And tomorrow he was going to see her.

Hudson took another drink of his beer. There might be a conference table between them at the board meeting, but before the day was over he planned to get her alone in a room. She’d have no choice but to hear him out.

He wasn’t taking no for an answer.

Chapter Four

Allie made sure she was the first to arrive. The emergency board meeting wasn’t scheduled to start for another half hour, but she wanted to give herself plenty of time to get the lay of the land. Of course she’d been in the Ingram Media conference room numerous times over the years, but that had always been to attend events as Richard Sinclair’s daughter, not for an official meeting of the board of directors, and certainly not as their new majority shareholder. Holiday parties and photo ops were a far cry from the proceedings about to take place on the thirtieth floor of the Ingram Building.

She walked the length of the room, her eyes drifting over glossy mahogany. Allie knew she had a lot to prove to the people who would be assembling around that table. As her fingertips trailed along the high back of each leather chair, she found herself picturing the crowd that would be arriving in a matter of minutes. Some were lifelong friends of her father’s, who she suspected would still see her as a little girl in blond curls and frilly dresses. Some were powerful leaders of the city’s most successful businesses, who she feared would view her as grossly unqualified to hold a position she’d only earned through nepotism. And while the former might like the idea of an Ingram remaining on the board, their business savvy would no doubt push them to side with the latter.

But as daunting as it was to imagine facing that audience for the first time, it wasn’t what had her pacing the room.

It was him.

Allie made her way to the windows that looked out across the Michigan Avenue Bridge.

As she watched the Chicago River flow into Lake Michigan, she thought about the last time she’d seen Hudson Chase. It was the morning she’d uncovered the truth about his plan to take control of Ingram Media. She stared unseeingly at the gray horizon and her thoughts began to drift back to that day. Hudson standing in his foyer, a towel slung low around his hips as water dripped onto the hardwood floor. He’d begged her to let him explain, but what explanation could have possibly justified his lies and betrayal? She’d refused to hear him out, and while in her heart she knew it had been the right decision, the look on his face as the elevator doors slid closed that morning had haunted her ever since.

Behind her the conference room door opened with a soft click and the low murmur of voices told her the other board members had begun to filter into the room. But instead of greeting them and engaging in the sort of sympathetic small talk that had consumed the past few days, she remained by the windows, enjoying the last moments of calm before the eventual storm.

There was a sudden flurry of activity outside the meeting room, and instinctively she knew he had arrived. A wave of anxiety rolled through the pit of her stomach, but she took a deep, calming breath. These board meetings, while infrequent, would be inevitable. The sooner she got used to seeing him in this setting, the better.

She turned around, and a moment later Hudson Chase strolled into the boardroom. The hum of quiet conversation ground to a halt and all heads turned as one to assess the corporate raider who’d quietly amassed the second largest percentage of Ingram shares right out from under their noses.

The sight of him nearly took her breath away. Wearing a charcoal suit, white shirt, and silver-gray tie, he looked every bit the powerful, in-control CEO. But Allie knew the passion that burned behind those eyes, and when she looked at his dark, unruly hair, she knew he’d run his fingers through it just before stepping into the room. He moved with measured grace, his muscles flexing beneath his perfectly tailored suit. Allie knew every inch of that body intimately, how it felt beneath her touch, how it moved over her . . . inside her. She knew the man, not the corporate myth. He was the one who she’d fallen for. He was the one who’d broken her heart.

She had meant to look away, to show him nothing more than a passing indifference, and yet she was utterly transfixed as she watched some of the most powerful players in Chicago greet him with a mixture of wary fascination and awe. Even as the outsider, Hudson still commanded the room, offering his hand to some, a curt nod to others. His demeanor was courteous and professional, but there was an air of casual confidence about Hudson that sent a clear message to those in the room. He was a man who got exactly what he wanted.

Well, not this time—not when it came to her.

As if feeling the intensity of her stare, Hudson turned and his gaze met hers. The corner of his mouth lifted in an almost involuntary smile, then quickly faded. Yet despite his sobering expression, there was nothing he could do to hide the intense longing in his blue eyes. Allie felt it hit her like a physical blow, her entire body responding to the sight of him.

Without taking his eyes off her, Hudson murmured something to the gentleman next to him and began making his way toward the windows. Allie’s heart beat faster with his every step, until the sound of the blood roaring in her ears drowned out the rest of the room. Her throat felt dry and tight when she swallowed, and she suddenly wished she’d had the presence of mind to pour herself a glass of water when she’d arrived. Then again, with the way her hands were trembling, she’d have likely spilled most of it on her burgundy dress. In that moment Allie realized she was wearing the same dress she’d worn the first time Hudson kissed her in his office. It seemed more like a lifetime than two months had passed since that first encounter, and yet the desire she felt was undeniable, even now. She fisted her hands at her sides and squared her shoulders. This was it; she just had to get through the awkward pleasantries and then focus on the meeting’s agenda.

Hudson came to a stop directly in front of her. “Allie,” he whispered. His voice was low and rough and washed over her heated skin like a lover’s touch.

“Mr. Chase,” she said, firing the first shot. It was important he understood the terms of their new arrangement right from the start. She felt a surge of satisfaction when her voice remained steady.

Hudson blinked and his expression faltered. He regarded her for a moment and then opened his mouth, but Mr. Weiss appeared at his side before he had the chance to speak.

“I’d like a moment with you both before we begin.” He ushered Allie and Hudson toward the corner of the room, speaking only once they were out of earshot of the rest of the board. “I thought perhaps I should say a few words to begin today’s proceedings. The past few weeks have been stressful in many regards.” He glanced briefly at Hudson before turning his attention back to Allie. “As chairman, your father would normally run the meeting, but . . .”

Mr. Weiss cleared his throat. With all that had transpired over the past few days, Allie hadn’t had much opportunity to think about the toll this had taken on him. He’d been handling everything with his usual calm, efficient manner, but he’d lost his lifelong friend and the stress was written all over his weathered face.