Hudson Read online

  “I don’t understand what this is,” she said, her voice even quieter than it had been, causing him to lean closer.

  “It’s chemistry,” he told her. “From the second we were seated together at the gate I’ve felt it. It’s only grown stronger. That must mean we’re supposed to do something about it.”

  While he spoke he moved his fingers up her arm, over her shoulder, then across her cheek. Somewhere deep inside she thought she should probably stop this. She wasn’t the type of girl who met a guy at an airport, then got all flirty — or possibly more — a few hours later. But could she be that girl? Wouldn’t it be heaven to be free?

  “I don’t kiss strangers,” she finally said after far too much time had passed.

  He smiled as if he was pleased by her words. “I guess I’ll have to make sure we aren’t strangers then.”

  “How do we do that?” She didn’t want to stop this, so why was she trying to tell herself she did?

  “By talking. You’ve already shared a lot with me,” he pointed out.

  “Yes, I have,” she said. “Now, I guess it’s your turn.”

  At her words, it appeared as if shutters flew down over his eyes. That wasn’t fair at all. “Hey! What goes around comes around. You have to share something. Tell me about your family.” That was normally a subject people loved to speak about.

  At her words, his eyes softened. It didn’t appear there was any family drama. That was a positive. But if she only planned on knowing this man on this flight, why should it matter what kind of a man he was? Maybe that was the researcher in her. Maybe she truly had to know a person even if it was for less than twenty-four hours.

  “I’m one of five brothers. I’m in the middle, which means I was wanted the most. The first couple of kids are trial and error, and the last two are spares,” he said with a chuckle.

  “That’s certainly a new way to look at birth order,” she told him. “Would your brothers agree with you?”

  “Nah, but only because they lie a lot,” he told her.

  That made her smile. There were times she was jealous of siblings getting to grow up together. Then there were other times she was grateful. A lot of siblings never spoke to each other, but it didn’t appear to be that way for Hudson.

  “Not that you’ll remember all of their names, but they are Finn, Noah, Brandon, and Crew. We were always together growing up. Even though we had different interests, we liked to share things as well. We did all of the normal stuff like sports, girls, and jobs. But we had different career goals. No matter how much time passes, we’re still tight. We drive each other crazy sometimes, but at the end of the day, we’re family who will always be there for one another. The rest of the world could disappear and a good family would barely notice because of having each other.”

  “I don’t know if I agree with that. Family is important, but some people have friends in their life who are just as, or more than, important as someone related by blood.”

  “Yes, I’ve seen that. But there’s a bond between siblings that I don’t think can be matched,” he told her.

  His smile fell away as if he realized he’d let down his guard. Daisy was fascinated watching him pull back. She wondered if he was speaking the truth, if he truly didn’t allow anyone inside other than his family. That would be a lonely existence. She might not be thrilled with the concept of love, but someday she hoped to marry. She wasn’t going to have kids though. She didn’t want to settle either and have a miserable marriage. She’d seen a lot of those. She wanted companionship that didn’t suffocate one another. Was that possible?

  His eyes hooded again, and he cupped her cheek. The heat that was stirring burst into flames as his thumb traced her bottom lip. She had to force herself not to dart out her tongue and get the tinniest taste of him.

  “We’re not strangers anymore,” he said, making her squirm.

  From the glint in his eyes, he seemed to know when she caved into her desire. He slowly moved forward, giving her time to tell him no if she didn’t want this to happen.

  Short of the plane falling from the sky, nothing would stop this. Heck, even that might not. She’d never know they hit the ground if she was in his arms with his lips were on hers.

  He started slow, a soft brushing of his lips against hers, just a whisper that made her strain for more. His fingers circled to the back of her neck as he moved closer, pressing his lips more tightly to hers.

  She softly moaned against him as his tongue flitted across her bottom lip. She opened to him and wrapped her arm around his back, squeezing the solid muscle. Her body in flames, she was lost in his arms.

  His hand slid down, fingers brushing over her collarbone and going lower as he deepened their kiss. He pushed his hips against hers, and she gasped as she felt his arousal pressing against her, making her ache in a way that needed sated right now.

  She was losing all sense of control when someone in the plane coughed, and a light went on near them. Daisy jumped back, their lips breaking apart. She was panting as she gazed at Hudson’s flushed cheeks and cloudy eyes. Thankfully, he seemed to be as much under a spell as she was.

  He managed to compose himself a lot quicker than she did. Someone stood from their seat and Daisy could see the back of their head. She was mortified she’d forgotten where they were. They weren’t alone. She couldn’t let this get out of hand when there was nearly zero privacy.

  “I wasn’t expecting that to be so good,” Hudson whispered. “To be continued later.”

  His words made her body ache even more. She now understood what sexually frustrated meant. She’d never been so disappointed to not get a happy ending after nothing more than a kiss.

  “That was pretty good,” she admitted.

  He chuckled. She loved the sound. “I’m not sure one of my kisses has ever been described as pretty good before,” he told her. “I’m going to have to try again so I can up the rating to spectacular.”

  He turned onto his back, then pulled her to him, placing her head in the crook of his shoulder with his arm around her back. She told herself she’d only stay that way for a few minutes. She wasn’t going to get comfortable.

  But somehow, being with this man, in this time, she wasn’t in control of herself. Instead of pulling away, she snuggled in closer . . . and then she fell asleep with a smile on her lips.

  Chapter Six

  Turbulence hit the plane strong enough to wake up Daisy. As it quickly settled down, she realized she was pressed tightly against Hudson. It felt heavenly — and she knew it was foolish. Trying not to wake him, she began the process of unwinding their bodies. It took about a minute, but she finally managed to pull away. She sat up and gazed down at him. He mumbled as she pulled away, and then he frowned.

  She had the urge to reach out and brush his dark hair from his face. He looked so much softer as he slept, his firm lips relaxed, his lashes fluttering the slightest bit, and his cheeks covered with a five-o’clock shadow. She could be happy staring at him all night. It was intoxicating.

  She wasn’t going to let herself do that though. Instead, she crept from the bed, grabbed her bag, and made her way to the restroom. She might as well get ready for a new day. She was shocked by how long she’d slept. Maybe it was because she’d had one heck of a great pillow. His chest wasn’t soft by any means, but the crook of his shoulder had been just right.

  Feeling better after a sponge bath, clean clothes, and freshly brushed teeth, she was happy to see a few dim lights overhead, and the stewardesses getting the coffee cart ready.

  She stepped up to her shared area with Hudson, and found him awake, his eyes boring into hers the second she sat. The look was so intense it made her throat close. She wasn’t sure what to say to this man she’d shared the most intimate night she’d ever had with. Never had she slept in the arms of a man. It was something she might get used to if she wasn’t careful.

  “Good morning,” he said, his voice sleepy and smooth.

  “Morning,”
she said, hating how shy she felt all of a sudden. It was ridiculous. She’d just slept in this man’s arms. That was all. They’d shared some heated kisses, talked more than she normally talked to a stranger, and then they’d slept. It wasn’t that big of a deal.

  The plane would land soon and they’d part ways, never to see each other again. That’s how it was supposed to be. She could write a love story about it if she wanted. She’d title it, Pleasure in the Sky, or some other Hallmark kind of title. But as little as she knew about romance, she didn’t think her journalistic talents suited that genre. She’d better stick to thrillers.

  The main lights flickered on their lowest setting as the flight attendant let them know the time and that breakfast would be served to those who wanted it. They’d be landing in about two hours so they had plenty of opportunity to do what they needed to get ready to depart their very long flight.

  “We must’ve slept at least seven hours,” she said in awe as she looked at him. He glanced at his expensive watch, looking just as shocked as she felt.

  “I can’t remember the last time I’ve slept that long, especially on a plane,” he told her.

  “Sleeping seven hours is too much for you?” she asked.

  “There’s too much life to live to waste it sleeping. I’ll get plenty of rest when I’m dead.”

  “Oh my gosh, you’re one of those guys,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

  “Why do I feel I’m being insulted?”

  “Probably because you are,” she said. “Not really, I’m actually jealous. There are people out there who can survive on five hours of sleep a night, run every single day, lift weights, eat healthy, and do everything else the surgeon general tells us to do, but I’m not one of them. I go weeks, or even months sometimes, without exercise. I get a large DQ blizzard on occasion, and one of my favorite foods is a greasy plate of extra cheesy nachos. I try to make up for all of that by being good the other sixty percent of the time.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with being healthy. We get this one lifetime to live. I want to enjoy it to the fullest. If I sit around and don’t use what strengths I have, I’m dishonoring those who can’t do what I can, but would if they could,” he said.

  “What? Now I’m confused,” she said.

  They were interrupted as the attendant took their order. They converted their beds back into chairs, a lot more comfortable than using the wall for a backrest. Their coffee and a cinnamon rolls were delivered.

  Hudson continued as if they hadn’t been interrupted. “There are people who get wounded in battle, lose limbs, or have brain injuries. There are men and woman born with illnesses that lock them inside their broken bodies. There are those all over the world who don’t have access to healthy vital things like we have. If I don’t appreciate and respect what I have, maybe I don’t deserve to have it.”

  Holy hell, Daisy was liking this man more and more the longer she spoke to him. She never should’ve started a conversation. It was dangerous. He wasn’t just a hot face, he had depth and character as well.

  “You’re making me feel guilty for wasting so much of my life,” she said.

  He shrugged. “I don’t believe in waste or regret. Just look forward instead of looking back, and make changes. If you keep repeating the pattern, then it’s not something you’re passionate about, it’s just a fad that will blow away faster than a leaf in a tornado.”

  “Are you sure you aren’t a motivational speaker?” she asked with a giggle.

  “Maybe a bit of one,” he said with a grin.

  The attendant came back, took their pastry dishes away, and gave them the rest of their breakfast. After their talk, Daisy felt guilty about her carb-loaded breakfast of biscuits and gravy with a side of hash browns, eggs, and sausage. It smelled too good to waste though, so she decided she’d eat healthier the next day.

  “I want this to continue,” he said before taking a bite of his own breakfast of pancakes and eggs with a side of ham.

  She swallowed. “You want what to continue?” she asked. She was afraid of what he was going to say.

  “This. Us. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m not ready to blow it off when the plane lands.” He didn’t look at her as he said that, and she wasn’t sure how to reply. He was supposed to simply walk away from her when the plane landed, never to be seen again. He was nothing more than a fantasy, and fantasies ended when you woke up.

  “I don’t think that’s going to happen,” she finally said.

  She was impressed with herself for being strong. She was sure Hudson wasn’t often turned down. But she was also sure he’d be bored with her within twenty-four hours. Maybe they’d last seventy-two hours if they had a nice bed to keep them occupied. But after some initial conversation, they’d find they really didn’t have anything in common. This had been bound for disaster from the second they’d ended up sitting together in that terminal halfway across the world.

  Daisy completely lost her appetite and began pushing her food around on her plate. She didn’t want him to know she was feeling blue about telling him no. She wanted him to think she simply wasn’t interested.

  When she was brave enough to look at Hudson, his plate was pushed away and he was looking at something on his phone. He didn’t seem at all upset about her answer. He also didn’t appear as if he wanted to speak any longer. That was probably good. She was sure the man had the power to change her mind if he wanted to.

  Maybe it had just been a spontaneous reaction on his part, and he was grateful she’d turned him down. Besides a quick roll in the hay, he couldn’t want anything more from her.

  After a minute he got up, grabbed his bag, and moved down the aisle away from her. She let out a relieved breath. It gave her a chance to compose herself. By the time he returned, she had it together pretty well. She wasn’t going to be the one to break their awkward silence. Maybe it was best if they ended on that note, both of them irritated with the other. Maybe it would make parting a little bit easier . . .

  As their time together kept ticking down, though, she felt sadness creep in. When she felt her ears plug as they began their descent into San Francisco, she tried to convince herself to say something, anything, to hear his voice one more time.

  But she was too stubborn to do that.

  The plane touched down, and her time was up. She’d said no to him, and he was taking her at her word. Depending on how long it would take to taxi, she only had minutes left with this man.

  She turned the slightest bit to stare at him one more time. Then she lost her breath again. His eyes were glued to hers, and the light shining in them told her he wasn’t as composed as she’d thought he’d been.

  Chapter Seven

  Hudson was shocked. He had a much better poker face than the average person, and he could keep his internal thoughts to himself. But he was seriously surprised. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d made an offer to a woman — and been turned down.

  He seriously racked his brain trying to come up with just one woman who’d told him no. He couldn’t think of a single one, not in middle school, high school, college, or beyond. He didn’t make the offer very often, but when he did, the women were quick to reply with a resounding yes. Even those who were trying to be coy might hesitate to see if they could make him sweat. But as soon as they figured out their games weren’t working, they quickly changed their tune.

  His need to know this woman better, to hear her speak, and to feel her wrapped up in his arms should make him want to run faster than the plane was flying. Instead, he wanted to come in closer. Maybe he just needed to have sex with her. Maybe that would sate his curiosity and he’d be over his fascination with her. From the moment he’d heard her speaking in that terminal he’d had a need to talk to her.

  That was highly unusual for him. But he’d always followed his instincts, so it would be a shame to stop now. She wasn’t a one-night stand kind of woman. He could tell that right away. Even knowing that, he couldn’t seem to
stop himself. Did that make him a monster? Was he intentionally going to mislead her? He’d never had to ask these questions of himself before. He didn’t like doing it now.

  Though Hudson treated the women he was with well, he didn’t commit, and some would see that as a sin. His uncle strongly disapproved of his actions with the opposite sex and was very vocal about it. As much as Hudson respected his uncle, he knew locking himself down with one woman wasn’t in the cards for him. He’d be miserable, and then he’d make the woman’s life hell as well. That wouldn’t help anyone.

  “Is this your stop, or are you moving on?” he finally asked.

  She startled a bit at the sound of his voice, but he wasn’t surprised. They hadn’t spoken in well over an hour. He knew she had to be wondering if they were going to talk again before they parted. If he could stop himself, he might’ve allowed them to part ways without knowing what had happened to the other. He knew at least on his part, though, that would certainly lead to regrets. And Hudson didn’t believe in regrets, so he wasn’t putting himself in a position to feel them.

  “I’m connecting here,” she said.

  “When?” he pushed. He had a meeting in San Francisco so he wouldn’t be heading home for a couple of more days. He wasn’t sure of Daisy’s final destination. Maybe he’d find out before they parted ways. Maybe he’d take the time to see her again. He wasn’t sure of anything right now.

  “I don’t think I’ll tell you,” she said, her voice haughty. He loved when she spoke that way. It was a huge turn-on for him.

  “I can easily follow you and figure it out,” he said, somewhat indulgently.

  She rolled her eyes as she pulled out her phone, turning away from him so he couldn’t see the screen. She let out a frustrated breath as if she’d been hoping for something different. He waited.

  “It’s not for a while,” she finally muttered.