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

“Hey,” he said, aware that everyone in the clinic was watching them.

She cleared her throat and darted a look at Ethan. “You’re early.”

“I am.” Hudson t

ore his gaze from hers and offered his hand to Ethan. “Mind if we leave now?”

“No,” Ethan replied. “Not at all.”

“But I’ve got some things to look after.” Her eyes were spitting fire and, holy hell, was Hudson looking forward to putting out the flames later.

“Don’t worry about the filing,” Kimberly said with a grin as she sat back down behind the desk. “I’ve got things covered. You two skedaddle off to wherever it is you’re going.” Kimberly ducked and disappeared under the counter, but they had no problem hearing her muffled words. “I was wondering what this big weekender was here for.” She popped up, face red from exertion, and blew a long strand of hair from her face. “Here’s your bag, Rebecca, and your winter coat.” She winked. “Have fun.”

“I’ve got it.” Hudson reached for the bag and stepped out of the way so Rebecca could pass. She grabbed her jacket along the way.

“Are you sure?” she asked once more, only to have every single person in the clinic, including Mrs. Anderson, shout at her to leave.

She sailed past him and was out the door before he could say good-bye to Ethan and Mrs. Anderson. Kimberly gave him a big smile, and as they left, he could tell from the way Rebecca stomped across the parking lot, she wasn’t happy with him.

Here it comes. And it did. Not one second after she climbed into his truck.

“Dammit, Hudson. You did that on purpose.”

“What?” He played dumb, but she wasn’t having it.

“Now everyone and their mother is going to know you’re the person I’m going away with for the weekend. Jesus. We should just have taken out a billboard. A whole weekend of sex with Hudson Blackwell.” She was trying to get her seat belt buckled, and he hid a smile when he reached over to help her.

“Who said anything about sex?”

She glared at him. “I’m serious. I don’t want anyone to know what we’re…what this…” She cursed. A lot. And then sank back into the seat with a long sigh. “I don’t even know what this is anymore.”

“Well, it’s a good thing, then.”

“What’s a good thing?”

He headed out and turned onto the road, but instead of heading back to town, he pointed the truck in the opposite direction.

“It’s a good thing we’ve got the whole weekend to figure it out.”

She picked at an invisible piece of lint and then sat up a bit straighter, glancing out the window. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“Well, I didn’t bring anything fancy to wear, so…”

“Won’t be a problem.”

“Why not?”

“Because you won’t be wearing much of anything for at least forty-eight hours.”

He saw the first hint of a smile. “You’re damn sure of yourself.”

“I am.” He flashed a grin and cranked the tunes as they sped down the highway that rounded Crystal Lake. It was the first week of November, and the snow they’d been promised had fallen a few days earlier, though most of it had already melted. With the temperatures hovering just above freezing, and precipitation on the calendar, the roads would be dicey later. Didn’t matter to Hudson. He planned on spending most of the weekend inside, indulging in a lot of indoor activity and having a conversation or two with the woman beside him.

They drove in silence for nearly twenty minutes, and when he turned onto Ingalls Side Road, she perked up. Rebecca looked his way, but Hudson kept his eyes on the road. He’d already been up here and knew the potholes weren’t exactly vehicle friendly.

The road twisted and turned, taking them deeper into the bush, and another twenty minutes passed before the conifers and evergreens began to thin. He saw the sparkling water in the distance. They’d nearly reached their destination.