He bolted upright. “What? What is it?” His eyes darted around the room.
“You were having a nightmare.”
“Jesus.” Closing his eyes, Hudson scrubbed a hand down his face, the remains of his dream clinging to him like a physical blow.
“Are you okay?” she asked. He could hear the concern in her voice.
“Yeah.” Fuck no. “Yeah.” He looked at Allie kneeling back on her heels beside him and thought how convoluted and screwed up her life was because of him. She didn’t need someone like him fucking everything up the way he had with his own family, but the compulsion to be with her was like a madness.
In a series of smooth and swift movements, Hudson rolled her beneath him. She gasped as he yanked her T-shirt over her head, baring her entire body to him before taking her mouth with primal desperation.
“I want you.” He hooked his ankles with hers and spread her legs wide. With the nightmare still fresh in his mind, all he wanted was to be lost in the softness between her thighs, to feel her wrapped around him. For just one moment he wanted to be free of his past. To be free of his guilt.
“Wait, Hudson. Wait,” she panted, and pushed against his chest. “We need to talk. You were screaming.”
He pressed his lips to her throat, sucking gently. “I don’t need to talk. I need you. I need this.” She moaned, bowing into his hands as his cock stroked between the lips of her sex. Sealing his mouth over hers, his tongue dipped into her with deep, lush glides. He laced his fingers with hers and slipped her hand between them. “Feel me as I take you.”
With a necessity fueling what was already an almost debilitating desire, he entered her on a solid stroke.
Chapter Thirty-six
Allie tapped her foot on the lobby floor, glancing up at the descending numbers above the elevator doors, willing them to move faster. She was late, seriously late, and she was never late to work. Ever.
“What is taking so long,” she mumbled.
Wanting to check the time, she fished her phone out of her purse, only to realize she’d never turned it on. As soon as she did, it started to vibrate with missed calls and messages. The most recent was a text from Harper. Allie read it as she stepped into the elevator.
Meeting NOW. Where R U?
“Shit,” she cursed under her breath while shoving the phone in the pocket of her jeans. Jeans, at work! Another thing she never did, but desperate times and all that. She’d overslept—item three on the morning’s “never” list—and had barely had time to brush her teeth and throw her hair in a ponytail, let alone swing by her place for work clothes.
The elevator doors slid open. Allie bypassed her office and bolted straight for the conference room. Mr. Ellis never broke stride as she slipped into the room, continuing as if nothing was amiss while she quietly took her seat at the table. Allie ignored Harper’s raised brow, dropping her purse on the floor and powering up her tablet. An incoming message filled a chat box in the corner of the screen before she’d even had time to pull up the agenda.
When did we start Casual Mondays?
Leave it to Harper to not let the jeans go unnoticed, let alone unmentioned. But either way, Allie did need more suitable clothes for the rest of the week. She made a mental note to swing by her apartment after work and grab a few things. Clothes, shoes, underwear. Come to think of it, she might need to run out at lunch and buy more underwear, given the rate Hudson tore through them. The thought of his fingers shredding through satin and lace made a warm blush spread over her cheeks.
Within seconds another message appeared.
OMG, you spent the weekend with HIM, didn’t you?
Followed by another . . .
Don’t bother denying it. I know the walk of shame when I see it.
And then another . . .
You can’t avoid me forever.
No, but she could certainly try. Allie shot Harper an annoyed look, then turned her attention to the meeting’s agenda. She scanned the bullet points, desperately trying to decipher which item they were currently discussing.
“Could you and Harper handle that, Alessandra?”
Allie’s head snapped up at the sound of her boss’s voice. Handle what? Jeez, she was a mess. And it was only Monday. “Sure thing,” she said, wondering what in the hell she’d just agreed to. A message popped up from Harper, who had clearly read her mind. Or at least her panicked face.
Textbook budget.
Ah, okay. “Thank you,” Allie mouthed across the table. A yawn came out of nowhere and, embarrassed, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand. Harper’s eyes grew wide and she immediately began typing. Allie frowned. Great, what now?
Holy shit, you finally did it!
Harper rolled her eyes at Allie’s blank look. She tapped a few keys on her tablet and then stared pointedly at Allie’s left hand.
You finally kicked Lord Lame-Ass to the curb.
Allie’s eyes darted to her hand where she saw . . . nothing? She let out a small gasp. Julian’s ring was gone. She’d no sooner had the thought when she remembered Hudson slipping it off her finger and placing it on one of the bookshelves. Tonight you’re mine. Her toes curled at the thought of his unyielding power, his unwavering authority. He’d completely possessed her—mind, body, and soul.
This calls for a celebration!
Dancing? Drinks first, of course.
We should totally hit . . .
Harper’s messages came in rapid succession, rambling on about all the ways in which they were going to celebrate, but Allie had stopped reading them. She couldn’t take her eyes off her unadorned finger. She’d grown so used to the sight of Julian’s ring that it seemed strange to look down and see nothing but her bare hand. Strange and wonderful. It was as though an enormous weight had been lifted from her. Some tether to a life she neither designed nor enjoyed. It felt . . . perfect.
In that moment Allie knew what she wanted. Deep down she’d known it all along. Julian might have been the right choice for Ingram Media, but he wasn’t the right choice for her. She knew her parents would be livid, but somehow she’d have to make them understand. The past two weeks with Hudson had changed her, awakened a side of her that had been waiting to be set free. Life before him was neat, orderly, and boring as hell. She’d never felt more alive than she did when she was with him. It was the same way she’d felt ten years ago, but the connection between them had grown stronger, more intense. Had she really thought she could give that up? Give him up? It broke her heart to walk away from him once. There was no way she was making that same mistake twice.
The meeting dragged on, as did the rest of the afternoon. All day her mind drifted to thoughts of Hudson. She was dying to call him, if for no other reason than to hear his voice, but fought the urge. She knew if she gave in she’d end up spilling her guts over the phone, and she wanted to look into his eyes when she told him she was ending things with Julian; that she was choosing a life with him.
When six o’clock finally rolled around, she sent him a quick text.
Stopping by my place for clothes. Meet you at PH. Late dinner?
There was no reply. Come to think of it, she hadn’t heard from Hudson all day. She’d been so busy trying to keep her mind off calling him that she hadn’t even realized he’d never tried to call her. Not once. At first she thought it was odd, but then she reminded herself he was probably busy handling all the calls he’d ignored over the weekend. Or maybe he was with Nick.
Sweet little Nicky. Her heart sank at the thought of all that had happened to him as a young boy. And now he was in even worse shape. Just picturing the way he looked when he stepped off the elevator last night, like a stray that had been beaten and starved, made her shudder. She sent up a silent prayer that he’d finally accepted the help his older brother was offering.