He stopped in front of the door, shoving his wallet into his pants pocket. “Call or not, Allie, we’re not done.” He yanked the door open and jogged down the steps of the brownstone with his shoes in hand. Without a glance back, he unlocked the DB9. A grin spread across his face.
Hudson Chase doing the walk of shame.
That was a first.
Chapter Thirteen
Allie slid hanger after hanger across the chrome pole. She’d never been one to subscribe to the idea of retail therapy, but she had to get out of her office. It felt like the walls were closing in on her. And since there wasn’t time to go for a run during her lunch hour, she’d had to settle for wandering the eight floors of the Macy’s on State Street.
She paused when she came across a dark green wrap dress. It was almost identical to her burgundy one, and her thoughts immediately shifted to the last time she wore that dress. It was the night she went to Hudson’s office to collect the donation he’d pledged. Her eyes drifted shut and she could feel his hands wrenching open the neckline, his teeth nipping at the black lace of her bra. A throbbing ache spread through her belly. It was the same ache she felt every time she thought about Hudson Chase, which she was ashamed to admit, was far too frequently.
It had been over a week since she’d shuffled him out of her brownstone. Eight days, to be exact. Eight days of resisting the urge to call him. Eight days of hoping the memories of their night together would fade from her mind.
No such luck.
Allie shook her head. She had to stop thinking about Hudson; she was with Julian now. They were planning a life together and she wasn’t about to throw it all away on something that amounted to nothing more than residual teenage lust. She’d just needed to get it out of her system that one night, that’s all.
Yeah, just keep telling yourself that.
Folding the green dress over her arm, Allie made her way to the next rack, where a black bandage dress caught her eye. It had the style’s signature formfitting hourglass shape, but this particular dress had a front panel of thin black strips crisscrossing over sand mesh. Hmm, definitely a more daring choice. She held the two dresses up, comparing them side by side.
“The black one is nice.”
Allie jumped. She knew that voice . . . intimately. It had whispered roughly in her ear, filling her mind with all manner of naughty images as she was brought to orgasm again and again. Her errant thoughts brought a flush to her face as she turned to find Hudson standing behind her, grinning and looking rather pleased with himself. Where the hell did he come from? It was as if he’d just materialized.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. Lately it seemed as though those were always the first words out of her mouth. At least when it came to Hudson Chase.
“I told you, call or no call, this wasn’t over. I gave you a week.”
Her heart pounded erratically. She wanted to blame it on the shock of his unexpected appearance, but she knew better. “How did you know where to find me?”
“Your coworker was very forthcoming.” His lips curved into an amused smirk. “I suspect she doesn’t have a very high opinion of your fiancé.”
“No, she just has a high opinion of your checkbook.”
He chuckled. “Not even my most impressive attribute.”
She fought the urge to roll her eyes. “What do you want, Hudson?”
“I need to see you again.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Christ, I can’t even concentrate at the office. You’re in my head constantly.”
Allie glanced around nervously. “You can’t keep showing up like this,” she said, careful to keep her voice low.
“I can be very focused when it comes to something I want. Relentless, even.”
She stared at him blankly before moving to another display. Hudson followed.
“When is he leaving?”
“When is who leaving?”
“Your fiancé. You said he was gone most of the month.”
“This is hardly the place to discuss that.” She kept her eyes trained on the row of skirts in front of her.
Hudson braced a palm on the rack, halting the incessant skid of hangers. “When is he leaving, Alessandra?”
Her shoulders sagged. Clearly he wasn’t going to drop this. “He left this morning.”
He stepped so close, she could feel the warmth radiating off his body. “Meet me after work.” The dark, sensual edge to his voice sent a shiver through her. With every passing day she was falling deeper under his spell. This had to end.
“I have plans.”
“Cancel them.”
Her breath caught at his unexpected tone. It was demanding, authoritative, and hot as hell. No, she had to stay strong. “I can’t. I promised Harper a girls’ night out weeks ago.”
Blowing out an irritated breath, Hudson quickly surveyed the store. “This way,” he said, taking her by the elbow.
“What are you doing?” she hissed. “People will see us.”
He ignored her, taking long strides as he guided her into a dressing room at the rear of the store. “Now if anyone comes in they’ll be intruding on our privacy.” Turning, he closed the heavy wooden door and flipped the lock.
Allie opened her mouth to protest her abduction but he lunged at her. Both hands framed her face as Hudson pressed her against the three-way mirror and sealed his lips over hers. His tongue pushed into her mouth, taking her in a long, deep kiss. Groaning, he pulled away just long enough to speak. “I’m losing my mind over you, Allie.”
With just those few words she was warm and wanting. She hadn’t even called him, let alone planned to see him again, but now he was there, touching her, kissing her, and all she could think was how much she wanted him. His lips moved with hers again and Allie’s hands found their way into his hair, pulling him closer as the pent-up desire of the past week exploded between them. God, she’d missed this.
Lowering his head, Hudson dragged his tongue up the column of her throat. “I’m aching to be inside you any way I can,” he murmured, catching her earlobe between his teeth. He inched her dress up along her thighs, his touch searing against her skin. “Open for me.”
She gasped. In Macy’s? “Is anywhere off-limits?”
“Not when it comes to you. I’ve had a taste and I want more.” His hand moved between her legs and she widened them shamelessly, far too aroused to deny him. A low, sexy sound vibrated in the back of his throat when he found the warm, damp fabric of her panties. Pushing them aside, he slid his fingers over her slick flesh, teasing her slowly, gently. “God, Allie, I want my mouth on you, right here,” he eased one finger inside her, “right now.”
“ Hudson . . .”
“Shh, I need this,” he whispered, trailing his nose down her neck. “Give me this.”
She pulled his hair, bringing his mouth back to hers. He tugged her bottom lip between his teeth before sliding his tongue over hers in slow, savoring strokes that perfectly matched the movement of his fingers. Allie stifled a moan. There was nothing she wanted more than to feel those same lush, wet strokes between her thighs. But they were in a dressing room at Macy’s. Someone could knock on the door at any moment.
A battle waged inside her. She wanted him to stop, but at the same time, keep going. His finger slid in and out as he tortured her in a steady, unhurried rhythm. Don’t stop. Muffled voices passed in the hall and she tensed. No, stop. She was about to push him away when his finger curled forward, massaging a spot she never even knew she had. Oh, God, don’t stop. Her head fell back against the mirror with a thud and her legs began to tremble. Whatever you do, don’t stop.