Page 45 of One Quick Obsession

Another person came up to him, what felt like the one hundredth person at that point, and he grunted in thanks as his agent carried most of the conversation. I stood back in my red dress, wondering what the hell I was doing here.

Hudson’s words were exactly who he was. He didn’t like being the center of attention and would rather do things for others in his family than be forced to show that he was a talented man. Because goddess, his work was breathtaking.

I had always known that Hudson Cage could paint. I’d secretly wanted one of his smaller paintings that I could afford for my own house. I’d seen his murals around town, as well as some of the pieces he had done for his family and friends.

For a man who never spoke unless forced to sometimes, he communicated in his art.

I felt like I could walk through some of the paintings and stand in our forest. Many times it was landscapes, or pieces of life that others wouldn’t be able to tell were from Cage Lake but spoke of home and family.

Other times his work would be slightly abstract, and perhaps you wouldn’t realize exactly where it came from, until you focused and realized the painting spoke to you in a way you didn’t understand.

I had never known an artist firsthand. I never realized that we could be friends like this.

When Hudson had invited me to his art show, part of me had wanted to ignore the text. Set my phone down and go about my day off like I normally would. With my mother, my sister, or alone. Because I would be better off that way. I had no idea what would happen next when it came to Hudson, but I had lied to myself in saying that I was fine. That I knew what I was doing.

Because here I was, saying yes to Hudson, and now I was in Denver with him.

And we would be staying overnight at the hotel we had barely seen after we had checked in. And it wasn’t as if it was some dingy little hotel on the outskirts of town. No, it was the five star hotel near the gallery, and we had dropped off our bags before finding our way back here.

I’d only had a few moments to get ready, as traffic had been bad and yet, the look on Hudson’s face when I walked out of the bathroom in my red dress, the one that fit my curves and made my breasts look amazing if I did say so myself, was worth the stress and the agony of the drive.

He had taken one look at me, growled, and then dragged me out of that hotel suite.

Because there was only one bed in that hotel suite.

And I knew as soon as we were finished with this art show, we would be using that bed.

We had danced around each other long enough, and I was tired of pretending that I didn’t want Hudson.

This would break me in more ways than one when it ended. And it would end. I did not make good decisions when it came to men, and I was just like my mother after all. I didn’t think Hudson would ever hurt me in that way, but he could break me in countless other ways.

He would break my heart without even trying, because we hadn’t made each other promises. We hadn’t truly spoken about what would happen.

Yet it would.

When his hand touched the small of my back, I pulled myself out of my worries and turned to his agent.

His agent was nothing like I had expected. Though I wasn’t sure what I had expected.

Ellis had to be 6’5 at least, broad shoulders, and could fill out a suit perfectly. He’d also come with his husband and his wife, the three of them looking like damn models. In fact, all three of them had modeled for other artists in the past, and I knew their story had to be interesting as hell.

One of Hudson’s brothers was in a poly relationship, so it didn’t surprise me at all that Hudson’s inner circle was welcoming. The other generations of Cages may have been bigoted assholes, but this generation? They were open, honest, and surprising.

It wasn’t any wonder I was falling for him.

No, I wasn’t. I could not fall for Hudson Cage. If I did so, I would make such a mistake that there would be no healing from it. I couldn’t hide from Hudson as it was. Running away from him after finally giving into what I’d tried to hide would shatter everything that I had tried to build since Ronin and my father.

So no, I wouldn’t fall for him.

But as I met his gaze and licked my lips, noticing the way his eyes went to the action, I would be going to bed with Hudson Cage tonight.

“Scarlett, I’m so glad that you could make it,” Ellis said as he held out his hand. “This one has been quite secretive when it comes to you.”

I rolled my eyes. “There are no secrets needed. I’m the one that he annoys when he comes to the resort I manage.”

“I don’t annoy you. You annoy me,” Hudson grumbled.

Ellis looked over at his husband, who in turn, leaned down and kissed their wife on the cheek. “I annoy both of them on a daily basis,” Ellis put in. “But that’s how our relationship started.”