Page 48 of Lucky Laces
In an instant, I’m not turned on.
Hell, in an instant, my orgasm is about a million miles away, a universe away, so fucking far away that I’m not even sure I’ll ever have another moment of pleasure in my entire life.
What am I doing?
Like, seriously— What.The fuck.Am I.Doing?
“Missy?”
I jerk, glaze going back to Ernest’s.
“Are you okay?”
Okay?
I almost laugh.I’m so far from okay, it’s even less funny than having a giant orgasm barreling down on me…and then it missing me by a millimeter.
But Hudson is in cane reach.
And injured because of me already.
If I don’t answer in the affirmative—and really, Hudson is only here because of me, literallybecauseof me, both in the bedroom and formerly beside me in the actual bed—Ernest is going to start wielding that cane like a weapon.
Huddy doesn’t need another injury that I’m the cause of.
So I sit up, nearly losing my hold on the blankets, and all but shout, “Yes!”
Hudson’s head jerks in my direction, and I don’t miss his wince.Dammit.
I clear my throat.“Yes,” I say more calmly.“Ernest this is Hudson, my, uh, friend.”Hudson’s brows fly up but I see Ernest’s hold on his cane tighten so I hurry to add, “Hudson, Ernest is my next-door neighbor.”
Ernest scowls even as Hudson’s expression smooths out.Then he asks, “We leave the front door open or something?”
Ernest rocks back slightly on his heels, looking slightly chagrined.
“No,” I say, still clutching the blankets, but supplying the necessary information.“Ernest has a key.”
Hudson’s eyes come to mine.
I shrug as well as I’m able to considering I’m basically naked beneath the covers.“He waters the plants when I’m out of town.”
“Didn’t you have a fiancé to do that?”he asks quietly.
“I think I mentioned already that Jason was an asshole,” I say just as quietly.“He wasn’t all that good at remembering to water anything.”
“He wasn’t all that good at anything,” Ernest grumbles then lifts his cane and glares at Hudson.“What about you?Are you as much of a loser as the last one?”
“Ernest!”I exclaim, eyes shooting to Hudson, mouth opening to apologize.
Only…there’s something on Hudson’s face that slithers through my middle.
It’s the same sliver of emotion I saw just before the earth started shaking.
And, just as before, it’s there and gone before I can really get a lock on it.
But seriously…what the fuck is that?
“She deserves a lot better than any of us assholes,” he mutters, “and certainly better than that asshole of all assholes, Jason.”
