Page 41 of The Sweetest Cruelty: Hudson (A Sawyer Brothers Story #1)

“Thanks for keeping her warm for me,” Hudson shouted over the music.

A fizz of pleasure swept through my body. Close up, he looked so fine. Strike that; better than fine.

Although both men were tall and well built, Hudson was huge and imposing. His presence was intense and almost suffocating, but I welcomed it wholeheartedly.

“Anytime,” Nash replied.

“Nice tee, man,” Hudson said with a nod. I turned to glance at Nash’s chest. I hadn’t noticed before, but his T-shirt said; Every time you masturbate, God kills a kitten . Nice.

“Thanks, it’s new,” Nash replied with a toothy grin. He then extended his chin toward me. “You should look after this one, bro.”

They then bumped fists.

“Oh, I intend to.”

They shared a look, and then Nash turned back towards his friends.

Hudson’s reply was full of sinful promises. It was spoken directly into my face.

I went rigid. Had Nash only been talking to me, so others wouldn’t? The question that circled my internal monologue was, why?

For a moment, we just stood there staring at each other as the noise of the party melted away.

Hudson scanned my bare shoulders before lifting his gaze to my face.

Watching him from beneath my lashes, I swallowed nervously, the need to yell Where the hell have you been tunnelling its way toward the surface.

My mouth opened, but before I could say anything, he took my free hand and tugged me along, clearly taking me back to his posse.

I had to concentrate between keeping up with his stride and not spilling my drink.

This time, I didn’t need to push through the bodies of those dancing and standing around; they parted like the Red Sea; eat your heart out, Moses.

“Nice dress. Did you wear it for me?” he called over his shoulder.

A flare of annoyance scuttled through me at his arrogance. There was no apology or explanation for his absence. I bit back the screw you that wanted to push itself out there. I was giddy to be in his company again, but also wary.

Don’t let this boy treat you like shit .

As we approached the sofa where he had been leaning earlier, I straightened my neckline, suddenly feeling exposed.

Storm was over in the corner, talking with Reed. From her tight expression, she didn’t look happy.

Once Hudson got us back to the sofas, he turned and leaned against one, positioning me between his legs. He was still standing, but the crouched stance brought our heads closer together. His thighs looked amazing encased in dark denim.

“I didn’t know you’d be here, actually,” I replied tartly, poo-pooing his arrogant comment.

His lip curled, but he didn’t call me a liar. He leaned forward and swept the hair off my shoulders with his fingers.

“Why so snotty, English?”

Clutching my cup, I attempted to fold my arms across my chest and glared. We stood like that for a minute or so, it was like a game of who blinks first.

I finally broke the deafening silence between us, which was rich considering the music and noise from the party were so loud.

“Where have you been?” I questioned frostily, shooting daggers at him. I must have sounded like an outraged girlfriend who had been stood up. The whole thing was ridiculous, but that’s what this boy made me feel. Like a silly little girl in the throes of her first high school crush.

“Why, did you miss me?” Hudson drawled with a cocksure expression.

“Like a headache,” I lied.

His head tilted to one side as he regarded me thoughtfully. “What are you doing here, Molly?”

“It’s a party. What do you think?” I shot back, lowering one arm but keeping my drink against my chest.

“You’re a junior. Does Daddy know you’re here?”

My fingernails bit into the palm of my free hand, and I took a drink to distract myself from the sting. I couldn’t help making a face; the fizz was flat.

“That good, is it?” Hudson chuckled at my distaste.

“Either tell me where you’ve been or go back to your little friend there,” I said tartly with a flick of the cup toward Tate as she walked past us. Thankfully, she was busy with her phone.

“Well?” I repeated .

“Well, what?” he husked, as he watched me. He was doing it to make me feel uncomfortable, and it was working.

I’d had enough cat and mouse. Even though he had treated me appallingly, I liked this boy, but I wasn’t going to throw myself at him. “Forget it. Just say what you want, Hudson?”

I looked up into those deep, dreamy pools of his eyes.

He smirked. “Now that’s a loaded question, kitten.”

He was wearing one of those shit eating grins I was coming to hate.

There was no doubt in my mind now that this boy would eventually push me beyond the brink of my sanity.

The mixed messages coming off him were insane.

One minute he was all over me; the next I was a nobody.

I was surprised he’d text me to say our tutoring session was off; he could have just stood me up; a typical boy thing.

“Maybe I just want to talk to you. Get to know you better?” His words were innocent enough, but I didn’t miss the edge of sarcasm there.

“Why?” I huffed, swirling the liquid around my cup.

“Why not. You’re a beautiful woman.” I should have been basking in his compliments, but then he ruined them by adding. “You’re the hottest piece of ass in here, English.” Kitten, English? Pick one and stick to it, I felt like saying.

With a confidence I didn’t feel, I stated. “I know. Although it’s not hard, is it?” Half the women in the room were smashed, and a drunk female was not a good look.

“No, but it could be,” he replied with a suggestive smile. Was he drunk?

“Shouldn’t you be sucking face with your date?” I motioned towards Tate again, who was now at a makeshift bar, talking to a tall black guy with a shaved head. The cups of her padded bikini made her breasts look huge.

Hudson’s perfect white teeth shone as he chuckled to himself. “Jealousy looks good on you, princess.” Ah, another pet name. Great.

Narrowing my eyes, I snapped. “I’m not jealous.” I was.

Hudson shrugged his huge shoulders and flicked his head towards his brothers. “If you say so.”

Micah raised his eyebrows and grinned at me as he passed Hudson a fresh beer. There was a bucket in the middle of the small coffee table full of ice and refills. Phoenix and Reed were still with Storm.

The boys were all dressed similarly, in jeans and dark button-down tops.

Hudson looked gorgeous dressed down, as I had only ever seen him in his school uniform or football kit.

The sleeves of his top were rolled back, revealing his thick, tanned, and veiny arms. I noticed he wore a chunky watch on his wrist.

Hudson startled me as he plucked the cup from my hand and placed it on the table. He then pushed a beer against my palm. I wrapped my fingers around it automatically, and it was ice cold.

“Have a real drink. Not that fizzy shit you girls think is classy.”

Classy? In a red plastic cup. There was nothing classy about that.

I lifted the bottle to my lips. It felt so raw and not me. Shit. I needed to stop drinking; my promise to my father rattled around my head.

Hudson watched my throat as I swallowed, a light appearing in his eyes. I wondered what he was thinking.

“Good?”

“It’s OK,” I said dismissively.

“How did you get here?”

“I came with Harper,” I said.

His face suggested he was surprised. “Oh dear, Nix won’t like that.”

“Why?” I questioned, glancing over at the big man himself.

“They have a thing. A bit like us, I suppose.”

“There is no us,” I scolded, shooting daggers towards his hookup.

I noticed Tate had started watching from her place by the black guy, and determined not to be beaten.

“Why are you looking at Tate like you want to bitch slap her then?”

“I’m not.”

“You don’t have to be jealous. She doesn’t taste as good as you.”

He said those words casually, like he went around sampling girls. And of course, he did. “I’m not jealous. I’m just surprised you kissed me when you clearly have something going on with Tate Parker,” I explained with a glance back toward said girl.

“Nothing is going on with Tate. Well, nothing with any substance anyway,” he replied in an amused voice. He was so sure of himself. I hated that he knew I was jealous.

“Really. Does she know that?” I said, mirroring Nash’s words about Hudson.

Glancing behind me towards her, he drawled, “She knows the rules.” Those dark, unreadable eyes switched back to mine.

Cocking my head, I questioned, “Rules?”

Hudson scratched his jaw with the hand that held his beer. “Yes. I don’t date, period. ”

Why did his confirming that he was a player upset me so much?

Because you’re still cluelessly searching for the boy in the library.

I stopped myself from rolling my eyes and pointed out, “So what did you say to her that made her face light up like you’d just promised her the world?”

Something fluttered in my chest. This man knew exactly how to push my buttons. Hudson dashed a hand down his face, looking tired. “She’s just a hook-up, Molly.”

I was horrified, even though I knew guys had sex without emotion. I just didn’t want to think of Hudson doing that.

“A what?”

He quirked me a pointed look. “I imagine that means the same thing in England as it does here?” Hudson stated, arching an eyebrow.

The way he said England with his sexy accent gave me goosebumps, but I hated how he so easily imparted that information.

“So, you’re just sleeping with her?” I said, crossing my arms over my chest to stop myself from raking my nails down his face.

The beer I clutched sloshed in the bottle, but didn’t spill, thank goodness.