“I appreciate it.” Holding out my hands, I wait as he begins to wrap the gauze just as he’d done last night, finishing one hand with adept precision.
“So, anything that you’ll have to cancel thanks to the injury? Tennis? A workout? A date this weekend?” he asks, his gaze focused on his task as he casually tosses out possibilities.
My heart stutters on the last one. “A date?”
He lifts his head, his coffee-colored eyes focus on mine. “Yeah. Do you have a date this weekend?”
I blink, my brain processing his question. “Are you saying I can’t go out with someone because my hands are hurt?” Because that makes no sense. Unless he is hinting at something more.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Unless you go with someone capable of taking care of you.” His fingers link with mine, careful not to rub his bigger hand against my palms.
I tip my head to the side. “Someone like you?” I prod.
“Someone exactly like me.”
That damned smile shows itself again, and my insides turn to mush. No man has ever had such a potent impact. “Are you asking me out, Dr. Northfield?”
Chapter Three
Brianne
“I’m not only asking you out, I’m asking you to come to New York with me,” he says.
My eyes widen at the out-of-the-blue question.
“My cousin Serena is getting married, and I’d like you to go with me.” He picks up the roll of gauze and starts to wrap my other hand. “Serena and I are close. She’s the one relative who completely gets that I want to do my own thing outside family expectations because she’s the same way. She met her soon-to-be husband at the gym she works out at. He’s a trainer. Suffice to say, her parents are paying for this wedding with gritted teeth.”
I glance at him in understanding. “Braden mentioned your family is…” I trail off in search of words that sound nicer than upper-class snobs and can’t find any.
“Stuffy? Full of themselves? High and mighty with ridiculous expectations? Yes, that’s them.” He shakes his head and laughs, but I hear the pain he hides beneath that forced sound and the wounded expression he can’t completely conceal. “That’s the drawback to attending, but there are perks, too.” He finishes bandaging my hand and puts the gauze and tape on the counter.
“Oh, yeah? Name one,” I say because I am seriously considering saying yes.
“Me. I’ll be by your side.”
Arrogant man, I think with amusement. “Your cousin can add someone so close to the event?”
He nods. “I spoke to her this morning, and it’s no problem. Because she loves me.” He raises his eyebrows and studies me. “Well?”
I’m not impulsive. I think things through and go over the pros and cons in my mind. I just do it faster than most people, because in my business, I have to make split-second decisions to protect a player, fix a problem, or cover up a mistake. Where the press, paparazzi, and reputations are concerned, I often have to act quickly.
In this case, Hudson isn’t a stranger. I like him, am seriously attracted, know he kisses better than any man I’ve met, and he isn’t using me for anything. The only cons are my annoying brothers, but driving them crazy is also sort of a plus in my mind. Hudson and I can have fun in the city, I’ll learn about him without Braden interrupting, and I’ll get to meet his enigmatic family and learn what makes him tick.
“We’ll be staying in a hotel and can get separate rooms if that’s what’s holding you back,” he says in the wake of my silence.
I clasp his face between my hands—more like between my fingers, sparing my palms—and ask, “What if I don’t want separate rooms?”
A sparkle lights his eyes. “Then I’ll book one room,” he says in a husky voice. “You’re sure?”
“Are you trying to make me second-guess myself?” I ask with a teasing grin. I am already certain.
If just a kiss generates the kind of heat that kept me tossing and turning, what will a joining of our bodies do to me? I want this weekend for myself. I deserve it.
I haven’t been with a man in over a year, someone I chose to scratch an itch, so to speak, and have learned my vibrator is a better choice. No one gets too close. Not since the last relationship I had. I thought I’d been dating a salesman withno ties to the sports industry. In reality, he wanted Damon to endorse a new energy drink his company was producing, and Austin, as Damon’s agent, had already turned him down.
At that point, I’d shut down the idea of relationships and focused on myself. I have a feeling Hudson can decimate that self-made promise, but running the pros and cons, I don’t see a downside.
And when his lips meet mine, I am even more sure. Just like last time, the kiss spirals fast, our tongues intertwining, his hand coming up to grip the back of my neck and hold on tight.
