Page 24 of Love in Unexpected Places

The man—Henry—narrows his eyes and glances between the two of us. “Hey. Um … I was just coming to welcome you back.”

“I’m not back,” Hudson says in an even tone. “I’m visiting. I’ll be going back with Callum when the wedding is over.”

“You look good,” slips out of Henry’s mouth and it’s my turn to narrow my eyes. Does he not see me standing here or does he not give a fuck?

Huffing a breath, Hudson pulls me closer. “Is there something you need, Henry?”

Looking taken aback by Hudson’s tone, he shakes his head and runs his fingers through his hair again. “Uh, no. See you later.”

He rushes out of the door before either of us could say another word.

Hudson turns me around to face him. “You okay? I would have come out sooner but,” his lips twitch and his eyes sparkle as he continues with, “there was a lot more of your jizz in my beard than I thought.”

I laugh suddenly and hug him, then kiss the underside of his chin. “I’m good. I think he was thrown off thatI’myour boyfriend, but whatever.” I try to go for blasé, but I don’t think it works. I’m not sure what Henry meant when he asked if I was his boyfriend, but it had me on guard.

Shaking his head, Hudson grabs my face and kisses me soundly. “You’re fucking gorgeous, inside and out, so I’m lucky you’re myboyfriend.” He adds emphasis to the word. I try to give him a smile, but I’m still a little raw by the interaction and how correct Henry was in his disbelief.

I’m not Hudson’s, but God, I wish I was.

chapter eight

HUDSON

My fake boyfriend was perfect when Henry bum rushed him. I tried to scrub this cum out of my beard as fast as I could, but I shouldn’t have bothered. It would have served him right to see that I had indeed moved on.

I could hear the smile in Cal’s voice when he told Henry he was my boyfriend. My mind wanted to say it was because he was proud to be mine, but I know it was more to do with him pretending and playing up the role. God, this confuses me. I know Cal and I have feelings for each other, but I’m not sure if he wants to jump into another relationship after he was hurt in the last one.

And I get it. If anyone gets it, I do. After being with Henry for years and for him to hurt me like he did, I wasn’t sure if I was ready for more. But being with Callum has been a breath of fresh air. He makes me feel like I’ve never been hurt before. His easy-going nature and the way he listens to me when we spend time together makes me feel like a whole man, not one hurt and jaded after beingcheated on and left to pick up the pieces by moving across the country.

Our differences make my feelings stronger. We’re both interested in knowing more about each other and sharing our interests instead of being opposed to learning something new. Even the simple exchanges, like our favorite movies and music are enlightening. On the flight, when I wasn’t a sweating fool, we exchanged phones and listened to the playlists we made for each other. It’s all new and I can’t get enough.

So why didn’t I correct him when he saidpretendto be my boyfriend? Why didn’t I tell him I wanted more?

The next day is busy, but fun. The resort has a variety of things to do and our group has a great time doing them all. Along with me, Callum, Henry, and Alex—the man he cheated with—John’s and Derek’s parents and siblings are here, and Hector and Vlad, another couple Henry and I were friends with when we were together.

Derek, with his blond hair and light brown eyes, can’t stop staring at John with love and I feel a pang in my chest. I don’t think I ever saw Henry look at me that way … but I have caught the look on Callum’s face. When we talk, when we cuddle, when we’re sitting in silence, I see it, accompanied with a sweet smile that’s only for me.

Holy shit! Is he in love with me? Could it be possible? I know it’s possible for me. I damn near fell in love with him when he smiled softly after smelling the tiger lilies I got for him on our first date. My heart swells, thinking about the possibilities.

Then I deflate. No, he doesn’t love me. If he did, he wouldn’t have suggested this all be fake. There’s no denying that Cal wants me, but not enough right now to take that next step. Although I’m crushed by that thought, I’m not willing to let it get to me. Callum has shown mesince we’ve begun dating that he likes what we have—I can wait until he wants this for real.

The whole day, I catch Henry giving us sideways looks, eyes darting between me and Callum. I’m not sure what he’s searching for or what he sees, but he doesn’t look too happy about it. That’s not my problem. After all, it’s his fault that we’re not together. And the reason why is in my face. Henry doesn’t let Alex get too far away from him, but his eyes linger on me and Callum.

We go paddle boating, then take a short hike when we get to the other shore of the river we’re buttressed against. Then we play games like tug of war and volleyball. I must admit, it’s a great time. Callum has been accepted by everyone and treated with the utmost respect by all but Henry. I’m not sure why, but he keeps making digs at Callum, calling him carrot top and asking if he needs extra sunscreen because of his paler skin. A few times, I opened my mouth to tell Henry to cut the shit, but Cal would give me a look and I’d shut my mouth and let him handle it.

And Callum handles it well. Instead of stooping to Henry’s level, he would give him genial smiles and answer Henry as patiently as if he were talking to a child. It made Henry look like a jealous asshole. Finally, Derek pulled him to the side and they had a heated conversation about it.

Honestly, it’s petty and it’s making him look like an idiot. Alex is giving him intense looks because of his behavior and I don’t blame him. Henry is making a fool of both of them. I’m not sure why, when he’s the one that blew our relationship up. I’m not saying I was the perfect boyfriend, but I believe in communication. I told Henry all the time that if something bothered him to let me know and we could work through it. When he cheated, I asked why he didn’t tell me something was wrong and he said there was no point because I shouldhave known. So yeah, Henry blew us up and now he’s acting like a child.

When we go back to our villa to change before we lounge around the fire pit, I pull Callum down on the bed, holding him close to me. “I’m so sorry about what happened today. Henry is out of line.”

Callum shrugs. “He is, but it doesn’t bother me.”

“All the same, I’m sorry.”

Propping himself up on his elbow, Callum beams down at me and my heart stutters. This beautiful man smiling down at me has to be the greatest gift I’ve been given. His hair is curly from drying without heat and I pull his hair tie out, watching the loose curls flow around his face. I bury my hand in it and Callum lets out a soft breath. He clears his throat, sliding closer to me and I feel his erection on my hip. He’s definitely fucking me. I can’t go another day without him fucking me hard with that big dick of his.

His voice is rough when he says, “None of what he says bothers me because I know that he realizes he fucked up. He knows he lost something good and he’s acting out. I have you. You’re the prize and you’re with me. There’s nothing he can say to or about me that can hurt because when you look at me, I know you don’t believe what he says.”

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