Page 40 of The Wedding Fake

Hudson always spoke with a casual ease, but these words came out stilted and formal, and I couldn’t help but want to push for more information. “Why did you leave?”

He cleared his throat, the smile gone from his face. “My—” he began, but the word hung. I watched as he flexed one hand open and closed around the steering wheel, making a squeaking noise each time his fingers gripped the wheel.

“Sorry, that’s probably personal,” I rushed to add, seeing the strain on his face.

He frowned, but it looked more tortured than angry, and I couldn’t fight the impulse to reach out and touch his thigh. He grasped my hand, squeezing once and then holding on. “I told you my brother died,” he said roughly, “and after that I couldn’t stand to be in Cranberry Falls anymore.”

I had a feeling I was getting a very abridged version of the story, but my heart beat wildly against my ribs. He was trusting me, and I wanted more than anything to do the same for him. “I wonder if we both moved to the city around the same time. I left a couple years ago.”

“You’ve only lived in the city a couple years? That explains a lot.”

I wasn’t entirely sure what his implication was, but I was offended anyway. “What’s that supposed to mean?” It wasn’t like I was some country bumpkin or basic-bitch suburbanite.

He chuckled. “It doesn’t mean anything about you, but it explains a lot about why your mother hates me.”

“She doesn’t hate you,” I said reflexively, but I wasn’t sure how true the statement was.

“Well, she doesn’t like me, and maybe it’s just because I’m wholly unlikable, but maybe it’s because you can’t date me and move back to Bridgeport.”

My nose curled in thought. He had a point. My mother had been devastated when I decided to move closer to Emily after the breakup with Dan. “No, you’re right. You’re wholly unlikable,” I agreed jokingly, winning a wide smile that made my mouth water. I shot a coquettish smile back at him then let my gaze wander out the window, needing to get my eyes off him before I spontaneously combusted.

We fell into comfortable silence, and for a single minute I forgot he still held my hand. Then, as we pulled onto Main Street, he squeezed it once. “You want me to stick with you or go get coffee?” He’d posed a question, but it was hard to think with his thumb brushing over the back of my hand the way it was. God, how I wanted this to be real.

“So far you’ve had excellent Grant radar,” I said. “Does your spider-sense activate when he’s nearby?”

He looked down at the spot where our hands lay intertwined, his brow pinching, then back up to my eyes seriously. “It’s not Grant, it’s you.”

I shook my head, as if I could reject the notion that he was anything other than a sweet-talking playboy. My heart was already flirting with danger where Hudson was concerned, and I couldn’t have another breakup like I had with Dan. It would be too crushing. “What do you mean?”

He hesitated, and I had the feeling he was choosing his words carefully. “I don’t have a radar for Grant, Claire. I have it for you. If you’re anywhere around me, my eye is drawn to you. I understand you don’t like the social media shit, and you don’t think there’s a future here, but I can’t help but want to be around you.”

19

HUDSON

I knew I shouldn’t have said it, but I had, and her hand slipped free of mine as her cheeks flushed a lovely pink. I hoped the flush meant she liked the compliment, but I wasn’t fool enough to believe it would change the situation we were in. I needed to accept that, whatever had happened before, since the videos were revealed, Claire didn’t share the feelings I had for her.

And I had some feelings, alright.

I wanted to pull her close and kiss the hell out of her. I wanted to run my fingers down her jaw to her neck and feel her pulse hammering under my fingertips. I wanted to taste every damn inch of her body with such agonizing slowness she would beg me to hurry, but I wouldn’t. I would hold us both on that edge and drink my fill of her perfect sweetness.

I could offer that to Claire—fun for the right-now, just to get each other out of our systems. Except, looking at those bright green eyes, I was growing increasingly worried I’d never have enough of Claire. Still, my eyes held hers.

“Emily is going to be there today. I’ll give her my phone and have her text if he shows up while I’m half-dressed again,” Claire said.

Fuck that. A little groan slipped out, but it sounded more like a growl, and it drew a smile from Claire. “If that fuckface walks in on you half-naked, I swear to God,” I muttered.

She reached across and stroked a soft hand down my cheek until it rested at my jaw. My every impulse was to drag her closer, but still I didn’t. “I’ll text you, Hud,” she said, and the four little words left my heart hammering as she slid out the car door and walked away down the street. It was the first time she’d called me ‘Hud’ since she’d found the videos.

I walked over to the coffee shop, ordering a small coffee in case I ended up ordering a second with Claire. From my spot at the window counter, I could see the door to the bridal shop Claire had disappeared inside. Although she’d promised to call if Grant showed up, I wasn’t taking any chances. Claire may not be mine, but she sure as shit wasn’t going to be Grant Dupree’s either.

I’d made it through most of my coffee, my eyes never wavering from the bridal shop, when a ding drew my attention to the phone.

Claire: ‘Bout done. Wanna cruise the mean streets of Bridgeport with me?

I couldn’t help the grin that lit my face. Claire was indescribably nerdy, but I found it charming. After all, how many people used apostrophes in their texts for words like about? Not me. I assumed no one.

Hudson: Thank god you put that apostrophe there