Hmm, like kinky darts.

Allie turned her attention to the iPod before her shameless nipples decided to put on another show. A bat-winged skeleton stared up at her from the screen. “Avenged Sevenfold?”

“When I’m pissed off. My salvation on those challenging days.”

“I guess the skull on the cover should have been my first clue.” Her finger slid across the screen. “Mumford & Sons?”

“Dig a righteous group of banjo players.”

“And Journey?”

“Oh come on,” he feigned insult, flattening a palm over his heart. “A classic.”

“Fair enough.” Allie glanced down and a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “What about Madonna, another classic?”

He held up his hands in innocence. “Oh no, that’s all Nick.”

She laughed. “I suppose Nick likes Carly Simon, too?”

Hudson grew quiet, focusing his attention on his glass of wine. “My mom’s favorite,” he murmured. Some dark emotion clouded his face. It went far beyond sadness. It was something more, something deeper. Allie tried her best to decipher what it was, but then he took a sip of wine; when he lowered the glass it was gone.

Lifting the iPod out of her hands, he quickly shuffled through the artists. “Then there’s Frank.” He placed it back on the dock and “Summer Wind,” the song they danced to at the Field Museum, filled the room. “Timeless.”

Hudson took her wineglass and placed it alongside his on the table. “Dance with me?”

He held out his hand and smiled. It was that same shy smile from long ago. The one that never failed to melt her heart. Even now, after all this time, it still had the same effect. With damp hair and not a trace of makeup on, Allie knew she was looking far from glamorous. But the way he looked at her made her feel like she’d spent the day at the salon getting ready for a black-tie affair.

She placed her hand in his. “My pleasure.”

“Good thing,” he said, snaking his arm around her waist, “because I didn’t bring my checkbook.”

She pulled back to look at him. “Checkbook?”

“A million dollars, the going rate for a dance with you. You drive a hard sell, Miss Sinclair.” He grinned down at Allie, then swept her into his arms, whirling her around his living room. She was breathless when he finally brought them to a stop.

Caught up in his playful mood, she smiled coyly at him through her lashes. “You knew I was high maintenance when you met me.”

Hudson’s head fell back and he laughed. “Alessandra, you bring new meaning to high maintenance.”

Allie’s mouth dropped open. “Is that so?”

“And I wouldn’t change a thing.” His eyes were lit with warm amusement. “I love the way it takes you an hour to order a cup of coffee.”

She pursed her lips, but it was no use. His you-can’t-stay-mad-at-me grin was impossible to resist. And even though she was pretty sure she should have been offended by his comment, Allie couldn’t help but be won over by the obvious affection in his voice. She smiled and shook her head. “Glad I amuse you, Mr. Chase.”

“Always, Miss Sinclair. Always.” He brought their bodies closer together and his hand flexed against the small of her back.

“Thank you again, by the way. We never would have met our goal without your donation.”

“I was glad to help. You should be feeling some sort of triumph with your obvious success. And you managed to break the monotony of old fogies with a herd mentality clustered around tables.”

His words of praise touched her. Allie had put a lot of work into making her event different from the typical fare served in a run-of-the-mill ballroom. The fact that Hudson had noticed meant the world to her.

“Do you plan these types of events frequently?”

“The museum was my first major fund-raiser.”

“Well, you’ve set a high standard. I look forward to attending any future events you plan.”

She opened her mouth to speak but then closed it again.

Hudson didn’t miss a beat. “Out with it.”

“The Harris Group offered me a position planning fund-raising events full-time.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Impressive. That’s a prestigious organization.” He spun her away and then yanked her back against him. “Are you taking the job?”

She shook her head. “I turned it down. But Mr. Harris said the door was always open if I changed my mind.”

“And have you?”

“No. Although it was certainly a tempting offer.”

“I can’t just leave the foundation. I made a commitment and people are expecting me to see it through.”

“Let me ask you this—what do you want?”

She chewed on her bottom lip as she considered her reply. “I love my work at Better Start. The people I’ve met there are amazing, so committed to helping kids. But I also loved putting together that event. All of it, even the aggravating details. With this new position I could still raise money for the foundation, but I could also help so many other worthy causes.” She paused and her voice grew softer. “For the first time in my life I feel like I’ve found something I’m actually good at. Me. Not my family’s name or money. Just me.”

“It’s your life, Allie.” He tugged her closer, curling his fingers around her hand and pressing it against his chest. “You should do what makes you happy.”

She leaned into him, not entirely sure they were still talking about her job. They swayed gently from side to side as Sinatra crooned about a summer of young love. The lyrics conjured images of sandy beaches, entwined hands, and lingering kisses. But just like the song said, all summers come to an end, and so had their dance.

“Hmm, the summer wind.” Hudson pressed his cheek to her temple and his warm breath fanned over her ear. A delicious tingle swept over her skin and she shivered. “Cold?”

“A little.” It wasn’t a total lie.

He ran his hands up and down her arms, soothing the goose bumps that had formed. “Sit. I’ll get a fire going.”

Allie sat on the rug in front of the fireplace while Hudson stacked several birch logs on the grate. “So what about you?” she asked, drawing her knees up and leaning back against the couch. “Is running an empire what you’ve always dreamed of?”

“Not exactly. But then again, dreams change.” He lit the starters and then closed the screen, staring into the stone fireplace as the white bark crackled with flames.

The question was meant as nothing more than a lighthearted inquiry, and his sobering reply surprised her. She waited for an explanation, but none was offered.

“How so?” she finally prompted.

He came to sit with her, sliding in behind her and pulling her between his legs. “Well for starters, I never saw myself going to college, much less owning my own company.”

She wondered what had altered Hudson’s path in life. Obviously something had since he was now one of the most powerful businessmen in the country. But during the summer they spent together, he never showed any interest in college whatsoever.

“What changed your mind?”

Hudson picked up Allie’s hand and fit it into his palm. “It was either that or continue to work on the docks. Driving that damn boat and running with the same old crowd was obviously getting me nowhere.”

Allie turned in his arms, not quite sure how to ask the obvious. “How did you—”

“Afford it? Loans, work study. I took whatever jobs they gave me, but usually I was stuck washing dishes in the cafeteria. On the weekends I hustled as a barback.” He cracked a slight grin. “More dishes.”

She settled back against his chest. “Doesn’t sound like you had much time for fun.”

Hudson frowned. “I wasn’t there to have fun.”

The flames shot higher as the logs caught. She watched them and couldn’t help but think about her own college experience. Being invited to the right parties had been almost as important as getting into the right classes, maybe more. And paying tuition had certainly never been a concern. Hudson had gone to college to work hard and change his life. All on his own.