Chapter 16
Chapter sixteen
Cullen
The door to Hudson’s house swings open after my incessant pounding. Hadley stands on the other side, face twisted with fear and anger. “What the hell, Cullen? Are you trying to break it down?”
I push past her, my heart in my throat. “Where’s Hudson?” I’m already halfway up the staircase, Hadley right on my heels.
“He’s still asleep. What’s going on?”
I trip on the top step in my hurry to get to him. I’ve tried calling him all morning, and after the eighth unanswered call and fifteenth unread message, my mind went to the worst-case scenario.
“It’s fucking noon,” I growl, shoving open Hudson’s bedroom door.
Relief slams into me when I see him sprawled across his bed, the comforter tangled around his legs.
“He’s allowed to sleep in, you know,” Hadley whisper shouts.
Of course he is. But the last time Hudson didn’t answer my calls…
I just stand there and stare at him, every terrible scenario I conjured dimming.
He starts to stir, a loud groan leaving his chest. “Someone shut off the sun, please.”
“What the fuck, Hud?” I shout. The relief of finding him crashes headfirst into irritation. “You scared me half to death.”
Hadley gets in my face, her anger bitch slapping me harder than she ever did.
I take a step back and glare down at her, my teeth grinding.
“Get yourself in check, Cullen. He was asleep. Do not come in here with this crap.” She’s seething. I’ve never seen Hadley so pissed before, and that’s saying something. It almost makes me smile that she’s defending Hud.
Almost.
“What’s going on?” Hud sits on the side of his bed, squinting at his phone. “Shit, is it really noon?” He massages his temples before curling back on his side. “My head feels like someone took a sledgehammer to it.”
“What happened at Ella’s? Did you take more pills? You’re not—” My words trip over each other. “I mean, is your mind okay?”
Hadley’s scowl deepens. She crosses her arms and plants herself between us, chin tipped up.
Hudson stares at me, confusion flickering across his face, followed by what looks a lot like hurt. “Hads, will you give us a moment, please?”
Hadley steps in close, her voice dropping low. “Do not come in here and set him back because you refuse to deal with your own shit. I wasn’t there for Hudson before, but you can bet your ass I’ll fight like hell to protect him now—even from you if I have to.”
Then she tosses her hair over her shoulder and storms out.
Once her footsteps fade, I pull out Hudson’s computer chair and sit. “Protective Hadley is kind of scary.”
A ghost of a smile tugs at Hudson’s mouth before disappearing just as quickly.
“We fought. No. And it’s fine.”
I blink.
“What?”
“Those are the answers to your questions.”
He looks away, his expression carefully blank. It might work on someone else, but I know him too well. There’s a slight tremor in his chin, and his nostrils flare almost imperceptibly.
Something happened.
“You’re hiding something,” I snap.
Instead of answering, he reaches for his phone.
“Sorry I missed your calls. My phone was still on silent from therapy yesterday.”
“You didn’t have an appointment yesterday. You were at my house most of the day.”
He takes a deep breath, his head leaning against his wooden headboard. “I had an emergency appointment after I left Ella’s.” He pauses, his eyes scrunched closed. “After I realized she attempted to drug me. Again.”
My jaw hangs open, speechless.
I fucking knew it.
“You were right,” he whispers, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallows hard. “She drugged me at Katie’s party that night. She was going to—” He breathes out, trying to compose himself.
I’m still shell-shocked, processing this information at a snail's pace. I’ve been hard on Ella, and I always suspected she was up to some shady shit, but I always held out hope that I was wrong—for Hudson’s sake.
“And Heather…” He laughs dryly. “Ella planted my pill bottle.”
I grind my teeth, the chair creaking from how hard I’m gripping the armrest.
“You slept late today.” It’s a statement, but I can see Hudson understands what I mean by it.
“Ella put something in my soda yesterday. It made me tired but didn’t put me out.
I don’t know if I didn’t drink enough or if I’ve built some kind of a tolerance because of the meds I was on in the hospital, but whatever she gave me didn’t give her the result she was hoping for.
” He shifts down on the bed, turning on his side and tucking his hands under his head.
“After everything happened, I called Maria and made a beeline to her office. I was there for almost two hours unpacking everything, then I came home and crashed.”
My knee bounces, fire licking my veins. I want to hit something. A wall. A face.
Anything to ease my anger.
“Come here,” Hud calls softly, scooting over to make room for me to lie next to him. I toe off my shoes and slide in, wrapping an arm around him. My nose grazes his, the contact soothing my rattled nerves.
“I’m okay,” Hud says, kissing my chin. “Really, I am. I came close to a panic attack yesterday, but I was able to cut it off. Then I called Maria.”
My lips meet his in a soft kiss. “I’m sorry for yelling at you when I came in. You not answering my calls brought back some… feelings.” I clear my throat and give Hud a tense smile.
He kisses me again, his gentle forgiveness filling some of the jagged cracks in my heart.
We stay hooked around each other for a few silent moments before Hud speaks quietly. “I’m worried about you.”
“I’m fine.” It’s my default answer. If I say it enough, it’ll make it true. “And don’t worry about me. I’m more concerned with how you are after yesterday. I can’t believe what Ella did.”
“Me either.” He stares into my eyes, his clear and the most stunning shade of Caribbean blue.
“I cried. I got pissed. Hell, part of me still wants to call her every name in the book.” He lets out a humorless laugh, his gaze dropping to the blankets between us.
“Mostly, I’m just sad. It feels weird to say, but it’s almost like I’m mourning a death.
The person I thought Ella was, she doesn’t exist. Maybe she never did.
” He swallows hard. “Sitting with Maria helped me realize that no amount of anger is going to change what happened.”
I breathe out the rest of my anxiety and rest my head on his chest.
“You’re not okay, babe,” Hud states softly, continuing to force the issue.
“I told you I was fine, Hud.”
“No, you’re not. Something is going on with you, and it’s eating you alive. You think you’re hiding it, but I can see it. I’ve lived it, babe. You don’t have to hide from me.”
The image flashes so suddenly my stomach turns—Mason sprinting through the house while I fired blindly after him, the cracking sound of gunshots, tiny droplets of blood on the hardwood.
For a second, I consider telling him. The words rise all the way to the back of my throat before I swallow them down.
“I’m okay,” I lie again.
He gives me that look that says he’s not buying it. He cups my cheek, his forehead resting against mine. “Promise you’ll talk to me if it gets too heavy. We have to practice what we preach, you know.”
I snort and kiss his forehead.
It’s not lost on me that I’ve gone from demanding truth and honesty from Hud to being a coward who can’t confront his own issues. But I swore to myself that I would be what Hudson needs, and I can’t do that if I allow myself to fall apart.
Hudson will always come first.
Even if it costs me.
“I promise, baby.”
The lie tastes sour, but that’s an issue I’ll deal with another day.
My phone rings, startling us both.
“It’s Archer, I’ll call him back later,” I say, moving to decline the call.
Hud stops me. “Answer it. Maybe he wants to hang out. I could use the distraction.”
Nodding, I answer. “Hey, man. What’s up?”
“Yo, Cull. Do you and Hudson want to meet up with Matt and me at Melvin's?”
“I’m with him now, let me ask.”
Hudson doesn’t even give me a chance to get the words out.
“I overheard him, and yeah, let’s go. I’m starving.”
For the first time all day, the knot in my chest eases.
He sounds like himself.
Not like the guy who spent months struggling.
He looks… so fucking good.
“Answer Archer before you drool a puddle on my bed,” Hud teases, his smile making my stomach do flips.
Rolling my eyes, I bring my phone back to my ear. “Give us half an hour and we’ll be there.”
“Cool, see you in a bit,” he says and disconnects the call.
Hud is already digging through his dresser, muttering to himself as he searches for something to wear.
A laugh escapes me.
“What?” He asks, his back turned to me.
“You’ve been standing there for five minutes and have rejected every T-shirt you own.”
“I have standards,” he quips back.
“We’re going to Melvin's to see the guys, not to a fashion show.”
“True, but after months of not really giving a shit, it feels good to try.”
For a second, I just stare at him.
Part of me can’t help but wonder if he’s forcing being playful and happy.
But another part of me is just happy to see him standing there arguing with his dresser.
Fuck, I love him.
Hud finally settles on a shirt and pulls it over his head. “What?” he asks when he catches me staring.
A grin spreads across my face. “You know, if I saw us walking down the street together, I’d be jealous of me.”
Hud barks out a laugh. “That might be the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said.”
“Impossible. I’ve said way dumber things.”
His smile widens, bright and easy, and something warm spreads through my chest—right down to my dick.
“Come here,” I beckon, crooking a finger at him.
Hud smirks and takes a step closer.
The instant he is within reach, I’m on my knees, his shorts tugged down his thighs and my mouth wrapped around his dick.
“Holy shit, babe.”
Hudson’s hands comb through my hair and grab at the roots, wasting no time fucking my mouth.
I love when he takes what he wants from me, and being used by Hudson is like a gift. I’d give him every last piece of myself if it meant he never had to want for anything.
“Give me your hand,” Hud demands.
I stick my hand up towards him and he takes it, spitting into my palm. It’s so filthy I can’t help but moan.
I fumble with my shorts with my dry hand, yanking my rock-hard cock free. Bringing the wetness to my dick, I wrap my hand around my length and jack myself relentlessly. I want it hard and fast to match the pace I’m sucking Hud.
“Are you fucking your fist for me?” Hud asks in that sex-soaked raspy tone that makes me weak. “Imagine that your hand is my ass.”
Fucking fuck, I love his dirty mouth. It’s all it takes for the electricity to zing down my spine and for my balls to draw up.
“I’m coming,” Hud gasps.
I have seconds before the first drop hits my tongue. It triggers my own orgasm, and I spill over my hand, droplets dotting the hardwood.
Hud pulls out of my mouth and sags against his dresser, the heavy rise and fall of his chest matching my own.
“That’s better than an energy drink at waking me up.” He chuckles and helps me stand, my legs a little numb from kneeling on the hard floor.
“Agreed.” I peck his lips, but Hud forces his tongue into my mouth, devouring me in a kiss that makes me dizzy. I give as good as I get, my cock already trying to revive itself.
Hud stops the kiss, his smirk sexy. “We can reconvene later.”
I grumble but pull up my shorts that are still sitting on my thighs, adjusting myself so I don’t look so sex rumpled.
“Don’t be so grumbly,” Hud teases again. “Wait, can we hang later? Aren’t you still grounded?”
Oh yeah, that was half the reason I was trying to call him this morning. “Mom and Dad let me off the hook. Apparently, I went above and beyond what they asked of me. But, there was a warning attached—make better decisions, ‘or else,’ as my mom put it.”
“Yeah, I agree with Mrs. Eliza.” Hud gives me a don’t fuck this up look, and I just roll my eyes.
“You ready to go?” I cange the subject, not wanting to get into an argument.
“Yeah. Can we stop by the mall on the way home? I still can’t find my cologne, and I feel naked without it. I need a new bottle.”
That makes me laugh. Hud has always been a little bit of a preppy jock, if you were to label his style. He takes care of his appearance, fragrance included.
I’m not complaining because he always looks and smells incredible.
“Yeah, sure. I wouldn’t mind looking around a few stores while we are there.”
After a quick stop to the bathroom to wash my hands, we head downstairs, Hud collecting his keys and wallet.
Hadley comes around the corner, phone to her ear. “Where are you off to?” she asks, pulling the phone away from her face.
“Melvin's to hang with the guys. I’ll text Mom and Dad to let them know where I’ll be.”
Hadley leans up and kisses Hud on the cheek. “Have fun. Don’t take any shit from Cullen.”
I balk at her, my eyes going wide. “I don’t give Hud shit for anything.”
The twins give me identical yeah, right looks, and I quickly tuck my tail between my legs.
A few months ago, I was helping Hudson pick up the pieces after she broke his heart. So it’s strange seeing Hadley go to bat for him.
I’m grateful for it, but some memories are harder to forgive than others.
I take a breath and force myself to let it go.
“Forgive me for being an invested partner in this relationship,” I grumble.
Hud chuckles and grabs my hand, pulling me towards the front door.
“You give me shit on occasion, and I give it right back.” He tosses a wave to his sister over his shoulder and leads us to my truck, opening the driver door for me.
He jogs around and climbs in, quickly finding my hand and lacing our fingers together.
His words make me smile as I back us out of the driveway. “Well, I guess that makes us equal opportunity shit givers.”
Hud laughs. “It makes us perfect for each other.”
And damn, if he isn’t right.