Chapter 15
Hudson yawned as he drove Malcolm’s SUV through the electronic gate of the mansion and glanced at Tessa. She’d fallen asleep, along with Malcolm and Lia in the back, as soon as they’d left the hospital.
And since leaving, his cock had been semi-hard thinking about that kiss.
“What the hell am I doing?” The crunch of tires on gravel and crushed seashells masked his whispered words.
He knew next to nothing about Tessa. Not her favorite fishing spot or the song she always played on repeat.
Yet somehow he knew everything he needed to, like she took care of Pop when he’d cut his finger.
He stole a glance at her again as he stopped the car in front of the porch that wrapped around the house. “We’re here, Tessa.”
She rubbed her eyes. “Damn, they still sting from the smoke.”
“The sting is probably from fatigue too.”
She slumped against the seat. “I hope we don’t have to talk to the cops again anytime soon. It’s exhausting.”
“Agreed.” She looked as spent as he felt. They’d talked to the police for over an hour. She’d kept her composure as they showed her the video of the man who looked like Frank in the casino parking garage. The hint of smugness when she’d dismantled their evidence had been unexpectedly charming.
Tomorrow, he’d press her for more details about her last run-in with Frank—the same night her mother died. Right now, he needed to get her to bed.
She sat up straighter as she pushed curls from her face and took in the pale blue Victorian with the pitched gray roof, majestic turrets, and gabled dormers.
Placing her hand over her heart, she looked at Hudson. “This isn’t a mansion. I mean, I know it’s huge because it used to be a hotel, but…it’s just Sam’s house.”
She smiled. “He wanted the spindles on the porch railings repainted. And there’s a crack in the breezeway.” She sniffed. “Just in case you didn’t know.”
“I didn’t.” And somehow it didn’t bother him that he didn’t know about these things.
“Hudson?”
He leaned toward her. “Yeah?”
“I’m scared. Are we safe here?”
“Trust me.” He killed the engine. “The Langley Mansion is the most secure property in Bay County. I made sure of it.”
She nodded with a strained laugh, looking at the house. “Do those fishing poles over the doorway ward off evil spirits?”
He laughed too. “My grandmother hated them. She hated fishing, but she wanted this place so she could sit on the balcony and watch the boats come in and out of the inlet and wave to people.”
He let himself linger in the bittersweet memories for a moment in comfortable silence. Sighing, he slipped from the car and strode to Tessa’s side.
She opened her door and took his hand. “Thank you again for arranging for Lia to stay here with me.”
“I thought you could use a friend.” God knew he needed Malcolm to keep him sane. And the gratitude in Tessa’s eyes when he told her he’d arranged for Lia’s mom to have live-in help for the next week rivaled the high of saving a life on the battlefield.
An image of Chris in…wherever the hell he was now, slid into his head.
“Hudson. You okay?”
He shivered, but not from the chilly air. “I’m good.”
She squeezed his bicep. “Neither one of us is good, but you made the situation easier.”
He shrugged. “Just glad I could help.”
“Don’t brush it off like it’s nothing. It’s everything to me.”
Fuck, if he didn’t love the way she looked at him like he was the most valuable thing on the multi-million-dollar property.
Josie ran down the porch steps. “Oh my God, Hudson. I swear, I can’t let you and Malcolm go anywhere together. Things literally explode.” She looked at Tessa. “Hi honey.”
Tessa raised her hand in a wave. “Hi. I’m—"
Josie pulled her into a hug. “I know who you are. I’ve been telling Sam forever to bring you here for dinner, but he said you had your reasons why you couldn’t come.”
“Yeah, well, those reasons don’t seem to matter so much anymore.”
Josie pulled back. Grabbing Tessa’s hands, she held her at arm’s length.
“It’s so good to finally meet you. I just wish…
” She glanced at the mansion and sniffled.
“I knew Sam wouldn’t be around forever, but I didn’t think he’d leave us so soon.
” She wiped her eyes. “I have a suite ready for you and your friend.”
“Thank you, and it’s nice to finally meet you as well.”
Hudson guided Tessa to the porch and opened the heavy wooden double doors.
She stopped and inhaled. “Smells like Sam.”
“Yeah, like bourbon and the sea. This house has smelled that way for as long as I can remember.”
Neither of them spoke as he led her up the stairs to her suite of rooms. He stopped outside the one he’d asked Josie to prepare for her and Lia.
“There’re two bedrooms in there and a small kitchenette.
Josie stocked it with a few things. Just let us know what else you need and we can get it later.
” He pointed to a door at the end of the hall. “My suite is down there.”
“Thank you. I’ll need to go shopping for some clothes.” She pulled at her scrub top. “This is all I have. Hardly attire for the formal will reading tonight that Malcolm mentioned when we got in the car.”
“A formal will reading wasn’t my idea. And you know Pop wouldn’t care what you wear.”
“I know. But I can’t wear scrubs indefinitely.”
“You should. You’re good at taking care of people.”
A pained look akin to regret crossed her features. He wasn’t sure why, but instinct told him the reason was heavy. Did it have something to do with why she stopped being a paramedic?
He reached around her to open the door. “We’ll worry about clothes when you wake up. Get some sleep.”
She spread her hands on his chest. “But there won’t be time. The will reading is at six, and it’s almost noon. Maybe I should go to the store now.”
Warmth spiraled through his core as she pressed her palms into his T-shirt. Stepping into her, he placed his finger over her lips. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Right, you’ll take care of…” She trailed her finger down his abs.
Hudson shouldn’t finish that sentence the way his dick urged him to. There were too many unknowns, too many tragedies surrounding them. He shouldn’t let desire cloud his judgment.
Or maybe it already had.
He wasn’t sure if wanting her would land him in heaven or hell, but he’d learned to notice the small details. What he’d learned about her was worth the risk.
Tracing her collarbone with his finger up her neck, he pressed just hard enough to coax a little gasp. She bit her bottom lip, her eyes swirling from soft amber to liquid gold as he hooked his thumb under her chin.
“That’s it, little thief, show me more.”
“More of what?”
He dipped his head, his mouth inches from hers, eager to learn more little details about her. “More of everything.”
Malcolm’s voice boomed from the stairway.
“Fuck.” Hudson dropped a quick kiss on Tessa’s mouth. The air between them crackled as he stepped back. Or maybe that had been his frustrated groan.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Malcolm stalking into the suite perpetually reserved for him at the top of the stairs. The door thundered shut as Lia stomped down the hall.
She stopped in front of Hudson and wagged her finger. “Your friend deserves to sleep in the pool house. I’m assuming you have one since this place looks as big as a resort.”
“Resort?” Tessa snickered. “Sam would have laughed if he heard you say that.”
“She’s right. You two get some sleep.”
As he turned and headed toward his suite at the end of the hall, he could feel Tessa’s eyes on his back.
It was his turn to shiver as he pulled up the photo of her he’d taken on the boardwalk this morning.
When he woke in a sweat later, he wanted Tessa’s face fresh in his mind, and the thought of her in that big guest bed to counter the bad dreams.