The Fixed Trilogy: Fixed on You(85)

“That just means you need to spend more time with me.”

He chuckled softly. “Is that what that means?” He trailed his thumb down my face to caress my cheek. “Yesterday morning, when I got the phone call that required me to be in Cincinatti—I couldn’t even let myself look at you, sleeping in that bed. If I did, I wouldn’t have been able to leave.”

My chest swelled with his confession. “I thought you left because you were freaking out.” His puzzled look drove me to clarify. “Because of the love stuff.”

“I wasn’t freaking out. I was surprised, that’s all.”

“Surprised?”

“That that’s what we were feeling.” His gaze was soft. “That it was love.”


I could barely breathe, afraid that if I did I’d disturb the path of our conversation. “It was.” I swallowed. “It is.”

“Hmm.” He smiled. “I never felt this before. I didn’t know.” His swept his hands down the sides of my torso. “But, Alayna, I’ve never had a healthy romantic relationship. Every woman who’s loved me…” His voice tightened. “I don’t want to break you, too.”

“You’re not going to break me, Hudson. I thought you might, at first. Turns out you make me better. And I think I do the same for you.”

“You do.”

“If you decide to not…” I searched for how to say what I meant. “Follow through…with whatever this is that we have, it will hurt. But I won’t be broken.”

“But it would hurt?”

“Like a motherf*cker.”

“Then we better follow through.” He drew me closer, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Alayna, you’re fired. You can’t be my pretend girlfriend anymore.” His face grew serious. “Be my real girlfriend instead.”

Joy swept through me in a dizzying rush. “I kind of think I already am.”

“You are.”

“Can I still call you H?”

“Absolutely not.” He turned his mouth to meet mine and kissed me with lips sweet and tender, but passionate all the same.

I don’t know how long we stayed there like that—on the arm of the chair, his body wrapped around me, kissing and cuddling. Time was irrelevant in that moment we were sharing.

Finally though, when I remembered that the club would be opening soon and that I still had a shift to work, I pulled my lips from his and asked the question that I knew was burning in both our minds. “What now?”

One side of Hudson’s mouth curled up in a sexy smile. “Come to my place after you finish here.”

Yes. Of course, yes! “I’m not off until three.”

“I don’t care. I want you in my bed.”

“Then, yes.”

With great reluctance, I pulled myself away. I offered my hand to help him up, and he took it, rising in the graceful way of his. He let go of my hand and tugged the back of his jacket down and adjusted his tie, transforming back into the man most people knew: Hudson Pierce, ruler of the business world.

I watched, mesmerized, still in shock that this man was mine. Mine. It was the first time I’d said it to myself, and it sounded so wonderful I thought I could never get tired of saying it—mine, mine, mine.

His eyes swept behind him as he buttoned his jacket. “Nice couch,” he said, as if noticing it for the first time.

“Thanks,” I laughed.

He studied me with amusement before fixing my hair and straightening the collar of my dress. Then he took my hands in his. “Tell Jordan to take you to the Bowery. He knows where it is.”

“Not the f*ck pad?” My voice seemed unusually high, laced with surprise and excitement.

“No. My home. I’ll leave a key with the doorman.”

I hadn’t been anywhere but the loft with him and didn’t even know where he lived. I’d thought it was a good thing before. But now that he’d invited me, there was no other place I’d rather be.

And, besides, I was ready—ready to stop being afraid of making mistakes, ready to let myself be truly healed of my past, ready to start again without fear of regret.

Lacing my fingers through his, I giggled. Since when did I giggle? “We’re really doing this, aren’t we? Moving forward.”

“We are.”

He pulled me in for another embrace, seemingly as unable to let go of me as I was unable to let go of him. As fixed on me as I was on him.

“I’m going to rock your world,” I said at his ear before sucking on the lobe.

He nipped at my neck, kindling my desire yet again. “I can’t wait,” he said.

“Neither can I.”





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


For as many times as I’ve composed these in my head, this task should be easy. Yet, as I sit here preparing to acknowledge the people who helped make Fixed on You a reality, I’m overwhelmed.

Deep breath and start somewhere.

First, a deep well of gratitude to my husband, who let me take the time to write and always missed me when I was in my book world, but never pressured me to return (almost never.) No matter who the main guy is, honey, it’s always you.

To my children, who somehow managed to grow and thrive despite my frequent lack of attention. You are the lights of my life; thank you for letting Mommy be a person too.