A Date for the Hunt (The Dating 4) - Page 16

Andre flourishes a hand toward the pool. “Please make yourself at home here. Josh will get you everything you need.” The young guy at the bar nods and Andre smiles and walks away.

“Want a drink?” Hudson asks.

I sigh. “You have no idea.”

We go to the bar and Josh makes me a tequila sunrise and Hudson takes a Long Island iced tea. The pool is serene with its own private waterfall. I take a seat in one of the lounge chairs and Hudson sits in the one beside me. Go figure.

He takes a long sip of his drink and stretches his body. Even though I dislike the guy, he does have a nice body. “Tell me about being a pharmacist. Is that something you’ve always wanted to do?” he questions, looking over at me as if he’s really interested.

I slide my sunglasses down over my eyes. “Yep.”

“You were always really smart. Top three percent of our class.” I’m shocked he even knows that. His lips tilt slightly in that sexy smile of his. “I had a feeling you’d do something in the medical field.” I hate that his grin makes me feel things I shouldn’t. Yes, he’s good looking, but that’s it. The man has no redeeming qualities.

“What about you? I never thought you’d be a firefighter.” I definitely wouldn’t have guessed that back in high school. Hudson was part of the cool crowd. I could see them being politicians or doing some other job in the public eye.

Hudson stretches his arms behind his head. “My parents wanted me to be something more, but I knew fighting fire was what I wanted to do. It doesn’t bring in a ton of money, but I’m happy.”

“And what made you want to come on the show?” I wonder.

He shrugs. “All the guys at the station applied. Do you remember Dave Jensen? He was my best friend in school.”

I nod. “I remember him.” How could I forget? They were always together, but he didn’t make fun of me like Hudson and some of their other friends. Dave was smart and in a lot of my classes.

Hudson blows out a sigh. “Well, Dave dared me to apply and I never back down from a challenge. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d get picked.” His eyes squint against the sun as he looks at me. “What about you? Why did you want to be on the show?”

I snort. “I didn’t. This show is my sister’s baby, her idea. She’s one of the producers. She begged me to be a participant and since I love her, I couldn’t say no. I’m here to support her.”

He smirks and his eyes roam over my body before he quickly turns his attention to the pool. “Looks like we have several hours out here together. What do you want to do?”

I finish my drink and stand. “I’m going to get another drink. Want another Long Island?”

His cup is still halfway full, but he shrugs. “Sure. I can get it if you want?”

“Nope. I got it.”

I hurry to the bar and Josh smiles. “Ready for another round?”

Quickly, I glance over my shoulder to make sure Hudson can’t hear me. “Make his extra strong, please.”

Josh nods. “Will do.”

He pours a little extra liquor into Hudson’s drink and I hold back my smile. The sooner I can get him drunk, the sooner he’ll pass out. I have an idea, but it’ll only work if he’s asleep. It’s time for a little payback.

Once Josh is done with our drinks, I head back over to Hudson who has just finished his other drink. I hand him the new one and he takes a sip. “Wow, this one’s stout.”

I laugh. “Yep. Figured the drunker we get, the better. I didn’t sleep well so I’ll probably take a nap.”

He nods. “Same. I couldn’t sleep last night. All I wanted was to talk to you, but I knew you didn’t want to see me.”

I want to believe he’s sincere, but I just can’t. “You can drop the act any day now, Hudson,” I say, lifting my glasses so he can see how serious I am.

He sits up and a spark of anger flashes in those gray eyes of his. “I’m not acting, I’m being completely serious. What’s it going to take for you to realize that?”

I shrug. “A lot more than just a few nice words.” Taking my drink, I can hear him sigh as I walk away. I honestly don’t know what it’s going to take. Lots of kids get bullied in high school, but I was new and had no friends. Luckily, with my black and blue face, I’d gotten sympathy from the nerd crowd who took me under their wings. They were the smart kids and I fit in perfectly with them. From that first day, they were my tribe. I didn’t need to be friends with Hudson and his fake group of people.

Tags: Heidi McLaughlin The Dating Romance
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