Release Me (20 page)

“Did anyone save room for dessert?”

Christ no, Hudson thought as he dropped his napkin on the table. He was stuffed, not to mention that dinner had gone on long enough. He was ready for Frick and Frack to say their good-byes and hit the road so he could be alone with Allie.

“I couldn’t eat another bite,” Harper said. “Hats off to the chef.”

Thank fuck. For a moment Hudson wondered if he’d said the words out loud. But since he hadn’t been kicked in the shin under the table, it was safe to assume he hadn’t.

Everyone stood up to clear the plates from the table, piling one on top of the other, then loading the silver on the top.

“Oh, fuck,” Nick said.

Hudson’s gaze snapped up to his brother, then shot to the window. Outside, Lake Shore Drive had become a snow-covered parking lot. At least two feet of snow had accumulated over the course of the evening, blowing and drifting across the lakefront road. One by one people were abandoning their cars as they ran out of gas.

“Oh, shit.” Allie moved closer to the window. “We can’t send them out in that,” she whispered to Hudson as he came up behind her. “They won’t even be able to get a cab.”

Goddamnit, she was right. “No, of course not. They’ll stay here. I have plenty of room.”

Allie lifted up on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. A far cry from what he had in mind, but the night was still young. With a little luck their guests would get to the sugar plums dancing in their head portion of the night sooner rather than later.

***

Being relegated to his bedroom put a serious kink in Hudson’s plans. And not in the way he preferred. While he’d enjoyed the hell out of the evening, when he agreed to the whole deck-the-halls thing, he’d envisioned utilizing the tree, the roaring fire, and the twinkling lights to create the perfect setting for his own version of Christmas festivities. But Mother Nature had other plans. Like him hosting a slumber party for his brother and his girlfriend’s eccentric best friend.

Allie came into the room and shut the door behind her. When she flipped the lock it became clear she had some plans of her own.”I have a surprise for you.”

He cocked his head to the side. “You already gave me your gift.”

“That was just something to put under the tree that you could open in front of Nick.” Her eyes held a wicked gleam that shot his intrigue into the outer limits. “This gift requires a more private venue.”

In succession, her fingers began working the dainty buttons that ran down the front of her red sweater. The two sides split open little by little as she went, until the top edges of her lace bra were revealed along with the gentle swell of her breasts. His hands curled at his sides. Sweet hell, that’s what he wanted.

He took a step forward but Allie turned and headed toward the bathroom. As she did, she glanced back and purposefully let the shoulder of her sweater drop, showing him the soft female skin he knew covered her entire body. Hudson let out a groan as he began to feel the effects of her, the sharp edges of his hunger recontouring inside his pants. At the same time he heard Allie’s soft laugh from behind the bathroom door.

He cursed under his breath, and after a quick adjustment strode into the office connected to the master suite. He moved around the massive desk that anchored the room and slid the top drawer open. The sight of the long, thin box embossed with the Cartier logo sparked a now familiar ache in his chest as the remnants of the teen boy of his past collided with the hope he felt for the future.

After Allie he was never going to be the same again. She was what had been missing in his life. He’d never felt truly whole with other women. He could travel on business for extended periods and never miss them. He could have one latched to his arm and forget she was in the same room. And he’d walked away numerous times without a second look back. But Allie consumed him. Challenged him. When they made love, he felt complete.

He tucked the box in his pocket and strode back into the bedroom. Allie stood before him in a black satin-and-lace baby-doll. The sight of her stopped him dead in his tracks, and all the blast from the past mumbojumbo became a distant-fucking-thought. He sucked in a breath; she was a knockout.

“Do you like?” Her hazel eyes focused on him and her soft blonde curls fell against her pale skin. A juxtaposition of the innocence she still possessed and how incredibly uninhibited she could be with him.

Only him.

“Do I like?” His brows shot up as he moved closer to her. “I love.” His fingertips brushed the top of her breasts, tracing the edge of the satin cup. “Damn, Allie, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

Allie smiled and a gentle blush colored her cheeks. “Well, it was either this or the slutty Mrs. Claus.”

He chuckled. She could have sauntered out in sweatpants or even a damn potato sack and he would have loved it, because it was her. He wasn’t a guy who was hung up on all that expensive lingerie, stockings, and bra’s that pushed what he wanted to unleash up to a woman’s chin. But he was also a red-blooded male who wasn’t about to complain. Jesus Christ, she was perfect. Blowing out a harsh breath, he told the hard-on behind his fly to cool it. “I have a present for you.”

“I don’t need anything else, Hudson, I have everything I could possibly want under this roof.” Her arms slid around his waist.

“I disagree.” He pulled the leather box out from behind his back. It was tied with a red bow, the signature of a Cartier Christmas, and although a black bow would have normally fit his mood around the holidays, this year the cheerful red suited.

Allie opened the box and gasped. Nestled inside was an anklet like none other, custom made with Hudson’s distinct specifications. Delicate white-gold ropes intertwined and were anchored in the middle by a single seashell charm set with flawless diamonds.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed. Tears welled in her eyes, and he wondered if she was remembering a similar exchange ten years prior when he gave her the carnival trinket.

“I thought this would be more appropriate than that cheap thing you’ve been wearing tucked inside your boots.”

“I love that ‘cheap thing,’” she said. “And the fact you kept it all these years . . .”

Hudson closed the distance between them. He brushed his lips against hers once, twice, then kissed her deep and slow. He was gentle and careful, tilting his head and stroking the inside of her mouth with his tongue.

Christ, every time he kissed her, it was better than the time before.

Allie’s hands slid underneath his sweater. They were soft and cool against his hot skin. He shifted back and in one motion yanked the cashmere over his head and pitched it to the side.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” His hand cupped the side of her face and his thumb wiped a tear from beneath her eye. “Why are you crying?”

“Because tonight couldn’t have been more perfect. Because I love you.”

“I love you, too, Allie. More than anything.” It was true. He loved her more than the company he built from the ground up. More than any future that was spread out in front of them. He loved her more than himself.

With that, Hudson dipped his head and kissed her again, a slow, intense, full-mouthed seduction that had her fingers raking into his hair. He gathered her into his arms and laid her out on his king-size bed, then stretched over her with a tempered control that was a complete contradiction to the pounding erection in his pants. His hands brushed her hair away from her face, his thumb lingering to caress her cheekbone.

“I love the way you feel on top of me.” Allie slid her foot along his calf.

Hudson’s hand smoothed down her thigh and curled her leg over his hip. “How do I feel?”

“Hard.” She rocked her hips against him and smiled. “Very hard.”

“Fuck, Allie,” he hissed.

She pressed her lips to the straining muscles in his neck, running her mouth up until she got to his jaw. It was a matter of seconds before he needed more, so much more. He needed all of her, every inch of her flesh, hot and writhing against his. He needed to make love to her with the starved desperation of a dying man in search of God.

He swept the sheer fabric of the baby-doll to the side and up her ribcage. Her body arched and her nipples strained through the thin fabric. With an impatient hand he tugged the satin down and the tip of her breast tightened further from the cool rush of air. Unable to stop himself, but like he would if presented the choice, he curled his tongue around the peak, sucking it into his mouth. His tongue swept in and out, flicking then sucking while his hands roamed and her body undulating under his. Impatient fingers curled around the edge of her lingerie. “I want this off.”

Allie stripped the fabric from her shoulders, then pulled it over her head. When she tossed it, the material floated to . . . the bed? The ground? Hell if he cared. His eyes were locked onto every inch of her perfect skin. His hands caressed from her neck to her hips and he followed their path with his open mouth. He moved over her, leisurely pressing kisses to her skin, letting his lips linger longer the lower he went. When he’d finally settled between her thighs, he swept a hand up her leg, gripped the back of her knee, and lifted it over his shoulder.

Dipping his head, he ran the flat of his tongue right up the center of her. Allie’s breath hitched and the air rushed out of her lungs. He stroked her in long, slow sweeps, then dragged his tongue deeper, getting a perfect taste of her.

“Oh, God . . . Hudson . . .” Allie moaned, and her fingers twisted into the sheets.

“Feel good?” He flicked over the most sensitive part of her.

“Yes . . .” Her voice trembled just like her body.

“So sweet, you kill me.” A dangerous lust took hold of him, and with a deep rumble in his chest he locked his hands onto her thighs, splitting her wide and penetrating her with his tongue. He thrust into her with deep, sensuous laps, and in no time she was shattering apart under his mouth and glistening his lips. Her head fell back and her spine arched as she bowed off the bed. And shit, the sound of her crying out his name made his cock kick behind his fly, dying to get out. He reared up and nearly ripped his zipper off as he yanked the thing down, pitching the pants to the side with the same urgency.

With a shift, he settled his weight back onto her, his biceps flexing as he propped himself up on his elbows. The tip of his cock brushed against her hot core, and a fresh wave of need crashed into him.

She gazed up at him. God, if she spent the rest of her life looking at him that way, he was liable to spend the rest of his inside of her. “Make love to me, Hudson.”

“Always.” He dropped his mouth to hers as he surged inside her, her nails digging into his shoulders. He drew his hips back, then the base of his spine flexed as he pushed into her again. Allie’s slender hands drifted down his back to his bare ass, pulling him deeper.

Hudson’s head shot up and a groan broke free of his mouth, his muscles chorded and tight from the pleasure that coiled up from his lower body. His broad back flexed and released with each thrust of his hips, the rolling penetrations gliding him in and out as he found a rhythm that had his body on the perfect type of autopilot.

“Ah, God . . .” Allie arched, her chin lifting toward the ceiling and the tips of her breasts brushing against his chest. Fuck, the sight of her beneath him about made him come right then and there. He closed his eyes, but this time he wasn’t plagued by the contaminating thoughts of the past. No nightmares threatened the pureness of his pleasure. It was just the two of them straining against each other, their panting breathes mingling with the sounds of their lovemaking.

Allie locked her legs around his waist, a throaty version of his name rolling off her tongue as her body began to tighten around his cock. He crushed his mouth against hers and began to really move, his hips swinging of their own volition. His thrusts became shorter, faster, and tighter with each relentless drive.

“I want you to feel me come inside you.” He managed to force the syllables out of his mouth between breaths.

“Yes . . . Don’t stop . . . I’m so—”

Fast as a lighting strike, an orgasm seized her body. The vise grip she had all around him was too much, and the release that had been brewing deep within him shot down his spine. He came hard, his body snapped tight, his hips locking against her sex, while the lingering pulses of her orgasm just about shorted out his brain.

Collapsing on top of her, he turned his face into her neck and tried to catch his breath.

“Merry Christmas,” she murmured as her fingers stroked languidly down his back.

And it had been. All thanks to her. Despite everything, Allie had gone to great lengths to make their first Christmas together special, not only for the two of them, but for Nick as well. The realization not only hit him hard, it made him fall in love with her all over again.

Hudson opened one eye. The first thing he saw was the woven pile of feathers, twigs, and string that now dangled over his bed. He’d half expected a family of birds to set up shop in the thing, but if it actually managed to keep his nightmares at bay, so be it. The second was Allie, standing beside the bed wearing a pair of his pajama pants and one of his long-sleeve T-shirts.

“What happened to the woman I took to bed last night?” He rolled over on his side, the sheet shifting down on his hips.

Allie gave a small laugh. “You didn’t expect me to cook breakfast wearing that, did you?”

“No, I expected you to ride my cock wearing nothing.”

She gasped as he gave her hand a sharp tug and yanked her back into bed with him. “Hudson, Nick and Harper are here.”

“I wasn’t planning on inviting them to join us.” Harper struck him as the type of woman who valued sleep, and there was little doubt that Nick was still clocking in the Z’s. When he was using he’d be up for days, but now he had likely slept soundly for nine out of the ten that had passed. “And if memory serves, their presence didn’t stop you from enjoying yourself last night.”

He started to push her shirt up but she batted his hands away. “I mean they’re probably hungry.”

“I’m hungry.” He went to work on the string of her—make that his—pants.”Besides, I thought you were supposed to open your presents on Christmas morning?”

“I believe you opened your present last night.”Allie smiled as she squirmed out of his grasp. “More than once.”

Hudson groaned and ran a hand through his dark waves. He knew he had the look of being freshly fucked, although without the benefits it appeared. “Remind me again why we hosted a godforsaken slumber party.”

“Because,” Allie said as she retied the string on her borrowed pajamas and rolled the waist, “Lake Shore Drive was a parking lot, that’s why.”

“Well, if it’s not clear this morning I’ll shovel the damn thing myself.”

“Pants.” She reached for his hand and tugged him out of bed.

“This is not at all how I pictured the morning playing out,” he grumbled as he shuffled to the closet.

“And how did your version go?”

Hudson emerged from the walk-in tying his drawstring pants. Allie took one look at the expression on his face and began backing toward the double doors of the master suite. He caught up with her in three strides and planted his palms against the rich wood on either side of her head. “I envisioned,” he purred, his mouth hovering over hers, “diving under the sheets and fucking you with my tongue.”

The noise she made was practically a whimper. “Breakfast,” she breathed, “then you can have me all day.”

That promise clogged his mind as he reluctantly opened the door. He followed her down the hall, his arms wrapped around her waist and his lips pressed to her neck as he murmured all the ways he planned to have her naked. To punctuate the way he wanted to take her from behind, he swatted her ass. She yelped and covered herself, then came to an abrupt halt.

Hudson crashed into her.

“What the . . .” His voice intruded upon the scene in front of him: Harper and Nick looking warm and cozy in front of a fire crackling with its last breath of life. Jesus-H-Christ, they’d turned his living room into their own private campground. Thank fuck they were still wearing their clothes from the night before.

Allie composed herself quickly, a hell of a lot faster than he had, and greeted their guests with a wide smile. “Good morning, you two.”

“Hey, morning.” Nick quickly pushed to his feet. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas. How did . . .” Allie stumbled in the most marvelous way. He knew without a doubt that she was about to ask how they’d slept, but judging from their attire they hadn’t gotten one wink of shut-eye. “Ready for some bacon and eggs?” she recovered.

“The Alessandra Sinclair breakfast special?” Harper stood and ran a hand through her disheveled red curls.

“Hey, my breakfast-cooking skills have had rave reviews.” Allie glanced over her shoulder at Hudson, nearly knocking him flat on the ass with her knowing smile.

He was so shoveling that road.

She started toward the kitchen but stopped short at the sight of one last present he’d managed to sneak under the tree while she slept. Stealthy SOB that he was.

“What’s that?”

“If I tell you it defeats the purpose of wrapping.” An almost childlike grin curved his lips. “Open it and find out.”

Allie retrieved the box from under the tree and read the tag. Her eyes met his. “But you already gave me my gift last night.” She pulled one leg of the pajama bottoms up to reveal the diamond anklet he’d fastened to her at some point during their lovemaking. His cock nearly swore out loud thinking about it.

“Open it.”

Allie tugged at the black-and-silver ribbon, then lifted the glossy white lid revealing two tickets to . . . “The Orient Express?”

Hudson nodded. “We leave for Venice on Sunday and the train will have us in London by New Year’s Eve.”

“Are you serious?”

“You, me, and the mysteries of the Orient Express.”

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard on the lips, completely unconcerned by their audience.

And Hudson was so on board with it.

He slipped his arms around her and his shoulders rolled as he bent down to kiss the ever-loving hell out of her.

“Wait.” She pulled back and her face fell. “Will the airports be back to normal by then?”

His smile widened. “Private plane, baby.” He placed his lips softly over hers, kissing her once, twice . . .

“Don’t you two ever quit?” Nick’s voice sucked the mood right out of the room.

Hudson groaned. At the moment he wasn’t feeling very down with the host-with-the-most gig, and hoped like hell that when breakfast was over the roads would be clear.