“Okay. I think we have a lot to talk about.” She exhaled sharply, but her smile didn’t fade.
My heart started beating harder. My fingers trembled when I pushed the key into the lock. Was I lost in my own madness and imagining what was right before my eyes? Was Eliza really at my house? Was she really following me inside—perhaps hysteria had finally taken me. If it had, then that was the world I wanted to live in. I started a pot of coffee and I stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to say. She was the first to speak. She told me that Preston came to her and confessed everything. Maybe there was a decent man inside my brother after all. She apologized. I apologized. She cried. I cried. We were two people—old lovers that found out the past wasn’t as traumatic as we thought. When the tears were done, and our first cup of coffee was empty, I hugged her. It wasn’t like the one in Starbucks, and she didn’t pull away. It was the most incredible hug of my life, and if I could have held her there in my arms forever, I would have. It was an emotional release—five years of longing that pulled me from the depths of all despair.
And now I’m going to kiss her.
12
Eliza
I spent all night thinking about what Preston said. The scars on my heart were his doing—both of them. One of the scars didn’t belong there. Hudson really did love me back then, and there was a chance he still did. I was scared of that possibility—scared of what it could mean. The thing that drove me forward, and put me on his doorstep, was the fact that I realized all of the pain I felt—he probably felt it too. He believed I walked away after he said he loved me. I knew that feeling of abandonment and betrayal. I had enough of it for more than one lifetime. I couldn’t leave without seeing him. Even if the years had destroyed what we had, I wanted to at least make sure he heard the words from my lips. Truthfully, I wanted to hear them from his too. Mostly, I wanted to see it in his eyes. I wanted to know for sure that what Preston said was true because it was difficult for me to trust him, even if he did seem to be telling the truth.
“You can’t begin to imagine how much I’ve missed you.” Hudson wrapped his arms around me and I melted into his embrace.
“I wanted to miss you—I really did.” I looked up and our eyes locked together. “I was just so wounded…”
“So was I.” Hudson leaned forward—and his lips crushed mine like they had so many times before.
A kiss can’t stop the world from spinning, but it made mine stop immediately. The passion I remembered—it was still there. There was no denying it. I should have known a man who kissed me like that had true feelings buried beneath the exterior. He ripped the curtains away from my eyes the same way he did when we were teenagers—when he took my innocence. I definitely didn’t have that to give, but I had five years without him, and I truly did miss his touch. His hands moved along my body, and I wanted the closeness we used to share. I wanted skin-on-skin—I wanted to watch the storm in his eyes when he made love to me. He scooped me up in his powerful arms and I knew exactly where we were going. His need was as strong as mine. The instant we were on the bed, his lips were on mine again—it was a hunger that was meant to devour, and I was ready for that passion to consume me.
“God, I want you so bad.” He said as his hand moved underneath my shirt and squeezed my breasts through my bra.
“Show me.” I exhaled sharply and moaned.
He tore at my clothes while I tore at his. We had to have each other—we both craved it. He didn’t pull my panties off, he ripped them from my hips. That was the dominance I saw the last time we were together—it was no longer hid
ing behind his eyes. My pussy was so wet for him that he pushed his cock into it with nothing more than a couple of hard thrusts. It hurt after not having anyone inside me for five years, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to feel the fury while he unleashed five years of frustration on my body. He started to thrust and every one was harder than the one before it. I began to moan immediately, feeling the pressure build as his body crashed into mine and his cock went deep enough to make my g-spot hum. It was a pleasure that had been denied, but it was mine again—and it was so good I didn’t want either of us to come because it would be over. I wanted that closeness as long as possible.
“Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.” My nails dug into his back, and he leaned forward to kiss my neck.
“There’s nothing in the world that could make me stop.” His voice was a raspy growl. “I’m never letting you leave again.”
Our bodies chased the pleasure we had been denied—the pleasure that had been stolen from both of us. Hudson controlled his thrusts, keeping me on the edge of ultimate bliss for so long that my entire body was sizzling with desire. He didn’t want to push me over the edge, nor was he eager to turn our passion into ecstasy. Sweat formed on his brow. Our bodies felt like they were seared together and smoldering in the heat that was created between us. Slow—fast—it didn’t matter. The moment was ours. That’s all that truly mattered. I saw the storm brewing in his eyes just like I needed—the fury of a hurricane and the tenderness of a man who cherished the one he was with. My body finally caved into euphoria. The pressure was too much. My muscles got tense and I felt my pussy spasming on his cock.
“I’m gonna come!” I dug my nails in a little more.
“I’ve wanted to feel this for so long.” His head rolled back, and I saw the release on his face.
The pressure released, and the orgasm made my body shake. My pussy spasmed on his length, taking every thrust as it tried to pull him over the edge with me. The first eruption of cum shot from his cock and flooded my pussy. That wasn’t all he had in reserve—he kept thrusting as knots of cum filled me. My first orgasm reached the peak and another one immediately began. They rushed through my body in unison, sending endorphins coursing through my veins. When the last thrust was hammered inside me, I felt my muscles begin to relax. Our desires had been satisfied, but that wasn’t all I needed. Hudson continued kissing my neck, devouring my lips, and he finally dropped down beside me on the mattress. He pulled me into his arms and I felt safe—so freaking safe. That was what I needed most of all. I needed the comfort—that sense of belonging—and arms that were never going to push me away.
“I should have come after you as soon as I found out the truth.” He exhaled sharply and squeezed me tighter.
“I should have never left without hearing you say that you didn’t love me. I should have trusted Preston.” I sighed and closed my eyes.
“Do you think you’ll be able to forgive him?” Hudson pressed his lips to my forehead.
“I don’t know…” I sighed again. “I just don’t know. I saw the sorrow on his face when told me the truth. I want to believe that he regrets everything—but he hurt me so bad when he said those awful things to me.”
“Yeah.” Hudson nodded. “I know the feeling.”
* * *
One week later
I spent my days planning Melanie’s wedding, and my nights burning up the sheets with Hudson. His shift meant that we had to take a break when he was on duty, but I was waiting for him as soon as he got home. It was the first time I had been truly happy since I left Andalusia. Still, my past left me scared. I was afraid it could be ripped from me at any moment. That was a lingering worry that faded when I was in Hudson’s arms but returned when we were apart. I was becoming clingy—reliant—and that was something that I always avoided after being yanked from one foster home to the next. I didn’t like the feeling, but I didn’t know how to escape it. I just knew that there was safety in Hudson’s embrace, even if I hated what was going on inside me when we were apart. I finally had a semblance of happiness—and the thought of losing it terrified me. I had to find a way to live in the moment, or I was never going to be able to put the past behind me, so I could embrace the future.
“What are you working on?” Melanie walked into the living room and sat down beside me.
“My resume.” I looked over at her and shrugged. “Well, looking at some of the responses.”