his mouth on mine, I pulled his head down for a real kiss.
To hell with the lipstick.
I had more in the tube in my purse.
I could fix it.
Hudson took control of the embrace almost immediately, putting his hand behind my head, and ravishing my mouth until I was breathless, and my heart was racing.
When he finally lifted his head, he rasped into my ear, “Do you have any idea how much I want to bend you over and fuck you until you have a mind-blowing orgasm right now?”
Okay, so my resolve was cracking just a little. “Reservations,” I reminded him.
He pulled back a little and shot me a cocky grin. “Baby, your man is Hudson Montgomery. Do you really think anybody will say a word about us being late when I’ve always been a very good customer?”
Nope. I already knew there wasn’t a single person who would ever butt heads with a man like Hudson.
Any business would be crazy if they didn’t cater to him.
I swiped a smear of lipstick from his face as I asked, “So you always get exactly what you want, Mr. Montgomery?”
He nodded arrogantly. “From just about everybody except you.”
“I hate to break it to you, handsome, but you’re not getting exactly what you want from me right now, either. I’m starving, and you promised me some amazing seafood. It’s a nice place, and I don’t want to get there with my makeup a disaster, and a body that’s hot and sweaty,” I insisted as I stepped back from him.
Honestly, the whole alpha male I-get-what-I-want-whenever-I-want-it façade was hotter than hell, but we’d already been late for two reservations.
Maybe he didn’t mind being late.
But I found it a little bit unnerving.
“Shit! I’m sorry, Taylor. If you’re hungry, let’s hit it,” he said remorsefully.
I beamed at him.
It was amazing how Hudson could be demanding one moment, and then apologetic the next.
If I wanted or needed something, by God, he’d make sure I got it, even if that meant putting his own desires on hold.
Honestly, I knew damn well that’s why I loved him so much.
Yeah, he had a cocky, arrogant, demanding side.
But inside beat the heart of the sweetest guy in the world.
And honestly, I was okay with the fact that I was one of the few people who knew that sweet, thoughtful side of him, because I’d always make sure it was appreciated.
I paused as we made our way toward the garage door as I said, “I’m not taking the whole being bent over the table and satisfied off the table. I won’t give a damn if I get hot and sweaty once we get home.”
He lifted a brow. “I hope you plan on eating quickly.”
“I thought you were working toward slow and easy,” I teased.
“I think you and I both know that’s never going to happen, but I won’t rush dinner,” he said in a wicked tone. “But I might explain to you exactly what I have in mind for later while we’re eating.”
My heart tripped as he opened the garage door.
I ended up eating a little faster than I would have liked.
We took our dessert to go, but once we got home, we didn’t get around to eating it until the following day.
We were entirely too busy later that night getting exactly what we both wanted.
Jax
“Do not slam this door in my face, Harlow. I think we need to talk.” I tried to keep my tone somewhere between don’t-even-try-it and please-give-me-a-few-minutes, but I had no idea where I’d landed on that scale.
Hopefully, I hadn’t come off as a complete prick, because Harlow looked like she could use a friend.
After many attempts to contact Harlow on the phone and via text, I’d given up and come to her apartment now that she’d returned from her mother’s home in Carlsbad.
I saw her hesitate, and for a moment, I thought she was going to tell me to fuck off and close the door.
“I won’t keep you,” I persuaded. “Come on, Harlow, you’ve hung up on me and my legal department at least a dozen times now.”
“I don’t get it,” she said in a frustrated voice. “I’ve already said no to everything. What in the hell do you guys want from me, Mr. Montgomery?”
“If you don’t want the money, that’s fine,” I told her calmly.
“As my employer, Montgomery Mining paid a small fortune for my ransom so I could be released from a hostage situation. That was more than enough. I don’t need some kind of settlement, and for