Page 81 of Abyss

He lives in Portland and, from all their accounts, seems like a great guy. And though I'm not particularly looking to fill some deep void or find someone because I’m lonely, I also didn’t want to come across as overly resistant. What reason would I have to be that way?

Hudson made it clear we were destined for only that one night, and I’d be foolish to expect anything more. So even though I’ve hoped he’d take back his words, prayed he’d see that we could be more, I’ve now decided I can’t keep waiting any longer.

I give Adam a genuine smile and don’t stop myself fromflirting back a bit. “Well, I won’t deny I’m impressed by your grand entrance. I find trampling quite charming.”

He flashes his teeth at me, his blue eyes gleaming. Except they don’t have the gray in them I’m so enraptured with. “Now I know why Maddy and Brie like you so much.” His eyes dip down to my lips before pulling back up to my eyes. “You’re cute and funny. It’s a hell of a trap.”

I blush, unable to come up with a response quite as bold and unabashed as Adam’s, feeling slightly uncomfortable under his probing gaze.

Thankfully, Shania Twain’s melodic voice fills the air with “From This Moment” playing on the speakers, making guests shift in their seats and stealing Adam’s attention off me toward the aisle where the little flower girls scatter petals over the short grass.

Shania’s throaty voice echoes down my spine and my eyes search behind the little girls, not only for Madison, but for the man I can’t stop thinking about, no matter how hard I try.

I haven’t seen him in a few days, but the prospect of it has my heart racing.

Finally, a soft murmur floats through the seated guests as Madison comes into view, holding a wildflower bouquet with her wrist gently tucked inside Hudson’s elbow and her gaze set on her bride.

My nose tingles at the sight of her in the stunning white gown with floral embroidery decorating the bodice. Her platinum blonde hair is pinned half up, waving gently in the breeze.

God, have I ever seen a more beautiful bride?

And as they close the distance to the front, Hudson’s gaze finds mine.Kindling, simmering, burning. His eyes travel over my face, flaring as they dip below my lips to my exposed neck and shoulders, as if cataloging each inch. The heat inside them has my skin pebbling like it would right before a fever.

But while his eyes tell me they like what they see, his words haven’t. So as much as I want to hold on to that promise in his eyes, I’d be foolish to think he’ll ever tell me what I want to hear.

That perhaps we could be more.

That maybe I’m a shot worth taking.

A soft breeze has tiny flowers and pollen from nearby trees floating to the ground, permeating the air with even more of the sweet scent. I can’t believe Hudson raised Madison here, in this picturesque landscape with its country barn and the fenced off area for horses. What must it have been like to have lived here with him?

“Looks like even the flowers want to get closer to you.”

I turn toward Adam’s awaiting smile as he lifts his hand to pull something out of my hair. His eyes find mine instead of focusing on his task as he presses a tiny flower into my hand.

I smile, disconnecting my eyes from his. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he murmurs near my ear. “But I was hoping to get you a bigger bouquet at some point.”

I chuckle softly, still feeling uneasy with his blatant verbal advances, and lift my eyes to the altar where Brie and Maddy are about to take their vows. But before my eyes can even find them, they collide with a pair of rather enraged ones—reminiscent of glacial icebergs—scowling back at me.

Actually, they’re not really looking at me; they’re glaring at the man next to me with the severity of thunderous clouds, ready to dole out bolts of lightning as punishment.

Looks like rain is, in fact, in the forecast for today.

Inside the beautifully decorated barn,I’m still finishing up dinner with Belinda and her husband Greg on one side of me, and Adam on the other, but no matter whereI look, all I see is Hudson’s impassive face—eyes that seem to be fixed on me no matter who he’s speaking with.

Currently, he’s talking to two men, who look rather similar, with blonde hair near the bar. One of them has his hair in a well-groomed half-bun at the top of his head.

“Those are Hudson’s best friends, Garrett and Dean. They’re twin brothers.” Belinda leans in to tell me, clearly noticing where my gaze has been lingering. She’s so fucking sharp, I have to be careful not to make my growing infatuation with the man obvious. “Dean is the one with the man-bun, and that other man with the darker hair on Hudson’s other side is their other brother, Darian. They’ve all been friends for ages.”

I nod, watching them laugh and chat when, all of a sudden, one of them—the one I assume is Garrett—looks directly back at me, following Hudson’s line of sight. He smiles and, for reasons beyond my understanding, familiarity and recognition dance inside them, though I’m positive I’ve never seen him before.

Before I can think much of it, Hudson’s brother ambles over with their drinks to join the crowd, and I watch Hudson and him clink their glasses together.

“Oh, and you recognize Jett? You said he came to the office a few weeks ago, right?”

I nod. “Yeah, he came to propose a collaboration with his company and Case Geo for the RCS project.”

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