Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 30857 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30857 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
However, as we ordered and then started to make our way through our meal I felt Hudson’s attention still burning on me. Like I had no control over my gaze, it unwillingly searched for his, our eyes colliding again and again across the restaurant. I squirmed uncomfortably until halfway through the meal I heard the squeal of a chair sliding across wood. My eyes flew in the direction of the sound and widened as I saw the brunette with Hudson march away from the table. When I looked back at him he turned from watching her walk away and gave me a casual shrug.
I glared at him.
He smirked.
“Guess she got sick of not having his attention,” Kyle snorted.
“It’s not funny. He’s rude.”
“Do you know what’s really not funny?” Catie huffed. “Having my back to the fecking entertainment!”
Kyle burst out laughing but I couldn’t. I was upset that Hudson could treat someone so callously and even more upset that I could be this upset over someone I’d just met.
Thankfully I felt the heat of his stare disappear and watched as he walked out of the restaurant. I ignored how the sight of his tall, powerful body gave me flutters low in my belly.
“Let’s just enjoy dinner,” I said.
And for the most part we did, even though we all knew I was stupidly distracted.
“Drinks?” Catie asked as we left the table after finishing up.
“You two stay.” My friends should have some alone time. “I’m tired.”
Kyle studied me. “You sure?”
I smiled to reassure them. “Yes. Have a good night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Much shorter than me at five foot three (five foot seven in heels) Catie went up on her tip toes to kiss my cheek. “Night, babe.”
“Night, sweetie.”
Next Kyle kissed my cheek and I squeezed his shoulder. “Thanks for a lovely night.”
He grinned at me, completely aware that it had been a discombobulating evening for me. “Night, Autumn.”
I left them at the bar, strolling out of the restaurant, thinking I might just go straight to bed and try to sleep away the strange events of the day. Looking at my feet, or my fabulous shoes really, as I walked out into the hallway that would lead me back to my room, I would have missed him if he hadn’t said my name.
I stumbled to a stop and glanced to my right to see Hudson leaning against the wall outside of the restaurant. Waiting on me?
He pushed off the wall and strolled toward me. A teasing smirk played around his mouth as he stepped right into my personal space. I squashed the urge to step back, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing his nearness affected me.
In my sandals I was almost the same height as him but he was so broad-shouldered he still managed to make me feel delicate and feminine. I hated how much I loved that. “What are you doing here?”
“Let me give you a lesson tomorrow,” he replied.
I blinked, having not expected that. “I don’t want to learn to ski.”
“Then let me buy you dinner tomorrow night so I can change your mind.”
I thought of the brunette and scowled. “I’ve seen how you treat your dinner companions, so no, thank you.”
Hudson’s eyebrows drew together in a much more effective scowl than mine. “She’s here on a bachelorette trip. She’s the bride.”
My lips parted in surprise at this information.
“Yeah.” His mouth twisted in disdain. “She’s the woman who was on the slopes with me today and she told me straight up she wanted one last fling before she got married. I didn’t say shit to that and obviously she was expecting me to jump on it. So when I didn’t give her what she wanted in private, she asked me to dinner in front of all her girls and I didn’t want to humiliate her. I saw no harm in dinner but had no intention of going beyond that. I didn’t know you’d walk in there tonight, so I had no way of knowing I’d spend the whole fucking thing distracted by a redhead who I’m not afraid to admit has knocked me on my ass. Let me take you to dinner.”
I wanted to believe him. I really, really wanted to believe him. And everything he said was good. More than good. I think I did believe him about the snow bunny but I wasn’t sure about the rest. And the timing… oh God, the timing was bad.
And why did he have to be standing so close? So close I could smell him, I could feel the heat of him, and I really, really wanted to slide my hand over his chest and see if his pecs were as hard as they looked.
Damn, damn, damn.
I yanked my gaze from his because I was drowning in it. “I’m not here to meet anyone. I’m sorry.”