Of course that’s why she’d want to work here. What other reasons would there be?

I scolded myself for thinking the personal reason had to do with Hudson. Trust. I had to remember trust.

Blowing a piece of hair out of my eye, I made my decision. “Then you’re hired. Not because you’re my friend or my enemy but because you’re exactly who I need. I reserve the right to pass judgment on you personally in the future.”

Gwen smiled slightly. “Fair enough.”

David stood and held out his hand. Gwen stood up to shake it. “Welcome aboard,” he said. “Sorry I won’t be here to watch you kick ass. Or kick Laynie’s ass. Either way, I think you’re going to knock her off her feet.”

“Hey, now. I can kick ass, too.” I stood and put my hands on my hips, feigning indignation.

The look on Gwen’s face said she doubted my statement.

“What’s that expression for? You can’t doubt me. You don’t even know me.”

“No, I don’t.” She narrowed her eyes. “But you have to be lacking something—or you think you’re lacking something. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come looking for me.”

Maybe we’d be enemies then. “I just don’t want to do it all alone.” My voice came out meek and I regretted defending myself. I didn’t owe her anything.

To make matters worse, Gwen pointed out my unnecessary words. “No need for explanations. All I need to know is when I start.”

“You’ll accept the position then?” I was already somewhat regretting my decision.

Gwen raised a brow. “You accept that I might be a bitch to work with?”

“For some crazy reason, yes, I do.” We had to work together, after all. Not be friends.

“Then I’m all yours.” This time her smile reached her eyes.

“Fantastic.”

***

Hudson was asleep when I arrived home hours later. It was disappointing—not just because he’d promised sexual favors, but because, after therapy, I’d been eager to connect with him. I considered waking him, but a part of me couldn’t help feeling like he might be avoiding me. There was no reason to believe that. Just that he rarely went to bed without me and my insecurities were on high alert.

Instead of giving in to them, I sat on the edge of the bed, closed my eyes and ran a few mantras through my head. The repetition settled me, but I longed for more. From his breathing pattern, I knew he was sound asleep behind me. Still, I was eager to start the communication that Lauren had suggested. Without bothering to undress, I stretched out next to him and ran my fingers through his sleep-tussled hair.

“I’m scared, H.”

His breathing didn’t alter.

“About lots of things. Little things. Mostly, I’m worried about Celia—that I’m not strong enough to not let her get to me. Especially because she’s always been the girl that you should be with. In my head, she’s the one I picture you with. Everyone does. She’s perfect for you, from her manicured nails to her pedigreed upbringing. And, at the moment anyway, she doesn’t have a police record.” I smiled to myself, fantasizing about Celia pushing far enough that she’d possibly get a restraint against her.

Of course, she was a Werner. Her money and connections would never let that happen. I shared that fear with Hudson too.

It was so simple to tell him these things when he was sleeping. Not because it was difficult to talk to him when he was awake, but because his presence dominated so completely that I didn’t feel the need. It was when I was away from him that my thoughts tortured me most.

“I believe in us, H. More than anything. But do you? You used to tell me you were incapable of love. Do you still believe that? Or do you love me as much as I believe you do?” He curled into me, but it seemed like a reflexive move, not a conscious one.

As he turned, his phone fell into my lap. He must have fallen asleep with it in his hand. Had he been waiting for my call? I’d texted around midnight saying I’d be late. Had he gotten that message?

Curious, I swiped his screen to unlock it. My text message had been marked unread—he must have fallen asleep before that. No wonder he hadn’t texted back.

It was mostly accidental that I hit the recent calls button. At least, I told myself it was an accident. Immediately, the name on the last call caught my eye—Norma Anders. They’d talked for twenty-seven minutes, the call ending at nine-fourteen.

I reached over Hudson to put the phone on the nightstand then settled into his arms. He’d probably been talking to Norma about Gwen and her new position at the club, I told myself. Except Gwen hadn’t left the club until ten. She hadn’t made any calls or dismissed herself during that time, so Norma and Hudson couldn’t have known I’d offered the job to Gwen at the time of the call.

And the thing that really didn’t fit into the equation—why was Hudson the one who called Norma?

They work together. They were discussing business, of course. Because wasn’t nine at night exactly the time that a typical executive talked to his female financial manager? On a cell phone? From his bed?

Chapter Ten

I woke up with Hudson’s head between my thighs.

“Mmm.” His breath along my folds sent chills down my spine. I peered down at him through half-open lids, wondering how he’d gotten me bare and spread without rousing me until now.

He caught my gaze. “You didn’t wake me up last night.” He licked along my seam. “And I owed you.” His words were gravelly. I loved that I was the first person he spoke to most mornings—that his just-woke-up voice belonged to me.

And I loved what he was doing with his tongue.

I shivered as he caressed my cl*t with a long velvety stroke.

His head popped up suddenly. “Or would you rather I let you sleep?”

“No! Don’t stop.” I pushed him back down and stretched my arms above my head.

Hudson chuckled lightly. Then he attacked my nub with earnestness, in turns sucking and licking and swirling his tongue, exciting every nerve in my body. My insides clenched, and a trickle of moisture pooled in my channel. Overcome with pleasure, I wriggled underneath him, but his hands grasped under my thighs, keeping me still and at his mercy.

My breath came out in soft, jagged moans, and then in a gasp as his tongue moved lower, plunging into my hole. “Oh god, Hudson.” My hands flew to his hair. Though I’d never dream to control his actions—he’d do a much better job than I would—I loved pulling and tugging at his strands while he drove me mad with oral attention. While he f**ked me with his tongue.