Hold Me Closer (Sea Island Brides Book 1) (12 page)

The
sound of her zipper being pulled down snapped her back to herself. So
close to the point of no return, she knew that if she didn’t
stop him now, she would regret it. Things between them were already
so much more complicated than he could know. How could she even think
of making love to a man who had been so cold-hearted toward her
cousin? A man who’d refused to help her in her time of need?

But
he’s so much more than that.

Despite
all she’d come to know about him in the past few days, it
didn’t change the truth of his actions toward Julia. And it
didn’t change the fact that once he knew the truth about
Annabelle, there would be no chance of a future together.

She
grabbed Hudson’s hand and pulled it away from the top of her
blue jeans. He continued to kiss her along her neck and breasts, and
she closed her eyes, relishing his touch for a moment before her mind
screamed out again in protest. She wiggled away and scrambled to her
feet, searching madly for her discarded t-shirt, then clutching it to
her chest as she regained her breath.

Hudson
sat up and stared at her, his broad, bare chest rhythmically
breathing in and out. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

“No,”
she said, gasping for breath. She struggled into her shirt. Hudson
stood and moved to touch her, but she backed away.

“Would
you rather take this upstairs?” he asked. The thought was
extremely tempting, but Annabelle knew she had to walk away.

She
stared into his blue-green eyes and wished she could tell him
everything. But how could she? Telling him the truth would ruin
everything, including Julia’s chances of ever seeing Harlan
again. No, she had to see this through to the end.

“I
can’t,” she said, turning away so that he couldn’t
see her struggling to regain her self-control. “It’s
late, I need to get back to the cottage.”

“It’s
pretty clear that we both want the same thing,” he said,
gripping her shoulders, forcing her to face him. “Why do you
keep pushing me away?”

“We both know how this ends, Hudson. When the deal is
finalized, we part ways.”

“Does
that mean we can’t enjoy each other until then?”

“Getting
physical at this point is only going to confuse things,” she
replied, her voice far less confident than she needed it to be.

“So,
let’s confuse them.” He lowered his head toward her and
her body hummed with expectation.

Just
before their lips touched, the final thread of control within her
threatened to unravel. In a panic, she pushed against his chest and
took two steps back.

“I
can’t.”

Without
looking back, she ran from the room.

She
didn’t stop until the door of her cottage was safely locked
behind her.

Annabelle
couldn’t sleep.

All
she could think about was that kiss. The
way Hudson’s hands felt all over her body. And the fact that he
was sleeping next door. Was he thinking of her, too?

She
sat up after hours of tossing and turning and stepped out onto the
porch. She wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and settled down on
the swing overlooking the waves. The tide was coming in as the sun
began to rise, and Annabelle felt that the turbulent crashing of the
waves mirrored her own heart.

What
was she doing?

She’d
come here hoping to get answers for her cousin, but had ended up
getting her own life and emotions tangled up in a huge mess in the
process.

Hudson
wasn’t at all the man she’d expected him to be. He wasn’t
some cold and heartless billionaire playboy. He was kind and funny
and he loved his family with such passion, it made her heart ache.

But
none of that changed the fact that this was all pretend.

Maybe
he wanted to make love to her, but that didn’t mean he wanted
her in his life in any permanent way. She’d barely been able to
maintain control back there in his study, and if she hadn’t
gotten out of there when she did, who knows what might have happened
between them. Things were complicated enough without adding sex to
the equation.

Still,
there was no denying their physical attraction. The more she got to
know him, the stronger that attraction grew. How would she survive
the next few days of reporters and events, much less potentially
months of pretending to be engaged to him?

Tomorrow
night was the end of summer bonfire, and
everyone would be scrutinizing their every touch. Reporters would be
asking questions, and all eyes would be on them as a couple.

Annabelle
wasn’t sure she could handle it. Not with all this unspoken
tension between them.

She
had lied to him.

There
was no coming back from that. No redeeming herself. But if they were
going to be crashing into this wall of desire every time they were
together, she had to deal with it one way or another.

Maybe
she just needed to tell him the truth.

The
thought of it made her stomach knot, but what choice did she have?

Would
he still go through with the announcement at the charity ball next
weekend? Or would he call the whole thing off?

He
would probably hate her when he found out the truth, but he would
hate her more if she slept with him first, knowing their future was
doomed.

Annabelle
resolved herself to tell him.

Tomorrow
night after the bonfire, she would find a way to confess her role in
those photographs. And hope that somehow, he would be able to forgive
her.

Annabelle
stood by the pool, waiting for Hudson to escort her down
to the beach. Avoiding him all day had been a challenge, but
now she was out of time. They were already late for the bonfire where
several members of the press, and most of the island’s
residents, were anxiously waiting to meet Hudson’s new
girlfriend.

Being
interviewed by the press was the least of her worries. She’d
learned enough about him and rehearsed their dating story so many
times, it felt like second nature. Being around Hudson and having to
touch and kiss him all night, however, was absolutely terrifying.

Even
though she was facing the ocean, she heard the screen door slam, and
knew that Hudson was behind her. She felt his presence the way radar
could track a nearby ship. Annabelle took a calming breath and willed
her heartbeat to slow to a normal pace.

“Don’t
be nervous.” Hudson’s chest pressed against her back,
warm and inviting, as he took her hand in his and squeezed. “Just
remember everything we talked about last night and you’ll be
fine.”

Last
night. How could she forget? The image of his solid form on top of
hers flashed in her memory and she shivered.

“I’m
not nervous,” she said, straightening her shoulders and
releasing her hand from his grasp. She summoned a confident smile and
flashed it at him with a laugh. “I couldn’t be more
excited.”

“Liar,”
he whispered in her ear. His warm breath and the closeness of his
mouth caused her heart to flutter wildly. She turned away and started
down the stairs, kicking off her sandals once she reached the bottom.
The cool sand squished between her toes as she made her way toward
the bonfire. The sun was just beginning to set, and Annabelle
wondered if the end of this evening would also bring the end of their
arrangement.

Hudson
caught up to her and put his arm around her shoulders. Instinctively,
she pulled away.

“Are
you sure you’re ready for this tonight?” he asked.

“Of
course,” she quipped, walking a touch faster, as if she could
outrun her own fears.

“Wait
a minute.” Hudson jogged a little to catch up to her, then
grabbed her arm gently, turning her to face him. “Slow down.”

“We’re
late,” she said, glancing toward the gathering crowd down the
beach.

“Annabelle,
stop.” His voice had an edge to it that told her he meant
business. “It doesn’t take a genius to understand why
you’ve been avoiding me all day, but tonight is a different
story. For this plan to work, I have to know that you’re with
me, one hundred percent. Regardless of your personal feelings, you’re
playing the part of my girlfriend tonight, and it had
better be convincing. People need to believe we’re in
love, or they’ll never believe our engagement in a week.”

“I
know,” Annabelle muttered. Of course he was right. This is what
she’d agree to, but the secrets she’d been keeping from
him were weighing on her.

“Are
you up for this?” he asked again. “Because after tonight,
there’s no turning back.”

That’s
exactly what Annabelle was most afraid of, but for different reasons
entirely. Last night, he’d somehow managed to break through all
of her carefully constructed walls. She was scared that next time,
she might not be strong enough to resist him.

And
yet, part of her was scared that after she told him the truth, there
would never be a next time.

It
was too late to be worrying about all these things. Everyone was
waiting, and she was in too deep to back out now. “Okay, let’s
do this.”

Once
again, Hudson’s arm circled her shoulders, but this time,
instead of pulling away, she gave in and pressed her body close to
his. Her arm went up around his waist, and as they made their way
down the beach, they looked like the perfect couple.

The
sunlight had faded into a spectacular array of reds and purples on
the horizon by the time they reached the bonfire. Annabelle nuzzled
closer to Hudson as a breeze lifted off the ocean and raised chills
across her flesh. She regretted not bringing a sweater. It was so hot
in the sun, she never imagined she would get chilly out here in
rolled up jeans and a tank top.

Hudson
unbuttoned his long-sleeved shirt, and
offered it to Annabelle. Touched by his thoughtfulness, she put each
arm through the sleeves and pulled the shirt around her body. It
swallowed her thin frame, but she didn’t care if it made her
look ridiculous. She pulled the collar up to her face and inhaled. It
carried his scent, strong and masculine, and she felt fireworks take
off below the belt of her jeans. There was no way she could excuse
what was going on inside of her as just “part of the act”.

The
feelings growing inside her were dangerous, but to pull away from him
now would mean throwing her entire plan down the drain. She would
just have to take her chances. As long as she never acted on those
feelings again, everything would be fine.

A
few feet away, the bonfire blazed high into the sky. People from all
over Sea Island were beginning to arrive. As Hudson introduced her,
she smiled and did her best to remember names and make polite
conversation. She scanned the crowd for anyone she might recognize,
but in the gathering darkness, she saw only the faces of strangers.

“Can
I get you something, sweetheart?” Hudson asked, his use of a
new term of endearment not escaping her notice. “A glass of
wine, maybe?”

“Oh,
yes, thanks, baby,” she said, adding
her own new term and smiling.

To
her surprise, he leaned down and kissed the bridge of her nose. A
woman standing nearby let out an audible sigh, and Annabelle
overheard one lady say, “Wow, I’ve never seen him act
like that with anyone before. Have they been together long?”

She
knew the island had been buzzing about her presence ever since her
first night at Cottonwood. After tonight’s very public
appearance, the buzz would graduate to a full roar of island gossip.
Everyone would want to know where they met and how they first started
dating. Their make believe story would circulate and eventually end
up on the front page of magazines like The Informer, which is exactly
what Hudson wanted to happen.

As
a couple, she didn’t recognize
approached to introduce themselves, Annabelle caught sight of a
familiar face in the distance. Mark?

Suddenly,
it was difficult for her to swallow, and Hudson’s shirt seemed
ridiculously large and hot. She pulled the shirt from her body and
wrapped it around her waist, tying the sleeves together and doing her
best to smile at the new couple. It was tough to concentrate on
anything they were saying, but she didn’t want to appear rude
in front of Hudson’s friends. As they spoke, she occasionally
scanned the crowd near the fire.

Maybe
I imagined it.

Her
hands felt clammy and her toes started tapping nervously on the sand.
What would Mark be doing on Sea Island? As the only person who knew
the truth about her original blackmail scheme, Mark was the most
dangerous obstacle to her plans. She’d never had time to
confront him for selling the photographs out from under her, but now
was not the time nor the place for that.

She
desperately searched the faces around her, wondering if the stress of
the day was causing her mind to play tricks on her.