Hudson tilts his head. “You think the jet lag will kick in earlier?”
“Nope.” Frankie shakes his head.
“Well, all right. Since I gave Mom and Dad the night off to sleep at my place, I’m in charge and I say you two can stay up until nine!” Hudson announces.
Kimberly and Frankie glance at each other, their eyes wide, before erupting in cheers.
I laugh as Hudson grins.
“Come on. Let’s watch the movie,” he says.
The kids settle down and turn their attention toward the Dr. Seuss characters.
I narrow my eyes at Hudson. Pinching his side, I hiss, “You told Stacy and Joe to stay at your place? I thought you lived here.”
He grins at me, shifting to wrap an arm around my shoulders. “You wanted to think I lived here. That I never grew up and was still mooching off Mom and Dad.”
I snort but don’t refute his observation because it’s correct.
At my silence, Hudson chuckles. “I have a big boy place that’s all my own, Piper.”
I shiver as his breath washes over my cheek. I glance up at him. “But tonight, we’re back in your parents’ basement, getting swept up in nostalgia.” He looks at me curiously. “Yeah,” he finally whispers. “Nostalgia and the moment.”
“Shh!” Frankie shushes us.
Hudson and I exchange a smile before tuning into the film.
Thirty minutes later, at 7:25 p.m., Kimmy and Frankie are both passed out.
Hudson carries them upstairs and tucks them into the guest room of his parents’ house. Then, he returns to the basement with two glasses of wine.
Passing me one, he says, “My sister and Joe took off an hour ago. Our parents just left. They’re going to your parents’ house to try some whiskey your dad is raving about.”
I roll my eyes, knowing exactly the bottle Hudson is talking about. I take a sip of my wine and backpedal, until my ass hits the pool table. Then, I boost myself up and glance around the space. The same brown leather couch. A dartboard. The pool table I’m sitting on. A framed, signed poster of Gordie Howe. I noticed it all when we were building the fort, but sitting here now, in the quiet of the night, with only Hudson, the past rolls over me. “It’s just as I remember.”
“Yeah,” Hudson laughs. “Not much has changed at Mom and Dad’s.”
“Is that what we’re doing?” I voice my worry aloud. “Just falling back into an old, familiar, convenient moment since we’re both home this weekend?”
Hudson stares at me. Looks through me, as if he can peel back the layers I’ve wrapped myself in. I shiver at the intensity of his gaze as he walks toward me. He steps between my thighs, forcing my legs to widen to make room for him.
He drops a hand beside my hip and steps into my frame, so I’m forced to lean back. His movements are slow, deliberate. Sexy.
He takes my wine glass from my hand and places it on the TV stand. Then, he holds the side of my face, his fingertips brushing against the back of my head, as he tilts my head, and captures my lips with his.
I raise my chin to meet his kiss. Our lips roll over each other’s slowly, sensually.
It’s just a kiss and yet, it flips everything I know about kissing upside down.
My breasts grow heavy, and I arch into Hudson’s chest, wanting to feel his body flush against mine. His other hand holds my hip, his fingers splayed wide. He presses me more firmly into him and his touch travels down to my ass.
He pulls back slightly, his eyes finding mine. “Nothing about this feels old or familiar or convenient, Piper. Everything about you is new and thrilling and the biggest risk I’ve ever taken.”
I shudder at the meaning—the promise—behind his words. Then, his lips are on mine again and I let go of the past. I stop holding high school against him. I banish my insecurities from my head.
Instead, I revel in this moment with Hudson. I place my trust in his hands and allow our history, all those years, to wrap me in the safety of his arms.
Our hands explore each other’s bodies. Our mouths never break contact with each other’s lips as we savor the moment. Everything is slow and sexy and special.
