Authors: Laurelin Paige
Her smile widened. “That’s an
added bonus for him. He can rile me up and get his kicks with you all at once.
It really has nothing to do with you. It’s about me and my son.” She took a
step toward me, and it took all my strength not to cower. “You, Ms. Withers,
are insignificant.”
I wanted to believe that I would
have slapped her or pushed her into the pool—she deserved either, both really. But
our confrontation was interrupted by Chandler and four other teenage boys boisterously
entering the pool area, dressed in swim trunks and carrying towels.
“Mom?” Chandler said upon seeing
his mother’s back. Sophia stepped aside and he met my eyes. “Laynie,” he said,
surprised to see me or perhaps recognizing the stricken look that I must have
worn. “I didn’t know anyone else was out here.”
“Alayna and I were getting to
know each other.” Sophia switched gears as easily as Hudson.
Chandler cocked a brow
skeptically.
I used the boys’ intrusion to
escape. “The pool’s all yours. I’m done here.” Without looking back, I hurried
into the house through the kitchen and up to the east wing, not stopping until
I was outside our bedroom doors.
Then the tears fell, thick and
heavy. I leaned against the wall, and slid down to a sitting position, unable
to stand in the weight of my grief. So many emotions and thoughts warred for
top billing. Sophia’s insults had hurt, but what pained me most was the
possibility that she was right.
What had I seen to show me
differently? We’d had instances—Hudson and I—where I believed he truly cared,
that he felt more for me than physical attraction, but had I imagined them? I
had my own history of making meaningless moments carry heavier weight than they
were meant to.
And her description of a
sociopath did fit Hudson. I didn’t need to look up the definition—I’d been in
enough group therapy sessions to be familiar with the signs. But I’d never
associated Hudson with the definition until Sophia had pointed it out. Had I
purposefully ignored the connection?
Or was Sophia wrong?
I’d had therapists misdiagnose me
early on in my therapy. And Brian’s understanding of my problems was way off
base. What if Hudson believed the worst about himself because Sophia had
believed it? Maybe he’d never had a chance to prove her wrong.
Maybe that’s what I was—a chance.
The possibility calmed me, though
I was smart enough to realize its improbability.
I wiped my face with my damp
towel and pushed myself up from the ground. Taking a deep breath I pushed open
the door as quietly as I could.
“Alayna?” I heard Hudson reach to
switch on the bedside lamp. “Is that you?”
“Yeah.” I turned toward the door
as I closed it, giving myself a minute to compose myself. “I wasn’t tired, so I
went for a swim.” I took a deep breath then plastered a smile on my face before
facing him.
“Good, I’m glad you…” He leaned
forward, his body tense. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Was I that
transparent? I couldn’t talk to him—not now.
“Your eyes are red. You’ve been
crying.”
“No, no. The chlorine. Bothers my
eyes.” I rubbed at my puffy eyes hoping to accentuate my point.
He tilted his head, as if
deciding whether I was being honest with him.
I couldn’t take his scrutiny. If
he pressed, I’d break, and I needed to settle my emotions about him and his
mother’s claims before I spoke with him about them. What would he say anyway?
He’d either deny it or he wouldn’t. If he denied it, could I trust him? If he
didn’t deny it, could I trust that?
Searching for an escape, I said,
“Um, I’m going to jump in the shower.”
“I’ll join you.”
I didn’t argue. But we didn’t
speak as we entered the bathroom and undressed, Hudson helping me untie the
back of my bikini top before he worked to remove his own clothing. I hung my
wet suit on the edge of the tub and climbed into the shower, adjusting the
temperature until it was near scalding.
When Hudson joined me, his penis
already semi-erect, longing overcame me. I didn’t know all the truth about
Hudson, and I did know many damning truths about myself. But faced with his
naked hard body and the awareness that—whether or not he could love me—he could
make me feel better, at least for the moment, I pulled him toward me urgently,
claiming his mouth with a hunger I’d never experienced.
“Alayna?” He pulled away, his
hands firmly grasped on my shoulders. “Something’s wrong. Tell me.”
“I’m fine. I just…” I loved him.
That was why I was torn up over everything Sophia had said. I loved him and I
wanted—needed—to believe Hudson could love me too.
Not able to say those words—not
yet—I settled for another version of the truth. “I need you.”
He knew I was hiding something,
but he nodded. “I’m here, precious.” Then he took over, fulfilling me in ways
only he could, satisfying me as deeply as he was able.
I lost myself to it, letting
myself forget that he might never be able to love me in any way but this—with
his mouth and tongue and cock.
Maybe it could be enough.
I woke early, aware of Hudson
working behind me in the bed, again on his laptop. But I didn’t let on that I
was awake, allowing myself to process the events of the night before.
Maybe because it was a fresh day,
or perhaps because I wasn’t face-to-face with Sophia, the facts didn’t seem as
overwhelming as they had. The truth was, whatever the reality of our
relationship, it didn’t change the fact that I was in love with Hudson Pierce.
And being in love with Hudson Pierce put me on his side, whether he was capable
of returning my feelings or not. His side meant proving to Sophia that her son
was not the unfeeling sociopath that she believed he was, a task that might
very well be impossible, but I resolved to give it my best shot. After all,
that was the job I’d been hired to do.
And, if I played it right, the
work might even be enjoyable.
Determined, I stretched, sat up
against the bed frame, and leaned into Hudson. I needed to get him out of his
computer and on board.
“Good morning, precious.” He glanced over, his eyes pausing on
my bare breasts before he returned his focus to the screen, a twinkle in his
eyes. “Did you get enough sleep?”
“I did.” The alarm clock on the nightstand
read a few minutes past eight. It was early for me, but I felt rested, adapting
somewhat to his traditional sleep schedule.
Hudson still in bed at that time
of morning was what was surprising, even awake and working. I’d learned during
our get-to-know you game that he usually got up around six. I suspected that
this morning he lingered because of my behavior the evening before. He’d sensed
my distress and he cared that I felt that way. Didn’t that show capability of
love?
Now wasn’t the time to analyze. I
filed it away to ponder later.
I skimmed his shoulder with my
lips, running my fingers through the soft hair at the base of his neck. “Hudson?
Are you going to work all day?”
He stopped typing and rubbed his
rough chin against the side of my forehead. “Does my working bother you?”
“Not really. But I was thinking...” I took a deep breath then
plunged in. “I didn’t really see your mother yesterday. Shouldn’t we try to
spend some time with her today?”
He tensed. “I don’t know if that’s necessary.”
I had guessed he was keeping his
mother and I apart on purpose, that he meant to control the animosity between
us. While I appreciated the gesture, it was counterproductive. We’d come to
the Hamptons because of her. “Isn’t she the person we need to be impressing
with our fabulous relationship sham?”
“Being here together is enough.”
He straightened his head and returned to his screen, the matter settled in his
mind.
But it wasn’t settled for me. I
moved to kneel in front of him, demanding his attention. “No, it’s not enough.”
He lifted his eyes to meet mine. “I think we should go at her gangbusters.
Throw ourselves in her face. You need to ignore your work to make it really
convincing, though. Show her that you’re so in love you can’t even concentrate
on business. You can only think of me.”
Hudson rubbed a hand over his
stubbly face and shook his head.
“What? Not a good idea?”
He shrugged. “It could be a good
idea.” He closed the lid of his laptop and placed it on the nightstand. “But do
you really want to spend time with my mother? She can be...”
“A total bitch?”
“I was going to say abrasive, but
your words fit as well.”
Of course I didn’t want to spend
time with Sophia. But I’d realized that she hated me even more than I hated
her. Spending time with her would bring more misery to her than to me. “It’s
only two more days. I can handle it.”
Hudson reached a hand out to cup
my cheek. “You’re pretty incredible, you know?” His eyes wandered down.
“Actually, I’m finding it hard to concentrate on anything but your beautiful
naked breasts.”
He pulled me in for a kiss,
licking his tongue greedily into my mouth.
When his hand circled around my
breast, I pulled away. “No, no, no. We can’t stay locked up in here all
morning. We have to be downstairs, in the public eye. Or the Sophia eye,
anyway. What time is breakfast?”
He sighed. “Eight-thirty.”
“Damn, I’ll have to shower afterward
then.” I hopped out of bed and began rummaging for clothes in my suitcase. “Hope
no one minds me smelling like sweat and sex.”
Hudson crossed to his own
suitcase. “I’m not going to complain.”
As I pulled out an outfit, I
remembered the night at the symphony, how Hudson reacted to my hand on his
thigh. “I’m warning you right now—I’m playing this full out.” I slipped on some
pink panties. “Expect lots of fondling and touching and kissing and such.” A
pair of tan shorts followed.
Hudson dressed quickly too,
pulling on a pair of jeans, not bothering with underwear. “Thank you for the
warning. Though it should probably be me that initiates most of the fondling
and touching and kissing and such.” He paused to pull a plain dark t-shirt over
his head. “Since it’s my emotions we’re trying to convince her of, not yours.”
I stilled. Did he know my
emotions ran deeper? Was he trying to hint that he knew?
No, I was reading too much into
his words. I reached behind my back to clasp my bra. “Good point.” I turned to
face him. “But can you bring it?”
“Are you challenging me?”
“If it helps.” I pulled a blue
sleeveless blouse over my head.
“I don’t need a challenge. I can
totally bring it.”
I slipped my feet into flip-flops
and swallowed back a laugh, his words sounding so out of character. When I’d
composed myself, I met his eyes. “Game on, then?”
“Game on.”
God, he was adorable.
Arriving to an empty dining room,
we sauntered into the kitchen where Millie promptly pointed us to the veranda
before hustling to get together plates and utensils for us. Hudson took my
hand, lacing his fingers through mine and squeezed, a silent reassurance before
we stepped onto the battlefield. Then he pulled me outside through the open
French doors where we found Mira, Adam, Jack and Sophia already dining on eggs,
potato casserole, ham and fruit cups. Chandler, I guessed, was sleeping in
after his late night adventure. He was a teenager, hardly expected to be out of
bed before noon.
Sophia noticed us first. “Well,
well. They managed to leave the bedroom.”
Mira’s expression turned puzzled
then embarrassed when she saw us. “Mom!”
Adam mumbled a half-hearted
greeting, consumed with whatever he was reading on his phone. Jack nodded at us,
adding a wink, then sat back in his chair as if about to watch something
entertaining.
Sophia set her fork down and
dabbed at her lips with a napkin. “It’s a fair observation. I didn’t expect
them down this early.” Her eyes bore into me. “Especially when Alayna was up so
late swimming.” It was meant to be a reminder.
I’m in control. You’re
insignificant.
I fidgeted as Hudson stole a
glance at me, probably piecing together that my mood the night before had been
because of Sophia. She knew I hadn’t told him about our conversation—if I had,
Hudson and I would have likely been out the door first thing that morning. She
had gambled, and had won the hand. But I still had cards to play.
I kept my features even and
lifted my chin slightly. “Hudson and I wanted to make sure we got to spend some
time with you.” My words spread like honey, but underneath they were hot
pepper. “Are you feeling up to it? I mean, you were up late, too. And you had
that nasty headache.”
“You’d have fewer of those if
you’d lay off the sauce,” Jack jabbed.
Sophia ignored her husband. “I am
feeling better. Thank you.” Her stiff tone belied her insincerity. “And I never
turn down time with my son. Please, join us.”
On cue, Millie set two more place
settings and Hudson pulled two chairs closer to the table, Mira and Adam
already occupying the loveseat. By the time I sat, spread a napkin on my lap,
and accepted a mug of coffee from Hudson, a plate of hot breakfast had been
placed in front of me.
We ate in silence for several
minutes, the usual noises of dining the only sound. Hudson and I exchanged
several looks, both of us eager to demonstrate our supposed romance, neither of
us knowing how. Under the table, my knee bounced with anxiety until he stilled
it with a firm hand. He kept his hand there, resting while we continued eating,
my skin tingling under his touch.
I closed my eyes and drew in a
breath. The smell of summer flowers wafted through the air, the breeze warm and
pleasant. It was a gorgeous day in a beautiful setting, and the atmosphere
relaxed me enough to break the quiet. “So.” I waited until all eyes were on me
to continue. “What’s on the agenda for the day?”