go back and forth, and your mom is allergic to everything with tails. So don’t go naming anything yet.”
He turned to me as if he hadn’t heard a damn thing his dad said. “I want our doghouse to have an automatic tennis ball launcher.”
Damn, I loved that kid.
“That’s not a bad idea, Jackie Boy.”
The rest of the night was relatively normal—until it was time for them to go. Predictably, Jack didn’t want a hug or a kiss, but that only opened a window for his father to barrel through.
With my arms at my sides on my front lawn as they were about to load up in the truck, Hudson swept me off my feet in a bear hug. Then he rained kisses, the way I used to do to Jack, all over my face and neck.
I howled as he assaulted me where Jack and the whole neighborhood could see. “Hud… Ahhh…Hudson, stop!” I squirmed, but he only held me tighter, swinging me side to side like a rag doll. “Put me down.”
“See, Jack? Hugs and kisses with Lex isn’t all that bad. You wanna tickle her sides while I’ve got her tied down?”
“Yeah,” the little shit answered almost immediately.
Monsters. They were both monsters.
When I was almost dead from laughing so hard and only seconds from wetting my shorts, Hudson told his son, “Okay, you go get in the truck and I’ll hold her back until you’re all buckled in.”
“Ha! She can’t even get me back. This is great!” The heathen ran for the back door of Hudson’s pickup. “Bye, Lex. Love you.”
“You better,” I called after him. Then I scowled at my captor. “Now, put me down.”
He squinted and pouted his lips with phony sympathy. “What are you gonna do about it?”
I knew what he wanted. I was no fool. He’d sent Jack away for purely selfish reasons, not to save his child. “I’ll kiss you if you put me down.”
His hold relaxed and he almost dropped me on my ass, but he caught me a beat later. Before I could even yelp, his warm mouth covered mine and I tasted his smile on my lips.
Okay, so it sucked when they left.
And it sucked as I cleaned up my living room and took the pizza boxes and trash to the bin. It still sucked as I brushed my teeth and washed my face.
So, when I finally climbed into bed, I ended the suck and dialed his number.
“Hello,” he answered.
“Hi.” I slipped my bare leg over to the cool side of the bed.
“You okay?” Now that I knew what Hudson sounded like in person at my ear, phone calls would never be the same. But they were a close second.
“I’m fine. How are you?”
I bit my lip when he sighed.
“Well, last night about this time, I had my head between your legs. So, honestly, I’ve been better, but I’m good.”
My face flushed hot as I remembered. “That was you?”
“Babe, if you need a reminder, you can drive over and I’ll sneak you in my window.”
My eyes squeezed shut, loving how playful and flirtatious he was being. It was almost like this side of him was just for me.
“Oh, I remember everything. My jaw is still randomly popping. I might have TMJ.”
His boyish snicker sounded through the line and I could almost feel it vibrate against me. “Did you need something?”
“Not really. I just wanted to hear your voice.”
Fuck. Why had I said that? It was way, way too honest.
“Really? Since you called… Since you wanted to hear my voice…” he teased in a low, baritone timbre. “I’m glad you called because I have a few things I want to talk to you about anyway.”
I sat up and propped my pillow against the headboard. “Such as?”
“For starters, why didn’t you tell me the pussy palace was part of a startup business?”
I’d been waiting for that, totally shocked that he hadn’t asked me earlier when he’d been here.
“Because it isn’t a startup yet. Not really. Right now, I just have some designs and concepts. And a woodworker who is possibly interested in partnering up, but I can’t really move forward until I see one in action. I don’t want to waste his time until I know what works and what doesn’t. What the ladies like and what they piss on.” And although I had someone who was willing to do the fabrication on basic models and customs as time allowed, I would be the one footing the bill for materials. So I wanted