Hudson (Anderson Billionaires #4) - Melody Anne Page 0,3
to calm her racing heart, she detected a spicy scent that reminded her of a forest and something else she couldn’t quite put her finger, or in this case her nose, on. Possibly ginger and some sort of maple or cedar. Whatever the smell, it fit the man. It had sex appeal written all over it.
“Dammit!” The man’s thunderous whisper was accompanied by his clenched fist. Daisy jumped at his quieted word filled with fury.
Daisy was confused because the man screamed of success, however his clothes didn’t match that image. His computer was top of the line. But the clothes he wore, though fitting him to perfection and certainly not box-store knockoffs, weren’t exactly business-class attire.
Her first assessment: he was a man who went after what he wanted, and she had a feeling he was rarely denied. The researcher in her knew there was a story to him, and she was curious to find out what it was. The woman in her knew he was the type of man she wanted nothing to do with.
But as she slipped cautious glances his way, hoping he wasn’t paying attention, she realized she wasn’t thinking about her own worries.
No matter how bad her life seemed to be at times, someone else always had it worse. She might not always get everything she wanted, but she got enough to not feel sorry for herself.
A friend had once told her it was okay to be sorrowful and angry with your circumstances. It didn’t mean you didn’t care about others, it only meant you were human and had human problems and human emotions. You couldn’t take on the world, but you could take on one thing at a time. She’d wanted to help people when they were in trouble. But she didn’t think that man would appreciate her help with whatever was troubling him.
She hated being as judgmental as she was right then, but she gave herself an exception. Her reality over the last several years had seen the best and the worst in people. She was cautious.
Suddenly, the man’s coffee began to slip from the tray on his lap, and he reached out to grab it before it destroyed his very expensive computer. Daisy saw what was about to happen too late. She tried to move . . . but she didn’t have a chance.
His elbow connected with her stomach, and for a second she thought she might puke. That was definitely going to leave a mark.
Chapter Two
Hudson Anderson had always been restless. His entire life he’d chased dreams with a clear intention of getting whatever he went after. He never lived in the past, always moving forward, always looking for bigger and better. People thought of him in different ways. Some were good descriptions: responsible, loyal, and smart. Some weren’t so kind: calculating and off-limits. Although the off-limits could go in the good column if he truly thought about it.
Hudson was from a family of five, the middle brother. From the time he’d been a young boy he’d known who he was and what he was going to do with his life. He’d always moved full speed ahead. He worked hard and played even harder. This trip had been an adventure, but at the moment it was costing him. He’d just lost a piece of land he’d desperately wanted, and he wasn’t happy about it. He couldn’t move forward if he couldn’t obtain what he needed.
Hudson’s life had changed dramatically a few years ago when he’d gone from an ordinary Anderson to one of those Andersons. Growing up poor had been more of a blessing than he’d realized. He now had all of the money in the world, but it came with a whole set of problems most people wouldn’t consider.
When you were wealthy, it was difficult to find real relationships. Usually people wanted a piece of him, wanted to get something for free.
They could say he’d been freely handed it, but they’d be wrong. He’d worked hard all of his life; it didn’t matter where he’d come from or where he was now. He was the man he was because of his mother and the principles he’d been raised with. He was handed a huge gift and was grateful for that, but that gift hadn’t replaced his drive to make a name for himself or to work harder than others. He took pride in what he did. He didn’t want a handout, he wanted to be the best because he’d earned it.