were in an earnest discussion. “Put yourself in my shoes,” I told Seth. “The woman was just held hostage, she was beaten and abused, and she’s still trying to get her bearings after the entire incident. It doesn’t matter how damn badly I want her; she just isn’t ready for anything more than friendship right now.”
“So be her best friend,” Seth answered. “And then convince her that you want a hell of a lot more. Look, I know she probably has lingering issues and fears that nothing but time will fix, but I really don’t think she’s irrevocably damaged, Hudson. In fact, she seems more together than most people I know. Let her decide exactly what she wants, and what she’s ready to do. I’m telling you; she looks at you the same way you look at her. I think she wants more, just like you do.”
“I told you, Seth, I was her caretaker in the beginning. She’s probably just grateful—”
“Oh, hell, no!” Seth interrupted. “Don’t even go there, Hudson. This isn’t some kind of hero-worship for her. She’s eying you like you’re some kind of irresistible dessert that she can’t wait to sample. Give me a break. I know that damn look, and it’s enough to make a guy completely insane. Since I’m married to your little sister, that’s all I’m going to say on that particular subject, but please get real. Gratitude and desire are two totally different things.”
I crossed my arms over my chest as I confessed, “I hate feeling this way. How in the hell can I want to fuck a woman so damn desperately when she’s fresh out of a hostage situation? This entire situation is messed up. Taylor deserves so much better than…me.”
“Because sometimes,” Seth said solemnly. “When you find the woman you can’t live without, you don’t care how much shit you have to go through to make her yours. And you know damn well it’s not just physical, Hudson. Maybe you don’t want to admit it, but how in the hell would you feel if she met someone else she wouldn’t mind dating.”
“I’d fucking lose it,” I admitted hoarsely. “Taylor is mine.”
Seth nodded slowly, like he completely got me.
“When I first met Riley,” Seth said in a low, serious tone. “I sure as hell didn’t want to complicate my life, and the very last thing I thought I needed was to fall in love with the pain-in-the-ass female attorney standing between me and a prime piece of real estate I wanted. But it didn’t take me long to realize that it didn’t matter if she was my temporary enemy, because I knew damn well we couldn’t stay adversaries for long. Hell, yes, we both fought that attraction. Hard. But looking back now, somewhere deep in my gut, underneath all that animosity, I recognized the fact I’d actually been waiting for Riley my entire life. She was it for me. She was the one. Once my brain and my heart caught up with my gut instincts, there was nothing I wouldn’t do to make her mine. I had to because there wasn’t and never will be another Riley out there for me. It was all or nothing. Luckily, I eventually found out that she felt the same way, and we had to go through a lot of crap to get to our happy ending, but I’d do it all over again and more if it meant that in the end, I’d have Riley. I love her, and if I ever lost her, I’d be one sorry bastard who was just taking up space on the planet. She makes me the man I am today, and I’m not the least bit ashamed to admit it. Before her, I wasn’t a big believer in fate, but I do think that Riley and I were always meant to be together. I guess if we’d fucked that up, we would have made our own destinies, but my life would suck without her, which is why I never take a single moment I spend with her for granted. Ever.”
I sat there completely stunned for a moment because Seth had never even come close to being this candid with me. We razzed each other a lot, enjoyed each other’s company, talked a lot about business and current events, but he hadn’t spilled his guts to me since the day he’d promised he’d always love and take care of my little sister when he and Riley got engaged. Even then,