Chapter 4
Chapter Four
KINDRED
The man has gone from taking over all my thoughts to now entering my dreams. This is really a demise of my own making. I never should have gone to see what books he was reading. I was in no way prepared.
I swear it could have been a copy of my freaking Kindle. That pervert. Those books are for girls. Clearly Shelly didn’t tell him that. Nope, she’s a little dealer over there.
I did write a couple down that I haven’t read.
The Pirate's Captive Desires was at the top of that list. I’ve never read a pirate book before, but I’m always a sucker for a captive romance.
Who isn’t? A man so out of control with his need for you that he simply takes you.
It might not sound romantic to some, but it appeals to me.
Especially when your kidnapper gives you the best orgasms while professing their crazy love to you. When really all along it was you that took his heart captive long ago. I let out a dreamy sigh. If only I could be so lucky.
I throw my blanket back, forcing myself to get out of bed and get ready for the day. There is a wedding to be planned. I need to focus on one love story at a time, and right now, that’s Candy’s. Besides, I don’t have one. I’ll be going to this wedding solo. The same way I do most social events.
What if I did bring a date? Who that date would be, I’ve got no clue. What if Hudson shows up with a date? I bet he got an invite. The whole town did, but now he and Hollis are buddy-buddy. I guess helping Hollis lock up the psycho after Candy can bond two people.
New plan. I need to find a date. That will fill me in on if Hudson is reporting back to my brother. I was sure that’s what he’d been doing. I should simply believe him. He might drive me crazy, but he’s not a liar. He really doesn’t talk enough to lie.
I take a quick shower to help wake myself up. It doesn’t work, but I still make myself get dressed and ready for the day. I need coffee. I keep telling myself I’ll get a coffee maker but never get around to it. I burn my toast half the time, and you only have to push the button to make it.
Not to mention if I start one more fire, the insurance company is going to drop me. You have a few small mishaps, and people start threatening you with no insurance. It’s best I stick to getting my coffee in town.
I send off a bunch of texts, checking in on a few people. It’s how I start most of my days. Their replies will let me know what’s on my agenda for the day. There are days when it’s slow, and others there seems to be an endless stream of issues that need attending to.
I got an email from Ms. Sally telling me that Noel is back in town and in need of a job. It’s not too surprising. A lot of people leave town after graduation for college or other things, but everyone always ends up back here. I never bothered to leave to begin with.
This whole town is practically my family. Including that hussy, Shelly. I need to ask her what day her surgery is to make sure things are taken care of. Last time I made sure she had a ride to the city and back. Then I set up a rotating schedule of people to check in on her.
I’ll be leaving one particular person off that list this time. No need to have Hudson spend any more time with Shelly than he already has.
I don’t care that she’s in her sixties. Sixties are the new forties! At least that’s what TikTok told me.
When I step out onto my porch, I let out a small scream, Hudson scaring the crap out of me. “The hell?”
“Morning, Cupcake.”
“Morning, weirdo. Why are you stalking my porch?”
“Got you this.” He hands me over a coffee from the bakery.
“Thanks.” I take a sip, and like always, it’s perfect.
“What’s going on?” Anytime he’s at my doorstep, it’s because something is broken or he needs to check on something inside. Hudson might not be telling my brother everything, but my brother sure is telling Hudson.
“You have a flat.” He nods toward the white Bronco my brother got me for my birthday.
“What?” I step over to get a look for myself, and sure enough, the back tire is flat.
I don’t live far at all from town. Technically, I am in town, only a handful of streets from the main road. I can do most things in heels, but it snows almost every day, and the sidewalks aren’t always clear. It doesn’t matter what kind of shoes you have on when you hit ice.
“I’ll take you to work and then see to the tire.”
“I can call someone.”
“I’m fixing the tire.” I stare at him. Well, up at him. It doesn’t matter how high of heels I wear, Hudson still always manages to loom over me. The man is a mountain that will come and cast a shadow over me at any moment.
No joke. I swear he can pop up out of nowhere. How he can move that quickly for as big as he is, I have no clue. They must teach you those Spiderman things in the Rangers.
“You know what. Have at it. I’m not going to fight you on it.”
“Good, you’re learning.” He takes my bag from me.
“You’re lucky. I was about to whack you with it.” I glare. “I’m not a dog. You’re not teaching me tricks.”
“You’re a confusing woman.” His eyes search my face. I haven't got a clue what he is trying to find. All there is is annoyance. I mean, I hope that’s all he can see. Otherwise, he’d know that I actually thought the learning comment was hot in a strange way.
“I am not. If I were, then it wouldn’t always feel like you’re two steps ahead of me.”
“Two steps ahead of you?” he asks, opening the passenger door of his black sheriff's patrol SUV. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but because I’m in the habit of talking to myself when I work, I also blurt out things when I shouldn’t because the thought went through my mind.
"Nothing."
"Kindred. Will you stop doing that to me?"
"What?"
"Not answering me when I'm confused about what you're saying." He's serious. I thought he was poking at me when he made those kinds of comments because it felt like it should be obvious. "My social cues aren't great when it comes to the opposite sex."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"That my unit didn't have many females. I always feel like I’m getting it wrong with you." He runs his fingers through his short hair, actually appearing flustered. Guilt hits me. He’s doing something nice for me, and I’m being a bit petulant.
He's not used to being around women? I have seen my brother in action before. Especially when he came home and went out in his uniform. He got mobbed by tourists. Women can’t resist a man in uniform.
People often call my brother pretty boy handsome. He is in a more classic sense, but Hudson checks every damn box for me, and I know I can't be the only girl in this town that notices.
I see the way they look at him, or some of the girls from the city will. Sometimes they will actually commit a silly crime in front of him so he has to talk to them. That’s why I’m always sure he has to be dating someone but is likely keeping it quiet.
A few times when I first met him, I tried to flirt with him, and I got shut down or stared at like I was being strange.
Maybe I was, and I’m a shitty flirter, but he gets me so flustered, and then I get mad.
But right now, seeing him flustered, I don't push those thoughts at him and keep them to myself.
“I don’t know, Hudson. It just always feels like we’re in this weird dance together, and I don’t know what to make of it, but it doesn’t matter because you’re always steps away from where I am. I guess. Honestly, I’m not sure what I meant by the comment either.”
"One of your thoughts slipping out?" He tilts his head to the side, his eyes softening.
"Maybe, and it's annoying."
"It's cute."
There he goes again, putting me in that box. I would have rather him call me a name then say my behavior is cute. It reminds me that he looks at me like a little sister and nothing more.