There was something in Hudson’s eyes that I hadn’t seen before—a beast that needed to be released. He pulled my jeans off and threw them across the room. I swear I heard him growl. He stripped off his clothes and climbed on top of me. He dropped between my thighs so hard that I was practically impaled by his cock. He started to thrust himself into my pussy and I felt the pressure building immediately. My desires were running wild—I needed the release. I craved it like an addiction. I watched a storm rage in Hudson’s eyes as he fucked me. That was a side of him that I could get used to—a side that would be a lot harder to forget when I left Andalusia. I felt his cock start to throb, and that was all it took. My body caved into the orgasm and a landslide of pleasure surged through my veins. My pussy spasmed on his dick and he threw his head back. He started to drive his cock into me with more ferocity. The first eruption of cum flooded my pussy and it stacked a second orgasm on top of the first—I had never felt that before. It was heaven on earth.
“Oh god!” He roared, and I felt more cum shooting through his shaft.
“Cum in me, baby!” I dug my nails into his back.
My orgasm consumed me, and Hudson kept thrusting until the last spasm was gone. I exhaled sharply and watched as the beastly stare faded from his eyes. He slumped forward and started kissing me. It was a damn good thing that I started taking birth control after our first night together because I don’t think he would have even thought about protection. That was an intensity that I needed to see again. That was pure primal lust—and just thinking about it while his lips crushed mine made me start to tingle with more desire. Where had that side of Hudson been hiding? I hoped that side of him didn’t disappear when Preston returned. Hudson has shown me something that I wanted every night that we spent together—whether Preston shared the bed with us or not. He finally pulled back from our kiss and left me gasping for air.
“That was incredible…” A satisfied smile formed on my face.
“I love you.” He exhaled sharply, and his eyes locked on mine.
“What?” My stomach did a flip while my heart stopped beating in my chest entirely.
No—don’t say that. Please don’t say that.
7
Hudson
Present day
“Okay, we’ve done all we can do here.” I tossed the fire hose on the ground. “We need to get the truck back to the station in case another call comes in.”
“Yeah.” Preston nodded and hit the button to drain the hose and roll it up. “I’ll call the chief and have him send someone out here to keep an eye on it just in case.”
We were done with the scene. The only thing left was ashes and embers. I hated seeing someone’s life go up in smoke, and I wished there was something we could do to convince the mayor that we needed better equipment. When we got calls to go help out some of the neighboring towns, we didn’t get compensated in any way, and that just put more wear on the aged stuff we were working with. It was frustrating, but it was small-town life. The meager budget wasn’t going to perform any miracles. I had no interest in running for mayor like Preston suggested, and I definitely wasn’t going to become an arsonist. I tossed the keys to Preston once our equipment was on the truck and let him drive back to the station. It wasn’t nearly as exciting as pushing the rig towards an emergency situation, but it was technically his turn to drive, so I didn’t try to argue. I had things on my mind anyway—things that had been distracting me from my job all day long.
“Do you want to grab some food before we head back to the station?” Preston looked over at me as the engine roared to life.
“Yeah, that sounds good.” I nodded quickly.
After five years, Eliza Abner was back in town. I wanted to believe in cosmic karma or fate, but I knew that wasn’t the case. I felt her apprehension when I tried to hug her. I saw the look in her eyes—it wasn't disdain, but it was discomfort. Maybe disdain would have followed if she managed to get over the shock. She definitely wasn’t interested in reliving the good times we had, and I couldn’t really blame her. I fucked it all up—I told her how I really felt when it was supposed to be nothing more than a summer fling. I let myself get caught up in my own emotions, learned things about myself I never knew, and then I acted like a teenager drunk on a fantasy. I could have let it end peacefully and we could have gone our separate ways like we were supposed to, but I had to stare into those beautiful eyes and say the words that still haunted me. Telling Eliza that I loved her was the biggest mistake I ever made because it cost me everything. Those words could never be unsaid. They were uttered so casually after a moment of passion—yet that wasn’t what I got in return.
I just got regret—and more regret once I realize how close I came to actually have her.
* * *
Five years ago
“You did what!?” Preston’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head when I told him why Eliza wasn’t at our house when he got home.
“I don’t know what I was thinking—the moment just felt right. I told her I loved her.” I sighed and shook my head angrily. “I fucked it all up.”
“We understood where this was going!” Preston’s immediate shock faded, and his blood started to boil—I knew that look, but it had rarely ever been directed at me. “You agreed with me!”
“I know.” I walked over to the table where our Dad kept his best liquor on display in decanters. “It was a mistake.”
“I asked you at the gym if you were falling for her. You said you weren’t.” Preston grumbled under his breath.
“Again—I know.” I opened up one of the decanters and poured a glass of whiskey.
I fucking know.
The night after Preston and I shared Eliza for the first time, I told him that I wanted to see her again. He was against the idea at first, but he finally agreed that it wasn’t the worst idea in the world. I had been struggling with my feelings, but I buried them. I buried them inside me just like I buried most of my desires. There was a piece of me that was missing—something that I never allowed myself to tap into. I liked the feeling of control and dominance. I knew it was probably manifested and rooted beneath the surface because I spent a lifetime being Preston Anderson’s brother. He was the alpha male at Andalusia High School because he was the quarterback of the football team. It never upset me that he got the glory, but there was a piece of me that needed to flourish. I finally saw what those desires craved when I was alone with Eliza. Tasting it for the first time pulled the words out of me that I wanted to say—and it was the worst thing I could have done at that moment.
“Well, I guess you’ve fucked it up now.” Preston walked over and poured a glass of whiskey that matched the one I was sipping. “Maybe it’s better that it ends this way.”
“Maybe…” I sighed and lifted the whiskey to my lips again.