“All this talk of Christmas traditions and you failed to mention the most important one.” His lips hovered just above hers. “I’d have thought you more thorough than that.”

“Whatever will I do to make it up to you?” she breathed. Cupping the nape of his neck, she pulled his mouth down to hers. She’d meant for it to be nothing more than a sweet, tender kiss, something suitable for public consumption. But then her lips parted and his tongue slid inside, savoring her in lush, deep strokes, and all thought of where they were left her. All she could think about was this man, this moment, and how desperately she wanted him.

He groaned into her mouth as he deepened the kiss, his tongue licking, tasting, teasing in that way that made her long to feel him kiss the rest of her body with the same fervor. And when his hand slid down her backside, urging her tight against him, she raked her fingers into his hair.

His head lifted and he gazed down at her with hooded blue eyes. “Christ, Allie, please tell me we can go home now.”

“Miss Sinclair?”

Allie turned to find her assistant standing not three feet away. “Colin,” was all she said, then they stared at each other for several beats of awkward silence. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hudson attempt to discreetly rub her lipstick from his bottom lip with the side of his index finger. While she appreciated the effort, after what Colin had just witnessed, it was way too late for discreet. And what the heck was Colin doing at the Christmas village in the middle of the afternoon, anyway?

“So, taking a late lunch?” she asked in a lame attempt to deflect attention away from the elephant in the room. Hell, forget the room, the elephant was charging the plaza, stomping all over the Christmas trees.

Colin pressed his lips together to stifle the grin that was threatening to bust his face wide open. “Things have been slow today with the boss lady home sick.”

Beside her Hudson laughed out loud.

“Touché.” After a resigned sigh she came clean. “I assume I can trust you to keep quiet about this?”

“Pfft.” His hand batted the air. “Please, I’ve known since the gala.”

Allies eyes grew wide. “Well, alrighty then.” She looked at Hudson, who was absolutely no help at all, then back to Colin. “I guess I’ll see you Monday.”

Colin gave a quick nod to them both before beating a hasty retreat toward the cuckoo clock tent. Once he was out of earshot she turned her attention to Hudson. “This is going to be an issue.”

“It doesn’t have to be.”

“The last thing I need is people gossiping about us, Hudson.”

He pulled her back into his arms. “Allie, take a breath. We were never planning on keeping this a secret. At least I sure as hell wasn’t. As long as I’ve known you there’s been something or someone standing in our way. We’re finally together and it fucking works. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let fear of a little office gossip keep us apart.”

He had a point. But still, she hadn’t planned on her assistant catching them grinding on each other like a couple of teenagers. Jesus, she needed to get a grip. The thought had no sooner entered her mind when Hudson lifted the mistletoe back over her head.

“Now, where were we?”

The phone in her pocket began to ring.

“Don’t answer it,” he said, leaning down to kiss her neck. “You’re home sick in bed, remember?”

She rolled her eyes as she fished the phone out of her pocket. “I need to get this,” she said when she saw their general counsel’s name flash on the screen.

Hudson groaned against her skin.

“What can I say, comes with the territory when you’re dating a powerful executive,” she teased just before pressing the green answer button. “Hello,” she said into the phone.

Hudson resumed his amorous pursuits, letting his lips drift up the column of her throat.

“Alessandra, I’m sorry to bother you, but this really couldn’t keep until Monday. There’s been a break in the case. They found the person who killed your parents.”

Allie stepped back, trying to process what she was hearing. “Are they sure?”

Hudson’s brow knit together. “What is it?” he whispered.

“Yes,” Weiss said. His voice wavered when he added, “he had your mother’s ring.”

Allie rubbed at the stabbing pain in her chest. “Have they arrested him?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

There was a long silence. “He’s dead. Apparent heroin overdose.”

Dead? Dozens of emotions ran through Allie’s mind, ranging from anger to frustration and then, finally, relief. There would be no trial, no long drawn-out media display. She could mourn her parents in private and get on with the business of living her life. “So it’s over?”

“Not quite.”

“What do you mean?”

“The police were able to identify him.” Weiss paused, and she imagined him taking a sip of water, or maybe wiping his brow with the starched handkerchief he always kept folded in his breast pocket. She heard him take a deep breath. “He’s a professional, Alessandra. A hit man. The police have had their eye on him for a while, with other cases, but haven’t had the proof they needed to bring him in.”

Allie’s throat grew tight.

“I wish you’d reconsider letting Clayton go,” he said after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.

“I appreciate your concern, Ben, but I’m not interested in having a bodyguard.”

“What the hell is going on, Allie?” Hudson asked. He wasn’t even trying to keep his voice down anymore. He ran a hand back through his hair, impatiently waiting while she ended the call. “What happened?” he asked the moment she hung up the phone.

“They found the man who shot my parents.” She felt the words come out of her mouth, but the voice that was speaking them didn’t sound like her own.

“I gathered that much. Why didn’t they arrest him?”

“He’s dead.”

“Thank fuck.”

Allie shook her head. “No.”

“Why, what else did Weiss say?”

“He was a hit man,” she whispered.

Hudson dug his phone out of his pocket without saying another word. The tension in his body was palpable, rolling off of him in waves.

“What are you doing?”

“Calling Max.” He pressed the phone to his ear. “I want him to have a team in place within the hour.”

Allie reached for his phone. “No, you heard what I said to Mr. Weiss. I’m not interested in having a bodyguard. Whatever enemies my dad had, they’re not mine.”

He blew out an exasperated breath. “You don’t know that.”

“I know that I’m happy, Hudson, really happy. And I’m not going to let some businessman with a grudge ruin it.”

Hudson glanced anxiously at the hundreds of people milling around the plaza. “At least let me get you out of here.”

“We still have the two gifts—”

“Allie, stop. I just got you back. It scares the hell out of me that some lunatic might take you away from me.” He swallowed. “Please, let me take you home.”

Yes, home. That was what Hudson was to her, and that was where she needed to be. She nodded and he exhaled a sigh of relief as he pulled her into his arms.

Chapter Eighteen

Considering the hardball convincing he’d attempted to get Allie to hang at his place that night, Hudson couldn’t believe he was letting her out of his sight. There was an unknown variable out there targeting the Sinclair family and probably gunning for Allie next. He needed some modicum of control over this sitch, along with a shit-ton of security cocooning her from harm. A man in his position had the corporate version of Blackwater at his disposal: ex MI6, FBI, Special Forces, even Israeli Intelligence. He’d utilize the fuck out of them if it meant keeping Allie safe. But at the moment all he had to offer her was Max, and while he trusted the man with his own life on a daily basis, having Allie beyond the penthouse walls put him on edge.