Page 107 of That Time I Kissed My Beachfront Boss

“Go on,” I whisper. “I dare you.”

He draws in a shaky breath, and my eyelids drift shut in anticipation. Then his mouth grazes mine, and the moment is better than the memory.

Better than any dream.

His mouth is sweet at first, but soon the tenderness turns to hunger. I never knew I could be this desired and cherished at the same time. When his lips feather along my jawline, they leave an agonizing trail of heat in their wake. So I tilt my head, giving him greater access to my throat.

“Olivia,” he says on the exhale. The name is hot against my neck, and I surrender as he slowly traces the veins beneath my skin. “I’ve waited forever to feel like this,” he whispers against my pulse. “I only want you. Always you. My Liv.”

“Yes. Only you,” I breathe out, slipping my palm under his chin. Then I lift his face back up to capture me in another kiss. And when he turns to sit on the swing, gently lowering me onto his lap, we don’t skip a single beat.

His hands slide up, fingers tangled in my hair, as I press my palms against the hard planes of his chest. In this moment, I feel like our bodies could be forged in fire, dipped in amber, and preserved for whatever’s longer than eternity … If it weren’t for some woman calling out to us from the edge of the property.

“Yoo-hoo! Hudson? Is that you?”

I suck in a breath, and his lips suddenly retreat.

Winnie is here. With Teller. And I’m caught with my hand in the Hudson Blaine cookie jar.

This is not the first impression I was hoping to make with his best friend, so I jump off of Hudson’s lap and quickly tuck my hair behind my ears.

His eyes are wide now, and he’s looking past me. The poor guy must be just as embarrassed as I am.

Well, here goes nothing.

Smoothing my dress, I turn to meet Winnie and Teller.

Except there is no Teller. Just Winnie.

Huh. Teller must still be down at the docks parking or bringing up their luggage. Either way, Winnie emerges from the shadows heading toward us. Hudson described her as down-to-earth and pretty, but this woman is … sleek. And elegant. Her black hair is slicked into a high, tight ponytail and she’s wearing an even tighter wrap dress. Her overnight bag looks expensive. So does her jewelry.

Not what I expected.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us?” she asks Hudson. There’s an edge to her voice. A sliver of accusation that must be because Hudson and I were kissing.

That’s a little harsh.

On second thought, maybe I don’t want Teller to propose to Winnie tonight. Or maybe I’m just guilty of judging a book by its cover. Which isn’t fair. I don’t even know this woman. And she’s obviously important to Hudson. So I hoist my mouth into a smile, determined to be nice to his friends. I glance at him, expecting an introduction, but his jaw’s unhinged, dropped almost to his chest.

What is going on?

“Fine,” Winnie says. “I’ll introduce myself.” She leaves the path, cutting her way across the grass in her designer shoes. The mud’s going to ruin those heels, but it’s too late. Hopefully she packed flip-flops for the rest of her stay.

Behind me, I feel Hudson rising to his feet, but he’s still saying nothing. As she trudges toward us, then clicks up the stairs, I get the strange sense a freight train’s coming, and I’m helpless to stop the crash. Winnie crosses the porch. Extends a hand. Long red nails. Fresh manicure.

Kind of like me a month ago.

“Hello, there.” She flashes two rows of white piano-key teeth. “I’m Jacqueline Woods. Hudson’s girlfriend.”

Chapter Forty-Three

Hudson

Liar.

Olivia’s eyes pop wide, and she coughs out a breath. “Girlfriend?”

“EX-girlfriend,” I grit out, putting all the emphasis on ex.

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