Authors: Gemma Brooks
Luke’s face turned beat red, and it
wasn’t from the midday’s sun. I couldn’t see his blood boiling, but I could
sense it. He was about to explode. His breathing grew labored as his nostrils
flared. I knew I had to get out of there before he exploded. Luke’s temper was
always a force to be reckoned with.
“Why’d you do it?” he asked through
clenched teeth. “I thought you were better than that.”
“I don’t know,” I said.
“I have to get back to work, Brynn,” he
said. He seemed annoyed with my presence.
“Wait, so?” I hesitated. “What does this
mean? Are we still friends?”
“I don’t know,” he said as he took a few
steps backwards towards his running tractor. “I don’t know.”
“I have a right to sleep with whomever I
want, Luke,” I said. “I sat back as you hooked up with Maggie Lindemeyer. Tessa
Swanson. Heather Rodemeyer. Do you want me to keep going? Because I can.”
Luke rolled his eyes.
“I don’t know why you care all of a
sudden. You never cared before,” I huffed.
He studied my face and I could tell he
had something to say, but he remained tightlipped much to my dismay.
I threw my hands up in the air. I didn’t
come all the way out there and make that confession for him to act so
ambivalent.
“Maybe I’ll call you later,” he said.
“I’m working in a couple hours,” I said.
“Late shift tonight.”
He placed his hands on top of his head
and shrugged.
“Just give me some space for now, Brynn,”
he said. “I need to wrap my head around this.”
He spun around and climbed back into his
tractor, flipping the visor down so that I couldn’t see his face anymore.
I trekked back to my car, not knowing
what to think, as tears began to well in my eyes. I knew I’d made a mistake.
Sleeping with Hudson was a mistake. It was an amazing mistake, sure, but it
wasn’t worth losing Luke over.
I drove back to town with the sun in my
eyes and a trail of gravel dust behind me. The smell of sweet grass and alfalfa
filled the car air, and it all felt like home. I belonged here, I just knew it.
All I could do was hope that Luke would forgive me. I would’ve given anything
in that moment for things to just go back to the way they were.
***
Eight long hours on my feet at the diner
left me worn out and ready for bed. I needed a new pair of shoes, but tips
lately had been leaving much to be desired. All I wanted was to go home, soak
my feet in a hot bath, curl up with a book, and go to bed.
I’d checked my phone every chance I had
all day and there was still no sign of Luke coming around.
“We can close up early if you want,”
Sarah said as she untied her apron. “I don’t see anyone else coming in. It’s
ten ‘til.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said. “I’ll get
the register.”
We locked up shop and shut down the place
as we headed out to the staff parking lot behind the restaurant.
“Um, who’s that?” Sarah asked as we
approached our cars.
I looked up from fishing around in my
purse for my keys to see Hudson Smith leaning against the driver’s side of my
car, arms crossed, and devilishly handsome smile spread across his ridiculously
beautiful mouth.
My heart skipped a beat at the sight of
him. I certainly wasn’t expecting to see him there. I was almost positive that
what we had done was nothing more than a one night stand.
“I’ve got this,” I said to Sarah. “It’s
okay. You can go.”
Sarah lingered for a bit before climbing
into her car and pulling away.
“Hi,” I said to him. “I wasn’t expecting
to see you tonight.”
“I couldn’t stay away,” he said as he
walked towards me and met me halfway. “I’ve been thinking about last night all
day.”
I blushed and hung my head, averting my
eyes from his intense gaze.
The moment he was within arm’s reach of
me, he pulled me close into him. I was powerless under his touch. He had some
sort of unspoken control over me.
He leaned down and placed his mouth onto
mine, kissing me with his soft, tender lips. Under the moonlight and the clear,
Iowan sky above, I was in sheer heaven.
“Come back with me tonight,” he said. “To
my place.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but
instantly the thought of Luke flashed through my mind. I thought about how
upset he was earlier and how he hadn’t talked to me for four days over
something that didn’t even happen. Now that something had happened, I was
almost positive I’d blown any chance I’d had with Luke…and possibly our
friendship.
“What?” Hudson asked, sensing my
hesitation.
“My friend, Luke,” I said. “I told him I
slept with you. He’s mad at me for it.”
“What is he in love with you or
something?” Hudson’s face cringed as he took a step back and ran his fingers
through his hair.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I don’t think
so? He’s just being weird right now.”
“He’s not going to come after me with his
pitchfork is he?” Hudson laughed. His joke wasn’t funny.
I rolled my eyes.
“No, he’s not like that,” I said. “I’m
just pretty sure he’s not going to get over it. He’s never been this way
before.”
“Sounds like he’s jealous.” Hudson
shrugged, and I could tell he was silently pleased about it.
I stood in front of him with my arms
folded, looking away. I couldn’t look at him. He was being so flippant about
something that meant so much to me.
“I threw away my best friend for a little
fling with you,” I said. “I know what we have means nothing to you, but what
Luke and I have…what we had…our friendship…meant everything to me.”
“Hey, now,” Hudson said as he reached for
my arm and pulled me back into his warm embrace. “Why would you think you mean
nothing to me?”
“Because,” I said as I was finally able
to look him in the face. “You’re…you. And I’m…me. I’m no one. You’re hopping on
a plane in a couple days, and I’m never going to see you again. I’ll just be
another notch on your belt.”
“Oh, please,” he huffed. “If you only
knew. I wish you’d stop treating me like I’m some womanizer. I told you last
night I can count the women I’ve slept with on both hands. Not a lot of guys
can say that – famous or not.”
I wanted to believe him, but I just
couldn’t. Not yet.
“I honestly think you’re one of the most
genuine girls I’ve ever met,” he said. “And you’re naturally beautiful.”
He placed his soft palm on the side of my
cheek, then traced his finger down the side of my nose and over my lips.
“You’re a work of art, Brynn,” he said.
“Truly. There’s just something about you. I’m just drawn to you.”
The sensation of his fingertips across my
lips tickled my stomach as I longed for him to kiss me again. I was growing
weaker and weaker in his presence and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do
about it. The things he said to me were things no man had ever said to me
before.
“I don’t understand it,” I said. “I don’t
understand what you see in me.”
“And that’s exactly why I like you,” he
said with a smirk.
He leaned down, head cocked, and kissed
my mouth again. I reached my arms up and rested them on his broad shoulders.
Nothing else mattered but him and me.
“You’re coming home with me tonight,” he
whispered between soft pecks.
I woke up Wednesday morning in a soft
jersey t-shirt that clearly wasn’t my size and in a bed that was much bigger
than mine. My head was pounding and as my eyes adjusted, I realized I was back
in Hudson’s hotel suite.
The sound of the shower running and the
mugginess of the steam that escaped from the bathroom filled the silent air
around me. The room was still dark, and the clock on the nightstand read five
in the morning.
“Shit,” I said out loud as I rubbed my
temples.
The last thing I remembered was running
into Hudson outside of the diner then going back to his hotel room. I must have
drank too much with him, which was a shame, because I couldn’t remember a damn
thing about the night before.
I heard the shower shut off and within
minutes, Hudson emerged with a white hotel towel wrapped around his narrow
waist. His upper body was a pure work of art, and I couldn’t take my eyes off
of him as he rifled through his suitcase and pulled out some clothes.
He slipped on his usual jeans and t-shirt
combination and slipped over to my side of the bed where he took a seat.
“Morning,” he said as he leaned down and
kissed my forehead. “You must’ve been tired last night. One drink and you were
out cold.”
I smiled, trying not to blast him with my
dragon breath. I took relief in knowing that we hadn’t slept together, and I
hadn’t missed out on any fabulous memories of that after all.
“I have an early call time today,” he
said. “I’m leaving town tomorrow. Going home. I really want to see you again.”
I smiled again. I wanted to see him too.
“Can you come over again tonight?” he
asked.
I nodded. If Hudson Smith wanted to spend
one more night with me, who was I to tell him no? Things with Luke had already
taken a turn for the worst, and I was pretty sure we were approaching
unsalvageable territory. I had nothing to lose at this point.
“Great,” he said as he flashed his
megawatt smile. “Come over around eight.”
I pulled the covers back up and settled
down deep into the soft pillows. I shut my eyes and tried to get a few more
hours of sleep. It was way too early for me to even function.
***
I drove back to my apartment a few hours
later, opting to shower in my own bathroom. I didn’t feel like throwing on my
greasy, diner clothes from the night before, as much as I really wanted to
shower in Hudson’s shower once again.
I threw off my dirty clothes and climbed
into my shower. As the water trickled down my back, I squeezed my eyes tight
and thought about the things Hudson had said. I couldn’t tell if he was just
really good with words or if I was being foolish and naïve, but everything he
said made perfect sense to me.
I thought about how angry Luke was. There
was nothing I could say or do to reverse the damage that had already been done.
If our friendship wasn’t strong enough for him to forgive me, then what
business did I have wasting my life trying to make it up to him?
I still loved Luke though. He was like a
comfortable pair of jeans, the kind you keep forever because they fit you just
perfectly and they just don’t make that style anymore. Even if they rip, you
still love the hell out of them. You wear them until they fall apart. And then
you mend them and wear them some more. That was Luke for me. But if I wasn’t
his comfy, old pair of jeans, there was nothing I could do about that.
I rinsed the conditioner from my hair and
the soap from my body and stepped out, wrapping my hair in a towel and tossing
a thick, fluffy pink robe around my body. I patted on a bit of moisturizer,
brushed my teeth, and headed out of the steamy bathroom.
As I crossed the living room and headed
towards my bedroom, I about fainted when I saw Luke sitting on my sofa.
“Luke!” I gasped. “Oh, my God. You scared
the hell out of me.”
I laughed, but I was still startled. I
was just relieved it was him and not some crazy, random stalker guy.
I pulled my robe tight. “What are you
doing here? You didn’t call or anything.”
I knew Luke had a key to my place, I’d
given it to him years ago in case I ever misplaced mine, but it was rare for
him to just stop by unannounced.
Luke couldn’t even look at me. He just
sat there, hunched forward, with his hands folded together in front of him.
“I’ve been thinking a lot,” he said. “I
keep thinking about you and him. What he did to you. What you did with him.”
“Luke,” I said. “Don’t…”
“I don’t know how I can get over it,
Brynn,” he said. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes. In seven years of
being with Luke, I’d only ever seen him cry once when his grandma passed away
while we were still in high school.
“So you’re sure you can’t forgive me?” I
asked.
“It just changes things,” he said.
“It doesn’t have to,” I said.
I shuffled over and took a seat next to
him. I didn’t know if he wanted me to sit by him or not, but I didn’t care.
The truth was, I didn’t know what to say.
I didn’t have a legitimate reason for sleeping with Hudson other than the fact
that he was who he was and I allowed him to seduce me.
“I can’t change what I did,” I said. “I
can’t expect you to forget it either. I just don’t know why you care so much.”
He turned towards me again, and I fully
expected him to finally confess that he had feelings for me and that that was
why it hurt him so bad. He said nothing.
“What I have with Hudson, that’s
nothing,” I said. “Just a fling.”
“What you have with Hudson,” he repeated
me verbatim. “What’s that mean?”
“Huh?” I tried to play dumb, but I knew
I’d backed myself into a corner.
“I thought you just hooked up with him
once,” he said. “Is it turning into a thing now?”
“I don’t know what it is,” I said.
“Did you see him again?” Luke asked. I
could hear his heavy breathing kicking in. He was getting upset again.
“Last night,” I said. “But nothing
happened.”
“Brynn,” Luke groaned. He stood up and
stuck his hands in his pockets. “How can you sit here and tell me it meant
nothing when you are still taking to that guy and hanging out with him?”
He had a point, and I wished more than
anything that I had a good answer for him. Things were complicated, and I knew
that. I didn’t have valid excuses for anything anymore.
Luke took a few steps towards the door.
“Wait,” I said. “So you’re leaving? Just
like that?”
He spun around and put his hands out as
if he couldn’t make it any more obvious.
“So that’s it?” I asked. “Why’d you even
come here tonight?”
His shoulders drooped as he looked me
square in the eyes.
“I don’t know,” he said. I’d never seen
him look so defeated before.
In that moment, I had two choices: I
could either continue our argument that was clearly going around in circles and
getting us nowhere or I could just let him go. If he wasn’t man enough to fight
for me and finally admit he loved me too, then I knew I needed to move on and
explore other options.
“Goodbye, Luke,” I said.
He seemed a little shocked that I didn’t
say anything beyond that, but within seconds he’d left my apartment and slammed
the door. A picture frame containing a picture of us from our high school
homecoming coronation fell off the wall and the glass shattered on the wood
floor in his place.
***
At exactly 8:05pm, I found myself
standing in front of Hudson’s hotel room door, knocking lightly. I had taken my
sweet time getting ready that night and was wearing my tightest jeans and
lowest cut blouse. I had curled my hair and slicked on red lipstick. I hoped I
didn’t look like too much of a whore, but I wanted him to remember me. As far
as I knew, it was going to be our last night together.
“Brynn,” he said as he opened the door.
His eyes washed over me, looking me up and down. “Wow. You’re all…dressed up.”
My face turned several shades of scarlet
as I suddenly felt sheepish. Maybe I overdid it?
Hudson pulled me by the arm and led me
over to his bed where I promptly sat down.
“Want something to drink?” he asked.
“Sure,” I replied.
“Just don’t pass out on me this time,” he
laughed. He turned to the mini bar and pulled out a couple tiny glass bottles
and began to mix them with some soda of some sort. “Here you go.”
I took a sip and let the bubbles fill my
mouth and tickle my tongue. I wanted to stay in that moment forever. Hudson
would be leaving town soon and our little fairytale wonderland would be nothing
but a few memories.
“You seem extra quiet tonight,” he said
as he took a seat next to me. “Something on your mind?”
I didn’t want to get into it with him,
but I didn’t want to keep thinking about it all night either.
“Luke stopped by my apartment earlier,” I
said.
“And?”
“He’s still not taking it very well,” I
said. “He basically said I ruined everything and he can’t even look at me.”
Hudson huffed as he took another sip of
his drink.
“His loss,” he said. “Truly.”
I clutched onto my plastic cup with both
hands, staying mum.
“Brynn,” he said. “Please don’t let that
asshole make you feel bad about what happened.”
“Easy for you to say,” I sighed.
“Life is too short,” Hudson said as he
placed his arm around me and squeezed me tight. “Have you enjoyed our time
together this week?”
I nodded slowly. I’d enjoyed it
thoroughly. It was probably one of the best weeks of my entire life.
“Okay then,” Hudson said. “Don’t feel bad
about it. If Luke wants to forgive you, he will. If he doesn’t, then move on.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
“That’s because it is,” he said. “He’s
clearly jealous. He clearly has feelings for you or else he wouldn’t freak out
about you hooking up with someone else. If he’s not man enough to get over it
and feels the need to make you feel like shit for having a little fun, he
doesn’t deserve you.”
I’d never known anyone to call Luke a jerk
before, but that was probably because he was pretty revered and respected in
Rock River. Everyone knew not to mess with him or he and his three brothers
would come after them. I guess he was sort of a jerk, but he was always my
jerk.
Hudson’s face turned towards mine, and I
knew it was only a matter of time before we were lip locked. I wanted it so
badly. I wanted him once more.
He slipped his soft hand under my chin.
“You’re so different than anyone I’ve
ever met,” he said in a low, sexy groan. “You’re intoxicating.”
He leaned down and kissed me, his hands
gliding down my sides and resting on my hips as we fell backwards on the bed.
His hand worked its way up my shirt and under my bra, massaging my heaving
breasts. Hudson’s breath tasted like cinnamon once again, and the clean smell
of his aftershave was nothing short of mind-altering.
My hand reached down to undo his jeans,
and I could feel the bulge beginning to form in his pants. His cock, his big,
beautiful cock, was all I wanted. I wanted to taste it. I wanted to touch it. I
wanted it inside me.
Hudson stood up and pulled his pants down
the rest of the way, revealing his solid manhood in all its glory. He pulled my
pants off before leaning down and biting the lace fringe of my panties with his
perfect teeth. He pulled them off slowly and then climbed over top of me.
His hands worked around to my back as he
unhooked my bra, leaning down to kiss my collarbone at the same time. I loved
when our bodies were pressed together like that, naked, one on top of another.
I had never felt so close to anyone in my entire life. When I was with Hudson,
he made me feel like I was the only person in the entire world. His undivided
attention was intense to say the least.
“I want you so bad,” he whispered. “I’ve
been thinking about this all day.”
I felt myself begin to grow wet with his
words as his hands caressed every inch of my body. I reached up and gripped
onto his muscled shoulders, tracing my fingernails down over each ripple and
bend.
He scooped his hands under my back and
lifted my body upwards until we were near the head of the bed, laying me down
delicately until my head rested on a pillow. His eyes locked and never leaving
mine, he reached over into his nightstand and pulled out a shiny gold wrapper.
“I can’t wait any longer,” he said. “I
have to be inside you.”
Those words sent me reeling as I widened
my hips and readied myself for him to take me over. Within seconds, he was
ready and positioned himself between my thighs. His hand reached down and
massaged my clit for a little bit until I was good and ready, and then he
wrapped his hand around the base of his cock and pressed it into me.