Chapter 3
Hudson
Her not knowing who I was made my heart palpitate. I had spent the better half of my night getting to know her genuinely and her getting to know me. I knew off jump she didn’t watch sports because in Guuds she never looked up at the TV. That was all that was on and some of the rodeo recaps.
“Um, hello? Are you gonna clue me in on the secret or keep standing there smiling at me?” Those thick pretty ass lips taunted me like they had been doing most of the night.
Greene’s face was shaped like a perfect heart, from the wild wavy hair to the way her features fit so perfectly. Greene was so fucking beautiful.
I moved around the counter, standing right in front of her. “Before I do that, can I kiss you, Greene with an e?”
Her eyes said yes, but her lips had yet to utter a word.
My hand was already around her neck, getting ready to pull her into me when she pushed against it. Shit, she wanted me just as much as I wanted her fine ass.
The moment our lips touched, I felt a jolt down my spine and the innate need to be closer to her. Shit.
When we finally parted, she seemed nervous, which had me pulling her by the hand toward the couch. The last thing I wanted was for her to tell me she had to leave. I liked her company.
She had yet to speak, seemingly dazed, which was cute.
“I promise I ain’t on no funny shit. I wanted to kiss you, so I got that shit out of the way. Can’t guarantee I ain’t gonna do it a couple more times throughout the night, but I fuck with your company.”
She blinked a few times. “Uh, okay.”
I laughed. “Now c’mon. Let’s watch this show you claimed was so good. If this shit is horrible, I’ma tell you.”
Her hand was on her hip after she watched me comfortably take a seat on the sofa. “Um, excuse me.”
“What?” I grabbed her hand and pulled her down across my body with one hand and reached for the remote with the other.
She was about to respond, but another loud set of vibrations filled the room. She reached into her back pocket and pulled her phone out. I peeped the way her eyes bulged before she answered, mashing the phone against her face.
“Yeah. It’s fine; I’m up,” she assured whoever was on the line.
I watched how her eyes glazed over and a smile indented itself into her features before she spoke again.
“In labor now? What position? Okay. I’m headed to the barn now.” She moved from in front of me, going to where she had kicked her boots off. Within seconds, she had her jacket on and was moving to the door. When she hung up, she looked at me and spoke. “Your cousin’s mare is in labor.”
I didn’t even know how to react to that shit, ’cause damn.
I was on my feet too, following her. Because even though I wasn’t the slightest bit interested in horse births, I was interested in her.
By the time I had my own shoes and jacket on, she was at the trunk of her sister’s car.
Once she had it open, she pulled out what looked like a duffle and tossed it over her shoulder.
Once she had what she needed, she closed the trunk and began walking toward the barn.
I followed and I swear I didn’t know what I was walking into until I saw it.
Even then, things happened so fast I was in awe.
With a pair of the biggest gloves I had ever seen in my life, she went the fuck to work, talking back and forth to Duhani and hands on the damn horse.
They were on her for the most part but in her later with no hesitation.
“So, she was already here, huh?” Versai stood near me at the entrance.
I chuckled. “Yeah, she gave me a ride back from Guuds.”
“That’s all?”
“Yeah, especially since your mare went into labor.” I laughed, immediately feeling Versai’s eyes on me.
She giggled as well. “I told him she’d go into labor tonight, but he didn’t listen. He never listens to me.” She said that part in a taunting tone. Apparently he heard her, because he looked up from the horse on the ground at her.
“Stop shit talking me, Sai.”
“I’m not, baby. I’m just stating facts.”
My attention left them and went to Greene.
Things were happening so fast my eyes were playing pinball around the barn.
The horse was lying down, with what looked like a plastic bag hanging out of her.
If I wasn’t so fucking fascinated, I probably would’ve passed out.
I had never seen a live human birth, but this shit right here had to be nine times more intense.
Greene rubbed the mare’s stomach, seemingly applying pressure where necessary, while Hani kept her attention.
There were several hours of that before the entire foal came out.
The entire scene had me ready to throw up the whole damn time, but something about seeing Greene’s joy kept me standing there the entire time.
Probably not standing the entire time, because I grabbed a chair, but I stayed there damn near the entire night.
“I am exhausted and I need a long shower,” she said after she finished checking out the foal. She was walking toward the car.
“It’s too late for you to be driving home, Doc.” I glanced down at my watch while speaking, like I didn’t already know it was three something in the morning.
“True, but I don’t hav—”
“You can get a shower in the house, and some sleep. You can have the bed. I won’t fuck with you.”
She laughed. “I’m not worried about you fucking with me. I just don’t have a change of clothes and the last thing I wanna do is put you out of your space.”
“You ain’t because I want you in my space. Now stop being stubborn. I’m sure you can sleep in a pair of my shorts and a T-shirt while your clothes wash.”
She giggled. “You don’t like the word no, do you?”
“Not really, especially if that shit ain’t necessary.”
“I won’t even ask what that means. I will stay here tonight, but I won’t put you out of your bed. I’ll sleep on the sof—”
“Nope.”
When we made it in, I handed her a T-shirt and a pair of my pajama pants, then showed her to the master bathroom while I opted to shower in the guest bathroom.
This was a two-bedroom cottage, but the second bedroom had been turned into an office with a let-out.
I learned this earlier when I gave myself the grand tour before dinner.
The space was nice, but way too much house for just one person.
“You know, I’m not going to put you out of your bed, Hudson.” She stood in the doorway of the living room, rolling my pants up on her hips. I had just helped her start her clothes in the washer.
“I told you I wasn’t letting you sleep on this couch, stubborn.”
She shook her head. “And I’m not letting you sleep on the couch either. That’s a very large bed, there is enough space for both of us.”
I looked at her for a moment, noticing she was visibly nervous and started to pick at her fingers.
“You sure about that?”
“Yes, I am. We’re both grown. Now please come on.”
I laughed and stood to my feet to follow her into the bedroom.
When I entered, I couldn’t help but watch her until she had climbed all the way in.
Then I cut the lights out and got into bed on the opposite side of her.
It took a minute before I was comfortable, but once I was, I felt myself drifting.
“What did you mean earlier?” She was moving on the side of me.
I knew what she meant by earlier and it took me a minute to respond.
“I’m a professional football player, Greene.”
I felt her eyes quickly. “Like an NFL player?”
I nodded, turning on my side so I was looking at her as she was looking at me. Though it was dark, I could see her eyes via the moon creeping through the curtains. “Felt like that was all I ever wanted in life until I almost died on the field after they cleared me to go back on that very field.”
Her hand was on my cheek quickly, caressing it like she felt the weight of my words. Shit maybe she did, who knows?
“I’m sorry.”
I was thrown for a loop when she apologized. “For what?”
“That you went through that. That you had so many people around you that saw more fit in capitalizing off you than caring about you and your health.”
I leaned over and pressed my lips against hers.
Then I pulled her body into mine, evicting space from between us.
This was understanding and it was dangerous.
So dangerous that it had been forged between myself and this woman I had only known for an evening.
I didn’t even know her fucking middle name, yet I felt so fucking close to her.
When we finally parted, I found my way on my back, staring up at the ceiling. It was void of anything but a stilled ceiling fan. I pulled her closer to me and she laid her head on my chest.
“When I was eighteen, I went off to school, thought I knew everything. Arizona State. I was nineteen when I met Boris and twenty when I had Ethan. I was also twenty when I found out that Boris was married with a family already but couldn’t pass up the chance to manipulate and use a na?ve young woman.
I was heartbroken and felt like I was losing my mind.
Then it dawned on me, I wasn’t the one who’d messed up, he was, and I wouldn’t ever allow him to forget it.
I blackmailed him into paying for my son’s childcare and anything he needed the entire time we were in Arizona while I was in school.
Because I refused to come back here having nothing to show for my time, so I had to make it work.
Then I graduated and walked across the stage with a three-year-old.
I returned home and haven’t heard from him since. ”
“Damn.”
“I say all that to say, there is always a path to where you wanna be, you just gotta make it work for you and get where you wanna be in life. In your case, need to be.”
I didn’t respond and she didn’t say anything further. As a matter of fact, we fell asleep shortly after, needing the rest that had finally come our way.