His Curvy Fantasy, page 11
“You did what?” I barked.
It wasn’t my finest moment. Not even a little. I hated that I jumped to angry when he said it, but I was. No, that wasn’t true. I was scared. Terrified. I’d been working my ass off to pay off the debts his father left in my name, to the point that my savings account didn’t even exist and my checking account never had a comma in it.
I told Joey college wasn’t an option. That I didn’t have the money and scholarships were hard to come by. It was a tough conversation because his teachers and guidance counselor were pushing hard for them to start thinking about college. He didn’t have the grades for a scholarship thanks to his learning disabilities, and sports scholarships were even harder to get.
“I want to go to college, Mom. I know we can’t afford it, but I’ll take out loans, and I’ll work and I’ll do whatever I need to do.”
“Is Tierney talking you into this?” I sneered. Again, not my finest moment. She’d mentioned her older sister was at Columbia.
“Tierney wants me to be happy, but no, she’s not. You’re the only one who isn’t on board with me doing this. You didn’t go to college, so you don’t see it as an option.”
“College debt is debilitating for most people. You end up owing tens of thousands of dollars, if you’re lucky. Some people owe hundreds of thousands. Do you know how long that would take you to pay back? Even if you get a job that pays well, it’s decades. That affects your ability to do other things in the future.”
“Hudson did it.”
“Hudson?” There was no more air. He was the one who started this. Who put the idea in Joey’s head that college was possible.
“Yeah. He got a baseball scholarship and went to college until he got hurt. His wife was his tutor, and she had loans, but he said it wasn’t that bad.”
I paced the living room and fought back the tears in my eyes. I wanted to give my kids the world. I wanted them to have unlimited opportunities. I would have done anything for them.
But saddling them with debt that would follow them their entire lives, encouraging them to do something that would affect their futures, I couldn’t go along with it.
I knew all the statistics. College grads earned more than people who never went to college, but no one talked about the college grads who sold their soul to pay off their debt. The ones who were paying more than my rent every single month for twenty years in order to pay back the money they borrowed.
It wasn’t smart or reasonable. But Hudson made him think it was.
“Stay here with your brother,” I said, not looking at my son.
“But I was going to meet Tierney.”
“No. I’ll be back in an hour. We can talk then.”
Joey sighed, but he nodded.
I had a bar owner’s ass to kick.
12
I was fuming. There had to be steam coming out of my ears. My face was flushed and my body burned. I couldn’t believe Hudson convinced my son college was an option. I was barely hanging on, and even if he could get loans, saddling him with the kind of debt I’d been trying to pay off for years was not how I intended to have my son start adulthood.
Fucking Hudson.
By the time I got to O’Kelley’s, I’d calmed down a tiny bit. A parking spot was open right up front, which made me smile at my good fortune, and I let myself into the packed bar.
What the hell?
I was more than a little surprised how busy it was for thanksgiving night, but I quickly brushed that aside and went in search of the man I was there to see.
I stomped toward the bar, my gaze catching on Hudson. My body flushed for an entirely different reason, but I couldn’t let my stupid hormones and teenage desires get the better of me. Not when my son’s future was on the line.
He looked up and saw me before I made it to the bar. His lips started to turn up into a smile, then he caught my expression and frowned. He nodded toward the hallway. Smart man. He didn’t want this to be a public conversation.
He made it to the office before I did and was waiting just inside the door. He closed it behind me and crossed his arms, blocking my one and only escape like he thought I was going to run out without telling him what was going on after driving all the fucking way across town to yell at him.
God, I was so mad!
He stood there, watching me and not speaking. I wanted him to ask what was wrong, but he didn’t. He just stood there.
“Why did you tell Joey to register for the SATs?” I finally blurted.
“What?” he asked.
I spun on him. He’d dropped his arms to his sides. His head was tilted. His gaze was far off, like he couldn’t remember talking to my son about his future.
“Joey said you encouraged him to register for the SATs. Why did you do that?”
Hudson shook his head like he was coming out of a fog. His brows tugged together. He focused on me. “That’s what you’re so angry about? Why is that an issue?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
The lightness in him fled. His arms crossed again. His muscles drew tight. “In order to get into college, he needs that test. Every school requires it. Unless he’s planning to go somewhere that needs the ACT, but usually it’s—”
“He’s not going to college,” I snapped.
“Wh—” He stopped the question before it was out there.
I couldn’t look at him. I knew how people felt about college. It was a requirement to get most jobs. Especially good ones. It was what most people did. There were ways to pay for it. But not great ones.
“He’s been talking all year about college. I assumed—”
“Like you assumed he had my permission to work here last year?” I spat.
It was a low blow, one I shouldn’t have tossed out, but I was angry and scared and this man was the one creating all the turmoil in my world at the moment.
He descended on me, closing the distance between us before I had a chance to realize he was even moving. “You agreed to let him work here after that. I had no way of knowing, and I thought we put that behind us.”
I mustered up all my anger and defense and glared up at him. I hated that being so close to him made all my good parts shiver. I wanted to not find him the least bit attractive. I wanted to be able to resist the pull I felt when I was so close to him.
“Yeah, well, that was before you decided to interfere in our lives. Again.”
“What’s so wrong with him going to college?” Hudson asked. His voice was harsh, confused but also not backing down. He thought he was right.
“How in the hell is he going to pay for it? I sure can’t. And student loans are creating a crisis in this country. He’s going to carry loans the rest of his life, and I’m not going to put that on him.”
“Shouldn’t that be his choice?”
I scoffed. “He’s a teenage boy. Do you really think he makes smart decisions right now?”
“He’s not a typical teenage boy. He has a job, and he works hard in school. He takes care of his brother. He wants this. Why are you fighting it so hard?”
“Because not all of us can drop a few hundred on a video game thingy without a second thought! I can’t. My kids can’t. I’m barely scraping by, and I live in a hellhole that shouldn’t be legal for people to live in. But debt has nearly destroyed me. I can’t get out of there because I can’t afford anything better. And I’m not going to allow my kids to suffer the way I have.”
“Did you go to college?”
“What does that matter?”
“Did you?”
“No.” I crossed my arms and straightened my spine. “And I’ve done just fine without a college degree.”
“I agree,” he said. “But there are a lot of opportunities for people in college. Especially someone like Joey, who wants to be an engineer.”
“He what?” I gasped. He never told me that. He didn’t tell me anything.
“Didn’t he talk to you about this?”
“No,” I snapped. “But clearly he talked to you. So, my kid is making plans for his future without letting me know, but he’s involving you. Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
Hudson scowled. “You’re a real piece of work, you know that? Why can’t you just be okay with him making choices for himself?”
“And why can’t you stay the hell away from my family?”
We were both breathing heavy. Our chests rose and fell together. Our breath mingled. Our bodies were tense and tight.
And then we snapped.
I don’t know which of us moved first, but the next thing I knew, he was backing me against the door and pressing his body to mine. His lips were on mine, his tongue prying my mouth open.
I scratched my nails down his back, earning a hiss. He withdrew from our kiss and dragged his teeth across my collarbone before clamping down on my earlobe.
I growled at him.
He hitched my leg up and settled himself between my thighs. He was hard, and I was wet, and fuck me, I knew where this was going.
A whisper in the back of my mind said I needed to stop, but all the adrenaline in me was pumping in time with my desire and I knew I’d have better luck stopping a runaway train, because that was exactly how I felt.
His beard scraped down my throat as his fingers pulled my shirt up. His warm palm burned my skin. Branding me. Marking me. Claiming me.
I pushed him back and yanked my shirt off. His gaze dropped to my nipples, tight against my cotton bra. The cheap kind from a big box store. It wasn’t fancy or lacy or pretty. It was simple and white, because that was cheap.
But with his gaze on me, it felt like lingerie.
His breath pushed out of his nose like a bull ready to charge. He reached back and tugged his shirt off, then he stalked toward me like a man on a mission.
I got wetter just knowing I was that mission.
He lifted my thigh again and thrust against me. My body tightened at the movement, readying itself for him.
He did it again, and again. He stared at my breasts the whole time, his gaze locked on the fleshy mounds and the way they bounced between us. Then he dropped my leg and cupped my breasts and pinched my nipples.
I cried out, my head slamming against the door. He shoved the cotton aside and replaced one hand with his mouth. I hated myself for how easily he made me come apart. First in the bathroom at Finley’s, and now in his office. He hadn’t gotten into my pants either time, but I came like he’d been buried inside me.
“Fuck,” he growled, licking my nipple and nibbling his way to the other side. “Again.”
He licked and sucked my other nipple until my body went flying a second time. I was pissed. I didn’t want him to have that kind of control over me. To be the only one who was weak with desire.
I pushed him away and spun us, pressing his back to the door. I dropped to my knees and unbuttoned his jeans. He groaned, helping me shove his jeans and boxer briefs down his legs, exposing his thick, hard cock.
It had been a long time since I was on my knees in front of a man. I couldn’t even remember the last time. But I knew I wasn’t very good at giving blow jobs. Nick told me time and again that I needed work and encouraged me to practice, but he always said I wasn’t very good. After he came, of course.
“Anna,” Hudson said softly.
I didn’t want him to be nice to me. Or to pity me. I didn’t want him to see the uncertainty in my gaze or know I wanted to please him. I just wanted to make him lose control.
I leaned forward and wrapped my lips around his cock. He thrust deeper into my mouth, then immediately withdrew.
“Fuck,” he hissed.
I closed my eyes and focused on the way he felt. His thighs clenched tight beneath my fingertips. His cock pulsed between my lips. His fingers went into my hair, tightening when I withdrew and encouraging me deeper when I took him in my mouth.
The longer I sucked him without instruction, the bolder I grew. I cupped his balls. I dragged my nails down his thighs. I sucked harder.
His panting grew desperate. His pumping sped up. The hold he had on my hair tightened. I prepared myself for him to spill down my throat. I didn’t want to choke on him, but it was possible. I relaxed my throat and breathed through my nose.
Then he grunted and yanked me back.
He squeezed the edge of his cock and growled. “On the couch. Now.”
“What?” I asked, still dazed from being pulled off him.
“I need to be inside you when I come.”
I stared at him, wondering if I heard him correctly.
“Anna,” he growled.
My body responded to that. Fucking asshole. But I did what he said.
He pulled the rest of my clothes off, swearing when my boots kept my pants from coming off easily. He took a breath and untied them, tossing them over his shoulder when they finally came free.
Then he disappeared into the bathroom, back a minute later with a condom and a dangerous look in his eyes.
Fucking hell, the man was hot.
Come leaked from me, pooling between my legs. I couldn’t remember the last time I was so wet. Maybe never. And all he’d done was play with my nipples.
He looked at me, and I resisted the urge to cover my body. Fuck him. If he didn’t like my curves, I didn’t care. I wasn’t there because I wanted a relationship with him. Or because we were meant to be. I was there because I was mad at him. And because I didn’t like him. And because…
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he whispered.
My body tingled at his words. I didn’t want them to mean so much, but they did.
He moved between my legs and positioned himself at my entrance. He caught my gaze and held it. His hands pressed my thighs wide. He watched me as he worked his way inside my body.
I couldn’t look away from him, feeling like I was trapped inside his gaze. Emotion welled up in my throat. I didn’t want to feel anything. It was sex. Two people who couldn’t do anything except fight and fuck. And we were finally doing the second one.
When he notched fully inside me, we both groaned. Hudson closed his eyes for a minute, and I took the time to stare at him. He looked different without a hat on, but the shaved head and full beard made him that much more of a badass. His lips were full and plump and perfect for kissing. His body was strong from lifting liquor boxes and chairs and kicking ass when he needed to. There was a thick coating of hair on his chest and down his abs. I reached up to touch it, loving the softness of it against my palm.
His eyes opened, and he looked down at where we were joined. His hands moved there, spreading me wider. His thumbs tugged my flesh apart as he started to move, exposing my clit.
He took turns stroking my clit with each thumb. Gentle strokes at first, just enough to light sparks inside me. As his hips thrust harder, his thumbs stroked faster, and I couldn’t stop the racing train of orgasms barreling down on me.
“Fuck,” I groaned.
“Yes.”
I gritted my teeth and stopped fighting it. He felt too good. Too right. Too everything. Buried deep inside me, I’d never felt better during sex. Nick wasn’t big on making sure I came when he did. He wasn’t big, period. But Hudson filled me up and stretched me out and rubbed against all the parts inside me that needed a good rubbing. My clit pulsed and throbbed. Deep inside me twitched and clenched.
“Please. Yes. Oh, yes!” I grunted, vaguely aware of the fact that we were in a public place and anyone outside the door could hear us.
Hudson grunted and fucked me harder. His hips took everything I had, and his thumbs grabbed hold of the rest. My body hung on to the last thread of reality, then snapped as I came.
I lost myself in the orgasm. My body shook, bucking and thrusting and demanding as my orgasm took over. I was sure I screamed, but I couldn’t care. Hudson kept pounding into me, my orgasm triggering his. He roared and slammed home, stilling deep inside, where I could feel him pulsing and releasing.
After a second, he collapsed onto me. His hands were trapped between us, our bodies wet and sticky.
My brain tried to tell me I made a mistake, but I was too blissful to care. I’d never had sex like that in my life. I wasn’t going to think about who it was with or how bad of an idea it was just yet. Those thoughts would come, but for a minute, I needed to enjoy the weight of a man on top of me and the pure joy of an orgasm that rung me out and made me want to cry.
It could have been hours or only seconds, but way too soon, Hudson rolled off me. He went straight to the bathroom. He left the door cracked. That was intimate. A kind of intimate that went beyond sex and reminded me this was a bad idea.
All of a sudden, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
I grabbed my jeans and panties, yanking them on. My thighs were wet, but I needed to go. I didn’t have time to use the bathroom or clean up. I just had to go.
I pulled on my bra and was looking for my shirt when I heard him behind me.
“It’s by the chair,” he said. No emotion.
“Thanks,” I whispered. I grabbed my shirt, then tugged it over my head and yanked my boots on. I didn’t bother tying them up before I shoved my arms into my coat and draped my purse over my shoulder.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yeah. I only came here to tell you…” I stopped. It didn’t seem as important anymore.
“To stay out of Joey’s future,” Hudson finished for me. His voice was flat.
I nodded. I could see him out of the corner of my eye, but I couldn’t look at him. He made me lose my damn mind. All the time. I never yelled at people. Until him. I never fucked men in offices. Until him. I never thought about a better future. Until him.
I couldn’t afford any of it. I needed to stay away from Hudson Grant. He was too dangerous for me to be around because he made me want things I’d never have.
“Happy thanksgiving,” he said quietly.
I looked up at him. Big mistake. He was still naked. Beautiful. Tempting.
But it was the look in his eyes that got to me. The one that said he didn’t want me to go. The one that said he wasn’t going to ask me to stay. The one that I desperately wanted to answer.
