Page 17 of Angel's Forever

“You two were supposed to be spending time together, not coming down here and interfering with breakfast. Now, behave.”

At that, I heard another husky voice in the doorway. “Who’s not behaving?”

I looked up and saw Hudson standing there, shirtless in just his pants, causing yet another wave of heat to go over my body. How I thought I could survive living in a house with three gorgeous men, I never knew. I was starting to doubt whether this was indeed a good idea. The guys parted ways as Hudson stalked over to me and grabbed me in his arms, leaning down and whispering in my ear.

“You didn’t answer me, Angel. Who is not behaving?”

I felt a shiver run across my skin as my sir spoke to me. He knew how to get a reaction from me with just his voice. I inhaled sharply, immediately smelling the citrus and musk of his aftershave, which always made me go weak at the knees. Instantly, I realized that I had made a mistake. I slowly looked up at Hudson towering above me with stern eyes, waiting for an answer.

“Don’t make me ask a third time, Angel.”

I took a gulp of air before I quietly answered him. “I was telling Nico and Gino to behave themselves, sir. They weren’t doing anything wrong. I was just warning them before they did.”

I felt like a schoolgirl being told off by the headmaster every time Hudson spoke to me in that tone.

He pressed a kiss to my lips and smiled. “I guess they will have to be punished later, then, won’t they?”

I gently nodded my head and looked over at Nico and Gino, who both had smiles on their faces. They both knew what Hudson’s surprise this evening was, but had promised me they wouldn’t tell him. I was starting to wonder if they had.

“Now, I want to spend some more time with my gorgeous woman, so why don’t you allow Nico and Gino to take over?”

Hudson took my hand and led me past Nico and Gino, who were both standing there smirking at me as if they had won. I was sure I would have the last laugh in the end, though. Nico gave me a suggestive wink as I left the kitchen and walked into the living room. I had already placed my present and card on the table for Hudson and was surprised when I walked in there to find more presents waiting. I guessed they must have been from Nico and Gino, as well as possibly Trent and Kristen, as they had been there at the beginning of this week.

Hudson sat down in one of the armchairs and immediately pulled me onto his lap. A small squeal left my lips. He instantly wound his arms around me and pressed his lips to mine.

“I had hoped to wake up with my beautiful woman lying next to me this morning, as it is my birthday.”

I suddenly felt bad. I had wanted to make the day special for him, so I had thought I would get breakfast ready for everyone, but it seemed I had just made it worse.

“I’m sorry. I was just so caught up in getting everything ready for your birthday that I didn’t think. Will you forgive me?”

I tried to look as pathetic as possible with wide puppy dog eyes, but all that seemed to do was make Hudson burst out into hysterics.

I was angry now. I had put so much effort into today, and he was laughing at me. I slapped him on the shoulder, which made him laugh even more. I tried to get off him and give him a piece of my mind, but he held onto me tightly as his laughter faded. He pressed a kiss to my neck and I couldn’t help but move my head so he could get access easier.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I couldn’t help it. You are so damn sexy when you are angry. I’m not really upset. I know you have planned today and just want it to be perfect, which I am sure it will be. I just missed waking up to you in bed this morning, that was all. Now, can I open my presents please?”

Who knew that Hudson was just a big kid at heart? I wondered if Nico was the same and whether they were as bad as this at Christmas. Seeing him sitting there, pleading with his eyes, I couldn’t refuse him.

“You can open my present, but you will have to check with the guys if you can open theirs.”

I leaned over to the table got the present I had carefully wrapped, along with my card, and gave it to Hudson. It was quite awkward having him unwrap the present while I was sitting on his lap, but it was obvious he wasn’t going to let me go. I held my breath as he opened the box and removed the cover on the cufflinks. It was only when I saw his eyes light up as he took one out and looked at the back of it that I knew they were perfect.

“Did you have these made for me? I’ve been looking for something similar since we got together. They are amazing.” He pressed another kiss to my lips.

“Yes. I had them specially made by a jeweler here in New York. I really hoped you’d like them. Happy birthday, Hudson.”

“I love them.”

It was then we heard Gino’s voice from the doorway.

“See, I told you he would, tesoro. Now, Nico says you’d better get back into the kitchen before he devours everything that’s been cooked, especially the bacon.”

I pressed a kiss to Hudson’s cheek, and we both made our way into the kitchen to enjoy our breakfast together.

IT WAS NEARLY FIVE in the afternoon, and Gino and I had just arrived at Pleasures to get everything ready for the evening. We were greeted by the manager as we walked in, who took us up to the private dining area next to Hudson’s suite. They had decorated the room exactly how I had arranged, and it looked perfect. There really wasn’t much that we needed to do. They would bring the food out just before seven, when Nico and Hudson were due to arrive, so it was just the case of making sure everything was set up in the suite.

I had been here a few times and knew exactly how Hudson liked the room to look. I knew this was the first time that Gino had been here – well, in Hudson’s suite, anyway – so I wanted him to get used to it so it wasn’t a shock when we came in here later.