harper said.
Allie decided it was best to change the subject before Harper dug too deep. “Looks like Colin found someone,” she said, nodding toward the end of the bar where he stood talking to two unbelievably hot guys.
“Whoa, he has good taste.”
As if feeling the weight of their stare, Colin glanced at them and smiled. After a few words to his two new friends, he sauntered back to the table. “C’mon, Boss Lady, time to dance. This one might be in a relationship, but you’re not. And as luck would have it, my guy has a straight friend.”
In the distance, one of the two men lifted his beer to her and smiled. She opened her mouth to protest, but the sight of Harper’s suspicious gaze had her rethinking her answer. If she declined, it would only add fuel to the fire. If she wanted her best friend to buy the idea that she was over Hudson, then she had to at least appear to be moving on. And in this case it meant agreeing to a dance. She sighed in resignation. “Fine. One dance.”
A wide grin spread across Colin’s face. “To start,” he said, taking Allie’s hand and tugging her off the stool. The two men Colin had been talking to joined them, and together they weaved toward the dance floor. The crowd swallowed them, and in no time Allie found herself pressed between a mass of bodies, all writhing to the pulsing beat of the music. They danced more as a group than couples, moving as one in a current of hedonistic abandonment. But then one song morphed into another and a pair of arms wrapped around Allie from behind. At first she stiffened, but then a nod of encouragement from Colin forced her to relax. It was only dancing, after all, something she would enjoy if she were truly single.
The music pulsed through her body with every beat, and slowly she began to lose herself to the hypnotic rhythm. Closing her eyes, she surrendered to it, imagining Hudson’s hands splayed across her hips, his body molded to hers. Every fiber of her being ached with a need for him that was so real, so tangible, she could almost feel his warm breath in her ear, his lips pressed to her neck.
“You’re gorgeous,” a deep voice vibrated against her skin.
Allie’s eyes flew open at the unfamiliar sound and disappointment flooded her senses. The music slid into a slow, sultry beat, and the man behind her rolled his hips in a matching grind. “I’m going to sit the next one out,” she told him, looking over her shoulder. He nodded as she wriggled free of his grasp. Within seconds he was absorbed back into the dense crowd.
She pushed her way through the crush of bodies. The moment she reached her table, the waitress approached with a fresh tray of drinks.
“Did you order another round?” she asked Harper.
“From the gentleman at the bar,” the waitress answered. She set a Cosmo in front of Harper and a vodka tonic in front of Colin’s empty chair. But instead of another martini, Allie was served a squat tumbler filled with amber liquid. She lifted the glass to her lips and took a small sip. Scotch. Johnny Walker Blue, if she wasn’t mistaken. Not exactly her drink of choice, but it was . . .
Hudson.
Allie spun toward the bar. She saw a sea of faces, but not the one she hoped to find. Her heart sank. Of course it wasn’t him. They had agreed to keep their distance. And while her head told her it was the wise decision, her heart still sank.
When she turned back to the table she noticed a single word written in pen on the cocktail napkin that had been beneath her drink. Upstairs was all it said, but the handwriting was as familiar to her as her own.
Upstairs? Not very specific. She slid her beaded clutch across the table and into her lap, discreetly checking the burner phone while pretending to rummage around for lip gloss. Sure enough, a text from Hudson filled the locked screen.
Don’t make me wait.
Her gaze lifted to the spiral of balconies above the dance floor. There had to be dozens of booths and private lounges. She had no idea how she was going to find him, but she was damn sure going to try.
“I’ll be right back,” Allie said. “Gonna hit the ladies’ room.” She didn’t bother waiting for a reply from Harper. Instead she melted into the crowd, her pulse quickening with every step as she made her way toward the stairs. The grates on the metal treads offered a dizzying view she would have found unnerving under any other circumstance, but at the moment they didn’t even faze her. The only thing that mattered was finding Hudson.
The first balcony was essentially a wide catwalk with a row of circular booths. Each faced the center of the club, providing the perfect vantage point for watching the action on the dance floor below. It was doubtful Hudson would have chosen such a high-profile location, but she scanned them briefly before hurrying to the next level. The second balcony was deeper, offering private lounges with clusters of plush seating surrounding tables cluttered with bottles of premium liquor. A velvet rope hung across the staircase to the third balcony along with a sign that read PRIVATE EVENT. For a moment she considered the possibility that Hudson might have rented the entire floor, but then a ripple of awareness washed over her. Every nerve in her body sprang to life. He was close. She could feel his presence, his overwhelming desire, calling to her on the most base level.
Allie’s eyes darted across the expanse of the club. Most of the VIP lounges had their privacy curtains tied back, but on the far side of the balcony one lounge remained closed. Her skin prickled with anticipation as she followed the narrow path. Max emerged from the shadows as she drew closer, greeting her with a slight nod before drawing the curtain back. Allie stepped inside. The sight that greeted her took her breath away.
She’d barely seen Hudson since they returned from France, and when she did it was mostly as the billionaire mogul, dressed in designer suits and ready to conquer the world. But the man before her was younger and more dangerous, his stance predatory and his eyes dark. Dressed in jeans and a black sweater, he was sex personified. Allie licked her lips in anticipation because, for the moment at least, the only thing he looked ready to conquer was her.
* * *
Lights pulsed and shot down in laserlike beams of various hues to the beat of the pounding bass, while sweaty bodies undulated to the rhythm. High above in the VIP section, Hudson stood with his arms crossed over his chest, a tumbler of scotch in his hand. He repositioned his grip and the muscles in his forearm flexed as his fingers compressed the crystal against his palm. The glass protested, yet bore the weight of his choke hold. It was all he could do to keep from going wrecking ball through the crowd to tear that smarmy fuck’s hands off Allie.
Without ever taking his eyes off the scene below, Hudson brought the glass to his lips. He took a moment to savor the potent proof, letting it roll over his tongue before sliding in a comfortable burn down his throat. An ambient glow caressed Allie’s skin, and when she slid her hand up the back of her neck to lift her hair, he could see a sheen of sweat glistening on her flesh. Her head listed back, and as her hips swayed to the music, he became even more aware of the heavy pulse vibrating down the length of his cock.
As if on cue, Allie returned to her table. The waitress weaved through the dense crowd and delivered another round of drinks per his instructions. Hudson watched until she found his message, then turned and casually strode into the VIP lounge he’d reserved for the night. The curtains, thick enough to provide total privacy, dropped in a rush behind him. He downed the rest of his scotch and set the empty glass on the coffee table. When he straightened, Allie was standing there, her eyes glassy from cocktails and her skin flushed from dancing. His gaze traced up her athletic legs—which he was dying to have wrapped around his hips, his face; he didn’t give a fuck as long as he was buried inside her with either his tongue or his cock—to the hem of her dress that was way too fucking short for public consumption, yet perfect.
A heavy, inescapable lust permeated the air in the confined space, heightening their mutual desire. His hands fisted at his sides and the beast within the civilized shell awoke. A hunger for her slammed into him and reverberated through his body. Christ, he wanted her; craved her with a greed so acute he would take her any way he could get her.
Her lips parted and the delicate expanse of her shoulders began to tremble. Unable to wait any longer, he stalked toward her, void of thought or decision. She came at him in a rush and their bodies met in a head-on collision of hands and tongues and mouths. In spite of the stress they were under, in spite of the shit that was threatening their future, Allie was the love of his life.
And he wouldn’t change a goddamn thing.
It felt like an eternity since they’d been together, and he was starved for a taste of her. Hudson sifted both of his hands through the sweat-damp roots of her hair and his tongue pushed past her lips. “I can’t go this long without you,” he rasped. As he deepened the kiss, he felt a primal need to erase the lingering palm prints of the guy who had touched her.
