Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
HUDSON
I could do this all damn day. The red lacy bra and panties Addy has on have me hard and throbbing. Fuck me. So goddamn beautiful. She bobs up and down a foot away from me, the water lapping against those perfect tits. When she leans back and ducks under the water, they crest the water, hover, and then sink as she dunks herself.
When she comes back up, her hair wet and plastered to her face, she sweeps it away and around one shoulder. The tips of her curls dangle over her soft breasts. And when I finally lift my gaze to those pretty brown eyes, they are laced with fire. The kind that means I’m not the only one about to combust here.
“Come here, Huddy,” she breathes.
I’m through the water, hands on her face, mouth over hers a heartbeat later. She presses her body into mine. Her lips are velvet, her mouth opens, and I sweep my tongue inside her mouth, needing to taste every part of her. She’s moaning, her hands in my hair. My cock throbs against her stomach. The cool water does nothing to quell it. When Addy breaks from the kiss, I drag in a ragged breath.
“Adeline Howard, the things you do to me.”
She smiles that crooked smile that tells me she is going to do something crazy. The next thing, my boxers are off my hips, her hand gripping my cock hard. Groaning, I let my forehead fall onto hers. “I want those gorgeous tits in my mouth, Addy.”
“They’re all yours.”
I make quick work of her bra and toss it to the bank. Her eyes are stuck on me as I take each breast in my hands and suck each peak. And when I swirl a tongue over one, she whimpers, falling into me. Jesus, what I wouldn’t do to have her come undone wrapped around me.
If I had been smart, I would have brought a blanket. But I’m not smart, so we will have to improvise. There is a fallen log a little way downstream. I pick her up and plant her around my hips. She giggles and kisses my jaw, then down my neck. Her hands grip my shoulders. The water is a little deeper at the log that has fallen into the river. Water rushes around it.
I deposit her onto the log and slide her panties down. She wriggles as I tug them over her hips and ass and toss them into the nearest tree for later retrieval. I push my palms into the inside of her thighs, spreading her wider. “Addy, you could bring a man to the brink of starvation looking like this, sweet girl.”
I run my hands up to her breasts, cupping and fondling them before rolling the nipples between my fingers. Addy steadies herself with her hands on the log on either side and spreads her legs a little further. I swipe a thumb over her swollen apex, and she whimpers. She glistens with wet heat.
That’s for me.
I do that to her.
My cock swells at the thought.
I press kisses to the inside of her thighs, and she squirms when I purposefully avoid the place where she is desperate for me. For my tongue, my mouth.
“Huddy, please.”
“Tell me what you want, Addy.”
“I want your mouth on me, your fingers inside me. I want you.”
I lower my head and run my tongue through her wet seam. The taste of her goes straight to my balls, and they tighten and lift. I groan, the sound vibrating through her clit, now caught gently in my teeth. Her hand finds my hair, her fingers running through it before turning to a grip.
I flick my tongue over her, working her tight pussy with my fingers. Slow and steady strokes until she is a bundle of sweet sounds and cries that will keep me rock-hard for months.
I suckle her clit and add another finger.
“Hudson,” she begs, her grip turning feral in my hair.
“Mhmmm?”
“Ah, Hu—” She tightens around me, hips bucking with every wave as she comes undone.
Her hands ramble through my hair when she all but goes limp on the log, pulling my head into her stomach, cradling me against her. “How do you always get that so right?”
“Because, Adeline, I was made for you, and you were made for me.” The words slip out before my smart brain has a chance to censor that shit.
I mean it. I fucking do. But... I’m also not supposed to be getting involved. And we are way past that point, if I’m honest with myself. Way fucking past it.
I guess what Harry doesn’t know, won’t hurt him.
“Your turn on the log, gorgeous man.”
The throbbing between my legs is almost unbearable. Addy slips off the log and into the water. She ushers me onto the log and her eyes rove over my body. She starts at my collarbone, her hands pressing against my pecs. She trails a finger down my stomach before letting it wander sideways, moving over the V of my lower abdomen.
Her touch is light, warm, too much, and not enough. When she finally drops it to my cock, I have to slam my eyes shut to stop the flood of sensation. Feeling and seeing her between my legs... It’s fucking poetic. Her mouth finds my head, and I groan, hard. She sweeps her tongue around the wide tip, sending electricity up my spine.
I run my hands behind her neck, but she takes one, shoving it into her hair. “Jesus, Addy, you have no idea how much I want to fuck your sweet mouth.”
She pops off my cock. I open my eyes and drop my gaze to those deep brown pools of hers. “Do it, Huddy. I want to feel every inch in my mouth. Give me every drop; don’t you dare hold back.”
“God, girl. You are fucking perfect.”
She holds eye contact as she slides me back into her mouth with a subtle nod. I grip her hair, cupping her face with the other hand. I thrust into her mouth, and she closes her eyes. Her hand disappears beneath the water, and she releases a little moan.
“Fuck me, Addy.”
I thrust in deeper, and she tightens her mouth around me, adding a little suction. Her tits bounce with every thrust. Her eyelashes flutter as she looks up at me, wet hair dangling over her shoulders,
“Good girl. A little more?”
She nods, humming. It’s too much. I thrust into her deeper, harder. Her eyes water, and she moans around me. She must be getting close again. Her breathing shallows out.
I stroke her face, trying to slow my pace, but the need to fill her mouth with my seed wins, and I pick up the pace again. She snaps a hand to my thigh, gripping hard. A string of little moans hum over my cock. She arches her back, writhing in the water as she comes undone again.
Good girl.
I follow her, losing seed into her mouth. She opens her eyes, swallowing with every thrust. Goddamn, sweet girl. Fucking perfect. Said it before, will say it again.
Perfect.
Mack is in the barn when we make it back. Addy did brilliantly, even loping ahead by herself on the way home. She has no idea how damn proud I am of her. Her riding is barreling along. I swing down out of the saddle.
“Hudson, you’re with me.” Harry doesn’t mince words.
Fuck.
I glance back at Addy, but she smiles at me before dismounting and taking Rocket’s reins. I follow after my father, feeling like a little kid about to be on the wrong end of an ear chewing. Did he somehow find out about the river, the camping trip?
When we walk into the kitchen, Ma is chopping veggies, something bubbling on the stove already. Smells amazing.
Pa stalks into the study, snapping up the phone from the desk, where it has been sitting off the receiver, waiting. He folds a hand over the end that picks up sound and turns back. “Justin. And he ain’t happy.”
I guess navigating business partners is my job now, too. I take the receiver from him.
“Morley,” I grunt. I’ve never liked this little upstart. Went off and got a degree; comes back and thinks he is better than the folks he grew up with. It doesn’t sit right.
“Hudson? Your father said you were handling the clinic now? That was quick.”
“Is there a reason for this call?”
“Yes, I am calling to talk about the prospect of letting the current equine vet go and finding another, more suitable one.”
My hand whitens around the receiver.
“Why the hell would we do that?”
Harry shakes his head at me.
“I mean, why?”
“She’s not performing. Her work is okay, her methods are off script sometimes, for around here, at least. You know what I mean. Clients expect their vets to behave and work a certain way and she is a little too... modern.”
“So, what I am hearing is that you have a problem with Dr. Howard because she follows the most up-to-date practices and has good bedside manner? Is that really what you’re going with?”
“Well, yes, but there have been. . .Complaints.”
“Who’s complaining, Morley?” I grit out.
“Well, some of the other ranchers and?—”
“There isn’t anyone who’s complained apart from you, is there? Afraid of being showed up, is all. Stop wasting my fuckin’ time.”
I slam the receiver on the cradle, sucking in a long, steadying breath. Fuck Justin Morley. Fuck his whiny, stupid, little-man syndrome. Addy has done nothing wrong. She earns her keep and more. We have had many equine vets over the past twenty years; she is the best one yet.
Harry opens his mouth to say something, probably about to ream me out for flipping on a business partner. I hold up a hand. “Don’t, Pa.”
I stalk out of the study. Ma’s gaze snaps to me, closely followed by Harry.
“What did you tell him, Huddy?”
It sounds different when she says it. But that nickname will always be tied to Adeline now. Fuck me—if this doesn’t work out with her, I’m going to be a shattered man.
“Nothing. Morley being a little bitch.”
“Language!” she scolds.
“I’m not eleven, Ma.”
“No, but you have a pretty girl in orbit. Behave yourself. No woman wants a foul-mouthed redneck for a husband.”
Harry grunts, throwing her a side glance. I school my face, partly because of Pa’s current scowl and partly because my mother is trying her hardest to have me hitched to Adeline Howard, scolding me like some schoolboy. If only she knew.
“And you, Harrison Rawlins, you butt out. Our children come before your business interests.” She is pointing with her chopping knife now. Poor man doesn’t stand a chance.
“Yes, ma’am,” he growls.
She gives him a cheeky smile. But the glare he gives me is a reminder that he expects me to uphold his order to not get involved. Period.
“Now, you two. We need to get to organizing my birthday party. It ain’t gonna happen all on its own. Can Addy and her friend help? They are invited, after all.”
“I’ll ask, Ma.”
“Good. Have them to stay for dinner so we can iron out the details.”
“Sure thing.”
I tip my hat at her and walk back outside, leaving a reprimanded Harry alone with his knife-wielding wife. I chuckle. Reed was right—it might be Harry’s ship, but Ma’s the captain, no two ways about it. Poor man’s simply along for the ride. Lucky for him, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Addy is leaning against the barn, talking with Reed, Ruby, and Mack. Charlie ignores me, still getting attention from her when I walk over.
“Everything okay?” Addy asks.
“Yup.” I eye Charlie. “Happy, buddy?”
“Pretty sure at this point he thinks he’s Addy’s dog. Sorry, Huddo,” Mackinlay says.
“I see that.” I tug his little ear playfully. “Ma wants you two to stay for dinner, if you can. She wants help planning her birthday party.”
Ruby claps her hands together, jumping on her feet. “Yes! We are so doing that.”
“Sure, we can stay a while,” Addy says, smiling at me like a woman who had multiple orgasms an hour ago.
Mack glances between us, raising a brow. Reed clears his throat. “Milady.” He crooks his arm for Ruby. She giggles and hooks hers through his. He leads her toward the house.
Mack takes Charlie from Addy’s arms. “Catch you inside, then.”
He wanders after Reed and Ruby.
“Rubes will be stoked; she practically plans events for a living,” Addy says.
“Ma should have an awesome party, in that case.”
“Do I get an elbow, too?”
“How about a piggyback?”
Her eyes light up, turning my insides upside down, and she wastes no time jumping up on my back. Her body against mine has my cock hard within a second. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea. “Horses squared away okay?”
“Yes, Mack helped. He’s a sweetheart, your brother.”
“Well, hold on to your panties, Howard, you’ll meet the last Rawlins brother at Ma’s party.”
“Lawson is coming?”
“Ma would drive to New York and hunt him down herself if he didn’t show up.”
“He’s in New York?”
Her voice is excited.
“Did I leave that bit out? Sorry. Yep, the Big Apple. The home of the Statue of Liberty and Adeline Howard, both national treasures.”
She swats my head with a scoff. “What’s he like?”
“Laws? He’s the book smart one out of the four of us. Works in HR in some enormous PR company. He’s got the muscle and the smarts. You might wanna jump ship, pick a different brother.”
She strangles her arms around my throat, and I mock a choke, staggering around on my feet and pretending to be half passed out. She squeals. I chuckle, my Adam’s apple rubbing the soft skin of her wrist. And her head sinks into my neck.
“I don’t want a different ship, Huddy.”
The apple turns to a stone. And like that, Adeline Howard steals what was left of my breath.