Forever with You

Chapter Ten

I woke up with Hudson’s head between my thighs.

“Mmm.” His breath along my folds sent chills down my spine. I peered down at him through half-open lids, wondering how he’d gotten me bare and spread without rousing me until now.

He caught my gaze. “You didn’t wake me up last night.” He licked along my seam. “And I owed you.” His words were gravelly. I loved that I was the first person he spoke to most mornings—that his just-woke-up voice belonged to me.

And I loved what he was doing with his tongue.

I shivered as he caressed my clit with a long velvety stroke.

His head popped up suddenly. “Or would you rather I let you sleep?”

“No! Don’t stop.” I pushed him back down and stretched my arms above my head.

Hudson chuckled lightly. Then he attacked my nub with earnestness, in turns sucking and licking and swirling his tongue, exciting every nerve in my body. My insides clenched, and a trickle of moisture pooled in my channel. Overcome with pleasure, I wriggled underneath him, but his hands grasped under my thighs, keeping me still and at his mercy.

My breath came out in soft, jagged moans, and then in a gasp as his tongue moved lower, plunging into my hole. “Oh god, Hudson.” My hands flew to his hair. Though I’d never dream to control his actions—he’d do a much better job than I would—I loved pulling and tugging at his strands while he drove me mad with oral attention. While he fucked me with his tongue.

Then his mouth was back at my clit, flicking and dancing along my tight ball of nerves, and it was his fingers inside me, rubbing along my wall, stroking me in just the right place.

“Fuck yeah, right there.” My leg muscles tightened and my lower belly tensed as the pleasure built within me. The first wave of climax washed over me unexpectedly, much faster than I wanted it to.

“It’s not enough,” Hudson growled. “I need you quivering and out of your mind.”

I couldn’t argue if I wanted.

He renewed his assault with invigorated passion, adding a third finger, stretching and filling me with skilled strokes. He reached his other hand up to massage my breast through my clothes. I ached to feel him skin-on-skin but didn’t want to interrupt his rhythm to undress. Instead, I arched into his kneading palm while my hips bucked under his artful ministrations.

Damn, I was soaring again, so soon. My legs shook, my knees knocking against Hudson’s head as I tried to hold on. Then, with a half-sob, half-yelp, my orgasm burst through me. Stars shot across my vision and my entire body trembled while I came and came over Hudson’s hand.

He fed on me while I settled, teasing my pussy until the last waves of my release shuddered through my system.

“You’re welcome.” Hudson was up and off the bed before I could regain thought process.

I reached after him. “Where are you going? I need to return the favor.” Though my limbs were mush, and my mind already skirting the line between consciousness and post-orgasm coma.

“That wasn’t part of the deal. And besides, as incredible as that sounds, I have an early meeting to get to.” He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. “What time did you get in last night?”

“Three-ish,” I mumbled, still in a haze.

Hudson pulled the covers over me. “Go back to sleep, then. I’m sorry I woke you.”

“I’m not.”

I must have dozed because Hudson had already showered when I finally got up and padded into the bathroom. I yawned a, “nice view” as I passed Hudson shaving in a towel at his sink.

“You slept in your clothes.”

“But I somehow seem to be missing my panties.” I flashed my bare ass to remind him. “And yeah, I was too tired last night to get undressed.”

He grinned. “You should have woken me. I would have helped.”

“Nah, you looked so peaceful. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Trust me, it wouldn’t have been disturbing. It’s disturbing now because I can’t have you the way I want you.” His dark gaze met mine in the mirror. “I thought you were going back to sleep.”

“I will. Nature called.” And I wanted to see him. His phone call to Norma nagged at me, and, in an effort to take Lauren’s advice, I thought I should communicate my feelings about it. Hell, even without Lauren’s advice, I’d still be eager to confront him.

I started past him, figuring I’d talk to him when he was done in the bathroom. Or at least when he was dressed and the sight of his body with a measly towel around him wasn’t such a distraction.

But Hudson reached his arm out and caught me. “Hey.”

I could never resist his touch. I settled into his embrace, inhaling his just-washed smell.

He lowered a clean-shaven cheek to my head. “I missed you.”

I smiled against his chest. “I missed you too.” So much. Missed being in his arms, missed touching and cuddling, missed feeling like we were completely together and safe from the world.

My fingers trailed against his bare skin, and I felt the towel tent up between us.

“Christ.” Hudson pushed me away with a reluctant groan. “I want you, but I really don’t have time to deal with you properly this morning.”

“I wasn’t the one who woke me up.” I sighed, recalling the good-morning delight. “Not that I’m complaining.”

Hudson looked after me with clouded eyes. “Maybe I can be late.”

“No, no. You be on time like a good businessman.” I waggled a finger at him. “How about I follow you around while you get ready and we can just talk?”

“I’d like that. I’ve missed talking to you too.” He returned his focus to the mirror, applying cream to the still unshaven cheek. “Oh, I got your note you left with Celia’s business card. My lawyer said we should save anything we find like that. As potential evidence. So if you get anything else, let me know.”

“Believe me, I’ll tell you.” I sat on the edge of the tub and braced both of my hands on the porcelain at either side of me. “There’s nothing he suggests we can do about it, though?”

“No. Not yet.” His tone was more serious than I liked. “Are you sure you don’t want to leave town?”

“I’m sure.” But I did think about it for half a second. Getting away had its appeal. But being apart from Hudson was the last thing I needed at the moment. Especially with all the women in his life that wanted me gone.

My thoughts flashed again to the name I’d seen on his call log. “Though I bet Norma wouldn’t mind if I wasn’t around.”

“Norma again?” He grimaced. “What’s brought her up?”

“You’re going to laugh.” Or he was going to be pissed off. Taking a deep breath, I let it spill. “You fell asleep with your phone and I checked to see if you had gotten my text. Then…oh god, don’t hate me.”

“What did you do?” His tone was curious.

I lowered my gaze. “I checked your recent calls. I saw you talked to Norma.”

When I peeked up, I found he was smiling. “Let me guess—that bothers you?”

His amusement erased my hesitation. “You called her at eight-something at night. From your bed.”

This time, he laughed. “Come here.”

I didn’t move, infuriated by his response.

He composed himself and turned to face me, holding his hand out as he had before. “Alayna, come here.”

Sighing, I went to him. “I told you I was always going to ask about her.”

“Yes, you did.” Hudson wrapped his arms around my waist and settled his forehead against mine. “It was business. I needed to get some figures together for the meeting this morning, and the ones she’d sent me earlier in the day didn’t add up.”

“It was business,” I repeated, relaxing into him. “Always business. Always the excuse.” Asking him didn’t really make a difference. I knew what he’d say. But it would nag at me whether I voiced it or not. Speaking up gave me the chance to hear his story stay the same, one of the bonuses of communicating.

I pulled my head back to see his face and found his grin was back. “Why are you smiling at me?”

“Because I adore it when you’re jealous.” He circled my nose with his. “You know this.”

“Shut up. I hate it. I can’t believe you like seeing me crazy.”

“I like seeing that you care.”

I didn’t know if I should laugh or be concerned. Why would he need my reassurance? “I love you. You know that.” Hadn’t I proven that time and again?

“Yes, I know.” He tightened his grip around me. “Your jealousy shows me your words are true. It’s nice. Keep being jealous. Or crazy, if that’s what you want to call it.”

“You’re so weird.” I ducked away as he bent to kiss me. “You’re going to get shaving cream all over me.”

“I don’t care.” This time when he came toward me, I met his lips. He kissed me sweetly and tenderly, yet I could feel he was holding back, trying to not get carried away with his passion when he had a schedule to keep.

I wasn’t on a schedule though, and I liked kissing him. I put my hands around his neck and pulled him closer, deeper, moving my tongue in further to play with his.

He had to push me away. “I can’t have you this close anymore.” He swatted my behind as I walked back toward my spot at the edge of the tub.

“I’m sorry I snooped.” But I wasn’t all that sorry. Not anymore. It had earned me a fabulous make-out session that I didn’t regret in the least.

Hudson turned back to the mirror. “Don’t be sorry. You know I have no secrets.” He paused. “Well.” He kept his eyes down as he washed his razor. “You know I don’t care if you snoop.”

My stomach dropped, as if I was coming down the hill of a roller coaster. “What do you mean by that?” I moistened my suddenly dry mouth. “Do you have secrets you aren’t telling me about?”

Without looking up, he shook his head. “Of course not.” He turned to face me. “I simply meant that we can never know everything about each other. Can we?”

“But we can try.”

“Yes. We can try.”

We sat a few seconds in awkward silence with him leaning against the back of the counter and I on the edge of the tub. There was something more beneath his statement. Something dark and heavy. I was both drawn to it and turned off all at once. Maybe he was referring to the details of the things he’d done to people in his past. I’d heard some of his stories—none of them pretty. I never expected he’d share each and every past guilt. It would be cruel to want him to relive his pain. I certainly hadn’t told him every one of my past indiscretions.

But what if there was something else…something new, something present. Were there secrets that he kept from me that were relevant to us?

How could I ever know?

“Speaking of Norma—” He was the one to end the weirdness. “How did your interview with Gwenyth go?”

Talking business was the perfect escape from the worry that was edging into our pleasant morning. I jumped right in. “I offered her the job, and she accepted. She’s leaving Eighty-Eighth Floor without notice. They knew she was trying to leave, it seems, so she’s working today as her last shift there and will be at The Sky Launch tonight.”

I hadn’t realized how excited I was about having a partner until right then. Wow. I was going to be the manager of The Sky Launch. And I wouldn’t fail because I had a good team—Hudson, Gwen, and a slew of other great assistants. Why hadn’t I let this sink in before now?

“Congratulations!” Hudson caught my enthusiasm. “I’m glad you hit it off.”

I thought back to the strange interaction Gwen and I had the night before. “I wouldn’t say we hit it off, exactly. Challenged each other is more like it. But she’ll be good for the club. Do you know why she wanted to leave Eighty-Eighth so quickly?”

“I don’t.” He turned back to the mirror and wiped off the remaining shaving cream from his neck with a face towel. “Did you ask her?”

I kept my eyes down and traced the floor’s tile pattern with my big toe. “She said it was personal. I thought you might know more. Because of Norma.” Was she the source of his secret?

“If Norma knows, she didn’t share.” He set down the towel and turned toward me. “Or if she shared, I wasn’t paying any attention.”

I grinned, somewhat mollified. “I like to hear that you don’t always pay attention to Norma Anders.” I slid my gaze over him. He was so hot. I didn’t think I could ever get tired of how delicious his body was. And he was all mine. Wasn’t he?

“Stop looking at me like that or I’ll definitely be late.”

I instantly longed for him to forget his meeting. He could stay and warm me up, fuck me good morning until the sun was high in the sky. There couldn’t be room for doubts as long as he was in my arms.

But unfortunately, we couldn’t live our lives in bed.

With strength I didn’t know I possessed, I tore my eyes away. “Get dressed. It will help.”

“Good plan.” With an evil grin, he tossed his towel aside.

My eyes were glued to his naked behind until he disappeared into his closet. Such a tease.

While Hudson dressed, I undressed, trading the clothes I’d slept in for a t-shirt of Hudson’s from the hamper. It smelled of him and I needed that—needed his presence to cling to me even as he was preparing to leave.

When he met me again in the bedroom, he was wearing one of my favorite suits—a dark gray Armani two-piece that intensified the color of his eyes. He looked sharp. Extra sharp. His meeting was obviously an important one.

“You look good.”

He glanced at me in the mirror where he was straightening his tie. “Do I?”

“Mm-hmm.” In one of my more passive-aggressive moves, I added, “I’m sure Norma will agree.”

But though Hudson was good at games, he only played them when he was the one in control. His didn’t say a word as he filled his pockets with his phone and wallet, didn’t acknowledge if my guess was right.

Communication, I reminded myself. This is who I am. I need to know. “She will be there, won’t she?”

Finally, he turned to me. “She will.” In three quick strides he was at the bed, pulling me roughly to my knees. He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck, forcing my eyes to meet his. “And whether she thinks I look good in this suit or not is none of my concern. I only care that you’ll be the one to take me out of it later tonight.”

My breath caught. “Okay.”

He brushed his nose down the side of mine. “You’ll be home to undress me this time?”

I nodded. “I promise.” I couldn’t remember everything on my agenda for the day, but if there were a conflict, whatever it was, I’d rearrange it to be home.

“Good.” He inhaled deeply and I sensed he was warring with himself. “I have to go. This meeting—”

“I know, I know. You’re late.”

He paused. “Kiss me goodbye?”

I moved in to give him a peck, not wanting to kindle any flames when he was running behind. But Hudson wouldn’t settle for that. He plunged in between my lips, fucking my mouth with aggressive strokes of his tongue the way he’d fucked my pussy earlier. When he’d finished, I was breathless.

“That seemed a lot like a promise of some sort,” I panted. “Whatever do you have up your sleeve, Mr. Pierce?”

“Now I can’t give away all my secrets, can I?” He kissed my nose. “Going now. Get some rest. You’re going to need it.”

I climbed back into bed with the taste of him still on my lips and the smell of him on my clothes and the warmth of him in my heart.

I made it into the club around eleven. With David training Gwen on most of the night shifts, I was alone with my bodyguard for most of the afternoon. It made it easier to be productive, but it was also lonely. If Jordan had been on duty, I’d at least have someone to talk to. But it was Reynold, and he wasn’t the chatty type. It was silly to have him while I was at work. Hudson’s money, though, not mine. If he wanted to pay for the guy to sit outside my office and play Candy Crush on his iPhone, then so be it.

Around four, I decided to get some coffee at the shop nearby. Reynold was talking on the phone this time so rather than bother him with my plans I let him think I was going to the bathroom and slipped out the back door. Stepping into the light of day, I remembered how much I loved the outdoors. Sure, I preferred the earlier hours before the heat and humidity became sweltering, but if it weren’t for my recently acquired stalker, I’d definitely be in the fresh air more often. Damn, Celia.

Thinking of her made a trickle of sweat bead at the back of my neck. Perhaps I should have brought Reynold along after all. Traffic rushed around the circle next to me. A cab was idling at the curb. A limo pulled up behind it. I was surrounded by people—why did I suddenly feel so anxious?

As if spawned by my anxiety, a strong arm wrapped around my waist, while another covered my mouth, stifling my scream. I was hoisted and pulled into the back of the limo and onto the lap of Hudson Pierce.

“What the fuck?” I scrambled to a sitting position, my heart beating at a rapid pace. “Hudson! You scared the shit out of me!”

“Where’s your bodyguard?” he asked pointedly. “You on the sidewalk without him scared the shit out of me.”

I scowled. “Terrifying me isn’t any way to prove a point.”

“It isn’t?” He grinned, pulling me into his arms.

I struggled, still fuming about his prank, but I wasn’t a match for him. He easily restrained me against his chest. Besides, in the end, I enjoyed being in his arms. “What are you doing here, anyway?” I nestled into him.

“I’m kidnapping you. Obviously.” His hand slid up and down my bare leg, leaving gooseflesh in its wake.

I wrapped my arms around him and beamed. A night out with Hudson was exactly what I needed. “Awesome. Are you taking me to dinner or something?”

“Or something.” With his elbow, he nudged the intercom on. “Let’s go,” he said, and the limo pulled out into traffic.

My concern for the unattended club outweighed my usual concern about riding without a seat belt. “Wait! I haven’t locked up the club or anything.”

Hudson tightened his hand around my waist, holding me in place, and moved a finger up to my lips to shush me. “I was talking to Reynold when you left. He’s taking care of securing the building. Why were you sneaking away?”

I stuck my tongue out and licked the length of his finger, the salty taste lingering on my lips. He pulled it away with a stern look. It seemed he wanted answers before he was willing to play. “I wasn’t sneaking away.” Okay, maybe I was. “I was only running next door for coffee. No big deal.” The crease in his forehead said that he didn’t agree with my assessment of the situation. “All right, I won’t do it again.” I leaned up and pecked him on the lips. “So seriously, where are you taking me?”

He smiled mischievously. “I said I wanted you out of town.”

“What?” I bolted upright, straining against his hold. “I can’t leave town, H. I work tomorrow night. And I don’t want to leave town. We talked about this.”

He grabbed my wrists and held them as if he feared I would push the intercom and ask the limo driver to stop. Which I was considering.

“Settle down, precious.” He pulled my hands up to his mouth and placed a kiss on each one. “I simply thought a weekend away might be good for us.”

“Both of us?” I’d been very much opposed to the idea of running away, but a weekend away with Hudson was an altogether different idea. Sweet. Romantic.

“Yes, both of us. I’d send you away if you’d let me, but I’m glad you won’t because I can’t bear to be away from you.” He circled my nose with his before settling a kiss on the tip of mine. “I arranged for David and Gwen to cover The Sky Launch tomorrow. We’ll be back Sunday night.”

“I’m the main manager now. I can’t just take off whenever I want.” There wasn’t any fight in my protest though. I was only pointing out the facts so that I wouldn’t feel guilty.

Hudson had no such guilt. “I’m the owner. Yes, you can.”

“I feel like I should be irritated at you about this.” I grinned. “But I’m not. Thank you. I’d love to be away with you for the weekend.”

“I think you need it. We need it.”

“You’ve never been more right. And that’s saying something since you’re right an awful lot. But don’t let it go to your head.” I wriggled out of his arms, eager to get into my own seat where I could buckle up.

I snuggled as close to him as I could with my belt on. “Where are we going? Are we stopping at the penthouse so I can pack some clothes or did you take care of that, too?” Knowing him, he probably did.

“You’ll see when we get there.” He fastened his own belt, likely for my benefit, then threw his arm around my shoulder. “And precious,” he whispered at my ear, “you aren’t going to be needing any clothes.”

“Wake up, precious. We’re here.”

I must have fallen asleep leaning against Hudson, because the next thing I knew, we were stopped and he was gently nudging me.

I blinked several times, letting my eyes adjust to the light. “Where’s here?” I yawned.

“Come on out and see.” He tugged me out of the limo.

We were by a log cabin surrounded by lush green woods. A line of wildflowers bordered the stone walkway, butterflies dancing from blossom to blossom. The blue sky was clear and free from smog. Birds sang and a pair of chipmunks scurried up a tree nearby. A little way beyond the house, I could see a lake. The scene was so remote, and the limo and Hudson’s two-piece attire were out-of-place. It completely satisfied the yearning for nature that I’d been experiencing.

“The Poconos?” I guessed. He nodded, his eyes watching mine as I took in the beauty. It was perfect. “It’s absolutely gorgeous.”

Hudson’s face relaxed into a smile. He turned to the driver of the limo who was unloading a small suitcase from the trunk of the car. “Seven p.m. on Sunday.”

“Yes, sir.”

I watched as the driver got back in the car and drove off, leaving us alone in what I was calling paradise. Hudson picked up the suitcase with one hand and took my hand in the other, leading me to the door of the cabin.

I gestured toward the luggage. “I don’t need clothes, but you do?”

He laughed. “It’s essentials. For both of us. I assure you, if you’re naked, I will be as well.”

At the door, Hudson pulled a key from his pocket. “This cabin’s been in our family for years,” he offered before I could ask. “We have a hired manager that opens the place up once a week to keep it from getting musty. Other than that, Adam and Mira are the only ones who come up here on a regular basis. I thought it was time to get my own use out of the property.”

“As I said before, H, good thinking.”

He opened the door and swept his hand for me to go in first. The interior was as perfect as the outside. The design was rustic and homey—not typical of the Pierce’s usual gravitation toward luxurious spaces. I could see why it wasn’t a place that Sophia would hang out, or even Jack for that matter. The front room had large comfy sofas and leather armchairs. Two log columns separated the space. A stone fireplace broke up the floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the deck and the lake beyond. It was peaceful and breathtaking.

And we were alone—no coworkers with crushes, no bodyguards, no crazy stalkers. Completely alone.

I heard the click of the door and Hudson came up behind me. I felt it then—the crackle of energy that always existed between us. It kicked up to a high buzz, as if someone had just turned on a switch, and all my lingering fatigue and anxiety instantly left me, replaced with an intense, immediate need for him.

It wasn’t just me that felt it. In one swift movement, Hudson had me turned around, one hand on my ass, the other pinning both of mine behind my back as he kissed me frantically. Mercilessly. His tongue tangled with mine, twisting in a dance that was new and consuming. He backed me up as he held his lock on me, leading me somewhere, leading me I-didn’t-care-where. The only place I wanted to be was in his arms, in his mouth, in this bubble of frozen space and time that only contained me and him.

God, I was lost—Hudson’s lips sent me spiraling into a haze of lust and desire. Then his hands were under my bodycon dress, gathering the material and shimmying it up my thighs and up over my breasts, over my head until I was free from the garment. He tossed it aside and pushed me against one of the log pillars. Again, he pinned my hands, this time over my head. His other hand stroked my skin at my hip. He broke away from my lips and lowered his mouth to my breast. He nipped through my bra, sending an electric shock through my body. The rough wood against my back, his teeth biting my sensitive flesh—it was a mix of such strong sensations, sending my nerves into full alert.

His fingers trailed along the skin at the top of my panties, then slipped inside to find my clit, already swollen and wanting. His hand slid lower through my folds. “Ah, you’re so wet. I want to lick your lips clean. But I want to be inside you.”

“Hudson.” I wriggled against the post. “I need. My hands.” I couldn’t speak in full sentences. “Need to touch you. Need you naked.”

His mouth returned to mine. He bit my lower lip and followed it with a soothing suck. Then he let my arms free. “Okay,” he said.

He shrugged out of his jacket while I began on the buttons of his shirt. My hands worked so frantically, so urgently, that I popped a button. I paused. “Whoops.”

With a groan, Hudson pulled at the material, popping all the remaining buttons. It was impressive. And hot. My hands flew to his chest. I pressed my palms along the smooth planes and down over the ridges of his abs. His skin felt like fire, the solidness of his flesh such a stark contrast to the softness of mine.

As I explored his torso, he explored mine. He pushed the cups of my bra down and plumped my breasts with strong, sturdy hands. My nipples stood at avid attention. A brush of his thumbs across them set my knees to buckle and my thighs to press together.

With another groan, Hudson let go of me and took a step back. “Fuck, you’re so gorgeous like that. Your breasts standing up for me. Your legs begging for me to push my way between them.”

I moved toward him, unable to bear the absence of his heat. As I reached him, though, he surprised me by picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder. “Time for a change of scenery,” he said.

He spoke as we walked. “Mini tour. Kitchen’s there. Bathroom. And here’s the master bedroom.”

I craned my neck to peek at each of the rooms as we passed, not really caring about them, but curious as to our destination. In the master, he plopped me onto the bed. “Though I plan to mark you in every room of this house, we’ll be spending most of our time here.”

I wasn’t even tempted to glance around. I sat, propped on my elbows behind me with my eyes pinned on him while he undid his belt and pushed off his pants. His hard, thick cock poked from the top of his briefs. My mouth watered as I waited for him to take them off, too.

But he didn’t. Not yet. “Turn around,” he ordered.

I rolled to my stomach, my body obeying before my head could register his command.

“Up. On your hands and knees.”

God, when he got dominant, I got insane. My limbs shook with anticipation as I pushed up to my knees, my head away from him. With his hands clutched at my hips, he tugged me to the edge of the bed and pulled my panties down until they were at my knees. He leaned over my body and undid my bra. The straps fell down around my elbows. I left it there, not wanting to move, enjoying the feel of his body pressed against my backside. His bare cock poked against my ass—he must have removed his underwear while I turned around. Instinctively, I spread my knees as far as my panties would allow them.

Hudson squeezed my breasts and slipped his cock between my legs, rubbing his hard length against my pussy. I moaned as he knocked against my clit, each jab sending me higher and higher. Yet he wasn’t where I really wanted him—not yet.

“Hudson.” It was half plea, half cry. “Please. I need you.”

He continued rocking against my folds. “I know, precious. I know what you need.”

And yet he wouldn’t give it. I squirmed against his cock pulsing between my legs. “Need you. Inside.”

“Say it again and I’ll make you wait even longer.”

“Please, Hudson.” I couldn’t help myself. The words tumbled out without my permission.

He pulled off of me. “I told you not to ask again.” He slapped my ass. Hard.

A trickle of moisture pooled between my legs. He slapped me again on the other cheek, and I cried out from the pleasant sting. He rubbed away the burn with wide circular passes of his palms. If he spanked me again I thought I just might come right there.

But he didn’t. His hands left me. My body shuddered from the absence of his warmth and the jolt of the strikes and the unease of not knowing what would happen next.

Then suddenly he was where I wanted him, inside me—not his cock, but his tongue. I cried out at the sweetness of it. I looked down between my legs and found his face there, his mouth poised over my hole as he plunged in and out with long, velvety strokes. His fingers came up to swirl across my clit. I squirmed, absolutely in love with what he was doing to me, at the same time desperate for him to fill me with his erection instead.

The torment drove me mad. It also made me come, hard and fast, a breathy cry escaping from my lips. I was still coming when he—finally—entered me. He thrust in, grunting as he pushed through the clenching of my orgasm. “Ah, Jesus, you’re so goddammed tight.”

Quickly he pulled himself out to the tip and bore into me again. I loosened around him as I settled down. He dug his fingers into my hips and hammered into me, pulling my whole body to his with each drive. My hands curled into the bedspread, another orgasm already beginning to gather in my belly like a storm.

With a frenetic pace, he continued to drill into me. “I. Can’t. Get. Deep. Enough,” he grunted a word in between each thrust. “I need. To be. Deeper.”

Fuck, he was already so deep, each merciless jab hitting me in just the right place. Every exhale was a whimper, my hands and knees shaking as he assaulted me with enormous jolts of pleasure.

He withdrew again to his tip and paused as he flipped me to my back. Pushing my knees back into the bed, he leaned into me and resumed pounding into me with a fevered pace. “Come with me, precious.” It wasn’t a request. He meant for me to obey. “I’m going to go soon. Tell me you’re coming with me.”

“Yes,” I panted. “Yes. Yes.”

“Good.” He pushed on the underside of my thighs, tilting my hips up, and bucked into me, hard and deep. Deeper than he’d ever been; I’d swear he’d never been that far inside of me. My orgasm began surging through me. “Wait, Alayna.”

I widened my eyes, gasping in shallow breaths as I tried to hold on.

“Wait. Wait. Wait.” His command matched the rhythm of his thrusts. “Wait.” Then, “Now!”

At his permission, I succumbed to the force that had built inside, letting it rip through me with lightning speed. My pussy clenched around his cock as Hudson pressed into me with a long, deep drive. “Fuuuccck!” He elongated the word as he knocked against my pelvis, spilling into me fiercely.

He collapsed onto the bed next to me, his chest rising and falling in tandem with my own. “Well,” he said after a few minutes. “That was…”

Holy, wow, I thought.

Hudson finished the sentence, stealing one of my other favorite terms. “…amazeballs.”

We spent the evening in the bedroom, only leaving to make sandwiches from the supplies that the property manager had dropped off before we’d arrived. We made love late into the night and woke with a morning round as well.

Though we were in the middle of nowhere, I discovered we still had wi-fi. It was almost a disappointment—part of the beauty of the cabin was the remoteness of it. Yet it was nice for listening to music. After a breakfast of yogurt and fresh berries, I set up Spotify on Hudson’s laptop, logging in as me, and turned on one of my favorite playlists. We lounged naked on the sofa, my head at one end, his at the other while he massaged my feet.

Phillip Phillip’s So Easy came on. I hummed along for a bit, occasionally singing some of the words.

Hudson watched me with admiration. “You have a nice voice.”

I blushed. It was funny to realize that I hadn’t ever sung in front of him. Oh, the firsts we still had between us. Since I was already embarrassed, I admitted, “This song makes me think of you.”

His nose wrinkled in surprise. “You have a song that makes you think of me?”

“Several. A whole soundtrack.” We were listening to the playlist I had titled H, after all.

“Hmm. I didn’t know that.” He tilted his head and I could tell he was trying to catch the words.

I sang along, helping him hear the important parts, getting louder at the chorus where Phillip sang about making it so easy to fall so hard.

It was Hudson’s turn to be embarrassed. He looked down at his hands working the sole of my foot, a small smile playing at his lips. The song ended, and he moved to my other foot. “How about a shower?”

I stretched my arms over my head and pointed my toes, noting the soreness of muscles that I didn’t even know I had. “Yes. Definitely.” A hot shower sounded good. But I didn’t make a move to get up. Not moving sounded good too.

“Do you have any specific plans for the day? Besides the shower.”

I groaned as his thumb worked at the knot in the ball of my foot. “You have me kidnapped in the mountains—I think I’m kind of at your mercy.”

“That you are. In which case, I was thinking I’d like to spend the day inside you as much as possible.”

I grinned. “I’m totally okay with that. Anything else you have planned?”

“I’d like to take you for a walk around the property. And perhaps some online jewelry shopping. I believe a new necklace or earrings for Mira’s event might be nice.”

Instead of automatically arguing about the idea of a gift like I usually did, I weighed the idea in my head. “That might not be bad. I don’t have anything nice, and I have been through the wringer lately. Maybe I deserve a present of some sort.” I smiled coyly.

“Alayna!” Hudson exclaimed. “I’ve never heard you care about any of that before.”

I stared at my hands and shrugged, wishing I hadn’t said anything.

Hudson abandoned my feet, crawled up to my face, and covered my body with his. “I’m very pleased. And a whole lot aroused.”

Well, he was somewhat aroused. The new position made it evident.

“Why does my acting like a greedy bitch turn you on?”

“Because I love giving you things. It’s something that I’m good at. I wish I could give you more but you never seem interested.” He ran his fingers through my hair. “So anything you want, I’ll give it to you. A shopping spree? A week in Nevis? A car?”

I rolled my eyes and tried to push him off of me. “You’re making fun of me now.”

He held his ground, both physically and conversationally. “I’m dead serious. Do you want me to buy you a company? Or an island?”

“Stop it.”

“No. I won’t.” He tilted my chin up to meet his eyes. “Anything you want, Alayna. It’s yours. And since you don’t seem to know that, I’ll have to work even harder to make sure you take advantage of my wealth.”

Again, I tried to push him away. “I don’t want or need to take advantage—”

“Now stop.” He moved his hand to caress my cheek. “I know you don’t. You never have. But I’ve told you before that you own me. Whether you take advantage of it or not, I’m yours.”

I started to protest again, but he continued. “And thereby, all I own is yours.” He met my eyes with stone-cold sincerity. “There are contracts that can guarantee that, you know.”

I swallowed. Gulped, actually. The kind of contracts he was talking about…joint ownership…those were hints at wedding bells if I’d ever heard them. Petrified and a little bit thrilled, I tested the waters. “That’s some pretty serious stuff you’re implying.”

“I’ll do more than imply if you let me.” His voice was quiet but genuine.

My heart pounded in my chest. He couldn’t say I love you, but he could promise me the moon? He got intimidated when I expressed my feelings through a song, but he could offer a lifetime?

We weren’t ready for that. I wasn’t. He wasn’t, even if he thought he was. “I think I’ll just take a nice piece of jewelry for now,” I whispered.

I waited with bated breath for his response, hoping I hadn’t hurt his feelings.

It took a second, but he smiled. “Then it’s yours.”

Wanting to lighten the mood more, I added, “Also, some more books. And did you really say a car?”

He shook his head in disbelief. “You don’t want a car. You don’t like to drive.”

It was true that I wasn’t fond of being behind the wheel of a car. But there were other places that driving occurred. “No, I like to drive. You just never let me.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You’re not talking about cars anymore, are you?”

“Nope.” I reached my hand down to circle his cock that was still semi-aroused. I stroked him, once, twice.

He groaned and flipped me so that I was on top of him. “How about you drive right now?”

I straddled him, positioned myself over his cock and slid down. “It kind of seems like I already am.”