Hudson (Anderson Billionaires #4) - Melody Anne Page 0,86

and a promise of so much more to come. When he let go of her, she was wobbly on her shaking knees.

But he stepped back, definitely leaving her wanting more. Was that his plan? Was he going to torture her all night until she had no choice but to attack him? Is that what she’d do? She wondered if that’s why she’d wanted to come to his house. Was she hoping for more than dinner? She couldn’t admit that to herself.

“I asked my sister-in-law for the best wine to buy, and she was more than happy to help me,” Hudson told her as he moved back over to the bag and pulled out a few bottles of white.

“I don’t know a lot about wine,” she admitted.

“Neither do I, so I guess we’ll find out if Sarah knows what she’s talking about,” he said with a laugh as he began opening the bottle. He poured two generous glasses, then handed her one. Before she could take a sip, he held up his glass.

“Here’s to a beautiful evening with a stunning woman,” he said, clinking his glass against hers. “Thank you for giving me some of your time and preparing this meal. It’s greatly appreciated. I’ll certainly have to be creative to try to be as accommodating.”

“I don’t expect paybacks,” she told him.

“I think we all need to give and take. I like to do things for people I care about.”

Her stomach jumped again at his words. How could he care about her? They hadn’t known each other that long, and they hadn’t exactly begun as friends. This was all so complicated.

“I like to do things for people too,” she said.

The smile he gave her sent shivers up and down her spine. “That’s well known. You’re a fighter for those people and things you care about. It’s an admirable quality that many don’t have.”

“I wanted to make my parents proud. In doing that, I found I truly love being a fighter,” she said.

“It shows,” he told her. “Many people stick with jobs they don’t love because they get stuck in a rut. The happiest people in this world are those who follow their passion in life. If we love what we do, we’re much more fulfilled. I can’t imagine not creating. It’s my passion and it pays my bills.”

“I love that you knew from a young age you’d be a builder,” she told him.

“It helps to figure it out young because you then have a lifetime to perfect your craft,” he said.

“That’s true,” she said as she moved to the sink and began rinsing her salad vegetables.

“Can I help?” he asked.

“Yes. Pull out a cutting board if you have one,” she said with a chuckle. He gave her a sheepish look. “Okay, then pull out one of your plates. We’re going to have to improvise.”

He pulled down a plate and she handed him the cucumber and carrots. “Peel the skin off of these and cut them into small cubes.”

He began preparing the vegetables while she tore up the lettuce and cut the tomatoes as best she could with dull knives. Their conversation continued sporadically, the entire scene more domestic than she’d thought about when she’d offered to make him dinner.

They stood side by side, and though he didn’t kiss her again, his body kept brushing against hers, making her more and more needy as their night continued. She wasn’t sure if he was doing it on purpose or if it was happening because the kitchen was so small.

“I know this is against etiquette but why in the world do you live in such a tiny place? You can afford to live anywhere you want,” she finally said. There was too much silence between them, and the sexual tension was killing her.

He laughed. “I’m not home a lot and I’ve never really thought about moving. I’ve been in this house since my mother passed away and we discovered we had this entire family we didn’t know about. I guess I haven’t been motivated to move.” He paused and gave her a look she couldn’t interpret. “Things might be changing though. I wouldn’t mind building a place on the new land.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I thought you weren’t doing anything there for now,” she pointed out.

“I have confidence you’ll come around to my point of view,” he told her.

“Dang, you have about the cockiest grin I’ve ever seen. And I’ve dealt with a lot of dirtbag slumlords, so I know cockiness,” she told him. She