Until You Loved Me (Silver Springs #3)(61)
God, she was going to miss the lab. Now she’d be without her career, would simply be serving as an incubator for her baby. Would that be enough to keep her from feeling useless?
“You can handle a year. A year isn’t that long,” Amy assured her when Ellie expressed her concerns.
Ellie pretended to agree, but she still had misgivings.
“I’m going to miss you, El. I hope you know that,” Amy said when she had to return to the salon for some late-afternoon appointments. “I’m sorry I ever took you to Envy.”
“Don’t be. This is an adventure,” Ellie said, trying to remain positive.
Amy frowned. “One with far-reaching consequences.”
“Life can get messy.”
“Not yours. Yours has never been messy, because you never do anything wrong! Maybe that’s why I feel responsible. I encouraged you to be bad.”
Ellie laughed ruefully. “Amy, this one’s all on me. I wanted Hudson—and I acted on that. Now I have to live with the aftermath.”
“Who wouldn’t want a man like Hudson? That wasn’t a fair test.”
For a moment, Ellie remembered the way he’d undressed her and the feel of his strong body against hers, but quickly shoved that out of her mind. “It could be worse,” she said, turning away so Amy wouldn’t see her flushed cheeks.
“True. You could’ve gone home with some dirtbag instead. I mean...there are a lot of good-looking guys in the world who turn out to be losers or flakes, even drug addicts. You wouldn’t want someone like that to be the father of your baby. They aren’t all famous football players, you know.”
Thinking of Hudson’s tirade in the motel quashed the arousal she’d been feeling. “The only downside to Hudson being so rich and famous is that he has the money and power to crush me if he chooses to. Someone as indulged as he’s been over the past decade might not be easy to deal with if I ever have to oppose him.”
“He hasn’t been bad so far, has he?”
“No.” But, for the most part, she was giving him what he wanted; he had no reason to react negatively. Amy had conveniently forgotten what had happened at the motel.
“Good. Well, stay in touch. And let me know when you’d like me to come visit.”
“I will.”
After Amy was gone, Ellie looked around. She’d thought it would be difficult to get ready. She was moving across the country. But she led such a simple life, especially since she’d found out about the pregnancy, that there wasn’t all that much to do. She’d already quit her job. Stopping by the BDC wouldn’t take more than an hour or so. With Amy’s help, she’d packed. Clearing her social calendar, alerting her landlord to keep an eye on the place while she was gone and forwarding her mail would take ten minutes at most. She didn’t plan on having her utilities turned off or doing anything else even semipermanent until she’d spent a few weeks in California and felt safe about taking those steps.
At three, she checked her phone. She hadn’t heard from Hudson all day. What was he doing? Did he have friends in the area? Perhaps he was out golfing with other NFL players. In September, he’d come to the club with two guys, hadn’t he? She was almost certain he’d texted at least one friend when he led her out the back way at Envy. But he’d probably been with members of his own team that night, guys who were most likely in Los Angeles right now...
What was she thinking? Even if he didn’t have any football buddies here, someone like Hudson would never want for company. She wasn’t sure why she kept worrying that he might be at loose ends—except he’d been genuinely kind to her when she was sick. And he’d seemed so crestfallen when he left last night. She’d gotten the impression he’d hoped she’d go in a very different direction on the casual-sex issue. Why wouldn’t he hope for that? Commitment-free sex sounded good to most men. Heck, sex with Hudson sounded good to her, too. She’d thought so much about the night they’d shared, fantasized about running into him again. But it was a risk she couldn’t take. She had to protect her heart or she might not be able to tolerate their relationship at some point, and for the sake of the baby, she had to tolerate their relationship for quite some time.
She figured she owed him the offer of dinner, though. He was, after all, a visitor to the area, and he’d come because of her.
He’d turn her down, she told herself. Even if he wasn’t out golfing, he had the money to eat anywhere, and there were so many top-notch restaurants in Miami. But, determined to show him the same courtesy she’d show any other friend who was so far from home, she texted him.
I’m not much of a cook, but the few things I make are decent. If you’re not out seeing the city or doing something else fun, you’re welcome to come to dinner. No pressure, though.
If he said no, she’d be off the hook. She could relax and enjoy one last evening in her home without feeling she was being discourteous.
His response was almost immediate, though. What time?
Eek! Was he seriously considering it?
Seven?
Sounds good. Can I bring anything? Maybe some nonalcoholic wine or dessert?
No. I’ve got it, she wrote back. Then she grabbed her purse. She needed to go by the BDC and then to the store.
*
Hudson showed up in a lightweight, V-neck sweater that made the most of his muscular torso. His well-worn jeans didn’t hug his body quite as tightly, but they hinted at the assets he possessed below the waist. Ellie tried not to let her jaw sag when she answered the door. Physical beauty was just physical beauty, she told herself. She had her head on straight. But it didn’t help that he was also freshly showered and shaved and smelled even better than Don always did.