God, did he really have it in him to go through with this, knowing the personal cost to her? The alternative was to tell her he was the one taking her father’s company piece by piece in an intricate deal designed to force Richard Sinclair out of the trade.

Fuck. As if he had a choice.

“Allie,” Hudson yelled as he turned off the water. Stepping out of the shower and into the hell of his own making, he snapped a towel off the rack and wrapped it around his hips. “Allie?”

He strode out of the bathroom and, seeing an empty bed, started toward the living room. He halted midstride outside his office door. “There you are. What are you doing out of bed?”

“I needed to use the phone. I wanted to accept the job at the Harris Group, have a fresh start.” The blood seemed to drain from her face as she finished the sentence.

Dozens of thoughts fired in Hudson’s head. “You okay?”

Allie’s eyes dropped to the document on the desk in front of her. “I was looking for a pen . . .”

Hudson moved farther into the room and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of his company’s letterhead. “I was going to tell you. I wanted you to hear it from me.”

Her eyes shot up to his. “When, Hudson? When were you planning to tell me?”

“I was waiting for the right time.”

“And how much longer were you going to fuck me before the time felt right?”

Hudson’s jaw tightened and his shoulders straightened. “You were never just a fuck.”

“Funny, since right now that’s exactly how I feel.” Allie’s bitter exterior slipped and tears pooled in her eyes as she pushed up from the desk and stormed back into the bedroom.

Hudson followed after her, tightening the grip on his towel. “Damn it, Allie. Let me explain.”

“I think it’s pretty clear. What I don’t understand is why?”

“It’s simple. The company fits nicely into my portfolio. I saw an opportunity and I took it.”

“And all the better since it’s my family, right?” Allie’s eyes darted toward the bathroom where her bloodstained dress hung over the side of the tub. She grabbed the sweatpants he’d offered her the night before and yanked them up her legs. “Was this all some plan to get back at me for hurting you ten years ago? Or was it just part of the thrill, taking the company while taking me to bed?”

“You were never a part of the plan, Alessandra. The wheels were in motion long before I saw you at the museum.” Hudson blew out a harsh breath. “Christ, I didn’t even know it was your family’s company.”

“You expect me to believe that?” Allie rolled her eyes at him while shoving her feet into her pumps.

“I knew you as Allie Sinclair. How the hell was I supposed to know you were a fucking Ingram?”

“I’m sure you came across the names of the board members during your research. The name Richard Sinclair didn’t ring any bells?”

“I didn’t know your father’s name was Richard. If you recall, you weren’t exactly bringing me home to meet your parents.”

Allie pushed sideways past him and into the Great Room.

“Damn it. Goddamnit to fucking hell.” Hudson was tight on her heels. “By the time I realized the connection, we were . . .”

Stopping short, Allie whirled around. Her stare was absolutely furious. “I get it. By the time you realized the connection you were already fucking me across the living room floor. No reason to mess up a good thing when you could keep stringing me along till the deal was done.”

“I should have told you, but I wanted time to get to know you again. I was afraid you wouldn’t give us a chance if you knew.” The silence in the room became tangible and he waited for some sign, any sign, that she might forgive him.

“You could have stopped the deal.” Her voice wavered to the point of cracking.

When he didn’t answer, Allie grabbed her purse off the chair and headed toward the elevator.

Hudson followed. “It wouldn’t have made a difference,” he offered as some sort of consolation. “Your father’s company is a sinking ship and he knows it. If it wasn’t me moving in to salvage Ingram, it would have been someone else.”

“But it wasn’t someone else, Hudson. It was you. You were the one responsible for all of this.”

The hell if he was taking the bullet for Julian and her father. “I wasn’t the one bartering your affections.” He knew damn well it was a cheap shot and he regretted the words the minute they left his mouth.

Fuck.

Allie flinched and tears sprang to her eyes as she turned to punch the call button. He wanted her to punch him instead. Use him to bear her pain. Let him feel her anger and disappointment in his skin. And when she was finished, let him hold her as she cried.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have . . .”

“Why not? It’s true, isn’t it? Last night, right before he attacked me, Julian told me I was no better than the whores he paid.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I hated him for that, but he was right. My engagement was nothing more than my parents selling me to the highest bidder.” She wiped her face with the back of her hand. “The worst part is, I didn’t even care. All I kept thinking was how none of it mattered because after all these years we could finally be together.”

Allie stepped into the waiting elevator and pressed the button. “You were the one person I thought I could count on.”

Hudson raised his arm to stop the door from closing. “I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you.” His throat was raw and a blazing pain burned the center of his chest. As he looked at her, he could see the resolve in her eyes, along with the heart-wrenching betrayal that was going to haunt him for the rest of his life. He relinquished his hold on the elevator doors, letting them slide closed.

And just like that, she was gone.

Four Days Later . . .

Allie slipped her sunglasses on and started the engine of her silver BMW. She’d spent the past four days holed up in her brownstone, letting her bruises heal while she tried to sort out the mess that had become her life. It had taken countless hours of soul searching and an obscene amount of Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Chocolate Chip, but she was finally ready to confront her parents.

Ready to start living life on her own terms.

And she had to do it all on her own. No Astor Place brownstone. No Barneys credit card. No trust fund disbursements. Nothing. She would live within the means her new job allowed, just like any other twenty-seven-year-old.

Nerves churned in Allie’s stomach as she merged onto the highway. She tried to distract herself by running through the rest of the items on her list. The next step was finding a roommate. Rent in Chicago was sky-high, and even though her job at the Harris Group would pay more than her previous position, it was hardly enough.

Allie hit the speed dial for Harper’s cell and waited while the phone rang over the car’s Bluetooth system.

“Jeez, I thought he’d never let you up for air,” Harper said without so much as a “hello.”

“What?”

“Hudson.”

Allie’s heart lurched at the sound of his name. Of all the times for the queen of nicknames to change her ways. She could have handled any of the annoying terms of endearment Harper was so fond of using, but hearing Hudson’s name echo through her car made a lump form in the back of Allie’s throat.

“I mean I can only assume he’s the one responsible for your terrible case of the flu,” Harper said, stressing the last word sarcastically. “Seeing as how you haven’t taken so much as one sick day in the past three years.” Allie steered her car onto the exit ramp as her friend prattled on. “I also assume he’s had you tied to his headboard this whole time, which would account for all the unanswered texts.”

“Are you done?” Allie asked, trying to keep her voice steady. She could make all the lists in the world, but it wouldn’t erase his image from her memory . . . or his touch.