Wild Thing

by Nicola Marsh

  But she’d been too sated, too languid to move, so she hadn’t protested when he’d swept her up in his arms like some goddamn hero out of those romance novels Charlotte devoured and taken her to his bedroom.

  Where she’d stayed all night.

  Makayla never slept over with any of the guys she dated. She enjoyed the foreplay, tried to enjoy the sex, then left.

  That was another thing. The sex. Usually, she got off more on the foreplay. The teasing. The flirting. The touches. The glances. The act itself, not so much. In her experience, most men didn’t pay enough attention to her body beyond sticking it in and giving her orgasm a passing thought.

  Not Hudson. Hudson had strummed her body like a maestro. Caressing every inch. Exploring every crevice with his mouth, his hands. Licking every erogenous zone. Coming back for more. Four times.

  She’d never had sex five times in one night. Incredible. Memorable.

  Diabolical.

  Because as the first fingers of dawn stole through the blinds, highlighting the slumbering sex god by her side, all she could think was where the hell did they go from here?

  ‘I can hear you thinking.’ A low rumble came from beneath the covers as he rolled over to face her. ‘Stop overanalysing.’

  She tugged the sheet higher, feeling oddly vulnerable despite the many ways he’d already seen her body last night. ‘Hey, I just woke up. I’m not overanalysing anything.’

  ‘Sure you are,’ he said, trailing a fingertip down her cheek in a tender gesture that brought an unexpected lump to her throat. ‘To be expected after the way you ravaged me last night.’

  She feigned mock outrage and swatted his hand away. ‘As I recall, you did most of the ravaging, mister.’

  ‘I remember.’ His eyes darkened to indigo, the spark of lust unmistakeable. ‘And I plan to do it all over again, starting now.’

  Makayla would like nothing better than to lose herself under his skilful ministrations but she knew walking away without clarifying what had happened between them would be wrong considering she’d be seeing him at rehearsals this afternoon.

  ‘Wait,’ she said, placing a palm against his chest. His heart pounded beneath it. Strong. Steady. Dependable.

  Just like Hudson. He’d been her rock growing up. Her friend. Until he’d misjudged her and ended up leaving her alone like everyone else in her life.

  She’d learned a hard lesson then: never depend on anyone but herself. A mantra she’d stuck to. It had served her well. Independence above all else.

  But there was a fine line between independence and foolishness. And that was a line she’d be treading if she didn’t acknowledge that thanks to Hudson she now had a shot at a serious career boost, but she might have screwed it up by sleeping with her boss.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ A frown marred his brow and she itched to reach out and smooth it away.

  ‘Don’t get me wrong, last night was amazing, but...’ She floundered, searching for the right words to convey her confusion and concern.

  ‘But you don’t want a repeat, is that it?’ His frown deepened, his mouth twisting with regret.

  ‘I... I don’t know what I want,’ she admitted, rubbing her neck to ease the tension making her muscles bunch. ‘The sex we had was phenomenal and so damn rare I want to do it over and over again. But I’ve worked my ass off as a dancer for years and your show is the first big break I’ve had in ages, so I don’t want to mess with that. Plus you’re my boss and I don’t want rumours circulating that I score roles by sleeping with the boss. So even if we do keep this thing between us going, it’ll have to be a secret, but that sounds so dirty, and that’s not us—’

  ‘Whoa, slow down, take a breath.’ He rested his hand on her waist, the heat comforting through the cotton. ‘So the sex was phenomenal, huh?’

  She huffed out an angry breath. ‘Typical guy, homing in on the sex and ignoring the rest.’

  ‘I’m kidding, sweetheart.’ He leaned forward to brush a soft kiss against her lips. ‘Are you saying you want us to continue this?’

  She wanted to lie. She wanted to run, far from his persuasive mouth and soul-searching eyes. But this was Hudson, the guy who’d once looked out for her, and she wouldn’t mess with their friendship again. Not when having him back in her life now was like a precious gift she’d unwrapped and savoured.

  ‘At the risk of sounding like a complete idiot, I had a crush on you way back when, so last night was pretty damn incredible,’ she said, relieved when his frown cleared. ‘And yeah, call me greedy, I want more.’

  A slow grin eased across his face. ‘I’m all for more—’

  ‘But I don’t want it at the expense of my career.’ She sounded callous, calculating, but it had to be this way. Self-preservation was the only thing that had kept her going all these years when she’d scrimped to get by. ‘Call me heartless, whatever, but I’ve never let a relationship come between me and my goals and I’m not about to start now, even for you.’

  ‘Wow,’ he said, wariness creeping into his eyes. ‘You’re a straight shooter.’

  ‘I have a low tolerance for BS.’ She shrugged. ‘So I guess we play this my way or not at all.’

  ‘I have a low tolerance for ultimatums,’ he said, his frown returning. ‘But I get where you’re coming from.’

  An ache filled her chest and spread outward, numbing her arms. In telling him the truth, had she lost him before this had really begun?

  ‘Where do we go from here?’

  He took an eternity to answer, conflicting emotions scudding across his steady gaze. Hope. Concern. Excitement. Recalcitrance.

  When he opened his mouth to respond, she braced for an answer she wouldn’t like.

  ‘Mak, I’ve fantasised about you for years and now that I’ve had one stupendous night with you, do you honestly think I’m stupid enough to let you go?’ His hand resting on her waist drifted upward in a slow caress that ended at her face, where he cupped her cheek. ‘We’ll play this your way. Whatever you want. Whenever you want. No one needs to know but us.’

  Relief made her tremble, and she launched herself at him, burying her face against his chest. ‘Thank you.’

  His arms slid around her, warm, comforting. She snuggled deeper, feeling like she’d just won the lottery, a great job and a sensational guy as a bonus. It had been a long time since luck had been on her side. She didn’t want anything to mess this up.

  ‘Mak?’

  ‘Hmm?’

  ‘If this is our secret, can we get to the dirty part now?’

  She chuckled against his chest before easing away, feeling more light-hearted than she had in ages. ‘I need to get to work.’

  ‘This won’t take long.’

  His wolfish grin made her tingle with anticipation as he slid a condom on and scooted down the bed, taking the cover sheet with him. Leaving her bare and exposed, the faint red marks on her skin evidence of their wonderful night of debauchery.

  He slid a finger between her folds, a long sweep that had her arching towards him. ‘So wet,’ he said, lifting the finger to his mouth before licking it. ‘So sweet.’

  Makayla stared at the most erotic thing she’d ever seen, him tasting her unashamedly. She loved how uninhibited he was, as if the sex was merely an extension of their friendship.

  ‘What are you going to do—? Ooh...’ He nudged her knees apart, positioned himself and drove into her in one smooth thrust.

  ‘No time for foreplay, you said.’ He lifted her ass with his hands and slid a pillow under it, lifting her hips, giving him better access to hit her sweet spot when he thrust again. ‘So I better make this quickie count.’

  In response, Makayla wrapped her legs around him and interlocked her ankles, while bracing her hands behind her head. ‘Go right ahead.’

  He laughed at her devil-may-care posture and reached down to rub
her clit. ‘You look like you’re floating on a daybed in a pool.’

  ‘Except for this, of course.’ She gave his butt a little kick with her feet. ‘This posture would not be suitable poolside.’

  ‘True.’ He withdrew slowly and drove into her with renewed purpose to prove it. Over and over. Hard thrusts. Long thrusts. Making her body wind tight with every exquisite movement.

  His thumb circled her clit, light flicks alternating with deeper pressure, keeping time as he pumped into her. She watched him touching her, watched him driving into her, more turned on than she’d ever been.

  The pleasure built as he picked up speed, pounding into her so hard that her elbows knocked the headboard repeatedly.

  ‘Hudson...’ Her body stiffened, spasmed, as she came on a low moan, echoed by him a second later.

  Boneless, she unlocked her legs, and he collapsed on top of her, generous to a fault even now as he rolled his weight to one side so as not to crush her.

  ‘Have I made you late for work?’ he mumbled against her neck, nipping the tender skin below her ear.

  ‘All good,’ she said, too sated to move but knowing that Remy would kill her if she rocked up late for the second morning in a row. ‘In fact, I have time for a shower, if you’d like to join me?’

  ‘You’ll be late.’ He nuzzled her, making her skin pebble as his hand drifted up her thigh, his fingertips skating across her stomach, before coming to rest a fraction away from her mound. ‘Better ring ahead and let them know now.’

  Makayla did exactly that.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  THE END OF the week couldn’t come quick enough for Hudson.

  Usually, he dreaded weekends for the simple fact he worked long hours at the theatre followed by busy nights at the club.

  This weekend would be different.

  He had a date lined up with Mak, a step back in time, that he hoped would solidify what he already knew.

  They were frigging great together.

  Being a couple hadn’t interfered with their work. If anything, her dancing had moved to a new level, filled with a passion and grace found lacking in many on stage these days. Or maybe he was just biased and saw sensuousness in her every move considering they’d spent every night this week wrapped in each other’s arms.

  He couldn’t get enough and, thankfully, the feeling was entirely mutual.

  ‘Hey, Hudson, how’s it hanging?’ The booming voice of Reg Grober, Sydney’s leading backer of every single show to hit Australian shores, rang out across the stage as the tall, grey-haired power broker strode towards him. ‘Unearthed any stars lately?’

  Hudson had gained something of a reputation over the last few years for taking unknown talent and casting them in well-known stage musicals, only to find their star taking off. He prided himself on his eye for talent and was proud to call Reg a friend.

  He might have a great job managing Embue and knew he could always count on his bestie Tanner, but he’d learned from a young age that jobs weren’t always rock solid and people weren’t always dependable. He viewed Reg as a security blanket, a contact that could come in handy one day if the bottom of his world ever fell out, as it had before.

  ‘I’ve got a new show starting next week at the nightclub I manage. Some great performers there. You should come see.’ He shook Reg’s hand when he stuck it out. ‘Let me know which night and I’ll leave your name on the door.’

  ‘I might just do that.’ Reg gestured around the empty theatre. ‘Can’t believe we’ve had a sell-out here for the duration. Who knew people liked musicals about Aussie icons at the beach?’

  ‘Whatever you touch turns to gold, mate.’

  Reg acknowledged the compliment with a broad grin. ‘Speaking of gold, know any outstanding dancers? I’m involved in a start-up on Broadway and one of the chorus busted her leg. We need someone good to start over there in a month.’

  Hudson’s heart pounded in his chest, making him oddly breathless. He knew a dancer, one of the best, whose dream was to star on Broadway.

  However, when he’d told her he might have contacts to help her get there he’d never anticipated it would be so soon.

  If he put Mak’s name forward, she could leave him in a month.

  Four short weeks.

  And they’d be over before they’d really begun.

  For a long moment, he considered lying. But this was Mak and he couldn’t do it to her, no matter how selfish he was and wanted to keep her to himself for a little longer.

  ‘I do know someone. She’d be perfect.’

  Reg beamed. ‘Great. We’ll be auditioning in a week so I’ll send you the details.’ He tapped the side of his nose. ‘And I’ll make sure to be completely unbiased, even though I know that anyone you send me will have an automatic walk-up role.’

  ‘Thanks, Reg.’ Hudson shook his hand again and waved the clipboard in his free one. ‘Got to get back to work.’

  ‘Sure thing, I’ll leave you to it.’

  As Reg walked away, Hudson knew he should call Mak and share the good news. He delved into his pocket, pulled out his cell and brought up her name. However, his thumb hovered on the call button as a host of unwelcome thoughts flooded him.

  Once she found out, would she end this thing between them now to focus on her big break?

  Would she stay with him for the next few weeks out of obligation, as a thank-you for getting her the job?

  Or the biggie, if he laid it all on the line, would she still leave him regardless?

  Hudson hated secrets. He’d grown up with them. Keeping his father’s alcoholism from the schoolteachers and welfare workers. Watching men cheat on their wives in the strip clubs. Seeing women whoring. A world of secrets that festered and left him feeling tainted because of it.

  He couldn’t keep this secret from Mak to suit his own ends.

  He glared at her name on the screen, clutching the cell so tight he wouldn’t have been surprised if it cracked.

  He would tell her.

  He had to tell her.

  Later.

  Hating himself, he slipped the phone back in his pocket and focussed on ensuring this production went off without a hitch, unable to shake the feeling that in making all Mak’s dreams come true he was ruining his.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  ‘I THINK I liked you better before you were getting laid regularly,’ Charlotte said, perched on her favourite stool in the window at Le Miel. ‘You’re way too smug.’

  Makayla grinned at her flatmate and placed a steaming hot chocolate in front of her. ‘Can’t blame a girl for being satisfied.’

  Charlotte held up her hand. ‘Please. Spare me the details.’

  ‘Lucky for you, I’m not one to shag and tell.’ Makayla winked. ‘Anything else I can get you?’

  ‘One of those decadent beignets.’ Charlotte pointed at the display cabinet where Abby’s amazing creations made every customer’s mouth water. ‘And throw in a pain au chocolat too.’

  Makayla’s eyebrows rose. ‘Hungry?’

  ‘Drowning my sorrows in pastry.’ Charlotte sighed and slumped a little. ‘That new boss I mentioned? The one working remotely so I can’t even tell him what I really think of him to his face? He’s making my life hell.’

  ‘So quit. You’re diligent and there must be stacks of jobs for good accountants.’

  A flicker of fear flashed across Charlotte’s face. ‘Nerdy introverts don’t do well making grand gestures like quitting before we have a new job to go to.’

  ‘Then start hunting. Or better yet, sign up with one of those agencies that’ll find you a dream job just like that.’ She snapped her fingers. Yeah, like it was that easy. She’d registered with every talent agency on the eastern seaboard for years and she knew first-hand that dream jobs were few and far between. But Charlotte looked so morose she had to
pump her up somehow. ‘No boss should make you this unhappy.’

  Charlotte’s eyes narrowed but not before Makayla glimpsed a wicked gleam. ‘Unlike your boss, who’s making you exceedingly happy.’

  ‘Hudson’s a great guy,’ she said, her dismissive shrug belying just how great he was.

  Work-wise, he knew his stuff and he treated her with nothing but professionalism. He demanded perfection from his crew and ran to a rigid schedule. She liked working with a boss who respected his dancers and knew what he was doing.

  But away from rehearsals, Hudson was simply...amazing.

  He made her feel cherished in a way she’d never had with a guy. His main goal seemed to be giving her pleasure, and she returned the favour and then some.

  But she’d learned the hard way that if something was too good to be true it usually was and she knew this fledgling relationship wouldn’t end well.

  And it would end. There was no doubt. She’d never lost sight of her goal, making it on Broadway, all these years. Every audition she attended, every dress rehearsal, every dance show no matter how small the crowd, had been part of her grand plan.

  She could never give it all up for a guy, no matter how special. Especially one who had let her down badly once before.

  They might have lain the past to rest but a small part of her deep down still resented him for not giving her an explanation for his behaviour that night.

  She’d deliberately pushed the memory of his unwarranted freak-out to the back of her mind since they’d got together, not wanting to spoil the amazing fun—both in and out of the bedroom—they were having.

  But having that residual doubt, no matter how deep she’d buried it, still niggled. Would she be foolishly setting herself up for a fall if she threw herself wholeheartedly into a relationship with Hudson?

  Her heart encouraged trust, her head screamed logic that couldn’t be denied.

  He’d left her once without an explanation.

  He could do it again.

  ‘You’re so lucky to have found a guy like Hudson.’ Charlotte rested her chin in her hand, whimsical as usual, her eyes dreamy as she envisioned a hero out of one of those novels she couldn’t put down.