Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
HUDSON
W hen my brothers mentioned going to a bonfire, I didn't hesitate to ask Elena to join us. I wasn't a fan of socializing, and she always made it easier. So I was pleased when she said she wanted to come.
The rest of the day, I was able to make more progress on the installation of the floors. I didn't have to answer any questions, show her how to use a tool, or worry about whether she was going to get hurt. I should have been thrilled about that, but instead, the day moved more slowly, and I was bored.
I eventually turned on a radio to have something to fill the silence. I tried to tell myself that it was good she wasn't here every day. I shouldn't get used to her being here, but it wasn't working.
I missed her and her incessant talking. Her curiosity, her desire to tackle whatever job we were doing that day. She was a bit of sunshine on an otherwise dull day.
By the end of the day, I wanted to get out of there. I wasn't lingering to spend more time with anyone. My employees ducked out at five, and I was right behind them.
I went to the gym to work out my excess frustration, hoping my sour mood would dissipate before the bonfire.
At home, I jumped in the shower, then heated up leftovers. At seven, I swung by Elena's house and knocked on the door, hoping to see Grams.
When she opened the door, she said, "You didn't work on the porch today."
"We're going to a bonfire tonight."
Her eyes lit up. "Now, isn't that fun? I used to love bonfires."
"You went to bonfires?" I asked, not knowing why I thought it was something only our generation did.
"Oh, yes. That was the only social event we could do around here. You've seen the movie theater, right?"
I chuckled. "Yes."
"If you weren't allowed to go off the island, it was the only place to get into some trouble."
I raised a brow. "You got into trouble?"
"Oh, yeah." She moved farther into the house, sitting on her chair in front of the TV where a movie was playing. "We got into all sorts of trouble. The sheriff knew us by name."
I sat on the edge of the couch, folding my hands together. "I had no idea that Sofia Perkins was a troublemaker."
"I was quite the character back then," Grams said with a smile.
"I guess it's not so hard to believe. I've heard you keep everyone on their toes at the senior center."
"Speaking of which, you should come down and meet my friends. That brother of yours… What's his name?" She snapped her fingers. "Shepard is building flower boxes this weekend. You could come and help, and then I'll introduce you around."
"You want to watch them work through the windows," Elena said as she entered the room.
She wore a jean jacket over a blue-and-green floral dress and sandals. Her hair was blown out and fell in waves around her shoulders.
I stood, my heart pounding. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself." She moved closer, and my breath caught as she brushed a nonexistent piece of lint from my shoulder. "Not a stray piece of sawdust anywhere."
Grams raised an eyebrow, and I cleared my throat, prompting Elena to step back. "Are you ready to head out?"
"Let me grab my purse." Elena disappeared into the kitchen.
"Be at the senior center bright and early."
"I can do that."
In the cab of my truck, Elena said, "You know you can say no to her."
"I can't, actually. It's physically impossible."
Elena laughed. "Then you're in for a ride. Once she senses your weakness, she'll take advantage of you."
"Grams is sweet," I protested.
Elena laughed harder. "I'm not saying she's not, but I wouldn't trust her when she's with her friends. Maybe they're building up to ask us to do the photo shoot at the senior center."
I glanced over at her. "You won't do that, will you?"
"I'm fairly sure my boss won't be on board for that. It will be on the beach. It is an island magazine."
"I don't know how I feel about the older ladies checking me out."
Elena laughed. "I guarantee they'll be ogling you."
"Will you come and keep me safe?" I asked her.
Elena's head tipped back as she laughed harder. When she recovered, she said, "I don't think you'll need it. But I can stop by and protect your virtue."
"I appreciate you looking out for me."
"And protecting you from my grandmother."
"Yes. That too." I reveled in the easy banter between us.
Elena sobered. "None of my friends or any of the guys I dated were ever interested in visiting the island or meeting my grandmother."
"To know her, is to love her," I said casually, wondering what she'd meant. Did she see me as different from the other guys she'd hung around? And if so, was that good or bad?
"There might be some storms tonight," Elena said, scrolling on her phone.
"You don't mind getting stuck in the rain."
"I don't actually."
Maybe this was finally the night where I could make a move on her. I felt our time together dwindling, and if I was going to do it, it would have to be soon. The only problem was, we weren't going to be alone. "How did your meeting go?"
"She wasn't happy with my outline. But it's okay. I'll figure it out."
"You're a professional." She was good at her job. I saw how conscientious she was about finding her story. I was positive she'd get it right. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."
"I'm glad you're so confident. I'm worried about keeping my job and being able to stay here."
"That's a lot of pressure."
"Yeah," she said as she looked out the window.
I glanced over at her. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"You've done a lot already."
I squeezed the steering wheel. "Tonight, we're just going to have fun and not worry about your job."
"Yeah, okay." She gave me a small smile.
I didn't like that she was stressed. I was determined that she have fun tonight. I parked at my house and grabbed a blanket and cooler from the house. We walked down the narrow path until we reached the beach.
The fire was already burning. Music played from a speaker someone had dropped in the sand, and the tiki torches were lit. There were a few chairs arranged around the bonfire, but otherwise everyone was standing with drinks in their hands. A few people swayed to the music.
I dropped the cooler on the sand and dug inside for a beer. I handed one to Elena and opened one for myself.
Kinsley threw her arms around Elena. "You came."
"I could use a night out."
Kinsley pulled back with a smile. "I've heard Hudson has been keeping you busy doing his work."
"That's not true," I said, knowing Kinsley was just giving me a hard time.
Shep appeared. "Why can't I have her shadow me for a few days?" And then to me, he said, "I'll treat you right. You won't have to do any manual labor."
I waved a hand at him. "I don't mind. I'm learning a lot. Maybe I can do some upgrades at Grams's house."
"Let me know what you need, and I'll take a look."
"You've already done so much. Grams is over the moon about the porch," she said to me.
"I want her to be comfortable. So if there's anything that needs to be fixed, I can do it," I insisted.
"What if my house needs some updates?" Shep asked. "I could use an assistant."
I wrapped an arm around Elena's shoulders. "Get your own assistant. This one's mine."
Shep lifted his bottle to his mouth. "I'm going to mingle. Enjoy your evening."
Kinsley's gaze followed him as he approached a group of girls. "He's such a player."
"Everyone thinks they'll be the one to tame him, but I don't see that happening for a long time," I said.
The light in Kinsley's eyes dimmed just a bit. "I'm fairly sure the women he hooks up with know the score."
The music got louder, and more people arrived. The night was perfect with the light of the fire dancing over Elena's face.
At one point, Elena got up to dance with the girls, and I stood next to Brady. "Where's Dalton?"
Brady shook his head. "He's having some girlfriend drama. I try to stay out of it."
"What kind of girlfriend drama?" I liked to be aware of what was going on in my brothers' lives.
Brady sighed. "She might be pregnant."
I whistled low. "That's serious."
"Yeah, he went over there to talk to her and see what's going on. If it's just a scare or whether it's the real deal."
"Is he doing okay?" I made a mental note to check on him later this weekend.
"He's in shock. I don't think he was prepared to be a daddy."
"Does he like this girl?" I asked him, not remembering the details of who he was seeing.
"That's the thing. He was about to break up with her, and now she's pregnant. It made me wonder if she's just saying she's pregnant to keep him around. Like she sensed it coming or something. But Dalton said he'd be careful, make sure she got it confirmed. I don't think he has any reason to doubt it's his. But you never know."
"Did you mention that to him?"
"You know Dalton. He'll do the right thing even if he gets hurt in the process."
"We'll need to be there for him," I said.
"I always am," Brady said, his brow raised.
"You know I'm on your side too."
Brady shrugged. "You're busy with dad and the business."
"I always have time for my brothers."
"Dalton will probably ask her to marry him even though he was about to break up with her. That's the kind of man he is."
"He's almost too trusting."
"Exactly. He has a huge heart."
Brady had always been the one to step up and protect Dalton. This was something he'd need to navigate on his own, but we'd be there to support him, no matter how he chose to deal with the situation. "He'll do the right thing."
"I just hope it's not at his own expense. He shouldn't continue to date her, or even marry her, if she's not the right one."
"No one can tell someone that though. They need to figure it out on their own."
"True." He drank his beer and then changed topics. "You're spending a lot of time with Elena. Anything going on there?"
My shoulders tightened. "She's writing that article. You know that."
"That can't be all that's going on. You seem close."
"I'm not sure it's a good idea to get involved with someone who's writing an article about me and my family. Besides, she could leave at any time. Her time here could be temporary." I needed someone to give me permission to act on my instincts, which were telling me to cross the sand and claim Elena as mine.
"Not everything has to be the right decision. Sometimes you can do something that's just good for you."
"How's that turning out for Dalton?" I couldn't help but ask.
"That's different. He waited too long to break up with this girl, and now he's in too deep. Typical Dalton. But you're nothing like him. You're more careful."
"Who says I like her anyway?"
He nodded toward where Elena was dancing with Kinsley. "You've been watching her all night. And I'm fairly sure if a man tried to dance with her, you wouldn't still be standing here talking to me."
"You might be right about that, but I don't have any claim on her."
Shep and Cooper were dancing with the girls now. He moved behind Elena, and my blood pumped through my veins.
Brady gave me a pointed look.
I tried to stay cool. "He's just messing with me."
Brady raised a brow. "Are you sure about that?"
I growled when Shep's hand landed on Elena's hip. I handed Brady my beer and ate up the distance between us.
"Brady needed to talk to you about something," I said when I reached him, throwing a thumb over my shoulder.
"Yeah. Okay." Shep walked away, and I moved in front of Elena.
She raised a brow. "Did Brady really need to talk to Shep?"
"Nope. I wanted you for myself."
She grinned. "Is that so?"
This time, it was my hands on her hips, and I enjoyed the way she swayed to the music. I pulled her closer until we were just inches apart. There was something about the tease of the music, the closeness of our bodies. It was the ultimate foreplay to be so close to her but not really touching.
Suddenly, she turned so that her back was to my front, and she was flush against me. I felt every inch of her body. My dick was responding, and I was positive she could feel what she was doing to me.
I pressed my hand against her stomach, wishing we were alone, because I'd let my hands drift upward to cup her breasts.
A drop of rain landed on my forehead.
Someone yelled, "Rain!" Thunder rumbled, and there was a mad scramble to grab things: coolers, drinks, and chairs.
I pulled away from Elena to help my brothers put out the bonfire and the tiki torches. The drops were coming faster now.
We threw water on the fire until it was out, and then we all made our way down the path. My brothers continued around the house and to their trucks. I heard the roar of their engines firing up, and I looked up in time for the sky to let loose.
We were soaked within seconds, and when I looked down at Elena, her eyes were closed, her face lifted, and there was a hint of a smile on her lips.
I moved closer to her, my hand cupping her cheek. Her eyes drifted open, and I couldn't stop myself from pressing against her, needing to feel her hard nipples which were now poking through the material of her dress.
She blinked up at me. "Are you going to kiss me?"
That was all the invitation I needed to press my lips to hers. It wasn't a slow exploration. I'd waited too long for that, and the rain was like an aphrodisiac. I couldn't reign myself in. My hands moved over her body, down the curve of her hip, to her ass where I cupped one cheek, pulling her more tightly against me.
I didn't want any space between us. The water fell around us, dripping down our faces and my back.
She lifted her leg so that it hooked around my hip, and I pressed against her, needing to feel her heat. I wanted to take her right here in the rain, press her down on the patio, and enter her. The need was so primal, so raw, I had to pause for a second to catch my breath.
Then I went back to kissing her. I needed more. I finally ripped my lips from hers and grabbed her hand, pulling her up the steps to the deck and into the house. I locked the door and turned to face her.
Her hair was wet around her face, her eyes bright with lust, and her nipples hard points.
With a hint of a challenge in her eyes, she lifted the hem of her dress, slowly revealing long legs, and the white scrap of lace between them. Then she raised it higher over her flat stomach, and finally the cups that held her breasts.
"You're gorgeous."
I touched her ribs, one hand going around her back to unhook her bra, watching as the cups loosened and fell free. Her nipples called out to me, and I lowered my head, sucking one into my mouth. She touched the back of my head, holding me to her.
She whimpered, spurring me on. I moved to the other nipple as my hand drifted down her body and dipped underneath the lace. She widened her stance, allowing me better access. I slipped my fingers between her folds, gliding over the wetness that had already gathered.
Her breath hitched as I slid one finger inside of her wet heat.
"You want this?" I asked her.
She nodded jerkily. "Don't stop."
I had no intention of stopping, not unless she gave me a reason to. I'd wanted her since the first day I saw her in my dad's office. I didn't like why she'd come into my life or what she was doing here. But somehow she'd gotten under my skin, and there was no way of getting her out.