by Fall, Carly
Hudson nodded. “Understandable, but you didn’t know. Besides, you look better than any of those other women in there, and believe me, I was looking.”
Noah watched his friend carefully. Hudson was always on the lookout for his next conquest, so when he said he was checking out the other women, he wasn’t lying.
“In fact, until I realized you knew Noah, I was just about to hit on you,” Hudson said with a smile.
Abby looked at him and blushed. Noah felt like he wanted to pound the guy. He was going to hit on Abby?
“I think I’m going home,” Abby said, meeting both their eyes. “I can’t go back in there.”
Hudson shook his head. “Wrong answer, Abby. Neither Noah nor I have dates. Please, join us for just a little while.”
She hesitated, then looked at Noah as if she was waiting for him to agree. “Excellent plan, Hudson,” Noah said quietly, his eyes never leaving Abby’s. “C’mon, Abby,” he said with a wink and a grin, and offered his arm.
“Okay, just for a little bit, though.” They nodded and told her that they didn’t expect to stay long either.
“I just need to say hello to a few people and meet some others who can help me in my work,” Noah said as they walked. She was between them, her hands resting on each of their arms.
“And I need a dance partner,” Hudson said. “Noah can’t dance.”
Abby laughed, and Noah could tell by the sparkle in her eye that she meant it. He patted her hand. “Okay, I’ve got to do my butt-kissing and shmoozing.” He turned and looked at Hudson, then again at Abby. “I’ll be watching you,” he said with a wink at Abby and a glare at Hudson. He hoped Hudson got the hint that Abby was off limits.
But the fact of the matter was that he didn’t really have any domain over her, did he? He had dumped her, told her they couldn’t see each other again. She was free to see whomever she chose to, and he just hoped like hell it wasn’t Hudson.
That he simply couldn’t take.
He knew that she would be nothing more than another notch in Hudson’s headboard, a place to visit every now and then for a quickie. No, he wouldn’t, or he couldn’t, stand for that.
He still had feelings for Abby. Big feelings. In fact, they were so strong it scared him more than a little bit. It was as if his SR44 ways were coming front and center. Males of his race fell in love hard and quickly. The pain in his chest hadn’t left since he blew off Abby six weeks ago. He thought about her multiple times a day, every day. There hadn’t been a no-thought Abby day. And now here he was face to face with her, and she literally took his breath away.
He watched as Hudson led Abby to the dance floor, and he checked his watch. He went to the bar and got a scotch, figuring he better get started as they only had a couple hours of light left. He imagined there would be a lot of guns drawn if his eyes started glowing orange and Hudson’s starting glowing yellow. They definitely weren’t interested in signing up for government medical experiments. Roswell, anyone?
He scanned the crowd, looking for the ass he needed to kiss first. Might as well start with the chief of police.
He put on a smile and made his way over.
Chapter 20
Abby allowed herself to be twirled around the dance floor. Hudson was an excellent dancer, and she had to admit she was having fun. She couldn’t even remember the last time she went dancing.
After two songs, Hudson asked if she would like a drink. She nodded, and they made their way to the bar. Hudson ordered a 7 and 7, and she had a glass of white wine.
“So you work with Noah?” she said as they found a table to sit.
“I do.”
“Noah said business was pretty busy,” she said, thinking about when he had dumped her six weeks prior.
“Unfortunately, yes,” he said. He went silent for a moment, gazing out at the sea of people as if he were looking for the right words. “You know, Abby, Noah really does like you,” he said quietly. “He didn’t want to quit seeing you, and frankly, he hasn’t been the same since . . . since he did one of the stupidest things I have ever seen him do.”
He looked back at her and brushed a strand of hair off her face, tucking it behind her ear.
“Well. Um . . . I’m not certain what to say to that, Hudson. Except that I have been right where I always am, and my phone has been working just fine.”
Hudson nodded. “Noah’s not the brightest guy sometimes. I hope when he does come around and realize what a dumb cocksucker he’s being, you’ll give him another chance.” Then he took his hand in hers and gave it a small kiss. He brought it back down to the table, but didn’t let go.
“Anyway, let’s dance,” he said with a grin, bringing her to her feet.
An hour later, Noah was certain he was about to have an aneurysm. He had been keeping an eye on Hudson and Abby, and he didn’t like what he saw. None of it. In fact, when Hudson kissed her hand, Noah wanted to stab his own eyes out so that he didn’t have to watch it.
What the fuck was that asshole doing? He watched over the shoulder of one of the City Council members as Hudson twirled Abby around on the floor. Hudson’s hand kept moving up and down Abby’s back, and the only thing Noah could think was that he wanted to break every single bone in that hand. There were some countries in the world where Hudson could have the damn thing chopped off, and Noah found himself liking that brand of justice right about now.
When Hudson gave her a little peck on the cheek, Noah’s vision went red. Red with fantasies of Hudson’s blood flowing.
“Excuse me,” he growled, and made his way toward Hudson and Abby, who were now leaving the ball.
People moved out of the way for him, which was a good thing because he wouldn’t have been able to stop even if he knocked someone over.
As he made it to the hall, he caught the sight of Abby’s red dress rounding a corner. He followed. What were they doing? If he rounded that corner ahead and saw Hudson trying to kiss her or something, he would kill him. There wouldn’t be another option because he simply wouldn’t be able to contain himself. His hands balled up into fists, ready to beat Hudson into the ground if he had one finger on Abby.
He rounded the corner that led to a little alcove to see Abby and Hudson seated on some wicker chairs.
Both looked up at him. Shock crossed Abby’s face. “Noah, what’s wrong?” she said at the same time Hudson whispered, “About time.”
Noah realized he must look like a bull with a bad attitude. He heard his heavy breathing and actually felt his nostrils flare. All he needed was a hoop through his nose and he was good to go. He ran his hand through his hair and tried to calm down.
No one said anything for a moment, and then Hudson stood. “I think I’ll be going now,” he said, keeping his eye on Noah.
“That would be very, very wise of you,” Noah said, his voice a dead calm. “Very smart, Hudson.”
“We’ve got about forty minutes before . . . it happens,” Hudson said in a low voice. “I’ll get the car and wait for you outside.”
When they were alone, Abby stood and said, “What the hell was that all about, Noah? Why do you look like you want to kill Hudson?”
“You’re mine,” he gritted out. “He shouldn’t be touching you and kissing you and feeling your back. You belong to me.”
“No, I’m not, Noah,” she said quietly with a sad smile. “I don’t belong to anyone, especially you. You dumped me faster than you would a snapping alligator.” She took a deep breath. “You, especially, do not have a claim on me.”
She tried to get around him, but he stepped in her way. She looked up at him, her big, brown eyes boring into his with questions. His gaze went to her full lips, and the sensations he had experienced when they had first kissed were so fresh in his mind it was as if it had happened yesterday. Before he knew what he was doing, he took a step toward her.
And she took a step away from him.
He felt like an animal that had cornered its prey and was ready to pounce.
/> Two steps later, he had her backed up against the wall, his body pressing against hers, his mouth fully engaged on her soft lips.
He felt her struggle for a moment, but he didn’t care. She was his. And the fact of the matter—short of her kicking him in the nuts—he didn’t think he could stop. He couldn’t believe how much he had missed her taste, her smell, the way her body curved into his.
He wanted some more of that tongue action.
She finally gave in to the kiss. Her hands slowly made their way around his neck, and there . . . there was that tongue. He heard something that sounded like a low moan mixed with a growl escape his throat. He wanted to go to his knees, lift up her dress, and taste her. He felt his erection trying like hell to make its way out of his pants.
Yes, she was his.
He just needed to convince her of that.
He had been an ignorant fuck to think that he could just walk away from her. It just wasn’t going to happen. However, he didn’t know how to make it work between them without her knowing the truth about him, about what he was.
He broke the kiss, mindful that his body would start glowing shortly from the sheer pleasure of their mouths meeting. It felt like his heart would beat right out of his chest, and his breath sawed in and out of his lungs. There just wasn’t enough oxygen in the room when Abby was around.
“I was so dumb, Abby,” he whispered as his thumb caressed her cheek. “So dumb. Please. Let me make it up to you.”
He knew he was crowding her, and he didn’t care. He didn’t want more than a few inches separating them.
“Noah, I . . . I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything,” he whispered, hovering above her as he put his finger to her mouth. “Don’t say anything except you will give me another chance.”
“Noah . . .”
“No, Abby,” he said, pushing his body against hers. He kissed her lips again and felt the heat whip through him as their mouths met. Christ, he couldn’t get enough of her. He wanted all of her.
All. Of. Her.
Abby broke the kiss this time. “Noah, listen to me,” she said as she gave his chest a gentle push.
He backed up, but kept a hand planted on the wall on each side of her. He looked down at her as she spoke, hanging on every word, waiting for the yes he so desperately needed to hear.
“Noah, you . . . you hurt me,” Abby said as she looked down at her hands. She couldn’t have done more damage to him if she had taken out a knife and stabbed him forty-two times. The pain of her statement lanced through his body, ripping at his soul. When she looked back up at him, her eyes were shimmering with tears. One dropped and slowly made its way down her cheek, falling toward the ground. He caught another tear in his hand as it left her jaw.
“Let me make it up to you, Abby. I was a dumb cocksucker. Please, Abby.”
A sad smile crossed her face as another tear fell. “That’s what Hudson said.”
Noah was confused. What business did Hudson have in this conversation? “What?”
“Hudson said you could be a dumb cocksucker,” she said and giggled.
Her smile and her laughter was the best thing Noah had seen or heard in six weeks. He smiled.
He knew he was running out of time. His eyes were about to start glowing. He needed to get out of there, and fast. He would have to figure out the details on how all this was going to work at a later time.
He nodded. “I have to go now, Abby, but I’m going to be at your front door at 7:00 a.m. We’re going to start over.” He paused. “If you’ll let me.”
She searched his face, her own radiating indecision. After a moment, she nodded. “We’ll need to talk tomorrow, Noah. About . . .” she waved her hand in the small space between the two of them, “about us.”
Noah nodded. “Let us drive you home, Abby.” He knew they would be cutting it really close. Like if they hit too many red lights, she would see their eyes glowing. He didn’t want to leave her though.
She nodded again. He stood back from the wall and buttoned his coat to hopefully hide what was going on in his pants. He put his big arm around Abby’s shoulder, holding her close to his body, and they made their way to the valet.
Chapter 21
The drive to Abby’s had been quiet. Noah had sat in the backseat with her, his arm around her, his fingers tracing around the soft skin of her shoulder. He kept his eyes on the clock from behind his sunglasses, and hoped like hell they would make it to her house before he and Hudson lit up.
They dropped her off, and Noah had whispered a reminder in her ear that he would be at her door at seven in the morning. She nodded and slid out of the car. They waited until she was inside and saw the lights in her apartment come on. Noah moved to the front seat.
“That’s not a very safe place for her to be living,” Hudson murmured as if he were talking to himself. Noah grunted in agreement, noting the large picture window and the fact that she lived on the first floor.
They took off into the night, traveling down Interstate 80. When they were out in the middle of nowhere, Noah said, “Pull over.”
“What?”
“Pull the fuck over. Now. Or do I need to say it in easier words for you to understand?”
Hudson found an area off the highway and stopped the car. Noah got out and began walking.
Hudson followed. “What the hell’s going on, Noah?”
Noah turned around and charged toward Hudson. He hauled back and hit Hudson square in the face, sending the male back a few steps, which probably wasn’t too smart. Both he and Hudson were highly trained killers, and things were about to get really ugly. Noah imagined they would both need to visit the healer of the group, Cohen, when they returned to the silo.
Hudson was stunned, but just for a moment. He put the palm of his hand to his jaw while eyeing Noah, and gave it a push.
“You want to explain that?” Hudson asked, his voice a deadly calm.
Noah stared at Hudson, whose eyes were shining a bright yellow. He figured they were far enough off the highway that no one in a passing car would see them.
“Fine,” Hudson said when Noah remained quiet. He turned and gave a roundhouse kick to Noah’s sternum, sending him backward, almost planting him on his ass.
Noah recovered quickly and lunged for Hudson, taking him to the ground between two huge sagebrush plants. They rolled around, fists flying, grunts and cursing the symphony to their fight. Twenty minutes later, they lay spent, side-by-side in the dirt and sagebrush.
“So,” Hudson breathed, “what the fuck was that?”
Noah looked up at the stars, wondering if anyone was looking down at him. There were so many species in the universe, it was a definitely possibility. If not another species, then Google had probably caught the fight. He had visions of them being an Internet sensation. Two assholes—with their eyes glowing—rolling around in the desert, beating the shit out of each other.
Perfect.
“She’s mine,” Noah said, breathing hard. “You pissed me off the way you were touching her, kissing her hand and her cheek.” He went silent for a moment. “Don’t even think about making a move on her, Hudson, because if you do, I will kill you. And I’m not threatening.”
Hudson looked at him, then broke out in gut-wrenching laughter, holding his side. He must have done some damage to one of Hudson’s ribs. Maybe he got lucky and broke one. But it was obvious that Hudson had apparently lost his mind.
“Jesus, Noah,” he said when he finally caught his breath. “I thought I was going to have to take her down to the floor and dry hump her before you broke in. Really. It took you long enough.” He continued laughing in spite of the pain.
“What took me long enough?”
Hudson went quiet and looked up at the stars. “Noah, you have been miserable for the past six weeks, not to mention a pain in the ass to live with. When you saw Abby tonight, you weren’t miserable. You smiled for the first time in weeks, you dumbass. I don’t have to be
a genius to see what she does for you. I figured if I was a big enough asshole—did some hand-holding, a couple of innocent kisses and shit—you would realize what a mistake you had made.” He sat up. “I think you broke my rib, you fucker.”
Noah sat up next to him, silent for a time. Hudson would pull something like that because he knew that Noah would respond to actions, not words. “Well, it worked.” He looked back up at the night sky. “I don’t know how it’s going to work though, Hudson. I don’t know. I can’t let her know what I am. And I sure as shit can’t lose my SR44 form.”
Hudson stood and held out his hand to Noah, who took it and actually appreciated the help, as his knee was out of whack and he didn’t know if it could support his full weight.
“Does it matter?” Hudson said quietly. “Does any of it matter?”
Noah stared at his friend, unsure of what he meant.
“We’re stuck here, Noah. We aren’t going home, man. You know it. I know it. Some of the others still have hope, but we’re never going to finish this mission. You’ve been so focused on it, and you’ve missed out on so much. Maybe it’s time to enjoy yourself a little. The Colonists aren’t going anywhere, and neither are their offspring.” He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the ground.
“Our time is long, but it will come to an end. We could get run over by a semi, or killed by a Colonist. One of the other Warriors could fucking lose it and kill us all tomorrow. These crazy governments here on Earth could launch bombs and turn us to dust within seconds. Do you really want to go out knowing that you didn’t love, that you didn’t have the pleasure of love?”
Noah looked at the yellow eyes staring at him, dumbfounded by Hudson’s words. He had never heard the male talk with such honesty and frankness. He had never known that Hudson had those ideas and feelings.