grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder to cart her off into the woods. But a car drew closer, and Daisy seemed to realize they weren’t alone any longer.
Her eyes snapped open, the dazed look in them beginning to clear as realization flooded her. She stepped back, her legs wobbly. He kept a hand on her hip to keep her from falling. She allowed it for a couple of seconds before moving farther back.
“I don’t know why that keeps happening,” she gasped as the car parked next to his truck and the engine shut off.
“Because we have some serious chemistry that would be criminal for us to keep denying,” he whispered, his voice hungry and raw.
“No. It’s just a fluke,” she told him. Before she could say more, a door shut and her grandfather walked forward.
“I was wondering whose truck that was,” Bubby said with a big smile as he looked back and forth between Hudson and Daisy.
Hudson didn’t easily get embarrassed, but he shifted on his feet as Daisy’s grandfather walked up to them. Hudson was grateful for the dim lighting, because Daisy certainly looked as if she’d just been ravished on her grandfather’s front porch. Her lips were swollen, her cheeks were flushed, and her breath was uneven.
“I spent the day with Daisy at the school she’s trying to save,” Hudson said.
“Well, that’s unexpected,” Bubby said as he moved to his door and unlocked it. “I didn’t take you as a social justice warrior.”
He opened the door and turned on a light, flooding them with bright rays. Daisy turned away as she tried finger combing her hair, and she absolutely refused to look her grandfather in the eyes.
“I haven’t been, but I made a deal with your granddaughter. I was surprised today. I agree with saving the school,” Hudson said.
“Well, that’s fantastic news,” Bubby said. “Why don’t you come inside and tell me all about it while we have a drink?”
Though it was a question, Hudson knew it was actually a command. Bubby wanted to know what Hudson was doing with his granddaughter. He was sure the man wanted to know if his intentions were pure — which they certainly weren’t.
“That sounds great,” Hudson said. Daisy groaned — and not in pleasure this time. It wasn’t loud enough for her grandfather to hear, but Hudson knew she wasn’t happy about this new development. She obviously wanted to keep him apart from her grandfather — that made him want to come inside all that much more.
He moved inside the house, which he hadn’t seen before the sale. He hadn’t been interested in the home, so it hadn’t mattered. If he’d been inside, he’d have been very aware a woman lived there. Her touch was all over the place with soft colored blankets, beautifully framed pictures of her and her grandfather, and who he assumed were her parents. There were cute quotes in frames and candles ready to be lit.
It was obvious she loved and cared for this home. He wondered how it would be for her to be on her own when they moved out. That was something he’d never thought about regarding an adult. Most eighteen-year-olds couldn’t wait to move from their childhood home. They didn’t care if they were sharing a room with four other kids, as long as they were out of their parents’ place and somewhere they didn’t have rules.
“Your home is beautiful,” Hudson said.
Bubby walked to the fridge and pulled out a couple of beers before he moved to the back sliding glass door and opened it, stepping out onto a large deck where four cushioned chairs faced the water. The moonlight shone down, giving them a nice view yet feeling intimate and secluded.
“Yes, it’s been home for a very long time. But it’s certainly a lot of work to maintain,” Bubby said as he moved to a chair and sat, indicating the one next to him for Hudson.
“I imagine it takes up a lot of your time. I can see why you wanted to sell,” Hudson said. “But it’s difficult to find such a private paradise near Seattle.”
“I’ve had privacy for a very long time. I want to socialize now,” Bubby said with a chuckle. “I have a good friend who’s moving into that new senior living community over near Bellevue that your family has almost finished. I’m looking forward to a smaller place with a lot of activities and a lot of friends.”
“I love living here,” Daisy said as she joined