“Your coworker was very forthcoming.” His lips curved into an amused smirk. “I suspect she doesn’t have a very high opinion of your fiancé.”

“No, she just has a high opinion of your checkbook.”

He chuckled. “Not even my most impressive attribute.”

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. “What do you want, Hudson?”

“I need to see you again.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Christ, I can’t even concentrate at the office. You’re in my head constantly.”

Allie glanced around nervously. “You can’t keep showing up like this,” she said, careful to keep her voice low.

“I can be very focused when it comes to something I want. Relentless, even.”

She stared at him blankly before moving to another display. Hudson followed.

“When is he leaving?”

“When is who leaving?”

“Your fiancé. You said he was gone most of the month.”

“This is hardly the place to discuss that.” She kept her eyes trained on the row of skirts in front of her.

Hudson braced a palm on the rack, halting the incessant skid of hangers. “When is he leaving, Alessandra?”

Her shoulders sagged. Clearly he wasn’t going to drop this. “He left this morning.”

He stepped so close, she could feel the warmth radiating off his body. “Meet me after work.” The dark, sensual edge to his voice sent a shiver through her. With every passing day she was falling deeper under his spell. This had to end.

“I have plans.”

“Cancel them.”

Her breath caught at his unexpected tone. It was demanding, authoritative, and hot as hell. No, she had to stay strong. “I can’t. I promised Harper a girls’ night out weeks ago.”

Blowing out an irritated breath, Hudson quickly surveyed the store. “This way,” he said, taking her by the elbow.

“What are you doing?” she hissed. “People will see us.”

He ignored her, taking long strides as he guided her into a dressing room at the rear of the store. “Now if anyone comes in they’ll be intruding on our privacy.” Turning, he closed the heavy wooden door and flipped the lock.

Allie opened her mouth to protest her abduction but he lunged at her. Both hands framed her face as Hudson pressed her against the three-way mirror and sealed his lips over hers. His tongue pushed into her mouth, taking her in a long, deep kiss. Groaning, he pulled away just long enough to speak. “I’m losing my mind over you, Allie.”

With just those few words she was warm and wanting. She hadn’t even called him, let alone planned to see him again, but now he was there, touching her, kissing her, and all she could think was how much she wanted him. His lips moved with hers again and Allie’s hands found their way into his hair, pulling him closer as the pent-up desire of the past week exploded between them. God, she’d missed this.

Lowering his head, Hudson dragged his tongue up the column of her throat. “I’m aching to be inside you any way I can,” he murmured, catching her earlobe between his teeth. He inched her dress up along her thighs, his touch searing against her skin. “Open for me.”

She gasped. In Macy’s? “Is anywhere off-limits?”

“Not when it comes to you. I’ve had a taste and I want more.” His hand moved between her legs and she widened them shamelessly, far too aroused to deny him. A low, sexy sound vibrated in the back of his throat when he found the warm, damp fabric of her panties. Pushing them aside, he slid his fingers over her slick flesh, teasing her slowly, gently. “God, Allie, I want my mouth on you, right here,” he eased one finger inside her, “right now.”

“ Hudson . . .”

“Shh, I need this,” he whispered, trailing his nose down her neck. “Give me this.”

She pulled his hair, bringing his mouth back to hers. He tugged her bottom lip between his teeth before sliding his tongue over hers in slow, savoring strokes that perfectly matched the movement of his fingers. Allie stifled a moan. There was nothing she wanted more than to feel those same lush, wet strokes between her thighs. But they were in a dressing room at Macy’s. Someone could knock on the door at any moment.

A battle waged inside her. She wanted him to stop, but at the same time, keep going. His finger slid in and out as he tortured her in a steady, unhurried rhythm. Don’t stop. Muffled voices passed in the hall and she tensed. No, stop. She was about to push him away when his finger curled forward, massaging a spot she never even knew she had. Oh, God, don’t stop. Her head fell back against the mirror with a thud and her legs began to tremble. Whatever you do, don’t stop.

“I could take you here and you’d let me,” he growled. “Your body is ready for me.” His voice was tight with restraint, his breath harsh in her ear.

She heard the door to the next room close and shook her head. “I can’t, not here.”

Hudson’s teeth grazed her jaw. “But you want to. I can feel you getting closer.” His weight pressed against her as he pushed into her with a second finger. Allie whimpered. Her hips moved of their own accord, seeking friction against his hand. “Let me watch you come, give me that much.”

“I can’t,” she said, barely able to push the words out as her body responded to every movement, every skillful sweep of his relentless fingers.

“Yes, you can.” Hudson banded an arm around her waist, his erection digging into her hip as he buried his fingers deeper. The heel of his hand massaged her sex and everything inside her tightened. “Let go, Allie, I’ve got you. Come for me.”

The world fell away at his rough command and she shattered into a million pieces. Hudson’s mouth slanted over hers, absorbing her cries as she came apart in his hands. Panting, she melted into him, her body going lax as he held her close. He slipped a finger under her chin, taking her mouth in a bruising kiss that betrayed just how close to the edge he was.

His head lifted and he looked down at her with fiery blue eyes. “Tomorrow, then. After work. My penthouse.”

Spent and trembling, all she could manage was a nod before Hudson turned and strolled out of the dressing room.

Chapter Fourteen

Harper leaned against the wall as Allie unlocked the door to her brownstone apartment. “Tell me again why I’m being forced to go running before margaritas?”

Allie laughed. “Two words for you my friend: chips and salsa.” She tossed her purse and keys on the table by the door and flipped through a stack of mail. Bills, junk mail, Chinese takeout menu. Nothing that couldn’t wait.

When she turned around she found Harper sprawled out on the sofa. Clearly she was going to need a nudge if Allie had any hopes of getting a lakeside jog in before indulging in Mexican food. And it wasn’t just the impending calories that had her motivated to hit the pavement. After what happened at Macy’s, she needed a long, head-clearing run now more than ever. “You can go ahead and change if you want. I’m just going to check my messages real quick.”

Harper reached for the duffle bag at her feet and let out an exaggerated sigh as she pushed up from the couch. She paused on her way past the breakfast bar, raising a brow at the small electronic device on the granite countertop. “Expecting a call from the 90s asking for their answering machine back?”

Allie pressed the play button. “I’ll have you know I just bought this.” Granted it wasn’t voice mail, but it was still digital. Jeez, the way Harper reacted you’d have thought the messages were recorded on a little cassette tape. Allie was about to continue the defense of her household appliances when the first message began to play. Loud music and laughter were eventually followed by the sound of Julian’s voice.

“Alessandra, c’est Julian.” Allie’s brow creased. Why had he called her apartment in the middle of the day and not her office or cell phone? “I’ve arrived in Paris and am checking in, as you like to say.” The sound of a woman speaking fluent French could be heard along with Julian’s muffled reply. Although she listened intently, trying her best to recall the years she spent in high school French class, the loud music and covered mouthpiece made it impossible to decipher what had been said.