AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do you ever think about having more kids? I mean, you work in a fertility clinic. Surely seeing all those happy faces makes you want to feel it yourself,” she said, her blue eyes flicking between my own and my lips. “I know it would for me.”
“No,” I answered, and judging by the flinch she gave, it wasn’t the answer she expected. “I’m happy with Jamey. He’s my entire world, you know? I’d do anything for that little squirt. So I don’t really see a need to change that. Being able to give that good news to my patients is enough for me.”
She nodded as she took in my answer, processing it like she did when she’d realized I’d gotten her pepperoni pizza. That’s my favorite, she’d said. How did you know?
“Have you given any more thought to the fake engagement?” I asked, trying to cut the silence with the first thing that popped up into my mind. “It’s the least I can do in exchange for you watching Jamey.”
She lifted a single brow. “I thought you were paying me.”
“Well, that too.”
For a moment she seemed to get lost in her thoughts again. I’d never wanted to read someone's mind more in my life as I watched her part her lips, her tongue running across the length of her teeth. “I just don’t know if we can pull it off.”
“Yeah, that’s fair,” I lied, putting on my best smile as she looked back at me. I just want to push her buttons. She looks so fucking hot when she’s annoyed. “It’s just not believable. I’m way out of your league.”
Her mouth popped open, her brows furrowing. “Asshole,” she laughed, shifting herself until she was on her knees facing me, the plush cushion dipping below her. “I am so within your league. In fact, I’m out of your league. You wish you could get a fiancée like me.”
“You think?” I chuckled, downing the last of my glass. I was going to need it. “Is that why you flashed me from your window yesterday morning?”
She struggled to keep her laughter at bay, her mouth going into a thin line that tipped up at the edges as she tried to hold it back. “Now that really was an accident.”
Her hand reached out to push me, her body moving too fast for the glass of wine she held. The blood-red liquid tipped over the edge, half landing on my chest and half landing on the black sofa beneath us, creating an even darker patch of dampness.
When I looked back at her, she’d paled. “I’m so sorry,” she said, her eyes wide and her hand stuck in place against my chest. “Oh my god. Oh my god, okay, uh, I’ll clean this up.”
“Sophie—”
“No, no, I’ve got this.” She set the remaining wine on the table and scrambled from her seat, rushing to the kitchen. She came back with a roll of paper towels clutched in her hand, the panic on her face only growing. “I can buy you a new shirt. The couch, though…”
“Sophie, the couch is fine?—”
“How much was your shirt? Actually, don’t answer that.” She unspooled a few strips of the absorbent material and balled them in her hand, pressing the wad into the damp patch on the couch. “Just send me a link or something, it’ll be fine.”
Without thinking, I wrapped my hand around her wrist, holding her hand in place against the couch. Her pulse raced below my fingers. “Sophia. It’s fine,” I said sternly, dragging her attention back to me. “I got a black couch specifically because Jamey spills shit all the time. You can’t even see it. It’s fine.”
She blinked in confusion as she slipped her hand from my grasp. I didn’t fight her on it. “Okay, but your shirt, Hudson. There’s wine all over your fucking shirt.” She grabbed another handful of paper towels and pressed them to the drying stain against my chest, and suddenly, my pulse was the one racing.
I grabbed her wrist again, holding her hand to my chest, only the thin wad of paper between her hand and me. She stilled. “I’m a parent,” I said slowly, sitting up just a hair to bring myself an inch closer to her. I could smell her perfume, thin and light, floral. It was intoxicating. “I assume everything I wear will eventually end up with stains. It’s okay.”
“Let me fix it,” she whispered, her eyes flicking between both of mine, her body leaning in toward me.
My hand moved without me telling it to, damning me where I sat, crossing every boundary I wanted. It wrapped itself around the back of her neck, taking in every inch of her soft skin beneath it like it was a script I had to memorize. The baby hairs along the edge of her hairline tickled my flesh, and she gulped, her mouth popping open enough for me to fantasize about filling it.
I pulled her to me, closing the distance between us and pressing my lips to hers.
Chapter 10
Sophie
Friday Night
Shock spread through me like wildfire, but I didn’t pull away. Couldn’t even consider it. My mind had made its own decision.
The moment I gave in to him, parting my lips and leaning closer, he was on me. The hand that held mine to his chest wrapped itself around my waist, tugging me fully into his lap, as his other pushed its way into my hair, closing like a vice around the strands.
He kissed like a fucking god, and I wondered if I was even breathing as his tongue delved between my lips, meeting mine. I pressed my palms against his chest, fisting his stained shirt in my hands, and committed myself to tasting him, a mix of something uniquely Hudson and the wine we’d been drinking, the wine I’d definitely had a glass too much of seeing as I’d let my guard down beyond my comfort zone.
A stinging, split second of pain blossomed across my scalp as he used my hair as leverage, tugging downward to lift my chin well above his own. His mouth left mine as he did it, his lips brushing their way down my throat, his mouth parting once again as he licked and nipped at the flesh there. I sucked in a breath.
