Page 18 of Fall Wedding With the Mountain Man
She held up a pair of jeans with a dubious look on her face, then deadpanned, “What’s free time?”
“Free time is what you do when you’re not at work, hon.”
We came from completely different backgrounds. I could tell. Lizzie was a workaholic, just like Shelby had been when she first moved here.
She wouldn’t understand my lifestyle or see the benefits of it, but I tried to explain. “I believe in relaxing, enjoying myself, and pursuing things that make me feel good. That’s what I do when I’m not working.”
She barked out a laugh. “You’ve got your head in the clouds, Hudson.”
“Do I? I own my cabin. I have enough money to put dinner on the table. And I put ten percent aside for retirement. Sounds to me like I’m doing everything right.”
Lizzie frowned and looked at me. “Sorry, Hudson. I’m not trying to diminish your goals in life. I think I’ve just got bigger dreams than you. It doesn’t make me better or worse.”
“That’s right. You’re going to make partner. There’s a lofty goal.”
She bit her lip, frustration etched across her face. “I don’t even know if I’ll look good in jeans. We’re close to the same size, but Shelby might be a little smaller than me. Will my ass even fit in these?”
“Your ass would look epic in those jeans, hon. But about that partner thing. Will it be worth it? You could hardly find time to come to your own best friend’s wedding. That sounds like misaligned priorities to me.”
She sighed, clutching the jeans in her hands. “I’ve never told anyone this before, but sometimes I sleep at the office. It’s easier that way. Sometimes I have to do eighteen-hour days.”
“That’s a hell of a workday, hon. Does it satisfy you?”
She looked at Leona sleeping on my belly and whispered. “Sometimes I’m so stressed out I think it’s going to kill me.”
I got the feeling Elizabeth was telling me her innermost secrets right now. The fears and thoughts that live inside all of us, but don’t always get expressed. I wanted to fixeverythingfor her. Make her life exactly as she wanted it.
But I was just the here-and-now guy. I couldn’t fix her life, but I could help make tonight something to remember.
So I rumbled, “I can help you with that stress if you want. I’ve got a foolproof stress-relieving technique.”
Chapter 11
Elizabeth
The man was trying to tempt me.
And unfortunately, it was working.
He was kicked back on their bed like he owned the place, ankles crossed, one muscular arm tucked behind his head. And he looked mouthwatering good.
Hudson Woods was a tasty snack, and I wanted just one bite.Neededjust one bite.
Should I?
Hell no.
Would I?
Shelby and Thatcher weren’t coming back here tonight; they were going straight to a honeymoon suite in Fernwood after the Fall Festival, and tomorrow they’d leave on their flight.
And Shelby had already given me the green light. She’d even gone so far as toencourageme. She was the real devil here. I wouldn’t be considering this seriously if she hadn’t nudged me in his direction.
Oh, who was I kidding? I’d known since the minute I laid eyes on him that I wanted to ride Hudson into the sunset.
Not that I’d fuck him in their bed. A woman had to have limits.
But she’d set me up in their spare bedroom. It’s where I would have been staying if I’d arrived on time two days ago, like we’d planned. And it was where I’d be spending the night tonight, before leaving tomorrow morning.
