Hold Me Closer (Sea Island Brides Book 1) (14 page)

“If
it had been up to me, we would have done this a long time ago,”
he teased. He pulled her tightly against
his side so that she lay snuggled against his naked body, one leg
thrown over his.

“Trust
me, if I had known it could be like this, I wouldn’t have been
able to resist you,” she said, running her fingertips across
his bare chest and stomach.

Hudson
kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tight, his tone more
serious as he said, “When I realized that you were in trouble,
it really scared me, Annabelle. I don’t know what I would do if
something happened to you.”

His
words were those of a lover and even a true fiancée, but
Annabelle knew that even though they had gotten caught up in the heat
of the moment, they could never have a relationship that would last.
Once the acquisition was signed and Hudson found out who she really
was, there would be no future for the two of them.

Until
now, she’d been able to accept that future. But lying there in
the darkness of his room with the moonlight streaming in through the
windows, and the sound of the waves
caressing the shore below, Annabelle realized just how difficult it
would be to let him go.

In
the early morning light, Hudson watched as Annabelle slept peacefully
by his side. Last night, he’d finally gotten what he’d
been longing for the past week, but his hunger for her had not
abated. Instead, he found himself wanting more. Wanting her.

Sleeping,
her guard was completely down for perhaps the first time since they’d
met. There was something so strong and stubborn about her, and while
that drove him completely crazy, it also made him yearn to really
know her.

It
had been a very long time since he’d had feelings this strong
for anyone.

Since
Haley.

The
thought of his ex-fiancée made him tense and angry.

Hudson
first met Haley Richardson during his Freshman year at the University
of Georgia. He was instantly drawn to her, and once they started
dating they were inseparable. She was the first woman he’d ever
loved.

He
was still a kid back then. He wasn’t ready to settle down and
get married. But Haley was impatient. She wasn’t willing to
wait for him to be ready, so she tried to trick him into it. He would
never forgive her for that. Or himself for falling for it. She broke
his heart, and every woman since had paid the price.

His
heart was untouchable. Until now.

But
could Annabelle be trusted?

She
had a chip on her shoulder, that much was certain. If he had to
guess, he would say it was from losing her parents so young and
always feeling like she’d gotten the short end of the stick
when it came to life. Without parents to guide her, she must have met
a lot of people who wanted to take advantage of her situation.

Hell,
she probably saw him as just another one of those kinds of people.
And in some ways, he was, wasn’t he? He was using her for his
own selfish purposes, after all. But he was also fully prepared to
offer her payment for her time and cooperation, as agreed.

Of
course, he still wasn’t sure what she wanted from him. He’d
been convinced she would ultimately ask for a large sum of money.
Millions, probably.

Now,
he wasn’t so sure. The whole time she’d been at
Cottonwood, she had barely taken an interest in his money or the
finer things they had to offer. When she’d first moved in, he’d
given her a credit card to take care of any expenses. Any other woman
would have taken that card and gone shopping till they dropped from
exhaustion, but not Annabelle. As far as he knew, she had yet to even
look for a dress for the formal ball next weekend.

So,
if it wasn’t money she was after, what was it?

Before
he could think any more on the subject, Annabelle sleepily turned
over on her stomach. Her tousled blonde curls fell over her face and
Hudson gently moved them out of the way so he could see her. He ran
the tip of his finger along her soft cheek and his heart skipped at
the simple contact. Continuing along her jawline, he outlined her
face with his fingertip, amazed at her natural and easy beauty.

Slowly,
Annabelle’s eyes opened and she smiled a sleepy smile, then
buried her face in the pillow with a giggle.

“I
didn’t mean to wake you,” he said, moving his palm to her
bare back and gliding his fingers over her warm skin. “But
since I did, I have an idea about something we could do.”

Annabelle
lifted her head and laughed again. The sound was like bottled
sunshine and it made him feel warm all over. “I see you’re
wide awake,” she said with a laugh. “Have you slept at
all?”

“Not
a wink,” he said, moving his hand down the length of her body.
She shivered as he ran his fingertips softly along the small of her
back. “I’m not tired.”

“Perhaps
I didn’t do a good enough job of exhausting you the first
time.”

“The
first time?” Hudson raised his eyebrows inquisitively. “Does
that mean there’s going to be a second time?”

The
devilish smile that crossed her face sent a jolt of pleasure straight
to his groin. Just the thought of touching her, of being inside her
again, made his pulse quicken.

He
moved to position himself on top of her, but she put both hands
against his chest and pushed him onto his back. “This time, I’m
in control,” she said, pinning him down on the bed.

Hudson
laid back and let the feel of her bare hands running across his chest
take him to another world. Her touch was intoxicating, and he felt
drunk with the pleasure of it. When her hands explored lower and
wrapped around the base of him, he breathed in sharply and closed his
eyes. His hips lifted to her, wanting more as she teased him
relentlessly.

“Annabelle.”
Her name came out as a plea, and just as he felt that he was on the
verge of losing control, she slowed and began kissing him with soft,
supple lips. The flick of her tongue sent a shock of lightning
through him, and his eyes opened wide. It took every ounce of
self-control not to switch their positions and have his glorious way
with her.

Over
the past year, Hudson had taken his ability to control himself to new
heights. With his playboy past haunting him like a bad shadow, the
press was always ready to pounce on him if he was seen with a new
woman, so his relationships with women had been all but nonexistent
for a while now. Hudson suddenly felt as if the waiting and the
resisting of temptation he had done since his father passed away had
all been worth it. No woman had ever made him feel the way Annabelle
did, both in and out of the bedroom.

Since
Haley, Hudson had been scared to let any woman past his thick skin.
He was careful never to let a relationship grow beyond a single
night. But with Annabelle, it was so easy to just be himself.

Could
there be a future for them beyond this business deal? Hudson pushed
the idea from his mind. There was still so much more he needed to
know about her before he could think about a relationship. For now,
he was content to explore her body and make the most of their time
together.

As
she brought her lips to his throat and kissed a warm, wet trail down
his chest, Hudson groaned with impatience. When he couldn’t
take it anymore, he lifted her into his arms and kissed her with
passion he wasn’t aware he was capable of until that moment.
Rolling her body over on the large king-sized bed, he positioned
himself on top of her and kissed his own delectable trail from her
neck, down her ample breasts, across her flat stomach and down even
farther until she was writhing beneath him.

Slowly,
Hudson put a hand on each of her thighs and gently spread her legs
apart. At first, she seemed shy and unwilling to open herself to him,
but the moment his fingers found the wet center of her pleasure, she
loosened and gave in, her legs falling open to give him access to her
most intimate parts.

Hudson
focused solely on Annabelle’s pleasure. He took his time,
tasting her, exploring every tiny cry and moan that escaped from her.
He wanted to possess the power and knowledge to make her body sing.
When her release finally came, it was beautiful and free and
incredibly sexy, making him want her more than ever.

“Please,”
Annabelle half-whispered, half-moaned. Hudson knew what she wanted,
and he was more than willing to give it to her.

His
control on the absolute edge, Hudson donned another condom and pushed
himself inside her slowly, taking his time to relish the wet heat of
her body. The electrifying wave that pulsed through him as she began
to move under him threw him into oblivion. He thrust into her again
and again, their hot breath intermingled as they stared into each
other’s eyes.

Hudson
felt the tension rise as the pleasure built deep inside, rushing
toward the surface in an explosion that rocked his very foundation.
He cried out as Annabelle’s muscles constricted around him,
intensifying his release as her body convulsed beneath him.

When
the height of the moment had passed, he lay down close beside her and
pulled her into the crook in his arm. She threw one leg over his
while her fingers made lazy circles in the patch of hair on his
chest.

As
he drifted off to sleep, finally exhausted, part of him hoped Mr.
Takahashi would take his sweet time signing that contract.

Mid-morning
sunlight streamed in through the French doors of the master suite.
Annabelle reluctantly opened her eyes and stretched her arms high
above her head. Hudson was no longer sleeping beside her, and when
she looked at the bedside clock and saw that it was already well past
ten in the morning, she understood why.

Annabelle’s
face flushed with warmth as she thought about the previous night.
Being with Hudson was like opening the door to some forbidden world
only to find out that life’s greatest pleasures lived there.
She certainly never intended to let things go so far, but now that it
had happened, she couldn’t bring herself to regret it.

Hudson
Montgomery wasn’t at all the person she first believed him to
be. Underneath that hard business-only exterior, he was full of
passion and warmth. The way he had burst through her door to protect
her was fearless.

The
only thing that still didn’t make sense was the way he had
treated her cousin. Annabelle wished she could ask him about it
point-blank. She was tired of the charade and the lies.

Deceiving
someone you despised was a lot easier than lying to someone you...
what? Surely she wasn’t in love with him? No, she wasn’t
ready to even think about the consequences of falling in love with
Hudson Montgomery. They had a sexual connection that couldn’t
be denied, but beyond that, Annabelle was at a loss as to an exact
definition of her feelings. All she knew was that lying to him didn’t
feel right anymore.

But
how can I possibly tell him the truth now?

She
couldn’t. Until the business deal in Japan was finalized,
Hudson didn’t owe her anything. After all she’d been
through so far, she had no choice but to see it through to the end.
Telling him now would be the worst thing she could do. It would ruin
everything.

Last
night, it seemed like the right thing to do. Tell him and get it over
with, like ripping off a bandaid. But now...

Annabelle
winced when she thought of what Hudson’s reaction would be when
she finally revealed what she wanted out of the deal. He was
expecting her to ask for money, of that she was certain. The fact
that she wanted his family to take responsibility for Harlan’s
one-night stand with Julia was probably the farthest thing from his
mind.

No
matter how lovely last night had been for the two of them, Annabelle
was certain that once Hudson knew the truth, it would ruin everything
between them. He’d never be able to trust her again.

She
could only hope the family would believe Annabelle had acted
completely alone. Once a paternity test proved Julia’s baby was
in fact a Montgomery, they would welcome Julia and her child into the
family with open arms. All Annabelle wanted to do was make them open
their eyes to the truth.

She
was beginning to think she may never get that chance. Mark’s
threats flooded back to her. What if he showed up again, demanding
money? What if he tried to hurt her?

Lying
in bed all day thinking about it isn’t going to change
anything.

Knowing
that Hudson’s security guards were watching out for her made
her feel a lot better. She simply needed some time to process
everything that had happened the night before, and then she could
figure out what to do next.

She
decided to let Hudson’s luxurious shower wash her worries away.
Six shower heads meant that a steady stream of warm water was hitting
her from several angles. She only wished Hudson was still there to
enjoy the shower with her. The thought of his sculpted muscles and
smooth tanned chest sent excitement soaring through her body.