Page 37 of The Ex Project (The Heartwood #3)

WREN

Sunshine filtering through the curtains wakes me.

I rub my eyes to adjust, and it takes me a moment to figure out where I am.

I slept at Hudson’s. I slept at Hudson’s .

I’m too groggy right now to figure out what it means.

Rolling over, I soak in the warmth of the morning rays.

Ruby is still next to me and wags her tail as soon as she sees I’m awake.

“Good morning,” I say softly, and she leans her head against my leg as I pet her.

Hudson’s side of the bed is empty, the covers neatly arranged.

I wish he were still there, so I could crawl over to his side and curl myself in next to him …

see what he wakes up with in his boxers.

I felt it the night he slept over in my childhood bed, and briefly last night, before he practically shoved me off him.

I was practically begging him to have sex with me, which I’m not proud of.

It’s not how I normally operate. But after the show he made me put on for him?

I think you like having me watch you like this .

I did. I liked it very much. It was new for me, and it was hot.

And then Hudson got up out of bed like it didn’t nearly make him cum his pants.

I saw the wet mark of pre-cum on the cotton of his shorts when he got up.

Even in the dim light, it was obvious. His rock-hard dick was obvious, too.

The outline of it beneath his boxers was another stark reminder of the history Hudson and I share, and how badly I’ve craved being with him again.

But he wants to wait, and the wait might kill me.

The smell of bacon wafting through the bedroom door pulls my attention back to the present, and I’m suddenly aware that the butterflies in my stomach from thinking about last night have turned ravenous. They’re rabid and they’re out for blood. Or bacon. Bacon will do.

I throw back the duvet, and unlike Hudson, I leave my side crumpled.

Every instinct in me is telling me to make the bed, but after yesterday’s panic attack, I decide today will be a fresh start, and I’m going to loosen up.

As much as it pains me, I leave the duvet in disarray and pick up Hudson’s T-shirt off the floor, pulling it on over my head.

It hangs down low enough to graze the tops of my thighs.

I pad out to the kitchen, Ruby in tow. Hudson is fully dressed already, wearing casual jeans and another worn T-shirt. His hair is damp from a shower, even though I swear he showered last night.

“Look who’s up.” He greets me over his shoulder, sliding bacon from a frying pan onto a plate lined with paper towel. “How did my girls sleep last night?”

Even my still-groggy brain catches the wording and stalls on his choice. My girls.

“Good. It was the best sleep I’ve had in a long time.

” Hudson puts the frying pan down and moves to grab a mug from one of the cabinets before preparing a hot cup of coffee for me.

He slides it across the counter towards me as I take a seat at one of the leather bar stools.

“Probably from the mind-blowing orgasm,” I say as casually as I can, taking the first sip of the steaming liquid.

Hudson’s eyebrows raise by a half inch.

“Mind-blowing, eh?”

“Mmhmm.” I nod, meeting his stare across the counter where he’s leaning on both hands.

Every muscle in his body tenses, thick ropes in his forearms flexing, his jaw twitching.

We stare at each other for a moment, neither of us wanting to broach the subject of what last night was.

But I can tell by flash of desire in his eyes, he’s woken up thinking about it, too.

I let my eyes dart down to his lips, daring him to say something more about last night. To give me some sort of indication of what it meant to him.

“Do you want some breakfast?” he says instead, and my face drops as he turns back toward the stove.

“Sure. I’d love some.”

Hudson prepares a plate with scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and fruit. He slides it across the counter toward me like he did with the coffee. Then he turns and makes himself a plate, finally coming around to sit on the stool next to mine. We eat in silence for a few moments before Hudson breaks it.

“So how are you feeling after …” Hudson starts, his voice trailing off.

“I mean, great. Thinking about it again is making me horny,” I say, throwing him a sidelong glance and a cheeky smirk. Finally, we can address the elephant in the room. But I do a double-take when I notice his cocked his head and furrowed brow. “Oh, shit. You mean after my … episode yesterday.”

“Yeah … but I’m glad to hear you enjoyed last night as much as I did.” Now he’s smiling, hiding it by taking a drawn-out sip of coffee, but I see it in his eyes. Relief washes over me.

“Maybe we can finish what we started?”

“Miller …” His voice trails off. Uh oh. Here it comes.

We’re better off as friends . I should have known better than to even get close to sleeping with Hudson again.

This was why I wanted to stay away from him in the first place.

“We’ve spent the last ten years, including the last few weeks, with you hating my guts.

There’s a lot to unpack here. I don’t want to add sex to the mix and create even more confusion. ”

“Yeah, because whatever happened last night isn’t confusing enough.

” The sting of rejection is hard to ignore.

I push my stool back and stand—I need to get out of here.

But before I turn to walk back to the bedroom to collect my things, Hudson grabs my wrist and halts me in my tracks.

He pulls me into him, so I’m standing between his legs, eye level with him.

“I want to take things slow,” he says, reaching up and tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

“I told you I want you to feel every ounce of love I’ve been saving for you for the last decade, and I meant it.

” I swallow hard, unable to speak because my mouth has gone dry.

“When we have sex, Miller, I don’t want there to be any question, any doubt in your mind that we shouldn’t be together. ”

My eyelids have become heavy, my gaze dropping to Hudson’s mouth as he brushes his hands up my thighs and grips my ass in his hands.

I run my tongue along my bottom lip, biting it to try and keep my cool.

And it works, until Hudson pulls me closer, and something hard presses up against me as he leans into my ear.

“Until then, I will worship your body in whatever way I can.” His breath sends a zing of electricity down my spine, and a whimper escapes me. “If you’re getting mixed signals, Miller, let me clear things up for you right now.”

Hudson stands, and with his hands still on my hips, turns me around so my back is towards him.

I steady myself on the counter in front of me while his hands roam up and down my body beneath the soft cotton T-shirt.

He finds my breasts, pinching and tugging my peaked nipples.

And then they slide down, down, so he’s running them between my thighs.

“Bend over. Let me show you exactly what this means to me,” he growls, and all I can do is obey.

I push plates aside so I can lean on the counter, the cold granite seeping through the cotton and making my nipples even harder.

Hudson kneels on the ground behind me and forces my legs apart with his hands, making me grip the counter to steady myself.

My heart flutters in anticipation, imagining what it will feel like to have his mouth on me again.

He was so fucking good with his mouth. “Look at this perfect little cunt. Ever since I got a taste of it on my fingers last night, all I’ve thought about is devouring it. ”

And yet, he doesn’t devour it. He takes a long, languid lick as if he’s savouring me, trailing his tongue from front to back.

“Fuck, Miller. You taste so good.” He teases my clit with his fingers, making my hips buck against them. “I thought I might be able to tease you, make you squirm, but I won’t be able to hold back.”

“Don’t hold back” I manage to get out. I grip the counter until my knuckles turn white.

“Grip the counter, baby,” Hudson grits out before he closes his mouth over my clit, his fingers having more than warmed me up.

He sucks it in between his teeth, making my knees buckle.

Okay, so he meant grip the counter. His tongue rolls around the sensitive bundle of nerves, and as the coil within me winds tighter, threatening to snap, he changes the rhythm.

The slick, wet tip of his tongue flicks against me.

His fingers find my opening, and he slides two inside, the friction driving me wild.

“Oh God, Hudson. Oh God .” My legs are shaking, my fingers find purchase again on the counter, somehow holding me in this bent-over position.

And then the coil snaps. Hudson’s tongue flicks faster, and waves of pleasure surge through my body, through my limbs.

Every muscle contracts, tightens, seizes, and then gives out.

I slide down from the counter and Hudson catches my weight, pulling me into his lap.

His thick arms wrap around me, cradling me against him.

And I feel safe. I feel held.

There’s something tugging at the back of my mind. A feeling of déjà vu. I’ve been here before. The last time I felt safe with Hudson was right before it blew up in my face. But he quiets the noise by nuzzling his face into my neck, planting soft kisses under my jaw.

“You know I can’t let you beat me for number of orgasms given, right?” I murmur, and Hudson smiles against my neck.

“Not everything has to be a competition.”

“This can be. This is a good competition. I like this kind of game.” Hudson pulls back now and meets my gaze. “It’s the kind where everyone wins, in some way,” I say.

“Then you’re going to have to get used to losing for now, baby.” Hudson kisses me on the forehead, then lifts me so I have to stand, rising with me.