something, anything, to hear his voice one more time.
But she was too stubborn to do that.
The plane touched down, and her time was up. She’d said no to him, and he was taking her at her word. Depending on how long it would take to taxi, she only had minutes left with this man.
She turned the slightest bit to stare at him one more time. Then she lost her breath again. His eyes were glued to hers, and the light shining in them told her he wasn’t as composed as she’d thought he’d been.
Chapter Seven
Hudson was shocked. He had a much better poker face than the average person, and he could keep his internal thoughts to himself. But he was seriously surprised. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d made an offer to a woman — and been turned down.
He seriously racked his brain trying to come up with just one woman who’d told him no. He couldn’t think of a single one, not in middle school, high school, college, or beyond. He didn’t make the offer very often, but when he did, the women were quick to reply with a resounding yes. Even those who were trying to be coy might hesitate to see if they could make him sweat. But as soon as they figured out their games weren’t working, they quickly changed their tune.
His need to know this woman better, to hear her speak, and to feel her wrapped up in his arms should make him want to run faster than the plane was flying. Instead, he wanted to come in closer. Maybe he just needed to have sex with her. Maybe that would sate his curiosity and he’d be over his fascination with her. From the moment he’d heard her speaking in that terminal he’d had a need to talk to her.
That was highly unusual for him. But he’d always followed his instincts, so it would be a shame to stop now. She wasn’t a one-night stand kind of woman. He could tell that right away. Even knowing that, he couldn’t seem to stop himself. Did that make him a monster? Was he intentionally going to mislead her? He’d never had to ask these questions of himself before. He didn’t like doing it now.
Though Hudson treated the women he was with well, he didn’t commit, and some would see that as a sin. His uncle strongly disapproved of his actions with the opposite sex and was very vocal about it. As much as Hudson respected his uncle, he knew locking himself down with one woman wasn’t in the cards for him. He’d be miserable, and then he’d make the woman’s life hell as well. That wouldn’t help anyone.
“Is this your stop, or are you moving on?” he finally asked.
She startled a bit at the sound of his voice, but he wasn’t surprised. They hadn’t spoken in well over an hour. He knew she had to be wondering if they were going to talk again before they parted. If he could stop himself, he might’ve allowed them to part ways without knowing what had happened to the other. He knew at least on his part, though, that would certainly lead to regrets. And Hudson didn’t believe in regrets, so he wasn’t putting himself in a position to feel them.
“I’m connecting here,” she said.
“When?” he pushed. He had a meeting in San Francisco so he wouldn’t be heading home for a couple of more days. He wasn’t sure of Daisy’s final destination. Maybe he’d find out before they parted ways. Maybe he’d take the time to see her again. He wasn’t sure of anything right now.
“I don’t think I’ll tell you,” she said, her voice haughty. He loved when she spoke that way. It was a huge turn-on for him.
“I can easily follow you and figure it out,” he said, somewhat indulgently.
She rolled her eyes as she pulled out her phone, turning away from him so he couldn’t see the screen. She let out a frustrated breath as if she’d been hoping for something different. He waited.
“It’s not for a while,” she finally muttered.
Though the attendant had served them breakfast, with the time changes, it was actually late evening in the city. He wondered if her flight wasn’t until morning. That would work out very well for him.
“You might be stuck with me for the evening,” he said, very pleased at the thought.
She set down her phone, losing all interest in the pretense of looking at it so