From Ice to Flames
Page 10
Chapter Twelve
Hudson
The past two weeks, I took Wiley over to Milly’s almost every night to play with Dick. He was so infatuated with that dog, it was hilarious. She didn’t mind and neither did I because it gave me time to get to know her. And I began to think that maybe I did want more than a friendly relationship. I had difficulty staying on track with our conversation because all I could do was think about her luscious lips wrapped around my own dick. I almost erupted in flames of the five-alarm variety. It was a miracle the NYFD didn’t show up at her apartment.
We joked about the Bid for Bachelors and how I wasn’t looking forward to it. I was, however, anxious to see what she would be wearing to the event. She was sure to be stunning.
The night I had dreaded arrived. I dressed in my black tux, taking care to make sure everything was perfect. I didn’t do it for the bidders. I did it for Milly. I wanted to look my best for her. Wiley was staying out at Marin and Grey’s with their sitter. They were coming to the event too, along with Mom, Dad, and Pearson. It was a real family affair.
When I climbed the steps to the Met, the place was already buzzing with activity. I was supposed to go to the auditorium to receive my instructions first. But when I stepped through the doors, I immediately knew why Dad was so impressed with Milly. The place had been transformed into a top-notch regal event. Tables were decorated with linens and gorgeous floral arrangements and crowned with crystal and silver candle holders. And that was on top of them being laden with food, which all looked delicious. There were at least a dozen bars set up, making it simple for the guests to get drinks. The auction items were elegantly displayed inviting everyone to place their silent bids.
After taking my time looking at some of the items up for bid, I went in search of Ava. I spotted her right away and she waved me over.
“Hudson, it’s good to see you again. Thanks so much for doing this again this year. It really means a lot.”
“I’d like to say it’s nothing, but …”
“Yeah, Milly told me. I hope you end up with a better date this year.”
“Not any more than I do.”
She handed me a slip of paper. “Here’s the order of the bachelors and it’s going to run pretty much the same as last year. We put you near the beginning since you brought in such a huge amount last year. We’re hoping to get that again this year. Oh, and thanks for the generous donation along with the pet services too.”
“It’s the least I could do.” I didn’t tell her that Dad would’ve killed me if I hadn’t. But I was all in for this cause anyway.
“Too bad you don’t know how to clean human teeth, I’d pop in for my six-month check-up.”
“Yeah, that’s out of my realm. Unless of course you want to just gnaw on a deer antler or something, but I don’t recommend that.” She let out an unladylike snort.
“Haha. I’ll pass. Just make sure you’re back here fifteen minutes before this begins, which will be at nine.”
“Great. See you then.” I went to search for the rest of the family. My first stop though was the bar, where I ran into Pearson.
“Hey man, how’s it going?” I slapped him on the back.
“Oh, hey,” he said, shrugging. “Okay, I suppose.”
“Any luck with Tom?”
“Eh. Could be worse. But I’m not backing down, just as you said.”
“Good. Work okay other than that?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.” Then he noticed a gorgeous woman off to the side, and said, “I see something of interest over there. I’ll catch you later.”
“Yeah, yeah, likely story.” I watched him approach and her eyes lit up. He always had his way with them. I hoped he’d cleaned up his place, though. I wouldn’t even consider taking Wiley over unless he’d had it fumigated.
“Hudson, the bachelor of the night.” I turned to see my other brother and his wife standing there.
“Well, damn, don’t you two look great.” They were both dressed to kill.
“So do you. Are you ready for the auction block?” Marin asked.
“Honestly, I’m ready for it to be over. I just hope it doesn’t end up like last year.”
Marin tapped my arm. “It’ll be fine.”
“Easy for you to say. You didn’t have to hide for two months, like I did.”
Grey chuckled. “Yeah, that was brutal. I remember the time I came into the city for a conference and you wouldn’t even meet me for dinner.”
“That’s because every time I left the clinic, she was waiting, ready to strike, like a bad virus.” I shuddered at the memory.
“Too bad because she was really attractive.”
“You can’t cover up crazy, no matter how attractive someone is.”
Mom and Dad came up to us. “Doesn’t everyone look wonderful,” Mom said. “I just love this event because we all get together dressed up so nicely and this is one of the few times we’re able to do that.”
“Your mother is right. We need to do this more often. Hudson, are you ready?” Dad asked.
I spread my arms out and said, “As ever.”
“I just know you’re going to fetch thousands tonight, dear,” Mom said.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“And what about Pearson?” Mom asked.
“Yeah, he somehow snaked out of this,” I said. I wonder how he did it without pissing Dad off. I’d have to ask him later.
I took everyone’s drink order and Grey and I headed to the bar to fill it. Afterward, we made our way to the food area. Every year the food was delicious, so we filled our plates and found a table. As we sat and ate, Marin filled me in on Marshmallow’s progress.
“By the way, where’s your neighbor? I’m looking forward to meeting her,” she asked.
“I haven’t seen her yet, but when I do, I’ll be sure to introduce you.”
“I’m sure she has her hands full tonight,” Dad said. He would know since he was on the board.
“I suspect she’s running around behind the scenes with a lot of things going on,” I said.
“Yes, but I can’t say enough about her. You’ll see as the night goes on. The number of people here alone should be an indication,” Dad said. “Because of her, the event sold twice as many tickets this year.”
“That’s great for the charity, indeed,” Marin said.
The orchestra started playing so the two couples went off to dance, leaving me to hold down the fort. That’s when Milly came up to the table.
“Hey, bachelor. You look like you could fetch a pretty hefty price tonight.”
My tongue almost rolled out of my mouth. I wanted to say, “Buy me. Buy me.” But I didn’t. While many of the women wore either yards and yards of satin or not much at all, Milly looked extraordinary in a simple gown of deep scarlet silk with a plunging neckline. It showed off more than a hint of her creamy cleavage, which made me swallow my pooling saliva, but it wasn’t the type of sexy that revealed too much. It was tastefully elegant. She didn’t need the miles of fabric to grab attention. It was how she held herself and walked. Pure class and gracefulness that had every eye on her tonight. And that was the type of woman Milly was, which made me want to run like hell. I didn’t need a woman like that around. She was the type of woman I could fall for, which made me vulnerable. Vulnerable only opened me up for hurt and no way in fucking hell was I ever going to allow that again. If she was up for some sport fucking, yeah, I’d be into that, but nothing more.
“… And I haven’t had any time until now to check things out up here. Is everything okay?”
Her plump crimson lips were moving and all I wanted them to do was wrap around my now stiff dick and slide up and down …
“Hudson, are you all right?”
“Dicky.”
“Excuse me?”
“Dandy. Just dandy.” I slid a finger underneath the band of my collar. It was sure hot in here.
“Does everything look okay out here? I’ve been handling things everywher
e else, working with the caterer.”
“Great. Just great.” It’d be a lot better if you could drop to your knees and … “Hey, so the shoulder is better now?” I’ve got to get my mind out of the fucking gutter. I tugged on my bow tie. Damn, it was downright steamy in here.
“Yeah. It’s perfect. All back in working order, thank you.” She lifted her arm and moved her shoulder around and gave me a demonstration. All I could do was ogle her chest.
Her gorgeous eyes nailed me. Why did she have to have such perfect eyes? They reminded me of molten caramel. I was a sucker for beautiful eyes on a woman. And hers were a fantasy come true. I was swimming in them.
“Are you nervous? About tonight? The auction, I mean.”
“A little. I hate to be a whiny ass.” That was the best cop out around, but right now, I was almost in a pussy coma and I hadn’t even kissed her.
“It’s fine. I totally get it. If someone buys you and stalks you again, I’ll take care of her myself.”
I laughed. Really loud.
“What? You don’t think I can handle it?”
“Not at all. I think you’d go after her with everything you have. But it makes for an interesting thought.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know. The thought of you defending me is … kind of hot.” It wasn’t kind of hot, it was off-the-charts fuck-me-out-of-my-mind hot.
That was a mistake. Why did I have to say that? She smiled and it was like someone opened the black-out curtains and let the sunshine in. Fuck. Me.
“Really?”
“Yeah. No. I don’t want you fighting someone for me. Forget I said that. This conversation has turned weird.”
I was saved by my family returning. Marin came up and said, “Is this Milly?”
“Yes. Milly, this is my sister-in-law, Marin, my brother, Grey. And you’ve met my dad, Rick, and this is my mom, Paige.”
Marin wasted no time at all. “I have heard so much about you, Milly.”
Oh, God. Milly’s brows shot straight to the ceiling. Why did Marin say that? I was going to kill her. It sounded like I talked about Milly all the time, which I certainly did not. Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Oh, that’s really nice.” Milly eyed me.
“Yes, it is. And Rick compliments you all the time on what a wonderful job you’re doing.”
“That’s true. You’ve done such a great job. I can’t wait for the rest of the night to happen,” Dad said. “Better yet, I can’t wait to tally the funds we raise.”
“Neither can I,” Milly said, beaming.
Then Little Miss Marin the Matchmaker said, “You two should go and dance.”
“Oh. Well, I do have a few free minutes, I guess.” She didn’t sound very enthusiastic. I shot Marin one of my nastiest looks. She only shrugged.
Taking Milly’s hand, to which a buzz of electricity shot through my own when I did, I escorted her out to the dance floor. The song was a slow one, and I held her close as we swayed to the music. The saddest part was when the song ended, and I didn’t want to let her go.
“Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?”
She looked surprised by my question. “Um, no, but thank you.” Then she stared at her feet, as though she were shy.
“Stunning, actually. You outshine everyone here by miles. But let me warn you. There is a man here, namely my brother, Pearson. Beware of him.”
She threw back her head and laughed. Swear to God, it was the biggest turn on. What was this woman doing to me?
“I’m not kidding.” I leaned in and whispered, “I’m giving away a secret, but he’s really a man whore of the worst kind. And if he sees you, he’ll do anything to, well, you get the picture.”
“Thanks for the warning. I’ll take care around him.”
We walked off the dance floor and who should approach us but the devil himself.
“Damn, Hudson, why are you keeping this gorgeous woman all to yourself?”
“Because, Pearson, she’s off-limits to you. Milly, this is my brother, Pearson, and he’s a scoundrel, so beware.”
Milly held out her hand and said, “I’m Milly Fremont, Hudson’s neighbor. Nice to meet you.”
“Why don’t you come with me and we can spend some quality time together,” Pearson said.
“I told you,” I said to Milly.
“Sorry, I’m on duty here tonight,” she said. Pearson did have the decency to look crestfallen.
“Don’t worry, baby brother, there are other prospects here you can feast your eyes on.”
He left after a few more words. “Told ya.”
“Yeah, he didn’t mince words, did he?”
“No. He’s after one thing and one thing only.” But then again, so was I. Her ruby lips had me hooked and I itched to taste them.
“Thanks for looking out for me.”
“My pleasure.”
“I guess I’d better get back to work.”
“Yeah, I should probably start heading over to the auction.”
“Oh, I’ll walk with you because I was on my way there too.”
“Give me a second to let my family know.” After telling them where we were going, we walked toward the auditorium. I folded her arm around mine, feeling strangely possessive of her. I wasn’t immune to the looks men flashed her way and hoped she didn’t notice how I strutted like a damn peacock.
We left the main area where the crowd of people were assembled and followed the hall to the back entrance of the auditorium. There was an alcove just ahead and a harebrained idea took root. It was risky, but fuck it all. I went for it.
Grabbing her wrist, I tugged her into the dark nook.
“What …”
That was all she had a chance to say before my mouth prevented any other words from forming. Her O of surprise worked to my advantage. Using it, I pushed my tongue into her mouth, tasting every bit of her. One hand wrapped around her waist and the other held her jaw, my thumb tenderly stroking the sensitive skin beneath her ear.
She sighed, then moaned. When she began to kiss me back, I knew trouble was ahead. Big ass trouble. This had gone from a simple experimental kiss to an I want to fuck this woman more than anything in less than sixty seconds. When had that ever happened since Lydia? What the fuck was I doing?
My mind was shattered by what Milly’s mouth was doing to me. I tore myself away from her, panting.
“Buy me.”
In a breathless voice, she answered, “What?”
“Buy me. Tonight. At the auction.”
“Oh. I can’t. I mean … I won’t be able to afford you.”
“No, I didn’t mean you’d have to actually pay. I’ll pay.” I dug into my pocket for my wallet and yanked out my credit card, pressing it into her palm. “Here. Use this. I don’t care how high the bidding goes. Just buy me. I want you to be the one and not some crazy stalker.” My tone had taken on an urgency that surprised even me.
Her eyes flicked from me to the credit card. “Hudson, I don’t think …”
“Don’t think. Just do it. Please.” I took her hand and folded her fingers over the card. She sucked her lower lip into her mouth. “Jesus, don’t do that.”
“What?”
I kissed her again, biting on her lower lip. “That thing with your lip. I should be the one doing that.”
She let out a nervous laugh. “I have to go.”
“Wait. Promise me?”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive!”
“How high?”
“As high as it takes. I want you to be the one.”
She stuck my card into the small clutch she was carrying, and we walked to the auditorium. When we got there, Ava came up to us.
“There you are, thank God. I was getting worried.”
“Why?” I asked.
“You’re late,” she said, dragging me by the arm.
Milly wandered off and Ava stared after her. “Is she all right?”
“Yeah, why?”
At this point, I wanted to crawl into a hole or kill my dad. I only prayed Milly would come through. This bidding could get outrageous. But damn, I did not want to go through what I did last year. And Milly was safe … or at least that’s what I kept telling myself. I knew it was a lie, but honesty was the last thing on my mind.
Chapter Thirteen
Milly
My brain was a flurry of cartwheels, flipping over and over itself. One, his credit card was in my clutch. Two, my lips still burned from his kiss. Three, he wanted me to buy him. Was I building more into this than I should? I’m not even sure what I was doing.
“Milly, are you okay? You look a little flushed.” Ava took my hand and dragged me to the back of the stage.
“Um, yeah, I’m fine.”
“What are you doing here anyway? I thought the silent auction was taking place now.”
“Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck.”
“What the hell?”
“I have to go.” I turned to run, then I double backed. “Ava, how long before Hudson’s turn?”
She checked her watch and then winked. “You have plenty of time. He’s fourth in line and will go on in about forty minutes give or take.”
“Great.” I hightailed it out of there and made it just in time.
Glenn had started calling out the winners of the silent auction by the time I got there. When he was finished, he handed me the list and I took it over to the table where the distribution and payments would be handled. I was rushing back to the auditorium when Glenn stopped me.
“Milly, I have to say you have really pulled off quite a feat here. Everyone is impressed by the work you’ve accomplished.”
“Thank you, Glenn. I’m happy you’re so pleased.”
“We have been getting more compliments than I can begin to tell you. The board would like to meet with the team this week. I’ll call you on Monday if that’s okay.”