Chapter Twenty-Three
Reagan was as nervousas a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Since Saturday had ended up going off the rails, she was going to spend the entire day with Hudson on Sunday. Falling asleep had not been in her plans, but she had to admit that it was really nice to wake up in Hudson’s bed. She stared at his face for a long time, enjoying the way he appeared so peaceful. She took her time reaching toward him, making contact with his bare chest and trailing her fingers around the warm skin. He opened his eyes on several blinks and smiled.
“Sorry I fell asleep,” she said. “I just haven't been sleeping lately.”
He ran a fingertip down her jawline to her chin. “It’s fine.”
“I should go in a bit.”
“Let me feed you first, okay?”
She liked the idea of him cooking for her. “Sure.”
Reagan sat at the table and watched as he moved around the room and threw together a quick meal. She beamed at him as he set the food on the table and joined her.
“I need to go back to being a model employee so I don’t have to be out on suspension longer than thirty days. We absolutely can’t be seen in public together until the end of the semester.”
She nodded as she helped herself to a piece of bread. “I understand. Honestly, if we see each other here when we’re able to, we won’t be so tempted to get in trouble in your office.”
“I hope not. I usually show much more restraint.” He chuckled a little. “Just wait until tomorrow, my dear.”
She paused with her glass halfway to her mouth, looking at him with raised brows. “What does that mean?”
His grin was devilish. “I haven’t shown you all my tricks. I think tomorrow calls for expanding your knowledge.”
She managed to finish her dinner without asking him what he meant, exactly.
It was now Sunday, and she felt as though she should have made him tell her explicitly what he had planned so she wouldn't be nervous. She wanted to put on something cute, but it was the dead of winter, which meant she would have to settle for layers and warmth. Gabby had left earlier to spend the day with her friends, so there was no one there to ask why she was stalling or notice how out of sorts she was acting. Reagan brushed her hair one more time, looked in the mirror for the tenth time, and left the room with a deep breath and a reminder that he had never done anything she didn’t like before.
Reagan discovered that she was more nervous about knocking on his door today than she had been the day before. But when he opened the door in a long sleeved tee and low-slung flannel pants, all she could do was stare at him as saliva pooled in her mouth.
“Coming in?” he asked her. She detected a note of smugness in his voice and shrugged casually.
“Yeah, of course.”
Reagan stepped over the threshold and set her purse on his hall table. She didn't know if he was interested in formalities at that point or not, but she just wanted to jump him where he stood. He looked so damn good.
“How are you this morning?” he asked.
Reagan smiled and relaxed at the easy look on his face. This was Hudson, not anyone to be nervous around. “I’m great.”
She took her coat off and watched him hang it in his closet. She realized that it felt way too right to be there with him, in his home, putting her coat in his closet like it was her home, too.
“You know, I have to stay in Maryland for the summer since I’ll be working.”
Hudson followed her to the living room and sat on the couch next to her. “Oh?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I talked to Luna about it and we’re trying to figure out how we can afford to live here together. She planned on going home, but she’d stay to help me out.”
He propped his elbow on the back of the couch and faced her. “I don’t think you need to make Luna stay here.”
“Well, there’s Davis, he already has a two-bedroom, but it would be a little odd. Not odd as in he’d hit on me, but odd—”
“You’re not living with another guy when you could just live here.”
She gave him a wide smile and blinked a few times. “I could?”
He sighed. “You knew I’d offer, didn't you?”
