Allie shoved her hair dryer and hiking boots into the duffle bag and quickly zipped it closed. She hoisted the bag off the bed and carried it into the living room just in time to see Hudson putting his phone back in the breast pocket of his coat. Without even asking she knew he’d been calling his brother again.
They’d woken that morning to find Nick had left sometime before dawn, and Hudson had been trying, unsuccessfully, to reach him ever since. He’d even gone by Nick’s apartment while Allie was at work, but said from the looks of things, Nick hadn’t been there in days.
“Any luck?” she asked, dropping the overstuffed duffle bag on the couch.
Hudson ran a hand back through his hair before pulling his tie loose. “Voice mail again.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to cancel?” she asked him for at least the tenth time.
“I’m sure. Nick’s probably coming down. He’ll be sleeping his high off for a couple days.”
She considered his response for a moment. Part of her still thought they should postpone the trip so he could look for Nick, but Hudson was probably right in assuming he’d crashed somewhere. The poor kid looked exhausted. And besides, if Nick was ready to get help, he wouldn’t have snuck off in the middle of the night.
Hudson picked up Allie’s suitcase. “Ready?”
“Almost; let me just finish packing.”
His brow shot up. “You have more?” The amusement in his voice was obvious, and for the first time all day he cracked a smile. He’d been so quiet and withdrawn since discovering Nick had bailed on their deal. But now, as he looked at her in feigned dismay, his frown lines relaxed into a genuine smile that touched his blue eyes.
“Just two.” She turned back toward her bedroom and gazed at him over her shoulder, trying her best to look innocent as she held up two fingers. “They’re small.”
As she scurried back down the hall, she heard her duffle bag drop to the living room floor with a thud. A moment later Hudson was standing in the doorway of her room.
“Christ, Allie, we’re only going away for the weekend.”
Her hands settled on her hips as she surveyed the clothes spread out all over her bed. “I don’t know how many outfits I’ll need.”
Catching her by the waist, Hudson wrapped his arms around her and hauled her back against him. “I don’t plan on letting you stay dressed long enough to consider other outfits.” He nuzzled her hair. “I want this body ready for me at any time.”
His words were intoxicating, and everything below her waist suddenly clenched with need. If he kept up what he was doing—tracing her ear with his tongue, tugging the lobe between his teeth, oh yes, just like that—they were never going to leave her bedroom, much less Chicago.
“Hudson, I’m serious. I don’t know where we’re going or what we’ll be doing.” She wriggled out of his arms and into her walk-in closet. When she emerged a moment later with an armload of sweaters and jeans, she found Hudson lounging across her bed. He was leaning back on one elbow, wearing that sexy smirk of his, and looking all kinds of tempting. The sight of him stopped her in her tracks. She couldn’t help but picture the last time he’d lounged on that bed . . . naked . . . with the moon casting shadows across the hard contours of his chest as he moved over her . . . under her . . . inside her. . . .
“I think you know what we’ll be doing, Alessandra,” he said in a low drawl, interrupting her delicious memories as if reading her mind. “As for where? My bed, the hot tub—”
“Oh, hot tub! I need my swimsuit.” Allie dumped the pile of clothes on the bed and headed for the dresser. She pulled a bikini out of the bottom drawer and shoved it in her bag, only to have Hudson promptly pull it out and toss it to the side.
“You won’t be needing that. In fact, you won’t be needing half of this,” he said, pulling articles of clothing from her bag one at a time until something of interest caught his eye. “Is this what you envision wearing in the woods?” He sat up, a black lace garter stretched between his thumbs, and flashed a wicked grin. “It would look remarkable on the back of my bike.”
Allie rolled her eyes as she snatched the garter out of Hudson’s hands. “That’s not supposed to be in there.”
“Suit yourself. But this,” he said, smirking as he held up her pink lace baby-doll nightgown, “is definitely making the trip. A survival necessity.”
“Give me that.” She tried to swipe the skimpy nightgown from him but he pulled it out of reach.
“Oh no, this is coming with me. For safe keeping.” Hudson pulled Allie between his legs. His broad palms swept over her rib cage before cupping her breasts. “Unless you’d like to put it on now?”
His hopeful grin made her insides melt like warm honey. She grinned back at him as she pulled away. “If we start this now, we’ll never leave.”
“True. And the sooner we get there, the sooner I’ll have you naked.” Hudson stood and swatted her playfully on the ass. “Pack it up.”
***
Allie leaned her head back against the black leather seats of Hudson’s Range Rover Autobiography. They’d been driving for about an hour, and the farther they got from the city limits, the more she felt herself relax.
It had been so long since she’d been out of the world of concrete and glass that Allie had forgotten how beautiful the countryside was this time of year. A few of the trees were still green, but most had begun to turn despite the warm temperatures. Vibrant shades of gold, orange, and red dotted the landscape like Mother Nature’s own version of Monet.
As they grew closer to the town of Lake Geneva, the rolling hills gave way to luxury resorts, lush golf courses, and riding stables surrounded by white wooden fences. The town itself was quaint with brightly colored shops and restaurants lining the water’s edge. It was the kind of place where city goers shelled out big bucks to “get away from it all,” and there were dozens of retailers more than willing to help them spend their money. Art galleries, antique shops, and jewelry stores filled both sides of the street, along with a few high-end sporting goods stores catering to outdoor thrill seekers. A sign advertising zip-lining hung in one of the windows. Allie’s stomach plummeted at the thought. She glanced at Hudson, hoping that dangling from a harness in the woods wasn’t his idea of enjoying the great outdoors.
“Anything special you’d like to do while we’re up here?” she asked.
Hudson raised a curious brow and cut his eyes at her. “Are you giving me carte blanche, Miss Sinclair?”
She felt her face flame. “I meant something more along the lines of golfing or riding horses. That sort of thing.”
Hudson chuckled. “I prefer my Harley to a horse.” The Range Rover rolled to a stop at a red light and Hudson’s dark gaze met hers. “As for the rest of the time we’re up here, I believe I made my intentions clear back at your brownstone.”
His eyes never left hers as he reached for her hand and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles. The feel of his lips against her skin had her shifting in her seat. She wanted to feel that mouth on every inch of her skin; kissing her, licking her, making her come. Hudson’s eyes widened infinitesimally as she squirmed under the heat of his stare. He knew exactly what he was doing to her. But instead of being annoyed by his look of smug satisfaction, she found herself fighting the urge to slide his hand up the inside of her thighs so he could feel for himself just how right he was.
The light changed and Hudson gave her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it to place both of his on the wheel. His foot pushed down hard on the accelerator and the car surged forward, pressing her into the supple leather. She turned toward the window to hide her grin. If the speed of the car was any indication, she wasn’t the only one fighting urges.