Smitten

by Brooks, Gemma

  “Hey, there,” I heard Hudson’s voice call from behind me. He was finally home.

  “About time you’re home,” I teased.

  “Got room for one more?” he asked as he began stripping down.

  He climbed in behind me as water spilled out around the tub. His wet hands slipped down around my waste as I made myself comfortable in his lap.

  Hudson’s hands moved my hair off my neck as his mouth peppered my damp skin with sweet kisses.

  “I’m sorry you had such a rough day,” he said as he held me tight. “I’m here now.”

  “Yeah, but you’re leaving tomorrow,” I pouted. “For two weeks.”

  “Don’t remind me,” he groaned. “I don’t want to go.”

  “Then stay,” I teased.

  “If I could, I would,” he said between kisses. “You know that.”

  “I know,” I pouted some more. I closed my eyes and focused on the sensation of his lips on my delicate skin as his hands caressed my breasts.

  “When I get back, I’ll take you on that trip to Cabo,” he said. “The one we were supposed to take this week.”

  “Okay,” I said with a grin.

  His hands slipped down past my breasts and down my hips before stopping between my thighs. He slipped a single finger inside me as his palm massaged my clit.

  I sighed and leaned back into him, spreading my thighs a bit more for easy access. As his left hand massaged me below, his right hand massaged my breasts and held me tight. I loved his hands all over me. When it was just us, I was all his. Nothing outside of those four walls mattered. We were in our own little world, just Hudson and me.

  CHAPTER 15

  “Why don’t I cook breakfast for us today?” I asked him Friday morning. “It’ll be my treat before you leave. You do so much for me. Let me do something for you. Besides, it’s a Friday. Give Flor the day off.”

  “You sure?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” I said. “There’s a supermarket down the street. I’ll drive myself there. Baby steps, right?”

  Hudson looked pleasantly pleased at my notion to suddenly become so independent.

  “By all means,” he said. “Take any car you want.”

  I perused his collection of car keys before settling on his Range Rover. I wasn’t ready for anything beyond that yet. I’d freak out if I accidentally curbed his Porsche or dented his Aston Martin.

  “I’ll be back soon,” I called out as I dashed out the door.

  I climbed into his SUV and adjusted the seat and mirrors about a million times. My heart raced as my sweaty hands gripped the leather steering wheel.

  “I can do this, I can do this,” I told myself as I backed out of his driveway and out into the street.

  I drove a few blocks before realizing the supermarket was a lot further away than I thought it was, but I reminded myself that it was a straight shot and I couldn’t get lost. I flipped on the radio to distract me from all the traffic. It helped a little.

  Before I knew it, I had arrived at the grocery store. The parking lot was packed. I’d never seen this many cars in one grocery store parking lot before in my life. Even the malls back home were never this packed.

  I found a spot and pulled his Range Rover in ever so perfectly, patting myself on the back for a job well done.

  “I did it!” I softly cheered.

  I headed inside to grab a few items for breakfast. I wanted to make him a good, old-fashioned Iowa breakfast of biscuits and gravy, pork sausage patties, and hash browns. I hadn’t eaten like that in a good month, and I knew I could stand to gain back a few of the pounds I’d lost with my crash diet. One sinfully delicious meal never hurt anyone.

  As I entered the store, which was easily the fanciest grocery store I’d ever seen in my life, I couldn’t help but glance over at the magazine racks on my left. Even before I met Hudson, I was a bit of a tabloid junkie. I lived for that stuff. I longed to hear all the juicy gossip and rumors. Now that I’d been on the other side, my fascination with it had only grown by leaps and bounds. I had an unhealthy infatuation, but I managed to hide it well from Hudson.

  Something caught my eye as I walked by. A girl on a cover of a magazine looked oddly familiar. I stopped dead in my tracks and turned towards the magazine, my eyes fixated. The girl was me.

  My heart sunk deep into my stomach as I saw a picture of myself running from the boutique, tears streaming down my face, with Ava in the background smirking victoriously. I didn’t even bother reading the headline. I knew it wasn’t going to be nice.

  I grabbed the magazine, slipped my sunglasses on, and made a bee line for the checkout lane. Screw breakfast.

  I couldn’t get back out to the Range Rover fast enough. The second I was safe behind its tinted windows, I tore the magazine open and flipped to the article. There were pictures of Alec and I shopping, happily, then pictures of Ava and her crew approaching us. Photos of Ava with her hands on her hips talking to me followed by multiple shots of me running out of the store in tears.

  Supposedly someone who was there gave the magazine the inside scoop. How convenient of them to leave out the parts where I stood up to her and put her in her place. It had to have been Ava that leaked the story. It was the only thing that made sense.

  With tears streaming down my face, I headed back home. I was in no condition to go grocery shopping. I would’ve died of embarrassment had anyone recognized my face on those covers.

  I pulled into Hudson’s garage a few minutes later and whipped the magazine out once more. A glutton for punishment, I re-read the article. It was just as awful the second time as it was the first time. I shoved the magazine into my bag and headed inside, trying to hide the fact that I’d just been crying.

  “Do you need help carrying stuff in?” Hudson asked, perplexed at my empty handedness as he stood in the kitchen.

  “I didn’t get anything,” I said.

  “Okay,” he drawled. “Want to go out instead?”

  “No,” I said. I leaned over the edge of the marble island. “I’m not hungry anymore.”

  He spotted the corner of the magazine sticking out from my purse and yanked it all the way out. His eyes scanned the cover and frustration spread over his face.

  “Why?” he asked as he slammed the magazine down on the counter.

  I removed my sunglasses and stared up at him, afraid to answer. I didn’t have a good reason. I saw it. I bought it. I read it.

  “I wanted to know what was said about me,” I replied. It was the honest truth. “And it was all a bunch of lies that made Ava look great and me look pathetic.”

  “I really wish you wouldn’t read those,” he said as she shook his head. He was almost seething. “I thought we’d gone over this before.”

  “I know,” I said. “I wasn’t thinking. I just did it. I’m sorry.”

  “Does it make you feel good?” he asked. “To read all those lies about you? About us?”

  “No,” I shook my head. I couldn’t even look at him, he was so angry.

  “Then stop, Brynn,” he yelled. “For the love of God. Stop!”

  He walked up to me and grabbed my arms with his hands. He’d never touched me that way before.

  “I want this to work with us,” he said as he was mere inches from my face. “It’s never going to work if you keep reading that stuff. You and I exist separately from all of that.”

  He reached over and grabbed the magazine, ripped it in half and threw it down on the ground.

  “I have to leave for a bit,” he fumed as he left through the garage and slammed the door behind him.

  I heard his car start up and back out. He was gone. I’d made him so upset that he had to get away from me.

  I crouched down and picked up the tattered, glossy pages of the tabloid that were strewn across the floor at my feet. I crumpled them up and threw them away. Hudson was right. I shouldn’t have read those things. I should’ve walked on past, grabbed my groceries and come home. I should be standing behind the
stove right now making him breakfast. He should be kissing my neck and rubbing his hands up and down my back. We should be laughing and touching and playing. Instead, Hudson was gone and it was all because of me.

  “Flor?” I called out.

  No answer. Hudson must have given her the day off, just like I suggested. I had the entire place to myself, and I just wanted to have a good cry.

  Life with Hudson was a dream come true, but it came at a price. Some days I really missed the simplicity of my life back in Iowa. I missed the anonymity. I missed being able to go out on dates without paparazzi cameras in our faces and fans begging for autographs.

  I settled in on the sofa in the family room and wrapped myself in a soft, creamy Merino wool blanket and let the tears fall as I waited for Hudson to return. I hoped that we could salvage our last few hours together before he left for two weeks, but that would be up to him. He called all the shots. He always did.

  ***

  I woke up on the couch a few hours later, my eyes swollen from crying. I must have cried myself to sleep. The house was still quiet. Hudson was still gone. I wanted to call him, but I wasn’t sure if he’d even answer. I’d never seen him so angry before, and I had no idea where he went.

  I’d fallen asleep with my hands clutching my phone to my chest, just in case he called, but I awoke with not a single text message or missed call. According to the clock, he’d been gone three hours now. Those were three hours we should’ve been spending together.

  Hudson had mentioned before that he’d be willing to fly Piper out to stay with me while he was gone. I missed her so much. I never realized how much of a security blanket she was for me back home.

  My fingers hovered above her name in my phone as I hesitated. I hadn’t spoken to her since I was home the weekend before, and we didn’t leave things on the best of terms. Realizing I had nothing to lose, I called her anyway.

  “Hello,” she answered.

  My heart skipped a beat. Piper answering my call was a good sign.

  “Hey!” I said. I tried to act like nothing was wrong. Sometimes that worked with her.

  “What’s up?” she asked. I could sense a little discordance in her voice, but I ignored it.

  “I didn’t get to say goodbye to you,” I said.

  “Yeah, I know,” she replied. Her tone was flat, and I could tell she was hurt.

  “So I was wondering if you wanted to come out here next weekend and stay with me?” I asked, fingers crossed that she’d take me up on it. “Hudson said he’d fly you out here to keep me company while he’s gone. I really want to show you around. You’d love it here.”

  She was silent.

  “Free vacation!” I added. “All expenses paid.”

  “For how long?” she asked, breaking her silence.

  “As long as you want,” I replied.

  Her tone seemed to improve. “I guess I could do that.”

  “Really?” I squealed. I couldn’t contain my excitement. I wanted to bring a piece of home out there so badly.

  “Yes, really,” she laughed. “I just have to check with my boss and get the days off, but I should be able to make it work.”

  “Yay!” I squealed again. “I cannot wait, Piper. You’re going to love it so much you won’t want to leave.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Piper teased. I could tell she was secretly excited but didn’t want to admit it to me just yet.

  “How are things?” I asked, changing the subject.

  “Same old,” she replied. “I saw your latest, uh, tabloid mishap.”

  “You did?” I asked.

  “So Ava Fox cornered you in a store and gave you a piece of her mind?” Piper asked. “What was that like?”

  “Do you really believe everything you read?” I asked. “She fed that story to the press. I know she did because she left out all the parts where I sassed back to her and put her in her place. She’s crazy, Piper. Truly.”

  “The article seemed believable,” she said. “I’m glad I asked.”

  “Of course. They all seem believable,” I sighed. “That’s why they sell so many of those stories.”

  I heard the sound of the garage door and the gentle purr of Hudson’s car pulling in.

  “Piper,” I said. “I have to let you go. Text me the dates you want and we’ll get the tickets arranged.”

  “Sounds good,” she replied before hanging up. Thank God things were back on track with us. I was worried for a moment, but I never should have doubted her.

  I smoothed my hair down and sat up on the couch, tossing the throw blanket behind me and waiting for Hudson to come in. I sort of wanted him to see that I’d been crying. I felt bad. I hated that he was so upset with me he had to leave.

  As he walked in, his eyes were fixed on me. His body was tense, almost nervous, as he walked over to the family room and sat down next to me. I sat in silence as I waited for him to speak first.

  “Brynn,” he began. “I’m crazy about you. I don’t know what it’s going to take for me to prove that.”

  I turned and faced him, studying his every subtle move. I wasn’t sure where he was headed with this.

  He reached down into his jeans pocket and pulled out a small box, the size of a ring box, and my heart began to beat hard in my chest. There was no way he was proposing to me. We’d only known each other a month.

  He opened the box to reveal the most gorgeous platinum eternity band encrusted with tiny canary yellow diamonds the entire way around. It sparkled in the afternoon sun that spilled in through the floor to ceiling windows behind us.

  He pulled the ring out of the box and held it out, gripping it right between his thumb and pointer finger.

  “This isn’t an engagement ring,” he prefaced it. “I don’t know what it is. A symbol I guess.”

  Blinding sparkles danced around the room around us.

  “I want you to wear this every day,” he said. “And any time you doubt something that I say or do or anytime you have doubts about us, I want you to look down at this ring and know that we’re in this together. I’m yours and you’re mine. That’s what I want this ring to mean.”

  I took the ring from him and slipped it over the ring finger of my right hand. It fit perfectly, and it looked gorgeous on my long, manicured fingers. I wasn’t sure how much he spent on it, but I had a feeling it was probably the nicest thing I had ever been given in my entire life.

  “I went with yellow diamonds because they’re bright and happy,” he said. “That’s what you’ve brought into my life, Brynn. Happiness.”

  “Thank you,” I said as I looked up into his intense, dark eyes.

  His face immediately softened as he leaned in for a kiss.

  “This means a lot,” I whispered. “I was so upset when you left. I didn’t mean to make you so mad.”

  He placed his hands along both sides of my face and shook his head. “I shouldn’t have taken off like that.”

  I scooted closer to him as he wrapped his arms around me and held me tight.

  “When do you have to leave?” I asked him. “I don’t want you to go.”

  He glanced at the boldfaced watch on his wrist. “In a couple of hours. I don’t want to go either.”

  The stubble from his five o’clock shadow tickled the sides of my face as he turned to kiss me once again. I was going to miss his kisses, his touch, and the way he made me feel like I was the only girl in the entire world.

  He stood up, scooping me up in his arms, and carried me back to his bed.

  CHAPTER 16

  “Piper,” I called out at the airport the following Friday. “Over here.”

  Piper looked like a lost duck amongst the throngs of travelers in the middle of LAX. The second she saw my face, a smile spread across hers.

  She ran up to me and threw her arms around me. She’d never been so relieved to see me before in her life. Traveling to big cities bothered her just as much as it bothered me.

  I couldn’t help but notice how much Pipe
r stood out compared to everyone else out there. Her ill-fitting jeans combined with her makeup free face and an old, faded t-shirt was not something you’d see every day in L.A. I’d gotten so used to my new look that I’d forgotten we once shared the same knack for that small-town-ignore-the-trends attitude.

  “Everyone here is so…skinny,” Piper said as she gazed around. “And beautiful.”

  “Yeah, it’s different from Rock River, huh?” I asked. “I’m used to it now though. Everyone always looks incredible. It’s like no one ever has an off day. People get dressed up to go to the gym and the grocery store here.”

  “You look like you could still stand to gain a few,” she sighed as she looked me up and down.

  “Oh, stop,” I replied. “I’m healthy. That’s all that matters.”

  We trekked to the baggage carousel and waited patiently for her luggage to come around.

  “I have a car waiting outside to take us back to Hudson’s,” I said.

  “A car?” she asked. “Like a limo?”

  “A Town Car, but yeah,” she said. “I still don’t know my way around the city yet. I’d have gotten us lost. The traffic here is insane.”

  By the time the driver dropped us off at Hudson’s, it was early afternoon. There was a sweet breeze in the air that rustled the leaves on the trees and the sun was still shining high in the sky.

  I wheeled her luggage inside, like a good hostess, and watched her face as she took in the beauty that was Hudson’s home. I wanted to relive that experience through her, as I’d never forgotten what it felt like to set foot into the lap of luxury.

  “Oh. My. God,” she said as she ran her fingers along the marble counters. She did a complete three-sixty as her eyes took in all the sights. “And he has a pool?”

  I laughed. “Of course he has a pool. Want to go outside for a bit and sit by the waterfall?”

  “Um, yeah,” she said as she headed towards the sliding glass doors.