Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 24933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 125(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 125(@200wpm)___ 100(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
Hudson
I have the world at my feet.
Power and iron-clad authority are my birthrights, and “no” isn’t a word in my vocabulary. I’m used to people bowing to my name and melting under my gaze. I’ve always been the hunter, never the prey. Until I meet Tinsley Essen.
Stunning, sharp, and maddeningly indifferent, Tinsley doesn’t give a damn about my billions or my influence. She’s completely immune to my charm, meeting my commands with a bored yawn and my arrogance with a single arched brow.
For the first time in my life, I’ve met a force I can’t control. I was supposed to be the one doing the hooking, but one look at Tinsley and I’m the one caught. Now, I’ll do whatever it takes to break down her walls and prove that while she might not need me, I’m never letting her go.
I’m about to learn that the only thing more addictive than power is the one woman who refuses to give it to me.
Tinsley
I’ve spent my life building a world where I don’t have to answer to anyone—especially men like Hudson Carrington.
He’s used to the world parting like the Red Sea when he walks into a room. He expects a bow, a blush, or total surrender. But to me? He’s just another suit with too much ego and a look in his eyes that says he’s never been told “no” in his life.
It’s a word I’m finding more and more pleasure in using.
His billions don’t move me. His shadow doesn’t intimidate me. And his “legendary” charm? It’s nothing more than a polished weapon I have no intention of falling for. But Hudson isn’t just a man who wants his way, he’s a man who has decided I’m his next conquest.
He thinks he’s the one doing the hunting, but he’s about to find out I don’t play by anyone’s rules but my own. He can try to buy my time and command my attention, but my heart isn’t for sale.
The problem is, the harder I push him away, the closer he gets and I’m having a hard time fighting the pull between us.
In this fast-paced, steamy instalove romance, the powerful billionaire cowboy is about to learn that the only thing more addictive than power is a woman who tells him “no.”
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
CHAPTER ONE
HUDSON
When things go to shit, they really go to shit. My morning had it out for me long before I stepped foot outside my door. The technical failures began when my smart home system decided to skip the alarm, leaving me to wake up forty minutes behind schedule.
After rushing through the shower and dressing, I reach the kitchen, looking forward to some strong fucking coffee. The universe isn’t done dishing out hell though. The high-end espresso machine my sister gave me for Christmas decides to violently reject its latest pod, spraying dark roast across my chest with the accuracy of a marksman. “Fucking goddamn hell,” I mutter, grabbing a napkin. While I’m changing into another shirt, the Silver Spoon Falls skies open up with a vengeance. That’s when I remember that my garage remote bit the dust yesterday, and I parked my truck in the front circular drive. Fucking hell.
By the time I settle into the front seat, I’m soaking wet. The morning from hell just keeps fucking giving. The drive into town takes me twice as long as it usually does when I get stuck behind a goddamn cattle truck with nowhere to be. I’m not sure the day could get any worse. I park in the underground garage at the Montoya Investments building already fifteen minutes late for a meeting with Cash Montoya.
I shoot Cash a quick text, letting him know I’m on my way, and stalk past the reception desk, boots squeaking at every step. Fuck. I should’ve stayed in bed. A headache pounds away behind my eyes, and I’m running dangerously low on patience for any of the universe’s games.
"Stop right there, sir."
The voice isn't loud, but it’s got the structural integrity of a reinforced concrete wall. I freeze, my hand inches from the glass, and turn to look at the source. She’s sitting behind the curved marble desk looking at the puddle forming around my feet with an expression of profound, clinical boredom.
She’s a redhead with hair like copper spun into silk with too much heat, the kind that looks like it would almost burn your hand if you reached out to touch it. Her eyes are striking. They’re sharp and that shade of clear aqua you see in photos of tropical oceans, only so bright and intense up close.
My heart pounds away as my cock turns to steel in my pants. Fuck. She’s curvy with beautiful, lush lines that her crisp, professional outfit is definitely struggling to contain. Her jawline is so firm and decisive, and when her eyes meet mine, it’s with a gaze that could stop a man in his tracks.
"Hudson Carrington. I have an appointment with Cash Montoya," I say, waiting for her to wave me through.
"Hold on, Mr. Carrington," she says, finally meeting my gaze. She doesn't reach for the phone. She doesn't even move her hands from where they’re resting on the desk, fingers poised over a keyboard like she’s waiting for me to finish being a nuisance so she can get back to something actually important. "And I’ll check you in."
“I usually just go straight up,” I mutter, my brain struggling to fire as I stare at the most perfect woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. I catch a whiff of her citrusy perfume and nearly groan out loud. My eyes trail down her luscious body. The way her silk blouse clings to the swell of her breasts causes her tits to strain against the fabric in a way that makes my mouth go dry. I want to know if her skin’s as soft as it looks. What the fuck is happening to me? I notice her name badge. “Tinsley.” Even her goddamn name is beautiful. Motherfucker. I’m sounding just like my dumbass, pussy-whipped brother.
“Well, today, you’re going to wait while I check you in.” She smiles at me as shock flows through me. I stand there like a fucking bump on a log and watch while she types something on the keyboard. My entire world is spinning off its axis while she looks completely fucking unfazed by meeting me. Then she looks up and meets my eyes, and the air between us feels like it’s been charged with high-voltage electricity.
She smiles at me and points toward the elevator. "Mr. Montoya’s office is on the nineteenth floor. They’re ready for you."
“Thank you,” I mutter, standing there for a beat too long, watching her return her attention to her monitor like she’s already forgotten I exist. It’s both goddamn infuriating and the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in years. I turn away, my boots still squeaking, but my mind isn't on the meeting anymore. It’s on the curvy little firecracker who just gave me the shock of my life.
"Hudson? You with us?" Cash asks, tapping a rhythmic beat on the tabletop. He’s looking at me with a mix of amusement and concern, probably because I haven't looked at the projections he’s been discussing for the last ten minutes.