Lifting my hand, he pressed his lips against the top of it, and my skin tingles, my body responding to that small gesture.
“Let’s not dwell on it,” he says, shaking off the black mood that descended while he explained his situation. “I’m in New York City with a beautiful woman. We came to have fun, and that’s what we are going to do.”
I beam from his compliment and look forward to what the weekend has in store.
***
Hudson
I wait in the outer room of the suite while Bri changes and puts herself together in the bedroom and bathroom area. Though she’d all but warned me I don’t know about women and travel, I am stunned when she unpacks everything in her carry-on. Thank God the bathroom has a sitting area, because the woman has more makeup than I’ve seen in a department store as I walk through to find the Men’s Department.
I’ve had relationships, but none reached the point where I’d want anyone’s clothing or toiletries stashed at my place. To me, that sends the wrong signal, and until Bri, there’d been no woman who’d tempted me to take things further than a date or two or a one-night stand. So here I am in a luxury hotel suite, surrounded by feminine bottles, makeup, and clothing, and I don’t mind one bit.
I straighten my black sport jacket I’ve paired with black slacks and a light blue dress shirt, forgoing a tie. My father mightbe in a business suit, but that isn’t my way, and I’m not going to bow to my father’s rules just because I need something from the man that is rightfully mine to begin with.
I pass by the room bar, deciding not to drink before I have to deal with my parents, no matter how much I want to take the edge off first. Striding to the window, I look out over Central Park and the Manhattan skyline, the view always stunning, and wish any time I visit the city I can relax and enjoy it instead of being stressed and uptight.
After confiding in Bri on the plane today, I immediately felt lighter for sharing the heavy burden I carry, wanting to meet Braden on equal ground when we begin work on the clinic. Her presence goes a long way toward calming me, and I decide to look at her any time my father twists the guilt-laden knife.
The sound of Bri clearing her throat alerts me to her presence, and I turn to see her standing in the center of the room, waiting for my reaction. No question, she knows not only how to make an entrance but how to make a statement.
She wears a white sleeveless sequined pantsuit that fits her perfectly but remains classy. A V-neck bares her tanned skin but not the breasts I’ve yet to see in person or feel in my hands. The bottom of the pant legs is wide, her silver shoes high, and she clutches a matching sparkling bag beneath one arm, a silver shawl hanging over her other one. Her dark hair flows in perfect waves around her face, and her makeup is flawless.
She simply takes my breath away. “Jesus, Bri. You’re gorgeous.”
Smiling and eyes twinkling, she says, “Thank you, but you haven’t seen the best part.” She slides her hair over one shoulder and pivots, turning her back to me. Thick straps cross her tanned back, and the material comes to a V at a low but modest point where the pants begin.
“How the hell do you expect me to concentrate on what anyone says at the dinner table?” All I’ll be thinking about is bringing her home, peeling that pantsuit off her perfect body, and burying myself deep inside her wet heat.
She spins back to me. “I told you I’d be your distraction, didn’t I?”
I let out a low groan, resigning myself to a long, uncomfortable night, both with my parents and thanks to my now hard dick, before we return here to make use of the king-size bed in the other room.
***
Brianne
I wasn’t raised in a wealthy home, but between Uncle Paul and the athletes I now represent, I know how to handle myself. Neither status nor people with attitudes scare me, yet I have a feeling Hudson’s parents will test my resolve. Once again in a town car with a driver, Hudson and I pull up to a home in Greenwich, Connecticut, hidden by dense trees, at the end of a long driveway that is nearly invisible off the main road.
“Did you grow up here?” I ask of the mansion in front of me with ivy growing over the brick façade.
He nods. “I did.”
Though he looks extraordinarily handsome, I note he’s grown more and more silent as we approach our destination, and I leave him to his brooding thoughts. There will be time enough to coax him back to his smiling self when we return to the hotel.
The car comes to a stop at the front of the house on a circular driveway, and the driver opens the door for me to climb out.
“I’ll be here when you’re ready to leave,” the man who introduced himself as Tom says.
“Thank you. I’m not sure how long we’ll be.” Hudson nods at the driver.
Placing a hand on my bare lower back, he leads me up the steps and rings the doorbell. If it was my mother’s house or even Uncle Paul’s, if they know I am coming, the door will be unlocked and I’d let myself inside.
I draw a deep breath just as the door opens and what I assume is a maid greets us. Middle-aged, hair pulled back in a bun, she is the stereotypical greeter one would see in a movie except this is real life. Hudson’s life.
“Hello, Dr. Northfield. Welcome home.”
“Hi, Maggie. And please call me Hudson. I ate milk and cookies in the kitchen and told you about my day after school.”
