Page 89 of Commit

I shake my head and smile as Hudson pulls away from the curb, and I gaze out the window. A pang of guilt hits me when I think of Abbot and what he’s doing.

“So, where are we going to eat?”

He chuckles, the sound coming out oddly nervous, making me look over at him.

“I thought we could eat at the park. I packed us a picnic.”

My mouth drops open before I can stop it.

“That okay?”

I’m not sure who this version of Hudson is, but I’ll take it. The man packed me a freaking picnic.

“I’ve never been on a real picnic before.”

“Me either. I’m glad I get to do it with you.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Hudson

Isound like a fucking loser. What’s next, coming in my pants?

I can’t believe I’m taking Kenzo’s advice. It’s so much easier when I can force people to do what I want, so it pisses me off that I can’t force her to love me. Still, the look on her face when I said I was taking her on a picnic might have been worth the fact that I paid for the food with my man card.

When we arrive at the park, I scan the parking lot. There are a few cars, mostly minivans with Baby on Board stickers. In the far corner, a man paces in front of a Lexus on his cell phone, clearly agitated with whoever he’s talking to. I take in his attire—skinny dark jeans, a pink shirt, and aviators—before dismissing him.

I get out of the car, grab the basket and blanket from the back, and wait for Starling to join me before I lead her down one of the less-populated paths. We come out near the river’s edge, which looks like the perfect spot. I put the basket down and spread out the blanket before I yank Starling to me and kiss her hard.

She gasps in surprise, but she doesn’t push me away. Instead, she grips my shirt in her hands and kisses me back.

Pulling my mouth from hers, I shake my head. “I need to make sure you eat before I have to get you back.”

She nods and sits down, still in a bit of a daze, as I unpack the food and lay it out on the blanket between us.

“You made all this?” she asks after a few moments, and I look at her.

“Is made the same as bought?”

“No.” She laughs.

“If I bought it, would you be less impressed?”

She shakes her head, her lips twitching. “No. This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

“Really?”

“No,” she deadpans, making me growl as I pin her to the blanket and start tickling her.

She squeals and squirms, making my dick hard as a fucking rock. I kiss her again, softly this time. For the first time since I put all this in motion, I feel like she’s a willing participant.

I slide my hand under her shirt and press it against her bare stomach, making her shiver. Sliding it higher, I cup her breast, my thumb gliding over her nipple.

Okay, so making out in parks might be the kind of high school experience I’m happy to relive. I pop open the button on her jeans and slip my hand inside, my fingers easing inside her panties.

“Yes, finger fuck her hard, man.”

I look up and see the pink shirt fucker from the parking lot staring at Starling like she’s completely naked.