my new computer when I heard Hudson come through the garage door later that evening.
He’d had to do a late dinner meeting, so I’d ordered takeout for myself instead of cooking.
“Hi, sweetheart,” Hudson said in a husky voice as he entered the living room. “You look even more gorgeous than you did yesterday. New haircut?”
I nodded. “Do you like it? They did some highlighting, too. I thought it might be nice to tame it so I could wear it down sometimes. Something a little more professional than the ponytail.”
“It’s pretty damn sexy, and I love it.” He nodded toward the coffee table. “New computer I hope?”
I looked up at him, and my heart tripped, just like it did every time I saw him.
I sighed. He’d worn a custom dark navy suit today, with a silk, wide stripe, blue and gray tie.
Hudson looked incredibly handsome in anything…or nothing at all. But when you put a man like him in a custom suit, he was devastatingly hot.
“Yes. Your black card got a workout today,” I said remorsefully. “Riley suggested things I never really thought about, so we bought a lot more than I’d planned.”
“Good,” he said with a happy grin. “What’s that?” He nodded toward the side table.
“It’s a gift,” I told Hudson as I got up, went to him, and gave him a welcome home kiss before I went to the table and picked up the box.
“For you? Who is it from?”
The box was wrapped in gold paper and a bow, so he didn’t recognize the company brand until I handed it over.
“From me to you. And this purchase was not put on your card. I saw the candy store and couldn’t resist because you told me once that you loved the chocolate turtles there.”
Hudson looked taken aback for a moment, and then a little confused. “You bought these for…me, as a gift?”
My heart clenched painfully as I watched his expression, realizing how right Riley had been about Hudson being a giver who never really got anything back in his personal life.
It was so damn obvious, and so damn heartbreaking, that he didn’t seem to know how to deal with getting a gift from a lover. At all.
It was an inexpensive present, a casual gesture to let him know I was thinking about him, even when we weren’t together.
It wasn’t like I’d just presented him with a million-dollar sports car or a high-tech plane.
I moved closer and whispered against his ear playfully, “It’s just candy, handsome. It won’t bite you.”
He sent me a wry smile. “I guess I’m just not used to—”
I grinned back at him. “Get used to it. I do think about you, even when we aren’t together. And if I see something that reminds me of you, or something I know you’ll like; I will get it for you.”
“I probably only mentioned that I liked these turtles once, and it must have been a while ago, because I don’t even remember telling you about that,” he said thoughtfully as he started unwrapping the candy.
“I pay attention,” I informed him. “You talked it about it briefly during my horrifying week of eating like I couldn’t get enough food, and you said you could probably eat a whole box of these turtles every day, so it was probably a good thing that you didn’t have a store close to here or your office.”
Oh, sweet Jesus! After this reaction, I was going to make damn sure he got used to getting gifts as often as possible from me.
Riley had probably been right about the fact that doing anything for Hudson, even baking him something, was a rarity for him.
Obviously, getting any kind of gift from a girlfriend had just never happened at all.
Operation: Spoil the Boyfriend was definitely on!
“If you ever get that box open, I’d be thrilled if you’d offer me one. I’ve never tried them,” I teased him.
He grinned as he finished unwrapping the box. “Are you trying to say I have something you want?”
I lifted my hand and stroked it along his stubbled jawline as I murmured, “Handsome, you have a lot of things I want, but I’ll settle for a piece of candy…for now.”
His grin grew broader as he opened the top of the box and held it out to me. “You better get yours before they’re gone.”
I grabbed a chocolate turtle from the box and watched as he devoured two of them before I’d finished my first.