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His candor surprises me, but I like that he’s being so open with me. It doesn’t change the past, but it makes me feel easier with what we’re doing. Even so, I’m not touching that comment with a twelve-foot pole, so I divert. “Are you free for dinner on Sunday with my parents?”
“Yes, of course. Just give me the details and I’ll have Mrs. Price watch Tia.”
“You could bring her.”
Hudson smooths his tie as he turns sideways to look at me beside him. “Thank you, but I think for this first meeting it might be wise to do it alone. Plus, do your parents even know about Tia?”
I shackle my head. “No, I barely had a chance to explain our marriage, let alone anything else.”
“We can bring her next time if this goes well, but I don’t want her dragged into an already complex situation until I’m sure it’s good for her.”
I know what he isn’t saying. That he doesn’t want Tia to have to face the loss of someone else in her life. It’s a gentle reminder, but one I need. “I understand. Thank you for making the time for me.”
His hand slides over mine in my lap and he squeezes gently.
“I’ll always be there when you need me, Audrey. I’ll always make time for you. I promise.”
I know he means what he’s saying, but the sentiment is so similar to words he whispered in our past, and he broke those promises and me with it, so I can’t let myself believe it, even if he does. Yet calling him out seems like the fastest way to destroy this little bit of peace we have right now, and I need that peace more than anything. “I’ll text you the details about Sunday.”
I hear his sigh and watch frustration crease his brow, but he doesn’t lash out or respond, just gives me a slight dip of his head.
The rest of the journey is silent as he answers emails on his phone, and I go over the speech Lincoln sent me for a gala we’re all attending in a few weeks. As we pull up to the curb of my building, I look up, surprised that we are here already, and turn to Hudson, but he’s already out of the car and coming around to open my door. It’s small but it means something to me.
Taking his hand, I step out and release him, tucking my bag over my shoulder and move to walk away.
“Audrey?”
“Yes?”
“Let me know what time you’ll be home tonight, and I’ll make sure dinner is ready.”
I offer him a small smile of thanks and nod as I try to escape the urge to go up on tiptoes and have him kiss me again like he did yesterday.
“Audrey?”
I fight the light feeling as I let my lips tip up at the sides. “Yes?”
“I know you don’t believe me, but I meant what I said in the car. I know I let you down in the past, but I’ve paid for that with what felt like endless years without you. I’ll never make that mistake again.”
Before I can respond, his head dips, his arm comes around my waist, and he kisses me. It’s light, but before I can return the kiss, he’s pulling me closer, his other hand cupping the back of my head, so he can angle me exactly how he wants. My toes curl in my pumps and I moan as his teeth scrape my bottom lip. He groans and yanks his head away. Both of us are breathing hard when he rests his forehead against mine.
“Fuck, I missed you.”
With that, he lets me go and gets back in the car, but he doesn’t pull away until I’m safely inside my building. That is why Hudson is so lethal to my heart, he makes me want every single thing he’s offering. Only we’re different now. I might be his wife, but I’m not the girl he fell in love with.
11Hudson
Glancingacross the console of the car, I watch Audrey chew her bottom lip with nerves and my dick goes hard, wishing it was me. Friday had been similar to Thursday. I’d cooked a simple dinner of taco bowls and Audrey had spent time making friendship bracelets with Tia while I got a few things done in the office. I hated to work when I was home, but this current project was urgent.
We had a twenty-two-year-old woman who’d married a much older man and was now in a violent, dangerous situation. Lorenzo had been made aware of it by one of his captains and we were arranging for her to be extracted safely. Lorenzo would handle that, and I’d handle the legal side of getting her a divorce and a new life.
Saturday, Audrey spent time with her parents alone, and I went about my usual routine with Tia. Ballet lessons had commenced, despite my lingering concern over Tia having a sniffle still, but she’d been fine and enjoyed it immensely. Audrey had gotten in after dinner and gone to her room, or my room, after saying goodnight to Tia. I hadn’t wanted to bother her, but I was concerned about how she was managing everything that was going on.
I stood at the door to my room for a good five minutes trying to figure out what to do. The thought of her in my bed every night, her smooth skin against my sheets, had me gripping my dick and jerking off like a teenage boy with a Victoria’s Secret catalog. If I don’t get a handle on my need for her soon, I’ll probably end up with a repetitive stress injury. Despite all of that, having her here feels good, right. That was fucking terrifying because at some point she’d leave and I’d have to figure out for the second time in my life how to live without her.
Now we are on our way to her parents so I can meet them as their son-in-law for the first time. Audrey was quiet all morning, and I hate seeing her like this. The thought of her hurting guts me in ways I can’t explain. It was like her hurting physically pains me.
“Hey, you okay?” I reach for her hand and am pleasantly surprised when she takes it. Her luminous eyes move to me before I glance back to the road. I should have had a driver to bring us, but I wanted this to feel more personal, so I opted to drive my Range Rover.
