“I’ve played a bit at pubs, but I can’t say it’s a big hobby of mine, no.”
“Alessandra is quite good. Especially when blindfolded.”
Allie sputtered into her wineglass.
“Are you alright?” he asked, placing his hand on her back. She nodded and wiped her mouth with her napkin, then pegged him with a hard stare that warmed as he cocked a grin.
“So tell me more about yourself, Nick,” Harper said before lifting a fork loaded with a combination of potatoes, cranberry, and turkey to create the perfect bite.
Nick looked suddenly shy and maybe. . . holy shit, was his brother nervous? People would be ice-skating in hell tonight. He took a big gulp of sparkling water and managed to choke out two syllables. “Like what?”
Harper stabbed a green bean with her fork. “I don’t know . . . boxers or briefs?”
Now it was Nick’s turn to choke on his beverage. Jesus Christ, this shit kept getting better. His brother was actually blushing. But knowing anything was liable to come out of Nick’s mouth, Hudson held a breath and hoped like hell he wasn’t going to answer her question with a solid “commando.”
“I, um . . .” Nick stalled.
“I’m kidding.” Harper laughed. “How about something easy, like what do you do for a living?”
Nick would have been better off if she’d stuck to underwear, Hudson thought as he cut into his turkey.
“I just started a new job, actually.”
Hudson stilled with his fork in midair. “You did?”
“Yup. You’re looking at Starbucks’ newest barista.”
“That’s great, Nick,” Allie said.”Which location?”
“Dearborn and Division.”
“If you needed a job you should have come to me,” Hudson said before popping the forkload into his mouth.
“Nah, bro, it’s all good. You’ve done enough for me. Besides, I know what kind of ship you run.”
Harper smiled. “I hit that location almost every weekend. Maybe I’ll see you there sometime.”
“We could go together,” Allie tacked on.
“Oh, lord.” Harper’s eyes grew wide. “I’m not sure Nick is ready for your special orders yet. Better give him a few weeks before you hit him with a request for a two-pump skinny vanilla latte, extra hot, light on the foam.”
Allie turned to Hudson, who threw up his hands in surrender. “Don’t look at me to defend that one.”
“Fine.” Allie directed her attention to Nick. “Then maybe you can teach your brother how to use his espresso machine.”
“Sorry, but dude’s a lost cause.”
Everyone laughed at his expense, but Hudson couldn’t have been happier. The conversation flowed easily between the foursome, and he couldn’t help but notice how Nick and Allie smiled throughout dinner. Harper joined in, even pitching Nick a roll from across the table. For nearly two hours the room was filled with the sounds of forks clinking, wineglasses chiming, and the laughter that was the icing on the cake.
Nick leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach. “Damn, Allie, that was good.”
“Did anyone save room for dessert?”
Christ no, Hudson thought as he dropped his napkin on the table. He was stuffed, not to mention that dinner had gone on long enough. He was ready for Frick and Frack to say their good-byes and hit the road so he could be alone with Allie.
“I couldn’t eat another bite,” Harper said. “Hats off to the chef.”
Thank fuck. For a moment Hudson wondered if he’d said the words out loud. But since he hadn’t been kicked in the shin under the table, it was safe to assume he hadn’t.
Everyone stood up to clear the plates from the table, piling one on top of the other, then loading the silver on the top.
“Oh, fuck,” Nick said.
Hudson’s gaze snapped up to his brother, then shot to the window. Outside, Lake Shore Drive had become a snow-covered parking lot. At least two feet of snow had accumulated over the course of the evening, blowing and drifting across the lakefront road. One by one people were abandoning their cars as they ran out of gas.
“Oh, shit.” Allie moved closer to the window. “We can’t send them out in that,” she whispered to Hudson as he came up behind her. “They won’t even be able to get a cab.”
Goddamnit, she was right. “No, of course not. They’ll stay here. I have plenty of room.”
Allie lifted up on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. A far cry from what he had in mind, but the night was still young. With a little luck their guests would get to the sugar plums dancing in their head portion of the night sooner rather than later.
***
Being relegated to his bedroom put a serious kink in Hudson’s plans. And not in the way he preferred. While he’d enjoyed the hell out of the evening, when he agreed to the whole deck-the-halls thing, he’d envisioned utilizing the tree, the roaring fire, and the twinkling lights to create the perfect setting for his own version of Christmas festivities. But Mother Nature had other plans. Like him hosting a slumber party for his brother and his girlfriend’s eccentric best friend.
Allie came into the room and shut the door behind her. When she flipped the lock it became clear she had some plans of her own.”I have a surprise for you.”
He cocked his head to the side. “You already gave me your gift.”
“That was just something to put under the tree that you could open in front of Nick.” Her eyes held a wicked gleam that shot his intrigue into the outer limits. “This gift requires a more private venue.”
In succession, her fingers began working the dainty buttons that ran down the front of her red sweater. The two sides split open little by little as she went, until the top edges of her lace bra were revealed along with the gentle swell of her breasts. His hands curled at his sides. Sweet hell, that’s what he wanted.
He took a step forward but Allie turned and headed toward the bathroom. As she did, she glanced back and purposefully let the shoulder of her sweater drop, showing him the soft female skin he knew covered her entire body. Hudson let out a groan as he began to feel the effects of her, the sharp edges of his hunger recontouring inside his pants. At the same time he heard Allie’s soft laugh from behind the bathroom door.
He cursed under his breath, and after a quick adjustment strode into the office connected to the master suite. He moved around the massive desk that anchored the room and slid the top drawer open. The sight of the long, thin box embossed with the Cartier logo sparked a now familiar ache in his chest as the remnants of the teen boy of his past collided with the hope he felt for the future.
After Allie he was never going to be the same again. She was what had been missing in his life. He’d never felt truly whole with other women. He could travel on business for extended periods and never miss them. He could have one latched to his arm and forget she was in the same room. And he’d walked away numerous times without a second look back. But Allie consumed him. Challenged him. When they made love, he felt complete.
He tucked the box in his pocket and strode back into the bedroom. Allie stood before him in a black satin-and-lace baby-doll. The sight of her stopped him dead in his tracks, and all the blast from the past mumbojumbo became a distant-fucking-thought. He sucked in a breath; she was a knockout.
“Do you like?” Her hazel eyes focused on him and her soft blonde curls fell against her pale skin. A juxtaposition of the innocence she still possessed and how incredibly uninhibited she could be with him.
Only him.
“Do I like?” His brows shot up as he moved closer to her. “I love.” His fingertips brushed the top of her breasts, tracing the edge of the satin cup. “Damn, Allie, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
Allie smiled and a gentle blush colored her cheeks. “Well, it was either this or the slutty Mrs. Claus.”
He chuckled. She could have sauntered out in sweatpants or even a damn potato sack and he would have loved it, be
cause it was her. He wasn’t a guy who was hung up on all that expensive lingerie, stockings, and bra’s that pushed what he wanted to unleash up to a woman’s chin. But he was also a red-blooded male who wasn’t about to complain. Jesus Christ, she was perfect. Blowing out a harsh breath, he told the hard-on behind his fly to cool it. “I have a present for you.”
“I don’t need anything else, Hudson, I have everything I could possibly want under this roof.” Her arms slid around his waist.
“I disagree.” He pulled the leather box out from behind his back. It was tied with a red bow, the signature of a Cartier Christmas, and although a black bow would have normally fit his mood around the holidays, this year the cheerful red suited.
Allie opened the box and gasped. Nestled inside was an anklet like none other, custom made with Hudson’s distinct specifications. Delicate white-gold ropes intertwined and were anchored in the middle by a single seashell charm set with flawless diamonds.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed. Tears welled in her eyes, and he wondered if she was remembering a similar exchange ten years prior when he gave her the carnival trinket.
“I thought this would be more appropriate than that cheap thing you’ve been wearing tucked inside your boots.”
“I love that ‘cheap thing,’” she said. “And the fact you kept it all these years . . .”
Hudson closed the distance between them. He brushed his lips against hers once, twice, then kissed her deep and slow. He was gentle and careful, tilting his head and stroking the inside of her mouth with his tongue.
Christ, every time he kissed her, it was better than the time before.
Allie’s hands slid underneath his sweater. They were soft and cool against his hot skin. He shifted back and in one motion yanked the cashmere over his head and pitched it to the side.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” His hand cupped the side of her face and his thumb wiped a tear from beneath her eye. “Why are you crying?”
“Because tonight couldn’t have been more perfect. Because I love you.”
“I love you, too, Allie. More than anything.” It was true. He loved her more than the company he built from the ground up. More than any future that was spread out in front of them. He loved her more than himself.
With that, Hudson dipped his head and kissed her again, a slow, intense, full-mouthed seduction that had her fingers raking into his hair. He gathered her into his arms and laid her out on his king-size bed, then stretched over her with a tempered control that was a complete contradiction to the pounding erection in his pants. His hands brushed her hair away from her face, his thumb lingering to caress her cheekbone.
“I love the way you feel on top of me.” Allie slid her foot along his calf.
Hudson’s hand smoothed down her thigh and curled her leg over his hip. “How do I feel?”
“Hard.” She rocked her hips against him and smiled. “Very hard.”
“Fuck, Allie,” he hissed.
She pressed her lips to the straining muscles in his neck, running her mouth up until she got to his jaw. It was a matter of seconds before he needed more, so much more. He needed all of her, every inch of her flesh, hot and writhing against his. He needed to make love to her with the starved desperation of a dying man in search of God.
He swept the sheer fabric of the baby-doll to the side and up her ribcage. Her body arched and her nipples strained through the thin fabric. With an impatient hand he tugged the satin down and the tip of her breast tightened further from the cool rush of air. Unable to stop himself, but like he would if presented the choice, he curled his tongue around the peak, sucking it into his mouth. His tongue swept in and out, flicking then sucking while his hands roamed and her body undulating under his. Impatient fingers curled around the edge of her lingerie. “I want this off.”
Allie stripped the fabric from her shoulders, then pulled it over her head. When she tossed it, the material floated to . . . the bed? The ground? Hell if he cared. His eyes were locked onto every inch of her perfect skin. His hands caressed from her neck to her hips and he followed their path with his open mouth. He moved over her, leisurely pressing kisses to her skin, letting his lips linger longer the lower he went. When he’d finally settled between her thighs, he swept a hand up her leg, gripped the back of her knee, and lifted it over his shoulder.
Dipping his head, he ran the flat of his tongue right up the center of her. Allie’s breath hitched and the air rushed out of her lungs. He stroked her in long, slow sweeps, then dragged his tongue deeper, getting a perfect taste of her.
“Oh, God . . . Hudson . . .” Allie moaned, and her fingers twisted into the sheets.
“Feel good?” He flicked over the most sensitive part of her.
“Yes . . .” Her voice trembled just like her body.
“So sweet, you kill me.” A dangerous lust took hold of him, and with a deep rumble in his chest he locked his hands onto her thighs, splitting her wide and penetrating her with his tongue. He thrust into her with deep, sensuous laps, and in no time she was shattering apart under his mouth and glistening his lips. Her head fell back and her spine arched as she bowed off the bed. And shit, the sound of her crying out his name made his cock kick behind his fly, dying to get out. He reared up and nearly ripped his zipper off as he yanked the thing down, pitching the pants to the side with the same urgency.
With a shift, he settled his weight back onto her, his biceps flexing as he propped himself up on his elbows. The tip of his cock brushed against her hot core, and a fresh wave of need crashed into him.
She gazed up at him. God, if she spent the rest of her life looking at him that way, he was liable to spend the rest of his inside of her. “Make love to me, Hudson.”
“Always.” He dropped his mouth to hers as he surged inside her, her nails digging into his shoulders. He drew his hips back, then the base of his spine flexed as he pushed into her again. Allie’s slender hands drifted down his back to his bare ass, pulling him deeper.
Hudson’s head shot up and a groan broke free of his mouth, his muscles chorded and tight from the pleasure that coiled up from his lower body. His broad back flexed and released with each thrust of his hips, the rolling penetrations gliding him in and out as he found a rhythm that had his body on the perfect type of autopilot.
“Ah, God . . .” Allie arched, her chin lifting toward the ceiling and the tips of her breasts brushing against his chest. Fuck, the sight of her beneath him about made him come right then and there. He closed his eyes, but this time he wasn’t plagued by the contaminating thoughts of the past. No nightmares threatened the pureness of his pleasure. It was just the two of them straining against each other, their panting breathes mingling with the sounds of their lovemaking.
Allie locked her legs around his waist, a throaty version of his name rolling off her tongue as her body began to tighten around his cock. He crushed his mouth against hers and began to really move, his hips swinging of their own volition. His thrusts became shorter, faster, and tighter with each relentless drive.
“I want you to feel me come inside you.” He managed to force the syllables out of his mouth between breaths.
“Yes . . . Don’t stop . . . I’m so—”
Fast as a lighting strike, an orgasm seized her body. The vise grip she had all around him was too much, and the release that had been brewing deep within him shot down his spine. He came hard, his body snapped tight, his hips locking against her sex, while the lingering pulses of her orgasm just about shorted out his brain.
Collapsing on top of her, he turned his face into her neck and tried to catch his breath.
“Merry Christmas,” she murmured as her fingers stroked languidly down his back.
And it had been. All thanks to her. Despite everything, Allie had gone to great lengths to make their first Christmas together special, not only for the two of them, but for Nick as well. The realization not only hit him hard, it made him fall in love with her all over again.
Chapt
er Twenty-two
Hudson opened one eye. The first thing he saw was the woven pile of feathers, twigs, and string that now dangled over his bed. He’d half expected a family of birds to set up shop in the thing, but if it actually managed to keep his nightmares at bay, so be it. The second was Allie, standing beside the bed wearing a pair of his pajama pants and one of his long-sleeve T-shirts.
“What happened to the woman I took to bed last night?” He rolled over on his side, the sheet shifting down on his hips.
Allie gave a small laugh. “You didn’t expect me to cook breakfast wearing that, did you?”
“No, I expected you to ride my cock wearing nothing.”
She gasped as he gave her hand a sharp tug and yanked her back into bed with him. “Hudson, Nick and Harper are here.”
“I wasn’t planning on inviting them to join us.” Harper struck him as the type of woman who valued sleep, and there was little doubt that Nick was still clocking in the Z’s. When he was using he’d be up for days, but now he had likely slept soundly for nine out of the ten that had passed. “And if memory serves, their presence didn’t stop you from enjoying yourself last night.”
He started to push her shirt up but she batted his hands away. “I mean they’re probably hungry.”
“I’m hungry.” He went to work on the string of her—make that his—pants.”Besides, I thought you were supposed to open your presents on Christmas morning?”
“I believe you opened your present last night.”Allie smiled as she squirmed out of his grasp. “More than once.”
Hudson groaned and ran a hand through his dark waves. He knew he had the look of being freshly fucked, although without the benefits it appeared. “Remind me again why we hosted a godforsaken slumber party.”
“Because,” Allie said as she retied the string on her borrowed pajamas and rolled the waist, “Lake Shore Drive was a parking lot, that’s why.”
“Well, if it’s not clear this morning I’ll shovel the damn thing myself.”
“Pants.” She reached for his hand and tugged him out of bed.
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