Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Hudson
A month had passed since I’d been stabbed, since my own fucking mother had damn near ended my life in her crazy scheme to keep Kreed as her husband, just so she could have access to money.
She was sitting in jail awaiting a court date that was months off.
As it was though, she and Kreed were now divorced.
The judge had granted it swiftly after he found out she was in jail for having me attacked.
An accessory to the crime, I guessed it would’ve been called.
Kreed stepped up behind me, his arms winding around my waist. I’d had to finish the rest of my semester at home under doctor’s orders—and more than likely because of Kreed’s pull.
My professors had been nice enough to allow me to do online classes with them, though, which was great.
I didn’t fall behind, and I didn’t miss any marks on my assignments.
Apparently, because of Kreed’s big name, they’d heard about my injury long before I’d reached out because of the headlines were all over the news and social media.
Some had tried ripping apart Kreed and his reputation, but after reporters did enough digging and found out just what kind of woman my mother truly was, they stopped coming after Kreed so much for being with his stepson. Some even went as far as to paint Kreed in the light of a savior. Almost.
“What are you doing?” Kreed asked, staring down at the steak I was chopping.
“Prepping dinner,” I explained, gesturing at my phone propped up against the wall. “Saw a video and thought it looked good, so I had the stuff I needed to make it delivered to the house. I was too lazy to go to the store myself.”
Kreed snorted and pressed a kiss to my neck, making a shiver roll down my spine. “I could’ve made dinner.”
I grunted. “You had pain-in-the-ass meetings all day.”
Didn’t matter that Christmas was only a few days away.
The boardroom meetings didn’t stop just because of the upcoming holiday.
Kreed’s schedule was booked all the way until Christmas Eve.
I hated it because I wanted him home with me, but that was nothing new.
I always wanted Kreed home. I was selfish like that, and that would never change.
He sighed. “Yeah…” His arms tightened around me. “I missed you.”
It was crazy to think that just a mere month ago, I was pressuring him to cave and be mine.
To come out of the closet and divorce my mom.
Now, he was an out-and-proud pansexual, and not only had he managed to divorce Bonnie, but he’d also become a huge advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Not that he hadn’t been before, but he’d been quiet about his donations and sponsorships. Now, he loudly supported it.
“I want to run something by you,” he told me.
“Hmm?” I put the chopped steak into a mixing bowl, where I’d already added seasonings, and began to mix it while I waited for him to tell me what was on his mind.
I knew it wasn’t anything bad because just as it’d been before we’d gotten together, Kreed would’ve taken me to the living room and sat me down for any ‘bad’ conversations.
“I want to open a shelter for homeless LGBTQIA+ youth.”
I paused, turning my head to look at him. He’d released me and had taken to lounging back against the kitchen island. He’d changed out of his suit when he’d gotten home and was only wearing a long-sleeve white shirt with gray sweats. He’d even lost his shoes and socks and wore his house slippers.
My eyes locked on his cock, which was clearly visible where it pressed against the front of his pants, and I groaned. He knew those fucking pants were a goddamn distraction.
His lips twitched with an aborted smile because he knew exactly what the fuck he was doing to me.
But the joke was on him because the doctor had cleared me for sex today, and I planned to bend him over his bed after dinner and take him apart piece by piece until he was so delirious and needy for my cock, he couldn’t think.
“You do?” I asked, dragging my eyes up his body to meet his warm brown eyes.
He nodded. “I think if a home had been available to you while you were a teen, you would’ve had protection from Bonnie.” He shook his head and lifted his hand, rubbing the nape of his neck. “I just don’t want what happened to you to happen to someone else, Hudson.”
“Kreed…” I rasped. It still rocked me to my core to know he believed me.
That he trusted my word when I said I’d been attacked and raped.
That Bonnie had constantly brought home men who liked to use their fists on me, especially when she gave the permission.
“Not all kids who are harmed are gay, though.”
He nodded. “I know. Once this project is off the ground, I’ll begin another for other children. I just… I hate what happened to you, baby.”
I sighed. “I know.” Forcing a smile to my lips, I said, “I think it’s a great idea.” I dipped my chin toward all my cooking supplies. “Now, you mind helping me finish making dinner? I might fuck it up.”
He snorted and came forward, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt up before heading to the sink to wash his hands. “What do you need me to do?”
And just like that, we fell into the rhythm of making dinner together as if we’d been doing this for years and not just mere weeks.