I had really screwed up, when about a month after coming home, I was getting ready to start my Veterinarian internship and my friends threw me a party. Trying to shake off Vegas, I drank too much and woke up next to Amber the following morning. I had never slept with her before, sure she had always tried but I recognized how shallow she was. Three months later she told me she was pregnant, I asked her to marry me because no Hudson baby was going to grow up without its father. However, I didn’t have sex with her again and after a month, she got really agitated. About two months into our ‘marriage’ and five months into her “pregnancy” I was hurt in a car accident. The doctors ran a lot of tests because my pelvis had been cracked.
Amber played the part of the adoring wife while getting all the sympathy she could. My family never liked her, but they tolerated her. After all, she was my wife and was carrying my baby. About that time, my doctor came and asked me how sure I was that the baby Amber was carrying was mine. Shocked I had no answer. Doctor Williams had been our family doctor since before I was born, so I trusted him with my life.
Long story short, I was told I was shooting blanks, I was essentially sterile. Sometimes the condition fixed itself but my sperm count was extremely low and the odds of getting Amber pregnant or anyone pregnant was slim to none. So I demanded a paternity test, I was willing to wait until the baby was born to get it, but when Amber found out she broke down crying and blurted out everything. She wasn’t pregnant at all and never had been. She had been struggling to catch me since high school and after the whole Synclair thing had happened, she felt like she had zero shot.
In truth, she had been right. I had spent a lot of time breaking down Synclair’s high walls around her heart. Instead of just a bet, I realized she was smart, sarcastically funny, and tender-hearted. Once she gave over to her feelings for me, it knocked on my ass, on how loving she was. God, I was such a dick.
Amber figured, with my upbringing I would never let a baby be without its father, so while we did probably have sex that night, I was too drunk to remember, and she didn’t wind up pregnant like she had planned. So, she came up with the hideous lie, knowing I would do the right thing. She had figured she would seduce me into having sex with her right after we got married until I really knocked her up and then she was going to lie about the timetable.
Yeah, it was ugly, and I was furious but mostly relieved. Not about the child, I would have loved that child, regardless. However, the idea of not being tied to Amber made me feel like I had dodged a lengthy prison sentence. I obtained a divorce, and she went on to marry three more times.
Every time one of her marriages was on the rocks she would try to cozy up to me. I wasn’t having it, I tolerated her because she was the mayor’s sister and he had a large ranch that threw a lot of business my way. It was a small town and I couldn’t afford to alienate Mayor Donaldson. I was never in love with her anyways, the closest thing to love I had ever felt I had let get led away by cops fifteen years ago.
A shriek that sounded so shrill it could shatter glass pulled me out of my reflections. I knew that howl. Amber. Fuck me, she was waiting outside in my truck. Shit, I forgot, Amber had cornered me in town and pleaded for a ride home since her car was low on gas. I realized it was bullshit, she tried the same crap with a different excuse all the time, and usually in front of people. She knew I wouldn’t make a scene, I would always give in but ignore her chatter until I could dump her off at whatever upscale house she was living in at the time. Tonight, I was just going to run in and see what Rachel wanted and then I was going to dump off Amber and come back to the house to sleep. Shit, shit, shit.
I turned and raced out the front door, I heard my brothers’ footsteps right on my heels. If I hadn’t been so scared, I would have laughed.
******************************
Barbie sucks. If I wasn’t so goddamn mad, I would have laughed. I was a mature woman, and here I was fighting with the bitch that had tormented me, all those years ago.
I had run out of the house, hellbent on leaving, I stomped past the metallic blue Ford-150 that was left running in the drive. I stopped when a familiar voice called out.
“Crack whore’s daughter.” The voice taunted. I stopped dead in my tracks. I made a full circle, there was no way that person was here, no way in hell.
Standing in the open passenger door of what I can only surmise was Reece’s truck, was Amber or Malibu Barbie, take your pick. She was dressed in an expensive silk blouse, tight pencil skirt, and Jimmy Choo heels. She was still slender except for her boobs. Yeah, those were unquestionably an after-market addition. No way did she have a set of DD’s in college. It almost made me chuckle. Her blond hair cascaded around her shoulders and her bitch, blue eyes were coldly assessing me.
“Still dress out of thrift stores I see.” She sneered using one manicured hand to tuck her hair behind her ear.
“Aww, still going by Amber or is that just your stripper name?” I asked taking a menacing step closer. I had a bat and a gun and I was aching to beat the hell out of her with both of them.
“Still chasing after my Reece, I see, well he’s my husband now urchin, so run home to whatever crack alley you came from.” She smiled, her whole face contorted into some victory sneer that made me see red.
Married her, He. Had. Married. Her? Oh, my god. The calm that had been eluding me took over. My head was still pounding and my stomach felt like it was going to hurl; but the hell if Malibu Barbie was going to see it. I was due a breakdown and I would have it, alone, in a hotel room with some Jack Daniels and Oreos. Not right now, not here and definitely not in front of her.
“Why don’t you do what you actually want to, Amber?” I was proud at how steady my tone was.
“Which is?” Again with the sneering, it must be a natural talent.
“Well, last time we saw each other I knocked your teeth loose, being as you have obviously won, I can concede that. Take a free shot. Let’s see what you’ve got.” I goaded throwing my bat to the ground. Yeah, I was basically waving a red flag in front of a bull.
I could see her eyes flit back and forth as her tiny brain tried to find my angle in all of this. After a few moments, a sly grin spread across her face. I had her. Damn, she was easy.
“Why not, fair is fair?” Without any prompting, she walked to me and I had to force my hands not to pick up the bat from the ground. I wanted her to feel like she had all the cards. I kept my hands down as her small right fist connected with my cheek. It wasn’t a hard punch by no stretch.
She laughed while she rubbed her hand. She stopped when she noticed I was smiling.
“W-why are you smiling?” She was clearly nervous. I walked toward her and she walked backward.
“Fifteen years ago, you had me arrested because I punched you,” I told her walking into her personal space. Her eyes went wide with fear when I grabbed the front of her soft blouse.
“S-s-so, what. If you hit me- it’s still assault you know.” She warned as she started to shake.
“Naw, fifteen years ago it was assault. Since I just let you hit me first, now it's self-defense,” I announced right before my fist connected with her cheek bone. She let out a blood-curdling scream, and I almost covered my ears.
I began to throw more punches, I couldn’t hear anything but the rush of my own blood in my ears. It was like I was in college all over again, I wanted her to hurt like I did.
Suddenly large arms banded around me and lifted me off my prey.
“Synclair baby, I can explain and I will but you have to calm down,” He whispered those words, the same freaking words that he had spoken to me years ago. I fought his hold, but I knew Reece was stronger than I was. My vision was still clouded with rage as I saw Matt and Dalton help Amber into the house. Were they laughing?
“Let me go, goddammit Reece,” I yelled. I elbowed him in the ribs and he grunted. I took advantage of his grip loosening and spun around and punched him dead in the face. Feeling out of control I took of
f at a run to my car. I had to get out of there, too much was happening, there was too much I had to process and I was becoming more and more emotionally unglued. The control I had worked so hard to put in place was slipping, fast.
I pulled my keys out of my pocket and clicked the button to unlock the door. I didn’t know if Reece was behind me, but I wasn’t going to risk looking back. I reached my door and threw it open. The moment it opened, it was kicked shut, right of out my hands. The street light above showed the dent in my beautiful Mustang.
“Uh oh.” I heard Rachel’s gasp from somewhere behind me. I turned and faced Reece. His face was flushed with anger and he was breathing like he had just run a marathon.
“You dented my car you stupid asshole,” I shouted at him. Fucker, I loved this car.
“Oh yeah, well you dented my rib cage.” He shot back. Good, I thought, just like you dented my heart you prick.
“Yeah, you’re lucky it wasn’t your face since that was what I was really aiming for.” I sneered as I once again reach for my door.
Of course, Reece was faster. Before I could blink, I was spun around and pinned up against my own car by his body. We just stared at each other. My hands were braced against his chest and damn what a chest it was. It felt like a wall of steel under my fingertips and holy shit was that his cock jamming into my stomach? There was no way he could be hard right now? Right? Just the thought made wetness seep into my panties. Wait! What the hell? Don’t forget who this is and who he’s married to, I reminded myself.
That was enough to break the spell. I pushed against him but he wouldn’t budge. My head was pounding so hard that my vision was blurring. I needed to get away, I couldn’t breathe. Shit, I realized I might be having a panic attack. I hadn’t had one in over a decade. Fighting to calm my breathing, I shoved against him again. Again, he didn’t move.
“Let..m-m-me go.” I stammered, again trying to get away from him.
He looked at me and must have realized I was in trouble. He backed up a step but kept his hands on my waist. I couldn’t get my heart to slow down, it was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst from my chest. To add to my humiliation tears began streaking down my face. This was bad, so bad when this was over I was going to have to crawl away in shame. I hadn’t cried since I was eight. Not even when my mother died.
“Reece it’s a panic attack, Uncle Jack said she used to have them when she was younger.” Came Rachel’s frightened voice.
Traitor, I thought. Now she wants to offer up advice and why did UJ tell her anything? Jesus, was no part of my life off limits?
“J-just have t-to g-g-o.” I stammered weakly trying to turn toward the car. Just as I felt Reece grab my shoulder to turn me back around my knees buckled and blackness took over.
******************************
I lifted Synclair up into my arms. Her head rolled against my shoulder. I walked quickly back to the house. I ignored the part of my brain that acknowledged that she felt like she belonged in my arms.
Lucas ran ahead of me and opened the door, without a word. I walked through the house, past the kitchen where Matt and Dalton were putting ice on Amber’s face. Damn, my girl can throw a punch.
I ignored their startled looks as I walked down the hall to my part of the house. After my divorce, I had moved back in to be closer to Rachel. I had taken the back three rooms and made them like an apartment, with a living room, large bath and a bedroom, just no kitchen. I kicked open the door and walked over to my king sized bed. Rachel ran ahead and pulled back the comforter and sheets. I was about to lay Synclair down when I felt something metal in the back of her jeans. Placing her gingerly on the bed I rolled her to one side and pulled out a gun. Jesus, what the hell have you had to deal with that you needed a gun?
I glanced up at Lucas, who took the gun and checked the chamber. “There’s no clip, it’s unloaded.” He almost sounded relieved. Taking off her blue jacket I noticed the deep, purple bruises on her arms. They looked like fingerprints. A raw, furious anger coursed through me.
“What the hell is this?” I demanded. I fingered the bruises that stood out against her pale skin.
“She said an ex-husband showed up at a women’s shelter,” Lucas informed me, his tone flat. I was puzzled, she was married? Why was she in a shelter?
My face must have registered my confusion because Rachel threw in, “She volunteers at a woman’s shelter twice a month, he was an angry husband looking for a woman that Synclair had relocated.” Rachel sighed and put her small hand on my shoulder.
I was still running my hands over Synclair’s bruises. I wanted to find the son of a bitch and kill him for hurting what was mine. Whoa, mine? Where did that come from? I’m just as guilty I hurt her too, only the bruises were on the inside.
“He burned down her bar, which also burned down her home, Reece. She showed up here because she thought I was in trouble.”
I studied Rachel, she had been so sheltered by all of us brothers, she presumably had no idea what that kind of evil looked like up close.
Making a decision, I looked at Lucas. “I need to know it all, I have to deal with Amber, Lucas can you get Synclair’s keys and go to her car and get her purse, and if her phone is there, I need it. I want to see if this Uncle Jack is in her contacts. I need to know everything.” He glanced from Lucas to Rachel. “Then I want to know everything you had a hand in princess,” I told her softly. Rachel nodded looking down.
“I picked up her keys after she passed out. I’ll go get her things. You take care of Amber, drop the bitch off on a street corner and tell her not to crawl back anytime soon, next time I might just let Synclair finish her off.” I was stunned, Lucas didn’t like many people, but in the small amount of time Synclair had been in Lucas’s presence she had acquired an ally, she may not know it but Lucas was fiercely loyal and protective of those he cared about.
“We may have another complication.” Lucas chimed in. “When she wakes up she’s going to bolt. I say we hide her keys and her purse.” Yep, Lucas liked her.
“I can mess with her car, nothing fatal but just so that it won’t start, just in case she gets her hands on her keys,” Dalton announced from the doorway.
I grinned, “Just how long was she here before I got here? Why would you help me with her? She did gut check you.” I asked amused. I had never seen my family so taken with one person, especially a hostile, fierce one.
Dalton gave me a lopsided smirk. “Yeah but she grows on you, did you see the way she plowed through me like I was nothing? That was damn impressive, and I have been waiting for someone to kick Amber’s ass for years, I like Synclair.” He said walking back down the hallway with Lucas behind him.
“I know a few people in the police department and fire department in Vegas. I could inquire about the fire and stuff, just to see if she is in any danger.” Matt offered coming up to the doorway. “I mean, I am an accountant and I have done their taxes so I might be able to get some info. Oh and Amber is all iced up. I gave her some of my pain meds from when I went to the dentist last month, so she should be easy to take home, I’ll get her ready.” Matt Finished as he sauntered down the hall toward the kitchen.
“I’ll take her clothes,” Rachel declared.
My head jerked back to my sister’s gaze. “Um, why?” I wasn’t certain I could keep my hands off Synclair as it was, but the thought of her being naked in my bed make my cock twitch. The woman was just as sexy at thirty-five as she had been at twenty. She still had those full breasts and hips that begged to be grabbed while my cock thrusted in and out of that sugar laced pussy, and that fine ass had filled my hands only a short time ago but they were already missing the fullness of it. My cock strained against the zipper of my jeans. I groaned. Down boy, the girl hates us, so back down while I sort this out.
“Reece, she can’t leave if she’s naked. Her shoes are muddy and she’s cold, I’ll undress her and give her two of the heavy comforters. It will at least slow her down a bit,
she loathes being cold.” Rachel reasoned. I wasn’t positive I agreed, but if it helped keep Synclair put until I could talk to her, I was game.
“Do it Rachel and keep an eye on her, I’ll be back” I had no sooner moved from my spot then Rachel took my place. I watched my baby sister plant a tender kiss on Synclair’s forehead and murmur softly to her.
Synclair Patrick had better be prepared, it appeared the whole Hudson household was taken with her, she may be able to get away from me. I mused. But me and the whole the Hudson family? Nope, Synclair was about to be ours, I was going get a second chance to have that woman again, and this time she wasn’t getting rid of me. Synclair was going to be one of us and we always take care of our own.
******************************
Mornings suck. The only thing worse than waking up before noon was waking up in a strange bed, in a strange room, located in a strange house with freaking birds chirping outside the strange room’s window. Squeezing my eyes shut against the sunlight that was streaming in, I rolled over. Now that the glare of the sun wasn’t blinding me I opened my heavy lids slowly. I blinked one eye open and then the other and fell right into the gaze of Reece Hudson’s jade eyes.
Startled, I screamed and instinctually pulled my feet up and kicked off his chest. I went flying back off one side of the bed and Reece went sailing off the other. Hitting the hardwood floor, I wasted no time scrambling back to my feet. That’s when I realized I was nude, as in not a god damn thing on my body! Screeching in anger, I seized the sheet that was pooled around my feet and angrily stomped around the bed.
I had just gotten around the side of the bed when the door to the bedroom flew open. In poured Rachel, Lucas, Matt, and Dalton, I briefly noticed that Rachel held a tray of food and the brothers looked seriously entertained. I watched as their eyes darted from Reece’s sitting position on the floor to my pissed off stance at the edge of the bed.
Back to You: A Hudson Family Series- Book 1- Synclair and Reece Page 9