Page 44 of Accidental Abduction

“We need to pack,” I whispered into her sweaty neck, softly kissing the bruised bite mark that’d started to yellow around the edges sometime in the last day. The horny demon hoped she wouldn’t cover it up tonight. Because I wanted everyone to know she was mine. Maybe I could have Reid tattooProperty of Hudsonacross her cleavage instead of her ass.

She nodded, reluctantly untangling our limbs before she sat on the edge of the bed beside me, pulling on her borrowed clothing.

“We’re going to have a talk about your lack of panties.”

She looked over her shoulder at me with a smile. “I’m behind on laundry.”

“I may have a washer you can fill with your load,” I teased, pulling her backward and wrapping my naked body around her clothed one with my face tucked in her neck.

“Pretty sureI’mthe one that gets filled withyourload.”

“That’s during the spin cycle. My machine is off balance.”

She giggled as I let her go. “And I’m the one with the dirty mind.”

Standing from the bed to gather the clothes I’d been wearing at the party, I got dressed and extended my hand toward her. “Want to wear the snow boots back? You can leave them in my car, and I’ll bring them back with me next time I come up.”

She held her knee-high boots in front of the pair of flannel pants she was wearing. “You don’t think they match? The website said they go with any outfit.”

“Come on,” I reached for her hand, lacing my fingers with hers. “It’s time to go home.”

I wanted to ask her to come to my house instead of me taking her to the apartment, but I knew we both had things we needed to take care of.

Charley was quiet as she followed me to the car, her hand clasped in one hand while I held the cooler with leftover food in the other since the power still hadn’t been restored.

Not knowing what to say, we remained silent on the ride down the mountain, my hand resting on the soft cotton covering her thigh and wishing I could touch her bare skin. I craved the connection, but I knew this couldn’t be the last time I’d have her in this car with my hand in the same place. Touching her like this felt as natural as breathing. Just like everything else where she was concerned.

When I parked the car near the freshly plowed back entrance of the bar, my fingers tightened, her smaller hand covering mine as she turned toward me.

“I don’t want you to go,” I whispered, leaning in to softly ghost my lips across hers.

“I don’t either, but we can’t sit in this car for the rest of our lives.” She sounded sad, and I felt the same way, but I wasn’t sure what to say right now.

“I’ll be back once I dig out my driveway and take a shower.”

She nodded, hesitating before she gathered her things and reached for the door handle.

I wanted to beg her to stay, or for her to let me come upstairs with her—suddenly terrified if I let her out of my sight that something bad would happen—but we both knew I needed to go home.

She stepped out of the car, and I watched through the frosted glass of the windshield as she unlocked the back door, turning to wave before she stepped inside and let the door close behind her.

I stared at the back door for longer than I should have, willing her to come back out before someone standing beside the car startled me.

Hudson

“What the fuck, dude?”Reid’s loud voice startled me as he pounded on my passenger window.

His grin was obnoxious as I rolled down the window, and I knew Hazel must have told him that my seclusion with Charley wasn’t just platonic.

“Get in,” I sighed, motioning to the passenger seat. He could help me dig out the driveway. It was the least he could do after he subjected all the patrons of my bar to his nipple accessories.

“You fucked Charley,” he blurted out before he’d even closed the door. “Atta boy.”

“Shut up and buckle your seat belt. You’re helping me shovel my driveway and then I’m taking a hot shower before I indulge in your need for gossip.”

“I already shoveled it.” Of course he did, the helpful fucker. He made it hard to be annoyed with him. But it wasn’t his fault I was grumpy this morning.

“Thanks.”

---