“Obviously not.” She’d never been with Jason. What was this nonsense?
“So what you’re saying Sunshine is … there’s a chance?” Hudson asked, his voice pitching up in excitement. It reminded her of all the times he’d get excited about some new stunt he’d mastered on a bike, wakeboard, or wingsuit, or even better the times he’d get excited about being closer to her.
A chance? A chance for what? How dare he call her Sunshine? She wasn’t his Sunshine. Never again.
Before she could muddle out why Jason not being here had made Hudson so happy and made him think there was “a chance”, Hudson slid his hands around her hips, tugged her to him, bent down, and captured her lips with his.
Kelsey gasped in surprise, but her body took over instinctively. She went on tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his head, tried to pull him even closer, and devoured his mouth with hers. She should’ve been embarrassed by her enthusiastic response to his longed for kiss, but all she could feel was intense pleasure and happiness. She was back in Hudson’s arms, the world was going to find peace and joy, and kissing him was even better than she’d remembered. How was that possible? Somehow it was. Longing for him, no matter how she’d fought against it, had made him taste more delicious than anything in this universe.
They kissed desperately, clinging to each other, exchanging love and devotion and so many beautiful emotions.
Until someone walked past laughing and whistling loudly at them.
Kelsey forced herself to release him from the kiss and pull in long breaths of air. She stared into his beautiful blue eyes, glinting happily at her and then he said, “We’ve still got that incredible spark, Sunshine. Remember how you wouldn’t kiss me until I tricked you into it and from then on you could never get enough of me?”
Couldn’t get enough of him? That was for sure. And it had been her downfall. She would never trade Mo for the world but being a single mom and dropping out of college wasn’t anywhere on the possibility list of her life’s plan. If this man that she “couldn’t get enough of” had only come for her, they could’ve raised their adorable son together. Instead, Hudson had pursued his own selfish dreams and become a multi-millionaire with his own cologne line … oh my, no wonder he smelled so good, some chemist had probably designed his cologne to match him perfectly.
Couldn’t get enough of him? Oh, he’d see that she could definitely get enough of him.
She stepped back just far enough so she could reach up and slap his handsome face as hard as she could. Her hand stung and the slap reverberated through the semi-quiet parking lot.
He didn’t even flinch. He stared at her, for far too long, and then he said quietly, “I guess this means there isn’t a chance?”
“No there isn’t a chance! How dare you? You … jerk! You ditch me and—”
Her tirade was only getting started but a loud alert of some sort sounded on Hudson’s phone. The Hudson she’d known and loved would’ve never looked at his phone, especially when she was around. This new Hudson, who could kiss better than ever, didn’t have the courtesy to focus on her. He ripped his phone from his suit pocket and his eyes widened.
“Excuse me,” he murmured, taking off at a full-on sprint through the parking lot and toward his grandfather’s large home. No explanation. No apology. No goodbye.
Kelsey stared at his rapidly-disappearing backside in shock. She let out a disgusted grunt and threw her hands in the air. “Isn’t that par for the course?” she demanded of the thin air. “Hudson Delta, ditching me once again. He’s not brave, he’s a spineless wimp! Ugh! I hate him!”
She finished her private tirade, relieved that no one was near. She stomped off toward the road leading away from the Deltas and back home to Summit Valley. It would be miserable and probably give her plantar fasciitis to walk the distance in this dress and heels, but it might help her anger at that infuriating man cool off. Somebody would come along and pick her up. She knew her people and they were good people. Still she marched off, not willing to wait for the ride Hudson was supposed to give her. What a deserter. What a heartbreaker. What a jerk.
The stupid fantasies she’d let herself indulge in of Hudson coming back for her and Mo needed to disappear for good. Yes he could still kiss like a fairy tale dream, but that was probably because of the long list of women he’d kissed since he’d last kissed Kelsey. He’d probably given her mononucleosis from swapping spit with so many women.
Ugh! He disgusted her. She was washing her hands of Hudson Delta for good, using a bottle of hand sanitizer for extra precaution to make sure the alcohol killed everything she’d ever felt for him.
She still hated that Mo would never know his father, but it was for the best. The charming, fun Hudson she knew and loved was dead and in his place was a spoiled, cocky jerk. Good riddance. She and Mo didn’t need him. They’d done fine on their own in the past and they’d do even better in the future.
If only she could eradicate the memories of their kisses from her brain. She touched her lips and stumbled on the dark road. Falling to her knees, she caught herself with her palms.
Her palms stung but luckily no rocks had serrated the flesh. She stood shakily and looked down at her dress. Her favorite dress. There was a tear and smudges of dirt embedded in the off-white lace. Tears stung her eyes. It was probably ruined. Just like her relationship with Hudson was ruined. She supposed the dress could be replaced if she was careful and saved for it. Hudson couldn’t be replaced. No amount of careful saving and patience would bring him into her and Mo’s lives. She believed firmly in prayer and heaven’s help and both had gotten her through some hard times these past four years. Unfortunately not even heaven could bring Hudson to her.
Walking more slowly down the road, she let the tears run. She’d tried to talk herself out of loving Hudson for years, but she hadn’t succeeded. How was she going to eradicate him from her heart? She had to let him go. It was too hard to keep going like this.
* * *
Keep reading here.
Bonus Book - Risking it All
ChapterOne
Avalyn Shaman exited her room at the beautiful Cancun resort and took the stairs six flights down. She couldn’t wait to float in one of the infinity pools overlooking the beach. This five-star resort had so many pools she’d lost track. She’d arrived a day early for Creed Hawk and Kiera Richins’s wedding. The three of them had been friends since childhood.
She adored the entire Hawk family, with the exception of the youngest brother, Bridger. He was a cocky extreme athlete who thought the women of the world were created to decorate his muscular arms. Bridger was two years younger than her and lived to torment her—teasing her whenever he saw her, lodging himself in her brain the rest of the time. It aggravated her to no end that she had dreams about him on a regular basis, and even during the day she couldn’t get his handsome face out of her mind.
No, thank you, brain. Please choose again.