His eyes hold mine.
“It’s not,” he says. “At least not for me.”
I believe him. That’s what scares me the most. I nod slowly.
“Okay.”
Hudson searches my face for another moment, then carefully shifts his weight. He doesn’t move away completely, but he eases the pressure between us, giving me space. One of his hands comes up to brush damp hair away from my face.
“We can stay like this,” he says. “Or I can sit you down properly and we can just… breathe for a minute. Whatever you want.”
I glance around the small cabin. The bench is narrow. The rain is still loud. The world outside feels very far away. I don’t want him to move away yet.
“Can we just … stay like this for a little longer?” I ask. “Not moving. Just … this.”
A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. It’s softer than I’ve seen on him before.
“Yeah,” he says. “We can do that.”
He leans in and kisses me again -- slow, unhurried, like we have all the time in the world. His arms wrap around me, holding me against his chest. I let myself melt into him, my legs still loosely around his hips, my hands resting on his back.
The urgency hasn’t disappeared. I can still feel it humming between us, low and steady. But the emergency brake is on now. And for the first time since we ran into this cabin, I don’t feel like I’m about to fly off the road.
I rest my cheek against his shoulder and close my eyes.
Outside, the thunder is moving farther away. Inside, Hudson’s heartbeat is steady under my ear. And for right now, that feels like enough.
Chapter 10
Hudson
The thunder rolls farther east, grumbling over the next ridge like it has better places to be. Light filters back through the small window in slow degrees -- gray, then silver. The world outside is starting to look normal again. I don’t feel normal.
Layla sits on the edge of the old workbench, my sweatshirt still hanging off one shoulder. Her blond hair is damp and tangled, her lips swollen from my mouth, her green eyes soft and a littledazed. She looks thoroughly kissed. Like a woman who jumped and is only now realizing she’s still falling. I know the feeling.
“Will you kiss me again, Hudson?” she whispers. “I just needed a moment. I’m ready… if you still want to.”
Her request is sweet, but not begging. She’s giving permission in a situation where I’ve been trying to be careful. Trying to give her space after she pulled back. But the second she asks for more, every good intention I had starts to fray.
I step between her knees again and cup her face with both hands. “You sure?”
She nods, but there’s still a trace of nerves in her eyes.
“I’m sure.”
I kiss her and there’s no hesitation on either side. She opens for me immediately, her hands sliding up my chest and around my neck like she’s been waiting to do it. I groan against her mouth and pull her closer, until her thighs bracket my hips and the only thing between us is too much clothing.
My hands move under the sweatshirt, finding warm skin again. She shivers when I touch her, but she doesn’t pull away. Instead, she presses closer. The soft sound she makes when my thumbs brush over her breasts goes straight through me. I break the kiss just long enough to look at her.
“You still with me?” I ask.
“Yes.” Her answer is breathless but certain. “Don’t stop.”
That’s all I need. I lift her off the workbench and turn, sitting down on the bench in her place. She comes with me willingly, settling onto my lap, straddling me. The position is more intimate than before. More deliberate. Her knees bracket my thighs and the heat of her settles right against me.
My hands slide up under the sweatshirt again, pushing it higher. She helps, lifting her arms so I can pull it over her head and drop it somewhere behind me. The black bathing suit is still damp and clinging to her. I don’t have the patience to fightwith the straps right now, so I simply tug the top down until her breasts are bare to my hands and mouth.
Layla gasps when I take one into my mouth, her fingers threading into my hair and holding me there. I suck gently, then harder when she rocks against me. The friction is maddening. I’m still in my shorts, but I can feel the heat of her through the thin layers between us, and it’s driving me out of my mind.
