It wasn’t a request, and she could tell by the tone of his voice there was no sense in arguing. Badly bruised? Allie gingerly touched the tender skin around her eye. “How bad does it look?”

Hudson’s brow creased.

“That bad, huh?” Her heart sank. After all these years she and Hudson were finally together and she looked like she’d gone eight rounds in a boxing ring.

His expression softened as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You look beautiful, Allie. I just thought you’d rather not have to explain.”

“Mmm, good point.” The last the last thing she wanted was to answer questions about the bruises on her face. The more people who knew about Julian’s attack, the more likely it would make the news. Her father would undoubtedly block Ingram subsidiaries from covering the story, but his influence only extended so far. Plenty of rags and websites would be thrilled to run with the story of a battered heiress. Her privacy had to come first, which was why she’d opted not to file a police report. There was no doubt Julian deserved to go to jail, but calling the police would have alerted the media as well. And while the image of Julian in an orange jumpsuit bitching about the lack of caviar and French champagne was tempting, it wasn’t worth being dragged through the tabloid mud.

She knew none of her coworkers would tip off the press. Most of them were her friends, and the rest were far too afraid of the wrath of Victoria Sinclair to risk it. But she also knew if she showed her face at the office, it would only be a matter of time before word of her condition reached her mother. She wasn’t ready for that confrontation just yet. Eventually she would tell her parents what that monster had done to her. The monster they’d unleashed. But for now she had no desire to leave Hudson’s arms, let alone his penthouse.

Allie’s eyes drifted shut.

“Is the pain worse?” Hudson asked, his concern evident.

She opened her eyes to find him staring at her intently. “No.” She placed her hand on the side of his face and smiled. “It’s much better, actually.”

For the first time in her life, Allie was exactly where she wanted to be.

“So a day in bed, huh? Is that your professional opinion, Dr. Chase?” Her fingers stroked across his bare shoulder and down his bicep.

“If you’re head’s still hurting, you probably have a concussion. So yes, your day will be spent in bed.”

“Sounds perfect.” Allie’s fingers trailed down his stomach before disappearing under the sheet. “Perhaps you’d like to do a more thorough examination?”

Hudson caught her wrist. “Resting in bed, Alessandra.”

Uh-oh, the full name. “Where are you going?” she asked as he slid out of bed.

He leaned down, dropping a quick kiss on her mouth. “To take a shower.”

Allie felt a stab of disappointment. “You’re going to the office?”

“No, I’m working from home today.”

Not her first choice, but better than the alternative. She propped a pillow against the headboard and leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. “Well, I still I need to call my office,” she pouted.

“Already took care of it. I texted Harper last night, let her know you weren’t feeling well.”

Her mouth popped open. “How did you do that?

“With a phone. Now rest.”

Allie wanted to ask him to elaborate, but Hudson disappeared into the bathroom before she could get the words out of her mouth. She shook her head. Under normal circumstances, such an intrusion would have annoyed her. But how could she be angry with him for going all alpha male when somehow he always seemed to know exactly what she needed?

The sound of running water came from the master bathroom. Hudson was in the shower. Naked. Her thoughts drifted to images of water cascading over his chest . . . his body pressing hers against the cool granite . . . his fingers gliding over her wet skin . . . his hand lifting her leg around his hips . . .

For a moment she considered joining him, but she knew Mr. Overprotective would flip even though she was pretty sure he’d climbed out of bed hard as a rock.

Honestly, what was all the fuss about? She felt fine. Actually, she felt great. Liberated, even. She was finally taking charge of her life. The first step had been ending things with Julian. Granted that hadn’t gone very well, but the end result was the same. He was out of her life. As for her parents, she was done letting her sense of family obligation dictate her decisions, and she planned to confront them about their lies and manipulations as soon as the rest of her life was in order. At the top of her to-do list was reconsidering the job offer from the Harris Group. Just thinking about a new position based on her own merits, not her birth certificate, put a smile on her face.

A fresh start. That was exactly what she needed. And the sooner the better.

Her mind made up, Allie threw back the duvet, not wanting to wait another minute to start this new chapter of her life. She slipped out of bed and into the adjoining study to call Oliver Harris. Hudson would be thrilled when she told him the good news. A celebration would definitely be in order.

As the phone rang, she leaned back in Hudson’s leather chair. The gentle rocking motion brought back memories of the call she’d interrupted. A lascivious smile spread across her face. On second thought, maybe she would join him in the shower after all. No need to wait until tonight to start celebrating.

A receptionist answered the phone, interrupting Allie’s illicit thoughts. She was all business as she efficiently transferred the call to whom Allie assumed would be a personal assistant.

“Mr. Harris,” she said, surprised to hear him answer the call directly. “This is Alessandra Sinclair. We spoke a few weeks ago?”

“Of course, Miss Sinclair, how could I forget? Not every day I ask someone to join my company.”

“That’s actually why I’m calling. I’d love to come to work for the Harris Group.” A thought occurred to her, and she quickly added, “Assuming the job is still available.”

“Absolutely. This is wonderful news, Alessandra. We’ve already discussed salary but I’m sure you have questions about our benefits package. My HR director can go over all that with you and start the necessary paperwork. Let me give you her name and number.”

Allie swiveled Hudson’s chair, searching the drawers for a paper and pen. When she opened the center drawer, a name on a document caught her eye. She scanned the paragraphs of legal jargon, barely listening as Oliver Harris provided the necessary information.

. . . extensive due diligence of significant assets . . .

“I have a very good feeling about this,” he said. “And I’d like you to start as soon as possible.”

. . . resistance to acquisition . . .

“I assume you’ll need to give notice to your current employer?”

Allie answered without giving the question any thought. “Yes.”

. . . through shell companies and charitable foundations . . .

“Would you be able to start in two weeks?”

. . . Chase Industries . . . sufficient shares . . .

Her throat burned and she swallowed hard. “That’s fine,” she mumbled.

“Great. I’ll see you then.”

. . . for controlling interest of Ingram Media.

Allie wasn’t even sure she managed a good-bye before she hung up the phone and fell back against Hudson’s chair.

Chapter Forty

Hudson leaned against the wall of the shower, the hot water cascading down his chest and abs. As the soap ran down between his legs and dripped off the end of his still-erect cock, he tried not to think about the woman in the other room who he was dying to make love to. He’d managed to convince his brain not to go back into the bedroom, but his hard-on was still behind the curve.