Love, Tussles, and Takedowns (Cactus Creek #3)(60)

Hudson was being granted that dream.

This is his chance to get it all back. His life, his family, his future.

She’d repeated that mantra to herself all week. Every time another hospital name or government-blocked number showed up on the caller ID. Every time he read another for-his-eyes-only document that had him brimming with excitement.

All week.

And now he was driving over here to finally tell her about all these developments. And to officially tell her goodbye.

The least he could do was be on time.

A hiccup of emotion escaped her. She was definitely going a little nutty. But who could blame her?

Hudson had left his apartment in California a few hours after she did and she’d gotten back six hours ago. Even with the one errand he’d said he had to run after his teleconference with his physician and CO, he still should’ve been here by now.

The fact that he wasn’t meant she’d spent the last six hours worrying her brains out.

Now she finally knew how her brothers felt.

What if he got in an accident? Normally, Lia wouldn’t worry, but she knew he was riding his bike over and it was the first time he was riding again with his newly-healed hands. It had been one of the things he’d been insistent upon today. Could be that he was lying in a ditch somewhere on the side of a deserted road.

She sat down and dialed Gabe’s phone. Again.

“For the last time, Lia, I don’t know where he is,” answered Gabe on the first ring.

“How is that even possible? You and Drew rigged all our phones specifically to track us to within a mile radius even if we were peeing in the middle of a rain storm.”

“But it only works if it’s powered on.”

“Why are you so calm? Don’t you find it a little strange that his phone is off?”

“Uh, have you met his friend Fiona?”

Dammit, good point.

“Plus, didn’t you say he had some military stuff to do this morning? Maybe he had to switch his phone off for security purposes.”

She hated when Gabe was all level-headed and logical.

The world inevitably tilted on its axis to shift the crazy over onto her to maintain balance.

She was definitely going crazy right now. But it had less to do with Gabe, and more to do with the roar of one of the biggest commercially-available motorcycle engines rumbling into the alley beside her apartment, at the exact moment a beeping alert sounded over on Gabe’s end of the phone line.

“According to this, Hudson should be—”

Lia dropped the phone and went running to her front door.

She skidded to a halt when it belatedly occurred to her that the beeping alert she’d heard from Gabe’s phone wasn’t the lo-jacking alert. It was his text message alert.

Eyes narrowed, she pulled open her door and sure enough, saw Hudson on his bike texting.

Good lord, he looked good.

Better than good. Godlike. Melt-your-panties-off sexy.

It was a good thing she hadn’t seen him on his bike before this or her virginity would’ve made it off the endangered list much, much sooner.

“Tell me you’re not down there texting my brothers instead of rushing your ass up here to tell me why you’re late.” Her voice traveled down the stairwell, sounding not nearly as disgruntled as she’d intended.

Somewhere around ‘ass’ her words definitely took on a far different sound quality altogether.

All she needed was a blonde wig and knowledge of when the President’s birthday was to complete the effect.

By the slow, lopsided grin he directed up at her, Hudson was in wholehearted agreement.

She stood there, feet cemented in place as he swung his leg off his bike and climbed the steps two at a time. By the time he got to the top, his sunglasses were no longer covering up his hungry gray eyes, and his leather jacket was already shrugged off one shoulder.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, he picked her up and slammed his lips down onto hers, carrying her back into the apartment without breaking his stride. He threw his jacket down and strapped another arm around her, this one braced up her back with his hand sinking into her hair.

Hand cradling her skull, he tattooed one hell of a kiss on her lips.

And her heart.

“I like it when you trigger the Hudson Alert System,” he murmured against her lips. “Having you worry about me is crazy cute.”

She buried her burning cheeks against his neck. “You had me going crazy, period. I played out a dozen different scenarios in my head, each one worse than the last.” Leaning back she frowned up at him. “You could have at least called.”

“Would you have wanted to know where I was?”

“Of course.”

“And that’s why I didn’t call.”

“For three hours?”

“Sue me for wanting to spend a few hours looking for the perfect engagement ring for you,” he lobbed back, eyes glued to hers to measure her reaction.

She was robbed of speech as she watched him pull out a stunning diamond ring, the design of which reminded her of her favorite silver earrings. Then the man went and stole all her oxygen as well when he pulled out a second velvet box with a platinum chain.

He slid the ring onto the delicate necklace and held it up poised to clasp around her neck.

“Liana Lin, will you do me the unbelievable honor of possibly marrying me one day? Five, ten, fifty years from now, whenever you’re ready.” He rested his forehead against hers. “I love you so much, baby. And I’ll wait however long you need. A lifetime, even. A lifetime showing you that no matter what the universe continues to throw our way, the very idea of a shelf life simply won’t apply to us.”