Page 62

She nodded.

Without warning, I dropped my hands to her waist and pulled her close, then bent down and captured her mouth in a kiss.

She didn’t resist.

She didn’t pull back or ask me to stop.

Instead, her soft, full lips opened with a moan, giving me deeper access. Her hand roamed across my chest, then slowly continued up to the nape of my neck as her fingers tangled in my hair. Having Tabitha so close was fucking with my head, and I was finding it difficult to keep my cock in check.

I slipped my fingers through her long, dark hair and gave it a firm tug, forcing her head back. She gasped as I delved deeper into her mouth, kissing her with all the need pulsing through my veins. She inched even closer, shifting her hips against me, and I knew I had to stop before we got carried away.

I had to get to the Vault.

I eased back, breaking free from our embrace, and as she looked up at me with her lust-filled eyes and flushed cheeks, I said, “Damn. You don’t make it easy to go.”

“Isn’t that the point?”

“If it is, you certainly made it.” I gave her a wink, then turned and started for the truck. “You’re one of a kind, Tabitha Volkov. One of a kind.”

I left there without any idea what was going on at the Vault, but I didn’t care. For the first time in a very long time, the pit in my stomach didn’t feel quite so deep, and I could face just about anything.

16

TABITHA

It had been weeks since that night in the barn with Hudson and Faith—weeks since I’d sat on the blanket next to him with a heart filled with worry and nerves so tight I could barely breathe. The warmth of his voice and the steadiness of his presence gave me peace in ways I hadn’t expected.

In the weeks that followed, we spent as much time together as possible.

He took me for another ride on his bike. We rode out to the lake and sat by the water for hours, just soaking up the sun. It was wonderful. We laughed and talked, and I felt more alive than I had in years.

A few days later, he took me to the clubhouse for a gathering. I wasn’t sure how I would be received, especially with the new partnership with my sons. But when Hudson walked in with his hand on the small of my back, it was like they all stepped aside for him—forus.

And he’d come to the auction with me. He’d seen the terrible state of some of the horses, and for the first time, he truly understood why I did what I did. He stood back and watched as I assessed and negotiated and haggled like I’d done from the beginning. And all the while, he stayed engaged, listening and asking questions.

It meant the world to me.

I’d gone so long without beingseen, really seen. I’d always been more of a possession than a real partner. I was paraded around like some trophy, all polished and perfect, but behind closed doors, I was invisible.

I was just a ghost in heels and lipstick.

But it was different with Hudson.

He didn’t care if my hair was up or down. He didn’t care if my boots were caked in mud or if I was in an outfit that cost more than his bike. He looked at me the same—like I was someone he not only wanted to be with but liked.

He made me feelgood. Better than I ever thought possible.

And it scared the hell out of me.

I knew what it felt like to be with wrong kind of man. I’d lived through that. Survived it. Hudson was a different kind of danger.

He was the kind that made me hope.

He made me happy, and that terrified me just as much as it thrilled me.

I carried the mix of feelings with me as I headed up to the house. I needed to speak with Sergei and let him know that the couple was coming by in the next day or so to purchase Whiskey Rose and Beau Sins. Normally, I wouldn’t have to involve him, but I wanted to let him know that a good bit of money would be coming into the account.

The sun was just starting to set as I made my way down the steps. The