Georgia-Blue & Hudson (Stoney Creek #5)

Chapter 23

23

Georgia

Traveling home, we’re both pretty quiet. All I can think about is what things are going to look like now we’re back in Stoney Creek. No matter what I tell myself, I know I’ve got feelings for Hudson and they go beyond the amazing sex. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a stallion, but I have to get my head on straight. Forgetting him? That isn’t possible, and I already know I’m going to fail.

When I think back to everything that’s happened over the past few days, my stomach flutters and my pulse rises, flooding heat all over my body. I can even feel the faint little flush wash over my cheeks when I think back to where he’s been and the things we did. It was the best weekend of my life. With Grumpy Pants! Who knew?

I know it’s supposed to be a secret, never to be spoken of again, but the reality is, I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to stay away from him. I’ve had my hand in the cookie jar and I want more. I handed him my virginity on a golden platter and he devoured it.

And as much as I try to pretend things can go back to normal, I know there’s no one else that I want, not now, not ever. Okay, a bold statement to make, but the spark we have can’t be denied.

I glance across at him as we drive back to the distillery. I feel different within myself; I’ve changed. Every single emotion I’ve carried for years has come full circle.

I’m not the same girl I was when I left Stoney Creek last week.

The way Hudson has always been around our family; I get why he feels strongly about us not getting involved. But surely he can’t deny these feelings? If he didn’t feel them too, then why was he so sweet and endearing this entire time? He didn’t have to hold my hand and carry my bags and do all of those little things. But that’s Hudson deep down. He’s a good guy. And he’s been right under my nose the whole time.

I press my lips together as he meets my eyes.

“You okay, Princess ?”

“I’m okay.” I don’t mean for my voice to sound shaky but it does. I can’t help it.

“What’s up?”

“We’re gonna be cool, right?” I ask. I mean, I know we talked about it, but the closer we get to home, the more I’m not so sure about this.

He reaches over and squeezes my thigh; it’s brief, but that one little touch is enough to cause a jolt of electricity through my already tense body. I’m still tingling from his touch. I still feel where he’s been, and now we’re supposed to act like we never happened?

I love him touching me, but it only makes matters worse when we’re going to part ways in a matter of minutes.

“Cool?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Like what we said back in Florida.”

“Of course we’re gonna be cool,” he says. And I don’t know if I like his assurance or not because I want him to pull the truck over and yank me into his lap and show me. I want him to tell me it’s ridiculous trying to deny what we have and we should just throw caution to the wind. “I don’t want you worrying about it, or how we act around each other. We just do what we always do.”

I side-eye him. Is he serious? “Bicker and tease one another?”

“You’re the one who named me GP.”

“That’s because until this weekend, I thought you were eternally grumpy.”

“And now you don’t?”

I shrug. “I’ve just seen a different side to you.”

He stares at me for a long moment. I’ve no idea what he’s going to say. Am I supposed to be the world’s greatest actress and pretend this has had no effect on me? I can’t do that.

“I’ve seen a different side to you, too.”

This sucks!

The first thing I’m going to be doing is calling Celeste for an emergency meeting. I need her advice.

I look out of the side window as we pass the farmland and the acres of greenery that stretch out before us. It feels good being home, but bittersweet in a way because I never wanted my time with him to end. I bite my lip, afraid when we part ways that I won’t see him for ages, and I also don’t want to appear needy. I’m not a needy person, but this is going to take everything I have.

We’re home in no time and Hudson is in no hurry to leave. That gives me some comfort as he hauls my luggage out onto the gravel driveway.

“Thanks for everything this weekend.” I can’t even look him in the eye. He picks up my two suitcases and walks them to my casita door as I grab my duffel bag.

When he drops the cases, he licks his lips and hesitates, running a hand over his head.

Again, it’s like he wants to say something, but then changes his mind. Instead, he presses his lips together. He doesn’t touch me again, which leaves a notable emptiness all the way down to my toes. It’s a sinking feeling, and I realize now how naive I’ve been in thinking that we could just bang and that’s it. I’m an idiot.

I bite back the sting I’m already feeling behind my eyes and the lump in my throat.

Finally, he says, “You don’t have to thank me. I had a great time.” He swallows hard. “I hope you did, too.”

Is it not obvious?

It’s not like I’m not going to see him again, but it’s different now.

I already feel it. He doesn’t want to continue and that stabs at my heart.

How the hell did I think this was going to be a good idea? I had my Hudson Nash blinkers on and now I’m paying the price.

“I never had the time of my life until this weekend,” I whisper to save me from tears.

He watches me intently. “It was a great weekend. I had the time of my life, too.”

I don’t know what else to say so I keep quiet in case I crack.

“I’ll see you around, okay?”he says.

“Sure.”

He steps by my suitcases and makes his way back to his truck as I watch him. My eyes flicking down to his taut backside. He turns, as if on cue, and walks backwards. “You know it’s gonna take you a century to put all that shopping away, shortie. ”

“See you next March, then,” I call.

He laughs and gives me a wave. “Later.”

“Later, Huds.” I straighten myself out as I watch him jump back in the truck, start her up and drive away. I know I have to pull it together because we both agreed that things have to stay under wraps, and he’s already proving he’s fine with it. Completely and utterly fine. He’s not affected one iota. Virginity gone, check.

And I can’t say I didn’t know it was going to be this hard because I damn well did know. I always knew it.

As the back end of his truck disappears out of sight, I rub the sides of my arms with my hands, already feeling the loss of him.

And I’m not liking it one bit.

??

I meet Celeste at the Stone’s Throw Cafe later in the afternoon. I abandoned my unpacking and decided to take a shower and head into town instead.

I need a lemon bar, plus caffeine, and fast. The Stone’s Throw has been in the main street since before I was born. Aunt May — who isn’t really my aunt — runs it with her daughter, Caroline. I see them at the counter as I enter, restocking the cake fridge. They have so many homemade delights here that you’re spoiled. May’s husband, Mike, is usually around helping.

“Heavens to bits if it isn’t little Georgia-Blue Bassett!”

She’s been calling me that since I was knee high, I’m used to it, but for some reason, it reawakens a memory of Florida when Hudson told me his mom called me the exact same thing.

I don’t need to be reminded of him already. I’m supposed to be forgetting all about that, even though I know that’s fruitless, keeping busy is key.

“Hi!” I beam, a little over enthusiastic in my tone. Aunt May and Uncle Mike were supposed to have retired but they’re always at the cafe helping their daughter, who’s a single mom, and took over the cafe as her own. Her kids help out after school and on the weekends.

“Don’t you just look a pretty picture.” Aunt May smiles over her glasses.

“How was Florida?” Caroline asks as she busies herself with refilling the white chocolate chip muffins in the cabinet.

“It was amazing.” Thank God they can’t read minds . “The weather was perfect and the wedding was divine.”

“That’s wonderful, you look great with a little sun,” Caroline says over her shoulder before heading out back.

“Thank you.” I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. Breathe.

“You really do, Georgia-Blue. I don’t know what you’ve done to yourself, young lady, but you’re shining like a comet shooting across the night sky.”

I gulp at her words, my eyes rounding.

Oh Lord, if only they knew what I’d been up to, rolling around with Hudson Nash, losing my virginity.

I laugh, albeit a little nervously. “Oh, a little sun tanning will do that to you. It’s great to have a break.”

“I keep telling Mike I need a vacation, I could do with a little sun myself.” I follow Aunt May from behind the counter as she ushers me to a seat by the window. “You just beat the rush, honey. Are you meeting someone?”

“Celeste,” I say, sliding into my seat, just as Celeste walks in the door and waves over to us.

“Here she comes, isn’t she just a treasure.” Aunt May clucks her tongue as we watch her float in.

Aunt May is the kindest lady, and always has a way of making you feel good. She’s also super perceptive, so I need to keep my flushing and supposed ‘glowiness’ on the down low.

She’s right about Celeste though: she is a picture in her sweet little yellow maternity dress with sunflowers all over it. “She sure is,” I say as Aunt May goes to grab the menus and gives Celeste a smile and a little cuddle on the way by and asks her how she and the baby are doing.

When Aunt May is out of sight, Celeste immediately stops at the table and stares down at me, her jaw literally hanging on the floor. I glance up at her, afraid there’s something on my face, but Aunt May would have told me if I’d smudged my makeup or drawn on myself without knowing.

“What?” I glance up at her as I slide back out of the booth to greet her.

She gives me a hug like I haven’t seen her in weeks and steps back to look at me. “Something’s different.” She assesses me head to toe.

I flush again. Oh God, not her too. I mean, is my aura really conveying the fact I lost my V-card just a few days ago and that Hudson and I have been at it ever since?

Here I was thinking I'm doing a good job of being incognito and everyone’s telling me how different I look.

“Different?” I pop and eyebrow. “You try spending five days with Hudson Nash and then tell me you’re not forever changed.”

Her eyes narrow as she slides in opposite me and Aunt May reappears, slipping us the menus and heads back to the counter to serve another customer. “Don’t play coy with me, missy. You text me to say things were going well on the weekend, just how well did they go since you told me nothing.”

I bite my lip. I mean, I’m here to spill the tea. It’s not like I can keep news this big from my best friend. We’ve been through so much together. “Is it really that obvious?”

Her eyes twinkle. “It is a little, you’re shining like a sunbeam.”

I don’t know how that can be. I’ve felt nothing but deflation since Hudson left me at my casita. Maybe I’m inwardly glowing, I’m not sure.

“I am?”

“Georgia, spill!” She squeals, sliding her purse from her shoulder and settling into the seat. “What the hell went on in Florida?”

I quickly assess the area around us, but there’s only a few tables over on the far side and it’s nobody I know. My gaze shifts back to hers and I lean in over the table.

“Umm, well, you could say Hudson Nash happened.”

She raises her eyebrows. “Oh, George, did you and he?—”

I press my lips firmly together as we stare at each other.

“You did it?” she whisper-shouts.

I nod because it’s useless even trying to deny it. “I finally got laid, Cece. Virginity lost.”

She slaps a hand over her mouth as her eyes bug wide just as Aunt May pops back over to take our order. I giggle as Celeste tries to act normal and compose herself for a second. We haven’t even looked at the menu but we each order a club sandwich, a choc chip muffin, alemon bar and coffee. “I can’t believe this!” Her eyes are wide as Aunt May leaves.

“Tell me about it.”

“Tell me everything bit by bit, slowly. I need to digest all the tea.”

I sigh and sit back in my seat. I mean, where do I start? The beach on the first day? Hudson in his suit? Our wild weekend where neither of us came up for air?

Everything tumbles out from Ronnie Templeton trying to hit on me and Hudson telling him to take a hike. Then our dance and the flirty conversation. And how we didn’t go back to our perspective rooms separately.

Celeste sits back wide-eyed and in wonder when I’m done. “I can’t believe it.” She shakes her head.

“I know, me either, if I’m being honest.”

“And?” she prompts, waiting in anticipation for me to spit it out.

“Well, he was amazing, Cece. Let’s just say he knows what he’s doing and not just the sex, which was amazing. He really took care of me the entire weekend.”

“No fighting or insulting one another?”

“I didn’t say that.”

She stares at me wordlessly, then says, “I can’t believe Hudson Nash is your first. I’m stunned, and a little peeved you didn’t tell me the deets any earlier!”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “But we barely left the hotel room.”

“Oh God.”

I giggle. “He’s a stud through and through, I’m not even joking. I know enough to know that part. I could barely walk the next day.”

She laughs. “Well, he does have those loose hips all the women in town love when he swaggers around. So are his bull riding days over?” She gives me a wink.

My face drops and I look down at my hands.

“Shit, Georgia.”

I glance up at her, unable to keep up the merriment.

“You’ve already fallen for him, haven’t you?”

“It’s pretty hard not to fall. He was so different this weekend.” Of course I haven’t told her about the nightmare and the other private things we discussed about his mom. “And a big part was the sex, but it wasn’t just that. We really connected.”

“Are you going to keep seeing each other?”

I shake my head. “We decided to keep it quiet and basically pretend it never happened. I mean, we can’t keep it going now that we’re home. He’s paranoid as it is about Gray finding out.”

“You’re a grown woman,” she huffs. “And are you really going to be able to pretend it never happened?”

“My head is saying one thing, my heart is saying another, and my body is all over the place.”

“I bet it is.”

“I guess he doesn’t feel the same. I mean, Gray aside, it would be kind of weird for everyone, especially since he’s been around for as long as I can remember. They’d freak out.”

Celeste narrows her eyes. “Who cares what everyone else thinks? You have to think about yourself and what you want. Screw everyone else. You were there so much for me when I needed it the most last year. And I’ll never forget what you did for me after my blow up wedding disaster.” She reaches across the table and squeezes my hand. “If it weren’t for you, I may have never taken the plunge to be with Callan again.”

Celeste was left at the altar by her ex after he swindled her for his green card. It was a mess.

“That’s what friends are for, and you’re so perfect together.”

“And as a friend, I’m just saying; I don’t think you two have really thought this through. And how do you know he doesn’t feel the same way? Did you ask him?”

My eyes are wide when I say, “No! And if he did, he would’ve said something. It’s clear he doesn’t and I need to accept it.”

“Babe…”

“He’s Gray’s best friend, he’s thirteen years older than me, the list goes on…”

I never wanted a pity party.

I button my lip as our food and coffee are served but I can’t mistake the sadness overshadowing me. I miss him already, and that’s dangerous.

This is going to be impossible.