Page 3 of The Art of You

I smiled.Holy hell, I’m smiling right now despite the chaos in my head. “Of course, what else could you possibly have meant?” It was hard not to antagonize the man when he’d gone out of his way to act allergic to me lately.

He braced both palms against the doorframe. “If you want togoto the party, then how can I help you with your nerves?” Great, he’d stricken the wordcomefrom his vocabulary now.

“I suppose there’s nothing to really be uneasy about. I’m just going as your plus-one.” Hudson had been pretty clear in emphasizing the words “plus one” when reviewing the mission details.Notattending as his date or girlfriend. “No weapons allowed inside, and security is as tight as a frog’s ass, right?”

“Speaking frogman language now, are you?” he drawled.

“Frogwoman, you mean?” I winked, trying to play off casual when I was anything but. “Anyway, I overheard Constantine refer to frogs and their derrières when reviewing the mission details earlier.” I circled my finger in the air as if winding something up with it, nerves getting to me all over again. “I forgot about the whole ‘SEAL and frog-nickname’ thing.”

At least he was smiling now, and I’d diverted his attention. “Yeah, security will be tight. No weapons on the premises outside of security personnel. But if someone tries to breach, Constantine is on overwatch, and we have two others on lookout with him as well.”

“Right. Okay.” Fidgeting with the skirt of my dress, I keptmy eyes on the floor and asked, “And will we cross paths with your father tonight at the party?”

Hudson moved away from the doorframe but remained in the hall. “He’ll more than likely keep out of sight until the op is done. You know, just in case security isn’t as watertight as a frog’s ass.” The touch of humor catching in his tone stole my eyes his way. “We’ll be fine. You won’t be anywhere near the danger. Only reason I’m letting you go.”

My brothers will be, though.But that was par for the course for them. “And if danger shows up anyway? You know, since danger rarely comes with a party invite.”

“What is it you’re not telling me?” he asked before I barely finished my words. He pocketed his hand as if trying to fight back his desire to reach for me.

That assessment was more than likely in my head, though.If only.I was a non-committal number to this man tonight. His plus-one for an op and nothing more.

“I’m good. Solid. No longer worried. Super tight now. Like that frog and his ass.”

My nervous rambling sent the man across that invisible red line and right into my room. “Bella.”

I shooed him away with a flick of my wrist. “Don’tBellame.”

“I’ll do it to you all day and night if I have to,” he said gruffly before rolling his eyes at how sexual that wound up sounding. Did to me, at least. “Stop smiling at me like that. You know what I meant.”

I reached for my lips, discovering I was grinning like a schoolgirl whose pigtails had been pulled by her crush. “Mmmhmm.” I sighed, lowering my hand to my side.

One signature scowl of his later, he pleaded, “Yousureyou’re fine?”

“I am now.Promise.”

Needing to end this conversation before I told him the truth about the origin of my nerves, I searched out my heels so we could leave. Spotting them by the bed, I hastily went over to the sparkly shoes. Even doing my best to be a vision of poise and grace, I still lost my balance. Clearly, I wasn’t God’s favorite Costa and needed to embarrass myself.

Hudson was at my side in a second, his arm swiftly settling against my back, keeping me upright.

I slowly peeked up at him from over my shoulder, and we quietly stared at each other. Just breathing. Simply existing.

There were so many truths on my tongue dying to slip out, and none of them had to do with that photo. The most painfully obvious fact fighting for freedom was that I didn’t want to be his plus-one tonight. I wanted to be his plus-everything.

“You okay?”

I forced a nod, trapping every last thought in my head, saving them for another time and place. You know, for an alternate universe where we could be together.

I finished putting on my heels, and only once I had my balance did he let me go.

“You look nice, by the way.” There was a strange dryness to his tone. Like it took all his energy to rip the compliment from his mouth. And with that, he abruptly left my side, went to the window, and parted the curtains. “Enzo has the Porsche parked out front. Surprised he’s letting us take it.”

Me, too.

Letting the curtains fall into place, he turned around, scanning the room as if only now realizing he was in the sacred space where I slept. Where I got undressed every day. Took care of my own personal, and pleasurable, needs. Did all the things one did in a bedroom.

He cleared his throat. “You’d think when they remodeledthey’d have put the primary bedroom on the other side so there’d be a view of the river.”

“Right, a view of the Hudson River from a home in Hudson Yards, where I’m now standing in my bedroom with a man named Hudson.”

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