I was determined to find out exactly why, so it never happened again.
Taylor
“Ice cream?” Hudson asked mildly as he moved toward the kitchen.
“I’ll get it,” I answered as I hurried to the fridge before he did.
If I let him scoop it up, I’d end up with a pile of ice cream a mile high.
If I kept eating like he wanted to feed me, I’d end up as big as this monstrous house.
I pulled the carton out of the freezer, and reached into the cupboard for bowls while Hudson leaned his gorgeous ass against the kitchen counter a few feet away.
“I made you uneasy. I’m sorry,” he said gruffly.
It was rare for Hudson to sound so contrite. “It wasn’t your fault,” I assured him.
“Then what exactly is it?”
“I’m not exactly a dress up kind of woman,” I explained.
What I really meant was that I had no money to spend on clothing. Not the kind of money it would take to go designer label for a billionaire sort of event. I’d been a thrifty student for a long time.
I could see him studying me from the corner of my eye, his gaze sweeping over me from my cheap summer peasant blouse to my cutoff denim shorts. “You look beautiful,” he concluded.
I smiled as I started scooping ice cream. “I look okay for a woman who is just knocking around the house. I’m definitely not dressed for a fancy party. I’d stick out like a sore thumb. It’s just…not my thing.”
“You’re still not comfortable,” he observed. “Taylor, what the hell is wrong?”
“I can’t afford to buy expensive new clothes right now,” I said in a rush, completely unable to beat around the bush or lie to Hudson.
Maybe there were some things I hadn’t told him about my past, but I cared about him too much not to tell him the truth when he asked.
Dammit! I was lousy at hiding my feelings with him.
Maybe because I knew him well enough to know he’d never intentionally hurt me.
“Are you under the impression that this is some kind of elite gathering?” he asked.
“You’re a billionaire. What else would I think? Even a casual party for you is way out of my league,” I said, exasperated.
He moved closer, so close that I could feel his body heat, and smell his delicious, musky scent.
Hudson always smelled so damn good that it made me crazy.
Being this close to him was a torturous kind of pleasure, but I couldn’t move away this time.
I was startled when he put his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face him. I tilted my head until our eyes met, and then, I melted.
For a moment, I got lost in his beautiful gray eyes.
“It’s just family and friends, Taylor,” he said roughly. “You are not going to feel out of place. Most likely, my sister will run around the beach squealing in a bathing suit while her adoring husband chases her in the sand until she lets him catch her. The two of them are almost embarrassing the way they play around like teenagers who can’t get enough of each other. Anyone else there will be exactly the same way. None of us are pretentious. At all. Admittedly, Riley does like her clothes, and shopping, but I think she does it mostly because she wants to drive her husband crazy with lust. She’s also an attorney, so she has to look professional sometimes. But you won’t see a single ballgown or tux at this party. You’ll get hamburgers on the grill, potato salad, and beach volleyball.”
I raised a brow skeptically. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “If you want to go see a bunch of people make fools of themselves, you’ll enjoy it. My sister’s husband wasn’t born rich, nor were any of his siblings. In fact, he was dirt poor for most of his childhood and adult life. His newfound wealth was a fairly recent occurrence. He’s turned into a very successful businessman, but his heart is blue-collar, and probably always will be.”
“And you like your sister’s husband?” I asked, wondering how he really felt about his little sister marrying a guy who wasn’t born into the same social circle.
He nodded sharply. “I do. I’d like any guy who makes my sister as happy as Seth makes Riley. Is that really what you think? Is that who you think I am? A guy who does useless parties in his spare time?”
I swallowed hard when I saw a flash of hurt in Hudson’s beautiful eyes.