Free Fixed on You by Laurelin Paige Page B

how attached I became
to them later?
    I was justifying and I knew it.
With Hudson, I was an alcoholic walking into a bar but deciding I could
withstand temptation as long as all the bottles were sealed.  
    It was a lie I decided to try to
believe. “No romance? I can do that.”
    Hudson leaned back on the front
of his desk again. He raised a brow, amusement in his eyes. “Are you also
incapable of love?”
    I met his gaze and ignored the
little voice in my head telling me to run. “No, just the opposite. I love too
much. Keeping love out of the equation is a very good thing.”
    “Good. No love.”
    He stepped forward and leaned
toward me, a hand on each of my armrests, caging me. His stare was hungry, and
a thrill ran through my body, as I realized I was about to be kissed.
    But before that happened, I had
to know something. When he moved closer, I put a hand against his chest. His
very strong, rock hard chest. “Wait.”
    “I can’t.” But he paused. “What?”
    He was inches from my face, and
the lips I longed to nibble on kept my focus as I spoke. “Why me? You could
have anyone you want.”
    “Awesome. I want you.” He leaned
in again, his mouth brushing mine, his breath heating my skin.
    “Why?”
    He pulled back. Not far, only far
enough to look at me. “I don’t know. I just do.” His words came out a whisper,
as if he rarely made statements of uncertainty, and I doubted he did. “From the
moment I saw you...” He trailed off as he brushed his fingertips across my
forehead, his eyes fixed intently on mine, and I briefly wondered which moment—the
night of the graduation symposium or when he’d first seen me in the club?
 
    Whenever he meant, his bewildered
possessiveness was sincere, and when and why didn’t matter anymore and the
little voice screaming in my head was drowned out by the loud whooshing sound
of desire pulsing through my veins. I leaned forward.
    Hudson didn’t hesitate for a
second, meeting my mouth with his. As doubtful as his words had been, his lips
were confident and firm. He moved a hand behind my neck to direct me, deepening
the kiss, stroking my tongue with his own. He sucked and licked into me, sending
shivers down my spine and I imagined his wet, hot mouth on other parts of my
body. I sighed.
    Without his mouth leaving mine,
he pulled me to a standing position. This was better. I could press my body
into him, feel his lust along my belly, get the contact that I yearned for. I
ran my hands through his hair and down along the base of his neck, enjoying the
tingles shooting through my limbs as he moaned against my lips.
    A sharp buzzer made us both jump
and pull away. I put a hand over chest, my heart beating rapidly from the scare
and from the intense kiss.
    Hudson grinned. “The intercom,”
he explained, his voice ragged. He moved behind his desk and pushed a button.
“Yes?”
    The secretary’s voice poured into
the room again. “I’m about to leave, Mr. Pierce. Is there anything else you
need?”
    “No, thank you, Patricia. You may
go.” He’d gotten control of his voice now. Amazing. I was still reeling.
    Hudson put one hand on his hip
and stared at me, as if wondering what to do with a problem in front of him. It
both heated and chilled me simultaneously, to be looked at so intensely, to be
considered so scientifically.
    I hugged my arms around myself. “What?”
    He shook his head. “Nothing.” He
grabbed his jacket off the seat chair and extended his hand to me. “Come,
Alayna.”
    My body responded to his command
before my brain could decide to. I took his hand, the warmth of it rekindling
the fire he’d started in my mouth.
    He led me to an elevator in the
back corner of his office that I hadn’t noticed before. Inside the car, he
entered a code into the panel and we traveled what felt like one flight up. The
doors opened to a fully furnished loft, styled in the same modern design as his
office below. Floor to ceiling windows lined one whole wall.