"It's a bar, Hudson. Not a war zone."
"Right now, for you, everywhere is a war zone."
I didn't have a response to that.
Because he was right.
Marco and Jesse arrived around eleven-thirty, and I watched their reactions to Hudson with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
Jesse's eyes went wide the second she saw him. I couldn't blame her. The man was objectively gorgeous, all sharp angles and barely contained intensity. She shot me a look that clearly saidwho is THAT?and I pretended not to see it.
Marco, on the other hand, looked him up and down with open suspicion. "New boyfriend?"
"No," I said quickly. "He's security."
"Security?" Marco raised an eyebrow. "Since when do we need security?"
"Since someone tried to run the boss off the road," Hudson said, stepping forward. He held out his hand. "Hudson Cole. Black Hawk Protection."
Marco shook it, looking slightly intimidated despite himself. "Marco. I bartend. Sometimes I do security when things get rowdy, but nothing like..." He gestured vaguely at Hudson's general everything. "This."
"I appreciate that you've been looking out for her," Hudson said, and there was genuine respect in his voice. "But things are going to be different for a while. I'll need you and your team to be extra vigilant. Anyone acting suspicious, anyone asking about Betty, anyone who gives you a bad feeling, you tell me immediately."
Marco nodded slowly. "Got it."
"Good." Hudson's attention shifted to Jesse. "Same goes for you."
Jesse nodded mutely, still staring at him like he'd stepped out of a movie.
I rolled my eyes. "Okay, everyone stop staring and get to work. We open in five hours, and I still need to deal with the beer delivery."
Marco and Jesse scattered, and Hudson took up position at the end of the bar, settling onto a stool where he had a clear view of both entrances.
"You can't sit there all day," I said.
"I'm not leaving you unprotected. Martinez will be here soon, and I need to brief him on the layout. Until then, I stay where I can see you."
I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it again. What was the point? He wasn't going to budge, and honestly, having himhere made the constant knot of anxiety in my chest loosen just a little.
"Fine," I said. "But stay out of my way. I have work to do."
"I'll be invisible."
"You're about as invisible as a freight train."
He smiled. God, I'd forgotten how beautiful he was when he smiled. How it transformed his face from intimidating to devastating. How it made my heart do stupid, reckless things in my chest.
I turned away before he could see my reaction and busied myself with inventory.
It was going to be a long day.
I was right.
The day stretched on forever, made longer by Hudson's constant, watchful presence at the end of the bar.
Every time I moved, I felt his eyes on me. Every time I bent to grab a bottle from a lower shelf, I could feel his gaze tracing over my body. Every time I laughed at something Marco said or smiled at a delivery driver, I could feel the weight of Hudson's attention, heavy and possessive and impossible to ignore.
It was driving me insane.
