Roughing It

16. Blakely

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

blakely

DAY TWELVE

Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz .

More than half asleep, I swat away the gnat buzzing around me. It’s too damn early, and I’m too deliciously sore after spending last night with Hudson Brooks between my legs to deal with annoying bugs.

My heart skips a beat. I can’t believe we slept together. Or how good it was.

Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz.

The persistent sound drones again. I grit my teeth and ignore it, confident it will fade away. Instead of worrying, I opt to snuggle closer to my bedmate. Yesterday was as amazing as it was awful. I shudder at the foggy memory of the icy water, sighing when Hudson pulls me tighter into his warmth.

Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz.

Okay. This is getting out of hand. Is it an army of flies?

Next to me, Hudson growls, his face hidden beneath a pillow. “Make it stop.”

I stretch my hands out, trying to pinpoint where it’s coming from. Groping around the bed, I come up empty, so I force myself into a sitting position. Eyes only partly open, I search the dark cabin. Nothing.

Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz.

The noise is close. I peek over the side of the mattress and—aha. It’s my phone. Not bugs. I yawn and squint at the faint glow of the screen as it vibrates against the cabin floor.

With an annoyed huff, I snatch the phone and hit ignore. A quick glance shows that I have close to twenty missed calls from Kirk and hundreds of notifications from my socials.

“Who is it, and what the hell do they want?” I don’t fight the smile Hudson’s crabby words bring to my lips.

“It must be about me falling overboard. Who would’ve thought that’d be such a draw? I probably made some sort of influencer fail reel.”

Tossing his pillow off his face, Hudson pulls me against him. The unspoken message that my phone isn’t welcome is heard and received. I run my fingers and lips over his sleep-warm skin.

He presses a kiss to my forehead. “How’d you sleep, baby?”

“I like it when you call me baby.”

“How’d you sleep, Spitfire?”

“I like it when you call me that, too.”

“How’d you sleep, Pri?—”

Pinching his nipple, I say, “ Don’t call me that. And I slept well. Surprisingly. I thought I’d have nightmares. Must’ve been all the TLC you showed me.”

A soft sigh sounds as I place featherlight touches over his broad chest, across his solid stomach, and just as I reach the trail of dark brown hair leading lower?—

Bzzzzz. Bzzzzz .

“Fuck. Answer it. ”

“Ugh.” I yank the sheet over my bare chest and smooth my hair. Opening the video call, I don’t bother with a proper greeting. “Kirk, it’s six thirty in the morning.”

“Hi to you too, Blakely. Nice of you to answer.”

“I’m sleeping.”

“I’ve been calling you since yesterday afternoon and evening trying to check on you. I even called Hudson.”

“I fell in freezing water; I need to rest and recuperate,” I say, making my best sad puppy face at him.

“Oh, is that what you’re calling it? Try again, BB. Have you looked at your socials? Or have you been too busy?”

Hudson grumbles, “What’s going on?”

Kirk grins. “Glad to see you too, Hudson.”

“Not that I care, but why?”

Rolling his eyes, Kirk asks, “Do you have any idea what’s going on right now?”

“No,” we say in unison.

“Blakely, I expect Hudson not to know, but you, of all people.” He scolds me as if I’m a disappointing child. “Have you really not been online since yesterday?” When I shrug, he shakes his head. “Go look at your account, and once you have, call me. Got it?”

I nod and hit End.

Hudson sits up and rests his head on my shoulder. “Explain.”

“You know as much as I do.”

When I open one of my social apps, the first thing I see is shaky video of Hudson and me. It takes me a couple of beats to figure out what’s happening because the angle is strange, like the camera is moving around and filming us from below.

There in the blurry frame is Hudson tugging jeans over wet skin while I huddle in a blanket. The video goes black before catching the gloomy sky. Then it cuts to us, proof of our heated, post-lake kiss caught for everyone to see.

Hudson grabs the phone. “Shit.” He turns his green eyes on me, anger and hurt swirling to darken them to almost black. “You said you wouldn’t post any private moments between us. You swore?—”

“I didn’t post this.” I cover my mouth. “It’s from the boat. The livestream. It was running when I went over the side, but I didn’t think about it catching us in the aftermath of everything.”

The next post is a still shot of us: Hudson cradling my body with his. I keep scrolling; there he is doing the sign-off, and right next to his handsome face is my blanket-clad ass.

“Why do all these other people have your photos?”

“They must’ve taken screenshots, and now they’re tagging me in their posts, so it’s flooding my feed.”

“I understand all those words, but not in this context,” he grumbles. Running his hand through his hair, he frowns at me. “Explain it like I’m five.”

“Um, people took pictures of the video, then added my name so more people will see them, including me.”

Hudson scowls as I close the app and take his hands in mine. “Hey, talk to me.”

“I told you I had worries about being on camera and this,” he gestures between us. “And now, this moment—a fucking private moment that should’ve been only ours—is online for strangers. I don’t like all those people talking about us.” He rises from the bed, pacing back and forth in the tight space between the mattress and the couch.

“You’re the one who said I’m too concerned with what people think of me. What are you really upset about?”

“There’s a difference between someone critiquing my business based on merit and people widely speculating about and having access to my private life. And how is this good for my business? Wasn’t that the arrangement? How is someone having video of me kissing you helping?” His voice is hard. “It makes me look unprofessional and could hurt my reputation. I warned you about that before—” He trails off.

Ice grips my heart at the implications of his words. Does he already regret what we did last night? Is he done with this?

Rather than let the ice spread, I fight back with fire. “Before what? Before you kissed me after saying no more? Before you looked me in the eye and said we would happen?” I blink back tears. “It was an accident. I didn’t do this on purpose. What? You think I threw myself overboard in a bid for attention?”

When he doesn’t immediately tell me no, I slump over as if struck. Then I sit up, lifting my chin. I put on my most professional voice and will all the ice in my chest to my eyes. “As far as how this helps you? Are you fucking serious? Guess what, Bear? Half a million people know who you are and are looking you up right now. And do you know what they’ll find?”

He doesn’t answer me.

I rise from the bed, striding toward him, the sheet hanging behind me like a bedraggled toga. “They’ll find a brave man who jumped in the water to save a woman. A sensitive man comforting a scared woman and a considerate man wrapping a cold, wet woman in a dry blanket. And all these things lead them to Peak Adventures, boosting your reputation, not hurting it.”

I cross my arms and glare at him. “So the only thing left for you to be upset or ashamed of is kissing me or thinking I did this on purpose.”

“Are you done?” His snarled question catches me off guard, and I give him a slight nod. The next thing I know, powerful arms are around me, and I’m being picked up. My legs automatically wrap around his waist, fastening myself to him.

“That’s not what I said or meant, and you damn well know it. It’s not about being ashamed of you. It’s about all those strangers seeing us kissing on the job.” Hudson runs his nose down my face, and his voice softens. “Hear me. Understand me. I don’t regret this. You. Us. I want you.” He punctuates his words by rolling his hips so his hard cock presses into the growing heat between my legs. “I would just fucking prefer that whatever is happening between the two of us be without all the bullshit that’s a part of the Blakely Bradshaw show.” He waves one hand in the air toward my now discarded phone.

I unhook my legs and slide down his body until my feet touch the ground. Then I put space between us. “That’s not fair, Hudson. It’s not like I came here expecting to find someone I could see myself—” I stop and take a breath. “Someone like you. But you’re right. What’s out there now isn’t what you signed up for. It was an accident, but that doesn’t change anything.” I drop my head, staring at his chest as I mumble, “ We don’t even know about us, not really. This is brand new.”

Stifling a small, unexpected sob, I turn my back on him. “I’m sorry you got caught up in all this, and I understand if you want to end it.”

The room blurs as Hudson grips me, spinning me to face him. He uses his thumb and index finger to guide my chin upward, forcing our eyes to meet. “No. This isn’t ending. I told you to hear me, you stubborn thing. I don’t regret us.” He brushes his fingers against my jaw and down my neck, gently squeezing it. “How could I? I wasn’t expecting last night, but I’m not done. Not by a long shot.”

My eyes flutter as he strokes my skin. He presses his lips against mine and hugs me close.

“What now?”

Sighing, I hide my face in his chest. “Now, I need to call Kirk back. He’ll have advice.” I stand on my tippy toes and give Hudson a quick kiss. “Could you make me a coffee? It’s my turn to apologize, but I need to put on some clothes before I call him.”

“Yeah.” Hudson kisses the top of my head and pads to the kitchen. I drink in the expanse of his back and how it tapers at his waist, and the way his sleep pants cling to his ass. Then, with a sigh, I layer on the armor I brought with me from the city.

Hair tamed, face fixed, clothes on, I straighten from where I sit on the couch as Kirk’s face fills the video screen.

“It’s massive, huh? There are clips all over. You two are trending on multiple platforms. And no wonder. A dramatic accident, that was you falling into the water, a big heroic rescue—Hudson dragging you back into the boat. The caretaking, him embracing you and wrapping you in a blanket. And, of course, the peak moment when you kissed. People are losing their minds over it.”

At my silence, the smile falls off Kirk’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“Hudson has some… concerns about how this looks from a professional side.”

“Tell him not to worry. All the comments about him are positive.”

“And what about me?” I ask, quirking a single eyebrow at my manager.

Kirk shrugs. “You know how it is, Blakely. There’s some bitterness out there. But you can’t take it personally.”

“I didn’t go comment diving. What are you seeing?”

He winces.

The grimace on his face tells me everything. These are going to hurt. I open an app, randomly pick a post, and read the comments out loud. They range from absurd to cruel.

“I bet her management company paid for her to go there and get laid. Lord knows she needs it. Remember when Ryan dumped her?”

“Y’all are stupid af if you think any of this is real. Blakely Bradshaw is playing everyone.”

“I bet she planned that entire scene. #clickbait #pathetic”

“AI. Never happened. Ur suckers.”

“No way a man like that wants a spoiled bitch like her.”

“She’s been trying this natural face crap. Girl needs makeup. Hudson, if you see this, I’m single.”

“Maybe we’ll get lucky, and she’ll fall off a cliff while out there.”

I rub the heels of my hands over my eyes. The comments are part of the job, but it doesn’t make it easier. What a fucking couple of days it’s been.

“You’d never ask me to send you to a cabin in the woods if you wanted an all-expenses paid sex getaway.”

When I look up, Kirk winks. Blinking back tears, I grant him a small smile.

“Blakely, you’ll come out of this fine, and so will he. I’d wager Peak Adventures’ DMs and messages are blowing up right now and will be for months. And your numbers are growing every day.”

“So, do you have any advice?”

“Well, you have two options. Option one is to go on as if nothing happened. Option two is to lean into it.”

“Lean into it?”

“Give them what they want. Glimpses of the two of you together and watching you grow closer. Don’t focus on the hate; there’s a lot of positive out there. So, share more of these moments. If nothing else, it will mean massive numbers.”

I frown at him and shake my head. “No. Hudson wants what happens between us to stay private, and I—” I suck in a breath. “I agree with him.” Holding my hands up, I say, “I know. I usually splash everything all over my socials, but this is different, Kirk. I won’t do that to him. He didn’t ask for this. I came out here to learn survival skills, and that’s what I want to focus on.”

Pausing, I glance behind me—Hudson is puttering around the kitchen—and whisper, “I really like him. Don’t smile at me like that.”

“You like him? Like the way you like dogs and maple donuts?”

“No. I like him in the every-time-I see-him-I-think-about-kissing-him - and - it’s-way-too-soon-to-be-this-invested kind of way.”

Kirk’s grin grows. “And how does he feel about you?”

“We’re still feeling each other out, but…” Large, warm hands settle on my shoulders, stopping my words. Shit.

His baritone voice has my heart jumping in my throat. “We’ll do the second option. We’ll lean in.”

I crane my head to look at him. “How much of the conversation did you hear?”

“All of it.”

Heat blooms over my cheeks. “All of it?” I squeak.

“Yep. You’re super loud.”

Kirk laughs. “He’s not wrong, BB.”

My lower lip juts out. “I was whispering!” They both snort, which only fuels my pouting. Ugh. I inhale for a four-count, then say, “Hudson, this is the exact opposite of what you want.”

“I’m reconsidering.”

“Why?”

Without caring that Kirk is watching, Hudson lowers his mouth to mine. I lose myself in the kiss with my handsome outdoorsman. It isn’t until we pick up steam that Kirk clears his throat, reminding us we aren’t alone.

Kirk’s smile could rival the Cheshire Cat’s with the way it’s stretched across his face. “You asked for my advice?” At my nod, he says, “Don’t blow it.”

I smash the End button. “Thanks, that’s super helpful,” I mutter to myself. I miss the days when you could slam a phone down. Now, it just means you risk breaking your screen. I settle for tossing it to the far side of the couch. Slumping back into the cushions, I put pressure on my temples, fighting off a burgeoning headache.

The couch shifts as Hudson drops next to me, lacing our hands together. I rest my head against his shoulder. “Are you sure about this?”

“What?”

“Going public. Officially. If you think today was a circus… I don’t want you doing this because of our fight.”

Hudson brings my hand to his mouth, rubbing my knuckles against his lips. “I’m not.”

Laughing, I roll my eyes. “Well, that settles it.”

“Am I still nervous about putting that much of myself on display? Yeah. But it’s part of the package. So, I’m willing to try.” He sighs. “If it gets to be too much, we’ll talk.”

I’m not sure what to say. For Hudson, that was practically a soliloquy.

Nudging my knee with his, Hudson says, “So, you like me, huh?”

I groan. “Shit, you really did hear everything.”

“I’m telling you, you’re loud. Very loud. The first thing I thought when I met you was loud. Now answer the question.”

“I thought the first thing you thought when you met me was how much you wanted to fuck my ti?—”

“Blakely.”

“Yes, I like you. Happy, you insufferable jerk? I wanted to sleep with you the minute I saw you. Who wouldn’t? Have you seen you?” I gesture up and down his body. “But I didn’t expect to actually like you so much, especially since you’re such an asshole.”

“I like you too, Spitfire.” Then he smirks. “I never imagined I’d be so interested in a spoiled, bratty social media princess.”

Before I can snap at him for calling me a princess, he pulls me into a knee-weakening kiss.

I part my lips, loving the feel of his tongue against mine. It’s bizarre, the high I get from little things like kissing him. Is this what it’s supposed to be like?

Breaking the kiss, I rub my cheek against his beard and sigh. “Food?”

“Yes, but only if I’m cooking.”

“Duh.” My chest is tight from a combination of worry about Hudson, lingering aches from falling into the lake, and hurtful comments. “Are we… are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“You’re sure you’re okay with sharing more about us online?”

“Yes.”

“Can I get a little more here? You’re so damn taciturn.”

Hudson pulls my hands to his mouth. His voice is serious. “Yep.”

This man.

An impish smile flits across my face, along with a wave of energy. “I’m assuming you’re saving all your words for another of those important times. Let’s see if I can coax a few from you.” My mouth meets his in a searing kiss. In the heat of that kiss, for a moment, I see a glimpse of forever with this rough, grumpy country boy. A version of forever I swore I’d never want, but suddenly seems so appealing.

I break away, dipping my tongue into the hollow of his neck, thankful for the built-in distraction of his solid body. My lips traverse his torso, planting a litany of gossamer-light kisses, licks, and strokes over his skin until my fingers and teeth graze along the edge of his joggers.

After the intensity of yesterday and the ugliness online today, I need him. The taste he gave me last night isn’t enough.

“Blakely, what are you doing?” He hisses as I slip my hand into his pants, palming his cock and nuzzling my nose against him.

“Nothing.”

“That doesn’t feel like nothing. It feels fucking amazing, but you better not be doing this as some sort of apology.” Hudson tugs my hair, lifting my head.

“No, this is what I want, what I’ve wanted for a long time.”

It’s true. Is it also a fabulous distraction from everything in my head? Yes. But it doesn’t take away from how I want him.

“Lift your hips.”

“And you call me bossy.” He grumps but does as I command, and I slowly tug his pants down—ghosting my fingers over his thighs, tickling the back of his knees, squeezing his calves, and caressing his ankles. With every touch, his cock twitches for me.

“Are you aching for me, Bear?”

He swallows but doesn’t answer.

I kiss and lick my way back up his legs, then settle between the cradle of his hips. I take a moment to rest my cheek against his thigh, enjoying the smell of his skin, the tickle of the coarse dark hair on his legs, the quiver of his firm muscles.

Gazing up, I hover close enough that he can feel my breath but not my lips. Just out of reach. I plan on enjoying this. Savoring him. I move lower. The warm air from my mouth fans over his balls, and I dart my tongue out, lapping at the soft, salty skin.

“Oh, shit.”

“Is that okay? ”

“Fuck yes.” The muscles in his cheek clench. “Do it again.”

In response to that, I suck a little harder and cradle this delicate part of him in my palm. I tease him, drawing out his pleasure and anticipation. When I’m happy with how much he’s straining, I place chaste kisses from root to tip, then lap the droplets of precum that blossom on his flared head. A moan—a needy, pleading moan—fills the air.

A thrill of power and pleasure pulses through me. “Mmmm, those noises are so good, Bear.” I swirl my tongue around his crown before spreading his legs wide and nipping and sucking at the skin of his inner thighs. “Do you want my mouth on you?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, I want your delicious mouth on me.”

As soon as he says it, I envelop as much of him as I can. The hiss he makes sends jolts of lust and heat through my body. Humming and purring, I hollow my cheeks and sweep my tongue along the underside of his cock, tracing the thick vein that runs along his length.

Hudson thrusts against my face with a curse. “Fuck Blakely, just like that.”

My fingers roam his body. When I rub them over the sensitive place behind his balls, he thrusts upward, his cock sinking deeper. I swallow around him. Doing everything I can to coax out those panty-dropping moans.

Pulling back, I track the way Hudson’s eyes are glued to my swollen lips, the thin line of spit threading from my mouth to his cockhead. I run my tongue over his slit before sucking lightly, then taking him deeper. Twisting my wrist, my hand and lips meet and then separate over and over. Looking up from between his legs, I relish the way his face contorts in desire.

Lust and wanting cloud my mind as another moan, this one more desperate than before, slips from his lips. Hudson’s hands tangle in my hair, and he tugs on me. I shake him off, and he relents, digging his fingers into the sheets. He lets out a stream of curses as I fight my gag reflex to pull him as far into my throat as I can. I furiously pump the last bit of him I can’t swallow. He bucks against my face, and I love it.

The fingers of my free hand slip between my legs, and I put pressure on my clit in a steady rhythm. My hips rock in tandem with my head as I hollow my cheeks and suck. His pleasure drives mine higher, and it isn’t long before I’m coming, my whimpers vibrating around his cock.

“I’m gonna, fuck—” Before he can complete his sentence, hot cum spills down my throat. “Blakely…” Hudson trails off, at a loss for words. Instead, he curls his fingers in my hair, petting me.

Kissing a path to his stomach, I rest my ear on his chest, and savor his heavy breathing, the frenzied thundering of his heart. I did this; I brought this rugged, powerful man to the edge and shoved him over. I sigh in contentment as Hudson winds strands of my hair around his fingers.

Suddenly, I find myself pinned beneath my outdoorsman’s weighty mass. He captures my lips, our tongues entangling, stealing my breath and thoughts. Then, with a devilish glint in his eye, he kisses a winding path down my body.

“What are you doing?”

“My turn now,” he growls against my throat. Lower and lower, he moves until his nose is at eye-level with my clit. Glittering green eyes and a tussle of brown hair are the last things I see before losing myself in waves of euphoria .

DAY THIRTEEN

I’m on the porch, bleary-eyed. The nightmares I avoided the night of the lake incident caught me last night. I was trapped in the dark water, but word bubbles floated all around me, calling me a failure, a fake, and worse.

Hudson chased my bad dream away as quickly as I made a sound—my very own knight slaying my dragons. But even with his warm, steady breath on my neck, his strong arms around me, I couldn’t fall back asleep.

But the show must go on.

“Good morning, BBs. Today I’m on the front porch of my cozy cabin extra early this morning. Shout-out to my new favorite coffee shop, The Bee and The Bean. This is a Trail Creek staple; luckily, Hudson has bags of their delicious pecan roast on hand!” Pausing, I take a big sip of my coffee. “Also, thank you for the outpouring of concern and for checking in on me after I fell into the lake. I’m doing great! Now, on to the real reason you’re tuning in before the sun is up. Let’s take a moment to address some of the rumors, stories, and speculation about Hudson and me. It’s important for you to understand that Hudson is a very reserved person.”

Next to me, Hudson mumbles loud enough for the phone to pick up. “What Blakely is trying to say is we’re together. It isn’t anyone’s business, and you’re all too interested in us for reasons I can’t understand.” I stare at him, mouth agape.

“Uhhh, yes…” I clear my throat before putting my best smile back on. “BBs, don’t listen to him; I think he needs a little pecan coffee, too!” I giggle, pointedly ignoring the glare Hudson shoots my way. “While the focus of my livestreams will continue to be the Trail Creek wilderness and the things Hudson teaches me, we’re willing to share a little more of our relationship with you as well.” I lean in, a serious look on my fa ce. “I’d like to be clear, despite what some of the comments or posts from others have implied, we didn’t plan this, and it isn’t fake or for show.”

Hudson snorts. “It sure as shit wasn’t planned. You infuriate me most days.”

I elbow him in the ribs, then kiss him on the cheek. Turning my attention to the camera, I say, “So I have another treat for you early birds. You get to watch a gorgeous New Mexico sunrise. I’ll be going live again in forty-five minutes; make sure you tune back in then!”

With that, I sign off and let out a breath. “That wasn’t terrible. You were nicer than I expected.”

“I even let you kiss me on the cheek. I went above and beyond.”

“I’ll have to thank you properly when we get back from our hike.” Lust laces my voice, and I steal a kiss from his perfect lips.

“How do you plan on thanking me?”

“First, I’ll nibble your ear, just enough to make you squirm.” I mimic my words as I speak, taking his earlobe in my teeth and giving it a tug. “Then I’ll kiss your jaw and lick your Adam’s apple.”

Hudson groans as my tongue teases his throat. An electric pulse fills my body any time I make him moan. My fingers slip under his shirt. “Next, I’ll strum my fingers up and down your ribs and stomach, playful little touches that make goosebumps rise on your skin.”

“No more.” Hudson grabs my hands and sucks in a ragged breath. “If you don’t stop now, we’ll miss the sunrise.”

“Fine. But we’ll pick this up later.” I brush my lips against his ear. “That’s a promise.”