Goosebumps cascaded down my neck at the feel of his warm breath on my ear and I felt my nipples tighten.
Oh God.
Then he released me and I slumped back in my seat, staring up at him, I’m sure dazedly, as he towered over me with a promise in his blue gaze. “What’s your room number?”
I gave him it without thinking it through.
“That one of the suites?”
“Yes.”
His brow wrinkled. “Look forward to hearing how you can swing that on no job, angel.”
“I—”
“Tonight.” He cut me off. “You can tell me tonight. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“Okay.”
He gave me one last assessing look before he turned and walked out of the café.
Feeling completely thrown, confused, excited, scared, and more confused, I looked down at my ereader and wondered what Killian would say if he found out I had feelings for a man I’d just met. He would not be happy. I knew that. Shit.
Before I could let that thought fester, something made me look up and I watched with widening eyes as Hudson marched back through the snow toward the coffeehouse. His features were taut with tension and I wondered what the heck had happened in less than a minute to put that expression on his face.
I would understand seconds later when he threw open the coffeehouse door, strode purposefully toward me, and my now pounding heart, curled a hand around my wrist, and hauled me out of my seat with such force I collided against him.
His arm banded tight around my waist while his other hand tangled through my hair to clasp the back of my head. It all happened so fast I had no time to stop the crush of his lips against mine.
I gasped into his mouth in surprise and he took the opening, his tongue tangling with mine.
And that was how I received the deepest, wettest, sexiest kiss of my life.
I clung to him as fire lashed across my skin. I wanted to burrow into him, feel every inch of Hudson Ward wrapped around me. Thankfullyheremembered we were in public and reluctantly broke the kiss but not his hold on me.
Staring up into his eyes in a lust-filled fog, slowly the titters from the other customers in the café filtered into my awareness and I tensed against Hudson.
He felt it and his grip on me tightened. Then he treated me to a shivery brush of his gorgeous mouth against mine and he said, his voice hoarse, “Best. Fucking. Kiss. Ever.”
At that I laughed because as crazy as it was, it was also bloody true. “Ever,” I agreed as he grinned back at me.
Then, like he couldn’t help himself, he brushed his mouth over mine once more, gave me a squeeze, and said, “Tonight.”
Then he abruptly let me go.
I was still standing, watching him walk out of the coffeehouse and across the snow toward the condos when it occurred to me that as much as I loved my brother, I suddenly couldn’t care less if Killian was happy or not that I had feelings for a man I’d just met.
Hudson Ward was unlike any man I’d ever been kissed by before and I knew even if I fought it, I’d only end up kissing him again. Deep down, in my secret heart of hearts, I knew I wanted him more than I wanted to be sensible.
4
Aknock sounded on my door at seven o’ clock and I blew out a shaky breath.
When I told Catie and Kyle I was going on a date with Hudson, Kyle had looked pensive while Catie beamed from ear to ear.
“You came here to relax, Autumn. I can’t think of a better way to do that than multiple orgasms via Hot Mountain Man.”
Kyle had wandered off at that point, not wishing to participate in that kind of conversation.
