Dare to Tease (Dare Nation 4.5)

“Hi,” she said, holding out the sandwich she’d brought him.

“Is that for me?” Surprise filled his gritty voice.

She nodded. “There’s water in there, too.” And also a twenty-dollar bill, but since she didn’t want a repeat of last time, she didn’t mention the money. He’d find it soon enough.

He grabbed the bag, and this time she released her grip fast so he didn’t drag her down. It helped that she was wearing sneakers and not heels.

“Take care, Jimmy.” She walked toward the building, in her mind already thinking about all the improvements Hudson and her brother could make once they were ready and excited about the prospect.

She let herself in, discovered a full waiting room, and resigned herself to wait. Striding up to the desk, she smiled at Nikki. “Hi. Do you think I could wait in the back office until Hudson has time to talk?”

The brunette smiled. “Sure. Dr. Northfield is the only one here, so it may be awhile.”

“That’s fine.” After the torture she’d probably put him through, she deserved to be kept waiting.

Bri made herself at home in the office Hudson and Braden shared, smiling at the pictures on the desk of her twin and Willow, whose wedding was coming up in a few months. May fifth to be exact. They planned a small affair at a local catering hall because July in Florida was just too hot to hold an outdoor event.

An hour passed and then another. The longer she waited, the more her nerves increased. Did Hudson not want to see her, or was he just so busy he couldn’t make time yet? Her stomach knotted, and she tried to kill time scrolling social media on her phone and occasionally attempting to read a book on an app, but she couldn’t concentrate. She was afraid she’d pushed him too far by not talking to him after the game, but then she reminded herself of the filled outer room and tried to calm down.

After a while, she rested her head on her arms on the desk and shut her eyes.

* * * *

What a fucking long day. Hudson had back-to-back patients, each one serious in its own way, and with Braden needing the day off and Thomas having abdicated the place to Braden and Hudson, he’d been on his own. Thank God for Janie, the nurse they’d recently hired, who was as reliable as she was efficient. Even Nikki had abandoned them midday when her mother called because she’d had an accident, and Nikki had to rush off to be with her. He hadn’t had five minutes to eat, let alone sit down and take a load off his feet.

He opened the door to his office and stopped short at the sight that greeted him. Bri sat in his chair, head resting on her arms on the desk, her dark hair falling over her shoulders and face. Even so, he knew it was her, and his heart started beating again for the first time since his fuckup at her mother’s house.

He supposed that Nikki, in the frenzied worry about her mother, had forgotten to tell him Bri was waiting, and he wondered how long she’d been here.

He unhooked his stethoscope and laid it on a filing cabinet and took off the white medical jacket he’d taken to wearing here before walking over and placing his hand on her back.

“Bri?” She didn’t move, so he rubbed her shirt with his hand. “Hey, beautiful, wake up.”

“What?” Startled, she jumped in her seat, her entire body jerking upright, twisting her head up to meet his gaze. “Hudson! Jesus, you scared me. I must’ve fallen into a really deep sleep.”

“Apparently,” he said with a chuckle. “How long have you been here?”

She blinked and glanced at her watch. “Three hours. Nikki didn’t tell you I was here?”

He shook his head. “Her mom had an accident, and she rushed out. Sorry about that. But it was an insane day. I just locked the place up before coming in here.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t mind waiting.” Now that the fright had passed, she looked wary of him, and he didn’t like the feeling.

He pulled Braden’s chair over and settled in beside her.

“Your eye looks better.” Obviously she wasn’t ready to jump into the heavy conversation.

“It’s fading to a nice shade of puke yellow.” Damon had a mean punch, but Hudson refused to out which brother had hit him.

All three had seen their sister crying, and Damon had gotten to him first. It had taken Braden and his shrill whistle to calm everyone down and tell them it was a misunderstanding and none of their business. Then Christine Prescott had issued a stern warning to her sons, but the joy of the day was gone.

Hudson had driven Macy and Jaxon to Bri’s house to get her car, and Jaxon had remained there, watching, until Hudson had gotten into his car and gone home. By then he’d already texted Bri a few times and called twice. He’d figured out she wasn’t ready to talk to him, so leaving was his best option. He owed her mother a happier birthday party and Bri a lot more.