Chapter 4
FOUR
Hudson
Fuck. All I want to do is drag her back in here, throw her down on my couch, and fuck her until she scratches my back and screams my name so loudly that people on the street can hear her.
Instead, I’m stuck working, staring at my girl through the glass of my office and willing her to turn and look at me. I need to see her face to figure out what she’s thinking.
Did she enjoy our lunch date?
Can I count that as our first date? No, right? She should probably know it was a date for it to count.
I try to get back to work, but it’s impossible. Something has shifted between us today. I think I might have made some progress with Hazel.
Biting back a curse, I grab my phone and call Carter.
He answers on the second ring. “Do I need to bail you out? Did things go that badly with your girl?”
“No, I’m at work. I, uh, had lunch with Hazel.”
“You asked her out? Congrats, man!”
“No, I ordered food and ate with her.”
Carter groans. “For fuck’s sake, Hudson.”
I picture him shaking his head at me.
I sag in my chair. “It’s something. I think it went well.”
“You think?”
“Well, it started off badly, but then, yeah, it was nice.”
“Great. Go ask her out.”
“I can’t. She could leave or—”
“You have to stop doing this, Hudson,” Carter interrupts. “Just go for it before you drive yourself crazy fighting this. The worst she can say is no. And if she does, at least you’ll know where you stand. You can move on and—”
“There is no moving on from Hazel!” I snap. “She’s it for me. If she says no, I’ll snap and do something crazy, like kidnap her or beg her to love me.”
Carter lets out a deep breath. “Well, then, maybe you should work on that plan.”
“Kidnapping?”
He laughs. “Sure, or the begging part.”
“You’re no help,” I groan.
Hazel stands, and I track her movements as she goes to the break room to drop off her coffee cup. It’s almost five, and everyone is preparing to leave for the day. I know Hazel will be gathering her things too.
I need to make a decision. Should I push forward with the progress we made today, or should I stay the course and hope that one day she wakes up and realizes she’s meant to be mine?
No. I can’t wait any longer. I can’t keep wishing and hoping. It’s time for me to take action.
I stand as Hazel grabs her purse.
“Hudson?” Carter asks.
“I’ll call you back.”
“Okay—”
I grab my phone and keys, pocketing them as I leave my office. A few people are headed to the elevator as I step up beside Hazel. I glare at them when the doors open, feeling satisfaction as they all pretend they've left something at their desks, leaving just Hazel and me to step onto the elevator.
Now we're alone.
I can’t take it any longer. My skin buzzes with electricity as I turn and cage Hazel in with my body.
Her mouth drops open, and she stares up at me in shock.
“Hudson?” She swallows hard as I stare down at her.
“I need to know,” I growl, pressing closer until the soft swell of her tits brushes against my chest.
“Need to know what?” she whispers, her eyes growing hazy.
I dip my head, my lips hovering over hers. “Are you attracted to me?”
I can barely wait for her response. Every fiber of my being screams at me to flatten her against the elevator wall and ravage her. I want to explore every inch of her body, to hear her scream and claw at me. I want to watch her face as she breaks apart beneath me.
“Hazel,” I say, my voice firm.
Finally, she meets my eyes. “Yes,” she says softly.
My restraint snaps. My hands drop from the wall to grip her waist, and I tug her firmly against me.
My lips land on hers, and I swallow her gasp as I kiss her, hard and hungrily, as if I’ve been starving for her.
Because I have. Her fingers curl into the front of my shirt, clutching me for balance.
I angle her against the elevator wall, one hand sliding up her side, the heat of her skin burning my palm through the thin fabric of her blouse.
“Hudson—” It comes out shaky, like she doesn’t want me to stop.
Good, because I’m not going to.
I deepen the kiss, dragging my tongue along the seam of her lips until she opens for me. The second she does, I delve inside, tasting her, memorizing her. My other hand tightens on her waist, pulling her flush against me. She makes a soft, broken sound that nearly undoes me.
Fuck.
The elevator dings.
I barely register it, too caught up in the way she’s kissing me back now, just as desperately, just as gone for me as I am for her.
Then the doors slide open, and reality crashes in.
With a rough exhale, I break the kiss, pressing my forehead to hers for a second as if I need the contact to stay grounded. Her lips are swollen, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes—
Jesus.
She looks wrecked.
Mine.
Mine, mine, MINE.
“Come on,” I mutter roughly.
I grab her hand before she can say anything and pull her out of the elevator, not stopping as I lead her through the lobby. I don’t look at anyone. I don’t care who sees. The only thing that matters is getting her out of here before I lose what little control I have left.
“Hudson.” She stumbles a little as she tries to keep up with me. “Where are we going?”
“My car.”
“Yeah? And then where?” she asks sarcastically.
I bite back a grin. It hasn’t escaped me that she hasn’t pulled her hand from mine.
Good.
The cool evening air hits us as we push through the front doors. I finally slow when we reach my car, and I open the passenger door for her, bracing my hand against the roof.
“Get in.”
She studies me for a second, like she’s trying to figure me out, trying to figure out what’s happening between us. Then, without another word, she slides into the seat.
That does something to my chest. Having her trust feels huge. It is huge.
Jesus, this girl has me tied up in knots.
I shut the door, round the front of the car, and get in behind the wheel.
Hazel turns toward me the second the engine starts. “Hudson?”
“Yeah?”
“Where are we going?”
I glance at her, a slow grin tugging at my mouth. “On a date.”
Her eyes widen, and surprise flickers across her face. Something softer follows, something that looks a lot like hope. “All right.”
Relief pours off me. I’m amazed she agreed so easily. This is all going better than I imagined, and I kick myself for not making a move months ago. We could’ve been together this whole time. We could’ve been married by now.
Gripping the steering wheel tighter, I force myself to focus on the road instead of the way my chest feels like it’s about to crack open.
I pull into a parking lot at a little Mediterranean place.
She eyes me as I park.
I raise an eyebrow at her. “What?”
“I love this place.”
“I know.”
“You knew my order for lunch, too.”
I know everything about you.
“And how I take my coffee.”
I grimace. “You mean your coffee creamer.”
She laughs, and I smile as I climb out and open her door for her. I offer her my hand, and she takes it, letting me help her out of the car.
“What else do you know about me?” she asks as we walk toward the restaurant.
“I know you hate bananas but love plantain chips. Your favorite color is purple, your least favorite is orange, and you want to travel. You’re stubborn, smart, and way too fucking good for me.”
She studies me, and I meet her gaze until she blinks and looks away.
Opening the door, I nudge her inside the restaurant. We’re seated at a small table by the windows, and I study Hazel as she squirms in her seat. I already know what she wants; she orders the same thing every time.
“Two of the chicken joojeh. No olives on the salad. Extra pita bread,” I say to the server when she comes to our table.
I order the same as Hazel. It makes me feel closer to her, like I’m experiencing the same thing she is.
Hazel looks at me as the server leaves. “Are you stalking me or something?”
I know she’s joking to lighten whatever’s happening between us, but I can’t let her. It’s time she knew how I feel about her. At least a little bit.
I clear my throat. “Yep. I’ve been studying you. The same way you study me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I level her with a hard look. “Really? What game do you play in your head?”
“What?” she asks weakly.
“I watch you, Hazel. I see the satisfied look on your face whenever we spar or you get me to make a face. It’s a game, right?”
She leans toward me, shocked. “I… How the heck do you know that?”
I grin.
Hazel blinks.
I raise an eyebrow. “How many points was that?”
“One for you,” she says begrudgingly.
“How many are you up by?”
“For today?”
I nod.
“We’re tied.”
“Hmm.”
The server returns with our food.
Hazel grabs her fork, and I watch as she spears a piece of lettuce.
“What have you noticed about me?” I ask. I need to know how closely she’s been watching me so I can figure out if she’s half as obsessed with me as I am with her.
“You’re a workaholic.”
“Who doesn’t know that?” I grumble.
She snorts. “Oh, you want something more than surface level?”
“Yeah, tell me something that isn’t obvious.”
“All right.” She sets her fork down and leans her elbows on the table. “You love dogs, but for some reason, you don’t have one.”
I nod.
“You should see your face every time you see one.” She makes a dreamy, love-struck face.
“I’ve never looked like that in my life,” I argue.
She laughs. “No, but you barely ever show any emotion, so when you do, it’s huge.” She nods at my glass as I take a sip of my water. “You hate soda. You hate all carbonated drinks.”
“I do… but wait, if you know that, why do you insist on bringing me a Coke every Friday?”
“Just to see what you’ll do. I laugh every time I watch you force yourself to take a sip. Oh, and you hate peppermint anything.”
“I knew that you knew that!” I shout, pointing a finger at her. “And yet every time you’re pissed at me, my whole office smells like freaking peppermints.”
“Gotta get my fun somehow,” she says sweetly.
I bite back a grin.
The atmosphere shifts, growing more comfortable as we talk about everything and nothing.
Hazel tells me about growing up in Maple Creek, and I tell her about Carter and the stupid things he’s said.
She relaxes, her shoulders loosening, her smile coming easier, and every time she looks at me, I catch that same heat from earlier, reminding me that she’s into me too. That she feels this, too.
When dinner’s over, I walk her back to the car, my hand brushing hers until she finally slides her fingers between mine like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
I don’t let go.
The drive to her place is quiet, but not in a bad way. When I pull up outside her building, neither of us moves right away.
Then she turns to me. “Um, thank you,” she says softly.
I can almost see her retreating inside herself again.
I shake my head. “Don’t thank me yet.”
Her eyebrows knit together. “Why?”
“Because I’m not done.”
Before she can respond, I reach for her, my hand cupping her jaw as I lean in. This kiss is different from the one in the elevator. Slower, deeper, intentional.
She melts into it, her hand sliding up to my wrist where I’m cupping her face.
I take my time, memorizing the feel of her, the way she responds to me, her soft sigh when I pull back to breathe before going back in for another taste.
When I finally break the kiss, we’re both a little wrecked.
“Tomorrow,” I say, my thumb brushing over her cheek. “Go out with me again.”
She doesn’t hesitate this time. “Okay.”
Something in me settles, and I grin, unable to stop it.
“Good,” I murmur, pressing one last, softer kiss to her lips. “Because I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.”
She laughs, breathless. Then she’s climbing out of the car.
I watch her walk to her building, waiting until she’s inside before I finally lean back in my seat.
I can’t believe it’s finally happening. I’m finally getting my girl.
My girl.
I let out a slow breath, still grinning like an idiot as I start the car and pull away from the curb.
Yeah, this is just the beginning.