Alayna Withers relationship with Hudson Pierce has tested
both her and his ability to trust. They decide that the only way they can move
forward together is with open doors and transparency. It won’t be easy for the
scarred lovers, but they’re committed to each other more now than ever. Alayna,
in particular, has grown through their trials, and has emerged more confident
and faithful to the man she loves.
But while the pair is focused on the future, their past
shows up again to threaten their fragile bond. Promises that were made are
broken, and Alayna learns that Hudson still has very potent secrets—secrets
that will tear them both apart. As much as she feels for him, her ability to
forgive and forget is tested beyond her limits.
Even though she found the only man who could fix her, a
forever with Hudson seems more and more out of reach.
Hudson traced my cheek with his
finger. “You know all you have to do is ask and it’s yours.”
A sudden wave of anxiety rolled through my belly. I turned
to face the back of Jordan’s head. “Actually, I don’t know that, and honestly,
that sort of makes me uncomfortable.”
Hudson put his hand on my neck. “Why?”
There were lots of reasons. But I settled on the most
obvious. “I don’t want to be the floozy manager who only gets things because
she’s fucking the owner.”
My eyes were still on Jordan. He was so good at his job—he
didn’t even flinch at my crass language.
Hudson, it seemed, preferred that the conversation remain
between us. He leaned in to whisper in my ear. “First of all, I love that
you’re fucking the owner. Please don’t stop. Second, that’s not why you get
things. You get things because you’re qualified. If you’d shown up to the
interviews after the symposium, you would have had people fighting for you. But
third, and most importantly, you get things from me because you’re my other
half. Everything that is mine is yours. My connections, my money, my
influence—it’s all half yours.”
I shivered. While I adored the sentiment—craved it, in
fact—it also made my panic buttons go off. Those were the kinds of words that
could make me think things I shouldn’t think. That I was more important than I
was. That we were closer than we were. They were trigger words for me, and
though I’d been healthy with Hudson, it had only come from diligence on my
part.
But how I wanted to wrap myself in his declaration…
I swallowed. “I don’t know how to respond to that.”
Hudson nuzzled his nose against my earlobe. “You aren’t
ready for that, I know. But I needed to tell you. As for your response, how
about you say you’ll run our club?”
“I’ll run your club.”
“Ah—”
I knew my mistake immediately. Funny, how strongly I wanted
to correct myself. I turned to meet his eyes. “I’ll run our club.”
“Now kiss me because you’ve made me a very happy man.”
He didn’t have to ask me twice. He didn’t even really have
to ask me once, because his lips were covering mine as I opened my mouth to
agree. His tongue slid in immediately, and he kissed me thoroughly until the
car came to a stop in front of The Bowery.
Reluctantly, I released myself from his embrace. “Thank you,
Hudson.” For the chance to run the club,
for helping me be successful at it, for loving me in the best way you know how,
for finding me in the first place.
He swept my hair away from my shoulder. “No. Thank you.”
Fixed on You
Found in You
USA Today Bestselling Author Laurelin Paige is a sucker for
a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the
embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain,
however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably
singing, watching Mad Men and the Walking Dead, or dreaming of Adam Levine. She
is represented by the wonderful Bob Diforio of D4EO Literary Agency.
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