3. Hudson
The girl had already seated herself and was in the process of reaching for her drink when our eye contact merged, connecting for the first time. Heat sizzled along my skin, and I tipped my head, curious about the intense reaction I was getting.
On the other side of the cafeteria, she froze with her hand midway across her table, and her eyes widened in surprise.
I lifted my eyebrows, silently asking if she needed something, and her lips parted.
I liked those lips. Hell, I liked everything about her, from the tilt of her head and up to the adorable poof-ball things she had going on with her hair. But I still had no clue who she was.
Didn’t seem to matter. An ache spread through my veins, and yearning flooded my senses.
Next to me, Oaklynn started to fan herself. “Holy jeepers,” she announced. “Y’all might not know each other but you’re definitely giving off some seriously hot vibes right now.”
I blinked and glanced sideways at her, snickering. “Did you just say holy…jeepers?”
“What? No,” she instantly denied, then shoved at my arm. “Shut up.”
I threw back my head and laughed, only to wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her against me as I transferred my gaze across the table.
“Damn, Archer. Your girl makes me smile like nothing else, I swear.”
His possessive gaze narrowed in displeasure, but as soon as his eyes turned her way, they softened with utter adoration. “Yeah,” he agreed softly.
On the other side of her, Keene bumped his knee into hers, making her bump hers into mine. “So if you’ve never nailed her, she’s free for me to ask out, right?”
“Oh my God,” I said, shaking my head at him. “She’s my stalker. Go find your own. And look for someone a little more average, too, so—you know—she’s more in your league.”
“Fuck you,” he exploded in a fury, which only made me grin wider. “I’m not average.”
Poor idiot made it way too easy for me to harass him, which only enticed me to do it more. You’d think he’d learn by now.
“Actually, you should stop judging by looks altogether,” I advised because it was damn good advice, but also because… “Your best bet is to land a blind girl, or someone who’s big-hearted and full of pity and maybe participates in a lot of charitable work.”
“Man…” He shook his head, clearly offended, his glare promising all kinds of retribution. But then some girl walked past our table, and his attention was immediately distracted.
“Hey,” he called, waving her down. When she paused and glanced back in question, he asked, “Am I average-looking?”
Her gaze slid over him slowly, and her eyes sparked with interest as she answered, “Not even a little.”
“Thank you!” he said, lifting a hand to gesture to her as he sent me a superior glance. “See. She doesn’t think I’m…” His eyes widened with discovery. “Hey.”
Realizing he’d just gotten complimented by a woman, and she was now getting away, he shot off the bench, already hurrying after her. “Wait up there, sweetness.”
“Squirrel,” I said, amused by his distraction.
Oaklynn heaved out a long sigh. “He’s like a horny puppy, I swear. He has to chase after and hump the leg of every pretty lady he sees.”
“We should carry a water bottle around with us,” Damien agreed. “So we can spray him down when he gets too hyper.”
As Oaklynn laughed, I leaned back on the bench and once again propped my feet on the chair that Alec had vacated. Then I continued to watch the two flirt with each other.
An outsider would probably never guess that two months ago, she’d been kidnapped by a sadistic murderer and nearly killed on this very campus, or that Damien had been stabbed four times in the stomach by the same guy when he’d tried to save her.
Together, they’d managed to heal so completely—physically and emotionally—that a stranger observing them now would never even know what they’d gone through.
It was the very kind of contentment I’d always wished for Damien. I had known him since he was eleven, and even then, he’d been the quiet, withdrawn one, watching others with hopeful eyes, as if he wanted to fit in but didn’t know how. And I’d never be able to thank Oaklynn enough for getting him to poke his head out of his hidey-hole for her and come out to play with the rest of the world.
But regardless of how happy I was for them, I also envied the bond they’d formed. I mean, the guys were my best friends. I’d do anything for them and knew they’d always have my back. But I’d never gotten as close to anyone as Damien and Oaklynn seemed to be with each other.
Made me wonder what that kind of alliance was like.
As if realizing they’d dipped into a private couple’s moment and left me hanging out as a third wheel, Oaklynn glanced over and flashed me a big smile. “So, birthday boy,” she said, trying to include me. “Are you excited for your party tonight?”
I shrugged. “Meh.”
Birthdays weren’t really my thing. My mother had typically stuck a candle on a warmed frozen pizza then given me some cash she’d had in her wallet, while my dad always forgot until a few weeks later when Mom would get on his case about it—usually when he was behind on child support—and then he’d send belated wishes by text.
Thane’s parents had offered to do shit for me, but I’d always turned them down, saying I was good. Because I did not get excited about birthdays.
But Oaklynn had obviously been one of those kids who’d gotten presents and parties and attention and all that jazz on her birthdays.
“What?” She slugged my arm, clearly exasperated by my lack of emotion. “You’re freaking twenty-one now, Hudson. This is huge.”
“Why?” I asked dryly. “Because I can finally drink legally? Sorry to burst your bubble, Dimples, but I”ve been imbibing since I was twelve.”
The glamour of alcohol had long since lost its thrill.
“There’s all kinds of things you can do now,” she argued. “You can gamble at a casino, rent a car, earn a pilot’s license, go to a strip club, adopt a child.”
“Oh, you know…” I snapped my fingers and pointed between her and Damien. “You’re absolutely right. I have had this urge lately to just…rent an airplane and pick up some random kid at a foster home to take him gambling at the strip clubs. So…” I lifted my arms wide and announced, “Birthday set.”
“Oh, jeez,” Oaklynn muttered, rolling her eyes. “You’re impossible.”
I only shrugged. “I gotta be something since you already took perfect.”
When I fluttered my lashes at her with a flirty grin, she groaned and nudged me away.
“Thank God I met Damien before you. There was a time I actually used to fall for that line of BS.”
“BS?” I cried incredulously. “Darlin’, this is one hundred percent, genuine Hudson right here.”
She only snorted and transferred her gaze to Damien.
But he shrugged. “He’s right, though. You are perfect.”
Her expression altered, letting me know she hadn’t taken a thing I’d said seriously, but Archer’s comment went straight to her heart.
I sighed, once again the odd man out, and started to gather my things because I had a class to get to.
Oaklynn straightened, pulling herself from her Damien daze, and looked up at me when I stood. “You are at least coming tonight, though, right?” she asked, looking a little worried. “I got us a back room booked at Calamity’s.” Then she winced. “Well… Parker got us a room booked, but I totally suggested the place and made all the plans. And it’s all in honor of you. You have to come.”
I melted a little when she turned her big brown eyes my way to beg silently. “Please tell me you didn’t get balloons and streamers and signs and shit, did you?” I demanded.
She bit her lip guiltily. “Maybe.”
Fuck. No way could I disappoint her with a lax attitude now.
I think we’d all fallen a little bit in love with Oaklynn when she’d moved in. She was one of us now. I’d rather amputate a nut than upset her. So there was no way I could bail on birthday night now.
“Of course, I’ll be there,” I assured, smoothing a hand over her dark hair. “If you planned something just for me, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
Her face lit up warmly in pleasure. “Good. And I was serious when I said you should invite Genesis.” She squeezed my arm as she scooted along the bench to stand and let me out.
I sent her a grimace as I shifted by. “But I actually want to have fun,” I argued.
“God.” She rolled her eyes. “You are so awful. I can’t believe she hasn’t dumped your ass yet.”
“Believe me,” I said dryly. “Neither can I.”
I’d been so sure Gen’s attention wouldn’t last past a month. But I guess I had more appeal than even I was aware of.
“Does she even know it’s your birthday?” Damien wondered.
I snorted. “Hell no.” Lifting my arm, I added, “She bought me a sixteen-hundred dollar watch for the hell of it. No way am I telling her it’s my birthday. She’d probably get me a fucking car.”
Oaklynn only shrugged and lifted her brows. “I’d take a new car.”
“Yeah, and then you’d be beholden to her until you died,” I warned. “I want out, not a life sentence.”
Face filling with sympathy, Oaklynn said, “That’s it. We’re thinking up ways to get her to dump you, tonight.”
“And that would be the best damn birthday present ever if you actually succeeded,” I assured before nodding my head to both her and Damien as I turned away and started off. “See you there.”
“Bye,” Oaklynn called after me.
For the next minute, I busied myself with disposing of my meal remains and turning in my plate and cup to the conveyor belt that took everything away to a dishwasher.
I’d forgotten all about the stalker chick that Keene was convinced liked to watch me until I was heading for the exit and spotted her still sitting by herself and eating a salad.
She had stared so yearnfully at me before and with such curious interest that I squinted back now, trying to recall if maybe I did know her from somewhere, after all. But I couldn’t place her anywhere.
As if feeling my perusal, she glanced up and caught me watching her again.
Her eyes widened in surprise, and she pulled back in her seat, clearly not expecting me to be returning the stare.
So I decided to throw her for a loop, and I winked.
She jumped as if she’d been goosed and firmly tore her gaze away.
Always in a better mood after learning someone thought there was something appealing enough about me to check out, I grinned and shook my head, whistling to myself as I left the cafeteria.
Tonight was going to be a good night, I decided. Just two classes of reviews, a couple of hours of suffering through whatever Genesis wanted me to do, and then I could finally sit back with my friends and enjoy simply being alive for a while.
* * *
Hours later,I was stretched across my girlfriend’s bed, rubbing her feet as I listened to her go through her phone and belittle all her friends’ posts.
“Oh my God,” she exclaimed. “I can’t believe Bri would snap that out to everyone. Just look at this picture.”
She spun the phone around to show me the photo of another blonde wearing huge shades as she left a store with a name-brand bag hanging from one forearm as she gave the camera duck lips and the peace sign.
I had no idea what Genesis found to be so atrocious, so I merely shook my head and murmured, “The nerve of some people.”
“For real,” she agreed, relaxing back into her pillows and twisting the phone back to keep looking at it. “Everyone knows that is the last store you ever admit to shopping in.”
Ah… So that had been the problem: the store.
Not that I cared.
Humming in agreement, I returned my attention to the bare foot I’d been instructed to massage. I cradled it in one hand and ran my thumb up her arch before applying pressure to the ball joint on her big toe.
“Oh…” All the other toes curled in delight as she hissed out an affected breath and moaned, “Yes. Right there. Right there.”
“Right here?” I asked, watching the ecstasy on her face as she arched her back and whimpered.
“Yes…yes,” she panted, sounding way too much like she was about to come, which only made me miss sex even more.
Because it’d been way too long since I’d actually had any.
Genesis liked it when I went down on her, which she had me do just about every time we were alone, but she didn’t seem to have any interest in genital-to-genital contact. And my poor dick hadn’t seen any action since a week or so before Gen had walked into the kitchen of her daddy’s restaurant and seen me for the first time in my chef whites.
She’d paused in her tracks to demand, “Don’t I know you?” Then her eyes widened with recognition, and she pointed. “You go to Haverick. I’ve seen you before. I know who you are.”
From that moment on, my future had been fucked.
And here we were, two months later, with me rubbing her gross, odorous feet as she writhed on the bed unabashedly and cried out my name, making me irritatingly aroused.
Because I really, really missed sex.
“Oh God, Hudson… Do you think you could…?” Setting her hands on her stomach, she erotically trailed her fingers down her flat, bare abdomen until she smoothed her way over the French-cut panties she was wearing and gripped herself between her legs.
Fuck. Again? My jaw was still trying to recover from the last round.
But she bit her lip and nodded, knowing she looked sexy enough to make me hard, to make me hope that maybe this time we’d get to go all the way. But I knew we wouldn’t. And hell, I didn’t even want to. I mean, I wanted to. Just not with her. She’d probably micromanage the whole thing, telling me exactly where and what to touch, for how long, and with what amount of pressure. I was convinced that actual sex with her would be no fun at all.
So I bucked up and put on a show, lifting one eyebrow as if interested. “Yeah?” I murmured in a husky voice as I slowly started to crawl my way up her bare legs.
“Oh yeah,” she confirmed, plowing her fingers through my hair and grinning in pleasure.
As I gripped the hem of her panties and started to drag them down her legs, I silently prayed that she didn’t make me miss my birthday party. Oaklynn would never forgive me if I got stuck here all night.
And then I got to work.