Page 79 of Here's to Tomorrow

“It was—still kind of is—but I’m glad they had what they had together. It was better than nothing.”

“My optimist,” I mutter. He catches it and smirks.

“Yours, huh? I like that,” he says, stalking closer to me. When he reaches me, he steps between my legs and cradles my head between his hands, getting all up in my personal space. “Rae…”

“Hudson.” My voice comes out thick and husky, nothing like I’ve ever heard before.

“Can I… May I kiss you?”

My head barely moves up before his lips meet mine and my entire world implodes.

He’s gentle at first, testing my response. I press into him, letting him know I’m fully okay with what’s happening. His kiss grows firmer. His lips are soft, way softer than they look, and they taste good.

He glides his tongue along my bottom lip and I open for him on a moan. Taking his chance, he dives right in. Our tongues mesh together, playing along one another perfectly. I pull him in closer with my legs then place my hands on his stomach, sliding them up unhurriedly and then back down. I mentally take note that he doesn’t really have “abs” like he said, but more of definition. It’s nice.Reallynice.

I’m sure it’s only seconds that pass, but it feels like minutes before our kiss slows. He backs only inches away, brushing small, soft kisses along my lips.

Then, he pulls back all the way, staring me directly in the eyes, our breaths coming in heavily and mingling together. His eyes are glowing, the blue standing out even more against the green.

“Wow,” he says on an exhale.

“Wow,” I repeat.

“That was…intense. Amazing. Perfect.”

I smile and shrug. “It was okay.”

He laughs breathily. “That mouth of yours is dangerous.” He leans in, nipping at my bottom lip. “I like it. It was my first favorite thing about you.”

“Yourfirstfavorite thing? What else made the list?” I ask, hooking my legs back around his and pulling him closer to me again.

“Your eyes. They speak, telling me things you don’t,” he says seriously.I can say the same about yours, Hudson.

He continues, “And your laugh. It’s intoxicating. Then your sense of humor, your love for Maura, your intelligence. Oh, and your ass. It’sverynice.”

I snort out a laugh. “Thank you.”

“That too. That’s number eight and nine. I love that you’re not afraid to be yourself. Your confidence is such a turn-on. The fact that you can accept a compliment is so…refreshing. I can’t stand when women argue with one. It’s annoying and petty. I love that you’re not like that.”

His mouth is on mine again and we’re back to where we just were, tangled up as much as we can be for our positions. We clutch one another, using our hands to tamely explore. Small gasps slip through, but no other sounds escape. Our lips and tongues are fused together, tasting every single dark corner of each other’s mouths.

Hudson pulls away again, and this time he rests his forehead against mine.

I simply smile, because really, how can you respond to what just happened? We continue staring at each other in silence. It’s a moment I’ll never forget. Hudson looks so…peaceful, and I helped with that.

“This is going to sound like the shittiest thing I’ve ever said in my entire life, but I kind of need you to leave.”

My shoulders slump before I can catch them.

He dips down to meet my gaze. “I mean no offense by that. Quite the opposite. You see, I’m extremely turned on right now, and my daughter is in the other room. I can’t let anything else happen tonight, but I really,reallywant it to. So, I’m being proactive. You have no idea how sorry I am.”

“Oh, you thought I was going to just rip my clothes off and sleep with you? Shame on you, Hudson. I’m not that kind of girl.” I feign offense because that’s all I can muster now. My heart is beating wildly and I want nothing more than to do just what I said.

Then I lean in closer to him, getting right up next to his ear. “Or am I?” I whisper.

He shudders. I laugh and push him away, hopping down off the counter.

“I’ll see myself out,” I say with a smirk, walking out of the kitchen and leaving Hudson lightly banging his head against his kitchen cabinet, muttering to himself.

That night, I sleep fitfully—and not from my nightmare.

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