Chapter 5
Present Day
Hudson kicked the broken glass in the parking lot toward the curb, feeling oddly restless as he continued moving toward Coconuts to meet his teammates. The ocean breeze blew through the air, the palm trees swaying, and he clenched his jaw. It had been a month, and oddly, he couldn’t get his night with Layton out of his mind.
A shit-ton had happened since then. Their op to Mexico. Rescuing Emersyn from the clutches of a madman who’d been working with a notorious drug cartel right here on the island. Things had progressed with Aaron and Emersyn at a rapid-fire clip, but he was happy for his buddy. Weird that Hudson had been feeling a bit lonely himself during that time. He thrived on his independence. Sure, he was outgoing and enjoyed nights out with his friends, but it was almost like something was missing, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
The popular bar was filled with music, conversation, and laughter as Hudson walked inside. He nodded to Riley, the quiet waitress who seemed to have a crush on Sawyer. She was carrying a tray full of drinks, and Hudson continued moving toward the back. A quick scan of the crowd, and he spotted Sawyer and Ryan “Renegade” Pierce at the bar, both men howling with laughter. A couple of sunburned women were with them, each with fruity drinks in their hands.
Hell.
This scene used to be exactly the type of thing Hudson loved—beers with his buddies, beautiful women, the night young and full of possibilities. Something was off with him now, and it didn’t seem quite as fun as it had in the past.
“Torpedo!” Sawyer called out with a grin, giving him a fist bump. “I was just telling these pretty ladies about you. Their friend will be here shortly, and yep, she’s a blonde.”
Perfect. Like he wasn’t already thinking about the pretty blonde he’d taken on the beach, thrusting into her like he’d never get enough. Hudson swore he could still hear Layton’s sweet cries, taking the pleasure he’d given her. Submitting to him completely.
“Torpedo?” the brunette with big boobs asked. “That isn’t your name!”
“It’s Hudson,” he said dryly, shooting Sawyer a look.
“Oh, you Navy boys,” the redhead trilled. “What’s your nickname?” she asked Sawyer, her red fingernails landing on his biceps. “You can tell me. Pretty please? It should be Muscle Man or maybe Hulk.” The women squealed with laughter, Sawyer eating that shit right up.
“It should be, shouldn’t it?” he replied with a huge grin.
Ryan exchanged a look with Hudson. As far as Hudson knew, Ryan was jonesing after Aaron’s sister—who didn’t even live in Hawaii. Not that Aaron appreciated his buddy being into his sister, and hell. Was the brunette chick now feeling Sawyer’s abs? Those two needed to get a room.
“Mmmm…these are nice,” she purred, giggling some more.
“Ladies, there’s plenty of me to go around,” Sawyer quipped, his gaze swinging between both women.
Hudson muttered under his breath. Maybe he’d be more into flirting with some women tonight if he hadn’t slept with Layton. But damn—Hudson didn’t have feelings for her. He cared about Layton, sure, but in a friendly type of way. Protective. In a way that had made him rip her panties right off.
The bartender brought over a beer, and Hudson nodded his thanks. The men weren’t exactly strangers at Coconuts, and she’d gotten the bottle without Hudson even needing to ask. He took a pull of the long-neck, turning away from Sawyer and the giggling women. “You were late,” Ryan noted.
“Had some stuff to do.”
“Riley’s been shooting daggers at those women,” Ryan said with a low chuckle. “Damn. She’s always so sweet, but if looks could kill….”
Hudson chuffed out a laugh as he looked over to see what Ryan meant. “She’s been into Sawyer forever,” he commented. “Not sure I see the two of them together in this lifetime but she’s hardly the first woman to look at him with puppy-dog eyes. Dude’s a major flirt.”
Ryan snorted. “I didn’t exactly see you pushing Layton away.”
Hudson stiffened. His buddy wasn’t wrong, but he didn’t want anyone speculating about them either. “Sure, I was into her, but she’s gone.”
“Too bad you never got that date.”
Hudson raised his eyebrows, then remembered their canceled dinner plans. “Yeah,” he finally said. “I had a romantic little restaurant picked out, too. Chicks dig that shit.”
Ryan chuckled. “Well, her sister’s here. Maybe she’ll come back.”
Hudson stilled. Oddly enough, he hadn’t really given that scenario much thought. It wasn’t like driving a couple of hours from D.C. to the beach for the weekend. Hawaii was a long-ass flight. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if they saw one another again. Yeah, they’d had one night together, but they hadn’t kept in touch. He dropped her off at Emersyn’s apartment, given her a kiss goodbye, and then gone wheels up hours later.
“Aaron wants us all to meet up for a party on the beach this weekend,” Ryan commented.
Hudson finishing the swig of his beer. “Oh yeah? Sounds like a good time. I could use a little fun.”
“You’ve been in a funk lately,” Ryan said knowingly.
Hudson shrugged. “Eh. We’re all getting older, half the team has women now. Things are changing. Not sure if I like that or not.”