Holy shit, you finally did it!

Harper rolled her eyes at Allie’s blank look. She tapped a few keys on her tablet and then stared pointedly at Allie’s left hand.

You finally kicked Lord Lame-Ass to the curb.

Allie’s eyes darted to her hand where she saw . . . nothing? She let out a small gasp. Julian’s ring was gone. She’d no sooner had the thought when she remembered Hudson slipping it off her finger and placing it on one of the bookshelves. Tonight you’re mine. Her toes curled at the thought of his unyielding power, his unwavering authority. He’d completely possessed her—mind, body, and soul.

This calls for a celebration!

Dancing? Drinks first, of course.

We should totally hit . . .

Harper’s messages came in rapid succession, rambling on about all the ways in which they were going to celebrate, but Allie had stopped reading them. She couldn’t take her eyes off her unadorned finger. She’d grown so used to the sight of Julian’s ring that it seemed strange to look down and see nothing but her bare hand. Strange and wonderful. It was as though an enormous weight had been lifted from her. Some tether to a life she neither designed nor enjoyed. It felt . . . perfect.

In that moment Allie knew what she wanted. Deep down she’d known it all along. Julian might have been the right choice for Ingram Media, but he wasn’t the right choice for her. She knew her parents would be livid, but somehow she’d have to make them understand. The past two weeks with Hudson had changed her, awakened a side of her that had been waiting to be set free. Life before him was neat, orderly, and boring as hell. She’d never felt more alive than she did when she was with him. It was the same way she’d felt ten years ago, but the connection between them had grown stronger, more intense. Had she really thought she could give that up? Give him up? It broke her heart to walk away from him once. There was no way she was making that same mistake twice.

The meeting dragged on, as did the rest of the afternoon. All day her mind drifted to thoughts of Hudson. She was dying to call him, if for no other reason than to hear his voice, but fought the urge. She knew if she gave in she’d end up spilling her guts over the phone, and she wanted to look into his eyes when she told him she was ending things with Julian; that she was choosing a life with him.

When six o’clock finally rolled around, she sent him a quick text.

Stopping by my place for clothes. Meet you at PH. Late dinner?

There was no reply. Come to think of it, she hadn’t heard from Hudson all day. She’d been so busy trying to keep her mind off calling him that she hadn’t even realized he’d never tried to call her. Not once. At first she thought it was odd, but then she reminded herself he was probably busy handling all the calls he’d ignored over the weekend. Or maybe he was with Nick.

Sweet little Nicky. Her heart sank at the thought of all that had happened to him as a young boy. And now he was in even worse shape. Just picturing the way he looked when he stepped off the elevator last night, like a stray that had been beaten and starved, made her shudder. She sent up a silent prayer that he’d finally accepted the help his older brother was offering.

Hudson never did tell her what had happened after he dropped her off at the penthouse, but whatever it was had been bad. Really bad. And knowing how Hudson felt about his brother, the responsibility he bore, she knew it was tearing him up inside. Was that what brought on his nightmare? The haunting image of him writhing as he fisted the sheets filled her mind. Allie had never witnessed a nightmare like that firsthand. It had been excruciating to watch him in so much pain, his legs tangled in the bedding, his face contorted, his chest heaving.

He wouldn’t talk about it in bed last night. No big surprise there. Hudson was always so guarded about his life, particularly his past, but Allie planned to bring it up the first chance she had. If they were going to build a life together, she wanted to be a part of all of it. The good and the bad. But more than that, she wanted to help him if she could. It was obvious from what she’d witnessed that he kept something buried deep inside, something that surfaced when he slept, gripping him when he was most vulnerable, when he had no control. She would do anything if it meant never seeing him in that kind of pain again. Anything.

At her apartment Allie quickly showered and changed into a chocolate-brown jersey dress, pairing it with the hoop earrings Hudson had once said caught the gold flecks in her hazel eyes. She left her hair in loose curls, just the way she knew he liked it, and at the last minute decided to leave her panties in the drawer. A shiver ran through her at the thought of his reaction when his questing fingers discovered her lack of lingerie.

Anxious to get to the penthouse, she grabbed a few outfits for work and threw them in a bag. She was halfway out the door when her phone rang. The screen read “private caller.” Hudson. Her lips curved into a wide smile as she answered the call. “Missing me?” she purred.

There was silence on the line, then a heavy exhale. “Oui, of course.”

“Julian?” She glanced at her watch, quickly adjusting for the time change. “What are you doing up so late? Isn’t it almost two in Paris?”

“I’m in Chicago. Actually, I’m stuck on the fucking Kennedy.”

“You’re back?” Her voice sounded much louder than she’d intended.

“My business concluded sooner than expected so I—how do you say?—caught a flight.”

Oh shit. She wasn’t expecting to have this conversation until next weekend. She needed time to prepare, time to sort out what she wanted to say. Maybe she could stall, at least buy herself one night.

“You must be exhausted. Get some sleep and we can meet for drinks after work tomorrow. The Peninsula, say six o’clock?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” There was a brief pause as he took a drag off his cigarette. “I told the driver to drop me at your apartment.”

She glanced around her apartment, but for what she had no idea. “How far out are you?”

“Je ne sais pas—fifteen, maybe twenty minutes. Sooner if these fucking imbeciles would learn to drive.”

What? The ride from O’Hare was always a nightmare. Just her luck tonight would be the exception.

“Great. I’ll see you then.” Allie tried to keep her voice light as she rushed him off the phone. She needed to collect herself. She needed to call Hudson. He was expecting her to meet him at his penthouse. Crap. This was not a conversation she wanted to have over the phone.

The call went to voice mail and Allie breathed a sigh of relief. She knew he would have pressed her for answers, and right now she just didn’t have the time. Hudson’s outgoing message was gruff, to the point, and for some bizarre reason, made her smile.

“Hi, it’s me. Um . . . Julian just called. He’s back in town and headed over here.” She paused, debating how much more to say, and then simply added, “I need to talk to him. I’ll call as soon as I can.”

***

When Julian arrived, he went straight to the kitchen to fix himself a drink. And if his bloodshot eyes were any indication, it wasn’t his first of the night. Or second, for that matter. If Allie had to guess, he’d probably had more than a few on the transatlantic flight. Had he always drank so much?

Glass in hand, he leaned against the counter, casting a leering glance down her body.

She felt her palms grow damp. There was no easy way to do this; might as well get it over with. “Julian . . .”

“Wait.” He strolled toward her, oozing arrogance. “Forgot one thing.” He leaned closer and the sour stench of alcohol mixed with the sweet scent of his cologne. Allie’s empty stomach churned. What had she ever seen in this man? Just as he was about to kiss her, she turned her head a fraction, offering him her cheek instead.