Chapter Four
Hudson escorted me out to the deck and I let thoughts of the video float away in the breeze.
I turned into him and surprised him with a deep kiss.
“What was that for?” he asked when I came up for air.
“No reason.” Except that I needed it. He seemed to need it as well. “You know there’s no reason to be jealous of me and your father, right?”
“Uh huh.” He pushed out of my arms and took my hand, leading me up the deck.
“He’s attractive. I won’t deny that.”
“Not helping.”
He was in front of me and couldn’t see my smile. I was only teasing him, but he needed to know that I’d never betray him with Jack. “There’s nothing between us. No chemistry at all. And if you stopped wanting me, I’d never retaliate against you like that. I’m not Celia.”
He spun toward me. “I know you’re not Celia. You don’t think I f*cking know that?”
His heated reaction threw me off guard. “I…didn’t…”
He pulled me back into his arms, clutching me tightly. “And don’t talk about me not wanting you. Ever. It’s not even a breath of a possibility.”
I wrapped my arms around him, shocked by his desperate tone. “Okay. I won’t.”
He kissed my temple. “Thank you.” He held me like that for a long beat before he relaxed his grip on me. “The fireworks are getting ready to start. I have a spot reserved for us at the bow.”
“The bow?” I was so not a boat person.
“The front of the yacht. We’ll have an excellent view.” Though his eyes were perusing my body, and I wondered if he wasn’t talking about the view of the sky.
“Awesome.” I let my own eyes graze his perfect form before shaking myself out of my lustful stare. “I need to use the restroom before the show starts. I’ll meet you there?”
He reached in his pocket and pulled out a key. “Use the one in our stateroom. No lines. Number Three. It’s just in there.” He nodded toward an entry back into the ship. “Oh, and when you come back, I’d like you not to be wearing any panties.”
I grinned as I took the key from him. “You got it, H.” I knew what that was about. He’d felt threatened by his father and by talk of not being together. Having me at his beck and call was another way for him to feel reassured. Silly man with his insecurities. How did he not know that I completely belonged to him?
It only took a few minutes to find our stateroom. It was beautiful and grand like the rest of the ship and as large as our bedroom back at The Bowery. I didn’t linger, eager to get back to the show and, more importantly, Hudson. I used the bathroom, leaving my underwear hanging off the side of the tub, and returned to the deck just as the sky lit up with the first explosion of light.
Hudson was waiting for me at the front—the bow—of the ship. He’d acquired a spot at the railing between two small caterer stands where partiers could set empty glasses. Though there were still people everywhere, it gave us a little bit of seclusion, as bodies weren’t pressed right up against us like they were around the rest of the yacht.
Not that I minded a body pressed up against mine. As long as it was Hudson’s.
His eyes lit up when he saw me. I handed him the stateroom key, which he pocketed, then he held out his hand for mine. “Come here.” He tugged me in front of him.
I waited for his arms to circle around me, but instead he grabbed my ass through my dress, squeezing my cheeks. A breeze blew over the river and the feel of the air against my very bare p-ssy, plus Hudson’s massage of my behind, had me feeling aroused.
“Good,” he whispered. “You obeyed.”
Ah, so the butt rub was simply a panty check. Whatever the reason, I’d take it.
Hudson propped his leg on the lower rail and continued caressing my behind while, overhead, the sky lit up again and again. Each time the sparks caused cheers from the crowd, drowning out the sound of the music blaring from inside the ship. I’d never been so close to the Macy’s Annual Fireworks, and I was mesmerized. They shot above the river from at least seven different barges, simultaneously turning the darkness into a flash of color—magical.
Things got even more magical when Hudson’s arms wrapped around me. And then his hand made its way under my skirt, hiking the fabric up around my waist, flirting with the skin above my pubic bone.
I was exposed to the night. Though Hudson’s propped leg covered the view on one side of us, the crowd on the other side of me only had to move their interest from the sky to us, and they’d see.
I inhaled sharply. “What are you doing?”
“Setting off fireworks.” His mouth was at my ear, rumbling with the rockets in the sky.
F*ck, I didn’t care who could see—I was turned on.
My eyes burned from the blaze overhead, my nerves lit from Hudson’s touch, my lower belly sparking with need.
“Spread,” he commanded.
I obeyed, lifting my left foot onto the lower rail, mirroring his stance. It gave more privacy, blocking the view from the other side of us. Yet it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out what he was doing to me—all anyone had to do was pay attention.
With full access, Hudson stroked over my p-ssy, sweetly grazing the newly exposed area. “Ever since you told me you were bare, I’ve been thinking about touching you.” His breath at my neck drove a shiver down my spine.
Then his fingers slid between my lips, finding the sensitive nub, and I thought I might burst—burst with the fireworks above me. He settled his thumb on my *, circling with expert pressure. “God, precious, I couldn’t keep my hands off you if I tried. You’re so slick already.”
“Hudson.” It was barely a word, more of a cry, really. Louder than I’d intended, drawing a glance from a couple not far from us.
Hudson’s hand froze. “If you want to come, Alayna, you have to promise me you can be quiet.”
“Okay.” Anything. Anything to make him keep touching me.
He started his movement again, his thumb dancing over my * as his fingers went lower. “Do you know what it does to me to see you come apart?” he taunted, his touch now spiraling around my hole. “Do you?”
How did he think I could talk? “No,” I managed on a breathy exhale.
“It drives me f*cking insane.” He jabbed two fingers inside. At least, it felt like two fingers. It was difficult to be certain. All I knew for sure was that it felt amazing.
He plunged again as his thumb resumed whirling over my *. Swirling and plunging, he f*cked me with his hand, right there, in the open air, as the crowd around us stared upward in a patriotic daze.
So. F*cking. Hot.
The tension was building, tightening in my womb.
Then his lips were moving at my ear again. “Sometimes it’s all I think about. Taking you to the edge. Watching you spill over. It’s the most goddamned beautiful thing there is.”
I was close. So close. About to explode. I leaned back against him, rubbing his erection with my ass. I felt incredible. Sexy. On fire. Small grunts formed at the back of my throat.
“Bite on your hand to stifle your screams if you need to.”
I wanted to challenge him—to say, oh you’re so sure I’ll be screaming—but then he bent his fingers and stroked against a particularly sensitive spot. A moan escaped from my lips.
“Hand,” he ordered.
Just in time, I flung my hand to my mouth, biting down on my finger as I came. My orgasm flared through me, erupting in tandem with a spectacular sequence of fireworks. I couldn’t tell what parts of my blinded vision were from the display and which were from Hudson. It was glorious.
But I wasn’t nearly sated.
I wanted more. Wanted him.
I spun into him, kissing him with frenzy. My hand rubbed his cock through his pants. He was so hard. He wanted me as much as I wanted him. More, maybe.
The fireworks show wasn’t over. I didn’t care. “Take me to bed,” I demanded against his lips.
It was Hudson’s turn to groan. I swallowed the sound with another wet kiss, licking into his mouth with deep strokes. God, he tasted good. I couldn’t get enough of him, was ready to f*ck him right there on the deck.
Somehow Hudson found the strength to untangle from my embrace. “Jesus, woman.” His eyes were nearly black with desire. Then he turned toward the entry to the staterooms, pulling me behind him.
The crowd cheered at that moment. For the fireworks, of course, but it drew my gaze up.
That’s when I saw her.
On the upper deck, looking down at me was Celia Werner. My mind flashed back to my dream and the terror that accompanied it sparked through me. Her eyes met mine, piercing through me, and I suddenly understood the phrase “shooting daggers.” Anger emitted from her cold stare. Hudson had said it was he that she was mad at, and maybe she was mad at him. But she hated me. It was evident in her entire posture.
A chill ran down my spine as, again, I realized she’d always be there. She’d always be threatening at the periphery of my life with Hudson.
The realization only fueled my need for Hudson to be inside me.
I pushed Hudson onward, determined to recapture the mood from a moment before, to remind myself that I was the one with him, not her. Me. Only me.
As soon as we were in the hallway leading to the staterooms, we were kissing again. He pushed me against the wall, his hands reaching under my dress to fondle my naked ass.
Desperate to make his groin meet mine, I curled my leg around his thigh. He relaxed his pressure so that I could jump up and wrap my legs around his waist. He sucked and licked along my neck as he carried me to our room. There, he braced me against the other wall so he could fumble with the key and the lock, swearing as he did until we were finally inside with the door shut behind us.
Panting, we both broke into a laugh. Hudson’s serious demeanor made outbursts like this rare, and I swam in the sound of his unbridled amusement.
Until our eyes met.
Then we were lip-locked once again.
With me still wrapped around him, he sat—more like fell—onto the bed. I didn’t hesitate, scrambling down to the floor to my knees so I could undo his belt. He toed his shoes off and lifted his hips so I could pull his pants and briefs down.
As soon as his cock sprang free, my eyes were glued. I wanted to lick it, to take it in my mouth, to feel it filling me, twitching in me. But there were still clothes in the way, and I needed to be naked. Needed him naked.
I reached my arms up so Hudson could pull my dress over my head. The backless nature of the outfit hadn’t allowed for a bra to be worn. Thank god. One less item to be removed. While he worked on unbuttoning his shirt, I circled my hands around his penis. Damn, it was steel. I only had time to stroke him a couple of times before he was pulling me with him onto the bed.
Both of us naked, we pressed into each other with a frantic need to be skin-on-skin in as many places as possible. Our hands explored like it was the first time, like we might never have the chance again—caressing and touching while we kissed with fevered passion. Hudson’s fingers eventually made their way to my lower regions where I wanted him most.
He slid through my wet folds once before tearing abruptly away. “Turn around and kneel above my face. I have to lick you.”
I shook as I clambered into the position. Hudson had gone down on me plenty of times, but never with me hovering over him in such a carnal way. It felt dirty and base and so, so sexy.
When I was bent over his face, he put his hands on my thighs and slid my knees further apart so that my cunt was a half an inch above his mouth. I was squirming before his tongue ever touched me. And he took his time before it did, blowing across my * first, sending delicious little sparks through my limbs.
I peered down at the erotic sight of him between my legs and watched as he buried his nose in my lips and inhaled. “You smell so f*cking good,” he groaned.
Holy. F*ck. I almost came right there.
Then—finally—his tongue flicked across my already excited *. My body lurched and I cried out, fingernails digging into his hips. Amazing…so amazing.
How could it always be so amazing?
As I struggled to hold on, to not go over too quickly, I saw his cock twitch below me. There was no question that I had to have him in my mouth. Immediately. I grasped my hands around the base of his shaft and slid his crown past my lips like I was sucking on a Popsicle. Only Hudson was much yummier.
His whole body shifted underneath me, his grasp on my thighs tightening. “F*ck, yes! Suck it.”
It was what I loved the most about sucking Hudson off—that I could have power over him. I was always the one who fell under his spell. I enjoyed the way he molded me, manipulated my body, bent me to his will—I craved it. But when I had his cock in my mouth, I finally understood why he liked being in control. It was quite heady to be the one making him twist and writhe. Making him succumb to me.
And while I bobbed over him, he continued to suckle at my core. The ecstasy warred with my solemn intention to give to the man who was always giving to me. My insides tightened and I felt close to coming, but I held on, focusing on him. He thickened as I hollowed my cheeks and increased my tempo. My free hand ran up and down the inside of his thigh, then moved to cup his balls. He groaned and that was when I knew he was as close as I was. It was a battle—who would get there first? And who would the winner be? The one who came or the one who didn’t?
I considered it my victory when he pushed me away. “That’s enough. On your back. I need to come inside you.”
I swiveled to do as he commanded. I bent my knees, planted my feet on the bed, and spread my legs as Hudson scooted toward me. But instead of covering me with his body, he stayed kneeling. Lifting me under my ass, he urged me up into an arch. One hand moved to support me under my thigh. The other moved to rub my still-throbbing *.
Talk about a view. I had the perfect vantage point to see his cock knocking against my bare p-ssy.
“I’m so turned on right now, Alayna. It’s going to be rough.”
He was asking my permission. Crazy, because I trusted him implicitly with my body. Trusted him with all of me.
My eyes met his. “Please.”
He groaned. Then he plunged in, deep and hard, just as he’d promised.
I cried out, fisting the sheets. I had already been on the brink and the minute he entered my channel, my orgasm ripped through me.
Hudson wasn’t slowing at all as I clenched around his cock. He drove into me with single-minded fury, over and over. His thighs slapped against mine, the sound driving me mad, stirring up another climax within me. He talked to me—crazy sex talk that I could barely make meaning of in my haze. Each word punctuated as he thrust in, in, in. “You’re. So. God. Damn. Hot. You. Make. Me. Come. So. Hard.”
And then we were both coming. So hard. He pushed into me with a long groan. My eyes were glued to him, and I watched his entire torso stiffen as his hips bucked against my pelvis. Then my own vision went white, clouding with the intensity of my release. His name was on my tongue, both a curse and a prayer as I surrendered to the convulsions that begged to overtake me.
God, oh, god.
It seemed ages before I recovered enough to speak—to think. When I could, Hudson had already fallen on the bed beside me. He was equally affected, I knew. If he weren’t, he’d be holding me. Instead, we lay side by side, our shoulders the only parts of our bodies touching, yet the connected feeling was palpable.
I took a final deep breath. “That was incredible.” Incredible was an understatement. There weren’t words for what it really was. I looked over at the glorious lover beside me. “Seriously. How does sex with you just keep getting better and better?”
Hudson didn’t pause in his answer. “We’ve learned to trust each other.”
“Is that what it is?” It meant a lot that he trusted me after the things I’d done. In many ways I didn’t deserve it. But I would never betray him again. I’d grown past that.
“Yes. That’s what it is.” He turned his head toward me, his eyes narrowed. “Did I hurt you?”
“In only the best ways.” He had been rougher than usual. But I’d loved every second of it, even though I now felt raw and a bit tender. “I had no idea you were so into a shaved p-ssy.”
He smiled, his shoulder lifting as if in a half-hearted shrug. “I’ve never really cared. It’s you I’m into. Shaved, bushy—I’ll take you.”
I giggled. “I’ve never been bushy with you.” Bushy had never been my style. But if it was something Hudson wanted…
“But you could be and I’d be turned on.” His eyes darkened and I could tell he was imagining it. “Jesus, now I’m hard again.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“No. I’m not.” He nodded down toward his penis.
I had to look. Sure enough, it was hard. “You’re such a horn-dog.”
“Perhaps.” Except he’d always said it was me that made him crazy, no one else.
Could that be true? Could it really only be me that turned him on to no end, transforming him into a greedy lover?
It had been true for me. Until him, sex had been fun, but that’s all. Sometimes it could even begin an unhealthy obsession. But my addictions had never been about the physical. With Hudson it wasn’t exactly about the sex, either. It was more about wanting to be as close to him as possible. And, because it was Hudson and he communicated best with his body, being as close to him as possible involved being naked.
He’d never let anyone in before. Maybe sex really had only been for sport in the past. With us, it was speech.
Which might have something to do with why we still had such trouble talking to each other.
We were working on that though. So I brought up the subject that I knew neither of us wanted to broach. “I saw Celia.”
Hudson groaned. “And now I’m soft.”
My eyes flicked downward. “No, you’re not.”
“It feels like I should be. Come on—Celia?”
“Sorry. I thought you should know.”
“I suppose I should.” He sighed. “Did she bother you at all?”
“No. I didn’t talk to her. It was as we were coming down here. I think she was watching. On the deck above. When…you know.” How come I could do completely nasty things with the man and still be so embarrassed about mentioning them outright?
“When I made you come all over my hand?” Leave it to Hudson to say it bluntly.
It was quite the turn-on, actually.
“Yeah, then.”
“Hope she enjoyed the show.” His expression was proud.
Like I’d said before—total horn-dog.
I started to tease him back but then I realized he hadn’t been surprised by her presence. “It wasn’t Jack you were referring to who was the uninvited guest, was it? It was Celia. How did she get here?”
Hudson ran both his hands through his hair. “She came with one of the men in my advertising department. He’s always been interested in her and she’s never given him a second look. I’m sure she used his crush simply to get on-board tonight.”
It was obvious he didn’t want to talk about her, but he was willing so I pressed on. “Why does she want to be here so badly?”
“Maybe she wanted to see if we were still together. I don’t know. You know more about that kind of obsession than I do.” He didn’t say it to be hurtful. It was honest. I did know about that kind of obsession. Very well.
I let myself remember the reasons I’d been attracted to the men I’d stalked. “Somehow your attention validates her. Makes her feel alive.” I felt my tone get heavy with years of sadness. Recalling those emotions of my past was not pleasant.
Hudson narrowed his eyes, trying to read me. “Do you think I’m being too cruel to her by cutting her out of my life?”
“No.” Though if I were right—if she really did feel the way I suspected she did about Hudson—then I understood the pure devastation that she had to be going through at his dismissal. “Does that make me a shitty person?”
“No.”
Whether he was right or wrong, I accepted his absolution without debate. Besides, just because I understood how she might feel didn’t mean I could soften the blow in any way. Even if she had Hudson, she’d never really think she did. I’d never believed the men who were with me were really with me. Believing Hudson actually cared for me had taken a great deal of healing on my part. Those were steps Celia would have to take on her own.
But if Celia truly were obsessed with Hudson in the ways I used to be…
I shuddered to think of the lengths she might go to in order to win him. I voiced the nagging concern that had been tugging at me the entire night. “She’s never really going to be out of our lives, is she? She’s always going to try to destroy us.”
Hudson rolled to his side to face me. “It doesn’t matter.” He cupped my face, lining his eyes with mine. “You belong to me, precious. You belong with me. I won’t let anything come between us. I won’t let anything hurt you. Especially not her.”
The man couldn’t say I love you, but somehow he knew how to make declarations that struck right into the core of my heart. And his eyes—they backed up every word he said. I had no doubt that he would fight for me, fight for us. He hadn’t before. Now was a different story. Warmth spread from my chest throughout my body and I felt dangerously close to tearing up.
But I didn’t want to get emotional. I wanted to tell him how I felt in the way he understood best. With my body. I flashed a suggestive smile. “Now I’m turned on again.”
Hudson’s jaw relaxed and he pulled me flush with him. He leaned in until his mouth was a mere inch from mine. “So we can stop talking about her?”
He smelled of sex and champagne and Hudson, and my desire flamed instantly. “We can stop talking period.”
He covered me with his body, teasing me with flicks of his tongue along my jaw. At my neck, he nibbled and sucked, likely leaving a glaring hickey. Which was fine. Perfect, actually. He could mark me in any way he wanted. I was his. I wanted to be known as his.
I arched my back and pressed my breasts to his chest. God, I loved the feel of his skin against mine. My hips writhed underneath him, urging him to stop teasing and get on with it already.
He lifted his head to meet my eyes. “Stop rushing me,” he chided. He was always very conscientious about varying the moods of our lovemaking. The last time had been driven and furious. This time would be slow and sweet. Always, it was he that decided how it would go.
I didn’t prefer one tempo over another. Didn’t care if he made it fast or if he took all night. But as it was occurring, whichever way we were f*cking, I always thought it was the best.
At his own pace, Hudson took me to where I wanted and needed to go. Loving me thoroughly with his body. Loving me entirely without words. Loving me completely.
And as we spun into the intoxication of our passionate interlude, I said to myself, this time. This time is the best.