AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh my God, your gorgeous face! I’m so sorry!” I gasp.
The spider moves closer and I forget all about Hudson’s poor beautiful face. I gag, then scream. “Get him! He knows I ate the grape! He’s coming for me!” I scramble onto the top of my desk, standing with my back to the wall.
“It’s okay, Allie.” Hudson moves slowly, his voice quiet. “If we stay calm, he’ll stay calm.”
The spider scrambles toward my chair.
“He doesn’t look calm,” I squeal.
“That’s because we’re not calm,” he says, lowering his voice a little more. “Now, come on, little buddy. I’ve got you.” He takes a couple of tentative steps toward the spider, picking up the bin again.
I gag, then say, “Crush him with it!”
“I’m not going to kill him.” Hudson glances at me, his eyes narrowed. “I’m just going to trap him and we’ll find a safe place to release him.”
Apparently, the spider doesn’t like that idea because he stands up on his back legs and rushes toward my desk, which causes me to dry heave repeatedly.
Hudson sets down the bin and says, “Why don’t I get you out of here?”
“Yes, please. That’ll definitely help calm things down in here,” I say as if I’m not the problem.
Hudson takes a few steps toward my desk and I launch myself at him, nearly knocking him off balance. And now, he’s carrying me fireman-style, as I lift my feet, head, and hands as high in the air as humanly possible. Oh, this is awkward. And humiliating. And also, I somehow feel so safe in his arms. Like there’s no way that big hairy spider is going to kill me. And also, he really does smell fucking amazing. I need to find out what kind of soap he uses.
“You’re okay, I’ve got you,” Hudson says, which does all sorts of things to me that I cannot believe, given the circumstances.
“I’m not normally hysterical. I just have a thing about tarantulas,” I say as he carries me to the hallway and sets me down.
“Understood. They’re creepy,” he tells me, placing his strong hands on both of my shoulders. “But think of it from his perspective. We’re so much bigger. He’s just an innocent little guy who accidentally hitched a ride from South America in some bananas. Tarantulas aren’t poisonous so he couldn’t even hurt anyone if he wanted to. You stay here and I’ll just go get him out of your office.”
He winks at me, and dammit, if that’s not the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. My heart is pounding, my adrenaline is rushing. I stop myself just before I breathlessly tell him he’s my hero. “No, Hudson! Don’t go back in there! We’ll call an exterminator.”
He smiles at me. “Don’t worry about me. I played one on television.”
I spot Chad walking toward us. “Chad! There’s a tarantula in my office. You need to help Hudson get him out of here.”
“Why would I help?”
Tilting my head, I say, “Come on, Chad. We all know you have at least one pet tarantula.”
He glares at me. “I do not.”
I raise an eyebrow at him, and he says, “Oh, fine, I did have one. Tarantulina Jolie. But she died.”
“Exactly, so get in there and help!”
Hudson holds one hand up. “No worries, Chad. I’ve got this.”
God, what a man. A manly, manly man. He walks back into my office, calling over his shoulder, “It’s fine. Really. He’s not trying to hurt any—ONE!!!!” Hudson clutches his ankle. “Fuuuuccccccckkkkkk! He bit me!”
Chad rushes in, shouting, “Hudson, noooo!!!!”
Grabbing Hudson around his waist, Chad pulls him out of the room, the pair of them reminding me very much of two soldiers on a battlefield. He shuts the door behind him while Hudson drops to the floor, writhing in pain.
“Oh God, that hurts,” Hudson groans. “So, so much.”
“That’s because that isn’t a tarantula,” Chad says, peering through the window of my office. “It’s a Brazilian wandering spider. Completely fatal if he doesn’t get treated immediately. Call 911.”
11
