Hudson (Anderson Billionaires #4) - Melody Anne Page 0,83

to just run home together if I wasn’t so excited to go to this barbeque,” Darla said from the backseat.

“We’ll have a great time. I think you’ll both enjoy my family,” Hudson said as he put the truck into drive. He reached over and took Daisy’s hand with his, and she felt those tingles only he seemed able to produce.

Daisy smiled as they drove down the road. Was Hudson really this great of a guy? He hadn’t seemed like a nice guy on the plane, which made it easier to look at him like the enemy. But in all reality, she’d been a grownup on the plane and had made her decisions. As for the property, it wasn’t his fault her grandfather had sold it to him. It wasn’t his fault he wanted to build something she thought was wrong to build. He hadn’t been anything other than respectful with her. Well, he’d been some other things with her, but nothing mean or rude.

“So what date are you guys up to?” Darla asked with a giggle.

“We aren’t dating,” Daisy automatically said.

Hudson laughed as he squeezed her fingers. “You keep saying we’re not dating, but we go out together, have a spectacular time, and then make out until were both hurting so badly we’re ready to explode,” he said. Darla laughed hard as Daisy turned and glared at him. She didn’t say anything for a few seconds and Darla jumped in.

“I think he’s your match, Daisy,” she told her.

“No, we’re simply doing activities together,” she told both Darla and Hudson . . . and possibly herself.

“And our time in SF and since?” he pushed. She looked him in the eyes again, seeing fire in his expression that most likely matched her own as she remembered their lovemaking.

“I don’t have an answer for that,” she admitted. He smiled as he glanced at her, sweeping his gaze over her face and body, his eyes hiding nothing of what he was feeling. She responded instantly, heat flooding her. Dang, the man was dangerous.

“I’d just about risk anything at this point to have both of our pants down,” he whispered too low for Darla to hear. She was going to cave to this man. She knew it. She could try to stop it all she wanted, but she knew she was going to end up in his arms again with zero clothes on. It was inevitable — and the bottom line was that she wanted it just as much as him.

“You need to concentrate on driving,” she said, her voice shaky. He seemed as if he wanted to argue, but then he sighed and faced forward. It was a good thing they were on backroads.

And it was a good thing Darla was there to keep the conversation going, because Daisy was unsure what to say as they drew nearer to Crew’s house. When they arrived and Daisy saw the sheer quantity of vehicles parked before it, she had to fight a panic attack.

“Is this a party or a primetime sporting event?” Daisy asked. “There have to be fifty cars parked here.”

“Oh, this is going to be great,” Darla said, jumping from the truck. Before Hudson could come around, Darla was opening Daisy’s door. “Get your butt on the ground. We’re going in.”

Hudson laughed as he held out a hand to Daisy, who ignored it, using the handle and jumping down. She was more nervous than she’d been earlier, and that was saying something.

As they moved to the front of the house they could hear music, laughter, and so many conversations there was no way to pick out what was being said.

“Is this a typical family event for you?” Daisy asked.

“Yes, it is now,” Hudson said with a laugh. “It took me a while to get used to it. I grew up with four brothers, and I thought that was a big family. When Joseph showed up out of the blue, we discovered what a large family really was.”

“Oh, I could sit with you for hours and talk about what that was like,” Darla said as they made their way into the house.

“I have the perfect person for you to talk to about it,” Hudson said with a sly grin Daisy didn’t quite trust.

“Yes, please,” Darla said clapping her hands eagerly.

They walked through the front door, straight through the house, and out the open back doors where the yard had been transformed. Daisy was literally stopped in her tracks as she looked out at the crowd