Uniting the Souls (Souls of Chicago #6)(12)

“Are you hungry?” he asked. His question was simple enough, but the way he was looking at me had me thinking he was talking about more than just food. I felt my skin heat up under his watchful gaze, but I didn’t look away and I saw his lips turn up, obviously pleased.

“Uh, yeah, I guess so. I was so busy, I must’ve lost track of time,” I told him.

“Well, I’m finished for the day and was going to grab a bite to eat somewhere. Would you care to join me?” Hudson must have seen the surprise on my face. “It’s just food, Isaac. I’d like to get to know you better,” he said sincerely.

“You would? I mean…sure,” I squeaked out. My face felt like it was on fire and I half expected him to change his mind, but he just smiled at me. I was thrilled to spend more time with him and looked forward to getting to know him better as well.

He waited while I shut my computer down and straightened my desk and then I stood and made my way over to him. My pulse began to race when instead of backing out into the hallway as I’d expected, he took a step into my office. He moved close enough that I could feel the heat of his body emanating through the thin material of his dress shirt and the scent of his cologne, something woodsy with a hint of spice, filled my senses and made my head spin. He stared down at me and I had to tilt my head back to look at him, losing myself in his soulful brown eyes. The rich timber of his voice resonated through me when he spoke.

“You might want to get some shoes on, seeing as most restaurants require them.” It took me a moment for his words to catch up, but then my eyes grew wide and I felt a puff of minty air hit my lips as he laughed.

“Oh yeah, I suppose so,” I said with a nervous laugh of my own. Something about Hudson always seemed to leave me feeling off balance, but surprisingly, it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling at all.

I grabbed my shoes, which luckily had dried from the rain that morning and slipped them on before hitting the light switch on my way out the door. Hudson was waiting for me in the hallway and he looked at me curiously.

“What do you think about inviting Matt to come with us?” he asked.

“Sure! The more the merrier,” I answered. Hudson laughed at that and I smiled back at him, not quite understanding what was so funny.

We walked to the end of the hall where Matt’s door was standing open. His head was bent as he signed some papers. He looked up when Hudson knocked on his door, but he didn’t say a word as his eyes darted back and forth between the two of us, curiously.

“We decided to go out and get something to eat and we wondered if you’d care to join us,” Hudson explained.

“You two are going out together?” Matt asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“Yes, but we’d like it if you came too,” I assured him. His eyes met mine and I struggled to read the various emotions I saw there before he hid them once again. He was way too good at that and it was starting to frustrate me.

“Thank you for asking, but I still have a lot of work to do before I can get out of here,” Matt replied.

“Is there anything I can help with so you can get done sooner?” I offered.

“No, thank you, Isaac. You guys go and have a good time.” I wanted to argue, but I could hear the finality in his words and I saw the rigid set to his jaw. Hudson watched Matt quietly for a few seconds, a curious expression on his face, but then he nodded.

“Maybe next time, then,” he said.

Matt didn’t answer, but he continued to watch us as we turned to leave. I glanced one last time over my shoulder and felt my heart squeeze in my chest when I saw Matt looking at us with a mixture of sadness and resignation. I almost turned back, but he looked down, directing his attention back on his work.

“Don’t worry. We’ll keep working on him,” Hudson whispered as we made our way down the quiet hallway. I looked up at him questioningly, but he just smiled and placed his hand on the small of my back as he led me out the front door and across the parking lot to his car.

I felt a little unsure when I saw the large black SUV, but I climbed in when he opened the door for me. I glanced around, taking in the creamy leather seats and the sleek interior as I waited for Hudson to make his way around to the driver’s side. I suddenly felt completely out of my league and I wondered what in the world I was doing there.

“You ready?” Hudson asked as he slid into his seat and I wanted to ask him what exactly I should be ready for. His warm eyes met mine and when he smiled, I suddenly realized that I didn’t care.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” I whispered. I didn’t know what Hudson wanted with me or why, but I was going to enjoy finding out.





I smiled over at Isaac sitting in the passenger seat. The lights of the dash showed off the soft curve of his jaw and the full bottom lip that lifted when he smiled back at me. His wide blue eyes were framed with long lashes that brushed his cheeks whenever he blinked. God, he is spectacular.

I felt my cock twitch in my pants and I had to fight the urge to reach for him and drag him to me so I could feel his lips pressed to mine. I’d spent many nights dreaming of that mouth and all the things I wanted to do to it, but I would have to be careful. The last thing I wanted to do was push him too far or scare him off.

“How does a big, juicy burger sound?” I asked as I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road.