I wake up to find Hudson fast asleep beside me. I’m a little surprised he didn’t sneak out in the night, but pleased that Lorelei’s teammates were wrong about him being just a love ‘em and leave ‘em type. It’s shocking how disappointed I would have been, if he’d been gone. I didn’t come here to fall in love, and I remind myself forcefully that what I’m feeling is just the after effects of an amazing night.
I’m like a kid in a candy shop as I watch him sleep, wanting to kiss his shoulder, or reach under the sheets to wake him up, maybe with my mouth…
I hurry out of bed and get in the shower. I’m leaving tonight, and there’s no way a hotshot hockey star like Hudson will be interested in a long-distance romance. My first time will have to be a one-night stand, and I’m mostly okay with it. I can’t allow myself to get sad and ruin the perfect night we had.
The hot water sluicing down on me eases my mind as well as my body. I’m a little bit achy, but I love it because it only reminds me of all the fantastic things Hudson did to me. Maybe I should have woken him up for one more round before I never see him again.
“Room for me?”
He shocks me by pulling open the shower curtain and stepping in with me. I can’t decide where to rest my eyes, because his entire body is a work of art. He joins me under the water, and I notice the condom in his hand. He pulls me close, kissing me deeply. I feel his hard shaft press against my stomach and sigh.
“I was just thinking about this,” I tell him, wrapping my fingers around his cock.
He’s fierce and focused, picking me up and fitting us close together. I wrap my legs around his hips, so ready for him. He’s inside me seconds later, and I hold onto his shoulders while he slams into me. I loved his tender, slow approach last night, but this is almost better. I realize with a jolt that I want him everywhere, in every way. I’ll never get enough of him.
He doesn’t even need to touch me to make me come, his powerful body grinding against me and his thick cock filling me are enough. I shake the water out of my eyes and grab onto his head, sliding my fingers through his wet hair.
“Now, now, now,” I plead, wanting to feel him shoot inside me, to experience that feeling of power again.
With a mighty roar, he tightens against me, thrusting so hard and deep it takes my breath away. I let my head drop to his shoulder, and he keeps holding me against him until the water runs cold. Shivering, he turns it off, carries me out of the shower, and wraps me in a towel.
He kneels down and begins drying my legs, working his way up until I’m completely dry. He awkwardly wraps the towel around my hair and smiles proudly. My heart might burst from how adorable he is.
“Let’s get breakfast,” he suggests.
I’m speechless, still expecting him to find an excuse to leave. I’m also starving, so I agree. He leaves me to get dressed, and when I have my skirt and sweater on, I find him looking over my sketches on the kitchen counter.
“These are really good,” he says. “There’s no way you don’t get that internship.”
He points out the designs he likes best, and I’m confident he’s not just giving me hollow compliments. He’s really looked at the pictures and thought about them. He needs to stop making me fall in love with him, damn it. He makes it worse by remembering I have to wear the compression bandage and winds it carefully around my ankle for me.
We go to a diner near campus and order huge breakfasts, chatting as easily as if we’ve known each other forever. My heart sinks when Trina and Danica come in, and their eyes nearly pop out of their heads to see who they think is my shy, reserved twin out to breakfast with the hockey team lothario.
“Lorelei’s going to kill me,” I say. “I was working so hard to make them open up to her, and now they’ll think the worst. If they find out the truth, she could get in real trouble.”
“They won’t find out,” he says, waving casually over at them. “I’ll make sure everyone thinks you’re helping me out with something. Nobody ever has to know the truth, if you don’t want them to.”
His fierce protectiveness makes my heart twist. “I really want everyone to get to know the real Lorelei,” I say. “Be nicer to her, okay? Everyone will follow your lead.”
“Sure,” he says with a shrug. “One of my buddies already has a little crush on her.”
I snort. “Don’t get his hopes up. She’d never date another athlete.”
I see the girls still eyeing us curiously and wave, trying to mimic Hudson’s casual attitude. On the way out, he makes a point to loudly say, “You owe me for this ride to the physical therapist.”
“What do you think breakfast was,” I say. “That’s all the payment you’re going to get.”
We erupt into laughter as soon as we’re safely away from the diner, and Hudson puts his arm around my shoulder. “Let me take you to the airport tonight,” he suggests.
Does he want to spend every last minute possible with me, or is he just being kind? For my heart’s safety, I tell myself he’s just being sweet. There’s no way this hockey bad boy stays interested in me once I’m out of his sight.
Chapter 10
Hudson
I seriously don’t know what’s wrong with me. I can’t let Cara go. There were multiple opportunities to escape without a scene, and I didn’t take any of them. I’m enjoying spending time with her too much. Once we’re in an area where no one from Lorelei’s team is likely to see her, we wander around, looking in shop windows and teasing one another, just chatting and laughing about everything and nothing. I tell her things I’ve never told anyone. Not that they’re huge secrets, but only because it’s somehow important I share everything with her.
Just as we’re ready to return to the apartment for Cara’s bags, she receives a call from the airport. I can’t hear the other end of the call, but Cara’s eyes light up, and she looks at me with a huge smile after hanging up.