Free Speechless (Pier 70 #3) by Nicole Edwards

but he wasn’t fucking stupid. No way was he having sex with anyone unless condoms were involved.
No time limit. You can end this whenever you want. As can I.
    For whatever reason, Teague had thought this was going to be a one-and-done type deal. At the most, twice in one night. Based on that rule, it sure as shit sounded like Hudson expected this to be ongoing. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
During the time we’re together, we will be exclusive. Period.
    Again, that one made sense. No reason to take risks. Then again, if Hudson was as good as he claimed he was, Teague wouldn’t need to stray. Not that he believed Hudson could hold his interest for more than one night, but whatever.
    Teague stared at the screen, rereading the rules over and over again. He was partly taken aback that Hudson had the audacity to pin rules to his offer, but in the same sense, they weren’t completely unreasonable. Maybe the drinking part. That seemed to be a stickler for Hudson, and Teague briefly wondered why. Still, Teague found himself battling back the urge to rebel against them. That was how he’d spent his entire life; he didn’t feel the need to change that now. If Hudson wanted rules, Hudson could go fuck himself.
    It didn’t take long for the calm to morph into a firestorm of frustration. It was a familiar feeling, something he was used to dealing with. He rarely knew what caused the rage to start boiling, but it never failed to appear.
    As the anger burned hotter, he typed in a response: Take your rules and shove them up your ass.
    Before he could hit send, he stopped himself, staring back at the words he’d typed. The resentment was prevalent, as it always was, but there was something else bubbling up inside him, something that was almost stronger than the anger. He just didn’t know what it was or what it meant.
    Deciding he needed time to process that, he deleted the words he’d written, dropped the phone in his pocket, and headed back inside. He had a job to do. Confronting Hudson had been a huge mistake. He didn’t need this kind of bullshit in his life; he had enough of that.
    So, rather than accept or decline, Teague did what he did best. He ignored it, pretended it never happened, and decided to move on with his life.

    AFTER GOING TO the gym, then stopping by the sub shop and grabbing two foot-long turkey sandwiches and devouring them before hopping in the shower, Hudson found himself sitting on his couch, reading some crime novel his brother had recommended.
    The psychopathic serial killer was almost good enough to keep Hudson’s mind from wandering, but it appeared his thoughts of Teague were overpowering his ability to stay focused. When he found himself rereading the same page for the third time, he knew it was time to give it up. Tossing the book onto the couch, he dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling.
    He’d been trying to figure out what had happened to Teague after their conversation in his office. While Teague had been busy helping the customer, Hudson had outlined his rules and sent them over. He’d never gotten a response from Teague one way or the other, and for the rest of the afternoon, they had worked side by side with Teague acting as though nothing had ever happened.
    Looked as though the kid was back to hating him once more.
    He wasn’t surprised, to say the least. It seemed one second they were making strides—more like baby steps, really—and the next, Teague was pushing him away, treating him as though he were the shit on the bottom of his shoe that he couldn’t seem to get away from.
    Not that he cared. Okay, maybe a little. But only because he’d started anticipating what would happen when Teague finally gave in to him.
    Closing his eyes, Hudson recalled the kiss he’d shared with Teague after he’d barged in and chased off the orgy crew. Just like the kiss on the cruise, Hudson had been leveled by it. The way Teague responded… Fuck . He’d been done for the