“Now that we’ve got that out of the way.” The side of his mouth tips up in a smile. “What do you say we head back to the bedroom and I can spend the next two hours reminding you how much I need you?” He leans forward and kisses my jaw. “How much I want you.” His lips slide across my cheek as he speaks. “How much I love you,” he whispers against my lips before pressing a soft kiss there too.
I melt at the tenderness of the moment, especially given how we were yelling at each other ten minutes ago.
I nod only once before Hudson lifts me off my feet and into his arms. I wrap my legs around his waist, my mouth finding his as he carries me into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind us.
—-
“There you are,” Starr says as I step up to where she, Sandy, and Chelsea are all huddled at the back of the pit.
“Sorry. I was backstage with Hudson,” I say, having had no desire to watch Annabelle perform.
“And how is our hot country star?” My sister gives me a knowing smile.
“Perfect,” I say, knowing that’s exactly how our afternoon was after we got our little tiff out of the way. “I figured you’d be up there.” I gesture to the front of the pit next to the stage.
“These two didn’t want to and I didn’t want to be up there by myself.”
“Awe, you poor thing.” I pout my lip in mock sympathy, my attention going to the stage when the lights dim.
There is nothing better than outdoor concerts after the sun goes down. There’s something so magical about watching the way the lights reflect across the crowd, the star filled sky acting as the perfect backdrop to an emotionally charged song, or the way one sole spotlight illuminates the artist during a slow ballad.
Of course, that’s all made even better when the artist on that stage is Hudson.
Chapter Twenty-three
HUDSON
“Damn, you were on fire tonight.” Colton claps me on the back seconds after I exit the stage.
Grabbing the towel he offers, I wipe it across my sweat riddled forehead and along the back of my neck before tossing it over my shoulder.
“Thanks. It felt good.”
“Wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain someone being in the crowd tonight, would it?” he asks, already knowing the answer to that question.
I give him a look that tells him exactly that before turning and heading down the stairs and around to the back of the stage.
“Do you know what time the bus is heading out?” I ask him, grabbing a water from one of the large coolers set up for the artists, bands, and crew members.
“Probably in the next hour once everyone is loaded and ready to go.”
“Nice show, Hudson,” Anna says as she steps up next to me.
“Thanks.” I twist the cap off the water and kill the entire bottle in two drinks.
“So I was thinking I could ride with you tonight. We could get the opening verse down on the song you were helping me with.”
“Not tonight. I’m beat,” I say, reaching for another water.
“I’m going to go grab a bite to eat before we hit the road, you want anything?” Colton pulls my attention back to him.
“Yeah. Grab me whatever you get.”
“Anna?” Colton’s gaze shifts to her.
“I already ate. Thank you though.”
“No problem. I’ll meet you back at the bus in a few?”
“Okay, sounds good.” I nod, taking another long pull of water.
“So what’s your plan for tomorrow? I was thinking maybe we could do a little sightseeing while we’re out. I’ve actually never been to Knoxville before.”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to,” I say, not missing the confusion that crosses her face but also not wanting to get into all of it with her right now.
The argument with Lennon this afternoon really opened my eyes. I know she’s expressed uneasiness about my friendship with Anna before, but I don’t think I realized just how much it was bothering her until today. And of course there was the knowledge that she spent time with Travis and how tore up that made me feel.
She did nothing more than have a friendly conversation with another man and I instantly started a fight over it. How would I react if the roles were reversed and she was spending her days and nights with another man? I would fucking lose it.
I know she has more she wants to still say. I could tell by the way she exploded that it’s been building for a while. I think it’s about time I stop worrying about Anna’s feelings so much and start worrying about Lennon’s like I should have been all along.
I finish the rest of my water, catching sight of Lennon making her way toward us.
“I’ll talk to you later, Anna, yeah?” I don’t wait for her to respond before taking off toward my girl.
“Oh my god, you were amazing,” Lennon squeals, launching herself into my arms the moment we reach each other.
Given the way this day started, I couldn’t be happier with how it’s ending. I’ve sensed a disconnect with Lennon for some time now. Like she’s pulling away even though I don’t think she’s aware of it herself. But today, after our argument, I felt some of that dissipate.
Pulling her close, I bury my face into her hair and inhale her sweet scent.
“Seriously, so good.” She pulls back, her hands resting on my shoulders.
“It felt good.” I tip her chin up with the back of my hand, not able to resist the urge to taste her lips.
She instantly opens for me, a soft moan escaping her mouth as my tongue slides against hers. Fuck me. It’s only been a couple of hours and I already feel the need to bury myself deep inside of her again.
“Come to Tennessee with me,” I murmur against her lips.
“What?” She pulls back like she didn’t hear me.
“Tennessee, come with me.”
“When? Tonight?”
“You can ride on the bus with me. We could spend the day together tomorrow and I can arrange to have you brought back here by tomorrow evening. Unless you want to stay the whole weekend with me, in which case I could make that work too.” I smile, tucking a strand of her blonde hair that’s worked its way loose of her ponytail behind her ear.
“But Starr and Sandy,” she starts to object.
“Will be just fine without you and you know it,” I cut her off.
“It’s tempting.” She kneads her bottom lip between her teeth.
“Don’t feel obligated to stay here. You know as well as I do that your sister won’t care. In fact.” I reach around and snag her cell phone out of the back pocket of her jean shorts.
Punching in her code, I quickly pull up her contacts and click on Starr’s number.
“What are you doing?” she asks, reaching for her phone which I quickly pull out of her reach and hold to my ear.
“Shhh. I’m making a phone call,” I say, giving her a wide smile when she crosses her arms in front of her chest and taps her foot in mock impatience.
“Travis is getting ready to come on. Kiss your hot country star and get your ass back out here,” Starr rambles without so much as a hello.
“Well, she’s already kissed me but I’ll make sure she does it again.” I chuckle.
“Hudson James. You better announce yourself before you let a girl word vomit all over the place.” She laughs and it’s pretty clear she’s been partaking in the moonshine festivities.
“You didn’t really give me a chance,” I point out.
“Okay, good point. Now why are you calling me from my sister’s phone?”
“I’ve asked Lennon to come with me for the rest of the weekend but she’s feeling guilty about bailing on you.”
“Put her on the phone,” she demands in a way that sounds so much like Lennon it’s uncanny.
Pulling the phone away from my ear, I switch it to speaker.
“She’s on,” I tell Starr, smiling at Lennon who gives me the cutest evil eye I’ve ever seen.
Fuck, I don’t think there’
s a thing about this girl that doesn’t make me rock hard in two seconds flat.
“Lennon Marie Claire. When a hot country star asks you to get on his big tour bus and go somewhere with him, you go. End of story.”
“But I came here with you and the girls.”
“And?” Starr cuts her off. “Do you want to go with Hudson?”
“Yes, but...”
“No buts, Lenny. You always prioritize everything over what you want. I’ve seen how hard of a time you’ve been having lately and you deserve this time with the man you love.” Lennon meets my gaze but I can’t quite read the look on her face. “Now go. I’ll make sure to spend the rest of the weekend getting good and wasted for you.”
“If you’re sure,” Lennon says, the smile on her face telling me exactly what I want to know.
“Oh my god.” Starr groans dramatically into the phone. “My man is getting ready to come on stage. Call me and let me know when to expect you back or tell me you’re not coming back and I’ll drive your car home. Either way works for me.”
“Thanks, Starr,” I say before Lennon has a chance to.
“Take care of my sister.”
“Always.” I smile when the line goes dead. “Guess it’s settled.” I pull Lennon back into my arms, laying a kiss to her mouth.
“I need to go to the hotel and get my bag,” she says after I’ve kissed her good and deep.
“I’ll go with you.”
“No, it’s literally right down the road. I can be there and back in twenty minutes.”
“Okay, I’ll come with you,” I repeat.
“Do you really think it’s a good idea to be walking around a venue where there’s thousands of fans who could mull you to death?”
“I highly doubt it would end that dramatically.” I chuckle. “Besides, there is a back entrance.”
“Oh, good point.” She laughs at herself, clearly having not thought of that. “Well, let’s go then, country star. We don’t have all night.”
“Actually, we do,” I say, raising and lowering my eyebrows in a playfully seductive manner.
“What am I going to do with you, Mr. Demasi?” she says, running a hand through my hair before trailing it down the side of my face.
“You know exactly what to do with me, Miss Claire.” I wink, allowing her to wiggle out of my grasp even though it’s the last thing I want her to do.
Chapter Twenty-four
“I don’t want to get up.” I swat at Hudson who snuggles up behind me, rubbing his scruffy face on my back as he tries to coax me awake.
“It’s late, sleepyhead.” He smiles against my shoulder seconds before pressing a light kiss there.
“Well perhaps you should have let me sleep last night.”
“But keeping you awake was so much more fun.”
“Yeah, but now I’m sleepy,” I whine, attempting to pull the covers over my face.
“Oh no you don’t.” He chuckles, managing to completely remove the blanket from my body in one quick pull.
“Hudson, it’s cold.” I curl into a ball, my tank and panties not offering much in the way of warmth.
“I’ll keep you warm, baby,” he teases, forcing me to my back seconds before his weight settles on top of me and his entire body covers me like a blanket.
“Mmm.” I murmur my delight without once opening my eyes.
“You like that? I can think of a few other ways to keep you warm, baby,” he whispers in my ear causing goose bumps to erupt across my skin.
“You’re insatiable.” My body is already starting to respond to him.
“Only for you, baby.” He smiles against my neck, peppering kisses up to my ear before gently sucking my earlobe into his mouth.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” I tell him, trying to shift his weight off of me.
“Only if you promise to come right back.” He runs his nose through my hair.
“I promise.”
“Okay.” He kisses my forehead before rolling off of me and onto his back, tucking his hands behind his head as he watches me slide out of bed and cross the small room.
Hudson is still laying in the same position when I reenter the room a couple minutes later. The sight of him so relaxed and happy does something crazy to my stomach.
It’s so easy to doubt and dismiss our relationship when he’s not with me, but looking at him now – hair disheveled, his incredible stomach and chest on full display, his brown eyes locked on me like I’m the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. It’s exactly what I needed to remind me why this is worth fighting for. Why all the lonely nights and uncertainty is worth it.
Because he’s worth it.
“You just gonna stand there checking me out or are you going to get back in this bed and let me finish what I was about to start?” He gives me a sexy smirk.
“Hmm.” I tap my chin. “That’s a tough one. The view from here is pretty spectacular.”
Hudson gives me a full dimple smile seconds before he rolls and grabs my hand, pulling me back into bed with him.
“That’s better.” He shifts so he’s lying on top of me again. “Now, where were we?” He presses a kiss to my lips and then another and another, not giving me the opportunity to respond. “Oh, that’s right.” He pulls back, that cocky smirk he wears so well in full bloom. “I was just about to wake you up. Let’s get to that, shall we?” His smirk turns into a wicked grin seconds before his mouth closes over mine again.
Chapter Twenty-five
“What time do you think you’ll leave in the morning?” I ask, tossing a couple outfits into my carry-on duffel bag.
“The bus will be parked for the night since the next show is only three hours north. I can’t see them leaving until nine or ten at the earliest.” Colton pauses. “What time will your flight be in?”
After spending last weekend with Hudson, I decided that I need more. More time. More him. More everything. Fast forward to an hour ago when I decided to fly to Colorado where Hudson has two shows this weekend. One tonight and one tomorrow night. I won’t make tonight’s show as the earliest flight I could get won’t land until seven in the morning, but I’ll get to see Saturday’s show and hopefully get to spend a few hours with him beforehand.
“I’m scheduled to land around seven. I’m going to take an Uber to the bus. Can you send me the address where they’ll be parked.”
“Already emailed.”
“You’re a rockstar.”
“Actually, I’m a country star’s bitch but who’s keeping track?” He chuckles.
“You are not his bitch.” I laugh, grabbing my toiletry bag from the bed before tossing it into my duffel. “Now, promise you won’t tell him. Not a word.”
“Cross my heart,” he says and I can practically see him making an X with his finger across his chest.
“You’re the best.”
“I know.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow. Thank you again, Colton.”
“Safe travels. And anytime.”
I toss my cell on top of the bed the instant the line goes dead, looking around to make sure I have everything packed. I don’t have to be at the airport for a few more hours but I have a couple errands I need to run before I leave so I want to make sure I have everything together before I head out.
Picking my phone back up, I consider calling Hudson to tell him my plans but I quickly talk myself out of it. I set out to surprise him and damn it I’m going to do just that.
Shoving the device into my pocket, I grab my bag off the bed and make my way into the kitchen. Like so many times before, I stop and take in the incredible view of the ocean. I don’t think I’ll ever look out at the white sand and crisp blue water without thinking of Hudson. He’s tied to so many things that existed before him but somehow held no real meaning until he came along.
It’s hard to think about how much has changed in less than a year. Had someone told me this time last year this is where I’d be I probably would have laughed hysterically in their
face. Now, I can’t imagine things turning out any different.
I never dreamed I would meet a man like Hudson. Or that I’d find him again. Back then he was just some fantasy. A memory I glamourized to convince myself that it was possible to feel that way about another person. Now I know it was real from the beginning. From that very first night, from the moment he smiled at me, I knew. I knew this man was going to change everything.
—-
It’s almost eight by the time I make it to the address Colton sent me. I spot Hudson’s bus as we round the corner and I instruct the Uber driver to drop me off at the curb.
As I climb from the car, a light breeze whips around me, feeling amazing on my heated skin. Adjusting my bag onto my shoulder, I quickly cross the parking lot and slip between the two busses that are parked side by side.
I was a mix of nervous and excited, so I couldn’t sleep a wink on the plane, yet somehow I don’t feel even a little bit tired despite the fact that I’ve been up over twenty-four hours straight.
Reaching up, I gently wrap on the bus door. Seconds later the door slides open and I look up to see Zeke, Hudson’s drummer, standing shirtless at the top of the stairs.
“Hey, did I wake you?” I climb up, dropping my bag next to the small table in the common area, my mind instantly going back to last weekend when Hudson had me pressed over it as he drove into me from behind.
“Nah, been awake a while.” He scratches his bald head before collapsing down on what can only be described as a couch but is really nothing more than a glorified bench.
“Hudson sleeping?” I gesture toward the back of the bus.
“I don’t think he’s here.”
“He’s not here?” I question, trying to mask my confusion.
“Nah. He left with Annabelle after the show. Didn’t come back. My guess is he was smart and got a hotel room. These beds are shit.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” I force a smile, not letting him see how much that statement bothers me. “I’m gonna check really fast just in case he slipped in while you were sleeping.”
Tequila Burn (The Tequila Duet Book 2) Page 16
