Weekend Surrender (The Surrender Trilogy, #1)(29)
“Rogan is right, Parker, you need to ease up,” Sawyer said.
“I know how to deal with Rachel, thank you very much. She and I had an interesting heart to heart in the barn earlier.”
Rogan’s ears perked up and he turned to face Parker, “Really? What about?”
“Did you know her dad had an affair and left her mom for another woman? He has a whole different family now, and he hasn’t even tried to keep in touch with Rachel.”
“Shit. Another fu-cktard that hurt her. We should start a list, because some day we’re going to have to kick these guys' asses,” Sawyer grumbled.
“And she believes she wasn’t good enough for Mitch. That’s why she’s pushing us all away from her. Damn it, she thinks we’re going to hurt her,” Parker said, slamming his hand down on the table.
Rogan leaned forward on his elbows. “So we have to prove to her we aren’t going to betray her trust. I hate to say this, but it means letting her leave tomorrow if that’s what she wants.”
Parker glared back at him, while Sawyer looked a little green around the gills, but neither one argued. The truth sucked, but there it was. Rogan would do anything to keep Rachel with them, but if that wasn’t what made her the happiest, then it wasn’t going to make him happy.
“I’m going to take a shower. When they come out, why don’t we pop some popcorn and watch a movie? Let’s show her we can all four spend time with her without sex too.” Rogan’s eyes skipped back and forth between his two brothers waiting for them to respond.
Sawyer cracked a small smile, “Good idea! I’ll go pick a movie, Parker can make the popcorn.”
“fu-ck,” Parker grumbled, but he stood and headed for the kitchen cabinet looking for their mom’s old air popper. It had been a long time since the four brothers made time to have a movie night, and reinstating their mother’s favorite family pastime with Rachel seemed perfect. Just so long as they didn’t fu-ck it up.
****
Steam wafted up off the water, making the bathroom seem slightly hazy, and seductively intimate. Rachel was braced against Hudson’s broad chest with his arms crossed over her bare breasts, and his fingers laced through hers. She could feel his heart beating through her back, and the coarse hairs on his legs tickling her own. It was peaceful to be sitting in the huge jetted tub that occupied Parker’s bathroom with the baby of the four brothers. Of the four of them, Hudson was by far the quietest about the whole weekend’s events. He seemed content just to enjoy holding her in a tub of bubbles.
“It’s so quiet in here. It’s almost as if no one else exists,” she murmured, sighing and then smiling as her heavy breath sent bubbles skittering across the surface of the water.
“No one else does exist when I’m with you, Rach.”
She giggled, and twisted so she could see his face, “Oh stop it. I don’t need flowery words, Hudson.”
A frown marred his brow and his jaw ticked, “You might not need them, but you deserve them, Rach. I want you to know how good it feels to have you in my arms, that way later, when you’re alone in your own bed, maybe you will dream about me holding you.”
She turned back around quickly to avoid his eyes. His words were intimidating. She didn’t want to hurt any of these guys, but softhearted, sweet Hudson was the most likely victim of the bunch. In her heart she knew she was already attached to these four guys. They intrigued her, seduced her, and made her feel more special than anyone she had ever met, but how long could that last? A few weeks, months, perhaps even a few years, but ultimately the fire and intimacy would fizzle out and instead of being hurt by one man, she would end up hurt by four.
Hudson didn’t let her linger in silence long as he began speaking while resting his chin atop her head. “Do you know the first time I really noticed you were all grown up was at the fundraiser for Millie Creason’s family?”
“You mean the bake sale to replace their roof after the tornado? Really?” She was perplexed as the memories of that day four years ago drifted back to her.
Millie was a longtime resident of the area who was widowed when her husband was in a tragic farming accident. The following summer a nasty storm had blown through town and taken the top part of her home off, leaving her and her three children without shelter temporarily. The whole town had banded together to collect money in various ways and then rebuilt the missing parts of the structure in a matter of weeks.
“Yeah but, honey, you were wearing a pair of lipstick tight jeans that day, and believe me, you had the sweetest buns there.”
Rachel burst out into laughter. “Oh my God. You are such a cheese ball.”
“It’s not cheesy if it’s the truth, and I would never lie to you.” Hudson sounded slightly offended, and she turned around, rising up on her knees to face him. Her breasts lifted out of the water and his gorgeous dark eyes focused on them immediately.
“You wouldn’t huh? Not even a little white lie?” she asked, purposely swaying toward him seductively. His tongue darted out to lick his lips and his breathing grew a little rougher.
“Nope.”
“So what if I asked you if something made my butt look big?”
The astonished look he gave her at her question had her giggling. His eyebrow lifted and his mouth hung open. “You’re joking, right? You’re ass is perfect, honey. Every time I lay eyes on it all I can think about is getting my hands on it.”