Page 35 of The Sweetest Cruelty: Hudson (A Sawyer Brothers Story #1)

MOLLY

Hudson’s mind-blowing kiss had tortured my mind day and night. He took my shock as an invitation to carry on, and I am so glad he did.

I knew he had only done it to show me up as the hussy he’d painted me as, but it didn’t stop me reliving it.

God, his mouth had felt so good. I can honestly say I had never been kissed like that by any other boy.

I had felt so turned on, so much so that I had touched myself in bed that night, something I hadn’t done since my mother died.

My initial attraction had intensified, now that I knew the suspected chemistry between us was real.

I had lit up like a match, strike that, bonfire and my body now appeared to be pining for his.

I decided to label that kiss as my first. The one I had shared with Teddy Granger at Lisa’s party had felt more like he was trying to swallow my face.

I’d also kissed Cassius a couple of times, but that had been for practice.

The only way to deal with my insane infatuation with Hudson was to push him out of my thoughts with a project.

So, my father and I had spent the weekend in the backyard. I had decided to make it my mission to improve the area and make it more garden-like. Martha also joined us and brought some bedding plants over from her house, which was nice.

Late on Friday, I received an invitation from Laura and Lily to a party taking place the following weekend.

And then the text from Hudson had arrived calling off our session for Sunday.

His crying off had planted a seed of worry in my tummy that I just couldn’t shift.

I’d asked if he was OK and he’d blanked me.

That feeling that something was wrong built momentum each day when Hudson wasn’t at school the following week.

I even considered speaking to one of his brothers to check he was alright, but the way Phoenix watched me as I approached him had me turning around.

I was such a wimp. The biggest of the Sawyer brothers was the most intimidating.

The school felt empty without Hudson, and it was all a bit quiet, too quiet. I was also left alone with no one whispering behind my back or putting rude notes on my locker .

News of the kiss would have spread. Maybe they thought Hudson was interested in me romantically, like we were together for real.

That’s why they are leaving you alone. They see you as some type of Queen to their King.

Then the shit got even crazier as Storm Summers approached me one lunchtime. I had been reading a string of messages that Cassius had sent, and quickly lowered my phone, slipping it into my bag.

“Let me guess? You have a boyfriend pining for you in England?” Storm said with narrowed eyes at the way I quickly hid my screen. “Does Hudson know?”

I toyed with how to answer. Was she luring me into a trap?

“No, he’s just a friend and as for Hudson. Why would he care who I message?” I replied with a shrug.

Storm was in her cheer uniform, and my mouth dropped open as she lowered her food tray to the table. It contained one of those salads which were a complete rip-off, a bottle of water and an apple.

Anxiety twisted my stomach. I wasn’t in the mood for any belittling.

I almost said, “Are you lost?” but thought better. If sitting down and giving me the time of day was her version of an olive branch, I’d take it. I wouldn’t shoot myself in the foot when my social standing had slowly started to improve.

My curiosity spiked further when Storm took a huge breath and placed her hands flat on the table. She then cricked her neck from side to side and pursed her lips.

“Are you alright?” I muttered.

This brought her head up. “Sorry, shit. I’m not very good at this. I just wanted to say hey,” she said sheepishly, flicking her ponytail off her shoulder. I could see a sheen of sweat across her skin, which suggested she’d been at cheer practice.

“OK, hey,” I batted back, feeling uncertain as I swallowed a mouthful of pasta. Her strange behaviour set my teeth on edge as I didn’t know what to expect. Storm Summers had more than one face. Hell, all the cheerleaders did. It was part of their genetic make-up.

“Look. I wanted to speak to you about what happened at the pool,” Storm began hesitantly.

“OK?” I sounded like a broken record .

She paused, took another deep breath, and then blurted. “I didn’t know you couldn’t swim. There, I’ve said it.” My eyes remained locked with hers, and I could see genuine regret there. “And I am sorry.”

Nodding my head, I gave her a tight smile. “Thank you, I guess.”

All the tension then drained from her body, and she bounced back, grabbing her fork and then leaning over the table. Almost like she was getting into position for a good old chin wag.

“So? What’s going on with you then?”

She must have heard about the kiss, and her next words confirmed that. Was that why she was being nice to me?

“Nothing much,” I said, taking a drink of my water.

“What about you and Hudson? I can’t say I didn’t see that coming,” she began as she arranged the food on her tray.

Placing the bottle down, I cast a glance at the other girls sitting at one end of our table, but they didn’t appear to be listening.

“We’re not together or anything,” I explained, clearing my throat.

Lifting the apple from her tray, she took a large bite. Her teeth were slightly crooked; they made her look more human. I hadn’t noticed it before.

“If you say so.”

“I do.”

“I heard you two sucked faced in front of the whole school,” she added, taking another bite.

“It wasn’t the whole school, and he was just making a point,” I explained, fiddling with the side of my tray.

“What point was that? How much he wanted to screw you against the lockers?”

“No. It wasn’t like that.” I knew I was flagging a dead horse. Storm would believe what she wanted, just like the rest of the school.

Shrugging her slim shoulders, she blew out a breath. “Anyway, it’s none of my business.”

I could sense her sadness, or was it disappointment? To reassure her that nothing was going on, I replied. “Look, I’m not the type to go after someone else's guy. Just so you know. ”

Storm huffed and sat back in her seat, a vacant expression on her face. “He’s not my guy. Hudson Gage is an enigma and belongs to nobody but himself. Well, before you showed up. He’s never made out with anyone on campus before.”

“It sounds like you know him better than I do.”

“Oh, we go way back.”

I realised this was my moment to find out more about Hudson and his history. Storm appeared to be the opposite of bottled up and regularly indulged in gossip. Maybe I could use that to my advantage?

“Didn’t you and Hudson date?”

Storm placed the apple back on her tray and took a sip of water. “We almost fucked once. It was at a party, and we were both drunk. But no, we were never together.”

After briefly glancing behind her at the table where Hudson’s brothers sat, she leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table.

The Sawyer brothers were watching us. They were all wearing that same cocksure expression.

Apart from Reed, he appeared to be shooting daggers at the back of Storm’s head.

His arms were folded over his huge chest and he looked pissed.

I noticed he hadn’t touched his lunch, which was a surprise. The guy usually ate like a horse.

Storm turned to glance at the table where Hudson should have been sitting. I noticed Reed raise an eyebrow at her, and she spun back towards me.

“Fucking Reed Prescott,” she said under her breath.

“Look, between us, Hudson’s never been interested in me, and he’s not my type either.

He can be such a jerk. Any girl who takes that on will have a tough time, and I’m just too lazy.

Plus, Daddy would threaten to cut me off if I dated that particular foster boy. He’s such a snob.”

Pot calling the kettle black jumped to mind, but I went with. “But you’re always so touchy-feely with him.”

“I only do that to make someone else jealous. Not that it’s working,” Storm confessed with another glance towards the Sawyer boys.

Interesting.

“Who?” I shot back, suddenly wanting to be fed gossip that wasn’t about me.

She lowered her elbows and raised her fork. “You may not be as much of a loser as I first thought, but we’re not girlfriends yet.”

“Fair enough,” I said, and she rolled her eyes .

“I don’t share much anyway. Especially not my secrets.

I’ve confided in people before only to have them stab me in the back.

” On cue, Tate Parker and the rest of the cheer squad strolled into the cafeteria.

I saw Storm’s shoulders stiffen and wondered if they had fallen out—maybe after the pool incident?

They all went to the front of the lunch queue, clearly pushing in.

The tall blonde’s eyes narrowed as she saw us together, but Storm didn’t move. She just continued to push the salad around her plate.

I lowered my gaze towards my pasta; my appetite had left me, as thoughts of Hudson swam around my head. Did everyone think I was his girlfriend now?

Pushing away the thought, I watched Storm. She’d had bad friendships and been hurt in the past; that was clear to me now. That’s why she had that frosty , I-put-up-barriers vibe. Storm Summers had severe trust issues.

“Well, for what it’s worth. I’m loyal to my friends.”

“But we’re not friends, are we?” Storm muttered in an unsure voice, her eyes scanning my face with hope. Could I be friends with a girl I couldn’t trust?

Chewing on the side of my cheek, I digested her words before saying. “No.” Her face dropped, and so I added. “Maybe not yet. But we could be.”

Relief flooded her body language, and she looked less uptight. Leaning back in her seat, Storm tilted her chin, now looking serene. “Even though I could have killed you?”

I paused briefly before responding. “Yes. You’ve said sorry, and there’s only one person I bear a grudge against.” That person was the man who had killed my mother.