by Meg Ripley
“Sophie, dear, that’s very sweet, but she said she’s got to go. You’re going to have to let go.” Kim opened the door to prove her point and gasped.
Leona looked up to find Hudson standing on the threshold, his fist raised as he was about to knock.
10
Hudson dropped his hand and forced a smile as he looked at Kim. “Sorry to startle you.”
“No, that’s all right!” the woman laughed. “Come on in.”
“I was actually just coming over to let Leona know we’ve got to go. A bit of a family emergency, you see.” That was the understatement—or perhaps the misstatement—of the year.
Leona shot him a secret glare before she turned her face back to the child, soft and sweet. “I promise I’ll find a time to come and visit you again soon, okay? But you’ll have to let me go so I can come back.”
The little girl dropped her arms from Leona’s neck, heavy with regret. “Okay.”
“I’ve never seen her get so attached to someone so quickly,” Kim said, her voice a mixture of apology and awe. “She’s crazy about you.”
“I’m pretty crazy about the little munchkin, too. Thank you so much for lunch, Kim. It was nice.”
Hudson tried not to huff impatiently, but this was taking far too long.
“I’ll give you a shout next week and maybe we can do it again! And,” Kim paused, giving a meaningful look to Leona, “make sure you talk to your husband, okay?”
“I will.” Leona gave Kim’s arm a friendly squeeze and walked out the door. She kept the smile on her face until the front door closed behind them and they were down the porch steps. “What the hell are you doing coming over here and retrieving me like that? I’m perfectly capable of getting home myself, you know.”
“Clearly not, considering you completely ignored my messages.” Hudson reached out to take her by the elbow, but she snatched her arm away. “Did you even read them?”
“Of course, I did. But I had my own important things going on over there.” They’d turned out onto the sidewalk and toward their house, and Leona picked up the pace.
He lengthened his stride to keep up with her. “As important as discovering that their buyer is working with a known terrorist organization?”
Her steps faltered for a second, but then she charged on, crossing the street and up the walkway in front of their house. “Are you shitting me?”
“I wish. I’d sent everything from the exchange by the river down to headquarters like we talked about. While you were drinking martinis and eating finger sandwiches, I got a match on the guy’s face.” Hudson punched his code into the electronic lock and opened the door, shutting and relocking it behind them once they were inside. “So maybe next time I tell you to get home, you’ll listen to me.”
“Nope.” She whirled on him. “I’m not going to say that’s not vital information, but I was making some interesting progress of my own.”
He ran a hand through his hair, which was actually staying in place now that he had that hair gel Leona had bought for him. He had yet to thank her for it, but this wasn’t the time. “Look, Leona, I respect you and everything you’ve done for our country, but I don’t think you understand what we’re supposed to be doing here. Making friends with the local housewives is only going to get us so far.”
She stepped forward purposefully. Her makeup was more subtle than what the other women in the neighborhood wore, but it accentuated her brown eyes and soft mouth. Even when she was scowling at him, she was gorgeous in her blouse and with her hair done up. “For your information, Hudson, I was doing a lot more than just sitting around chatting about house cleaning tips. Kim has officially invited us to join their pride.”
The breath left his lungs and refused to come back in for a moment. “Well,” he finally said, slowly, “it looks like we’re both making progress then, aren’t we?”
“Yes, we are. And I think it’s about damn time you give me the credit I deserve. You don’t know me, and you don’t trust me. I get that to a certain extent, but I’m just as capable of getting out there and doing the job as you are. I’m sick and tired of tiptoeing around your fucking male ego because you have some ridiculous idea that you have to be the one in control.” Her eyes flashed, and he recognized that elegant, steadfast lioness once again.
Hudson felt his own eyes darken as his breath came faster. He closed that small distance left between them. “And maybe I’m tired of you thinking you can just waltz out the door without me worrying about you, Leona. It doesn’t matter how capable you are of taking care of yourself. I still want to protect you, to keep you safe from everything we’re dealing with.”
Leona had room to back away from him, but she refused. “Just because you feel that way doesn’t give you the right to step in and take control of everything we do. I don’t see how the two of us can continue to work together under these conditions.”
“I think you’re right.” In an instant, he crushed his lips to hers, pressing their bodies together as he took her by the hips and pulled her forward. She stiffened for a moment before her lips softened, returning the kiss. Hudson groaned as he brought one hand up to touch her hair. He’d been thinking about this ever since he’d met the woman. It hadn’t been all that long, and yet he felt as though he’d waited an eternity to touch her, as though his body had always known she was out there somewhere, waiting for him.
Her breath was soft and warm against his skin, and she fit so perfectly into his arms. Hudson immediately forgot about everything else they had going on. The fire he carried for her consumed him above all else as he deepened the kiss, feeling the sensation of his tongue against hers. It was her turn to let out a low moan, but then she splayed her hand against his chest and pulled back.
“Can we really do this?” she whispered breathlessly, her eyes shining up into his.
His embrace tightened around her. “We need to do this.”
She nodded and kissed him again. Hudson’s mind was completely gone. Every cell in his body lived only for this moment. He needed her as though he had an itch buried deep inside himself that only she could scratch. His fingers pulled at the delicate fabric of her blouse, removing it from the waistband of her pants so that he could touch the soft skin of her lower back. He let his hands rove upward over the smooth planes of her back and then around to cup her breasts through the thin fabric of her bra.
Leona’s hands were working, too. She clutched at his t-shirt at first as though holding onto him for dear life, but as things progressed and she began to relax, she was exploring as well. She touched the delicate skin at the base of his throat where his pulse pounded and buried her fingers in his hair as their tongues entwined.
“I’ve needed you for so long,” Hudson whispered as he pulled at the small buttons on the front of her shirt, exposing her inch by inch. “You’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever met. You have no idea what you do to me.” He backed her up toward the couch.
She surprised him by pushing him down onto the cushions and straddling his hardness. The strong muscles of her thighs touched his, turning him on all over again. “Oh, yes. I do.”
He peeled away that blouse, such a thin and flimsy thing, yet it and the rest of her clothes had served as such a barrier between them. Her skin was smooth and tempting beneath it, and he wanted so badly to touch every inch of her that he almost didn’t know where to begin. He ran his palms up her sides like a sculptor testing marble, delighting in the way every muscle and bone underneath was arranged. “I only wanted to protect you so much because I care about you.”
Leona leaned forward, pressing her lips to his and then trailing her kisses down the side of his neck. She easily undid the button and zipper of his jeans and pushed them down off his hips. “I know.”
He could have argued with her on that point, but any interest in doing so was zapped out of his body by the thought of their skin actually touching. She had him out of his jeans and his boxers now, and it was time he returned the favor. The
tiny buttons of her slacks were a challenge for his eager fingers, but he was rewarded for his work with the sight of her in pale pink panties that matched her bra.
Hudson was enticed by the glimpse of her nipples under the fabric of her bra. He pulled her down onto his lap and kissed first one and then the other gently, his excitement continuing to build as he pulled her breast into his mouth, his tongue lingering on each nipple through the soft fabric until he left it wet and warm in his wake before moving to the other one. Leona shivered and wriggled against him as he worked. “Do you like that?” he whispered against her before sucking her back into his mouth again.
“Yes,” she panted, throwing her head back. She was growing warm between her legs where she was pressed against his erection, and Hudson squeezed her backside.
“What do you want?” he teased. He knew exactly what he wanted, and it was hard to imagine she wanted anything different. But Hudson wanted to hear it from her, hear those words straight from her lips and into his bloodstream, so that neither one of them would need to question what they were doing. “Tell me what you want, Leona.”
She shivered again, the silky fabric setting his skin on fire. “I want you, Hudson. I’ve wanted you all along.”
That was all he needed. Hudson tore at her underwear, the fine material dissolving in his grasp as he tore it apart with a low growl. He buried himself inside her as he worked at the clasp of her bra, releasing her glorious breasts so that he could see them in their full beauty. He suckled and kissed them again, tasting the warm skin without the garment between them any longer.
Leona moaned as she thrust and ground her hips against him, moving in time to his own drive as he plunged inside her. The heat of her was almost too much to bear, and yet he never wanted this to end. It was the middle of the afternoon, and he was making love to his coworker in the living room of their base of operations, but he only cared about the way they felt against each other.
“God,” he whispered as he felt her thighs tighten around him. “Tell me how you like it, Leona. I’ll give you anything you want.” His hands roved up to tangle in her hair as he angled her mouth down for another kiss. His excitement built as he felt himself inside her in both places, sinking into her heat.
“This,” she whispered back when they came up for air. “Just this.”
“I want to make you come.” He wanted to see what she looked like when she let go, when she wasn’t putting up those stone walls she kept around herself all the time, when she was truly just herself.
“Oh, you are.” She clenched around him as her abdomen sucked inward, and he felt the energy winding up inside her. His own body responded in kind, tightening and surging as she began shivering around him. Those shivers turned to full-on convulsions as he gripped her hips and pulled her down hard onto him. Leona let loose a wild cry as she took what she needed, her nails burying into his shoulders and her head whipping from side to side.
Hudson was right after her, tipped over the edge by Leona’s pleasure. He felt the way they moved together inside her. There was no going back, and he didn’t want to. He had everything he needed right there in his arms, and his body flooded with ecstasy as he filled her. Hudson gripped at her hips, feeling everything that had built up between the two of them over the past week finally exploding. He pressed his forehead against her shoulder, panting.
11
Leona woke the next morning. Her entire body felt extremely heavy, but in the most pleasant way possible. Hudson lay next to her in the big bed, and she gently touched the strong muscles of his arm as he slept.
She could almost laugh out loud at how much things had changed between them in the matter of a few minutes. No, that wasn’t really true. Things hadn’t exactly changed; it was just that they’d both finally let themselves admit what they had between them.
After they’d had sex on the couch, they tried to return to work. Hudson muttered some sort of excuse about tracking the weapons that Kevin and Sean had sold, and Leona had returned with the fact that they needed to decide what to do about Kim’s invitation. But as soon as they’d enclosed themselves in the guest room that also served as a workspace, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. They’d wound up in the big bed in the master bedroom, where they’d thoroughly explored each other’s bodies once again.
Leona bit her lip as she watched him sleep. He was a formidable man, and even when slumbering, he looked like he was ready for action. His strong muscles, wide chest, and solid jaw would be intimidating to anyone who knew what he was capable of doing as a soldier. But she’d seen him in action in the bedroom, and Leona also knew just how gentle and attentive he could be. Hudson was a generous lover. He seemed more concerned that she get what she needed out of the exchange than having his own needs met, although that wasn’t a problem, either. He knew just when to hold her softly and when to tighten his grip. His commanding attitude could be annoying when they were simply trying to live and work together, but it turned her on in bed.
She smiled, tempted to wake him up for another round. But no matter how they felt about each other and how good their bodies felt when they worked in unison, they had other work to do. She rolled toward the edge of the bed.
A hand locked around her wrist with an iron grip and yanked her back so that she was sprawled out on his chest, her hair falling all over both of them. “Just where do you think you’re going?” Hudson asked, one eye open.
“To work,” she replied, although feeling her bare breasts against his skin was giving her second thoughts. “And to the kitchen for some coffee, I think.”
He sighed. “Coffee is fine, but I think I have to call in sick today.”
A crease formed between her brows. “Are you not feeling well?”
“Oh, I feel fine. I just want to stay in bed all day.” Hudson grabbed her other arm and pulled her further over so that she straddled him.
“That sounds wonderful, but as I recall, we each had some startling revelations we needed to explore.” Leona was tempted to spend just a little more time between the sheets with him, but then there was no telling when they’d actually be able to stop. “Let’s get that coffee.”
He sighed and let her go, sitting up and dumping her onto the mattress next to him with a laugh. “I guess you’re right. After all, if this pride is dealing with terrorists, we’ve got a bigger mess on our hands that we realized.” Hudson kissed her shoulder before launching off the other side of the bed and looking for his clothes.
“That’s true,” she admitted, trying to put herself back in the right mindset to handle the mission. “And I’ve got to get back to Kim on her offer of joining the pride. It’s the perfect opportunity to learn what’s really happening and what their motivations are. I wonder if they even realize what they’re doing. Anyway, I thought I’d call her up and arrange another lunch date.”
“Too dangerous.” Hudson pulled on his jeans and zipped them, his abs rippling as he reached for a shirt. “You can’t go back over there alone.”
Leona frowned at him, and for the first time since they’d returned to the house, she began to doubt what they’d just done. Somehow, she had imagined that their physical attraction would lead to a mutual understanding of each other; that they’d no longer need to argue about how to continue this mission. “Hudson, don’t be like that.”
“Be like what?” He paused to look at her, with his arms in the sleeves of his shirt before he’d pulled it over his head.
“Overprotective. This is part of the mission, and I’m making good progress.”
He had visibly stiffened. “I explained to you why I feel that way. I thought you understood.”
She thought she had, too, but in a different way. “Yes, but it’s different when we’re just being us and when we’re part of the Force.” Leona paused, not liking the thoughts that were creeping through her mind. “Hudson, you didn’t sleep with me just to get your way, did you?”
“What?” The mattress dipped and he was next to her,
the t-shirt he’d grabbed balled between his hands. “Look at me.”
She turned her face up toward him uncertainly. Leona had never felt unsure about anything in her life. She’d always known exactly what she wanted and how to get it, and she’d never shied away from hard work or difficult situations. But there was something about Hudson—especially now that they’d dealt with the sexual tension that had been looming between them—that made her question things she’d never thought to dispute before. “Yeah?”
“Don’t think that for a second,” Hudson soothed, reaching up to brush a strand of her hair back from her face. “What happened, what we did together, didn’t have anything to do with the mission or the Force. It was something we’d been avoiding since we met, but there’s no point in doing that anymore.”
“Okay.” She felt somewhat mollified by his words. Hudson hadn’t lied to her, and she could see the authenticity in his eyes. He was right, of course, and she was just allowing herself to be a silly girl. If Hudson had any thoughts of manipulating her through her body, he could’ve done it when they’d first arrived instead of waiting.
“If we’ve taken care of that, then I guess we need to take care of the other elephant in the room.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and running his hands through his hair.
Leona studied his wide back, noting the strength of it. Though there were very little similarities between his human body and his feline one, she swore she could see similar outlines of muscles and the same stretch of his spine. He was beautiful. “What’s that?”
He looked at her over his shoulder. “That we’re meant to be together.”
“Fated.” The word fell from her lips unbidden, though it’d been lurking in the back of her mind ever since that day when she’d shown up at the Force’s headquarters and Hudson had flung the door open. She’d known it in that moment as a deep and primal instinct, one that didn’t fit in with modern society and logic and yet that was undeniably true. “I know. Is that a problem?”