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

“Here.”

She rolled over again and brought the blanket along with her, wrapping it around her midsection as Hudson strolled into her room. He wore only his boxers. Slung low on his hips, they left little to the imagination. She dragged her gaze upward and arched a brow at the satisfied look on his face.

“What?” she asked, making room for him on the bed. The mattress gave way as he settled in beside her, a tray of food on his lap.

“Nothing,” Hudson replied, offering her a grape.

Her stomach rumbled, and she grabbed a napkin. “You did a good job.” The tray was filled with kielbasa, aged cheddar, grapes, crackers, and… “Hey,” she said, reaching for an orange wrapper. “That’s my Halloween stash.”

“I see you still like Reeses.”

“Is there anything better?”

Hudson chuckled and got busy with the important task of eating. After a busy few hours, they were in desperate need of fuel, and it didn’t take long for them to annihilate the tray. Even the crumbs were scavenged.

“Wow. It looks as if we licked this clean.” Rebecca took the tray from Hudson and slipped from the bed. Aware that his eyes were on her, she let the sheet drop and made a big show of placing the tray on the stool next to her desk. You know, the stool she needed to bend over to reach.

He didn’t give her a chance to say or do anything. His arms were around her before she could blink.

“Not fair,” he growled, pulling her back to him.

“There is no way that you can…” She shook her head and giggled. “Not possible.”

Hudson turned her around, his eyes glistening and wide with laughter. The sight took her breath away, and just for that moment, she forgot to breathe. Just for that moment, it felt as if the past hadn’t happened. As if the life she’d envisioned when she was young and in love, a life with Hudson, had been hers.

She blinked it away, and when his mouth reached for her, there was a new desperation in her touch. A subconscious reckoning that this, this thing they were doing, couldn’t and wouldn’t last.

Hudson scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bathroom. There beneath the hot spray, he took her again. His body finding new ways to make her scream his name. New ways to claim what had always been his.

They made love with a heated passion that was sparked by something neither one of them wanted to dwell on. It gave their lovemaking an edge and filled their souls with something fierce, something with substance.

By the time they crawled into her bed, both of them were exhausted. “You can’t stay,” she said softly.

“I know. But, woman, let me have a few hours.”

As Rebecca curled into Hudson’s chest, she thought that maybe he felt too good. Maybe Hudson was too comfortable. It startled her, and as his breathing slowed and he fell asleep, she thought that maybe she’d made a mistake. Because the simple fact was that what they’d shared tonight wasn’t just sex.

It was a lot more complicated than that. It was an uneasy thought, and it stuck with Rebecca, sinking into her brain until she finally gave in and fell asleep.

It was quiet when she woke up. The sun was high in the sky, and the threat of snow was gone. Dead leaves blew by the window, and she rolled over with a groan, wincing at the aches and pains that told her she’d been well and truly looked after the night before.

A quick glance at the clock told her it was just after ten in the morning, and she jumped to her feet. Shit. Liam would be home soon if he wasn’t already. He had a game at one, and she’d promised him a trip to the comic book store.

Humming to herself, she slipped on an old pair of track pants, and a bulky sweatshirt that had seen better days. She pushed her feet into her slippers, made a face

at her reflection in the mirror when she brushed her teeth, and tried her best to tame the wild waves that curled around her head. She gave up and clipped the entire mess on top of her head.

Rebecca took exactly one step downstairs when she heard voices. The next step confirmed that one of them was Liam’s. By the time she reached the third step, she knew that Hudson was still here.

Frozen on the stairs like a teen who’d been caught doing something naughty, it took a few seconds for her to get her feet moving. And it was with a sense of dread that she made her way down the hall. What the hell was she going to tell Liam? And why was Hudson still here? He knew the rules. He should have been gone before the sun came up.

Heart pounding and more than a little scared of the impending scene, Rebecca exhaled and peeked into the kitchen.

Her heart skipped, and she felt light-headed. She made a strangled sound as she gulped in a deep breath, but it didn’t matter. Liam and Hudson didn’t notice. They were much too busy.

Hudson was peeling potatoes, tossing them into the frying pan while Liam was chopping onion and garlic. Sausages were on the go in another skillet, and a plate of freshly scrambled eggs was on the warmer.

Her son was chattering away about his upcoming game and some big kid named Gavin all the kids were scared of.