Falling for Hudson (Marlowe series Book 2) Read online

  He studies my face and I’m terrified how deep he’s going to go. This was a dumb idea. Of course, for every question I ask him, he gets to ask me one in return, and I’m not sure I’m ready for him to ask me anything personal. “Favorite color?”

  I let out a small sigh of relief. That is one question I can answer. “You could ask me anything right now and you want to know my favorite color?”

  “Why not? A person’s favorite color tells you a lot about their personality.”

  “Well then, Mr. Smartypants, my favorite color is pink. What does that say about me?”

  “The color pink. People who choose pink as their favorite color are typically feminine, romantic, and generous. You seek love, protection, and nurturing from others.”

  “You know that off the top of your head?”

  “What can I say, I know all kinds of useless information.”

  Rather than contemplating how close to home some of that hits, especially now, I choose to brush off his analysis and switch the spotlight back onto him. “Okay, so what’s your favorite color and what does it mean?”

  Without even pausing, he blurts out, “My favorite color is green, and that means I’m a stable person who enjoys nature. I’m also caring, compassionate, and I love to take care of others.”

  I don’t know if he just made that up or if he’s being truthful. I’m going to ignore it and move on to my next question. He’s looking at me, expecting a response, but I just wave it off.

  “Have you ever had sex?”

  His mouth is hanging wide open, and I know he wasn’t expecting that at all. Bluntness is my favorite quality in myself. He snaps his mouth shut and recovers quickly. “It’s my turn.”

  I shake my head at him. I won’t let him pull a fast one on me like that. “No it’s not. How do you figure?”

  He smirks and replies, “You asked me my favorite color?”

  Shit.

  I did do that. I didn’t even mean that as one of my questions. It was more of a response to him asking me what mine was. Oh well, I guess.

  “Okay, smarty pants, ask me a question then.”

  He doesn’t even contemplate before asking me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

  I open my mouth to respond but then shut it. Now it’s my turn to be shocked. If this were a few short months ago, my answer would roll right off my tongue, and it almost does. But I can’t give that answer anymore. Honestly, I don’t even know how to answer that question anymore. Do I even want to grow up?

  “I don’t know. Why plan for something if I don’t even know I’ll be alive tomorrow?”

  Shaking his head, he says, “I don’t believe you. You almost answered and then stopped. Why don’t you want me to know?”

  Ugh, he’s being annoying. If he wants the truth, I’ll give him the fucking truth.

  “I don’t know what I want to do with my life and that’s the truth. I almost told you what I used to want to do, but I don’t want to do that anymore.”

  Tilting his head to the side, he asks, “Why not?”

  Is he seriously not going to drop this?

  “Because my mom died, Hudson.”

  “I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but what does your mom have to do with it?”

  “My mom and Ashtyn’s mom, Audrey, were best friends. When Audrey was just starting out, she was Flynn’s dad’s assistant. She met my mom on the set of a music video, where my mom was one of the extras. She originally wanted to be an actress, but you have to start out somewhere.”

  He nods his head and waves his hand like he wants me to continue.

  “Anyway, Audrey made sure my mom always got cast in a part no matter how small or large. They were inseparable. She never made it past bit parts in music videos, but she loved every minute of it.”

  “Is that why you’ve been avoiding Ashtyn?”

  I slowly nod my head. Being around Ashtyn and her family is too painful right now. It just reminds me of Mom and how I no longer have her. I pause as I remember how proud she was of all of those music videos. She had a copy of each one on tape and constantly played them for me. I remember telling her I wanted to be glamorous just like her when I grew up. She beamed with pride, and that’s when it all started. I started acting lessons and going on audition after audition. Most kids would have hated it, but I loved every minute of it. This was something we had together. Our way to bond. Plus…the spotlight.

  I tell him how much it meant to me. That acting had always been my true passion in life, but that’s connected to my mom. I’m so lost without her, and I feel like it would be horrible for me to continue it without her. Like it was our thing, but it can’t be my thing. That sounds silly. We were in it for my future. My mom loved acting, but she loved being a mom more. Me? I had the drive and desire to go all the way.

  Whenever I saw my future, I was standing up on that stage in the Dolby Theatre, accepting my own Oscar. The one person at the top of my thank-you speech was always my mom. I know, we always practiced it. Hudson is hanging on every word I’m giving him. I feel this strong compulsion to lean over and kiss him, so I do. It’s light and sweet and he pulls away first.

  “What was that for?”

  I shake my head before answering, “I felt like it. You were sitting there truly listening to me like you actually cared about what I had to say. Nobody ever cares about what I say.”

  “I always care about what you have to say, Chloe.”

  “Exactly. Now that was a zillion questions and you never answered mine. Have you ever had sex?”

  With a growl, he says, “If I answer this question can we be done with this game?”

  “Yes.” My voice comes out all breathy and a lot sexier than I intended. I lean back over and this time he leans with me. My breath starts to quicken as he brings his hand up and caresses my face. I lean into his touch and melt a little inside. Turning my head slightly, I see the same desire in his eyes that I’m currently feeling. I lean forward slightly and he matches my movement.

  “Hudson—”

  He puts his finger over my mouth and says, “The answer to your question is yes. Now stop talking.”

  He doesn’t need to tell me twice. I throw my arms around his neck and kiss him with everything I’ve got. His kisses start out distant, like he’s trying to figure out if this is what I want, so I throw everything into it. Our lips glide together and I slightly part my mouth. He takes that as an invitation and runs with it. His tongue tangles with mine and I can’t get enough of him. It’s like electricity shooting through my body as our tongues caress one another. This is actually happening. We’re actually doing this right now. My entire body is on fire.

  Like some dumb teenage girl, all I can think is, OMG, I’m actually kissing Hudson. But his lips are amazing. They’re smooth and they slide right alongside my own. His arms wrap around me and I melt even further into his touch.

  If this were Jax right now, it would be over with quickly. With Hudson, all of his focus is on me. He’s focused on making sure every moment is worth it for me. Our lips move together and all I can focus on is everything he is making me feel. He keeps running his arms along my own, and I involuntarily shiver at his touch. He leans back to look at me and I shake my head, pulling him back to me.

  While his kisses were slow and exploratory, mine are rushed and intense. I pull him toward me and straddle his lap with a strong need to get as close to him as I can. I don’t even hesitate when I break the kiss to rip my shirt off and then slam our lips back together. My body is charged with electricity that’s flowing back and forth between our bodies where our skin is touching.

  There’s a loud pop, and suddenly we’re sitting in darkness. I scream at the top of my lungs like a girl, and Hudson hugs me tighter. “It’s okay.”

  My entire body is shaking. “How can you say that? What if there’s a serial killer in here? We could be waiting to get murdered.”

  Hudson is shaking worse than I am. Then the laughs come out. We’re
unprotected in the dark and he finds this hilarious. “I’m sorry, that was too much. The lights are on a timer. They’re super expensive to stay lit so they go off on their own. They must have forgotten about the long holiday weekend or else they would have gone off yesterday. We got so carried away, I kind of forgot to say something.”

  That makes a little more sense than what I was thinking. Okay, it makes a lot more sense. “What are we going to do, then? I can’t even see you.”

  He shuffles next to me and says, “Stand up and grab your bag. I’ll take you somewhere.”

  “If I didn’t trust you, I’d think you just want to take me away so you can have your way with me.”

  Chuckling, he says, “What makes you so sure I won’t do that anyway?”

  “I’m counting on it.”

  He laughs again and takes my hand. He’s pulling me across the stage, and suddenly the floor in front of us is lit up. I jump a foot in the air. He shows me the flashlight on his keychain. Oops. He leads me back to the room where we slept last night and starts rummaging through boxes. “What are you doing?” I ask.

  He continues searching and ignores my question. “Aha! I found it.”

  “What did you—” I start to ask, but he turns around with a pillar candle already lit. It’s one of those flameless kinds, and he slowly starts setting out more around the room. After a few minutes, there’s a soft glow to the room and I can see more than a few inches in front of my face.

  “Chloe?”

  I look up to respond, and my words get caught on my tongue. Hudson is slowly working his way across the room to me, and everything on his face says pure lust. My heart rate speeds up and my chest quickly rises and falls with each breath. I start backing up slowly with each step he takes until the back of my legs hit the bed. Coming up to me, he brings his hand up and cups my face while placing his forehead against mine. His heart is rapidly beating in his chest, almost as fast as mine. “Chloe,” he repeats again before gently placing his lips against mine.

  I wrap my arms around his neck and run my fingers through his hair there. I gently tug on the ends, causing him to release a groan. He breaks the kiss long enough to toss me onto the bed. I can’t stop giggling as I bounce slightly, but it quickly gets caught in my throat as he puts his hands on the hem of his t-shirt and slowly pulls it up and over his head. I lick my lips as I devour every inch of his muscular torso with my eyes. Playing the drums does a body good. Feeling bold, I get up from the bed and make my way to him. He sucks in a breath of air as I run my hands along his front. They settle on the waistband of his jeans, and he releases a groan when I open the button.

  I start to tug down his pants, but he places a hand over mine. “Wait. I’m not going to be the only naked one in the room.”

  I quickly rip of my bra and haphazardly throw it over my shoulder as Hudson chuckles. “Somebody’s eager.” I step away from his grasp and look into his eyes.

  “And you’re not?” I ask as I gently run my fingers down the front of his jeans. He lets out a deep groan and then everything becomes a blur. Suddenly we’re both on the bed with a lot less clothing. The only barrier between us is the thin material of our underwear. Hudson runs his hand up my body, leaving kisses behind everywhere he touches me. I’m on fire and my heart is going to beat out of my chest any minute now.

  After what feels like hours of torturous teasing, Hudson holds up the little foil packet that seems to have appeared out of nowhere. And I’m fully aware that the rest of our clothing disappeared at some point. He starts to open it, but I take it from his hand and say, “Let me do it.”

  He gulps down the invisible lump in his throat and nods his head slowly, never taking his eyes off mine. I make quick work of opening the package, and I return the favor of his teasing and slowly slide it onto him. It doesn’t take long before he settles himself between my legs and I gasp, waiting for the first push. Our bodies move together in sync, like this is right where they belong. Our two halves found the other to make ourselves whole. I look up into his eyes and see nothing but love. I tremble underneath him and get lost in our connection. I never realized that something could feel so right. So perfect.

  We quickly find our releases and stay there, looking into each other’s eyes. Even though we haven’t said the words yet, I can feel all of the love he is radiating to me, and I’m returning the same. Hudson jumps up from the bed and cleans himself up before hopping back into bed. Coming up behind me, he wraps his arms around me and kisses me lightly on the back of my neck. I settle myself back into him, and quickly his breathing starts to even out. I take a peek over my shoulder, and sure enough, he has fallen sleep. I kiss him lightly and say, “I love you, Hudson,” before joining him in a peaceful slumber.

  Chapter 14

  Hudson

  Opening my eyes, I’m aware of the cute little blonde breathing deeply into my neck. Everything from the night before comes crashing back to me and I squeeze Chloe tightly to me as she curls into me even more. I’m on cloud nine right now, and I can’t believe we did that last night. Part of me is in complete shock that it happened, but the other part of me, the one winning right now, is ready for round two. I run my fingers through her hair as her body relaxes even more.

  Her eyes flutter open and the biggest smile is plastered on her face before it falters slightly. “What’s going to happen with us now?”

  Now? Definitely a few more rounds. What else are we going to do while we are trapped in here? I don’t say that to Chloe, though. “What do you mean?”

  Untangling herself from my arms, she sits up and gazes off before bringing her attention back to me. She’s nibbling on her bottom lip, and I pull it out from between her teeth. She has something to say, and if she keeps doing that, I won’t give her the chance. “Everything can’t go back to normal, Hudson. We changed things. It’s different now.”

  I bring my hand up and rub the back of my neck. I don’t know why she wants to hash all of this out right now, but I guess we have nothing but time. Although we should have had this conversation before we got started. “What do you want to happen, Chloe?”

  Barely above a whisper, she replies, “I don’t know.”

  After everything, she doesn’t know? I stand up and hunt for my clothes. Finding my boxer briefs, I forcefully pull them on. I have to attempt two times before I actually get them on. I throw my t-shirt on and start pacing. My fists clench and unclench multiple times before I turn back to her. “Seriously? You don’t know. That’s not good enough for me.”

  Apparently, during my rant she got dressed as well. I feel like a complete ass. She’s tugging on her hair and nibbling that damn bottom lip again. There are unshed tears in her eyes and she says, “I’m sorry.”

  I take a deep breath and bring my heart rate down. Sure, she’s come a long way, but she’s still not healed. Treading lightly, I take a few steps toward her. She lets go of her hair but stands her ground. I make my way to her and wrap my arms around her petite body. “We’ve been skating around this, Chloe. I know my feelings for you and I’m hoping you feel something similar. Let’s do something about it.”

  She nods her head and gently lays it against my chest. She wraps her arms around my waist and says, “What do you want from me?”

  Leaning down, I kiss the top of her head and squeeze her to me more tightly. “You. I just want you.”

  Pulling back slightly, her gaze zeroes in on me, and the room becomes incredibly silent as I wait for her reply. I’ll either get everything I want or nothing at all with the next words to leave her mouth. My heart rate spikes back up, and all I can hear is the loud beating.

  Her tongue darts out and slides along her lips. I’m torn between leaning down and pulling it into my own mouth or waiting to hear what she has to say. Luckily, the voice of reason beats out the caveman in me and I move my gaze away from her mouth.

  “You have me, Hudson. You have all of me…if you want me.”

  I don’t even hesitate before leaning down
and slamming my lips to hers. She lets out a slight moan as I massage my fingers through her hair. Before I can let my inner caveman truly come out, I break the kiss. She lets out a small whimper and I say, “I want all of you. There is nothing I want more.”

  She lets her head fall back down to my chest and sighs. “So we’re doing this?”

  “Hell yeah, we’re doing this.”

  “What do we do now?”

  “Oh, I can think of something we could do now.”

  She giggles and pulls herself from my embrace. “That’s not what I meant. When we leave here. Do we tell everyone? How does all of that work?”

  I chuckle. “You know everyone already assumes we’re together, right?”

  She narrows her eyes and states, “I don’t give a shit what Brooke and her damn posse assume.”

  There’s a little bit of the fiery girl I know and love. I guess part of her is coming back. “Do I sense a little animosity there?”

  In a clipped tone she says, “No.”

  Yep, definitely a little anger toward the supposed queen bee of the school. I have no doubt in my mind Chloe held a similar role at her old school. “I wasn’t talking about Brooke anyway. I was referring to our friends. My brother…”

  I end with that to see what kind of reaction she has. I don’t know if I should pump my fist in the air or jump around like a crazy person when she doesn’t react at all. I never thought it was possible, but she wants me and not him.

  “Hudson, there’s never been anything between Jax and me. Not like it is between us. Especially not now.”

  After everything that’s happened between us, I shouldn’t need to know what has actually gone on between Jax and Chloe. But some sick twisted part of me needs a confirmation. I need to know whether or not she was ever with him. I know we all made assumptions, but that was it. “I need to ask you a question.”

  Her entire face breaks out into the biggest smile, and I’m struck by how gorgeous she is. How did I ever get so lucky to find an amazing girl like Chloe? She’s the best thing that has ever happened to me and she doesn’t even know it. I plan on making sure she knows it. “You can ask me anything.”