by Bea Paige
“As much as I’d love to stay here all morning, we have work to do, bro. Hudson is skipping today, so we’ve got to take the board meeting at ten.” Max steps out of bed and stretches his arms up in the air. The firm muscle of his abs pulls taut, and I find myself wishing that he would get back into bed and devour me, but I know that that kind of attention will need to wait until I am feeling a little better. Max notices I’m staring.
“If you keep looking at me like that, Icy, I’m not sure I’ll be able to control myself.” He swipes a hand through his blonde hair. “You look good enough to eat.”
Bryce chuckles in my ear. “That she does, Max, that she does,” he says, brushing his lips against my cheek.
“So, come back here and have a taste.”
Bryce growls into my ear at the words. “Don’t tease us, darling.”
“Why does everyone think I’m teasing?” I say, frustrated.
“You, beautiful, need to heal,” Bryce says, chuckling. “There is plenty of time for that.”
He untangles himself from me and gets up too, leaving me more than a little frustrated. His tall frame, broad shoulders and dark chest hair have me practically panting. The bed feels awfully large on my own. I want nothing more than for them both to get back in.
“Feel free to look around. There isn’t anywhere in this house that is off limits to you or Nisha. We want you to feel at home.”
“Thanks, lads,” Nisha says as she practically skips into my bedroom and climbs on the bed. “I’m happy to take you up on the offer. This place is epic!” She flops down next to me, her hair awry, with a huge grin on her face. It’s just as well we didn’t start anything, this could have been more than a little embarrassing.
“What have you lot been up to, hmm?” she asks, wiggling her eyebrows.
“None of your damn business, you cheeky mare,” I say.
Nisha laughs, crossing her long shapely legs. I look at Bryce and Max to see whether they notice her ridiculously fit figure. She has an athletic build, with small pert boobs and a perfect taut butt. Thankfully, neither are looking at her. A strange sense of relief floods through me. I love Nisha more than anything, but I don’t think I could take it if my men felt attracted to her too. I am feeling more than a little territorial this morning.
“Morning, Lou Lou. What’s up? Cat got your tongue?” She winks at me and I roll my eyes. “You had a good night?”
“As a matter of fact, I did,” I say with a smile.
Fortunately, Bryce and Max seem to take Nisha’s enthusiasm with a pinch of salt.
“Are you always this… bouncy?” Max asks. “You remind me of Tigger from Winnie the Poo.”
Nisha laughs. “Well hell, I’ve been called many things, but Tigger isn’t one of them.”
There’s a gentle knock at the door and a thread of excitement mixed with worry slices through me at the thought it might be Hudson.
“Come in,” I say.
The door pushes open. Calum takes in the scene, his eyes moving from each of us before finally resting on Nisha. If I’m not mistaken I see a hint of something in his eyes. Anger perhaps, or jealousy. It is gone so quickly I can’t be certain. Bryce and Max don’t appear to notice, but Nisha does. She sits up in bed, adjusting her t-shirt, her gaze fixed firmly on Calum.
“Sorry to disturb you all. I’m just coming to remind you of your meeting at ten this morning. I’ll be ready to take you at nine.”
“Thanks, Cal,” Bryce says. Calum nods and exits the room, but not before he glances quickly at Nisha. I look between the two. Something is brewing between them.
“Well, we’re going to leave you both to it. Hud is around, but you might want to swerve him for a bit until he’s recovered from his hangover. Catch you later, Icy. Don’t go anywhere,” Max says.
“I won’t,” I respond.
He stops at the door, hesitating. “What the hell am I doing?” he says, striding back towards the bed. “I can’t go without a proper goodbye.” Max leans down and brushes his lips against mine. It’s a sweet kiss, one that starts my pulse racing and is entirely inappropriate, given Nisha is sitting right next to me.
Nisha coughs loudly. “Jeez, you two need to get a room,” she jokes.
Max pulls away and smiles. “We’re in one.”
“Oh, so we are,” she says with an amused grin.
Bryce slaps Max on the back. “Come on we need to leave.” He presses a quick kiss against my forehead. “The doctor’s appointment has been made for three o’clock this afternoon. Hudson knows, he’ll get Cal to take you both. Rest easy, Louisa. I’ll see you later,” he adds, brushing his knuckles gently against my cheek.
“Hudson’s taking me?”
“Yes, he insisted. At some point this morning I’m sure he will come talk with you. Are you okay with that?”
“Sure,” I say, even though the flutter of nerves seems to tell me I’m not as relaxed about it as I sound.
“Okay, good. Make yourself at home and I’ll see you later.”
I wait for them both to leave, then turn to Nisha. “Okay, spill. What’s the deal with Calum?”
Chapter Nine
“Me, spill? What about you? I come in here expecting you to be sleeping, and you’re half naked with two of the three brothers.” Nisha looks at me excitedly. She is loving this.
“It’s not what you think. Bryce and Max were perfect gentlemen, actually. We talked some last night. I explained why I left the way I did. How I felt. Hudson was pretty drunk, but I think he was sober enough to understand. I hope he’s forgiven me.”
“Drunk? What a twat.”
“Being pissed didn’t look good on him, no. But I don’t hate him because of it.”
“Yeah but he knows your mum was an alcoholic. Getting in that state isn’t exactly thoughtful.”
“He didn’t know I was coming. It’s not really his fault.”
“Hmm,” Nisha says disapprovingly.
“I guess that’s why we’re attracted to one another, we are all broken. I hate that I hurt them. I hate that I hurt me.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it, Lou. Your mum died, you found yourself falling for not one but three men, who according to what you told me were a bunch of womanisers before meeting you. No wonder you ran. It’s called self-preservation, you and I are both experienced in that.”
“Yes, that’s the other thing. I care about them all. That’s not normal, is it?”
“Buy one, get two free? If the supermarkets can do it, why not you?”
“Ha ha, funny.”
Nisha pulls me into a hug. “You know I’m only joking, right? I couldn’t care less who you love. One, three, hell, ten men. As long as they treat you right and they take care of you, then I’m happy. It’s all that matters, yeah?”
I wrap my arms around Nisha and hug her back. “Thanks, Nish, what would I do without you?”
“You’d be lost, girl. Completely lost. Now, it’s a beautiful day. Let’s get up, have some breakfast and check this place out. My room isn’t as massive as yours, but it’s a damn sight better than that pokey hole back at the flat.”
“Speaking of the flat. What should we do? I mean, I don’t know how things are going to work out. It would be stupid to give it up…” My voice trails off. I’ve been here just one night, and I already feel myself wanting to stay forever, but I’m nothing if not pragmatic.
“The rent’s paid up till the end of the month. We’ve got a couple weeks for the shit to die down with that prick who hurt you. Then we’ll decide. Look, Louisa,” Nisha says sternly, sensing my concerns. “For once, stop worrying about everything and let someone else look after you. These men appear to care about you, so let them.”
“Alright,” I say. “That’s fair.”
Nisha moves to get off the bed, but I grab her arm. “Hold on a minute, talking of men. What’s this between you and Calum? I saw the way you were looking at him, and the way he was looking at you. Did something happen last night?”
“Honestly, nothing. He showed me to my room, we chatted for a bit. Did you know he’s like the brothers’ security guard, stroke assistant, stroke awesome chef? He lives in the apartment above the garage and has known them for years. Though he didn’t say where they met.”
“You like him though, right?”
Nisha puffs out her cheek. “That obvious?”
“Yep, afraid so.”
“He’s so out of my league. I mean, what hopes do I have of a man like him being interested in a girl like me?”
I put my hand on Nisha’s arm and squeeze. “Hey, don’t say that. You are amazing, anyone with half a mind can see that. Don’t sell yourself short. Besides, didn’t you see the look on his face a minute ago when he thought you’d been in here last night too. He looked like he was about to break something.”
“He did?”
“I thought you noticed?”
“No, I was too busy trying to hide the fact that I’m wearing my shittest pair of pyjamas ever! I mean, look at this,” Nisha says, waving her hands over her top. “This kind of nightwear isn’t going to seduce such a well-turned-out man. Have you seen how he dresses? I bet he even wears bloody Calvin Klein to sleep in.” Nisha flops back on the bed, covering her face with her hands.
I look at Nisha’s ripped Star Wars t-shirt and try not to laugh. “Oh, Nish, I think you look cute…”
“You would say that, you’re my best friend.”
My phone starts ringing before I can respond. Stretching towards the side table, I pick it up. “It’s Richard, I should take this,” I say to Nisha.
“Sure, I’ll be in the kitchen making breakfast,” she says, jumping off the bed. “Catch you in a bit.”
“Okay,” I mouth, answering the phone.
For the next ten minutes I fill Richard in on what’s happened. His immediate reaction is that I should go to the police about Smithy, but in the end, I manage to convince him the situation is under control now Bryce, Max and Hudson are looking out for me. I don’t go into detail about my relationship with them. Richard just assumes one of them is my boyfriend and I don’t bother to correct him. I’m not in the mood to try and justify my lifestyle choices, particularly when I don’t really understand them myself. I care about three men, am attracted to all of them equally and don’t want to have to choose. Bless him, Richard comes across as really protective and it warms my heart. He’s such a good man. After agreeing to meet him for lunch in a couple of days’ time, we say our goodbyes and hang up.
Pulling on my favourite comfy cardigan, I head downstairs to the kitchen.
“Hey Louisa. I’m making some Witches’ bread. Do you want some?” she asks.
Apart from some music being played loudly in another part of the house, we appear to be alone. I take a seat at one of the bar stools in the kitchen and watch Nisha cook us up our favourite breakfast; fried bread cooked in egg. For some unknown reason we have always called it Witches’ bread. It’s delicious.
“You’re making yourself at home,” I say as she prances around the kitchen.
“Bryce said I could… and well, who knows how long this will last. I want to make the most of it.”
My face falls. “You don’t think it’ll last?”
Nisha’s head snaps up. “Oh no, I didn’t mean you and them. I meant me, Lou. I’m the odd one out here. You’re the one they care about. I’m here because of your request. It’s nice they’re letting me stay and all, but I’m under no illusion that this will last forever for me. I fully expect to be lobbed out at some point. So I’m enjoying this while I can.” She sounds chipper, but I know when she’s putting on a brave face, we’ve been friends far too long.
“Hey,” I say, leaning over the worksurface and touching her hand. “We’ll work something out. There is no way I’ll let you be lobbed out anywhere, okay? I’m not even sure where this is going. I haven’t talked with Hudson properly yet.”
“He’s the one with the green eyes and dangerous smile, isn’t he?” she asks, sliding a piece of Witches’ bread onto a plate in front of me. “I saw him heading downstairs earlier.”
“Thanks Nish,” I say. “And yes, that’ll be Hudson.”
“You reckon the music has something to do with him?”
“Must be, given Calum has taken Bryce and Max to work. I should probably go find him, have a chat.”
“You don’t seem too happy about it.”
“I’m not unhappy, just nervous. I don’t know what it is with Hudson, he makes me feel a little off-kilter,” I say, taking a bite of my breakfast.
“You care about him, like the others, right?” she asks.
“I do,” I respond between mouthfuls.
“Then go talk to him. I’ll be hanging around up here or in my room if you need me.”
“I will. Thanks, Nish.”
We finish eating our breakfast and then I follow the sound of the music, assuming that’s where Hudson will be. I end up back on the ground floor and walking towards another set of stairs that head down into a basement area. The music is loud, drum and bass. At the bottom of the stairs is a door which opens out onto a corridor. The distinct smell of chlorine hits my nose as I push it open. I know I shouldn’t be surprised to find a swimming pool down here, but I am. The layout is the same as the chalet in France. A twenty-five-metre pool sits behind a glass wall, the water undisturbed. I walk slowly along the corridor. Memories of Hudson swimming naked filter into my thoughts and a nervousness fills my chest. Yes, I spoke with him last night, but he was inebriated so I’d had the upper hand in that situation. This time we are on an even keel. Reaching the door at the other end of the corridor, I place my hand on the wood and push it open.
Hudson has his back to me and is sprinting on a running machine. There is a look of sheer determination on his face as droplets of sweat run down his face and flatten his short hair against his head. No wonder the brothers are so fit, being able to access this gym daily. Hudson is wearing a pair of shorts and trainers, and that’s it. Sweat glistens across the bare skin of his back, and his tattoo looks like it’s alive, its piercing green eyes watching me as he moves. Stepping into the gym, I wait for Hudson to notice me in the mirror in front of him. The music is so loud I can feel it vibrate through my back as I lean against the wall. My heart is pounding so much it’s as though I am running with him. After a while he seems to snap out of whatever moment he is lost in and his eyes catch mine in the mirror. His hand slams down on the red safety button and the running belt stops moving immediately. Hudson turns around. He doesn’t move towards me. Sweat pours over his skin and rolls down his body. I can see his hands trembling. Still he waits.
“Hudson…” I say gently.
Then, like a tornado ripping through a field, he storms towards me, pulls me into his arms and crushes me against his chest.
Chapter Ten
“Louisa, I’m fucking sorry,” Hudson grinds out. “I was a prick last night. After everything you said about your mum. The state I was in, I’m so fucking ashamed. I wanted to come to you just like Bryce and Max did. I wanted to come to you this morning…”
“It’s okay,” I say, wincing a little.
Hudson loosens his grip on me, standing back slightly. “He hurt you bad. I’ve never wanted to kill a man as much as this since Beth…” He is shaking with anger, and something else. Something that is killing him inside. “That’s why I came down here, to try and run off this fucking rage before I spoke to you.”
“Hudson, I’m okay. I’ll be okay.” I place my hand on his arm. “Do you want to talk about it?” I ask gently. I want to know who Beth is, but I won’t force it.
“I can’t, not right now. One day I will, Louisa, just not yet.”
He brings his hands up to my face, cupping my cheeks, and leans his forehead against mine. “I want to kiss you, but I don’t wa
nt to hurt you,” he whispers, his thumb pressing gently against my bottom lip.
“So kiss me,” I say. I don’t care if it hurts. I don’t care if it bleeds. Right here, right now, I want his mouth on mine.
He moves close, his beautiful green eyes drinking me in, and slides his lips over mine. I feel a slight sting against my lip, but he is gentle, so very gentle as he slips his tongue inside my parted mouth.
My hands slide up the sleek skin of his chest, over his pecs and wrap around the back of his head. The short, buzzed hair is soft against my fingers. I want to deepen the kiss. I want him to devour me with his mouth, with his hands, but my lip is hurting, and I can taste the metal tang of blood.
“Shit, Louisa I’m sorry,” he says, wiping his finger against my mouth. “The cut has opened. Kissing is probably not the best idea at the moment.”
“It should heal in a few days.”
Hudson groans. “I’m not sure I can wait that long.”
“Me neither,” I agree.
“There are other places I can kiss,” he grins.
“Is that so?” I smile, but instantly regret it when I taste more blood.
“Fuck, come with me. Let’s get you cleaned up.” Hudson takes my hand and guides me out of the gym. He pushes open the door to the pool area.
“Are you taking me for a swim?”
“Not unless you want to,” he says, pointing to a lounger. I sit down upon it. “I think there’s a first aid kit in the cabinet over here. Hold on a second.”
He slides open a door to a hidden cabinet and pulls out a green box. “Here it is.”
Bringing it over, he places it on the lounger next to me and flips open the lid. Inside are plasters, antiseptic wipes, and bandages. He pulls an antiseptic wipe out of a sealed packet. “This will sting a bit,” he says, holding it near my lip.