I nodded. “It’s weird, Candace, I feel so…so…I don’t know. Different with Hudson. Like I can be myself and not worry about what I say. I can be honest with him and tell him exactly how I feel or what I want. I’ve never felt this way with any other guy.”
“That’s good, sweetie. That’s really good. We’ll get back to the deep emotional shit later; first, tell me about the sexy time.”
I chuckled. “He took me upstairs, and we…we, um…well, we…”
“Had sex! You had sex!”
Bouncing on the bed, I answered, “Yes! Oh my God, Candace, it was the best sex of my life. The best. And he made sure I came first. He is so amazing. Sweet, passionate, yet he has a bit of a naughty side to him that makes my insides purr. We ended up staying at his place and skipping dinner. It was the best night of my life.”
Candace jumped up, and I did the same. We grabbed hands and started jumping and spinning around like two thirteen-year-old girls as we squealed in delight.
“I’m so happy for you! And so jealous at the same time! I want hot, passionate sex!”
Laughing, we both dropped onto the bed and sighed.
“So, was it weird this morning or no?” Candace asked.
I shook my head. “Not weird at all.”
She grinned widely. “God, I miss morning sex.”
“We ate breakfast, went for a walk, and he wrote for a bit while I simply relaxed and read a book. It was perfect. He brought me back home so I could get ready for dinner, and he’ll be back soon to pick me up.”
Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “It sounds like you had a wonderful time, Greer. Finally!”
I hit her playfully on the shoulder. “What do you mean, finally?”
“I mean, you’ve finally taken time for you. These last few days, I can totally see a difference in you.”
Letting out a gruff laugh, I stated, “There isn’t anything different about me. Is there?”
“You’re smiling more,” Candace said with a grin. “Your eyes have a gleam to them, and you look relaxed. And there’s a sex glow about you, for sure.”
“Sex glow?” I asked, my brows drawn in tight.
“Yes!” Candace chuckled. “It’s real. You should see the color in your cheeks. You look like you’ve been thoroughly fucked.”
I quickly stood. “Good Lord, there is no such thing as a sex glow.”
“Fine, but you have to admit that you feel different, don’t you? I think Hudson brings something out in you.”
Turning to face her, I drew in a deep breath and then sighed. “I think you’re right. I’ve never felt this way before. Like I’m…” I laughed as I went on. “Like I’m walking on freaking air, Candace. This is insane. How in the world could I possibly have feelings like this for a man I’ve only known a week, if that?”
She shrugged. “Love at first sight is a real thing.”
My mouth fell open. “I’m not in love with him. No way.”
“Maybe not, but could you see yourself falling in love with him?”
I chewed on my thumbnail and turned to glance out the window that overlooked Main Street. People strolled by and stopped to look in the store windows or say hello to someone they knew. Folks from out of town took pictures of the large baskets of flowers that hung down from the posts on every block. Boggy Creek truly was the picture of small-town America.
I thought back to Hudson saying he didn’t have to return to New York…
Letting out another sigh, this one longer and deeper, I said, “Yes.”
Candace lifted a brow in question.
“Yes.” I wrapped my arms around my body. “I could very well see myself falling in love with him.”
“You sound doubtful about something.”
“I think I’m just scared. It’s moving so fast. I don’t want to wake up and have it all be a dream.”
“My advice is to take it one day at a time.” Candace stood up, grabbed my hand, and dragged me into the closet. “Come on. Let’s get you all dolled up.”
Hudson
My heartbeat kicked up to an abnormally high rate as I parked in the lot behind the bookstore and got out of my rented SUV. Was I actually nervous about meeting Greer’s parents? Maybe it was knowing I’d see Kyle again. Would he tell his folks that Greer and I had spent last night together? Surely not.
I made a mental note to ask Greer if her brother would inform her folks. And we should probably talk about how exactly we were going to handle this. Were we friends? Dating? We certainly couldn’t tell them we were sleeping together. That was out of the question.
As I walked around to the front of the building and the main door to Greer’s place, I noticed an older man taking pictures of the exterior. I walked up to him. “Can I help you with something?”