Bryce stands, a look of horror on his face. “Candy, isn’t it time you got dressed and wenthome?”
“Candy? My name isClara,” she storms, walking away from Bryce and down thehall.
“Candy, I mean Clara,” Bryce calls after her. He catches my eye as if he’s waiting for a reaction. What the fuck is going on? Are all the brothers trying to get a rise out of me this morning or is this normal behaviour? I wonder briefly whether Hudson has a woman in his room too, then shake the thought away, not willing to think about why that bothersme.
“Eggs and bacon alright for breakfast?” I ask Bryce as he gets up, avoiding the fact he is bare-chested and muscly as hell. He has those super sexy muscles that taper in a V-shape towards his groin, the kind most men would die for and most women want to lick. “Or do you prefer sausages with youreggs?”
Bryce shakes his head, muttering something I can’t quite hear under his breath as he rushes down the hall after Candy or Clara or whatever the hell the bitch iscalled.
Twenty minutes later Clara is gone, and Bryce, Max, and Hudson are all sitting around the kitchen island eating the breakfast I’ve cooked them up. For a split second, I feel a sense of peace watching them eat, but it is gone as quickly as itappeared.
“Pretty mean fry-up, Louisa, thanks,” Max says, jumping up and pressing a quick kiss to my cheek. By the look on his face, I think he is as surprised by the sudden show of affection as Iam.
“You’re welcome,” I say, waving him off. “It’s no big deal.” I almost raise my fingers to the spot where he kissed me, but Idon’t.
“Well, I’m hitting the slopes, you coming?” he says to hisbrothers.
Bryce nods his head. “Yep, I’m up for that. I’ll meet you at the lift in twenty. I’ve just got to get ready first,” he says, heading off to hisroom.
“Cool, bro, I’ll catch you there in a sec. What about you,Hud?”
“Maybe later. I’ve got some stuff todo.”
“Ah man, we’re here to play, notwork.”
“All the same, there’s something I’ve got to do,” Hudson says as he glances myway.
“It’s fine by me. I’ll just wash these dishes then get out of your hair,” Isay.
“Well, catch you later, guys.” Max pulls on a woollen hat and heads out of the door, leaving me alone with Hudson, who sits nursing his coffee. Not wishing to start a conversation with him after that weird stare out in the hallway this morning, I gather up the empty plates and start washing them at the sink. Outside the view is almost entirely white, interspersed with tiny spots of colour. I can already see a line of people dressed in bright skiwear as they trudge through the newly fallen snow. People are laughing, happy. Kids are running around throwing snowballs, giggling when they hit their target. I watch as a father leans down, picks up his daughter and spins her around in the air. A sudden sadness spreads through me at their happiness. That is what childhood should be filled with; laughter, fun,love.
“There’s a dishwasher for that,” Hudson says, breaking myreverie.
“I know. I don’t mind washing them up. It gives me something to do,” I say, dipping my hands into the warm, soapy water, concentrating on the task at hand. A sudden tension has filled the air and I am trying my best to ignoreit.
I hear the scrape of the stool as Hudson gets up, but rather than leaving, I feel the sudden warmth of his body heat as he stands close behind me. My hands stop what they are doing as Hudson’s muscular arm slides around the side of me. A breath catches in my throat as he eases the plate into the water. I stiffen as he remains pressed against me, his other hand slipping around my side, so I am trapped in his arms. I can feel the thump of his heartbeat through my back as he takes my soapy hands in his, rendering me totally immobile. Not certain whether I am incredibly offended by his assumption that I would welcome his touch, or incredibly turned on, I don’t attempt to stop him. He is a total dick, but a goddamn sexy one. Flashes of his naked body appear in my mind and I look up at our reflection in the window opposite. He is staring at meunashamedly.
“Louisa,” he breathes, dipping his head to press a hot kiss onto my neck. Then he pushes my body forward, so I’m pressed up against the sink, his chest, hips, lips all pressed up against me so there is no space between us. Trapped there in his arms, my heart a dozen racehorses galloping in my chest, I do something that surprises me. I close my eyes and lean my head against his shoulder. An involuntary moan slips from my lips as Hudson runs the tip of his tongue over the curve of my ear. I can feel the pad of his thumb massaging the palm of my hand as his fingers slowly trail up my arm. The warmth of his touch is gone for a moment until I feel his still wet hand slide up the front of my sweatshirt and beneath my vest. He rests his hand against the curve of my stomach, his fingers spreading wide over my skin, his little finger dipping under the waistband of my jeans. The firm press of his hand and the gentle graze of his lips against my skin ignite something within me, something I’ve never felt before, something that scares me. I turn my head to the side so that our mouths are almost touching. Hudson’s evergreen eyes are hooded withdesire.
“I have wanted to touch you from the very first moment I saw you.” His voice is hoarse, gravelly, and for one sweet moment, I want to touch himback.
“What the actual fuck?” I hear Bryce say from behindus.
Hudson steps away, wiping his hands on a tea-towel as if he’d just been helping with the dishes rather than trying to seduce me. He is calm, cool,triumphant,and I know in an instant that I have just been played. I pull my eyes away from him and look at Bryce. There is a heated look on his face and for some reason, I feel ashamed. I feel like my mother whoring herself out to the first man who shows her the least bit ofinterest.
“Fuck you,” I say, tears pricking my eyes. Hudson starts to open his mouth, but I push past both him and Bryce, grab my coat and head out into thecold.