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HUDSON

I feel myself starting to drift. My eyelids heavy. It’s been the longest day, in the best fucking way possible.

After spending the afternoon on the beach, we headed over to Beach Side where Lennon thought she would be funny and order us shots of tequila.

One shot turned into four. Coupled with the fact that we had been drinking nearly all day, we were both stumbling a bit by the time we left the restaurant.

We did manage to sweat most of the alcohol out of our systems shortly after we arrived home.

Forcing my eyes open, I glance at the clock on the bedside table. It’s just after one in the morning. I’d thought about sleeping for a couple hours, but I knew it would make leaving near impossible if I did.

Knowing I need to get going soon, I look down to where Lennon is curled into me. Her legs tangled with mine, arm draped over my middle, her head lying on my chest.

I push her blonde hair to the side, giving me a better view of the side of her face. She really is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. And what makes her even more so is that she has no clue just how beautiful she is.

She stirs against me and I reluctantly take that as my opportunity to lift her head from my chest and slide out from beneath her. Trying to be as careful as I can not to wake her, I use the pillow that was propped behind me and place it underneath her head before removing her arm from my middle and managing to untangle our legs.

She adjusts a couple of times, then rolls the other way. Her back’s now facing me, but she doesn’t wake.

I don’t know how long I stand there in the dark, watching her shoulders rise and fall with each breath she takes. Remembering the last time I did this exact same thing in this very same room.

It feels like a lifetime ago. Yet as I look down at her it’s almost as if no time has passed at all. She’s still the same smart mouthed, beautiful, confident woman she was five years ago.

I wish I could say I knew her well enough back then to be able to note all the ways she’s changed over the years but I didn’t. Despite how well I felt like I knew her at the end of that night, the truth is I didn’t. Hell, I still don’t. But that doesn’t change the fact that she’s already changing me. I can feel the pull to be with her. I barely know her, yet here I am, thinking I’d rather chop off my arm then walk out of this room right now.

I glance at the clock again. I have eight hours to get back to Atlanta. If I don’t leave soon I’ll never get there in time.

Letting out a slow breath, I place one knee on the bed and lean down, laying a soft kiss to the side of her head.

“Dream sweet, Lennon,” I whisper, breathing in her sweet scent one last time before forcing myself back up.

As I make my way through her condo, snagging my things along the way, I can’t shake the feeling of dread that has rooted itself into the pit of my stomach. Maybe it’s because the last time I left while she was sleeping, I didn’t see her again for five years. Or maybe it’s because I’m quickly becoming very attached to this woman and I don’t want to leave her right as things are getting good.

Last time was supposed to be a one-time thing. I wasn’t in a position to give her more. I went in knowing I’d likely never see her again. This time around it couldn’t be more opposite. I’m here because this girl is under my skin in a big way and I need to explore this thing between us.

It’s hard to explain, but in some way I’ve carried Lennon with me since that first night. Thought about her more times than was probably acceptable. Saw her face in countless women. Hell, the first song on my debut album is about this girl for fucks sake. All that after one night together five years ago.

If she can have that effect on me in such a short period of time, I can only imagine how I’m going to feel tomorrow and or in a week or even a month from now. I’m already too attached and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.

After double checking that I have everything I came with, I quietly slip out the front door, locking the knob before closing it.

All I can hope is that I’ve shown her I’m not the same man she came after all those years ago. Only problem is, I’m really not sure that’s true. If I really was so different I would have told her the truth about what happened five years ago.

Shaking off the thought, I climb into the red Lexus I rented for the trip. Tossing my bag into the passenger seat, I quickly fire the engine to life.

With any luck I’ll hit Atlanta before sunrise and be able to get a few hours of sleep on the bus before someone disturbs me. Even still, all I can think as I pull away, watching Lennon’s building disappear in the rearview mirror, is that it was totally fucking worth it. I’d go a week without a minute of sleep if it meant every day could be like it was these few days I’ve had with Lennon. And that is how I know I’m already in deep. I just hope I’m not there alone.