Lex’s house. A few of her red hairs still clung to the pillow beside me, serving as proof for my doubt-filled mind that it hadn’t been some fever dream taunting me with what-ifs.
She’d been there.
We’d been there.
Together, moving together, sweat clinging to our bodies, our moans crashing like waves.
We’d fallen asleep, sated and wrapped in each other’s arms.
And now, if I knew Lex, she was somewhere nearby, stuck in her head, flipping the fuck out.
I could fix that though. And after last night, there wasn’t a job in the world I was looking forward to more.
I knifed out of bed and immediately froze when I found her sitting in one of the two chaise lounges that flanked her bay windows. Her hair was piled on the top of her head, and she was wearing nothing but my white undershirt. I took that as a good sign even as it made my cock twitch.
“Morning,” I rumbled, running a hand through the top of my hair.
With her legs tucked tight underneath her, she stared at me, an oversized mug of coffee in her hands, a blank expression on her face. “Morning.”
“Scale of one to ten, how bad is the shit happening in your head right now?”
Her lips thinned as she swayed her head from side to side. “Four.”
I stood up, the sheet falling away.
And as her gaze raked down my naked body, lingering on my cock, she amended her statement. “Nine.”
Chuckling, I padded over to her and took the coffee from her hands. Her emerald-green eyes tracked my every movement as I stole a sip before setting it aside. And then, with no warning or discussion, I shoved one arm under her legs and one behind her back and lifted her off the chair.
“Hudson!” she exclaimed, clinging to my neck.
I carried her back to the bed and placed her on her pillow before climbing over her to my side.
My side. Fuck, I liked the sound of that. One night and I wanted to claim it all—mainly and especially her.
Like a mummy, she lay stiff just the way I’d left her, so without touching her, I propped myself up on an elbow and asked, “What were you doing all the way over there?”
“I needed a little space,” she told the ceiling.
I traced a finger over the curve of her jaw and used her chin to aim her gaze at me. “You still need that space?”
She stared in my eyes for a long second. “I don’t know.”
“Say the word and I’ll get dressed and go. But I’d really fucking like it if you didn’t. It’s still me, Lex.” I lifted her hand off her stomach and kissed her palm before resting it on my bare pec. “Same old Hudson I’ve always been, just wearing slightly less clothes.”
She sucked in a sharp breath and then all at once her body sagged into the bed. “Don’t go.”
I grinned and teased the hem of her shirt. “Good answer. Now, take this off.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t press your luck.”
“What? It’s only fair. If I’m naked, you’re naked.” I walked two fingers up her stomach, stopping at the swell of her breasts to give her a pointed look. “Talking is so much more fun naked.”
Rolling her eyes, she moved my hand out from under her shirt. “It’s fun because there wouldn’t be any talking if we were both naked.”
“Oh, so you did have a good time last night.”
She rolled into me, tangling her legs with mine. “No, it was awful. All the rumors I’d heard about you in bed were true. This is the part where I let you down easy, tell you we can still be friends, and then urge you to consider joining the church and vowing a life of celibacy.”
I laughed, deep and genuine, the way only Lex could induce. “Then this is the part where I remind you that I was subjected to the horror of witnessing your middle school rendition of Little Orphan Annie and you are not a good enough actress to have faked one, much less all five of the orgasms I gave you last night.” Shamelessly, I slid my hand around to her backside, discovering she’d taken the time to put on panties, and then disregarded them altogether by sliding a hand underneath to palm her ass.
“Damn,” she mumbled.
“Seriously, though. You okay today?”
“It was touch and go for a while, but your monster cock didn’t break me.”
“Good to hear. But not exactly what I was talking about.” Sliding my free arm