Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
HUDSON
I 'd never been so uncomfortable before. I was covered in oil that made me shiny, and a woman was constantly touching me in the guise of brushing off sand which was a losing proposition.
Elena appeared off to the side, standing next to Kinsley.
Her boss, Valerie, stood next to the photographer, whose name was Margie or Maggie. I wasn't sure. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. But since I was the last brother to go, everyone was standing around watching me.
The pressure was immense, and I was starting to sweat standing under the sun for so long.
Every once in a while, someone would throw a fan in my face and a straw to sip water.
The photographer looked up from her lens. "Can you relax, Hudson?"
I attempted to lower my shoulders, but they wouldn't seem to cooperate.
"Elena, come over here for a second," the photographer told her. "Can you talk to Hudson for a minute? I need him to relax."
"Okay." She approached me, and my entire body softened. I'd declared my love for her, but we'd gotten interrupted. She stood close but didn't touch me.
Everything else faded away, and I forgot where I was.
"Did you tell me you loved me in there?" She gestured toward the tent.
I raised a brow, my fingers itched to touch her hip and pull her closer. "You have a problem with that?"
A smile played on her lips. "Not at all. It's just I didn't get a chance to respond."
"Perfect. I think he's good," the photographer said, startling me.
Elena moved away, and my heated gaze followed her as she went. She wore a white tank top and a short green skirt that fluttered around the tops of her thighs as she moved. She looked delicious.
"I love everything about that smolder. Just direct it this way."
I tried to keep that same intense expression as I swung my gaze in the direction of the camera. I pushed everything else out of my mind except for the expression on Elena's face when I said I was in love with her. I'd wanted to pull her closer, her palms resting on my bare chest, her lips pressed against mine.
"Perfect." The photographer moved around, and I followed the camera lens, never breaking my gaze. No one else was here. It was just me and Elena, and the memory of her standing between my legs. The soft expression on her face when she realized I was talking about her.
Had she been about to say that she loved me too?
It wasn't the best time to declare my love for her, but it felt right.
Now that I was doing whatever it was the photographer wanted, the shoot went a lot quicker. I was hyperaware that Elena hovered nearby, but I was thankfully able to block out the rest of the staff and my brothers' presence.
The photographer tilted her screen to Valerie, and she nodded. "That's a wrap."
I let out a sigh of relief and took the shirt that someone offered me. I had never felt like my body was on display for everyone to see before. If Dad hadn't insisted we go along with the article, I don't know that I could have done it.
Now that I was covered, I felt more like myself.
Elena appeared in front of me. "You were great."
I cocked my head. "Are you sure about that?"
"The second round was so much better. You got the hang of it eventually."
"That's because you were here."
"I have to stay and clean up, but I can stop by later." Her voice went up slightly.
I nodded, aware that we couldn't flaunt our relationship here, not when I was supposed to be the most eligible bachelor on the island.
"Thanks for going along with this. I know it's a lot."
Nothing was too much when it came to making Elena happy. "I want your article to be successful."
"I think it will be." Then she moved away, gathering things for the photographer.
Brady threw a hand over my shoulder. "We're going to head out. You good?"
I glanced over at Elena, who was talking to Valerie. "Yeah."
Shep grinned. "I can't wait to see how those pictures turned out. I'm fairly sure I'm going to be named the most eligible bachelor."
"What are you talking about?" I asked him.
"I heard someone talking about a reader poll for most eligible bachelor, and I'm obviously the most attractive."
Cooper pushed him on the shoulder. "You don't need a bigger ego."
Shep touched his chest. "I can't help that the ladies love me."
"I don't think I like the idea of us being voted on like we're meat or something,” I managed to say.
Shep scoffed. "Speak for yourself. I love stuff like this."
It wasn't that I cared about the result; it was the idea that this was supposed to showcase who we were to the community. Voting on the hottest man was a cheap way to gain attention. I was worried about the tone of the article and how we would be portrayed.
I hadn't gotten good vibes from Valerie. She'd been watching us closely, almost like she was a shark scrutinizing the best way to eat her prey. I didn't trust her, not like I did Elena.
Did I trust Elena to have our best interests at heart? Dad was counting on me to ensure this was positive publicity.
Voting on who was the hottest felt shallow and a little gross. Would anyone even be thinking about our carpentry skills?
Shep's hand landed on my shoulder. "You're overthinking this. It's for fun."
"If you say so." But my muscles were stiff, my neck tight.
We headed over to our trucks parked in the small lot by the beach. I was looking forward to talking to Elena tonight about us and the article. I just hoped she said what I wanted to hear. Dad was counting on me, and I couldn't let him down.
* * *
At home, I showered, prepared chicken, veggies, and potatoes for the grill, and fired it up while I waited for Elena to arrive.
She messaged when she stopped at home to check on Grams, and then when she was on her way. By the time her car pulled up, I was driving myself crazy with the what-ifs. What if this article put the company in a bad light? What if people thought we weren't serious about the business? That we were just interested in a good time?
I didn't think Elena would do that, but how much control did she have over the layout and the direction?
I opened the door for her before she could knock.
She wore the same outfit as earlier, and she smelled like sunscreen and something tropical. It was intoxicating. I pulled her toward me and kissed her. I wanted to press her against the door and have my way with her. I eased back slightly and said, "I have food on the grill, but I'm having other ideas."
She laughed, her palms on my chest. "Let's eat first. I didn't have time during the shoot."
I willed my dick to calm down. There was a conversation I wanted to have with her, and I wasn't sure how it was going to go.
"Food first," I agreed as I closed the front door and led the way onto the deck where the food was already cooking on the grill.
"It smells great."
"I thought we could eat and talk about things."
Her cheeks flushed. "You mean what you said at the shoot?"
I pulled her into my side. "I'm in love with you, and it might be too soon or whatever, but I know how I feel."
"I love you too."
I kissed her, aware that she was hungry, and this couldn't go any further yet.
When she pulled back, she said, "Was there something else you wanted to talk about? You seemed tense when I arrived."
"It could be the built-up sexual attention from earlier." It was torture not to touch her while everyone was surrounding us, especially when I told her how I felt.
"Are you sure that's it?"
I sighed. "Shep mentioned something about your staffers talking about a poll. Who's the hottest brother?"
She winced. "That's an idea that Valerie's been throwing around. But it wouldn't be part of the article. If she did it at all, it would be an online thing. For fun."
"I don't like the idea. I don't want people to think we're just cruising for women or something." It didn't help that Elena and I couldn't show everyone how we felt about each other. Not until after the article had been out.
"I'll talk to Valerie and see if I can keep that idea off the table."
"I like what I've heard about the article so far. I just want to make sure it's putting the business in a good light. I don't want it to be overshadowed with who's the hottest Kingston."
"There will be some of that. That's not something I can stop. You will get attention from this, but the article I'm writing is intended to put you in a good light. I asked everyone about their hobbies and what makes them unique. I want to showcase who you are as individuals and how hardworking you are."
"Okay." That sounded good. "I don't know why it was getting to me so much today. Maybe it was just Shep."
"He can get under people's skin sometimes, especially Kinsley's. She was particularly caustic with him today."
I chuckled, shaking my head. "Yeah, they don't get along."
"You can say that again. I almost wish they'd stay away from each other. It's a little uncomfortable to be around them."
"He seems to enjoy antagonizing her."
She gave me an exasperated look. "That's literally what he said in his interview today."
"I can talk to him. Tell him to tone it down around Kinsley. I don't want her to quit. She's been amazing for the office."
"I don't think that's necessary. I just wished they'd act like adults around each other."
"I've been waiting for Shep to act like an adult all his life. I think I'm destined to be disappointed," I joked.
"He is who he is. That's what this article is about, getting to know you guys on a different level."
I pulled her closer. "But I only want you getting to know me."
"Mmm. I already know you on an intimate level."
I pulled back. "I'm going to stick by my word and feed you first."
"No hot tub?"
"No hot tub. Besides, it's way too hot and humid for that."
"A cool shower could be nice," she teased.
"You're going to be the death of me."
"It's a good way to go.”
I checked the food on the grill and began removing it from the heat.
"I can't believe you did all of this for me."
"You worked hard today. You deserve to have someone take care of you."
"It's really nice. Thank you," she said as she sat at the table, pouring herself water from the pitcher I'd provided
I plated her food for her and set it in front of her. I had a fan set up to chase away the bugs and the stillness in the air.
While we ate, Elena chatted about my brothers. I'd been so busy the last few years; I hadn't paid much attention to what they were doing outside of work. It was interesting to listen to everything she'd learned about them.
After we ate, I cleaned up, and then Elena asked, "Want to go for a walk on the beach?"
My forehead creased. "It's dark though."
"We could take a flashlight," Elena said confidently.
I hunted for a flashlight in the junk drawer. "I don't think I've ever done this before."
She leaned against the counter. "We used to do it all the time as kids."
I wanted to do anything that would make Elena happy, and I liked the look she got on her face when she talked about what she did growing up on the island. I wanted her to remember what she enjoyed about the beach, and I wanted her to stay. It was selfish, but I couldn't help it.
At the last second, I grabbed a blanket in case she wanted to sit on the beach. Outside, it was quiet. The waves lapped gently on the shore; the moon reflected in the water.
We walked hand in hand, the blanket tucked under my free arm. At one point, Elena guided us closer to the water to dip her toes in.
"It's the perfect night."
It was quiet, and almost no one else was walking on the beach. Probably because the air was so still and humid.
"Can we sit for a minute?" Elena asked, gesturing at the blanket.
"Yeah, let's head back to my house first." I had a feeling if we kissed, I'd want to take things further, so it would be better to be close to my house.
We found a spot near my house where we could sit and watch the water. I tugged her to sit between my legs. Her back was pressed to my front, but I wanted to kiss her.
She moved her face so she could see me better. “I wanted to talk to you about keeping our relationship between us and our families until after the article is published. It’s supposed to be about the most eligible bachelors.”
“If I’m not single, it kind of defeats the purpose of the article, doesn’t it?” At her nod, I continued, “I’ve thought about this too. I don’t want to keep us a secret, but I can live with that since it will be a matter of weeks until it’s published.”
Her body relaxed against me, and she let out a sigh of contentment.
I tipped her chin in my direction so I could kiss her. She turned slightly in my arms as the kiss deepened. I felt like I'd been holding myself back all day when it came to her.
She still wore the tiny tank top and pleated skirt, and I moved so that she was laying down on the blanket, her hair fanning out behind her. I eased between her legs, and her eyes darkened when she felt how hard I was for her.
"I've been waiting all day for this. For you."
She looped her hands around my neck. "What's stopping you?"
It was all the encouragement I needed as I resumed kissing her, cupping her breasts through the cotton tank. Then I drifted lower, dipping under the hem of the shirt and pushing it upwards.
"What if anyone walks by?" she asked, sounding breathless.
"No one's out this time of the night." I'd turned off my flashlight so we wouldn't be easily seen. The dog walkers generally dwindled after dark. Occasionally, teenagers were out and about, but it was quiet.
I pushed her tank up, revealing the lacy cups of her bra. Moving them out of the way, I took one nipple in my mouth, teasing the other between my fingers. She arched against me, seeking more friction.
I eased to the side slightly so I could use my hands more easily. I eased my fingers under the hem of her skirt, skimming the edge of her panties.
"Are you wet for me?"
She arched to meet me. "Why don't you find out?"
I cupped her pussy through the satin, and she was damp. "Is that for me?"
"Yes," she hissed as she rocked against my palm.
I slipped under her panties and through her folds. I dropped my mouth to her nipple while my fingers slid inside her. Her hot wet heat surrounded me, and I used a come-hither motion to stimulate her G-spot.
She whimpered, her hips arching into me while I played with her. I wanted to watch her come, but I wanted to feel it more.
I moved away from her, pulling down her panties, then shoving my clothes aside so I could grip my cock and feed it into her.
The night was warm, the sand sticking to us despite the blanket acting as a barrier. The ground underneath us was soft, but I made it work, bracing my hands on either side of her head.
"Can I be on top?" Elena asked, and I quickly shifted us so that she straddled my hips. I held my cock as she lowered herself inch by inch. My brain threatened to explode at the riot of sensations: her heat and the sight of her breasts illuminated in the moonlight.
The nipples were hard peeks, and her breasts bounced slightly as she moved over me. My hands were everywhere, her hips, then higher to her breasts. I cupped them, tweaking her nipples between my fingers as her movements became more erratic.
She moved more quickly, chasing her release.
I liked her taking what she needed from me and her confidence to be naked on the beach with me. We were hidden, but if someone was looking, they'd find us. Not that I'd let anything happen to us or for anyone else to see her like this.
I was the only one who got to enjoy this. Her head tipped back, her hair falling behind her as her mouth fell open on a cry. Her body trembled, and her pussy spasmed around me, drawing an orgasm out of me.
I gripped her lips hard as I thrust from beneath her, and when I went over, I growled my satisfaction. She slumped over me, her lips on my shoulder. This felt like heaven, and I never wanted to move.