“I’m sure.” But I did think about it for half a second. Getting away had its appeal. But being apart from Hudson was the last thing I needed at the moment. Especially with all the women in his life that wanted me gone.

My thoughts flashed again to the name I’d seen on his call log. “Though I bet Norma wouldn’t mind if I wasn’t around.”

“Norma again?” He grimaced. “What’s brought her up?”

“You’re going to laugh.” Or he was going to be pissed off. Taking a deep breath, I let it spill. “You fell asleep with your phone and I checked to see if you had gotten my text. Then…oh god, don’t hate me.”

“What did you do?” His tone was curious.

I lowered my gaze. “I checked your recent calls. I saw you talked to Norma.”

When I peeked up, I found he was smiling. “Let me guess—that bothers you?”

His amusement erased my hesitation. “You called her at eight-something at night. From your bed.”

This time, he laughed. “Come here.”

I didn’t move, infuriated by his response.

He composed himself and turned to face me, holding his hand out as he had before. “Alayna, come here.”

Sighing, I went to him. “I told you I was always going to ask about her.”

“Yes, you did.” Hudson wrapped his arms around my waist and settled his forehead against mine. “It was business. I needed to get some figures together for the meeting this morning, and the ones she’d sent me earlier in the day didn’t add up.”

“It was business,” I repeated, relaxing into him. “Always business. Always the excuse.” Asking him didn’t really make a difference. I knew what he’d say. But it would nag at me whether I voiced it or not. Speaking up gave me the chance to hear his story stay the same, one of the bonuses of communicating.

I pulled my head back to see his face and found his grin was back. “Why are you smiling at me?”

“Because I adore it when you’re jealous.” He circled my nose with his. “You know this.”

“Shut up. I hate it. I can’t believe you like seeing me crazy.”

“I like seeing that you care.”

I didn’t know if I should laugh or be concerned. Why would he need my reassurance? “I love you. You know that.” Hadn’t I proven that time and again?

“Yes, I know.” He tightened his grip around me. “Your jealousy shows me your words are true. It’s nice. Keep being jealous. Or crazy, if that’s what you want to call it.”

“You’re so weird.” I ducked away as he bent to kiss me. “You’re going to get shaving cream all over me.”

“I don’t care.” This time when he came toward me, I met his lips. He kissed me sweetly and tenderly, yet I could feel he was holding back, trying to not get carried away with his passion when he had a schedule to keep.

I wasn’t on a schedule though, and I liked kissing him. I put my hands around his neck and pulled him closer, deeper, moving my tongue in further to play with his.

He had to push me away. “I can’t have you this close anymore.” He swatted my behind as I walked back toward my spot at the edge of the tub.

“I’m sorry I snooped.” But I wasn’t all that sorry. Not anymore. It had earned me a fabulous make-out session that I didn’t regret in the least.

Hudson turned back to the mirror. “Don’t be sorry. You know I have no secrets.” He paused. “Well.” He kept his eyes down as he washed his razor. “You know I don’t care if you snoop.”

My stomach dropped, as if I was coming down the hill of a roller coaster. “What do you mean by that?” I moistened my suddenly dry mouth. “Do you have secrets you aren’t telling me about?”

Without looking up, he shook his head. “Of course not.” He turned to face me. “I simply meant that we can never know everything about each other. Can we?”

“But we can try.”

“Yes. We can try.”

We sat a few seconds in awkward silence with him leaning against the back of the counter and I on the edge of the tub. There was something more beneath his statement. Something dark and heavy. I was both drawn to it and turned off all at once. Maybe he was referring to the details of the things he’d done to people in his past. I’d heard some of his stories—none of them pretty. I never expected he’d share each and every past guilt. It would be cruel to want him to relive his pain. I certainly hadn’t told him every one of my past indiscretions.

But what if there was something else…something new, something present. Were there secrets that he kept from me that were relevant to us?

How could I ever know?

“Speaking of Norma—” He was the one to end the weirdness. “How did your interview with Gwenyth go?”

Talking business was the perfect escape from the worry that was edging into our pleasant morning. I jumped right in. “I offered her the job, and she accepted. She’s leaving Eighty-Eighth Floor without notice. They knew she was trying to leave, it seems, so she’s working today as her last shift there and will be at The Sky Launch tonight.”

I hadn’t realized how excited I was about having a partner until right then. Wow. I was going to be the manager of The Sky Launch. And I wouldn’t fail because I had a good team—Hudson, Gwen, and a slew of other great assistants. Why hadn’t I let this sink in before now?

“Congratulations!” Hudson caught my enthusiasm. “I’m glad you hit it off.”

I thought back to the strange interaction Gwen and I had the night before. “I wouldn’t say we hit it off, exactly. Challenged each other is more like it. But she’ll be good for the club. Do you know why she wanted to leave Eighty-Eighth so quickly?”

“I don’t.” He turned back to the mirror and wiped off the remaining shaving cream from his neck with a face towel. “Did you ask her?”

I kept my eyes down and traced the floor’s tile pattern with my big toe. “She said it was personal. I thought you might know more. Because of Norma.” Was she the source of his secret?

“If Norma knows, she didn’t share.” He set down the towel and turned toward me. “Or if she shared, I wasn’t paying any attention.”

I grinned, somewhat mollified. “I like to hear that you don’t always pay attention to Norma Anders.” I slid my gaze over him. He was so hot. I didn’t think I could ever get tired of how delicious his body was. And he was all mine. Wasn’t he?

“Stop looking at me like that or I’ll definitely be late.”

I instantly longed for him to forget his meeting. He could stay and warm me up, fuck me good morning until the sun was high in the sky. There couldn’t be room for doubts as long as he was in my arms.

But unfortunately, we couldn’t live our lives in bed.

With strength I didn’t know I possessed, I tore my eyes away. “Get dressed. It will help.”

“Good plan.” With an evil grin, he tossed his towel aside.

My eyes were glued to his naked behind until he disappeared into his closet. Such a tease.

While Hudson dressed, I undressed, trading the clothes I’d slept in for a t-shirt of Hudson’s from the hamper. It smelled of him and I needed that—needed his presence to cling to me even as he was preparing to leave.

When he met me again in the bedroom, he was wearing one of my favorite suits—a dark gray Armani two-piece that intensified the color of his eyes. He looked sharp. Extra sharp. His meeting was obviously an important one.

“You look good.”

He glanced at me in the mirror where he was straightening his tie. “Do I?”

“Mm-hmm.” In one of my more passive-aggressive moves, I added, “I’m sure Norma will agree.”

But though Hudson was good at games, he only played them when he was the one in control. His didn’t say a word as he filled his pockets with his phone and wallet, didn’t acknowledge if my guess was right.

Communication, I reminded myself. This is who I am. I need to know. “She will be there, won’t she?”

Finally, he turned to me. “She will.” In three quick strides he was at the bed, pulling me roughly to my knees. He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck, forcing my eyes to meet his. “And whether she thinks I look good in this suit or not is none of my concern. I only care that you’ll be the one to take me out of it later tonight.”