Hold Me Closer (Sea Island Brides Book 1) (19 page)

When
they were both spent and exhausted, they lay together, their
heartbeats mingled as he felt the soft warm kiss of her lips against
his chest and neck and down his arm. His heart ached for her, and
despite their naked flesh pressed close, he couldn’t seem to
get close enough. He had possessed her body completely, but lying
there, his body still humming with the memory of passion, he wanted
more.

He
wanted her heart.

Annabelle
woke to the sound of Hudson’s voice. He was out on the balcony
just outside his suite, the phone pressed to his ear. From the dim
orange and gold light peeking through the thin fabric of the
curtains, she could tell it was barely morning, and a quick glance at
the bedside clock confirmed it. Who was he talking to at five-thirty
in the morning?

Wrapping
a sheet around her naked body, she yawned and padded out to join him.
As soon as he saw her, his face lit up with a smile. He used his
spare arm to pull her close.

“Harlan,
that’s amazing news,” he said into the phone, then dipped
low to kiss her cheek. “We’ll be there tonight.”

Annabelle’s
eyebrows shot up. “Japan?” she mouthed, and Hudson nodded
with a smile.

She
was so excited, she had to keep herself from squealing. She had
rarely left the state of Georgia, much less the country, and in less
than twenty-four hours she would be in Japan.

And
she would finally get to meet the elusive Harlan Montgomery. Her
stomach tangled into knots.

Hudson
said goodbye to his brother, then turned and gave her a long,
passionate kiss.

“Our
engagement was headline news,” he said. “As soon as Mr.
Takahashi heard about it, he called Jack to give his congratulations.
He said that if Montgomery International’s CFO was ready to
make such an important commitment, he was too.”

Annabelle’s
heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach. She did her best not to
let her face betray her thoughts as she asked, “So, that means
we’re going there so you can finalize the papers on the
acquisition?”

“Yes,”
he said, kissing her again. His stride was confident and sure as he
walked back into the room. He seemed to be on cloud nine, but
Annabelle wasn’t sure how to react.

The
completion of the Japan deal meant the end of their agreement.
Everything was coming to a head all at the same time. Mark’s
blackmail demand. Japan. The engagement.

All
of the blood drained from her face, and she wondered if she might
faint. Her feelings for Hudson had progressed way beyond what she
ever intended or could have imagined. Losing him now would feel like
losing herself.

She
didn’t see any way that she could convince him to stay with
her.

“Where
did you go just now?” Hudson’s question snapped her away
from her thoughts. She gave him a forced smile.

“Sorry,
it’s still so early. I don’t think I’m fully awake,
yet.”

“Well,
you can sleep on the plane. It’s an eighteen-hour flight to
Tokyo.” He had already laid out his suitcase and was tucking a
few pairs of socks inside. “How quickly can you pack? I’d
like to get up in the air as soon as possible.”

“I
don’t have a passport.”

“Yes,
you do,” he said. “I made sure of that, just in case of
this exact scenario.”

“What
time is our flight?” she asked, wondering how much time she had
to pull herself together.

Hudson
smiled. “We’re taking the company jet.”

Of
course
, she thought.
The company jet.

Two
weeks ago she was living in a one-bedroom apartment she couldn’t
afford, and now she was flying in a private jet to Tokyo. Life was
just full of surprises.

Twenty
minutes later, she was all packed and ready to go. Dressed
comfortably in a pair of her favorite jeans and a white tank top, she
threw on a jean jacket just in case it got chilly on the plane. As
Hudson was making a few phone calls in his study, she slipped out by
the pool and quickly dialed Mark’s number.

“Well,
well, well, if it isn’t the future Mrs. Montgomery.”
Mark’s voice made her feel sick to her stomach. Just knowing
what he was capable of sent a streak of anger through her.

“I
didn’t call to chit-chat,” she said, trying to keep a
civil tone. “But we’re heading out of town, and I’m
not sure when we’ll be back. I need you to promise me that you
won’t do anything until I get back.”

Mark
coughed and she could hear him light a cigarette. “That’s
gonna cost you.”

“Look,
we both know it’s the money you want,” she said. “So
just give me an extra week to get something together.”

He
seemed to mull this over for a while, and Annabelle wondered if he’d
hung up on her. Finally, his voice came through the phone. “Okay,
princess. You got an extra week, but if I don’t hear from you
by then, you know what will happen.”

She
closed her phone and sighed with relief. At least she could stop
worrying about waking up to see Julia’s face on the front page
of every tabloid this week. She would simply have to make the twenty
grand part of her payment once the deal went through and Hudson cut
her loose.

Another
quick call to Julia and she would be ready to go. Scared she might
wake her, Annabelle was surprised when her cousin answered on the
first ring.

“Hey
’Belle! I thought you might be the plumber calling back. I woke
up this morning to a flooded apartment. A pipe must be leaking
somewhere, but I can’t find it. There’s water
everywhere.”

“Oh,
no.” Annabelle got a worried knot in her stomach. She felt
guilty for not being there to help take care of her cousin. “Are
you okay?”

“I’m
fine, silly. But everything’s getting wet. It’s a slow
leak, but the entire bathroom is flooded and the water’s slowly
snaking into the bedroom. Why are you up so early? Everything go okay
with the announcement last night?”

“More
than okay,” she told her cousin. She explained their sudden
trip to Japan. After making Julia promise to go stay at her empty,
and dry, apartment, Annabelle glanced at her watch. “I have to
get going, but I wanted to tell you I love you very much. I’ll
keep you updated.”

“You’d
better,” Julia said. “And ’Belle, just remember
that no matter what happens with the Montgomerys, everything is going
to be okay. All we need is each other.”

Julia’s
words set her heart at ease for the first time since Hudson told her
they were going to Japan.

The
sound of the helicopter caught her attention, and she ran back around
the house to the helipad to meet Hudson. Seconds later, they were
lifted into the air and were on their way to Savannah where the
company jet was waiting to take them to Japan.

Once inside the sleek plane, Annabelle marveled at how much room
there was inside. The only traveling she had ever done in a plane
involved sitting in coach on discount airlines, feeling cramped. This
jet looked more like a first class hotel room with a few plush
recliners for airplane seats.

“Wow,”
she said, unable to contain her amazement. “Is this how you
always travel?”

Hudson
laughed and set his briefcase down on the nearest table. “Sure
beats coach, huh?”

“You
have no idea.”

“Here,”
he said, pointing to one of the recliners near the front of the
cabin. “Have a seat and buckle yourself in until we get off the
ground. I’ll have Laura turn on a movie for us.”

“Fine
by me, as long as it’s not one about a plane crash or a
hijacking.” Annabelle winked at him and buckled herself into
the leather seat.

Hudson
pushed a button on an intercom attached to the wall and a pleasant
female voice spoke up. “Yes, Mr. Montgomery. What can I do for
you?”

“Hi,
Laura. Can you lower the screen and put something on for us to
watch?”

“Right
away.”

Within
seconds, a flat screen emerged from the ceiling to cover the wall in
front of their chairs. Hudson handed her a glass of water and sat
down beside her. His hand rested on hers, sending a tingle of
excitement through her arm.

“Good
morning, sir.” Another voice came through the speakers as the
captain introduced himself to Annabelle and gave some instructions
about the flight. In another few minutes, the jet began to move and
soon they were taking off. Annabelle looked at her watch. It had only
been an hour and a half since she woke up and they were already in
the air on their way to the opposite side of the world.

As
the movie screen lit up, Annabelle rolled her eyes when she saw the
title. It was the newest Brad Pitt movie.

“What?”
Hudson asked. “If you don’t want to watch this one, I’m
sure we can find something else.”

“This
movie is still in theaters,” she said with a laugh. “How
did you get a copy already?”

Hudson
opened his mouth to answer but she held up her hand to stop him.
“Wait. No, I don’t even want to know. But you know what,
Mr. Montgomery.” She leaned as close to him as her seatbelt
would allow, and gave him a long, soft kiss. Inside her heart was
breaking at the thought of their inevitable separation, but she
fought to hold onto what little time they had left. “I’ve
already agreed to marry you, so you can stop trying so hard to
impress me.”

“Am
I impressing you?” he said slyly. “I hadn’t
noticed.”

She
punched his shoulder jokingly, then leaned back to enjoy the movie,
her hand never leaving his.

Even
though he never would have admitted it, impressing Annabelle was
pretty high on his list. Sure, she had agreed to be his fiancée,
but they both knew that was only a temporary plan. And with the Japan
deal now imminent, he knew it was only a matter of days before their
agreement was fulfilled and she was free to go.

In
the dim light, he watched as her eyes shone with laughter.

In
just a few short weeks she had become a part of his life, and he
wasn’t ready to give her up yet. The thought of ending their
engagement also brought up another issue. Payment. She still had not
told him what she wanted for living up to her end of the bargain.

Chances
were high that as soon as the papers were signed and they were back
on a plane to the States, she would let him know the exact amount of
money she wanted for her compliance in his fake engagement scheme,
and that would be the end of it.

Hudson
was used to having people want a piece of the Montgomery fortune. It
was a part of his heritage, just like the money and the fame that
came along with being a Montgomery heir. But this time it was
different. This time, he wished with all his heart that the woman
sitting next to him didn’t care about his money. That she
wouldn’t want a dime from him when this whole thing was over.

What
he wanted most was for her to look him in the eye and tell him that
she only wanted him. And just once, for that to be enough.

The
rest of their journey went smoothly, and before she knew it, they
were landing at Narita International Airport. A limousine was waiting
to take them to their hotel, and Annabelle was glad to be able to go
to the suite and rest. She barely paid any attention to the fancy
hotel’s lobby or the grandeur of their room. After such a long
flight and the difference in times between Japan and Georgia, she was
feeling off and more than a little jet-lagged.

As
if sensing her discomfort, Hudson handed her a cool, wet towel for
her head.

“The
time change can be a little rough at first, so take all the time you
need to rest and get adjusted.”

“What
about you?” she asked, sitting down on the enormous bed and
cooling her head with the towel.

“I
got some rest on the plane,” he said. “I’m going to
be in the other room working for a little while, but come get me if
you need anything.”