The Broken Love (Hudson Brothers #2)

by Emma Vikes

  It was stupid of me and selfish, but I didn’t want it to stop.

  I kissed her body all over, the inner part of her thigh to her core and Eleanor gasped at the heat from my mouth, arching her body even more to mine. I shut my eyes tight when I felt her against my dick, but I concentrated more on giving her attention, kissing her all over and all the while whispering everything I could see and telling her how perfect she was.

  And then I finally pushed myself inside of her and Eleanor’s eyes were shut tight, her face scrunched as she took me all in and I slowly- and as gently as I could- slid myself inside. “Okay?”

  She was biting her bottom lip and nodded slowly, pushing her hips up to meet mine and letting me know she was alright. I moved slowly at first, letting her get used to the feeling and Eleanor held on tight to me, her eyes shut close as quiet moans left her mouth. “Go faster, Leo.”

  And I did. I picked up my speed but made sure I wasn’t too rough on her like I usually was during sex. The sound of our body slamming against each other, her moans and mewls, along with the groans coming from within me filled the room. The heat from our bodies provided us with warmth as the rain continued to pelt heavily outside.

  Then Eleanor came and I followed. I pulled myself out of her and collapsed beside her, sweaty and out of breath as she moved closer to me without saying a word, wrapping her arms around me and it was in that moment that my heart stopped. The desire to want to be with her and stay, drop my dream of being a professional photographer was suddenly so strong as I turned to look at her. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing softly, her naked chest rising and falling and it was as if someone was squeezing my heart at that moment.

  I swallowed, my feelings paralyzing me with fear.

  This couldn’t happen. I couldn’t stay. I can’t stay for her.

  That wasn’t me.

  Tomorrow. Tomorrow was meant to be goodbye.

  CHAPTER 1

  Leo

  6 Years Later

  Sunlight hit my eyes directly and I groaned, pulling the pillow beneath me to shield my eyes from it. I bought blinds to make sure that my room remained dark even in the morning but for some reason, it was working. Everett nagged me every day since I’d had the blinds installed that I’d been waking up even later than I usually did.

  He must’ve gotten them off somehow.

  With a huff of frustration, I threw the pillow on the ground and glared at the sunlight that shone brightly behind the un-tinted and un-blinded window. There was only a thin curtain that covered it. It took me a moment but I realized that I wasn’t in my room. Blinking, I looked around and my eyes fell on the piles of clothes scattered all around the floor.

  Someone moved beside me and I felt a calmness wash over me as the events of last night unfolded in my mind. I screwed one of the staffs from the shoot I had last night. She was part of the lighting team, I think. A petite blonde that had her hair styled in a pixie cut. We had a couple of drinks and then we went to her apartment and screwed each other. The sex wasn’t wild, sort of vanilla, but then again, who cared?

  Slowly, I slipped away from the bed and moved around the room. I spotted my boxers first, thrown carelessly on a chair, and slid them on, searching for my pants and shirt next. “You’re going to run away now?”

  She was still lying down, her eyes staring straight at me. They were a nice shade of brown- but not as beautiful as the ones I often had dreams about- and her lips still looked a bit sore after what we did last night. I slid on my pants and shrugged. “Isn’t that the concept of one night stands?”

  She moved to the side and pushed her head up, supporting it with her arm as she watched me change. “What about we spice it up just a little bit and you stay for breakfast?”

  I chuckled. I couldn’t even remember the girl’s name and she wanted to have breakfast with me? “That’s the number one rule of one night stands. You don’t stay in the morning or else.”

  Her eyebrows raised and she sat up, covering her body with the blanket which was pretty useless because I’d tasted every inch of her skin last night. “I was actually wondering if I could talk to you about something.”

  I cocked my head to the side. “I don’t do relationships, honey.”

  But she rolled her eyes. “It’s not a relationship, Hudson, but a business deal.”

  My eyebrows raised in surprise. “If you want to go Mrs. Robinson on me like in Fifty Shades, that’s not going to happen.”

  She barked a laugh and shook her head. She moved to the edge of the bed, where I was standing and her hand grazed my unclothed upper body, fingers grazing my abs as she peeked at me through her long lashes. I’d been with a handful of girls in my life and I knew when they were using seduction to their advantage. But I remained rooted where I was, watching it play out. Sometimes, girls used their skills to a certain point that impresses me but admittedly, not every girl knew how to use their seduction skills though.

  Her teeth sunk on her bottom lip as she stared at me, cocking her head to the side exaggeratedly so her hair would flip with the action. My eyes narrowed as I watched her display of seduction and I tensed when I felt her finger dip on the waistband of my pants. “It’s not that, Leo. I hear you’re opening your own studio and you already have sponsors lining up and brands wanting you to sign up with them.”

  She was looking at me with hopeful eyes and her fingers were still on the waistband of my jeans. I wondered if she thought that I think with my dick; if she thought that I would let her in my team because she could give me one hell of a blowjob. I smirked and then leaned down, moving my face closer to hers. She sucked in a breath, her eyes widening at the sudden movement. Cocking my head to the side, I reached out and touched the side of her face, my thumb grazing her swollen lips.

  “You know, as much as I love sex, I don’t accept vaginas as résumé,” I whispered to her and then leaned back and picked up my shirt, sliding it easily on my body. She remained sitting, stunned at what I just said. I flashed her a smile and shrugged, “Oh and here’s an unsolicited tip, the next time you want to get a job, I don’t think sleeping with your future employer isn’t always going to work. Especially when you’re not as wild.”

  I walked out of her apartment just in time for her to shout curses at me. Chuckling, I called an Uber and headed back to the apartment I shared with Everett. Being back in Irving had been wild for me. Last year, I spent it mostly traveling around America doing freelance shooting. I hadn’t officially resigned from my job with Maddock at that time and it was only eight months ago that I finally did. Six years of my life was spent camping in the Amazon and taking pictures of wild animals and tribes and although it was fun and paid me too well, I kind of missed being in modern civilization too. Besides, I’d cut everything from my life after I took that job and it was only when Rebecca died that I started to realize that I had been missing out while my brothers weren’t. And after Rebecca died, Milo really needed me. It wasn’t just because his wife had been involved in a freak car accident that took her life. It was also because someone else was with her too, her lover. She’d been having an affair all along and my brother was a wreck after that.

  And then I witnessed Milo falling in love with Megan and it cemented my realization even more. Chasing your passion was a wild adventure but life didn’t revolve around it.

  “Oh, I thought that I might be leaving for Chicago alone,” Everett commented when I came through our door. I’d convinced him to get a bigger apartment since we would be living together and it took a while for me to convince him- and telling him that he could use one room as an office where he could geek out- finally made him say yes- but we got a penthouse. Well, mostly I paid the bigger half of the rent since I had more money because of the Amazon stint but Everett was always pretty good at handling money and finances so he chipped in just enough.

  His bags were already in the living room. His hair remained unkempt and his glasses were askew. He didn’t even look up at me as I sat across from
him. He was too busy on his tablet and he seemed to be reading a report or result or whatever, but he was mumbling to himself and shaking his head. Everett was the polar opposite of me. Milo thought it wasn’t a great idea for us to live together, just the two of us. But despite our differing personalities, it seemed as if we were well-balanced. He kept me in check and I helped him have fun.

  Although there were times when I couldn’t really get Everett out of work like he was right now. “Ev!”

  He looked up, his eyes hazy beneath his glasses. “Yea?”

  He seemed dazed and if I didn’t sleep well because I had got laid last night, Everett didn’t sleep well because he must’ve worked overtime to get the results he was interpreting now. I shook my head. “I’m just going to get my bag upstairs. You can call an Uber to get us to the airport.”

  Everett raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t packed yet, Leo.”

  I smirked and then rushed upstairs. “That’s what you think.”

  Everett wasn’t entirely wrong. I hadn’t packed my clothes yet but my cameras were ready, along with the other photography equipment I needed. You can’t just throw expensive equipment in a bag carelessly like you could with clothes. And that’s exactly what I did with my clothes. From jeans to shirts to underwear, I threw everything in my suitcase, sat on top of it and zipped it. I rushed to the bathroom to get my toothbrush and deodorant and packed them in a smaller bag and hurried downstairs because Everett was yelling at me that the Uber driver had arrived.

  I grinned when I saw my younger brother. “I told you I’m all packed.”

  He rolled his eyes and we took the Uber to the airport. I wasn’t sure who was picking us up because Milo had work and Megan was busy with the salon. Julian would be flying in tomorrow and I would be the one to pick him up from the airport. Maybe Everett and I could catch an Uber from the airport to drive us to the AirBnB that Julian had rented for the three of us.

  The plane ride from Irving to Chicago was short. The first time I flew into Chicago to surprise Milo and Violet, I came from Africa after taking one last shoot with Maddock and the team. Then I was just randomly flying from one place to another, doing freelance work until I finally decided to get a penthouse with Everett in Irving, making sure that I had more shoots in Irving or nearby cities because traveling could be a pain.

  All throughout the flight, I was busy flirting with the attendants. Everett basically ignored me all throughout, his focus on the document he had downloaded on his iPad and was scribbling notes on a notepad. It must’ve been a murder case or something because nothing entices my little brother more than murder mysteries.

  “What would you do if you fall in love with a serial killer?” I asked Everett, peeking at the notes he was scribbling.

  He paused and then looked at me, his grey eyes narrowed into slits. His hair was covering his eyes now and he was long overdue for a haircut, much like I was when I first came to Milo in Chicago. Megan managed to tackle me into a cut though and I had a feeling that my brother was going to say goodbye to his unruly hair before the wedding. Everett pushed back his glasses and then let out an annoyed exhale. “I like solving mysteries, Leo, but that doesn’t mean that serial killers are my type. Much like you and the rest of our brothers, I like my girls perfectly sane.”

  “Or outrageously smart. Or maybe you like guys. C’mon, Ev, I’ve never seen you date anyone,” I nudged him with my shoulder, wiggling my eyebrows.

  Everett lowered his iPad and looked at me, the annoyance so clear in his eyes. “Just because I don’t whore around like you, doesn’t mean I’m gay, Leo. I don’t have time for love and to be honest, what you’re doing with girls, one day it’s going to bite you in the ass when you find a girl that’s going to change your life.”

  I snickered but what Everett said silenced me. There was one girl that came in mind, pure, innocent and unyielding, with eyes as golden and bright as the sun and every time she crossed my mind, I was always blinded by the light that she had shone in my life. For the rest of the flight, I stopped trying to flirt with the attendants and tried to get a nap but every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was her.

  She was fast asleep beside me, her bare chest rising and falling as she breathed. The sun wasn’t up yet and I had to go before sunlight filled the room. She was a light sleeper and if the bright sunlight filled the room, she would wake up in a second. I had to literally crawl out of bed so she wouldn’t notice I woke up.

  Beside her, I scribbled a note. I didn’t have it in me to say goodbye personally. I didn’t want to risk her asking me to stay because I knew I would. What I felt for her wasn’t like anything I’d felt before and nothing had scared me more.

  Placing the note beside her, I fought the urge to give her a kiss goodbye, not wanting to risk any chances of waking her up.

  I pulled out my camera, making sure that I was as discreet as possible as I took one last picture of the girl in the orange dress that I saw in the rain.

  Someone was shaking me on the shoulder and I slowly opened my eyes to see Everett’s peering ones. “We’re here.”

  I blinked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I took the hand-carry I had stashed in the compartment, taking Everett’s along with mine too. “Do we need to call an Uber?”

  Everett shook his head as we began to exit the plane. He was busy on his phone, texting someone this time. I took a peek and saw that he was texting Megan, telling her we were here. “Megan’s picking us up?”

  He nodded. “Apparently her friend has a flight that arrives half an hour after ours from Miami. She’s waiting outside with Atlas.”

  At the mention of my nephew’s name, I hurriedly grabbed my luggage and dragged Everett out of the airport. I was in love with Milo’s children and I always felt like they were mine. Megan loved to tease me that I would make an exceptionally great father, greater than Milo too. But of course, it wasn’t going to happen. I was smart enough to make sure I was gloved before I made love.

  Megan was standing by a maroon station wagon, leaning against it as she played with Atlas who was strapped to her chest. Megan was pretty but not as strikingly gorgeous as Milo’s first wife. She didn’t have the same alluring blue eyes but Megan radiated warm positivity that could trap anyone. It was her vibrancy with life and the way she seemed to light up everything that cemented my older brother to her and made him believe that love came a second time around.

  “Even with the baby, I’d still want to hit on you,” I told her once I was within hearing distance.

  She rolled her eyes and punched me on the shoulder, giving me a side hug. I motioned for Atlas and she let me take him out of the carrier he was strapped in. I watched as Megan gave Everett a big hug, rubbing his back and checking to see if he’s lost even more weight and reprimanding him the way a mother would’ve. I snorted. He got reprimanded even before he saw Mom.

  And then Megan fixed her green eyes on me and narrowed them when a group of flight attendants passed by us, giggling and whispering as they stared at me. “Did you flirt with them again, Leo?”

  Her voice was filled with accusation. I handed Atlas to her and tried to weasel my way out of her gaze by helping Everett with our bags, loading them at the back of the station wagon. “Leo.”

  The last time I came to Chicago- three weeks after Milo proposed to her- I was sent to jail for public indecency since I was caught in an uncompromising position with a flight attendant. Milo bailed me out but of course, I got an earful from the two of them. I loaded the last bag and turned to Megan, giving her a reassuring smile. “I took a nap. Everett already put me in my position.”

  Megan looked at Everett and nodded at him, flashing him a secretive smile as I rolled my eyes. If Megan didn’t meet Milo first, I was certain she would’ve hit it off with Everett. But then again, maybe she wouldn’t fall in love with my weird brother.

  For a while, we stayed where we were, catching up with Megan and playing with Atlas, listening to what Violet’s been up to and the pla
ns for the wedding and who’s going to take care of the kids after they left for the honeymoon. Megan’s phone buzzed and she squealed when she answered the call, talking rapidly to a woman named Elle.

  I glanced at Everett, a smirk on my face. Morgan, Megan’s younger sister, was fine as hell but was off-limits for me and Julian, as their brothers and ours had pointed out and Morgan was too smart to make sure she didn’t get herself involved with us too. But maybe Megan’s friend could be different. Most of the friends she had here in Chicago were mothers so I couldn’t really charm them anymore or else Milo wouldn’t bail me out of jail anymore and I wasn’t one to ruin a marriage.

  “I call dibs on her first, Ev.”

  Everett rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I’m not into lawyers anyway.”

  “She’s a lawyer?”

  He shrugged. “Megan mentioned it earlier. You weren’t paying attention.”

  Megan came back holding a little boy in his hands. He was about six or seven years old, give or take. His hair was a long, unruly curls of brown hair and even from afar, his eyes seemed to have pale blue or grey like ours. Hudson grey. But it wasn’t the little kid that rooted to my spot. It was the woman walking behind them, her brown hair tied in a tight ponytail behind her, corporate attire hugging her figure and she was talking heatedly on her phone. By the time they reached us, my mouth was wide open in shock.

  She hung up and lowered her phone when Megan cleared her throat, she finally looked up and met my shock gaze. Golden eyes that looked as bright as sunlight widened in surprise. Megan, unknowing, gestured between them and us. “Boys, I’d like you to meet my oldest and dearest friend, Eleanor Black.”

  CHAPTER 2

  Eleanor

  Holy flipping hell.

  I felt as if I was frozen in my seat, unable to move or talk. Megan sat beside me, talking quietly on her phone to a woman named Carole, reminding her about Violet’s schedule. She had mentioned to me that Violet was Milo’s daughter to his late wife and the girl she was hired to take care of before she fell in love with Milo. On my right was Max, entertaining himself with his toys and little Atlas was beside Megan, in his car seat, making gurgling sounds and kicking his feet. A guy with thick black glasses sat at the front, his unkempt hair being eyed by Megan as she talked on the phone. I think his name was Everett and I was certain that Megan was going to grab a pair of scissors the moment we arrive at her house to cut Everett’s hair.