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Cara
Okay, this is a fine line I have to walk, but I can do it. I’m making great headway with the girls. They’re all really nice, and I think Lorelei and Andrea especially will be best friends when she gets back and finds her being more open towards her. Now, I need to get the boys on team Lorelei, especially this Hudson guy who seems to hate her guts. He can’t have a real reason to, but if he does, I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding. Lorelei can be… off-putting, but she’s never malicious.
I’ll just have a little chat with him. No flirting. Certainly, no touching. Maybe a little hand on the arm. Oh boy, I’m not even at the party yet and already crossing the line. If only he wasn’t the sexiest man I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t help at all that he’s so good at what he does. When he’s on the ice, he’s so focused and intense, I can’t help but wonder if he’s like that in every aspect of his life.
The party is at some big mansion I’m told belongs to an alumni group that are massive sports fans. It’s raging from the moment I step through the big double doors, with strobe lights flashing and loud music thumping. Streamers hang off the open upper-level railing, along with discarded hockey jerseys and a few bras. Okay, avoid upstairs, then.
I’m quickly pulled into all the fun and have to force myself off the dance floor when I remember I’m supposed to have a badly injured ankle. I stand on the sidelines, yelling back and forth with Trina while sipping the spiked punch and looking around for Hudson. I want to ask Trina why he hates “me” so much, but it seems she has a little crush on him, so I keep it to myself.
When our drink cups are empty, I tell Trina I’m going to get a refill, and she nods, heading to the dance floor as one of the hockey players beckons her.
“I’m so glad you came,” another hockey player yells as I pass. “It’s about time you did!”
About time, indeed. I’m feeling pretty proud of myself as I snake my way through the crowd toward the buffet table, filled with nothing but junk food, soda, and alcohol. As I pass a dark hallway, a hand reaches out and pulls me into it, slamming me against the wall and causing my crutches to clatter to the floor.
Even in the dim light, I can see his deep brown eyes glaring down at me. Hudson’s body presses into me, and he’s so hard everywhere, my body immediately heats at the contact. I reach up and put my hands on his chest to put a little space between us, and he glances down, an expression I can’t read crossing his face.
“What in the hell are you doing?” he hisses.
“What do you mean?” I ask. There’s no way he knows. God, his mouth looks inviting. I should be punching him in the gut, not curling my fingers into his t-shirt to get a better feel of his pecs. They’re very nice pecs.
“You’re not Lorelei, so what the fuck is going on?”
I force a laugh, starting to get nervous. There’s no possible way he can tell us apart. No one can. “I think you need to lay off the alcohol.”
He shakes his head, a shiny, dark curl falling over his forehead. He’s just so beautiful. “Cut the crap. I suspected the second I bumped into you yesterday.” I shrug and roll my eyes. He grips my shoulders harder, pressing me into the wall. “And you’ve been limping on the wrong foot all night.”
Shit. My heart starts beating faster, and I take a deep breath, forcing our chests to meet. He closes his eyes tight, then resumes glaring down at me. He grabs my hands and holds them above my head, pushing himself closer to me, making sure I have no way to escape. He slides his knee in between my legs and leans his mouth down to my ear, speaking through gritted teeth. “Who. Are. You?”
“Okay, you’re right. I’m Cara, Lorelei’s twin.” I say quietly, my voice shaking.
He stares at me for a long time, his eyes traveling to my mouth and back up. The slow movement of his gaze makes me weak in the knees, and I want to squeeze my thighs together to keep from trembling, but I end up squeezing around Hudson’s knee instead.
“She has a twin? That’s you?”
I nod. If he really has it in for Lorelei, this could be his way of ruining her. I throw all my pride to the wind and start pleading our case. “Yes, but please don’t tell anyone. She’s doing me a huge favor, and I didn’t do—”
His mouth crashes against mine as his hands slide into my hair. His lips are as soft as I imagined they would be, and when his tongue darts out to part mine, I’m happy to comply. He tastes like Bud Light and mints. It’s intoxicating, running my tongue through his mouth, a dance I didn’t imagine having on this trip. I run my hands up his chest and link them behind his neck to pull him closer. His kiss is lighting me on fire, and I can’t stay still, rubbing against him to ease the strange ache I have all of a sudden.
“I’m so fucking glad you’re not Lorelei,” he says, kissing me again, then trailing his lips toward my ear. I shiver at the delightful sensation as he kisses down the side of my neck. He tangles one hand in my hair, tugging my head back.
I remember I’m not just making out with my sister's enemy, but enjoying the hell out of it, and stop tangling my fingers in his hair.
“What’s your beef with my sister, anyway?” I ask, going for accusatory, but landing on a breathless whimper. I don’t want this to end, but loyalty is first, always.
He stops kissing me and looks confused. “I don’t have any beef with her. Why does she hate my guts so much?”
I can’t exactly tell him she wouldn’t be able to pick him out of a lineup of his teammates. “She doesn’t. Why do you think she does?”
“She’s always glaring at me disapprovingly.”
Ah, that sounds about right. I trace the edge of his t-shirt collar as I shake my head. “That’s just her face. She’s super shy, and hyper focused, so sometimes she forgets other people are even around. I promise she’s not judging anyone. She’s the sweetest person in the world, if you can get to know her, but loud people and places like this make her curl up like a hedgehog.”
He’s smiling at me in a way that melts my panties, and I swallow hard. He kisses me gently and leans back to look at me some more. “I’ve seen you in action this week, and I have a feeling you taste much sweeter than her.”
Grabbing my hands, he pulls me further back into the hall and wraps his arms around my waist, lifting me close to him. So close. As if they know what they’re doing, my legs twine around him so I can feel his hard bulge exactly where I need it. A shimmer of excitement runs through me, especially when his lips meet mine again. The raucous party music dials down to a slow song, and I feel him smiling against my mouth. I tip my head back as he lets go of me, and my feet hit the floor.
“Let’s dance, Cara,” he says. “No one will see you.”
