Page 97 of The Art of You

I’d expected Enzo’s near-death experience to send Hudson running away from me, and here I was in his arms instead.

Muscle memory took over for my hands, and they roamed over every edge of the hard planes of his body. “How so?” Ifinally asked.

The slow drag of his eyes down to my hands, then back up to my face was about as erotic as if it’d been his palm between my thighs instead. “I’m trying to understand how I held back for as long as I did. Seven years of lying to myself. Seven years of having to watch you with other men when I knew deep down you were mine.”

His words were beautiful strokes of heaven coating every inch of my skin like paint. Filling in the blank space, especially in my heart. A living and breathing canvas. “Tell me more.” My hands found a new home at the side of his neck. “Tell me everything.”

I needed a distraction from all the darkness. From the fear. The worry. And all the unknowns. I needed his love. I neededthis.

Somehow, he recognized that without me having to ask him. We really did know each other well. Built a foundation through our friendship brick-by-brick for what we could now have. A future.

He removed his hand from beneath my shirt, allowing it to wander between our bodies. Cupping my chin and smoothing the pad of his thumb along the line of where he held me, he rasped, “That kiss in Rome woke me up. I hadn’t even known I was sleeping.”

So, you’re Sleeping Beauty, and I’m the princesswho kissed you?

Forehead tight, eyes pointed on me, he revealed, “There’s been no one else since. I’m sure you’ve wondered.” He lightly shook his head, drawing me even closer. “After that night in Rome, I’ve been faithful to a dream I never thought I could have but refused to let go of.”

I closed my eyes, tears on the verge of falling again, but for a better reason. “I’m glad you held on.”

“And I’m damn thankful you didn’t give up on me.” Hestopped stroking the line of my jaw. “So, please, no overthinking about us.”

His hoarse tone and words rattled something loose from inside me. That ugly four-letter word. Fear. “But . . .”What an original cliffhanger.

“I told you last night I wasn’t sure if I could change, I remember.” He released my chin and set his forehead to mine once again. “But I can, and I will. I think I already have, I just didn’t realize it before.”

Our bodies were now flush, so I could feel his heart beating as if it were the soundtrack to my soul.

He shifted back to locate my eyes. “I originally thought I couldn’t be with you because of my past. Because of your brothers. But it was more than that. I was afraid that if I were to ever have a chance with you, I’d lose you. The way I lost my mom. My brothers on Echo.” His words were like sandpaper, rough over my skin as they came across. He was hurting, and it killed me. “I thought staying away from you kept both of us safe from experiencing that kind of pain.”

I brought my hands from the sides of his neck to his face, working hard not to cry as I waited for him to continue.

His voice was husky and deep as he admitted, “Then I almost lost you Friday anyway. All that effort to protect your heart. To protect my mind. It was all bullshit. Because if your life ended, mine would’ve been over, too.” A sheen covered his eyes. “Fuck labels.” He shook his head. “Because you’ve been mine for a long time.” His brows tightened as he stared deep into my eyes. “I’m ready to admit to you, and to myself, that I’m already so deeply and madly in love with you, my heart is incapable of beating unless yours is. So, if anything were to ever happen to you, it happens to me, too.”

Chapter 37

Hudson

Bella staredat me in shock, chasing away tears with the back of her hand as her wobbly bottom lip caught a few, too. I had to admit that wasn’t the reaction I’d expected after telling her my truth. That I not only now knew I loved her but felt it deep in my bones. Breathed it like air. Was starved for it, too.

I pushed away from the wall, arms falling dead at my sides. Did I just fuck everything up? Speak too soon?

Sure, I’d pushed the envelope a bit with my not-really-a-joke comment about her birth control yesterday. But this was different. It was serious and honest and as unplanned as the heart attack I was about to have if she didn’t speak.

“Say something, please.” I caught her wrist, preventing her hand from erasing the evidence of her emotions.

Blinking her way from my lips to my eyes, I locked our fingers together, on the verge of shedding my emotions in liquid form, too. “I, um?—”

“Hey, we need you.” Goddamn Alessandro and his motherfucking knock cutting heroff. “It can’t wait.”

No, but the words I wanted to hear more than anything in the world would now have to.

Bella’s shoulders collapsed, and I brought our clasped hands between us and brushed my lips over her knuckles while meeting her eyes. “Later,” I mouthed.

She lightly nodded, brows drawing together.

“We’re coming,” I called out as she used her free hand to discard her tears.

Her brothers would probably think I was in here breaking their sister’s heart once they set eyes on her.

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