Page 188 of Beautiful Collide

“Molly, how long have you been seeing Hudson?”

“Was the wedding planned or was it spontaneous?”

“Hudson, what does Dane think about all this?”

Damn.

They are relentless.

I’ve been with the team for years and have never seen anything like this. Sure, there was that blip with Aiden, but even that was controlled. Nothing like this. That was one lone reporter out to get him. This is something else entirely.

I keep my head down, my sunglasses hiding my eyes as I cling to Hudson’s arm. His presence is solid and steady, and he doesn’t say a word as we push through the crowd.

Got to hand it to him. He has a way of comforting me like no one else can. Walking through these animals, I actually feel safe with him.Does that mean something?Yeah, I think it does. What? I’m not sure, and I’m not ready to broach that topic, but I know it does.

“Hudson, over here!” one of them shouts, shoving a microphone toward his face.

He turns, his expression cool and unreadable. “No comment.”

“But—”

“No comment,” he repeats, his hand dropping to wrap tightly around my waist.

The reporters continue their shouting.

With each step we take, they become more persistent, but Hudson doesn’t stop.

Instead, with his head held high and his arm wrapped around me, he leads me to his car.

When we get to it, he opens the passenger door for me like a gentleman.

I’ve never wanted to admit it, but he’s not a bad guy.

He’s actually a pretty fabulous guy.

“Hex, get in.” His voice sounds tight. My guess is he’s super pissed and trying to not give the press a show.

I do as he says, and he closes the door behind me before rounding the car and sliding into the driver’s seat.

As we pull away from the chaos, I finally let out the breath I’ve been holding.

He glances over at me. Our eyes lock. “You okay?”

I nod even though I’m not.

My heart pounds in my chest. “Thanks.”

“For what?” he asks.

“Helping me.”

He didn’t have to, and I appreciate him.

He shrugs before turning to face the road. “It’s my job.”

“No, it’s not. I don’t deserve it, but thank you.”

The car goes quiet. It’s almost like my words shut him up.

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