Chapter 14
Davis couldn’t believe Luna had talked him into going to dinner with Hudson and Reagan. He loved Reagan, so that wasn’t the problem. It was just that he had less than a friendly attitude toward Hudson.
In a nutshell, he couldn’t stand him.
It was a combination of things, really. He’d treated Reagan like shit after they first met. Reagan could make all the excuses she wanted, but he didn’t like the things she’d confided in him. He could give Hudson credit for pulling his head out of his ass at the last second though. He did treat her like a queen, and he did wait to move her in with him until he was no longer her professor. Davis might have even been able to befriend Hudson when Reagan moved in with him, if not for one thing.
Hudson made it clear that he didn’t like Davis during their first official meeting. Hudson thought he had the right to tell Davis to back off from Luna and basically never speak to her again. He loved her to pieces, and they were best friends above anything else, so there was no way in hell he was going to stop speaking to her. In short, he found Hudson to be a little too self-righteous for someone banging his student.
There had been more than a few tense moments over the year that Reagan and Hudson lived together. Reagan wanted them all to hang out and be a unit, but it wasn’t in the cards. He’d heard that Alex laid into Hudson about it over Christmas and told him to back off and mind his own business, but Reagan insisted Hudson was just trying to protect Luna. Davis loved that Grant was still a tad unfriendly to Hudson because then he had an ally. Grant’s reasons were different, of course. He didn’t like the age gap between Hudson and his baby sister, but he hadn’t found any fault with his character.
Still, Luna insisted it would be different this time. She swore that Reagan would talk to Hudson about it and promised there wouldn’t be any barbs aimed his way. Davis vowed to Luna he wouldn’t rub it in that they were together now, which Hudson had always said would never happen. Davis had been right all along, but there was no reason to sayI told you soto Hudson. At least not out loud.
Though Hudson came from money, he didn’t have access to any. Davis thought the Clarks treatment of their son and his girlfriend was inexcusable. That was one area where he felt sorry for Hudson. He might not think he was missing out on anything by not speaking to them, but there would come a time when it would become apparent that it was the wrong choice on their part. Davis didn’t doubt that Reagan and Hudson would marry someday and have children, and then the Clarks would miss out on their grandchildren. At least Hudson could say he’d made an effort.
Davis could be thankful that his own parents would never do such a thing. They were tough on him in many aspects, but they valued family above all else. They wouldn’t shun Davis for his choice in a mate, and they would never want to miss out on future grandchildren. It did seem that Luna thought otherwise, and he reminded himself again to ask her why she felt that way. His parents had only visited one time while Luna was around, and they hadn’t really been left alone longer than it took him to run to the restroom. His father was a hardass at work because it was his name and reputation on the line, but he was a good man deep down.
Davis thought over all of this while he debated wearing a tie, but he decided against it in the end. He had two modes of dress; suits and sweatpants. He wasn’t about to wear sweatpants to dinner, and certainly not in Hudson’s presence. He dropped the tie and undid the top button on his crisp black shirt. He smoothed his dark gray slacks and decided he was good to go.
He was eager to see Luna. She’d spent the week at her own apartment, and he couldn’t blame her. There was no way she’d be rested enough every morning if she stayed with him. He would have to settle for having her every weekend for the time being. He wondered what she’d be wearing, but then he remembered she wore the same black dress every time they went out. She was clever and varied her accessories, but he knew it was the only nice dress she owned. He also knew better than to suggest he buy her anything else. She didn’t like it when he bought her anything other than a meal.
Davis went to Luna’s apartment to pick her up and decided to go all the way to her front door. She answered the door quickly, and Davis caught his breath. She wore a dress in a shimmering ocean blue, and she looked—
“Magnificent.”
Luna flushed. “Thank you.”
He pulled her to him and pressed his mouth to hers in a bruising kiss. She clutched at his shoulders and he wanted nothing more than to tell her they were staying in so he could feast on her.
“God, Davis, when you kiss me like that you make me want to do dirty things to you.”
“I’m all in. Let’s stay home tonight.”
Luna sighed. “But you look so yummy, and I want this night to go well.”
Davis held in the retort about how much more fun fucking Luna would be than having dinner with Hudson. “You’re just so hot, Luna. I don’t know if I can keep my hands to myself.”
She leaned in, tall enough she didn’t have to stand on her toes, and bit his earlobe. “Then don’t.”
He was pretty sure he drooled as he followed her out and down the stairs.
The restaurant was too close by for Davis to have much fun on the ride over. He held her hand on the way in and left his name with the hostess. He’d heard that Hudson put up a fuss over who made the reservations. Well, that was an exaggeration because he just didn’t like the guy. Hudson offered, but Davis insisted he do it.
“The rest of your party has yet to arrive. Would you like to wait at the bar?”
“Yes, please.”
He and Luna chose a spot where they could see the front door from where they sat. They each ordered a drink and then stared at one another while they waited.
“Why the hell did it just get awkward?” Luna asked.
“Good question.” He tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “I think we’re nervous over this get-together.”
Luna let out a breath and slumped on her barstool. “I didn’t realize until now how anxious I feel, but it’s like we’re letting this out in the open a tiny bit.”
“And for whatever reason, that makes you want to hide in a giant hole?”
“I guess.” She thanked the bartender for delivering their drinks and took a sip of her wine.
