“I let you convince me the ride to State Street was too quick for a limo reenactment, and I was even on my best behavior at Macy’s, despite some very fond memories making me inconveniently hard while you debated two shades of blue I’m quite certain were exactly the same. But if I’m out here much longer I won’t be held accountable for my actions. There’s bound to be an empty tent somewhere in this village, and if you don’t let me take you home soon, I’m going to fuck you in one of them and I don’t care who hears us.”
Allie nearly choked on her wine. “You wouldn’t dare.” The words left her mouth without much forethought and she regretted it the moment they did. The look on Hudson’s face told her not only would he absolutely follow through on that dark promise, but that he was seriously considering acting on it at that very moment. He opened his mouth to reply and she pressed her fingers to his lips. “Don’t answer that.”
He lifted an impatient brow.
“I need to get a gift for my new assistant and I really should get something for Ben Weiss. But other than that, just the tree.”
Hudson groaned against her fingertips.
“Two hours, tops.” She lifted her fingers from his lips and replaced them with a soft kiss. “Then I’m all yours for the rest of the night.”
“You’re all mine for a hell of a lot longer than that,” he murmured against her lips before pulling back and making his counter offer. “I’ll agree to ninety minutes and not a second more.”
She was about to lodge a protest but he cut her off.
“Relax. They’re selling trees at the far corner of the plaza and I’m fairly sure even your Olympic caliber debating skills can decide on a tree and two gifts in an hour and a half.”
“Hudson, I can’t possibly do all that in ninety minutes.”
He looked at his watch. “Eighty-nine. Do you really want to stand here discussing this?” he asked with a smirk.
Oh, he was impossible. And aggravating. And . . . and what the hell was wrong with her? The man standing in front of her, looking unbelievably sexy in dark jeans, a black leather jacket, and perfectly mussed hair, wanted to take her home and fuck her senseless and she was negotiating shopping time?
Seriously, Sinclair, pick your battles.
Hudson wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her tight against him as he led her to the far side of the plaza where she selected an evergreen tree in record time. She checked her phone while Hudson paid the salesman and arranged for the delivery. There were a few e-mails from work, a list of messages from Colin, all of which could wait until Monday, and a text from Harper.
Assuming lack of call = hot night of unbridled passion?
Allie laughed as she replied: You read too many romance novels.
Little dots appeared almost immediately to indicate Harper was typing. Allie shook her head. Sometimes it seemed like that phone was surgically attached to her.
1.You can NEVER read too many romance novels.
2.How are you texting me with your hands cuffed to a headboard?
Allie felt her face blush a deep red. She’d never divulged the kinkier details of her time with Hudson. Actually, come to think of it, she’d never really divulged any details at all. But Harper had a vivid imagination and no qualms about sharing it. Only problem was, this time she was right.
We’re shopping for a tree.
Her phone lit up with: Assuming shopping for tree = hot afternoon of unbridled passion? Which was followed almost immediately by: Have I asked you if the Buff Billionaire has a brother?
Call you Monday.
Monday?! Wow, this is gonna be good. I better hear the whole . . .
Harper was still typing as Allie tucked her phone back into the pocket of her jeans. Hudson was suddenly behind her, his arm wrapped around her waist and his lips at her ear. “You disappoint me, Miss Sinclair.”
Allie turned to find his other hand holding a sprig of mistletoe high above their heads.
“All this talk of Christmas traditions and you failed to mention the most important one.” His lips hovered just above hers. “I’d have thought you more thorough than that.”
“Whatever will I do to make it up to you?” she breathed. Cupping the nape of his neck, she pulled his mouth down to hers. She’d meant for it to be nothing more than a sweet, tender kiss, something suitable for public consumption. But then her lips parted and his tongue slid inside, savoring her in lush, deep strokes, and all thought of where they were left her. All she could think about was this man, this moment, and how desperately she wanted him.
He groaned into her mouth as he deepened the kiss, his tongue licking, tasting, teasing in that way that made her long to feel him kiss the rest of her body with the same fervor. And when his hand slid down her backside, urging her tight against him, she raked her fingers into his hair.
His head lifted and he gazed down at her with hooded blue eyes. “Christ, Allie, please tell me we can go home now.”
“Miss Sinclair?”
Allie turned to find her assistant standing not three feet away. “Colin,” was all she said, then they stared at each other for several beats of awkward silence. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hudson attempt to discreetly rub her lipstick from his bottom lip with the side of his index finger. While she appreciated the effort, after what Colin had just witnessed, it was way too late for discreet. And what the heck was Colin doing at the Christmas village in the middle of the afternoon, anyway?
“So, taking a late lunch?” she asked in a lame attempt to deflect attention away from the elephant in the room. Hell, forget the room, the elephant was charging the plaza, stomping all over the Christmas trees.
Colin pressed his lips together to stifle the grin that was threatening to bust his face wide open. “Things have been slow today with the boss lady home sick.”
Beside her Hudson laughed out loud.
“Touché.” After a resigned sigh she came clean. “I assume I can trust you to keep quiet about this?”
“Pfft.” His hand batted the air. “Please, I’ve known since the gala.”
Allies eyes grew wide. “Well, alrighty then.” She looked at Hudson, who was absolutely no help at all, then back to Colin. “I guess I’ll see you Monday.”
Colin gave a quick nod to them both before beating a hasty retreat toward the cuckoo clock tent. Once he was out of earshot she turned her attention to Hudson. “This is going to be an issue.”
“It doesn’t have to be.”
“The last thing I need is people gossiping about us, Hudson.”
He pulled her back into his arms. “Allie, take a breath. We were never planning on keeping this a secret. At least I sure as hell wasn’t. As long as I’ve known you there’s been something or someone standing in our way. We’re finally together and it fucking works. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let fear of a little office gossip keep us apart.”
He had a point. But still, she hadn’t planned on her assistant catching them grinding on each other like a couple of teenagers. Jesus, she needed to get a grip. The thought had no sooner entered her mind when Hudson lifted the mistletoe back over her head.
“Now, where were we?”
The phone in her pocket began to ring.
“Don’t answer it,” he said, leaning down to kiss her neck. “You’re home sick in bed, remember?”
She rolled her eyes as she fished the phone out of her pocket. “I need to get this,” she said when she saw their general counsel’s name flash on the screen.
Hudson groaned against her skin.
“What can I say, comes with the territory when you’re dating a powerful executive,” she teased just before pressing the green answer button. “Hello,” she said into the phone.
Hudson resumed his amorous pursuits, letting his lips drift up the column of her throat.
“Alessandra, I’m sorry to bother you, but this really couldn’t keep until Monday. There’s been a break in the case. They found the person who killed your parents.”