Page 53 of The Sweetest Cruelty: Hudson (A Sawyer Brothers Story #1)

I knew my reputation with the ladies proceeded me and got what he was saying but I needed to shut that shit down. Not for me, but for Molly. Those rumours I had spread in the early days were old news. My original slut shaming agenda left nothing but a bad taste in my mouth now.

“It wasn’t like that,” I explained, tugging my hands out of my pockets. I rubbed the scrub on my jaw with my fingers. Fuck I needed protein. Protein and a shave.

He quizzed me with a look, taking a step forward. “No?”

I kept my ground and didn’t move back. I had nothing to hide. “No. Nothing happened. Nothing like that, I mean.”

“So, you didn’t touch my daughter last night?”

“Define touch,” I batted back with a slight grin.

He wasn’t amused. “Don’t play games with me, Hudson? It would be in your best interest not to fuck with me.”

OMG Miller knew the word fuck?

I opened my eyes wide in surprise and then smirked. “Are you allowed to say that?”

I could see from the corded muscles in his neck that he was fuming. Angry that I had anything to do with his sweet daughter. Which meant that what I had hoped to achieve by fucking with Molly was a success. Not that it mattered now.

“Say what?”

“The word, fuck. You’re my principal.”

“As I said. Right now, that’s not who I am,” Miller replied, glancing towards where Ma was banging around in the kitchen.

“Oh really. And who are you?” That caught his attention again.

“A worried father?” Miller said, his tone suggesting he wasn’t sure himself.

I didn’t miss the way his voice cracked, and I felt a hint of remorse for dragging it out.

Molly and I had just talked last night. It would have been so easy to have suggested something different.

But right then. I didn’t want to upset him; he was the father of the girl I liked.

That’s it, liked . And then some. My feelings for Molly Miller were getting stronger every day.

I still didn’t want to make it too easy for him. “A worried father. Because the bad boy of the school has designs on his daughter?”

Miller watched me down that hawklike nose of his as he replied. “Something like that, yes. And can you blame me?”

Shrugging, I dropped my shoulders. “That being me, no. I guess not.”

“So where do we go from here? ”

He rolled his shoulders, but it did little to impress me. “Stay away from Molly, Hudson. She isn’t the girl for you.”

I snorted. “And you know me so well?”

His brow furrowed, “Yes. I know everything there is to know about you. Your past, present, and most probably your future.”

Leaning back against the table where we kept the mail, I smiled. “Ah, so you have the sight, right? Can you see into my future? Crystal ball type of shit?”

“I don’t need a crystal ball to know you’re going nowhere. And I won’t have you dragging Molly there with you.”

I was seconds away from snapping. “I think you’re about done now, Mr. Miller. Thanks so much for stopping by.” I had a crude vision of fucking Molly doggy style in front of her stuffed animals again, and her Daddy.

Principal Dick stepped into my space—foolish, foolish man. “I mean it Hudson. We’ve had our differences of opinion over the years. But that was child’s play. You stay away from Molly, or things could get real difficult, real fast.” Yeah right.

“Are you threatening my son?” Ma’s voice sounded from the doorway. She was standing there with a not-so-impressed look, a carton of milk in her hand.

Miller raised his hands. “No ma’am, just a polite warning. Molly has been through enough this year. She’s making a new start, and I won’t see her hurt.”

“Are you finished?” Ma said, doing her version of squaring up to a man so much bigger than she was.

Miller gazed dispassionately for a moment longer before speaking. “I’ll see you in school, Hudson. Don’t be late.”

As he left, closing the door behind him, I released a puff of air.

“Care to share?” Ma said from over my shoulder as I pushed off the window by the door. I waited until Miller’s piece of shit Corolla had left our street before spinning around.

“No. Not really. Just want to grab my protein shake and hit the gym.”

“OK,” Ma called me back as I moved past her. “Hudson?”

Looking up into my face, she said. “Be careful. From what Harper said, the girls suffered enough.”

“See, that’s what I don’t get. Miller suggested the same. I’m guessing it’s because of her mother leaving.”

“Leaving?” Ma grunted, her face expelling her disbelief .

“Yeah. Molly’s mother left them. That’s why she’s living with her father now.”

Shaking her head, she placed the milk carton on the tall table and moved towards me. “Molly’s mother didn’t leave, Hudson. She died.”

And. What. The. Hell?

“What?” The word left my mouth like vapour. I was so shocked.

“Yes. A few weeks ago.”

My throat dried up.

Ma’s eyes pierced into mine before she said. “I guess you don’t know the girl as much as you thought, Hudson.”

What the actual hell? It felt like a slap to the face. I had poured my fucking heart out last night and Molly hadn’t said a thing about her mother. Well, apart from saying she’d lost her, but I took that to mean that her mom left. Not died.

Did she not trust me?

I skipped weights; my mood was far too distracted to be on the bench, especially without a spotter. Concentration was key when working out. Ma’s words needled for the rest of that morning.

“I guess you don’t know the girl as much as you thought.”

The fact that she was right wounded me. And I decided at that point that I was going to change that. I had been so self-involved that I had failed to see that the girl I was falling for was also hurting.

And you knew that. You saw it that day in the library.

Molly Miller was going to be mine in every sense of the word. There would be no more barriers between us, be that mental or physical. The knowledge of that roared through my body like a primitive war cry.

I would claim her body and soul, and in return, I would give her my all.

MOLLY

I was almost late for school as I had to make the twenty-minute journey on foot. My father had left a note for me in the kitchen, apologising and stating that something had come up at work, so he had to go in early .

I didn’t mind, it was a nice sunny day, and it gave me a chance to clear my head. Everything I had learned about Hudson had been playing on my mind. I still couldn’t believe we’d fallen asleep in my bed. It had felt amazing, not being alone.

As I got to the school, the entire campus was buzzing, and the banter by the lockers was all about the forthcoming Friday night game against St Andrews. Hudson had messaged me, saying he’d wait for me in the cafeteria.

Good morning, beautiful. Meet me at lunch.

After my third period, I gathered my stuff and went to the dining room. I received a message from Harper apologising for ghosting me. She explained that she had stuff to deal with at home and would fill me in soon.

Hudson had saved me a seat at his table in the lunchroom. From the doorway into the room, it looked like the king was back on his throne.

I see you. I thought as I walked towards him.

Everyone greeted me in various ways as I approached the table.

Lowering my lunch tray, I took the spare seat opposite Hudson.

“Hey you,” I said with a smile. His stare was deep, almost like he was reaching inside of me.

“Hey, yourself,” he replied, his expression warm and welcoming, but his grin wasn’t as wide as mine. Maybe I needed to tone it down a bit.

Don’t come across as clingy, as boys don’t like that. My mother’s words drifted into my head. It was her warning when I couldn’t stop talking about a new boy who had started at school.

“How was Connors?” Hudson questioned as he placed his sandwich down.

“How did you know I had Connors?” Mr Connors was the teacher Hudson warned me about on the first day we met in the library; the one with the breath issue. I wondered how he knew Connors had stood in for our usual history teacher.

“I have my methods,” he replied with a wink.

“He was OK. I sat downwind,” I explained, and everyone chuckled. We all then tucked into our lunches. I wanted to speak with Hudson alone. I still had so much I needed to say.

Partway through her salad, Storm nudged me with her elbow and started talking about cheer practice. She explained that one of the girls was absent from school with suspected appendicitis, and then dropped a bombshell .

“So, we need you to fill in on Friday night at the game? You said you didn’t mind standing in as a temp?”

I didn’t answer at first as I’d promised both Lisa and Cassius (who wanted to know more about the dick on my phone) that I’d go on call with them both.

“Earth to Molly,” Storm said, waving her hand in my face. My eyes were still locked with Hudson’s. I glanced away.

I heard Phoenix chuckle under his breath. Whether that was due to Storm asking me to cheer at the game or the intensity between Hudson and me, who knew?

“I’m not sure,” I replied.

Everyone started to encourage me, saying I could do it.

“I’m with Storm, you’ll be great out there, Mols,” Micha stated. So, I was Mols now. Interesting. I wondered if Hudson had told his brothers about his late-night visit.

“What about you, Loverboy?” Phoenix cajoled with a meaty grin.

Hudson did smile then. “Alright dickhead, give it a rest.”

“Well, surely you want your girl there to support you?” Nix added, winking at me. Storm snorted into her salad.

My eyes flickered back to Hudson’s, wondering what he’d say to that one, and his response made my heart skip a beat. “She isn’t my girl,” he began, “yet.”

It was the ‘yet’ that made me feel all gooey inside. Did that mean he wanted me to be? “And you’re wrong. I don’t want Molly at the game on Friday night.”

My heart dipped a little.

“Why?” both Storm and Phoenix said at the same time.