Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23649 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 95(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
“Heather. My sister. She died ten years ago,” he whispers.
“I’m sorry,” I say, reaching out to touch his hand. Deborah brings the frame closer to us.
“It was a senseless act. She was only nineteen. Hudson and she were like Irish twins—so close. He took her death harder than all of us. For a while, I thought I was going to lose both of my children. My sweet Irish rose was walking home from the university when…” Her voice cracks as tears slowly stream down her face. “Some animal violated her, it ruined her–she never recovered. She…took her own life a few months later.”
“Oh my God, no, I’m so sorry.” Tears well in my eyes.
“I’m just thankful I still have my sweet boy. Family is everything to me, and I’m so happy he has such a good woman by his side.” She pats my hand. My heart swells with the tenderness and love coming from this woman.
For the first time I think I’ve really found a home here, on Devil’s Peak, not just with Hudson, but with the incredible family that raised him to be the loving gentleman he is today. Gratitude hums through my veins as I watch them interact, the urge to stay on this mountain forever fills me with hope for the first time in years. I feel like I’ve found myself, found my home, in this man.
Chapter Eleven
Hudson
The fire crackles low beside us a few nights later, the Phantom River humming in the distance, its waters dark and inviting under the silver glow of the moon. The night air is warm, thick with pine and the crisp scent of the wilderness, but I don’t feel any of it.
All I feel is her.
Palmer sits across from me on the thick wool blanket, her bare legs stretched out, toes digging absently into the cool dirt. Her hair’s a mess, loose waves spilling over her shoulders, her skin glowing from the fire’s heat.
She looks wild out here. Free.
She looks mine.
I stretch my arm out, fingers skimming up her calf, slow and lazy. She shivers under my touch, her lips parting just slightly. I smirk, watching her reaction like a man who knows exactly how to play her body like an instrument.
"You're staring," she murmurs, dragging her lower lip between her teeth.
"Damn right, I am." I squeeze her thigh, dragging her closer. “Can’t help it, Treasure.”
She rolls her eyes but doesn’t pull away. “You always this charming?”
“Only for you.”
Her breath catches, but she covers it with a scoff. “Liar.”
I just grin.
She shakes her head, leaning back on her elbows, staring at the river. “That water looks nice. Bet it’s freezing, though.”
I push to my feet, dusting my hands off. “One way to find out.”
Palmer snorts. “I’m not jumping into that thing. I’ve seen what lives in these waters.”
I shrug, pulling my shirt over my head, tossing it to the side. “Guess you’ll just have to watch then.”
Her gaze drops to my chest. Exactly where I want it.
I smirk, reaching for my belt.
Her breath hitches.
“Hudson—”
The buckle clinks, the denim sliding down my thighs.
Her eyes are wide now, lips parting as I stand before her, bare as the day I was born, the firelight flickering against my skin.
“Still not coming in?” My voice is low, teasing.
She swallows hard, shifting on the blanket, trying to look anywhere but right at me.
But she’s looking.
I see the way her thighs press together, the way her fingers dig into the fabric of the blanket.
I chuckle, slow and rough. “Didn’t peg you for a coward, Treasure.”
That does it.
Her eyes snap up, fire burning behind them. “Oh, screw you, Kane.”
She’s up in an instant, yanking her dress over her head, tossing it at my chest.
I catch it, grinning as I watch her shimmy out of her panties, her curves bathed in firelight. My stomach tightens, blood surging low as she stands before me, hands on her hips, chin tipped up.
“You were saying?” she challenges.
I chuckle darkly, taking a slow step toward her, drinking in every inch of her. “I was sayin’—” I catch her wrist, tugging her flush against me, her soft skin pressed to mine. “That you’re too damn pretty to be this reckless.”
She gasps at the contact, hands flying to my chest, fingers splaying over the hard planes.
I dip my head, my lips brushing the shell of her ear.
"But I like reckless," I murmur.
Before she can sass me back, I scoop her into my arms and jump.
Water crashes around us, the shock of it stealing her breath. She squeals, smacking my chest as I surface with her cradled against me.
“You asshole,” she sputters, pushing her wet hair out of her face.
I just grin, tightening my grip, keeping her floating against me. “Told you the water was fine.”
She glares, but there’s no heat behind it. Not when she’s shivering in my arms, her body pressed up against mine, slick and warm despite the cool river. Not when I slide my fingers into her hair, angling her face up to mine.