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This is my favorite look on Hudson. His hair short, the lazy, languid vibe of rolling out of bed and forgetting to run the razor over his face. Without realizing, my fingers drift to the silver chain that rests around his neck, fingering it gently as he speaks.
“Not a tux date kind of guy, Bubblegum,” he says roughly, his voice husky, the words rumbling from his chest and bleeding out onto me. “I’ve got a fundraiser tonight for the Pediatric Cancer Society. Gotta wear the damn thing since I’m representing the team. I’d never wear one again if I had it my way.”
It would be a sin for a man like Hudson to never wear a tux again. Truly.
All women would weep if they knew they’d never get the chance to see the way the fabric stretches across his broad shoulders and tapers at his powerful waist.
“I see. You know, if the gossip columns get a hold of this, that playboy reputation you hold might actually be at stake. Imagine if they knew that you volunteered the majority of your free time with a youth team and donated big money to cancer societies,” I tell him quietly, my voice laced with seriousness behind my teasing facade.
Every day I spend around Hudson, I realize more and more that he’s nothing like what I thought. Nothing like what most people think. He’s kind and passionate about those that he loves. He’s fiercely devoted to the Face-Off kids.
He might be Chicago’s Playboy Playmaker, but underneath, he’s just…more.
It’s a shame that the rest of the world doesn’t see those things and that he hides behind the clickbait headlines and the shitty articles attached to his name.
“Nah, reporting on who I’m fucking is far more clickworthy than anything good I do.”
I suck in a breath at the mention of him fucking, trying not to let the memory of his powerful body moving against mine assault me.
This was a bad idea, getting this close to him. Not when we have these boundaries that neither of us has tested.
I clear my throat and drop the chain as if it burned me, dragging my gaze back up to his eyes as I notice the corner of his lip tugging up slightly at my reaction.
“Well, I see you, Hudson Rome. All of you, even the pieces that you keep hidden away.”
The words escape me before I have time to think about them, the truth exploding out of me.
I do see him, now more clearly than before. After spending the past couple of weeks getting to know therealhim, I’m starting to see who he really is. The way he cares about the kids he’s coaching, how he apologized and owned up to his asshole behavior that first day that we met, how he adores his nieces and nephews and spends all of his extra time with them, and coaching the kids. How important his family and friends are to him.
Part of me wishes that I had stayed ignorant of the fact that despite his playboy reputation, he is actually a good guy.
“Thank you,” he says, and I’m not sure if he’s referring to what I said or for fixing his tie, but he steps back slightly and shoves his hands into the pockets of his slacks before continuing. “Anyway, why are you still here?”
I step down from the bench and take a seat, pulling my laptop into my lap. “I was going to go to the library, but I figured I would take advantage of the quiet here. Uh, I have a big test coming up, and I really just need to focus. It’s actually kind of distracting at the library, and it’s impossible to study when my roommate is home.”
“I can talk with Laura on my way out, get her to leave you a key at the front desk. If you want.”
My eyes widen. “Really?”
Hudson nods. “Of course. I’m sure she’d be fine with it, as long as you make sure everything is locked up and you set the alarm before leaving.”
Honestly, studying here seems far more appealing than trying to find a quiet spot at the library or at the house on a Friday night.
“That would be amazing. Thank you.”
“Yeah, no problem. I’ll see you Monday,” he says over his shoulder as he starts walking away. “Be sure to lock up.”
“Yes,daddy,” I smart, watching as he freezes, turning back to face me, his gaze darkening as it zeroes in on me.
Whoops.
That slipped out, but… too late to take it back now. Not that I was going to.
He opens his mouth to speak, and it hangs open for a moment before he shakes his head. “That mouth, Caroline.” And he simply walks away, disappearing through the rink door.
True to his word, I’m halfway through my study guide when Laura appears in front of me with a shiny silver key in hand, scaring the ever-living shit out of me.
“Hudson caught me on his way out and said you wanted to stay and study? It’s all yours, babe! Just lock up tight when you leave. I’m headed out for the night for a few drinks with my girlfriends.”
