Hudson.

Allie stood motionless, unable to look away as he entered the reception area and shook hands with several people. The expression on his face was all business, and yet there was something so inherently sensual about the way he moved. He wore a black tuxedo, Ralph Lauren if she wasn’t mistaken, that fit the contours of his body in a way that made it impossible not to imagine the hard planes of muscle that lay beneath. But it wasn’t the sight of Hudson Chase in a tuxedo that caused an unwelcome tightness in Allie’s chest. It wasn’t even his dark wavy hair, perfectly messed with that sexy, just-rolled-out-of-bed look that made her fingers flex with an instinctive desire to touch it. It was the voluptuous brunette draped on his arm.

Sophia.

Allie recognized her immediately from the event at the Field Museum the night she and Hudson had first become reacquainted. She looked as stunning as she had that night. Her dress wasn’t red this time, but instead a champagne color a few shades lighter than her flawless bronze skin. And her long dark curls were piled loosely on top of her head, not cascading over her bare shoulders, but the effect was no less devastating. The woman had the curves of a centerfold and a face worthy of the cover. Hudson had insisted they hadn’t been seeing each other, but Allie got the distinct impression their arrangement was more than just a few casual dates. It was obvious the way Sophia’s hand stroked Hudson’s forearm, she was under that impression as well.

He flicked his gaze briefly to her hand, then back up. When he did his eyes met Allie’s and he stilled. A crowded ballroom stood between them, but in that moment it felt as though they were the only two people in the room.

Then Sophia shifted in front of him, her perfectly manicured fingers reaching up to straighten his already immaculate tie, and the spell was broken. Allie let out the breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding and quickly scanned the room for the nearest exit. She needed to get some fresh air, touch up her makeup, or even just wander through an exhibit. Anything to put enough distance between the two of them for her to regain her focus.

She’d barely made it ten yards when someone stepped in front of her, blocking her way. Instinctively she knew who it was and her heart hammered inside her chest. She looked up and met Hudson’s steely glare. He moved quickly, catching her by surprise. His hand wrapped around her arm, and before she could form a word, much less a sentence, she was being propelled out of the atrium.

“What are you doing?” She struggled against his grip, but deep down a thrill shot through her at his primitive display. Obviously she’d misjudged the lengths to which he’d go to win her back.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m causing a scene.”

“Let go of me.” Allie glanced over her shoulder to the corner of the room and was relieved to find the press corps otherwise occupied.

Hudson followed her stare. “No, they haven’t noticed yet. But they will, so do us both a favor and stop resisting me.”

She almost laughed out loud. Of course she had to resist him. She couldn’t let her guard down because if she let him get close enough, if she let him touch her, she’d never have the strength to tell him to stop. As it was his mere proximity and the way his body brushed against hers as they walked caused a ripple of awareness to rush like a fever across her skin.

He pulled her toward a set of double doors and into an empty corridor.

“Why are you here?” she asked the moment they were alone.

His gaze traveled over her face before finally settling on her eyes. He narrowed his, and for moment she thought perhaps he could see the fissure in her fragile determination. A simple step back would have cleared her head, but Allie was frozen, overwhelmed by the sheer masculine scent of him.

Hudson lifted his hand as if to touch her cheek and Allie felt her breath quicken. If he stepped closer, if his lips brushed against hers, would she have the resolve to push him away? Or would her hands find their way into his hair, pulling him closer as she pressed her body to his? The thought alone caused her traitorous body to betray her. Her nipples hardened against the bodice of her gown and heat pooled between her thighs. In that moment she knew if he lowered his mouth, if he coaxed her lips apart with gentle flicks of his tongue, she’d all but beg him to take her—in the museum, the limo, his bed—anything to dull the shameless ache she felt for him.

But he dropped his hand and then shoved it through his unruly hair. “I bought these tickets weeks ago. I thought perhaps we’d be attending this event together.”

Hudson stepped back enough for Allie to regain an ounce of composure. The physical need for him faded and in its place surged feelings of rage and betrayal, made stronger by the anger she felt toward herself for continuing to react to him the way she did. It was as if she was drawn to him by some inexplicable unseen force that rendered her all but helpless. Or maybe it was him, the sheer force of his will. Either way it had to end. Hudson might have been able to orchestrate it so he wasn’t out of her life completely, but at the very least he was out of her bed. And judging by the display she’d just witnessed, he hadn’t wasted any time filling the vacancy.

Allie squared her shoulders. “Well, lucky for you, Sophia was more than happy to take my place.”

Hudson frowned. “It’s not what it looks like. I didn’t come here with her.”

“Well, it certainly looks like you’re leaving with her,” she fired back.

“If we’ve learned anything from our past, Alessandra, it is not to make assumptions.”

“And yet history keeps repeating itself, doesn’t it?”

A door swung open at the end of the hallway and several waiters emerged carrying trays laden with entrees. Hudson’s jaw tightened but he waited until they’d passed before speaking. When he did, his voice was lower than it had been before.

“We need to work this out,” he said.

“No, what we need is for you to stop. There’s nothing to work out. I don’t feel—”

“Don’t bother denying it,” he said, cutting off the lies she was about to spew. “It’s obvious you still have feelings for me or you wouldn’t be running out of here.”

“I wasn’t running anywhere. I needed a quiet place to look over my notes before my speech.”

He gave a harsh laugh. “If you say so.”

Anger burned in the pit of her belly as she regarded his smug expression. “It’s over.”

“The hell it is,” he growled. When he reached for her she stepped back. “Don’t do this, Allie.”

“I’m not doing anything, Hudson. You broke my heart all on your own.”

Allie heard Hudson’s sharp intake of breath but Colin rounded the corner before he could reply.

“There you are.” Finding her with Ingram’s other CEO stopped him dead in his tracks. “Mr. Chase, I didn’t realize . . .” His voice trailed off as he took in the sight of the two of them, locked in a physical and emotional standoff. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine,” Hudson said, shooting her new assistant a glare that would have withered most men. But Colin didn’t so much as flinch, holding his ground and once again confirming what Allie’s instincts had told her right from the start.

A tense moment passed between the two men before Colin turned his attention to Allie. “They’re about to begin the presentation. I can stall them if you need more time.”

Allie caught Hudson’s gaze and held it as she answered. “No. We’re finished,” she said, before turning to follow Colin back to the reception. The heat of Hudson’s stare burned into her as she walked, but she fought the urge to look back.

When her speech ended and the crowd stood to applaud, she couldn’t help but notice the empty seat at the table near the front.