“It wasn’t your fault, ya know?” The words fell lazily out of Nick’s mouth.

Hudson looked over his shoulder as Allie began to stir. He lowered his voice. “Fuck, Nick, didn’t we just do this?”

“You were only a kid. Crap hand, Hudson, s’all it was. Just a case of wrong place, wrong time.”

“Where are you?” Hudson scanned the room trying to figure out where the hell his clothes were.

Allie shot up. Hudson’s brow furrowed as she bolted out of the bed and grabbed her robe, wrapping the satin around herself before disappearing into the bathroom.

“And they were wrong about you, anyway.” Nick laughed in a short burst. “My brother who turns shit to gold.”

“Are you at home?”

“Yeah, and I’m still vertical.” Nick laughed as if he was impressed with himself. Hudson heard the furniture skid as two objects did a meet and greet, then Nick cursed when something crashed to the floor. “Sort of. Hey, you wanna get a beer?”

“Christ, it’s after four. Go to bed, Nick.”

“No? Okay. I’ll throw ’em back for the two of us.” There was the hiss and crack of a bottle being opened, then a cap clinking onto a counter. The telltale signs of his brother’s mission to get rip-roaring. “Cheers, bro.” Nick slugged down whatever number beer he was on and swallowed hard. “I just wanted to tell you that I love you, man. You know that, don’t you?”

“Yeah, Nick.” Hudson’s mouth drew into a grim line and his eyes closed. He felt the same aching sadness he did every time his brother started this shit. He needed to get him off the phone.

“You’re all I have.” Nick’s voice was soft.

Hudson heard the sound of splashing water and a moment later Allie appeared in the doorway. He tracked her movements as she darted across the room, gathering his clothes in her arms. When she lifted his pants, a condom fell out of the pocket.

“I have to go, Nicky. Get some sleep. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He ended the call and looked over at Allie with the Trojan pinched between her fingers. The condom was still perfectly rolled up, a testimony to his impatience and a decision that was damn hard to defend. The same panic that flared in her eyes was doing a stranglehold on his chest. God, he was such a bastard for being so reckless with her body. “I’m clean, Allie, I swear. I’ve always been careful. But so help me, tell me you’re on the pill?”

“Yes, of course I am.”

His shoulders relaxed. “Good. Now come back to bed,” he said, reaching for her.

“You need to go. Here,” Allie held out his pants. “Put these on.”

Hudson grabbed his pants and tossed them to the side. His mouth curved into a mischievous grin. “A few hours ago you couldn’t get me naked fast enough.” Pushing to his feet, he reached for Allie again, only to have her slip out of his grasp, his fingers brushing the side of her hip.

“Hudson, I’m serious. The sun will be up soon, and I can’t have my neighbors see you.” She picked his discarded shirt up off the floor and held it out to him.

“I don’t give a shit about your neighbors.” He threw the shirt on the bed and tugged on the sash of her robe.

“Please, Hudson.” Allie swatted his hands away and retied her robe.

“This isn’t about your neighbors, is it?” Hudson grabbed his shirt off the bed and shrugged it on. “What time are you expecting him?”

“I’m not,” she said, searching for his shoes and socks. “I just need you to go.”

His eyes drifted around the room, looking for any indications of another man. “He doesn’t stay here, your fiancé?” With quick jabbing motions, he pulled his boxer briefs up his thighs, followed by his pants. Hudson’s hand paused for a moment, waiting for an answer before zipping up his fly.

“He used to, in the beginning.” Allie avoided his gaze as she collected his wallet and keys from the nightstand. “He prefers his hotel room.”

Hudson closed the distance between them. “Good. I think I’d go half crazed if I could smell him on your sheets.” Slipping a finger under her chin, he forced her to meet his stare. “I want them to smell of me. Only me.” Hudson took her face between his hands and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. He’d foolishly thought being with her would sate his need, but his hunger had only grown stronger. Even now, just the feel of her lips against his had him wanting more. He felt his cock begin to stir and it took every ounce of self-control not to toss her back on the bed and bury himself inside her till the sun came up. “I need to see you again.”

“I’ll call you.” Allie pushed the rest of his belongings into his hand. “But for now, please, I need you to go.” Hudson moved through the house at Allie’s insistence. Fuck that. He was being herded.

He stopped in front of the door, shoving his wallet into his pants pocket. “Call or not, Allie, we’re not done.” He yanked the door open and jogged down the steps of the brownstone with his shoes in hand. Without a glance back, he unlocked the DB9. A grin spread across his face.

Hudson Chase doing the walk of shame.

That was a first.

Chapter Thirteen

Allie slid hanger after hanger across the chrome pole. She’d never been one to subscribe to the idea of retail therapy, but she had to get out of her office. It felt like the walls were closing in on her. And since there wasn’t time to go for a run during her lunch hour, she’d had to settle for wandering the eight floors of the Macy’s on State Street.

She paused when she came across a dark green wrap dress. It was almost identical to her burgundy one, and her thoughts immediately shifted to the last time she wore that dress. It was the night she went to Hudson’s office to collect the donation he’d pledged. Her eyes drifted shut and she could feel his hands wrenching open the neckline, his teeth nipping at the black lace of her bra. A throbbing ache spread through her belly. It was the same ache she felt every time she thought about Hudson Chase, which she was ashamed to admit, was far too frequently.

It had been over a week since she’d shuffled him out of her brownstone. Eight days, to be exact. Eight days of resisting the urge to call him. Eight days of hoping the memories of their night together would fade from her mind.

No such luck.

Allie shook her head. She had to stop thinking about Hudson; she was with Julian now. They were planning a life together and she wasn’t about to throw it all away on something that amounted to nothing more than residual teenage lust. She’d just needed to get it out of her system that one night, that’s all.

Yeah, just keep telling yourself that.

Folding the green dress over her arm, Allie made her way to the next rack, where a black bandage dress caught her eye. It had the style’s signature formfitting hourglass shape, but this particular dress had a front panel of thin black strips crisscrossing over sand mesh. Hmm, definitely a more daring choice. She held the two dresses up, comparing them side by side.

“The black one is nice.”

Allie jumped. She knew that voice . . . intimately. It had whispered roughly in her ear, filling her mind with all manner of naughty images as she was brought to orgasm again and again. Her errant thoughts brought a flush to her face as she turned to find Hudson standing behind her, grinning and looking rather pleased with himself. Where the hell did he come from? It was as if he’d just materialized.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. Lately it seemed as though those were always the first words out of her mouth. At least when it came to Hudson Chase.

“I told you, call or no call, this wasn’t over. I gave you a week.”

Her heart pounded erratically. She wanted to blame it on the shock of his unexpected appearance, but she knew better. “How did you know where to find me?”