by B. Love
Unwillingly, Hudson allowed her to remove her hand so they could continue to eat.
“Yes, I’m a dancer. I do all kinds. The bulk of my money comes from doing videos and classes, but ballet is my heart. My passion. What I want to spend my life doing.”
“What’s stopping you?”
Twisting her mouth to the side, Reina put her fork down as her shoulders fell. “I haven’t really been successful at it. I know that I’m good. It’s just hard to be seen.”
“Do you have any credibility? Any schooling?” Her head shook. “I’m sure that has something to do with it.”
“Yes, and the fact that I’m black.” She chuckled quietly as she avoided his eyes. “But I haven’t really had the time or resources to go to school. My focus has been my family for quite some time. All of the money I’ve ever made has really gone towards the bills and taking care of my brothers.” Reina sighed softly and wrapped her hand around her wine glass. “My reality has taken up priority, so I’ve given up my dream temporarily of becoming a prima ballerina.”
She picked the glass up and took a large gulp.
Hudson didn’t even have to think about it before he said, “There’s no point in your man being rich if you can’t reap the benefits. I’m not sure why I haven’t done it already, but I’ll pay for you to go to school. Help you travel so you can connect and network. Get your name and face out there in the circuit.”
Shaking her head adamantly, Reina put the wine glass down. “No, Hudson. I couldn’t ask you to do something like that.”
He smiled as he took her hand into his. “You don’t have to ask; I’m offering.”
“But still. That’s a big investment…”
“And I have no problem making it.” Her face softened, and his voice grew just as soft when he asked, “You’re going to be my wife one day, right?” Eyes watering, Reina nodded as she blinked rapidly. “So you get what you want. And if you want to be a prima ballerina, we’re going to do everything we possibly can to make that happen.”
Returning his attention to his plate, Hudson forked a large helping of greens into his mouth. He wasn’t expecting Reina to wrap her arms tightly around him, so he smiled and dropped his fork when she did. The kiss she placed on his neck had him clenching his jaw and closing his eyes. He felt like a teenager all over again who struggled to control his hormones as his dick began to grow.
“Are you sure?” she asked before releasing a shaky breath.
“I’m positive.”
Slowly, Hudson turned his head in her direction. Her tears had begun to fall, and they were enough to soften his heart towards her even more. This was something he should have been done for her, unless she’d been putting up an independent fight. Whatever the case, Hudson was happy to do this for her and anything else she wanted and needed. Money was a resource for him. He didn’t give a fuck what he did with it as long as it brought him joy – and her happiness and gratitude brought him pure joy.
After she told him thank you what sounded like a million times, she placed a kiss to the side of his mouth and released him. They finished their food but didn’t leave the dining room. Instead, they stayed there to talk and get to know each other. Hudson requested that she tell him more about herself, and so it wouldn’t feel like a one-sided conversation, he reminded her of things about himself that she already knew.
He listened intently as Reina shared the facts about herself. She was two months away from turning twenty-three. She was the second oldest of five children. Her parents were no longer together, and the relationship she had with her mother was weird. As long as she was giving her money they were on good terms. Laditra had never been the type of woman to vocally express her love, approval, and support. In fact, Reina realized in that moment that it had been years since she’d told her that she loved her.
Some of her hobbies included bicycling, horseback riding, and journaling. While dancing was her passion, writing was a second love. She loved journaling and creating short stories. Reina had never wanted to be anything other than a world-famous ballerina, but if she had to spend her life doing anything else, it would be writing.
She loved trap music and R&B. Her favorite movies were Bring it On and Save the Last Dance, and Hudson wasn’t surprised. Reina loved eating fresh, whole food. She loved a good, hearty salad. And salmon. And her favorite color was red.
“What’s the way to your heart?” he asked, pouring the last of the wine into their glasses.
Reina’s eyes lifted to the ceiling as she thought over his question. When the answer came to mind, she smiled and returned her eyes to him.
“Support.” Made sense, especially since it seemed like she didn’t get that from either of her parents. “Your turn. Tell me about you.”
Hudson chuckled, feeling silly for sharing things with her that she already knew, but he did. He told her about his parents and his older brother. How close everyone in his family was. How it felt being over a large part of the family business. He’d always been into math and numbers, so it made sense for him to have the position he had.
Hudson shared with her how he loved reading, volunteering, hunting and fishing. Football was his favorite sport, but he watched and enjoyed basketball and baseball too. He was a mood listener. How he felt in that moment determined what he listened to. In any moment, he could go from listening to Pac and Nip or Yo Gotti and Moneybagg Yo to Jhene Aiko or Donnie McClurkin. He wouldn’t say he had a favorite movie, but he loved watching anything with action and crime. His favorite color was blue, and his favorite food was any type of pasta.
“What’s the way to your heart?” Reina asked, and even though Hudson was sure she would since he asked her, he hadn’t given it much thought.
He thought over it for a while before saying, “Acceptance.”
With a soft nod, Reina took his hand into hers and kissed his palm. “I think I can handle that.”
Hudson smirked and stood as he helped her out of her seat. “I’m sure you can. How you feeling? You in the mood to go to the theater and watch a movie?”
“Yea. Sure. How do you feel?”
“I’m good. A little tired, but I’m straight.”
At the sound of their voices, Rose met them in the hallway.
“How was dinner,” she checked, looking from one to the other.
“It was good as usual,” Hudson assured, taking Reina’s hand into his and pulling her closer to his side.
“Can I get you anything before we clean and leave for the evening?”
“Nah. Y’all can head on out and have an early night. We’re going to watch a movie or two before I head in.”
Hudson hated that he yawned because Rose immediately went into smother mode. She insisted that he rest and call in a night, but that was the last thing Hudson wanted to do. If he slept, he wouldn’t have time to talk to and look at Reina.
Once they made it to the theater room, Reina excused herself. While he waited for her, Hudson browsed his selection of movies, settling on Angel Has Fallen since he hadn’t gotten around to seeing it yet. He didn’t start it right away, wanting to make sure Reina hadn’t watched it and that it was something she was even interested in.
When she returned to the theater, she was holding two bowls of popcorn. After handing him one, she sat down and snuggled up in the chair next to him. Hudson looked from his bowl to hers, smiling at the recollection that his was slightly burnt.
“You remembered,” he mumbled.
“I’m not the one who lost my memory.”
Her statement combined with her wink made Hudson laugh. “Your ass got jokes I see.”
“It’s the truth.” Her voice was low yet loud. And innocent. Reina giggled, but it turned into her biting down on her bottom lip when Hudson leaned forward.
Their faces were merely an inch apart – giving him the chance to inhale her exhales. And it was in that moment that he realized how crucial to his recovery Reina was. Not the physical part. That was done. But the mental and emo
tional part. Because ever since he’d laid eyes on her, this shit had been a breeze. It may not be that way every second of the day, but it was more than enough for now.
“I’m happy you’re here.”
With a smile, Reina cupped his cheek. “I’m happy to be here.”
Resting his forehead on hers, Hudson closed his eyes as he inhaled a deep breath.
“It’s okay to kiss me. If you want,” she granted.
Releasing a heavy breath, Hudson groaned at the sight of her eyes closing. Her mouth opened partially as her brows wrinkled.
She wanted this just as bad as he did.
He warred within himself for a moment on if he should actually kiss her. His mind told him to resist but his mouth refused. An undeniable magnetism began to build between them. And as slow as Hudson wanted to take things, that felt impossible when he grazed his lips with hers.
Jesus Christ.
Hudson had no idea how slow he’d be able to take things from this point forward… and if Reina kept opening herself up to him and making him feel so safe and comfortable… he would no longer try.
Chapter 4
Reina
The picture that Reina had seen of Hudson didn’t do him any justice. He was even bigger and more handsome in person. Last night, she offered to sleep in the guest room until he was more comfortable with her, but Hudson wanted her close. She went to sleep peacefully in a man’s arms for the first time in her life. But, around three in the morning, Reina woke up out of her sleep. She spent the next couple of hours staring at Hudson’s reflection as he slept underneath the glowing light of the moon.
Once the sun came up, Reina got up and started her day. First, she put a note for Hudson on the bathroom mirror, then went to the guestroom next door to get ready for her workout so she wouldn’t wake him up. She ended up working out and dancing for two hours before showering. It was when she went back to his room to put her things back in the bathroom that she noticed he was up. Freshly showered. Sitting on the edge of his bed.
“Good morning, handsome,” she greeted with a smile, heading to the bathroom.
“Good morning, gorgeous.” Hudson waited until she came out of the bathroom to ask, “How’d you sleep? And thank you for the note. It was a sweet way to wake up.”
“Good. Short but good. And no problem.”
She walked over to him and gave him a kiss on his cheek, which led to him gripping her neck and putting a quick kiss onto her lips. Nothing too long or deep, but it was enough to make her nipples harden as chill bumps covered her arms.
“How did you sleep?” she asked, sitting next to him.
“Good as hell. I’ve been missing my bed, and apparently you too because I haven’t slept that good in a while.”
Her smile faltered slightly but she quickly put it back. Reina figured there was a good chance that she would fall for Hudson if he was a good man, but she certainly didn’t expect to like him as much as she did as quickly as she had. Their connection, though new, was already deepening. And though they were technically strangers, she felt like she’d known him for quite some time.
“Uh…” Reina looked back, needing a reason to change the subject. When her eyes landed on the book that Rose had given her on the nightstand, she stood and walked over to it. “I figured you would want to get back to your morning reading. Isn’t this what you were reading last?”
Picking up the book, Reina walked back over to the edge of the bed and handed it to him. Hudson ran his fingers over the front cover of “The Stand” by Stephen King. His eyes blinked a few times before he released a loaded sigh. Reina placed her hand on his thigh, wondering if this would be the first time he showed her any ill feelings towards losing his short term memory.
“I guess. I can’t remember shit about it, though.”
The sad look that covered his face made Reina’s heart ache. Wrapping her arm around his neck, she pulled him towards her and kissed his cheek. Rubbing it with her nose, she suggested, “Well… if you start it now, I can get a copy and read it with you. That way we can discuss it together when we’re through.”
Hudson turned his head in her direction. “Or, I can read it to you.” For a few seconds, all they did was stare at each other. “Unless you have something else you need to do right now.”
“Oh. No. I was just going to give you your space. I know you like to read and swim every morning, so I was just gonna do my own thing until you wanted me.”
Putting the book on the side of him with a low chuckle, Hudson hung his head before looking into her eyes. “I’ve been gone for a long time. I want you close, Golden.”
His fingers slid down her cheek, and she covered his hand and kept it there. “Golden?”
“Because of your eyes. Did I have another nickname for you?”
Reina smiled and bit down on her lip. “No… but I like that. A lot. And I would love for you to read to me.”
Because truthfully, Hudson was like no other man she’d ever encountered in her life. Out of all the boyfriends she had, none of them were interested in reading and discussing topics that had depth. None of them had ever really been her friend. They were more so sex buddies that she went on dates with. But over the course of one night, she’d gotten to know more about Hudson than she’d known about men that she’d dated for months in the past.
None of them had ever included her in their recreational activities or tried to include themselves in the things she loved.
They got back into bed and snuggled up close to each other. It was hard for Reina not to look from the book to his face as he read. Quite frankly, it was hard for her to pay attention for the first couple of pages. She kept getting lost in his good looks, smooth, deep, low voice, and woodsy scent. But when she did finally focus, she started to enjoy the book. Usually, she preferred reading romance and women’s fiction, but she was starting to see why so many people enjoyed Stephen King’s books.
By the time they were on page ten, Rose was knocking on the door, bringing them a tray of breakfast.
“You didn’t have to do that, Rose.” Hudson put the book down and stood to help her with the large tray.
“I did. You ignored the breakfast call, and breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”
“We got caught up in this book. But thank you.”
Giving Hudson a curt nod, Rose stared at Reina before tilting her chin and walking out. As Reina laughed and shook her head Hudson apologized, handing her the tray as he got back in bed.
“You don’t have to apologize. I’m used to living with a woman with mood swings. One minute Rose acts like she can stand me and the next she looks at me like I stole her man.”
“You’re referring to your mother?” Hudson clarified, putting half of the tray between his legs and the other between hers.
Reina nodded, looking over the spread of food that was before them. “Yea. She… has a way about her is all I can say.”
“Tell me about it.”
Their eyes remained locked for a while. No man had ever shown interest in her relationship with her mother. If she was ever upset, they would simply wish her well. Releasing a shaky breath, Reina looked away as her eyes watered. She picked up the small glass of orange juice and took a sip before telling Hudson about her toxic relationship with her mother. Last night, she’d shared with him the fact that her father left them and that her older sister left as soon as she could, but that was it.
Now, she told him about her mother’s dependency on her and Rico for money and how she did the bare minimum with Wykeem and Bentley. Her rule was that you had to put up money when you turned eighteen, but she certainly didn’t mind taking what Reina was sure was drug money from her seventeen-year-old son. Rumors had been spreading that Rico would leave school halfway through to hang on the corner, but Reina could never catch him there.
“They’re more like my children than hers,” Reina shared, brushing her nose. “But she hates that, so she always tries to disrespect me in front of them ins
tead of appreciating the fact that I pick up the slack for her.”
“Have I met any of them before? I hope so since you’re wearing my ring.”
Her smile stretched her mouth as she lowered her head briefly. “No, you haven’t. But that’s not because of you. I don’t let anyone meet my family. My brothers, I would love for you to meet someday soon. But my mother? Nah.” She tried to lighten the mood to keep from getting irritated by adding, “You’ll like me less after meeting that lady.”
“I doubt there’s anything she can be, say, or do to change the way I feel for you.”
Unable to resist, Reina placed a sweet kiss to his lips before she smiled and pulled away. As she returned her attention to the food, Hudson stared at her in that way that he’d been doing all day yesterday. Reina was used to men looking at her, of course, but it was something about the way Hudson did. Something that made her feel as if she was truly the most beautiful girl in the world.
When they were done with breakfast, they returned to the book for another hour or so before Hudson went out for his swim. Reina started to join him but later decided not to. Even though he wanted her close, she had to remind herself that this was a job… not a real relationship. It was going to be hard, but she would have to keep herself from developing too strong of an attachment to him.
At any moment, his memory could return, and all of this would be over.
She had to keep telling herself that Hudson liked her because he felt he was supposed to… not because he chose to… and that was the only thing strong enough to make Reina keep her distance.
Chapter 5
Reina
She’d almost blown her cover. Unintentionally of course. Earlier this morning, Reina and Hudson went for a walk together. It rained all day yesterday, so there were puddles here and there. When they passed a puddle in their walkway, Hudson lifted Reina up bridal style and carried her so that she wouldn’t get her feet wet. It was the first time a man had ever done something so gentlemanly, and it caught her off guard. She had a slip of the tongue and said that, and Hudson heard her.
