Page 75 of Beautiful Collide

Hudson looks me up and down, his mouth twitching into a smirk as the hot liquid drips down his once white shirt. “Nice aim.”

“I’ve been practicing for years.”

“I bet you have.”

I take a step to the right.

“What? Abandoning me so soon?”

“I’m getting you napkins, dick.” I reach out and fumble for napkins from the nearby stand.

“Wow, dick? Aren’t I the victim?”

“Victim of what? An accident.”

“If you say so.”

“I do. I didn’t mean to. You’re just so . . . distracting.”

He raises an eyebrow, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Distracting? Interesting choice of words.”

“I have a few choice words I would say.” I reach forward and start to blot the fabric.

“I should charge you for the dry cleaning.” He leans in closer as I continue to wipe.

“Good luck with that. Dane doesn’t pay me enough.” My heart races. I shouldn’t be touching him. Being this close to him is dangerous too. Even though he’s not my favorite person, I can admit that he smells like heaven this close-up. Like pine on a warm summer day. It’s intoxicating.

Needing to escape, I take the soaked napkin and toss it in the trash.

“Well, I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to spill on you, no matter what you believe.”

“Oh, I believe you.” A playful grin breaks through the sarcasm.

I dry my hands on my jeans, feeling the familiar heat rise in my cheeks.

We stand there, the air lighter than usual. It feels like something has shifted.

Just then, my brother appears with a look of confusion as he takes in the scene in front of him. He’s most likely curious about why Hudson and I are talking.

“What’s going on?” he asks, eyeing Hudson’s coffee-stained shirt.

“Nothing,” I say too fast.

Dane looks from me to Hudson, his gaze drifting down to Hudson’s saturated shirt.

“A cup of coffee attacked me,” Hudson explains.

“Is that so?”

“Yep, you know me; I’m always dropping stuff.” He covers for me, which is downright shocking. If he spilled a cup of coffee on me, I’m not sure I’d pretend otherwise.Not true. You would.

“Funny, I thought you were known for the opposite.”

“Well, only on the ice.”

“Right,” my brother replies. “Let’s hope that’s it. And you aren’t bothering my sister about something.” He lifts a brow.

“Nope. All good here.”

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