Page 13 of The Prey
And it had to do withmen.
He must have sat there in shock for fifteen minutes when that realization hit. What in the hell had happened to her to make her that afraid? Hudson kept himself fully informed on everything that happened in the county attorney’s office. It was his damned job, after all. Nothing that he could recall had happened there to make her so afraid. There had been one defendant two years ago who had threatened her and Shayna physically. Hudson had switched them for Mike at their request. But that guy was still in prison. Hudson had confirmed it that morning, just to make sure.
He was more consumed with thoughts of her than his upcoming meeting with the public defender’s office. The woman…kept distracting him. In multiple ways.
Half the day was gone before he got himself back on track.
His lunch date arrived and was waiting for him in the bullpen area. Hudson swore and stood—he liked to keep the office on as much of a schedule as he could. It didn’t always happen. Today, that was most certainly his doing. And his date was on a limited schedule of her own.
Hala was sitting on the middle of Gia’s desk, chattering away.
Gia was smiling.
He loved it when she smiled.
The woman had the most gorgeous smile of any woman he had ever seen. Movement behind Gia’s knees caught his attention. Brown curls, familiar ones. His own son was right there. Under Gia’s desk. Looking out and grinning wickedly like he’d managed a miraculous task.
Ryan was probably up to something. His kid usually was. He’d gotten a mischievous soul from his Aunt Hala, after all.
Hudson had arranged a playdate for Ryan with the boy down the road, since there was a half day for students district-wide, including the optional preschool Ryan attended, but Hala had said she’d probably have to go back for staff meetings this afternoon. Apparently his plans for Ryan had fallen through. Which meant—he probably needed to find a babysitter, fast. Or Ryan would be hanging out at the prosecutor’s office for the next…five hours. That was far too long for his son to be there.
He stepped out of his office. Ryan came stomping over. Hudson was seriously going to be glad when his cast and that damned boot were gone. He scooped his son up and hugged him, mindful of the plaster on his own arm. He’d clunked Ryan in the head with it once before—right after his son had kicked him with that damned boot. They’d both laughed, but that boot hurt. “Daddy! Aunt Hala and the other teachers gots to go home early, too! And Jimmy’s daddy hurt his hand at work and Jimmy’s mommy had to take him to the hospital and so I couldn’t go there no more today. So I’m with Aunt Hala today instead, okay? She wants us to take you to lunch today, okay? But can Miss Gia come, too? I missed her lots after we went home.”
His daddy had missed Gia, too. He looked at her, into those eyes that could destroy a man. “If she wants. I’d like that.”
She shot him a wary look. Mistrusting. “I think Aunt Hala wanted it to be Hanans only, pal.”
Ryan squirmed. Hudson put him down.
She was going to retreat, he just knew it. Well, Hudson wasn’t going to let that happen. “Nonsense, let us buy you lunch. For taking such good care of us last week.”
“Come on, Gia. Save me from these guys,” Hala added.
Ryan started doing the kid begging. Gia was a sucker for it, Hudson had seen that before. Then she had his son in her arms, just hugging him close.
Yes, he found work-Gia just as fascinating as home-Gia. He found her fascinating when she was arguing with him, when she was holding his son, when she was just right there,breathingnext to him.
Why hadn’t he figured this outbefore?
Three years wasted. Arguing. He’d been an idiot. A clueless idiot.
She’d been right there across the office from him this whole time. Just right there. And he’d been too stupid toseeher, the real her.
He was such an idiot.
“Okay…”
But she still shot Hudson a look like she didn’t trust him at all. What was he going to have to do tofixwhat had happened between them?
He drove. Hala climbed into the backseat with Ryan, telling Ryan that since Gia was their guest, she should ride in the front seat with Hudson. That was the polite thing to do.
But he suspected Gia would have preferred to be in the backseat, with Ryan as a buffer between them.
A thrill of anticipation at the hunt went right through him as he strategized on the short drive to the diner. He was going to have to get her alone, for one thing. Somehow.
That was going to take some ingenuity.
He wanted to take her to the Barratt Resort first, he decided. There was an orchestra at the Barratt on the weekends. Dancing. Waltzing, that kind of thing.
