by Baker, Tory
“Thank you, Hudson. He’s not used to being alone.” Her smile shocks me to my core every single time.
“No problem, ready to go?”
“Yep, Beau can sit in my lap. That way, you don’t have to make room in the backseat of your truck,” she offers.
“It’s okay. He can have the whole backseat. It’s cleaned out,” I reply and reach for Beau. She hands him off like a baby. Damn, this woman will be the best kind of mother ever.
Beau walks on the bench seat in the back, pacing until he finds his spot, then plops down with a huff. I laugh at the cute French bulldog. He’s got to be the most dramatic dog I’ve ever met before. I close the door, then go to the woman who’s got my mind in a jumbled mess in the best kind of way.
“Ready?” I ask Jules, and she nods. I open her door, holding her hand the entire time she steps up and into the cab. When she sits down, we’re at the perfect moment, the perfect time, and God damn, her mouth is calling to me.
“Hudson.” Her voice is barely above a whisper, and with that, I take her mouth, not giving a shit we’re out in the open where people can see the way we’re devouring each other. Her hands go to my shoulders, her nails digging in, and that just spurs me on more.
“The way you come alive with my mouth alone, I can’t wait to see what else lights you up.” We break apart, both of us reluctant. Now, it’s time to get my girl to my place and show her an amazing night.
12
Jules
I’ve heard the story all through town. Hudson bought a mammoth of a house that sat abandoned for years up on the mountain, and he’s painstakingly restoring it to its glory. He even contracted some of it out, helping our townspeople out with new jobs. Hudson may be the town billionaire, but he’s humble, kind, and he gives.
Hudson holds my hand on the center console during the whole drive. We talk about life, how he grew up, how I was raised. Anything and everything. Nothing is off-limits in our talk. We even talk about how he couldn’t stand living in New York anymore and how I’ve always been the small-town girl, not once feeling like I needed to leave Thickwood and spread my wings. Heck, my parents still live on the outskirts of town in the same house I was raised in.
“Wow, I haven’t been up here in a long time. You’ve recaptured its history perfectly,” I tell Hudson with a whoosh of breath. The stone façade has been repaired, it’s lit up, and you can see just how beautiful it is.
“Thank you. It’s been a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it. Stay there. I’ll get you and Beau. You’ll see the best part inside,” Hudson tells me.
I wait impatiently in my seat as he parks the truck, turns it off, and swings his long muscular legs out of the truck. My gaze never leaves his body as he walks around the front of the truck.
Hudson lets Beau out first, letting him do his business, but really, all he does is sniff the air before taking off.
“Will he be okay?” I ask as Hudson opens my door.
“Oh, yeah. I bet, as soon as he roams a bit, he comes right on back. Plus, I may have a treat for him in the house.” Hudson winks.
“You’re surprising me a lot lately,” I tell him and get out of the truck. We make our way to the steps leading up to a beautiful wrap around porch. And wouldn’t you know, here comes my traitorous puppy following Hudson.
“I told you he’d come back, babe. He knows where his mom is.” Hudson unlocks the door, and when we walk in, I take in every single detail of his house. The antique enthusiast in me is absolutely in love.
“Oh, Hudson, this house. It’s so reminiscent of the time period it was built.” I’m in awe. The staircase leading up to the second floor is gleaming, and he salvaged all of the woodwork, including the flooring, the light fixtures, and the brick for the fireplace in the sitting room. It’s utter perfection, and I secretly wish I was the one to help him transform this place into what it is today.
“Thanks, I’m glad you like it.” He watches me as I pivot in a circle, continuously taking everything in.
“Seriously, I bet watching and working on it, seeing it all come to fruition, was amazing. Please, tell me there’s more left to work on?”
“Oh, yeah, the whole upstairs is still left to work on. The first floor is completely done. Upstairs is a damn mess, though,” he groans, rubbing his hand down his face.
“Can I see?” I ask.
“After we eat, I’ll give you the grand tour,” he suggests.
“Deal, but just so you know, if I sneak to see it while you’re cooking dinner, you can’t hold it against me.” My smile is bigger than it probably ever has been.
“I guess I’ll have to keep you busy then.” Hudson winks before grabbing my hand, leading me toward the kitchen. I silently look up at the ceiling, praying like hell this isn’t just a dream. I don’t want to wake up tomorrow without this amazing memory.
13
Hudson
Fuck, the way her face lit up when she saw the house, plus the way she practically salivated to see the unfinished upstairs made me proud. This girl, she’s beyond anything I could ever ask for. What woman would be excited to see a house that’s unfinished? I’m a lucky son of a gun. If I have my way, she’ll be falling asleep in my arms. Yeah, bringing Beau was because she asked, but deep down, I knew as soon as Beau came with me, there would be no reason for her to head back home tonight.
“You want to help, or would you like to take a load off?” I ask her as we walk into the kitchen. She’s still star struck, seeing the gleaming wood I restored. The contractors and I were lucky this place still had everything original, but it had years of wear and tear on top of it.
“I’ll help out. I’m not one to sit on my ass and have someone wait on me hand and foot. My momma would whoop my tail.”
I pull out the ingredients to make pan-seared porterhouse steak, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and a Caesar salad. “While I get the steaks ready, will you prep the vegetables?”
“Definitely, especially in a dream kitchen like yours. Everything is so easily accessible.” Jules makes her way around my kitchen, looking for a cutting board, knives, and bowls to put the salad in.
We work seamlessly together and have our dinner done in no time at all. I suggest we sit at the bar in the kitchen as I’m still building the dining room table. It’s taken me a lot longer to build than I thought, but having to wait on the supplies has been a major hold up.
After we devour our dinner, I grunt, “Leave the dishes. They’ll be there later on,” when Jules goes to load our plates.
“It won’t take me but a few minutes. Besides, you fed me. The least I can do is clean up after us.” She shrugs her shoulders and goes about loading the dishwasher. I watch her for a few minutes until I make my mind up and help her. It’ll get done twice as fast if we work together, much like how we cooked dinner.
Once we’re done, I take Jules’ hand in mine. Beau follows us until we reach the steps, then sits on his hind legs. “We’ll be right back, buddy. I’m just showing her the upstairs, and then we’ll be back down.” His big eyes take me in until he stands up and trots toward the couch. He looks at me, and when I nod, he jumps on the couch, making crazy circles until he finds the right spot, then he curls into a ball, closing his eyes.
“Ready to see the upstairs? I’m warning you now, though. It’s in shambles. Tools are everywhere, and we had to take the walls back to studs in the bathroom. It damn near pissed me off to see what happened to the bathroom tile.”
“I’m more than ready. You know, if I can do anything to help, I would love to get my hands dirty and dig in,” Jules says with a wink as we walk up the stairs. I allow her to lead the way just so I can see the tantalizing way her hips sway with every movement.
I groan out loud, unaware she heard me until she says over her shoulder, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, gorgeous, I’m more than okay.” We make it to the landing, and her eyes move back and forth as she sees the mess that I’ll be starting on in the next month. I wanted
a little bit of time off from tracking dust and non-stop work coming and going. I’m not ashamed to say it was getting to me. In fact, right now, my bedroom is in what will be the study once it’s done.
“Oh, Hudson, this is going to be spectacular. I probably have a few new light fixtures that are reminiscent of this time period, too.” Jules bounces on the balls of her feet, giddy with excitement.
“I’ll have to come and take a look. Let me show you everything else, and believe me, there’s a whole lot left to see.” We spend the next hour scouring every inch of my home and my dreams of what it will become before we head back downstairs.
“Wow, Beau is really out like a light. There’s no moving him for a while. I’m sorry,” Jules says as she takes in her dog.
“Nothing to be sorry about. Let’s watch a movie. It’s still early,” I suggest.
“I’d like that.” Jules sits on the couch, careful not to disturb Beau. I sit down beside her, bringing her into the curve of my body as I turn on the television. I let Jules have control of what we watch. I know I’ll barely watch any TV; my sole focus will be on her, now and forever.
14
Jules
I slowly wake up, wrapped around Hudson. His arm is holding me to him, and I’m practically on top of him. My leg is hooked over his leg, my chin is in the crook of his neck, and the TV is playing softly in the background.
“Hudson,” I whisper to him, trying to wake him softly.
“Fuck, did I fall asleep on you?”
“More like we fell asleep on each other,” I state.
Instead of letting me go like I assumed he would, he brings me in closer. “Just a few more minutes, and we’ll head back to your place.” I can’t argue with him. Looking at the clock, it’s only eleven o’clock at night. We only slept for a couple of hours, and it was the best sleep I’ve ever had in my life.
“Okay.” I kiss the hollow of his throat and settle back into him, seconds later, the lids of my eyes slowly lowering.
“What is that god awful smell?” Hudson grunts seconds later.
“Oh my gosh, please tell me that’s not Beau?” I get a whiff of what Hudson is complaining about.
“Unless that came out of you because it didn’t come out of me. I think it came out of your dog, babe.”
A giggle comes out of me. It’s loud, and I can’t help but falling back on the couch and out of Hudson’s arms as my laughter grows. “Look at him. He’s fast asleep, a smile on his face, smelling his own fart without a care in the world,” I finally get out.
“Your dog’s ass stinks, Jules. I’m thinking he won’t be sleeping in bed with us, that’s for sure.” Hudson’s voice is smooth like the darkest whiskey.
“Oh, Beau, he doesn’t mean that. Don’t listen to him.” I cover Beau’s ears, crying because I’m laughing so hard.
“Jules, honey. I’m not sure he’ll even be in the same room once I get you in my bed.”
I turn and look at Hudson. There’s a desire in his eyes; his usual light brown eyes are so dark they’re nearly black. I see the way Hudson is holding himself back, taking things slower than I want or need.
My body yearns to feel his body surrounding mine. “Hudson…” My voice takes on its own husky quality.
“You can’t look at me that way right now, Jules. I won’t be responsible for what happens.”
“Maybe I want that to happen.”
Hudson takes his hair out of the tie he had it in, regathering it up in his hands and securing the elastic around his gorgeous locks. “Oh, it’ll happen, but not tonight. Come on, siren,” he says with a wink as he stands up and offers his hand to help me up.
“I guess we’ll have to see then,” I tell him.
“Oh, you will, gorgeous. You definitely will.”
Beau opens his eyes with a huff before standing and following us toward Hudson’s front door.
15
Hudson
This whole week has been one of the best weeks of my life. Every day, I got up, worked around the house a little bit, then headed to see Jules. Some days, it was us eating lunch together, while at other times, we ate at my place or even hers when her shop closed.
Today, though, today’s the day she and Beau are coming to my place after she closes down for the weekend. I went to the grocery store, making sure I’ve picked up all of her favorites. I even got some new toys for Beau along with a dog bed. From what Jules said, he’ll probably take one sniff at it, turn his nose up, and walk away, but it’s worth a shot.
I’m sitting on the front porch in one of the two rocking chairs I recently bought when I hear her car coming up from the turn-off from the main road. I make a mental note that she needs something safer, bigger, and with a shit ton of more safety features than the small two-door coupe she’s driving now.
When I see her come up the driveway, I’m up off my feet, meeting her as soon as she has her car parked. I see the smile on her face when I open her door. Bending down, my hands find her cheeks, and I kiss her lips.
“Hello there,” she breathes out once I lean back.
“Hey, ready to relax?” I ask before standing back up and allowing her to slide out of the car.
“Yep, let me grab my bags from the trunk and unclip Beau, then I’m all for it.” Beau waits impatiently as she does just that. He then leaps over the center console onto the driver’s seat, looks down at the ground, then leaps off and heads for the grass.
“I’ll grab your bags,” I tell Jules, heading for her trunk.
“I can help. I may have overpacked, though.” Her shoulders lift, with her hands in a motion that’s classically Jules.
“Well, that’s okay, too. I’m sure I can handle a few bags, gorgeous,” I respond, then go and open her trunk.
I look inside her trunk, and sure enough, it’s slap full. There’s a bag of Beau’s toys, dog food, and treats, as well as two other bags that I’m assuming are for Jules. The laughter builds up inside me. It looks like she packed enough to last her longer than two nights.
“I warned you.”
I grab her bags then close the trunk. “You ever want to pack and stay forever, I’m good with that, too,” I say as I walk past her, heading toward the house, wanting to see our lives meld together as one.
16
Jules
“Did he just say what I think he said?” I say out loud to no one in particular. Even my traitorous puppy followed Hudson like a proud peacock.
“Yes, I did say that,” I hear him say. I roll my eyes and follow the two men in my life, even if one of them has four legs.
“I’m going to put these in my room, and then I’ll be back. We can eat dinner in just a few minutes.” Hudson kisses my forehead before leaving. I go into the kitchen to see what he has for us as I take in the aroma of dinner.
“He did not. Beau, do you see this?” I look at the dog bed by the fireplace and the basket of toys that has so many it’s overflowing. My heart melts at what he’s done for not just me, but for Beau, too. “I think I’m falling for Hudson, Beau. Like really, really falling for him.”
“That’s a good thing because I’ve already fallen for you.” Hudson comes up behind me, wrapping me up in his arms. He’s nuzzling the side of my neck, and I arch, allowing him to skate a path of kisses along the column. His lips are an aphrodisiac against my skin, making me want more and more.
“You’ve done so much for me, for Beau, for our whole community. You humble me.” I turn around in his arms, settling my hands on his chest.
“I knew the moment I walked into your store, seeing your heart-shaped ass up on that rickety ass step stool, your long as sin legs in shorts. And when you turned around, damn it, woman, my soul burned for you,” he admits.
“I can’t even compare what you do to me. It’s in the way you hold me, take care of me, and love Beau as if he were your own dog. I can’t imagine another moment without you,” I respond.
“Good, glad that’s taken care of and out of the way. Now, we’
re going to eat dinner, watch a movie, and sleep. I have plans for us tomorrow, and you’re going to need all the rest you can get.”
My eyes flutter closed, and I’m thinking of everything but sleeping tonight. “Well, maybe we won’t need too much rest?” I question.
“It’s official. You’re trying to kill me, woman.”
“Maybe, maybe not.” I lean up and toward him, Hudson finally sees what I want from him, and our lips meet. The kiss we had when I was in the car was short and sweet, a teaser of what I really wanted.
Right now, though, we have all the time in the world. Hudson’s hands find my hair. He tugs on the ends, and I arch my back as our lips seek each others.
Hudson dominates my mouth. Where before it was a give and take, this time, it’s him being firm with his wants and desire. I groan, and he deepens our kiss. His tongue sears every bit of me, and I can’t wait to feel what else he can do with his tongue.
“Hudson,” I breathe out as we both break apart for a moment, only for us to dive back into kissing again. He grabs the back of my thighs, hoisting me up and into his arms, our kiss never stopping, even when I feel him sit me down on the cold granite countertops.
“What you do to me, you make me lose control,” he grunts, his eyes glued to my now bare thighs as the skirt of my dress has opened. His firm hips are between my spread legs, and I want more, so much more.
17
Hudson
My eyes are glued to her thighs, a mile long and wrapped around my waist. They clench to bring me closer to where she’s aching and needing, but that’s not going to happen, not yet at least. Oh no, I’m going to taste every inch of her I can, starting now.