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“Don’t tell anyone about Lacey. She doesn’t want anyone to know. I don’t even know why I told you. Shit.” Laurel’s arm touched mine, and I bit my lip.
The dinner went fine. I stayed the entire time. Everyone was shocked. I tried to pick out hints as to why she had been invited to dinner, but I gave up. Seeing her outside her norm, or the office, Laurel was not that bad. Oh no, she was growing on me.
Laurel and I left at separate times. Hell, if I had known she was coming, then we could’ve carpooled. What the fuck was I thinking? No, no carpool. This woman was having a funny effect on me. Did I like her or not? Did I despise her or not? I couldn’t seem to make up my mind.
When I got home, I headed directly to the shower. I imagined what she was doing on the other side of the wall. My dirty side got the best of me. Was she in the shower, letting the lukewarm water penetrate her delicate skin?
Enough! I turned off the shower and draped the towel around my waist. I got a peculiar feeling she was standing outside my door.
Chapter 12
Laurel
His door swung ajar, and I froze.Was this a dream?Come on, haven’t you ever had a dream of a man answering his door in just a towel before? I have many times, especially about Hudson. Although, the real deal proved considerably more interesting. I didn’t say a word. I was way too busy examining every inch of his body that I could see. Broad shoulders, abs, and scars. Scars from his time in the military, I was certain.
As I moved down his body, no prosthetic.
Without even comprehending it, I traced one of the scars on his pec. I wouldn’t have done it if I had thought about it first. He had already made it very clear that we weren’t becoming anything. Why was I torturing myself with this man?
Examining his body again, I heard the door click behind us. When did we move? He didn’t tell me to stop or leave, nor did he yell at me yet. Was this progress we were making? “So, what are you doing?” I said, trying to lighten the mood.
“Standing here half-naked, allowing a girl to check me out. Not awkward at all,” he said sarcastically.
This was the first time I’d ever heard him have a sense of humor. I liked it. The way he had said it made it seem playful. I could tell he felt vulnerable.
“I forgot my prosthetic. Let me go put that on. No one besides family has ever seen me without it,” he said, turning away to head toward his bedroom.
“You don’t need to. Be yourself. You don’t have to put it on because of me.” I wanted to let him know it didn’t bother me. Who cared if he had a prosthetic? I didn’t. He was still sexy even without it. I didn’t want him to feel vulnerable with me like that. He didn’t need to shut down when around me. I desired him to open up and be the sarcastic guy.
Wait, did he say no one had ever seen him without it? What did he do when he fornicated with women? Leave it on? I mean, I couldn’t say I knew how that worked, but it looked excruciating to have to wear.
“What about your girlfriends or people you have slept with?” I wanted to punch myself in the face because it was none of my business. “Never mind.” I didn’t want to look at him. I was straddling boundaries that he explicitly asked me not to cross and for a legitimate reason. “What happened?” I asked as I retraced his scars.
His eyes were shut, his jaw clenched. “Demons caused this, right? Things that haunt you from the military? How do you not let that consume you? I can’t imagine what you endured over there.”
“How do you figure?” he replied.
“You run your own company, employ fellow soldiers. Not saying you are perfect, but you are a good person.” He probably didn’t want to hear it, but it was true. It had taken me until now to realize it.
He just stared at me.
“I can’t control how you feel about yourself, but that’s what I think.” I couldn’t stop talking. Why couldn’t I just shut up? For some reason, I was nervous which was making me ramble. Fuck.
“How do you feel?” Hudson asked me, looking sharply into my eyes.
I grasped what he was asking. “It doesn’t matter. You have made that clear already.” I wanted to kiss him so badly. He was right here, half-naked, and I should, but I don’t. If he made the first move, then that was on him, but he had requested me not to overstep boundaries, so I wouldn’t.
I turned the other way to leave, but he restrained me by grasping my arm and spinning me around, forcing my eyes to meet his.
“Tell me; I want to know, Laurel. Please?” he begged.
He was caressing me tenderly with his calloused hands, gazing into my eyes. I didn’t want to break eye contact because who knew if I would ever get the chance to be this close to him again. “I think you are the hottest, brooding, depressed man I have ever met. Once you let someone in, she will be a lucky woman.” I hit him with a quick kiss on his cheek and headed for the door. I didn’t want to make too big of a deal about this. I wanted him to know he was worth something. A woman that cared for him wasn’t going to think less of him because he had a prosthetic. Yes, he could be an ass, but he could be tender and loving too. He just proved that to me. I wished he didn’t. I couldn't stop thinking about him, and now this.Fuck me!
Chapter 13
Hudson
Three days ago, I had made a dreadful mistake. Laurel caught me without my prosthetic, which was rare, and shirtless. My scars were out in the open for anyone to see. I didn’t reveal them because I didn’t want to discuss the reason for them. No need to relive those memories. Sure, I have slept with women in the last two years, and my shirt was off, but they represented nothing. I wouldn’t ever see them again. Most of the time, the lights were off, and that made it easier to hide.
