Love, Tussles, and Takedowns (18 page)

Hudson let out a soft whistle in appreciation.

As she circled around to throw in a few kick combinations next, the cemented plaque on the ground in front of the dummy finally caught her eye.

…And had her dropping to her knees to trace each engraved letter.

IN MEMORY OF DAVID & JANET LIN

PARENTS OF LIANA

WHOLLY BELOVED, NEVER FORGOTTEN

“I can’t believe you did this.” Lia was dumbstruck.

Hudson came over and brushed aside the few stray tears she’d been unable to hold in.

“You mentioned having one of these in your yard growing up,” he answered with a shrugging smile. “Then it was just a matter of getting folks around town to help.”

Lia looked around and saw the townsfolk who happened to be out and about smiling and waving. Some were just standing there looking emotional for her.

“This way, you can always have them close by.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

SEEING HER EXPRESSION, feeling her fly into his arms moments later; hell, Hudson hadn’t ever felt anything so amazing in his life.

After the explosion he’d thought for sure his life from that point would never hold this kind of happiness. Not for him.

But Lia…she made him
believe
that maybe his future wasn’t the one he’d thought it would be.

Since the day of the explosion, his whole life had been just one growing riptide that he’d treaded water in just to stay afloat. Until Lia splashed into his world. Intentionally or not, she’d been bobbing just slightly out of reach this entire time, challenging him to fight, to risk drowning completely in the process...until he was able to drag himself out of that riptide.

So he did.

And now here he was. His feet on solid ground again for the first time in months, standing at the cross-section between potential soul-crushing heartbreak and true happiness.

Ironically, a very thin line separating the two.

He was ready.

...Or so he thought.

The reminder that his being ready had little bearing on their forked futures was a crushing blow that came crashing into him not ten minutes later.

Literally. Crashing into him.

Via the half-dozen children who came rushing over to play with Lia in the new park.

Jesus Christ, she was like Mary Freakin’ Poppins.

And just like that, he saw the tide rushing back up to grab him.

Because while Lia was clearly meant to be a mother, he couldn’t,
wouldn’t
ever be a father.

* * * * *

THE CLOSER THEY got to Lia’s apartment, the more Hudson knew he had to stop walking and turn around. He couldn’t walk away yet.

But he could turn around.

“Hey, do you guys have any hotels in this town?” he asked from way the hell out in left field. “I thought I saw one, but it was called ‘
Ted’s B&D.
’ If that ampersand sign is supposed to be an ‘e’, someone ought to tell that guy his hotel name is super creepy.”

Lia’s bright, startled chuckle shot daggers at his heart. “You know, I never saw the sign that way.” More amused chuckles. “But fear not, Ted, the owner, isn’t creepy. He just isn’t a morning person. And he’s not a fan of breakfast foods. So, instead of a Bed & Breakfast, he decided he wanted to open up a Bed & Dinner. It’s actually pretty popular.”

This town was so stinkin’ weird. If he wasn’t getting ready to drink his dinner for the night, he would’ve laughed and added this to the long list of things he liked about Cactus Creek.

“I know I sprung my visit on you,” he began lamely, “so why don’t I go check in to a room for the night and then we can hang out tomorrow?”

Lia’s body went utterly still as she looked him square in the eye. “You sound like you mean for that to be a solo room.”

“I do.”

She didn’t back down. Not his gorgeous little warrior. “What’s going on, Hudson? Why are you doing this?”

He grit his jaw to push the words out. “The movie is wrapping up in the next few weeks. Then my next gig will be in Canada. For at least a year.”

“Oh.”

God, he wanted to beat his own ass to a bloody pulp. Especially when she just stood there, putting on a bright smile for him, telling him how excited she was for him.

He knew she’d be like this. Just wanting the best for him. Keeping things easy and simple for him—

“So what does you leaving have to do with you staying somewhere else tonight?”

…Or maybe not.

“Lia, I’m but a weak, weak man. It’s getting harder for me to not want all of you.”

Forever.

Stepping closer she put her hand on his chest and said softly, “I’m not stopping you.”

His brave beauty.

“I know you’re not, sweetheart. And that’s why I need to go get a room somewhere else tonight.”

“Is that really what you want?”

No.

But he nodded anyway. “If you don’t want to hang out tomorrow—”

“Of course I do,” her brows dipped down in frustration as she sighed and shook her head. “You know you’re being a putz.”

He almost smiled at that.
Yeah
, he did know. But he was being a putz to protect her.

Another sigh and then a resigned, “Pick me up at eight a.m. Call first to make sure I’m up.”

He nodded and backed away before he was tempted to imagine being there to wake her up in person.

Every damn thing about the woman was a temptation.

He watched to make sure she made it up to her apartment before he headed back over to his jeep on the other side of town. It wasn’t until he was driving over to Ted’s that he realized what was different about Lia today.

A tiny thing, with massive significance.

She wasn’t wearing her necklace with her two rings.

Talk about timing
.

The latest effed-up move by the universe
almost
had him driving right over to her.

Almost.

“Welcome to Ted’s B&D. Are you looking for a room for the night?”

Being the putz that he was, he replied, “Yeah. Whatever you have available.”

Turns out the jolly old guy was Ted himself. Friendly guy, definitely not creepy. And the place was nice enough.

But the computer system was slower than sludge.

It took one phone call and ten minutes for Ted to discover that there were in fact no rooms available for the night.

Just his luck.

“So sorry sir. We have a whole slew of late check-ins scheduled tonight for some reason. But there are some wonderful places in Scottsdale, just south of here.”

Thirty minutes away. Great. “Thanks, man, I’ll go check those out.”

Hudson walked back to his jeep and tried to decide if he really wanted to make the drive to Scottsdale or just roll out his sleeping bag somewhere closer. Knowing that tonight was going to require some liquor to get through pretty much dictated his decision right off the bat—he wasn’t stupid enough to sleep out in the wild drunk. So he jumped in his jeep to head on out to Scottsdale.

But the damn thing wouldn’t start.

Freakin’ A. This day just kept getting better.

He popped the hood to see what the damage was, only to conclude a good fifteen minutes later that there wasn’t anything wrong with his engine. Not one thing.

It just wouldn’t start.

“Hey Hudson. Car trouble?”
came a way too cheerful voice Hudson just was
not
in the mood to see right now.

“What the hell are you doing here, Ben?”

“I’m actually just passing through. I was hoping to run into your friend Lia again. Wow, she’s a beauty isn’t she? I was going to see if she wanted to grab a coffee or a bite to—”

“No,” growled Hudson.

Ben’s smile went from amused to asshat in two seconds flat. “No? Why? Is she taken?”

“She is now.”

Hudson slammed his door and started stalking back in the direction of Lia’s apartment.

* * * * *

LIA WAS ON the couch watching reruns when her front door swung wide open with a bang.

The jaw-grit Hudson that stepped through the doorway shortly after was
not
the man who’d walked away from her an hour ago.

The fact that it was an
entire
hour ago did make her feel a
tiny
bit guilty.

“Tell me,” he said in a near feral voice that did crazy things to her insides, “did you leave your door unlocked because you knew I’d be storming in here? Or because you just plain forgot that criminals like to have an easy entrance when it comes to beautiful women in isolated apartments?”

She swallowed but said nothing. This was definitely one of those no-right-answer situations.

“Both should earn you a swat on that perfect behind of yours in my book.”

See.

While the logical part of her brain knew Hudson would never actually spank her, the more wildly imaginative part couldn’t help but picture the explosive sparring battle that would result if he actually tried.

She’d had no idea how imaginative her brain could get.

As if he could read her thoughts, he pinned her in place with a stare so hot and turbulent and
possessive
, Lia didn’t know whether to make a run for it or tackle him where he stood. The sound of her dead-bolt clicking into place, crazily enough, had her voting for the latter.

Arms crossed with one shoulder now leaning against the door and head cocked to the side as if he was still listening in on her thoughts, he waited until she broke eye contact first—dammit—before he commented, “Really? My
cousin
? You know you
almost
had me up until that point.”

Dang it. She’d wondered if Ben would be a give-away. But, seeing as how Hudson was now in her apartment, the gamble seemed to have paid off.

He stalked over to her, his voice low and simmering. “Do you know what happens when you plan elaborate, twistedly romantic tricks on a man who’s had a nearly two-month long hard-on for you?”

They’d gone over this. Not technically, no.

But she could fantasize.

Her breathing splintered when it became apparent that her fantasies paled in comparison to the man approaching her. “For the record, I’m not here because you rendered me homeless and escapeless for the night. And I’m
definitely
not here because my wimp of a cousin goaded me here.”

“No?”

“No. I’m here because I realized today that you’re a fire in my blood that’s not going to go away. You warm me on the coldest nights and flat-out make me burn when I least expect it. You make me smile when I wouldn’t normally, and make me crave the next smile right after. Because I know whatever you’ll do to inspire it will be the next shot of kerosene you pump into my veins.”

Oxygen. She needed oxygen.

“Honey, you make me feel things I’m still not entirely sure I’m worthy to feel. But with you, I want to fight to be worthy of that happily ever after. For you and with you. My whole life, I’ve trained myself on how to survive. But it wasn’t until I met you that I learned how to truly
live
. The way I feel when I’m with you…I can’t lose that.
That
, I’d never survive.”

Just then his eyes cut over to the pillow and blanket she’d placed on the couch earlier.

Exactly one hour earlier.

Surprise and something akin to adoration hit his features. “You weren’t trying to seduce me to take your virginity with that little three-act play of yours tonight?”

This time it was her turn to be surprised. Or try shocked. “I didn’t think that was an option.” Her heart sped up to dizzying proportions. “Are you saying that you’re taking me to ‘home base’?
Finally
?”

The last outburst had her blushing.

But no less triumphant.

She was sure she was lit up like a dang Christmas tree right now.

“Do you want me to be the man to take you to home plate, sweetheart?” he asked seriously. “I want it to be perfect for you.”

“Hudson, anything with you and the word ‘home’ in it sounds better than perfect to me.”

* * * * *

DAMMIT. EVEN OUTSIDE the ring she was still sparring with him. Pushing him. How the hell was he supposed to go slow after that quiet, heart-piercing comment? When all he wanted was to claim her as his own, and become the fire in her blood the way she was for him?

Looks like it was back to small talk
.

While the woman took off all her clothes.

“What the hell did you do to my jeep?”

She paused, clad only in her underwear now and gave him a sheepish grin. “My friend Sienna, my bike mechanic, just tinkered with it a tiny bit. She has specific instructions to undo everything first thing tomorrow morning.”

“You’re certifiable.” He shook his head with a chuckle.

“Says the man who has been subjecting himself to a perpetual hard-on for the past few weeks.”

“I was trying to be a decent guy.”

“You were succeeding in being a putz.”

Okay, forget small talk. He picked her up and carried her across the apartment and followed her down onto the bed. “To be clear,” he kissed his way up her body. “I know you deserve things that I’m still not sure I can give you, but I promise you, I’ll—”

“Hudson, stop. You don’t have to promise me anything. Just be with me. That’s all. The future will bring what it’ll bring.”

He captured her logical arguments with a kiss…which she returned with a hungry intensity that damn near had him sliding into her right then and there.

Slow.

“I mean it, Lia. No more talk of a shelf life. No more expiration date for us.” He pulled back to make sure she was hearing him—the roaming of her hands a good indication she wasn’t even having the same conversation with him at the moment. “I called my boss on my stomp over here and told him I’m not taking the Canada gig. It’s too far and I already know I won’t be able to stand being away from you for that long. California is far enough as it is.”