Page 39 of The Promises We Break

There is an underlying guilt that I shouldn’t be so selfish, but I’ve just worked way too hard and fought for too damn long to not be. Staying with Hudson will require a lot of time and energy, and things that I never intended to focus on. I committed myself to my new role at XConnect—the dream job I’ve been waiting for—uprooted my life, lied to my family, all so I can create something forme. Something that I can call my own.

Now I just signed my life over to being the exact thing I have been trying to avoid.

The words my mother would always tell me repeat in my head.Men hold the power, and it’s our responsibility as women to support that so they can support us.

I hated that. I hated when she reminded me that anytime I felt more ambition than she’d like, telling me I’d be better off finding a strong, wealthy man than a career.

I watch as Hudson grips the steering wheel, turning it wide as he pulls into a parking spot and kills the engine. I peek at the time, and it’s been less than ten minutes since we left the stadium, realizing the drive was short in distance, but long in my head.

“Please say something.” He turns to face me and his eyes plead with mine.

“I can’t,” I reply, and he huffs a short breath at my response.

He pulls his wallet out of his back pocket and hands me the keycard for the hotel room.

“I’ll pick up some food at the restaurant and bring it upstairs for us. I’ll meet you up there.” Giving me a concerned look before he exits the driver’s side and closes the door behind him. Taking a couple steps away, he stops, pauses, looks over his shoulder, then walks around the front of the truck.

It actually pisses me off how handsome he is. His dark brown hair is covered by a baseball cap, which somehow looks better on him than not. His joggers are snug, low on his waist, and the basic navy t-shirt he wears looks like it’s tailored for his body. Could he look any fucking sexier?

He opens my door, stepping into it, blocking everything.

Reaching over, he clicks open the glove compartment. It pops down, displaying a folded, mustard yellow manila envelope.

He grabs it, lifting the top flap, and pulls out the paperwork inside, showing me the top of the front page.

Decree of Annulment.

“I had these prepared immediately after you left the hotelroom in Vegas.” His chest lifts as he takes a deep breath, letting the exhale release slowly.

“I don’t want you to feel stuck. I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do. But we know this situation can benefit us both.” His tongue darts over his bottom lip, pulling it between his teeth, like he’s a bit nervous about this proposal.

“If you want to sign these papers right now, we will. But it doesn’t have to be as terrible as you’re envisioning it to be. You have a life, a job, a career. I understand that, and Coach Raymer will understand that. That’s your priority, and I fully support it. We both need something that we can benefit from right now, and that’s all it needs to be. Plus, it would just be for the season.” He places the palm of his hand over my cheek, and my body, my traitorous body, leans into it, like a comfort blanket.

Is he right? Could this work? Could we do this without me giving up on myself?

My mom sure couldn’t.

I close my eyes and suck in a lengthy breath. When I reopen them, Hudson’s stare is feral.

His dark lustful eyes boomerang between mine and my lips. His intense study causes my eyes to fall away from his, and they find the keycard that I’m twiddling with as I pull my bottom lip in with my teeth. It’s a wasted attempt to shy away from him when he pinches his thumb and forefinger to my chin and returns my gaze to his; the collision is a perfect storm.

“Don’t look at me like that.” I challenge the lion behind this façade of a man.

“Like what?” he replies, with a tone as lecherous as his face.

“Like you did before you kissed me on that stage,” I whisper.

His lips lift in a devilish smirk.

He slides the envelope on the top of the dash, then grabs the bill of his baseball cap and swivels it around his head, removing any obstruction from between the two of us.

And I take back what I questioned early.

Yes… he absolutelycanlook sexier.

He leans in slowly, nuzzling himself into the column of my neck, giving me a chaste kiss with his soft lips.

“You mean, when I couldn’t keep my hands off you?” He places the palms of his hands on the tops of my thighs, trailing them all the way up to my hips.

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