Georgia-Blue & Hudson (Stoney Creek #5)
Chapter 9
28%
9
Georgia
I froze when I saw Hudson at Brook and Eden’s. I wasn’t expecting him to be around. So I do what I do best and deflect when I’m met with something outside of my comfort zone. And looking at him right now in his dark denims and that flannel shirt, I realize I’m well out of that zone. So far, in fact, I could be in the next county. Hudson is starting to do things to me that shouldn’t be possible. He’s solely responsible for the sudden race of my heart and the flutter in the pit of my stomach. Even the quirk of his eyebrow and the part of his lips is now making me have flashbacks to last night and those too close for comfort moments in the truck.
Now isn’t the time to get snappy. We can’t be fighting over something that we clearly had no control over. Especially me.
Calm yourself. Turn it around. Don’t yell.
“Yeah, for letting you kiss me,” Hudson has the nerve to add.
My eyes go wide. “For letting me kiss you?”
“Yup.”
“So you didn’t kiss me back?”
He swallows hard and I smirk. “Uh, huh. Got it.”
Damn asshole. He can say what he wants, he did kiss me back. And he was hard. That I remember very well.
He puts the plate down on the hay bale and folds his arms over his chest. “I should have stopped it. I shouldn’t have let it get that far.”
I mean, I did come onto him. Big time. But I was happy. Now he wants to act all egotistical over it? “What do you want me to do, GP? Apologize for throwing myself at you?”
“If you did, I’d record that apology for future reference.” Wise ass.
I shove his shoulder because he really is being a jerk. Okay, I did act snooty, but he deserved it. I was nervous and felt awkward about last night. I didn’t know what to say or what he’d say. Him being here so soon after our kiss took me by surprise. I knew I would see him again before the Florida trip, just not the very next day after our sexy kissathon.
“No need. If you didn’t catch it the first time, then I guess you’re shit out of luck,” I bite back.
His lips twitch. “Didn’t hear one to begin with.”
I change the subject. “So you were here to help with the new donkey?”
“Brook asked me if I could give him a hand with the bales. I come over to visit the horses from time to time, Bandit likes me. And Lily’s story kinda drew me in.”
I cut short the snappy comeback I had brewing and shut my mouth. I didn’t think he really cared about that kind of stuff.
While I know he’s like Callan, a jack of all trades, and always there lending a hand to anyone,
I didn’t know he cared that deeply for animals. Lily’s story is really sad, so I chastise myself internally for not being a little more sensitive and assuming he wouldn’t be affected. I mean, he loves horses and has ridden them for years. I guess a donkey would be no different.
“I’d love to have my own horse,” I say.
I see him turn his head in my periphery. I don’t meet his eyes because it’s too damn hard. I’m supposed to be putting my walls up around him, not letting my guard down like I did so easily last night. Look where that got me.
“You would?”
I nod. “Yup.”
“Why don’t you?”
“I will someday, when I have a bigger place. It’s a little hard when I still kinda live with my parents. We also don’t have stables, just the hay shed.”
“Brooklyn has plenty.” He turns his gaze back to the field.
That’s true. I guess there is no real excuse.
We stay in companionable silence as we both watch Sawyer make the first move to Lily with a little nudge of her head, much like Lily did to Hudson. Yep, I saw that and it was pretty cool. She’s a special animal.
I think about Hudson’s flirting comment and I’m sure it looked to him like I was flirting with Takoda. Though he is very cute, I’m not interested in him. I was being polite and trying to deflect from Hudson. I was embarrassed. And even if I was interested in Takoda, he lives a million miles away.
“You’re a good kisser.” I break the silence as I keep leaning over the fence, trying to keep my face neutral. “I thought you should know that, for what it’s worth.”
He reaches for his hat and lifts it off, running a hand through his short hair, then puts it back on. “It can’t happen again.”
I turn my head again to look at him but he doesn’t meet my gaze this time.
“Why’s that?” I venture, because annoyingly, I want to know.
“It just can’t. You know the reasons why.”
“Are you scared of big bad Grayson Bassett and what he would say?”
He gives me a warning look that tells me I should probably quit while I’m ahead.“Nope. I’m not scared because he’s not going to find out.”
My heart thuds in my chest at his words, hitting me harder than it really should.
What did I even expect? He probably just sees me as Gray’s stupid little kid sister who couldn’t keep her hands to herself. Of course that’s what he thinks.
“We’ll see,” I mutter.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You kissed me back!” I say again, waving a finger at him. “No matter what you say, it happened and you did it willingly. So don’t go acting all innocent now. And big deal anyway. Two mouths met, we’re not going to Hell for it.”
His lips twitch. It’s small, but profound. Enough for me to know he’s fighting a smile, or maybe wanting to say something else but he’s too chicken shit to do it. “Do you think you got enough practice for making Robbie what’s-his-name jealous?”
“Ronnie Templeton,” I correct. “And don’t worry if I did or didn’t get enough practice. I’m sure I’ll find something more rigorous to do with someone else at the wedding.” All bullshit of course, but he’s stirred up the diva in me now and there may be no going back.
“Rigorous?”
“You heard it right.”
“I thought I was going to be the one protecting you from any weirdos?”
“Well, thank you but that will no longer be needed.”
“I think you’ll find that’s too bad. Grayson already asked me to escort you, anyway.”
I whip my head around. “He did what?”
“Who knows his little sister?” he says with a wink. “He doesn’t want you getting into any trouble when you’re so far away. We all know how you get after a few drinks.”
Oh, so we’re gonna play like that, are we?
“Maybe trouble finds me, and not all the time, like you asshats always make out. I’m an angel most of the time.”
He gives me his infamous one eyebrow lift at that last comment. “You and all your crystal infused, sage waving, weird chanting should know how to avoid trouble, Princess .”
I narrow my eyes at him. Stupid gorgeous man.
“Well at least my crystals don’t talk back.” Okay, lame. I don’t know what I was going for.
“That's all you got?”
I don’t want to resort to violence, but he does infuriate me.
“Well, I’ve got a couple of weeks to work a new MO. Maybe I can come up with a way to ward off annoying cowboys who spend their lives being constantly hot and cold, as well as extra grumpy on the weekends.” Stick that in your pipe and smoke it.
“Which are you leaning toward more?” He tilts his head, ignoring my outburst.
“What?”
“Hot or cold?”
I shove him in the arm and I don’t know why I thought that was a good idea. I don’t need to be touching his muscular body.
I straighten out and grab his plate on the edge of the haybale between us. Escaping back inside is the smart thing to do. “I’m not at liberty to answer that.”
“Don’t forget to text me about the flights, Precious Princess. ”
Hilarious.
I stalk off muttering because it dawns on me, yet again, that Hudson Nash is the most annoying man on the planet. Not that I’ve met every man on the planet, but even if I had, he would still take the cake.
??
The rest of my weekend goes by relatively quick. I message Celeste on Sunday when I can no longer keep what happened with me and Huds to myself. If you can’t rant to your bestie about an illicit, drunken kiss, then what’s the world coming to? It’s a wonder I’ve been able to hold it in this long. I may have poked the bear a little yesterday, but that’s no excuse for his I’m-too-cool-for-school attitude. He’s acting like it was no big deal, and the whole Gray’s not going to find out thing? What’s up with that? Like my eldest brother can tell me what to do. I snort.
The worst thing of all is Hudson’s acting as if kissing me was some regrettable act that he’s ashamed of. I mean, neither his well equipped body nor his sexy lips were protesting in the truck, but my how the tables turn so quickly.
Me
SOS Emergency summit. Hudson related.
A text bounces back in seconds.
Cece
What the heck have you gone and done now?
Me
HUH? Why does everyone always assume it’s me?
Cece
Because we know you lol ??
Me
Are you free later ???
Cece
Sure am. Why don’t you come over?
Me
Is the jacuzzi still in working order?
Cece
LOL always
Me
See you soon
Cece
xx
Shortly after, I take a stroll over to Callan and Celeste's cottage, fully renovated by him, of course.
Sunny comes trotting out when I let myself through the front gate. I stop to pet her and she licks my face happily.
Callan worked tirelessly to get this old workers’ cottage renovated and livable.
And he’s done a beautiful job. It’s rustic meets old world charm with a splash of modern amenities, like the jacuzzi on the back porch.
“Well, howdy there.” Celeste and her gorgeous little bump greet me at the front door as Sunny and I stop in tandem.
I give her a hug and glance down. “You sure little blip hasn’t grown since I last saw you?”
Celeste smiles and rubs a hand over her swollen belly. She is the cutest pregnant person I’ve ever seen. She carries it so well and wears the sweetest outfits. Today she’s in a lovely pink flowery maxi-dress. “I think it’s growing by the second.”
They’re still toying with the gender-reveal. Callan really wants to know, but Celeste is leaning more toward it being a surprise. Personally, I wouldn’t be able to wait until I’d given birth to find out.
“You get more gorgeous every day,” I tell her.
“That’s what I keep saying.” Callan appears from behind us. He’s carrying a garden shovel and a pitchfork.
I giggle. “That looks serious, cuz.”
“Never a dull moment. I put the jacuzzi on just for you, GB.”
“Thank you.” I wore my bathing suit under my dress just in case. “I did come to see your darling fiancé too, of course.”
“Sure, sure.” Celeste laughs, as we make our way inside straight down to the back of the house with Sunny following behind. Celeste has a little smile playing on her lips as she walks.
“What is it?” I prompt, knowing she wants to tell me something.
“Cal can’t keep his hands off me,” she whispers when we’re out of ear shot. “I was a little bit wary at first, so was he. But the doctor said it’s perfectly safe.”
“You’ve been at it right before I got here, haven’t you?”
She giggles.
“I love that he loves his little pregnant fiancé. Even if I don’t want to picture my cousin doing it.”
“I’m surprised I’ve even felt up to it, but I feel really good, even if my hormones are all over the place. And I really don’t care how big I get. The diet has gone out the window.”
I giggle along with her. “You look freaking amazing, so I wouldn’t worry about that. This is a special time for you and you should enjoy every second.”
We sit on her back porch swing, the sweet tea and some homemade scones waiting on the table nearby. “Sounds like you have something to share about Huds if your text messages are anything to go by?”
“Ah that,” I say as I plop down. Sunny drops at our feet and rolls lazily onto her back, enjoying the rays of the afternoon sun.
“You said it was an emergency summit,” she reminds me, tucking a strand of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear.
“That’s true, and before you say anything, I’m an idiot. A full-blown one.”
Her forehead creases into a frown. “George, what happened?”
I give her the rundown starting from leaving Gray’s house that night when I first got in the truck. I try not to leave anything out because I need her honest, unbiased opinion.
“… then the door jammed and he leaned over to help unjam it—” Retelling the whole scene puts me back in the truck with him. I can still smell his manly scent and picture his broody face when we got too close.
“He definitely kissed you back,” she says, completely wide-eyed when I’m done.
“Yeah, and he was rock hard. I mean, I didn’t feel him up, but my hand dropped down there and I grazed it by accident.”
“Holy shit, Georgia!”
“And at Brooklyn’s yesterday he was there, neither of us expected to see each other. So I kinda ignored him at first because I didn’t know what to say. I chatted to Easton and his cute friend, Takoda, instead. And then he acted weird and said I flirted with Takoda.”
“Oh.My.God.”
“I know. Asshat and a half. Then he said, ‘Well it won’t be happening again’ and when I asked why, he was all like, ‘ You know why.’ ”
“Ugh, I’m sorry, babes. I guess it’s because of Gray, right?”
“I guess so. I think it’s safe to say we’re back to slinging stupid comments to and fro. All’s well where that’s concerned.”
“I still can’t believe you guys kissed!”
“Trust me, it was hot. But then he turns around and says, ‘ Gray’s not going to find out, ever.’ Like we did something really wrong and dirty or something. It annoyed me. He always treats me like a baby.”
“Well, they go way back. Maybe he’s worried about ruining the friendship between them if things didn’t work out with you two.”
“I know, but he didn’t have to say it like that.”
“GB, you’ve been skating around this for a long time. When are you going to finally admit that you like him?” She pours a cup of sweet tea and hands it to me. I think I may have even told him that I was a virgin, inadvertently. He probably thinks that’s pathetic.
“ Like him ?” I balk. “He drives me crazy half of the time, and he’s always so moody. Maybe that’s why he and Gray get along so well.”
“Callan can drive me crazy too when he’s stressed and taking a day off from being a sweetheart. They all have their quirks.”
“Well, he’s nothing but a pain in the ass to me.”
“Okay, if you say so. But I think you’re both nuts about each other, but neither of you want to admit it.”
I shoot her a glare. “I think your baby brain has you in some little love bubble. I definitely don’t like him like that. ” Also not entirely true, but I’m still embarrassed about kissing him and him basically rejecting me.
Celeste laughs. “Whatever you say, honey-bunny.”
I sigh and rest back in the seat, looking over the beautiful landscape of the farm behind us. It’s so damned peaceful here. “And then there’s Florida in two weeks.”
“Well, it could be a good time to gage things without the nosy bodies of Stoney Creek watching on,” she says. “Sounds like the perfect opportunity to me.”
“He vowed to look out for me and made it out like I need a frickin’ babysitter. The nerve of this man, and Gray!”
Celeste laughs more heartily this time and I glance at her. “Not you, too,” I moan.
“Like you always say, GB, trouble just seems to find you.”
“I’ll wear my shungite necklace that weekend under my clothes.”
We both laugh.
“We know Hudson has been through a lot the last few years, but he hasn’t had any serious relationships since he moved back to the cotton farm,” she goes on.
“Your point being?”
“Maybe he’s waiting, too. He might not know it, but maybe he’s done with that whole casual scene?”
“The Dolly Simpson scene,” I grumble. Nope, I just can’t and won’t ever get past that.
Celeste waves that off. “Come on, she was flashing her sandwich in front of him for ages. And it was the one time, can you blame the guy?”
I huff because I’m realizing more and more that I want it to be me. Why was it ok for him to hook up with Dolly and God knows who else, but push me away that night? “Yes, I can blame the guy, especially Hudson. You’d think he’d be kind of past all of that casual scene at his age.”
“And more into the Georgia-Blue scene?”
My eyes bounce to her. “Cece!”
“Tell me I’m wrong?”
I sip my tea and place it back down on the table as we both grab a scone. “I’m confused, okay? I don’t know how I feel right now.”
“So what better way to explore than when you go away with him. See if you have that connection again.”
“We’re going to the same wedding, not on a romantic escape!”
She brushes that off with a wave of her hand. “All minor details. You just have to decide if you’re going to pursue things when you’re out of town and have some fun, or are you going to spend the weekend playing tag, you’re it and being annoyed by each other.”
I snort, almost choking on my tea. “God, Cece, you really know how to make a girl laugh.”
“Maybe so, but you’ve got to admit this couldn’t be coming at a better time. You’ve just got to either go for it, or not. You’re both adult enough to know that if you do start something and it doesn’t work, you’ve gotta see each other every day.”
“Oh, I’ve thought about that.”
She gives me a side-eye. “I thought you didn’t even like him?”
I bite into the delicious scone, not only because it looks amazing, but mainly because I want to avoid answering.
When I’m done, she’s still looking at me.
“I don’t!” I protest.
She shakes her head. “Okaaaay.”
I can’t help but wonder if everything she’s saying makes perfect sense. Then again, if something more happened over the Florida weekend and he turns cold again, I’d end up resenting him and then I’d really hate his guts.
Maybe we just leave it well alone.
Or maybe I’ll finally find out if Hudson truly does have any feelings for me in that cold, grumpy heart of his.