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After drying off, I wiped the condensation from the mirror and studied my reflection. The man staring back at me didn’t look any different than he had earlier today, but I sure as hell felt it. Could I really be the man Hudson somehow saw beneath my mistakes? Could I be deserving of his forgiveness and my own?
Hope sparked in my chest, but I tamped it down, not wanting to get carried away too soon.
Instead, I focused on looking the part of a guy on top of his shit. I’d carefully selected my outfit for tonight when I packed for the trip, but now it was just the only thing I had left that hadn’t been drenched in rain and mud.
I slipped on the tailored black slacks and crisp maroon collared shirt, rolling the sleeves up my arms to add an unaffected air. Leather dress shoes completed the look, and then I began the task of taming my short, unruly waves.
After giving myself a final once-over, confident I was dressed to impress, I tucked my cell into my pocket, then thought better of it and tossed it on the bed. I wouldn’t need it tonight, especially with the strict “no photos or videos allowed” policy that had been issued for the party.
The pulse of the music vibrated through my body the minute I stepped out of my room. Hudson’s door was still firmly shut, and if I knew him, he’d be taking his time getting ready, paying painstaking attention to every detail of how he presented himself.
I debated waiting for him, but when another round of nerves kicked in, I decided grabbing a drink at the bar would be a better idea. No need to get more worked up about things I couldn’t control.
Even though I hadn’t been away long, somehow the mansion was already packed with guests, the energy being thrown off electric and intoxicating. Now that it was dark, the transformation of the mansion from an elegant home to an extravagant house of celebration was even more evident.
People actually live like this,I mused as I sipped on one of the—insanely strong—specialty cocktails the bartender was whipping up in droves. Everything about tonight had been designed to appeal to the senses, all the way down to the smallest of details, like the signature scent Halo had picked out that Levi told us was being circulated through the ventilation shafts.
That was a feature I never would’ve even thought about, and it added a sexy allure to the already appealing crowd.
And what a crowd it was.
Not knowing a soul meant that I could wander around like a fly on the wall, something entirely new for me. Everywhere I turned, there was another famous face. I never thought I was someone who would be starstruck, but the reality of seeing the people you’d watched on TV or in concert up close and personal was beyond surreal. They were all somehow even more attractive—and, for many, much smaller—than I’d expected.
This was the kind of event I’d normally be so in my element for, schmoozing and drinking, having laughs, meeting new people. The venue couldn’t be more exquisite, the food and alcohol more top tier. The sheer amount of hot, queer men in one place at one time was at an all-time high.
And yet…
I couldn’t take my eyes off the man who’d just entered the room.
Dressed in a navy suit, Hudson had ditched his signature formal tie and left his jacket and the top of his collared shirt unbuttoned, giving him a new look that was so casual and sexy I could only stare. Even in a house full of beautiful celebrities, he stood out, his good looks and height ensuring he made a striking entrance.
He scanned the space, and when his gaze landed on me, a smile slowly split his lips.
Dear God, Hudson Montgomery was absolutely breathtaking. Literally. I couldn’t catch my breath.
In that instant, everything clicked.
If there was ever going to be more for us, I knew what I needed to do, and now was the time to do it.
And that was exactly why I had to leave.
As a crowd passed between us, breaking our eye contact, I headed for the person I knew could make things happen.
I found him laughing and looking a lot more relaxed than he’d been all day, but that might’ve had something to do with the man whose arms were wrapped around him.
I tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned around, I saw that the man he was linked to was none other than the one member of Fallen Angel I’d only briefly met after the concert—Killian.
“Sorry to interrupt, Levi,” I said, giving them both an apologetic smile. “But where can I find Viper?”
26
HUDSON
MY SMILE FELL as I moved through the crowd to the spot Drew had seemingly disappeared from. I knew he’d seen me, but with a room full of people between us, I’d somehow lost him.
Or had he taken one look at me and run?
That doesn’t bode well,I thought, ignoring the way my stomach sank.
