Page 43 of Tough Love

HUDSON

Never before in my life has following Harry’s orders been so goddamn hard.Don’t get involved with Addy.Simple enough order. The concept is solid. But the reality of that is so much harder. As is my cock. It’s aching, it’s so fucking hard.

Some things are worth Harry’s wrath. If I wasn’t sure about Addy’s feelings for me before, now they are crystal clear and driving me to the brink. Not one woman has ever had this effect on me before. Not a single one. Not even Jemma.

Her hands trail down my neck. It’s taking every ounce of willpower I have to stick to kissing this gorgeous woman. It’s like torture, beautiful fucking torture,onlykissing her. But over hell’s warmed-up body am I going any faster than she wants to. I drop my hands to her waist, and she moans. If she keeps making those sweet-as-fuck little noises, I’m likely to explode in my pants.

When I hear the first call of a night bird, I push her away a little. Her eyes are warm, all browns and golds. Stunning. Her lips are swollen from kissing me. And I can’t even stop it when my mind goes to those elegant lips wrapped around my cock. Fuck.

“We should start a fire before it’s dark, Addy.”

“I thought that’s what we were doing.”

I laugh. She’s not wrong.

“One with actual fire to keep us warm.”

She raises an eyebrow. I kiss her lips briefly, and she pushes off my lap and jumps down from the tailgate. I follow her, and Charlie trots beside us. “Grab anything dry enough to burn.”

“Sure.”

I bundle up wood in my arms as I go, and Addy does the same. When we both have a load, we head back to the truck, dumping it by the back wheel. I start building a fire a few feet from the tailgate. We will need it close to keep warm overnight.

“What’s for dinner?” she asks.

“Ah, you will have to wait and see.”

“Please don’t tell me we have to catch our own?”

I holler a laugh and her cheeks turn pink. “No, sweet girl, no having to catch your own dinner tonight.”

Her blush deepens. Sweet girl is a nice color on her. I could watch those pretty eyes and make her blush all night, if she’d let me.

I light the fire and stay stoking it for a while before jumping up into the back of the truck. I brought a picnic basket with dinner and some breakfast, a double swag tent, and some clothes. Addy wanders around, Charlie by her side. He’s got it worse than me, poor little guy. She chatters away to him as I set up the bedding and organize the picnic dinner.

The cooler bag I have has wine, beers, and whiskey in an ice slurry. Picking out a beer for me and the bottle of wine for Addy, I double-check I have everything before hopping down to find her. I follow the sound of her voice.

And when I finally find her under a low-hanging tree branch, I stop, not wanting to disturb her. Eyes closed and head restingagainst the trunk of the tree, she is sitting on the grass, Charlie in her lap. Her curls flick around her shoulders in the breeze.

Something snaps in my chest. This woman is beautiful, inside and out. Brave as fuck and more determined than my stubborn, hard-headed father. She’s incredible. Charlie pops up from her lap and she opens her eyes. A gorgeous smile blooms over her face. I walk to where she sits and she tilts her face up at me, her smile deepening. “Hey.”

“Hi.” I study her face with an ache in my chest as I take in her freckle-dusted cheeks, soft pink lips, and stunning brown eyes that are now searching mine. “Hungry?”

She holds a hand up and I take it in mine. It feels right. Like the answer to an ageless question that only she and I know. A perfect fit. She pushes to her feet, and I pull her into me, sinking my face into her hair. “God, Addy.”

She chuckles. Her hands slide between us and to the opening of my shirt before her soft fingers grip my jaw. I push back a little and claim her mouth. One way or another, this is going to be a long night. She opens her mouth and I plunge in, tasting everything she is willing to offer me.

How the hell did I ever live without this? Without her. Charlie barks, and we pull apart. He is barking at the fire. Running circles around it. Yapping like an excited little kid.

“Come on, we have some dinner to eat,” I rasp.

She nods and follows when I lead her by the hand back to the truck. Charlie sits, watching the flames flicker and crackle, head tilting when an ember hisses and flies into the sky from the fire.

“After you, Howard.” I extend a hand to the blankets on the truck bed, and she climbs up and makes herself comfortable on one side of the spread of food Ma sent with us.

“This is wonderful, Hudson. Thank you.”

“Anytime, Howard. And if I remember, you earned this. I didn’t do much.”

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