You Make Me Weak (The Blackwells of Crystal Lake 1)

“I think…” Tongue-tied, she licked her lips nervously and shuffled her feet. “I think this isn’t the time.”

Hudson swore and shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”

“Why should I?” Her chin jutted forward, and she squared her shoulders.

“I’m not letting this go, Becs. We need to talk about what happened.”

Maybe it was the words he’d just said. Or the way his eyes held a dangerous don’t-fuck-with-me glint. Or the fact that he blocked the only exit from the office. Whatever it was, some kind of fire erupted inside Rebecca, and she took a step forward, thumping him in the chest with her good hand.

“We don’t need to do anything, because you aren’t calling the shots. I’m not the same girl you left behind. I’m not going to sit in my room and cry for weeks over you. I’ve got a life, and a son to look after and things that matter to me. Things that you have no part of. Saturday night shouldn’t have happened. End of story.”

“But it did.” He edged closer to her. “Happen.”

“I…” Were they really going to do this now? “It did, and it was fine, and—”

“Fine?” He was silent for a few moments, and then a slow grin crept across his face. “Maybe the first time was fine. But not the second.” He paused, head cocked to the side in that way that was all his, and the slow grin became a full-on wicked grin. “Definitely not the third. Remember we did that thing?”

“You’re an asshole.”

“I’ve been called worse.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.”

Silence fell between the two of them, and by the time it passed, the anger inside Rebecca deflated, leaving her spent, tired, and way too emotional for her liking.

“Hudson,” she began, hating the way her voice trembled. “I really can’t do this.”

A muscle worked its way across his cheek, and his eyes glittered in the dim light. He looked dangerous and edgy, and her defenses screamed at her to run.

“Okay.” His voice was gentle, and she relaxed a bit, wincing at the pain in her finger.

“Can I come by your place tomorrow night?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She shook her head slowly, almost afraid to ask the question. “What would it accomplish? We should move on and forget it ever happened.”

“Why?” His question surprised her, and she didn’t quite know how to respond.

“Because it’s never going to happen again.”

Nash suddenly appeared behind Hudson and, after a quick look between the two of them, patted Hudson on the back.

“We should head out. They’re closing up.” Nash nodded to Rebecca. “I’ll call you, and we’ll catch up this week.”

“Give us a minute,” Hudson said, eyes never leaving Rebecca.

Nash waited for Rebecca to nod. “I’ll meet you in the parking lot. I called a cab.”

“I will see you tomorrow night,” Hudson said when they were alone again.

She started to shake her head, but he stepped forward and placed his index finger on her lips.

“That’s a promise.”

Rebecca took a step back, some of that fire back in her veins. “I might not be home,” she responded, chin up.

Hudson’s eyes glittered, and that damn smile touched the corners of his mouth once more. “It doesn’t matter,” he said, taking a step back. “I’ll find you. No matter where you are.”

His words were coated in silk, but there was an underlying current of purpose to them. Rebecca watched him walk away, almost in a fog, and realized she was breathing so hard, she felt light-headed and her stomach went woozy. There was a strange electricity in the air, and she dragged a big gulp of it deep into her lungs.