His Curvy Fantasy, page 23
“It really does,” she said through her tears. “Are you serious about all of this?”
I opened my top drawer and pulled out a keyring. I spun it on my finger and moved around the desk to kneel in front of her. “I’m not proposing now, but this ring is as good as a proposal to me. This is a key to my home. Three actually. One for you, one for Joey, and one for Matty. I want the three of you to move in with me. Make my home yours.”
She cried harder and wrapped her hand around mine. “I’m sorry I ever doubted your intentions. That I let my past destroy our present.”
“You didn’t. We will have more hurdles, but we’ll get over them together. If you’re willing to try.”
She nodded. “Yes. Absolutely. Please.”
I surged up and sealed my lips to hers, pressing her back into the chair. Her arms wound around my neck and pulled closer until I was kneeling in front of her. I set my hands on her hips and squeezed.
“Fucking hell, I missed you,” I whispered against her lips.
“I missed you, too. And I love you.”
“I love you, Anna. Thank you for giving us another chance.”
“Thank you for accepting my apology.”
I chuckled. “I owe my new business manager a thanks for that.”
“New business manager?” she asked, pulling back to look at me with a quirk of her brow.
“The reason I couldn’t talk when you got here this morning. I made a mess of his interview and he declined the job when I offered it to him. I begged him to come in so I could apologize and try to explain, then you showed up and I almost messed it up again. Arthur convinced me to listen to what you had to say and give us a chance.”
“You wouldn’t have if he hadn’t said that?”
I shook my head. “I’d never have been able to resist you. I was hurt and angry at myself, but I can’t say no to you. I love you too much for that.”
She pushed me back, a scolding look in her eyes. “I don’t want that. This has to be a partnership. Where we can be honest with each other and push each other and challenge each other to be better. If you’re not going to push back when I’m being ridiculous, I’m going to feel like I’m manipulating you or taking advantage of you.”
“You can take advantage of me anytime you want,” I teased.
“I’m serious,” she said, scowling. “I love you, and I know you’re not a pushover. You have to be able to say no to me.”
“Are you going to say no to me?”
“Absolutely.”
“Even when I kiss you right here?” I kissed the side of her neck.
“Yes.”
“What about here?” I licked her earlobe.
“Yes.”
“And here?” I nibbled her collarbone.
“Oh, yes,” she moaned.
“Wait, I’m confused. Are you supposed to be saying yes or no?”
“I don’t care as long as you don’t stop. Please, Hudson.”
“Now that’s all you really need to say.”
“What about I love you?”
“That works, too.” I jumped up and pushed the door closed, making sure it was locked before I went back to my spot on the floor between her thighs.
“Are you comfortable?”
“Not as comfortable as I’ll be when I’m buried deep inside you.”
“Hudson.”
“I’m really happy to hear you say my name again. Especially like that.”
She smiled as I lifted her shirt up and off. “I never stopped. And I never will. I love you.”
“I love you,” I said. It was more than three words. It was a promise. And the keyring on her finger was only temporary. I wasn’t going to wait long to make her a more permanent promise.
Epilogue
Goldie
“Paul, grab that box,” I hissed to my teenager.
He shoved his phone in his pocket and rolled his eyes like only a teenager can. I swear, it was like his eyes were double-jointed. Or whatever the equivalent was for something that wasn’t a joint.
I pasted a smile on my face and followed him into the house. It was gorgeous. I was a little surprised when Anna told me she didn’t make any changes to it and that it was all Hudson. Then again, he loved her, so I knew he had good taste.
“Thank you guys for helping,” Hudson said as he passed us on the way out the door for more boxes.
Paul grumbled something that was, thankfully, unintelligible, and I plastered my smile on and prayed Hudson wasn’t offended by my highly offensive teen.
Hudson snorted and kept going. Maybe he was already used to it. I could only hope.
“Kitchen?” I asked Anna when we came around the corner and found her standing in the middle of the dining room.
“Yes. Please. Thank you so much. Both of you. Paul, you should go check out Joey’s room. I think Hudson said we’re almost done. You can take a break.”
Paul didn’t wait for me to agree before taking off in the direction Anna pointed.
I sighed. “I’m sorry. He woke up in a mood today. I probably should have left him home.”
Anna chuckled and shook her head. “Trust me, I get it. Everyone says boys are so easy, but boys have just as many moods and attitudes as girls.”
“Tell me about it. I swear, there are days I want to ask Paul if he’s PMS’ing.”
Anna snorted. “I’ve asked Joey that. He got even more angry. But it was funny. How many times has that been the assumption from men?”
“Too many.”
We shared a smile.
“How’s the new job going?”
“Tiring. But amazing. I won’t complain. And thank you for offering to be a back-up for Hudson while I’m gone next month. I’ve never been away from the boys for longer than an overnight at a friend’s house. It’s going to be hard.”
“You’ll be busy with work and back home before you know it. Trust me.”
“You’re used to it, though. It’s not normal for me to travel. Or to have a decent paycheck.”
“You’ve earned it. Enjoy it. And put it toward college. Or a wedding.”
Anna rolled her eyes. “I’m starting to wonder if he was joking about wanting to propose right away.”
“You’ve only been back together a few weeks. And you’ve been busy getting ready to move and starting your new job. And he’s been getting Arthur settled into the business manager job.”
“So, Arthur is Patrick’s brother?”
I nodded and tore the tape off a box.
“He’s pretty cute.”
“He’s married,” I said.
“I’m not looking. I’m just saying… do good genes run in the family?”
I choked on absolutely nothing. My first instinct was to say hell yes, but that would mean admitting I’d noticed Patrick was gorgeous. He was, but there was a line I wasn’t willing to cross with my assistant.
“All choked up just thinking about him?” Anna asked.
I glared at her. “We’ve already talked about this.”
“Yes, and you said he’s attractive but not an option. I’m still wondering why he’s not an option. Because he seems like a damn good one to me.”
“You’re all happy and bubbly and think everyone else can join you. I want to, but Patrick is almost fourteen years younger than me. When I was his age, I had my son. I’m too old to be starting over.”
“Who says you need to start over?”
I shook my head. “Patrick’s a flirt. That’s all. He likes to flirt and tells me how beautiful I am, which is part of his flirting. It doesn’t mean he has a thing for me.”
“It doesn’t mean he doesn’t,” Anna said firmly. She raised a brow when I opened my mouth to argue.
“We’re not talking about Patrick. We’re talking about you and Hudson. When do you think he’s going to propose?”
She sighed heavily. “I don’t know. But I can’t worry about it. If he changes his mind, it’ll be okay. I have a job I really enjoy, and I feel more financially secure than I’ve ever felt. I’m moving in with the man I love. That’s enough for right now.”
“Good for you. I’m still a little impressed you moved in with him so fast. I love that you did because you love him and he loves you, but I thought you’d debate it for a long time.”
Anna shook her head and stared at Hudson as he walked in with a large box. He winked at her and kept going past the kitchen. “I love him. I know it’s a little fast, but I don’t want to spend another night apart from him. I talked to the boys about it, and they were on board with moving here instead of finding our own place for a little while. They love Hudson, too.”
“I’m really happy for both of you,” I told her.
“Thanks. I am, too. It’s a good feeling.”
I smiled and handed her a glass to put away. Love looked good on her. Hell, it looked good on everyone. When I had it, it looked good on me. But Charles and I drifted apart and when he left, it wasn’t a big shock. I wanted a partner, but I was willing to accept a partner in name only. He wasn’t. He wanted love, and he found it with his new husband.
I was happy for them, as happy as you could be for someone who lied to you about who they were and fell in love with someone else. I missed having a partner, and I was lonely. But being lonely wasn’t enough of a reason to give in to the flirtations between Patrick and I. Even the ones that got a little hot and made me wonder if Patrick was more serious than he let on.
At the end of the day, I was still his boss. And that meant there was a line I couldn’t cross. A line that was dangerous to us both. A line that I dreamed about crossing when no one else was around.
Thank you for reading Hudson and Anna’s story! Hudson has been a favorite of mine since I started this series, and Anna was exactly the kind of woman he needed. Someone who wouldn’t be impressed by him owning the bar, or want anything for free from him. She kept him on his toes, and brought him hard to his knees.
The next book in the series is Goldie and Patrick’s book. When she hired him, she never thought the cute, young man would be someone she would be attracted to. He’s too young, too pretty, and too tempting. When they’re paired on Book Boyfriends Wanted, Goldie learns there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye. Preorder His Curvy Boss today!
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Can’t get enough of Hudson and Anna? He was serious when he said he wasn’t going to wait long to propose. Sign up now to read their bonus epilogue!
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College grad, Paige is on a break with her best friends. She’s newly single, and the perfect way to get over her ex is with the sinfully sexy Dante. Five days is long enough, and they go their separate ways. Until Paige walks into her new job and finds Dante is her new coworker. Read In Front Of Me today.
About the Author
USA TODAY Bestselling Author Mary E Thompson spent most of her childhood wishing she had a few less curves. She hid in the pages of books because her favorite characters never cared what size her clothes were. Now, neither does Mary, and she writes stories that celebrate women like her. Real women who have curves, chase dreams, and find love, because we should all be happy, no matter our dress size.
Mary spends her non-writing time with her husband and two kids, watching too much TV, cheering for her hometown football team (Go Bills!), and hiding chocolate from her family.
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