12. Hudson
12
HUDSON
I pull up to the distillery late in the day, seeing the parking lot almost empty. I’m meeting Tanner to go over some thoughts I have about the hospital and the new program. Something he’s all on board with and he’s keen to look at the financial implications to see where he can help.
I see his truck parked at the end of the lot in his usual spot, alongside Lacy’s small hatchback. I didn’t realize she would still be here so I’m smiling as I jump out of my truck and start walking inside.
“I just need to run next door to grab a few things. Go inside, Lacy is in her office,” Tanner says as he runs down the office stairs toward me.
“No problem,” I tell him, as he jogs to his truck and I race up the stairs, straight inside before he has even left the lot.
The office is quiet, the receptionist already gone for the day, and I make my way down the hall where I know Lacy’s office is .
Seeing her office light on, like a moth to a flame, I stop at her open door. She hasn’t seen me, so I watch her for a moment. Sitting behind the desk, looking over some paperwork, she has glasses on that I didn’t realize she wears, giving her a sexy librarian kind of vibe that I instantly appreciate. She has a pen in one hand that she chews, her hair falling into her face a little, her brow furrowed in deep concentration.
“Working late?” I murmur and hear her gasp as her head shoots up in surprise.
“Hudson?”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” I say, taking a few steps inside as she stands.
“No. It’s fine,” she says with a smile, closing the folder of documents and removing her glasses.
“I have a meeting with Tanner to talk about hospital funding,” I tell her, putting my things down on her side table and pocketing my hands as I walk over to her.
“I was just finishing up for the day,” she says, coming to the front of her desk. As she walks around, I get to admire her work outfit again. She looks just as fresh as she did this morning.
“So, did you eat all the cookies?” I ask, spotting the empty box nearby. She smiles a little, a soft-pink tint coloring her cheeks.
“Had to. They are Connor’s favorites as well, so we had a fight over the box. Plus, Tanner stole a few this afternoon too. Thank you, it was a lovely gift.” She shakes her head with a soft laugh, and I frown.
“Connor needs to get his own cookies,” I grumble, obviously needing to talk to my best friend. The jealousy I feel that he might like Lacy too, still swirls in my stomach.
“Yeah, but he offered me a good work project this afternoon, so I couldn’t say no.” Her smile is small but glowing.
“A new project?” I watch her carefully, trying to gauge her reaction, and I relax as I see her smile widening.
“I need to do some research on day spas. We are opening one up at the distillery, which I’m sure you know. Connor oversees that project, but he isn’t really the pamper kind of guy.”
“Connor is the last person you would catch at a spa.” I almost bark a laugh. Connor is a man who’s the epitome of masculine. Lacy giggles, and I feel like I almost puff out my chest at hearing her laugh at something I said.
“Which is why he’s so eager to send me to New York for a week to trial a few research treatments and products. Victoria is coming as well to look at design and aesthetics,” she says, and my eyebrows rise.
“Sounds like a great project and one I think you well deserve,” I tell her, knowing that a break like that is not only good for business but will also be good for Lacy.
“Yeah,” she says with a sigh, sitting on the edge of her desk. “It should be fun.”
“So why are you looking worried?” I ask, stepping closer to her, seeing stress written all over her face.
“It’s just hard to leave Mom for a week. That’s all.” As she rubs her face, I see her exhaustion.
“Have you ever thought about some caretaker support?” I ask her, and she looks at me, confused .
“Caretaker support?” she questions, and a bright idea comes to me.
“Someone who can come in, make some meals, visit your mom, do house chores, that kind of thing. That way, you can work knowing that everything at home is taken care of.” I see her mind ticking over.
“I don’t even know where to find someone. I don’t think there is anyone here in Whispers.”
“Leave it with me. Let me look into it for you,” I say, wanting to do this for her.
“You don’t have to…” Standing, she looks ready to deny she needs the help.
“As your mother’s physician, it’s something I would look into anyway. Having help at home while you are not there is not only beneficial to you but also for your mom.” While the statement is correct, I know using her mom is the only way she might come around to the idea.
“Okay, maybe.” She gives me a small nod of approval, and I smile before I notice her cradling her hand.
“What happened?” I ask, my frown deepening as I automatically walk closer to her.
“Oh, nothing. It’s nothing.” She tries to act casual, but I see her wince. I stand before her and grab her hand, lifting it into the light.
“What is that?” I ask, seeing a small piece of something stuck in the side of her finger.
“Just a thorn,” she says, and I look up at her, surprised.
“Thorn?” I clarify as my hand cups hers carefully.
“I was out in the garden this morning… I just picked a few roses for my office… It was a small prick,” she says, and I look to see the vase of fresh roses on her desk before I try to grab the thorn with my fingers for her. My tweezers from work would be extremely handy right now.
“This morning? This has been in your skin all day?” I question, seeing the skin around it is irritated. While I’m sure the pain is minimal, it would be extremely annoying.
“It’s in my right hand, and my left hand isn’t that coordinated to grab it out. I was just going to get Mom to try to remove it when I got home. It feels a bit stuck.” She says, dropping her hand a little.
I look at her, and my lips thin. She doesn’t even like asking anyone for help here at work. She is so stubborn.
“Give it to me,” I tell her, putting my hand out to her, palm up, waiting for her to place her hand back in mine.
“It's fine,” she says, shrugging it off, trying to minimize the issue.
“Give me your hand, Lacy,” I say in a tone that is a little more demanding, and she huffs before she does exactly what I ask, lifting her hand and placing it softly in mine. I smile, liking that she does what I ask, and I take a closer look at it and then look back at her.
“I don’t have tweezers, but sometimes teeth are better,” I tell her quickly before I lift her hand to my mouth. My eyes meet hers as I hear a small gasp of surprise pass her lips. I move slowly and gently as I put my lips to her skin, and with my eyes firmly on hers. I used to do this all the time around the ranch when I was younger, and even more recently on Harvey. But none of those times did I get a hint of a sweet rose scent. It’s familiar and not from the flowers in the room, but from her fragrance on the inside of her wrist .
Her eyes widen at the contact, her chest rising and falling, mouth agape as I rest my lips against her skin. I get the thorn in between my teeth and remove it, feeling her fingers from where I hold her palm resting against my jaw, her hand almost cupping my cheek. Lowering her hand, I pull the thorn from my teeth and place it on the edge of her desk.
We stand facing each other, me still holding her hand, and I hear her breathing. It’s rapid and my eyes haven’t left hers as tension wraps around us that has my heart pounding in my ears. She’s fucking breathtaking. I swallow roughly, and my eyes flick to her lips, the gloss reflecting the overhead lights. My body moves on instinct.
I pull her by the hand toward me as I lean forward, sliding my other hand around her waist and sealing her body against mine, and before I realize what I’m doing, my lips are on hers.
I almost moan at the contact, her body molding straight into mine. Letting go of her hand, I run my palm up her arm to cup the back of her head, deepening the kiss, the feeling of relief at finally having her in my arms, along with the intense burn I have to take more from her, building in my chest and heating my skin.
As she kisses me back with just as much desperation, her hands rest on my arms, her breasts pressed against me, her body fitting perfectly with mine.
“Wait!” she says suddenly, pulling back. “Hudson, wait.”
I stop immediately, although my hold remains, just loosening, giving her some space. She’s panting, and I blink a few times, feeling like I just woke from a dream.
“Hudson… I can’t… I mean, we can’t…” she starts to say, looking crestfallen. Swallowing audibly, her big eyes look up into mine, and I can see she wants me. But she’s holding back.
I clear my throat. I overstepped. I need to go slower. To show her that she’s safe with me.
“It’s alright, Lacy. I’ve got you.” I tell her the words I told her that night and will repeat to her until I know she believes them. I see her take a big breath, and my eyes trail to her reddened lips before meeting her eyes again.
“But I’m not sure I can let you,” she whispers, and I know it’s her internal struggle. Shit, no one can go through life like she has and not be fearful of giving up control and putting herself first.
“We’ll move together. Slowly. I’ll wait. We can do everything at your pace.” My thumb rubs along her back slower, where I still hold her, trying to give her a bit of comfort and reassurance and give myself a little more time just to have her in my arms. She swallows again and nods.
“Maybe,” she says, and I smile. It isn’t a yes. But it isn’t a no.
“I need to go meet Tanner and you should get home. It’s dark out,” I tell her as I step back, and Lacy drops her hands from my arms. I see her grip on to the desk behind her. Our eyes haven’t left each other, and I take in a breath, my nostrils flaring to get as much oxygen in as possible, because I find it increasingly hard to breathe around this woman .
“Ahh… Thank you for the thorn…” she says hesitantly as she licks her lips. The air around me cools now that we are no longer standing together and helps me get my head back into the day.
“Drive safely.” I grab my things and start to step backward, away from her and toward the door. The grin on my face is impossible to remove. Whether it’s because I had my mouth on hers, the fact that I think she is warming up to me, or just that I got to see her again, I can’t be sure, but she’s smiling back at me and that makes me feel good.
“Next time, I will save you a cookie,” she teases. “I mean, if there is a next time.”
“There will be a next time, Lacy. I will make sure of it.” I huff a laugh and leave her office, forcing myself out the door, almost dancing down the hall to meet Tanner.