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

She looked so damn fierce staring up at him, all that hair and those eyes. His gaze dropped. And that barely there, pink bra just itching for his fingers.

“I’ve changed my mind. I want the benefits thing.” Her eyes were defiant, and there she went, licking those soft lips again. “But we do this my way.” She took a step closer. “My rules.”

Okay, that got his attention, in more places than one.

“Rules.” He practically growled the word.

“Yes.” She took a step closer to him. “See, I got it wrong before, Huds.” The little jezebel had the audacity to smile. Her tongue darted out and touched the edge of her mouth. She had to be doing it on purpose. Had to know it was killing him. “I don’t think I can do the friend thing. Not with you. It just won’t work, and we’ll end up hating each other again.”

“I never hated you, Becca.”

Rebecca made a sound, almost like a soft sigh. “Well, I did, Hudson. I hated you. There were times over the last twelve years that my hatred for you was the only thing that kept me going.”

It hurt him to hear that, and he wanted to say something, anything to make her understand, but the words escaped him. As it turned out, she wasn’t interested in anything he had to say.

“So I propose an arrangement that suits both of us. The friend thing is off the table. I mean, what’s the point? You’ll be leaving here eventually, and I might not ever see you again. But why not give the benefits thing a go?”

He couldn’t be hearing this right. “You want to use me for sex?”

“Why not?” She squared her shoulders, which only pushed her half-exposed breasts directly into his line of vision. “Men do it all the time.”

She was unbelievable.

“You can be my booty call. What do you say?”

And obviously enjoying herself.

“Jesus Christ, Rebecca. This isn’t you.”

Her eyes narrowed at that. “You don’t know me anymore, Hudson.” She glanced away, and for a few moments, silence fell over them again.

“No,” he said eventually. “I guess I don’t.”

He ran his hands over his chin, studying the woman in front of him. He was still hard as a rock, and he couldn’t lie, he wanted her more than he wanted to take his next breath.

“Are you seeing someone in DC?” she suddenly asked. “Because I draw the line at that.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, darlin’, but we already jumped over that line, remember?”

“Don’t be an asshole, Hudson.”

She was right. He was being a dick. “No,” he said watching her carefully. “I’m not seeing anyone.”

Her eyes dropped to his crotch, and a slow grin spread across her face. She took that last step until she was in front of him and reached for his cock.

“What do you say?” She breathed the words. “You in?”

There was power in her eyes. In the way she held her head, tilted her chin, and looked up at him. It was in the bold strokes of her fingers across his aching cock. In the tongue that darted out to lick along her bottom lip. That power and strength was hot as hell. And when Rebecca reached for Hudson’s belt buckle, he didn’t push her away.

He was probably crazy. Hell, they both were. But if there was gonna be hell to pay, they’d both have to cough up the dough.

At least there was that.

Chapter 22

Early on in life, Rebecca learned that friends were as important, if not more important, sometimes, than family. The good ones were there for you when life seemed hopeless. They listened to the things you didn’t dare tell your siblings. Things you couldn’t share with your mom. Things only your best girlfriend could hear, because your best girlfriend never judged. Not ever. That is, if she was a keeper. Luckily for Rebecca, Violet was a keeper.

Thank God.