Chapter 18
CHAPTER 18
Presley
H udson held my hand firmly as he guided his truck through the flooded roads, the rain pounding down relentlessly.
“You know,” he said, glancing over, “if you came back to my place, you could stay the night. I wouldn’t mind waking up next to you.”
“And what would I say to your mom in the morning?” I said with a raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure she’d love seeing me at breakfast with ‘just-rolled-out-of-bed’ hair.”
He laughed, the low sound comforting. “You could shower first.”
I elbowed him playfully. “Not funny.”
“Come on, a little funny,” he teased.
As we turned into my driveway, the headlights cut through the sheets of rain, illuminating a figure sprawled on the ground. My heart stopped.
“Neil?” I gasped, flinging the door open before the truck had fully stopped.
I ran to him, rain drenching me in seconds, but it didn’t mask the stench of vomit and alcohol. Dropping to my knees, I rolled my brother over. Hudson was beside me instantly, helping me steady Neil as he mumbled incoherently, retching again. Hudson quickly turned him on his side.
“Oh God,” I cried, my hands shaking as I patted Neil’s face. “Neil, can you hear me?”
His eyes cracked open, glazed and unfocused. “Stop…” he muttered, barely audible.
“We need to get him inside,” Hudson said, his voice steady but concerned.
“Neil! What happened?” I managed to say, barely holding back tears.
Hudson hefted Neil onto his shoulder, staggering slightly under his weight. My brother might’ve only been fourteen, but he was built tall and solid. Hudson carried him to the downstairs bathroom, setting him gently in front of the toilet just as Neil doubled over, retching again.
I clenched my fists, anger and worry boiling over. “Goddamn it, Neil! You’re fourteen! You’re a kid!”
“Pres, take it easy,” Hudson said gently, shooting me a calming look.
Neil’s head hung over the bowl, his wet clothes dripping onto the floor, soaked with beer and who knows what else.
“I told him not to hang out with the seniors,” I muttered, pacing the small space as I spoke. “He doesn’t understand what those guys are like.”
“It was…a game,” Neil groaned, his voice weak.
Hudson crouched beside him, his tone soft. “Let’s get you into some dry clothes, buddy.”
“They dumped beer on me,” Neil mumbled, barely lifting his head.
Fury surged through me. I slammed my hand against the wall, making both Hudson and Neil jump. “Those jerks! I knew they’d pull something like this.”
“It was part of the game,” Neil protested, his words slurring.
“Bullshit! This is because of me, isn’t it?” I leaned down, my voice trembling. “Was Evan involved?”
Neil’s face twisted as he turned away. “It’s…none of your business,” he muttered defensively.
I moved closer, fists clenched, but Hudson stepped between us, gently pressing me back. “Pres, take a breather,” he said softly, his steady gaze calming me. “Go upstairs. I’ll take care of him.”
I let out a frustrated sigh, throwing my hands up before storming out. As I kicked off my soaked shoes in the foyer, I felt a pang of guilt, the evening with Hudson dissolving into chaos. The floor was covered in muddy puddles, so I grabbed paper towels and wiped up the mess, scrubbing at the anger and helplessness swirling inside me.
From down the hall, I heard Hudson’s calm, steady voice as he helped Neil out of his drenched clothes. The tension in my shoulders eased a little, knowing that at least Hudson was here—steady, patient, everything I needed tonight.
Hudson held my hand as we drove home, going slow because the roads were flooded as the rain continued.
“You know, if you came over my house, you could sleep over,” Hudson said.
“And how would that work?” I asked. “I’m sure your mother would love me sitting at the breakfast table with just fucked hair.”
Hudson chuckled. “You could shower first.”
I nudged him in the ribs with my elbow. “Not funny.”
“Come on, it was a little funny.”
“He’s going to have a hell of a hangover tomorrow,” Hudson said as he curled his body around mine.
The spell was broken from our passion at the drive in. Neil was so drunk when we found him, I could’ve lost my brother. Hudson helped him into the shower and then his room. He was sleeping soundly with his garbage can next to the bed.
“He shouldn’t be with them. Evan did this on purpose. He’s angry I ended it,” I growled.
“Evan Braddock is a piece of shit.”
Hudson stroked my damp hair from my face, planting kisses on my cheek.
“The game continues but not how we played it,” I said.
He rolled away and turned me on my back to meet my gaze.
“What are you talking about?”
“He’s going to pay for this shit. There will be a truth or dare but it will be all about Evan.”
He frowned. “I don’t want that, to waste my time on that asshole.”
“Think about it as a gift to the community. I know a lot of Evan’s secrets. Wouldn’t he freak out if he comes home and shit it out of place or those secrets are exposed?”
Hudson narrowed his eyes. “Secrets?”
I sat up. “There’s a notebook where he rated the girls he slept with. It’s not only him. It’s his group of assholes. And that’s not all. I know his locker combination, the code to his house alarm and camera locations. The back of the house doesn’t have them.”
“You want to break into his house and take his shit? We could be arrested.”
“Pussy,” I said.
Hudson’s mouth dropped open. “I just don’t want to spend time in jail for breaking and entering.”
“We won’t. His mother is out a lot and his father travels. We could play the game but have Evan as our focus. Come on, Hudson. He deserves it.”
Hudson grinned. “Okay, but there has to be rules. Nothing dangerous like stealing his car or taking a weapon.”
“As long as you avoid the downstairs. His mother is a gun lover. During the summer, Evan showed me a couple of them. She has a locker in the den with all her toys. You would think his father would be the one to have them.”
“That’s some fucked up shit. How many?”
“Like eight or nine. She likes handguns. She even has one with a pearl handle, a twenty two.”
Hudson froze. His face tight with tension. Something was wrong.
“Hud?”
“My father was killed with a twenty-two,” he said quietly.
I reached for him, but he shirked away. It must have been gut wrenching to lose his father that way. Some unfeeling asshole didn’t care and made a big deal out of a fender bender. It was crazy.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
I was nothing but empathetic for his loss. I wish I knew when it happened. He needed me and all I was worried about was him not writing to me. It was such a small thing now that I knew the reason. My vision grew blurry as tears filled my eyes. I sniffled and Hudson looked up.
He wiped my tears with his thumb. “Don’t. It was none of your doing.”
“I should’ve been there for you,” I cried.
“You were a kid just like I was. There was nothing you could do.”
This time when I reached out, he didn’t pull away, letting me curl against him. I wanted to offer him comfort. I wound my arms around his waist and buried my head in his chest.
“I love you, Hudson. I never realized how much until you came back.”
His body was coiled tightly and the tension eased as he sank into me. He leaned against the wall with me in his arms and our lips bonded together. I moaned as he palmed my breast. On my nightstand, my phone vibrated, and I slipped it off to look at the screen.
Staying at Sylvia and Joel’s for the night. Take care of Neil.
I got it.
It was fine because my parents would lose it if they found out what happened to my brother. I wanted to handle it and I would. We would. Evan would pay for what he did, more than he realized.
“My parents are staying in the city tonight,” I said.
Hudson stood, sliding his damp jeans down and kicked them off his ankles. While he tended to Neil, I changed into sweats without asking if he wanted to change. I assumed he would go home.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m staying over. Neil is asleep and your parents are away. I’m taking the chance that you’ll accept me in your bed for the night.”
I grinned. “Suppose I say no?”
He dove on the bed in his boxers. “Then at least take pity on me and let me sleep on one side. It’s pouring out and I don’t want to drive home.”
I fingered the muscles of his chest. His skin was cool from his damp clothing. His hand circled my wrist, stopping me.
“Just sleep.”
I met his gaze to see if he was lying but all I found was sincerity.
“Let me hang these,” I said as I rose from the bed, swiping his clothing from the floor and draping them over my desk chair. I shoved my sweatpants down my hips before I slid back into bed.
In all my life, I’d never felt this way about anyone. Sure, I’d crushed on Deke once, but reality had dulled the fantasy fast. With Hudson, though, everything felt different—deeper, more intense. I found myself pressing against him, burrowing into the solid warmth of his body, wanting him close in ways that almost hurt.
Half-asleep, he was already hard, his arousal a slow, steady burn against my stomach. I shifted, letting my hips roll against him, my breath hitching as I moved, and the quiet of the room only made my pulse sound louder in my ears. His body responded, his grip tightening around my arm, and I gasped, not expecting him to wake.
He drew a rough breath. “What are you doing?” he murmured, his voice low and groggy.
“I need this,” I whispered, barely able to keep the longing from my voice.
A lazy smile tugged at his lips. “And you couldn’t wake me up?”
I chuckled softly. “Sometimes a girl has to take matters into her own hands.”
His hand brushed my hair back from my face as he pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Except right now, you’re using me,” he teased, shifting slightly, his hands firm at my waist to still me.
I let out a needy whimper, trying to press closer. “Please… I’m so close.”
He whispered against my ear, voice thick with sleep. “Let me be the one to take you there this time.” His words sent a shiver through me, the tender weight of his voice making my heart skip.
I pressed my face into his neck, breathing in the warmth of his skin. “You’re not even supposed to be here,” I murmured, half-smiling, but my heart was racing.
But then he shifted, reaching down to free himself, nudging my panties aside. I froze, suddenly pulling back as reality settled in. He stopped immediately, his gaze searching my face in the dim light.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, gentle but concerned.
I swallowed, my voice barely a whisper. “I need a condom.”
He blinked, then reached over me, flicking on the lamp, the soft light flooding the room. “You’re on the pill, right? And I’m clean,” he said softly. “I haven’t been with anyone since…” His voice trailed off, his eyes meeting mine with an honesty that made my heart twist.
I looked down, not quite able to meet his gaze. “I just… I’m not sure if I’m ready for that.”
Hudson sat up, running a hand through his hair, then quietly moved to his jeans on the chair, pulling out his wallet. I bit my lip, a flicker of fear sparking that he might leave, but instead, he turned back with two condoms, settling beside me with a reassuring smile.
“You should probably keep a box here,” he said lightly, placing them on the nightstand.
My cheeks flushed. “I don’t know if I could walk into a store and buy them. What if someone saw me?”
Hudson’s laugh was a quiet rumble as he tore one of the wrappers, sliding the latex over himself. “Guess we’ll just have to stock up ourselves,” he said, giving me a soft nudge with his knee.
I gave him a playful kick, rolling my eyes. “Very funny.”
He shrugged. “I’m serious. I’ll get you a box.”
I let out a sigh, the moment between us dampened, a twinge of worry knotting in my stomach. I lowered my gaze, not sure how to get back to where we’d been. Hudson noticed, his fingers brushing softly over my thigh.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, the warmth in his voice easing some of the tension.
I took a breath, glancing up at him. “Can you just hold me?”
For a second, I worried he’d be disappointed, maybe even frustrated, but instead, he gave a soft smile, rolling the condom off and tossing it into the trash by the desk. He slid back under the covers, drawing me into his arms without a word, letting his warmth settle around me.