Chapter 6
HUDSON
Icouldn’t stand another night of short texts.
After the leaked dress, Serena had gone quiet in a way that scared me.
I’d only seen her for a grand total of four hours since that night, and that was only because we attended the movie premiere together.
And I couldn’t be sure that she wouldn’t have bailed if it weren’t for the fact that walking the red carpet without each other would’ve drawn even more of the wrong kind of attention.
I felt like I was losing her inch by inch and didn’t know how to stop it. But I had to do something because I couldn’t picture my life without her in it. I’d faced down explosions on set, but the thought of Serena slipping away terrified me more than any stunt ever had.
So I cleared the Malibu house for the night. Told the staff to take the evening off. Just me, the ocean, and the ridiculous hope that I could get Serena alone for a few hours and remind her why we worked.
I was known for my confidence, but I was nervous when I called Serena. More than I’d been when I first asked her out, or any of the subsequent times it’d taken before she finally agreed to one date, still unconvinced things could work since we’d been filming a movie together back then.
She picked up on the second buzz, and I figured that had to be a good sign. “Hey, Hudson.”
“Hi, baby. I know you need time, but I miss you.”
There was a little sniffle on the other end of the line. “I miss you too.”
Her reply gave me hope that she’d agree to my plan.
“Come over? I cleared the house tonight, so there won’t be any interruptions.
Just us. Even if it’s just for dinner and talking.
My wine fridge is stocked with your favorite Pinot, and since you wrapped filming today, I may have also grabbed the salted caramel ice cream you like so much. ”
There was a long pause on her end. I could almost hear her weighing her decision.
Finally, she sighed. “Just dinner and talking for now?”
“Remember how we used to steal twenty minutes between takes just to breathe the same air? Let me give you that tonight.”
“Okay.”
When her car pulled up the drive an hour later, I met her at the door in the blue button-down she loved, with the sleeves rolled up and trying to look calm while my heart hammered.
She stepped inside wearing soft leggings and one of my old hoodies she’d stolen months ago, her hair down and face scrubbed clean.
She looked exhausted and beautiful, and I was so fucking relieved she agreed to come over.
Candles flickered on the dining table and along the living room shelves, and soft music was playing low—nothing over-the-top, but I’d clearly made an effort. The grilled salmon and roasted asparagus were ready to serve, and the Pinot had breathed for the perfect amount of time.
Serena took it all in, a reluctant smile tugging at her lips. “You did all this?”
“Yeah, I told the chef not to come over today since I gave the rest of the staff the night off, so you’re stuck with my cooking.”
Her smile widened and turned more genuine. “Don’t act like you suck in the kitchen because you’ve made me enough meals for me to know your fake humility.”
I winked at her. “Darn, you caught me.”
We ate at the table overlooking the ocean.
She told me about wrapping her project, how good it felt to be done, and the cookies Avery baked that afternoon to help her celebrate.
I mostly just listened to whatever she wanted to share, and when she mentioned the red-carpet comments still popping up online, I reached across the table and took her hand.
“You’re probably getting tired of hearing me apologize, but I’m sorry.”
Serena heaved a deep sigh. “Aren’t you getting just as tired of needing to apologize for Maddie?”
I swallowed the instinctive defense and told her the truth I could manage. “I believe she didn’t mean to hurt you. She’s still figuring LA out. But I also know that doesn’t lessen the pain at all. And that matters more.”
She searched my face for a long moment, then nodded. “It doesn’t. Thank you for acknowledging that.”
After dinner, we moved to the couch with the ice cream.
I’d bought the salted caramel, along with a few other flavors because I knew she could finally eat as much as she wanted without worrying about camera weight.
When I handed her the spoon and watched her take that first big bite, her eyes closing in pure bliss, some of my tension eased.
“Good?”
She laughed softly, licking the spoon. “You bought several pints. You knew what you were doing.”
The air between us shifted. The laughter faded into something more heated. I set the carton aside and kissed her like I’d been starving for her taste. Her hands fisted in my shirt, and a mix of relief, frustration, and need poured out of both of us.
The moment the last bite of ice cream was gone, I pulled her onto my lap on the couch. Serena straddled my thighs, her hands already sliding into my hair as our mouths met. The kiss started hungry, as though we were both trying to erase the past week with passion.
The little sound she made when I nipped her bottom lip went straight to my cock. My hands slid under the hem of her hoodie to grip her waist. “Fuck, I missed you.”
She rocked against me, her breath hitching. “Then stop talking and show me.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. I tugged the hoodie over her head, tossing it somewhere behind the couch. Her bra followed a second later. When my mouth closed over her breast, she arched into me with a broken moan that made my blood run hot.
“You missed this, didn’t you? Same as I did,” I murmured, my tongue flicking over her nipple before sucking harder. “Because you’re so fucking perfect for me.”
Her fingers tightened in my hair, pulling just enough to sting. “Then why does it feel like you keep choosing her over me?”
Her accusation made me more desperate. I flipped us so she was beneath me on the wide couch, shoving her leggings and panties down in one rough motion. She kicked them off, her blue eyes glittering with frustration and need.
“Because I’m an idiot sometimes,” I admitted, my voice rough as I settled between her thighs.
Her hands deftly undid the buttons of my shirt even as she agreed, “You are.”
“But I’m your idiot.” I swiveled my hips. “Only yours, I swear. It’s always you, even when you’re mad at me.”
“Then prove it,” she dared.
I slid my shirt off and undid the button on my pants, yanking down the zipper. “You’ll feel how much I love you. Need you. I swear.”
I didn’t give her time to answer. Dropping to my knees in front of the couch, I hooked her legs over my shoulders and buried my face between her thighs like a man starving. The first swipe of my tongue had her hips jerking off the cushions with a broken gasp.
“Hudson.” Her fingers twisted in my hair, pulling me closer.
I didn’t tease her. Flicking my tongue right where she needed it most, I sank two fingers into her tight heat.
When her thighs started to tremble, I curled them hard against her G-spot and grazed my teeth over her clit, using just enough pressure to make her cry out before I soothed the slight sting with my tongue again.
“Fuck, you taste so good.” My growled words vibrated through her. “So wet for me already. You needed this, didn’t you? Needed me to remind you who you belong to.”
“Yes! Oh, yes,” she panted, her hips grinding against my face, chasing the pleasure I was giving her. “Please don’t stop.”
Spurred on by her pleading, I sucked her clit into my mouth, my fingers pumping faster, and my teeth scraping lightly again until her whole body locked up. She came with a sharp, shattered cry, her thighs clamping around my head as she pulsed around my fingers.
I didn’t let her come down. Gentling my touch but not stopping, I drew out every last tremor until she was whimpering and tugging at my hair.
Only then did I rise, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, my cock so hard it ached. Lining myself up with her entrance, my eyes locked on hers, still glassy from the orgasm I’d just given her.
I pushed inside her in one slow, deep thrust. Serena gasped, her nails digging into my shoulders, and her legs wrapping around my waist.
“Harder,” she demanded, her hips already lifting to meet me. “I need to feel all of you. Make me forget everything else for a little while.”
I gave her what she asked for. It was what I needed too. The rhythm turned urgent, our skin slapping and breaths ragged, the couch creaking beneath us. Every thrust pushed a broken sound from her throat, and I swallowed each one with kisses that were more teeth than tenderness.
“You feel so good,” I groaned, my forehead pressed to hers. “So tight. Tell me you’re mine, Serena.”
“I’m yours,” she gasped, her eyes squeezing shut as I hit that perfect spot inside her. “But you have to act like it, Hudson.”
“Right now, I’m choosing you so hard I can’t think straight,” I growled, sliding a hand between us to circle her clit.
She came with a cry that tore through me, her body clenching around me so tightly I followed right after, burying myself deep and spilling inside her pussy with her name on my lips. “Serena, fuck yes. So perfect.”
We stayed locked together, panting as our hearts hammered against each other. I pressed soft kisses to her neck and jaw, and the corner of her mouth, trying to gentle what had just been so raw.
“Stay tonight,” I whispered. “Let me hold you. Please.”
She nodded against my shoulder, but I could already feel the slight tension creeping back into her body.
We eventually made it to the bedroom, leaving our clothes behind.
The second round was slower and more deliberate.
I took my time worshipping every inch of her—my mouth trailing down her stomach, and my tongue teasing between her thighs until she was trembling and begging.
When I finally slid back inside her, my eyes stayed locked on hers the whole time.
“I love you,” I murmured, punctuating my words with another deep thrust.
“I love you, too.” Her fingers traced my face. “So much it scares me sometimes.”
“Your heart is safe with me, baby,” I promised, kissing her hard as I felt her start to tighten around me again.
She came again with a soft, shattered sound, and I quickly followed.
Afterward, we lay tangled in my sheets, the ocean crashing outside the open windows. I held her close, stroking her bare back and pressing lazy kisses to her shoulder.
Tonight was exactly what we needed.