Hold Me Closer (Sea Island Brides Book 1) (20 page)

The
soft kiss he planted on her forehead made her feel better, and she
smiled as she lay back on the bed and closed her eyes. She was once
again struck by his kindness and generosity. He wasn’t at all
the selfish, domineering jerk she’d once believed him to be.

So,
why had he been so cold-hearted when Julia came to him for help?

It
still didn’t make any sense to her, but now more than ever, she
believed he must have had a reason for it. But what? Julia wasn’t
lying about Harlan. There was no question about that in Annabelle’s
mind. So why was Hudson so quick to dismiss her?

With
these questions rolling around in her mind, Annabelle drifted off to
sleep. Several hours later, she woke to the more-than-pleasant sound
of Hudson’s voice whispering in her ear.

“Annabelle,”
he whispered, and she opened her eyes to find him on his knees beside
the bed. “Good morning.”

She
glanced around, disoriented. “Is it morning already?”

“No,”
he said, kissing her nose. “It’s actually just after five
in the afternoon.”

“What
day is it?” Annabelle sat up in bed and stretched, feeling as
though she was waking from the deepest sleep of her life.

“It’s
Monday.” He handed her a glass of ice water.

“Thank
you.” She took a long, refreshing drink and handed the glass
back to him. “So we basically skipped an entire day?”

“Welcome
to Japan,” he said with a laugh. “Do you feel rested
enough to go to dinner?”

“I
think so. Can I take a shower?”

“Of
course,” he said, eyebrows raised with a hint of mischief on
his face. “But only if I can join you.”

With
a giggle, she threw off the covers and raced him to the shower. The
tiled square shower was certainly big enough for the two of them.
They both stripped down, and slipped into the warm water. Annabelle
leaned her head back into the stream and let the warmth wash over her
like a massage.

Hudson’s
arms encircled her and he pulled her close.
His arousal was apparent as she pressed against his warm, wet body,
and she felt the heat between them rise with the steam.

She
opened her eyes to see raw, honest passion staring back at her. She
knew that she meant more than just sex to him, and the realization
made her tingle all over. A part of her protested, wanting to pull
back and save her heart from any further pain. The end was near, and
she knew it all too well.

But
another part of her knew she couldn’t say no to him. She wanted
him every bit as much as he wanted her. Any pain that would come
later was well worth it. If she could have a few more hours of
happiness with him, she was damn well going to enjoy it while it
lasted.

Hudson’s
mouth dipped low to kiss her breast, his other hand searching for the
slick spot between her legs. She responded with a soft moan, opening
herself to his touch as he ran his thumb back and forth against her
center.

Fully
awake now, her fingernails dug into his back, begging for him to fill
her, to give her all of himself. Without hesitation, he grabbed her
butt with both hands and lifted her up into the air, pressing her
back against the wet tiles. She cried out as she felt the tip of him
slip inside of her. Thrusting her hips forward and wrapping her legs
tighter around his back, she felt him slide deep inside of her.

The
water falling onto their naked bodies only intensified her pleasure,
each drop heightening the flood of passion within. As he drove
himself into her again and again, she felt her body drawn closer and
closer to the height of pleasure. Their kisses were hard, their need
frantic as their hips moved in rhythm.

Hudson
groaned as they both neared completion, and she bit into the flesh of
his shoulder. She felt him harden as his thrusts grew faster, more
powerful. They came together, an explosion of bright, shattering
light. For a moment, he held her close, allowing the water to pulse
against their spent bodies.

With
a gentle kiss, Hudson let her down, her legs weak from exhaustion. He
held her in the stream of warmth until she recovered, kissing her
until the water threatened to cool. She shivered at the change in
temperature and laughed, turning the knob to the off position.

“Guess
we took up all the hot water,” she said, blushing.

“Looks
like we’ll just have to wait a little while and take another
shower.” Hudson covered her mouth with fresh kisses as he
wrapped a plush towel around her body.

Thirty
minutes later, that’s exactly what they did.

By
eight, Annabelle was dressed in a simple but elegant pink dress and a
pair of low heels. She surveyed her choice of outfit in the mirror,
then added a black silk jacket with three-quarter length sleeves.
Considering that she was about to meet an ultra-conservative Japanese
business man on his own turf, she wanted to make sure her appearance
was in line with his expectations.

Hudson
entered the bedroom and whistled his approval. “You look very
elegant and beautiful this evening.”

“You
don’t look so bad yourself,” she said, taking in his
black suit. He had chosen a cream colored button-up and a burgundy
tie with cream stripes. To her eyes, he looked both professional and
incredibly sexy.

“Thanks.
We make a nice looking couple, if you ask me.” His mouth
descended on hers, and she tilted her head up to meet his.

Yes,
they did make a nice looking couple, but for how long? Another day?
Then it would all be over. The thought fell like a stone to the
bottom of her stomach.

“Annabelle?
What’s wrong?” Hudson’s blue-green eyes filled with
concern.

“Nothing,”
she said, smiling brightly on the outside to conceal her sadness.
“Just nervous.”

“There’s
nothing to worry about,” he assured her. “I’ll be
there by your side all night. Just be yourself.”

The
restaurant that Mr. Takahashi had chosen was close to the hotel, so
the pair walked the two blocks rather than taking the limousine
again. Tokyo at night was an amazing spectacle of billboards and
lights that made the entire city seem like a futuristic version of
New York or Atlanta. The street was teeming with people, and
Annabelle loved the energy all around her. The city was truly alive
with activity.

A
beautiful woman in a red kimono greeted them at the door and escorted
them back to a private room where most of their party had already
gathered. Annabelle smiled and nodded as Hudson introduced her to a
staggering number of his business associates. She was happy to learn
that most of them spoke fluent English. Hudson, on the other hand,
surprised her by speaking in perfect Japanese to an older gentlemen
that she assumed had to be Mr. Takahashi himself.

She
didn’t even know he spoke Japanese, and it made her wonder what
other things she had yet to learn about him. Things she might never
get the chance to know. Immediately, she forced down the sadness and
regret that threatened to break the surface of her well-maintained
front. This was not the time or place to think about the future.
Right now, she needed to concentrate on fulfilling her final duties
as Hudson’s fiancée.

“Mr.
Takahashi, I would like to introduce you to my lovely fiancée,
Annabelle Day.” Hudson’s words brought her back into the
moment and she smiled and bowed as Mr. Takahashi lowered his head
toward her in greeting.

“I
am so happy to finally meet you, Ms. Day,” he said, beaming
from ear to ear. “My congratulations to you both on this very
happy announcement.”

“Thank
you.” She moved to bow her head again when a man standing in
the corner of the room caught her eye.

Harlan.

There
was no question about it. He was the spitting image of his brother,
only with slightly darker hair and greener eyes. Just seeing him sent
an entirely new set of emotions rolling through her.

She
still had no idea whether Hudson had even mentioned Julia to his
brother or not. Did he know she was pregnant and still deny that he
could be the father? Or would he be angry with his brother for not
telling him the truth?

Her
only comfort was knowing that soon, all of her questions would be
answered.

Their
eyes met from across the room. He smiled and nodded, said something
to the man he was talking to, and immediately stepped over to greet
her. Hudson had fallen back into a conversation with Mr. Takahashi,
so Harlan took the liberty of introducing himself.

Taking
her hand in his, he said, “Annabelle. You have no idea how
happy I am to finally meet you. Hudson has told me so much about you
already.”

“Oh,
really?” She glanced at Hudson and wondered if he’d told
his brother anything about their relationship other than the business
side of it. “All good, I hope?”

“Of
course,” he said. “What else would there be?”

She
knew he was just teasing her, but a lump formed in her throat.
Plenty, she thought.

Before
she had the chance to say much more, Jack Montgomery, the oldest of
the Montgomery children, stepped forward and bowed to her.

“So
lovely to meet you,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll
all have much to talk about soon.”

His
tone of voice was warm, but there was something in his eyes that was
reserved. She had a feeling he was talking about her payment, which
immediately made her tense. Was that all he thought she was? A debt
to be owed?

Before
she could really think about what Jack had meant, Mr. Takahashi
invited everyone to be seated. He made a short speech about the
future of the company he’d built with his own hands, and the
honor he felt at having the Montgomerys as his guests. Annabelle was
touched when he specifically welcomed her as the future Mrs.
Montgomery. She only wished she truly deserved it.

The
rest of the evening went off without a hitch. The food was delicious
and exotic, including raw, thinly sliced sashimi. She was even brave
enough to try a bite of fugu, which Hudson explained was a
particularly rare delicacy as it can only be prepared by certain
trained chefs who must first remove the
poisonous parts of the blowfish before serving it. Since she had been
with Hudson, he had opened her eyes to so many new experiences, both
in and out of the bedroom. Thinking this, a blush crept across her
face and Hudson smiled.

“What
are you thinking about?” he whispered in her ear, his warm
breath sending a tingle down her spine.

“Food,”
she said, giggling.

“I
don’t believe you.” Under the table, he gave her leg a
gentle squeeze.

Just
as the meal was winding down, Annabelle excused herself to go to the
restroom. On her way back towards the private room, she quickly
checked her cell phone for the time and saw that she had several
missed calls from a number she didn’t recognize. She would have
to remember to call them back after dinner to see who it was and to
make sure that nothing was wrong. She hadn’t even realized her
phone would work here in Japan. But before she had the phone back in
her purse, it began to vibrate again. The call was coming from the
same number, so she ducked into a quiet corner and answered it.

“Hello?”

“May
I speak with Annabelle Day, please?” A young woman’s
voice sounded urgent on the other line.

“This
is Annabelle.”

“Ms.
Day, I am so glad I was able to reach you. My name is Dr. Andrews.
We’ve met before? I need you to come down to the hospital right
away.”

Annabelle’s
eyes widened in panic and her heart began to beat wildly. She’d
met Dr. Andrews a few times when she’d gone with Julia to her
appointments earlier in her pregnancy.

“What’s
happened? Is Julia okay? The baby?”

“I’m
sorry to tell you that your cousin had a terrible accident. The baby
is fine, but Julia’s still unconscious. I’d like you to
come down here as soon as possible.”

“Oh,
my God, what happened?” Tears sprang to her eyes and spilled
onto her cheeks. She was half a world away. How was she going to get
home?

“How
soon can you get down here? I’d much rather explain this in
person.”

Her
breath was coming in quick bursts now, and she felt as though the
room was spinning out of control. “I can’t. I’m in
Tokyo. Please tell me what happened.”

“Apparently
Julia woke up in the middle of the night to find an intruder going
through her home. She was quick enough to dial 911, but she was
unable to tell the operator what was going on. They sent police and
an ambulance right away, but Julia was unconscious and hurt pretty
badly by the time they arrived.”

At
home? But Julia was staying at Annabelle’s apartment.

Mark
.

Annabelle
knew it in her heart. This was all her fault. The jerk had probably
gone to her apartment looking for something to use against her, not
expecting that Julia would be there. What had he done to her?