Chapter 20

Hudson

Mia didn’t waste any time. When I’d asked her when she wanted to fly out to see me, she answered without hesitation. “Tomorrow?”

I did what any man would do when a beautiful woman insisted on seeing him so soon. I called my pilot and had him fuel up the jet for her.

Thank God, I had a backup plan in place for the unlikely event of my deportation. I still had a lot to sort out with my accounts and assets in the U.S., but I had access to more than enough money to live comfortably until I could make it happen.

I still hoped it wouldn’t be necessary in the long run, which was why I hadn’t started looking for alternative accommodation. Dakota had insisted I move back to our home for the time being, and I didn’t want to risk the fragile truce we’d called after our meal, so I’d accepted. Grudgingly.

I pulled up to the private airstrip in Dakota’s beat up truck, drawing more than a few curious glances my way. I gripped the steering wheel so tight my knuckles turned white.

Assholes.

Security checked my I.D. twice before letting me in.

Motherfucker. I hated being treated like that. Back in Portland, my car didn’t even get stopped anymore. While in my own hometown, I got treated like a borderline criminal.

Welcome home, Hudson Blake. I gritted my teeth and let the man search the truck before gunning it for my jet.

The moment Mia’s golden curls appeared in my line of sight, I relaxed. Seeing her was like a shot of valium straight to my veins. My grip on the steering wheel loosened and a slow grin spread on my lips.

God, she looked gorgeous. Her hair fell in loose waves to her shoulders, and she was dressed casually in jeans, ankle boots, and a loose-fitting top. I still thought she looked good enough to take command of any runway.

Memories of how fucking amazing her curvy little body fit into mine flooded my mind, instantly making me hard as steel and aching to get back into her.

I adjusted myself in my jeans and hopped out the truck to meet her. A shy smile spread on her face when she spotted me jogging towards her. She shifted on her feet as if she didn’t quite know what do with herself.

It was fucking adorable.

I didn’t hesitate to wrap my arms around her and to pull her hard against my chest, burying my face in her hair. She smelled amazing, like the vanilla scented body wash I’d seen in her shower back in California, combined with something that was uniquely her.

“Hudson,” she murmured, returning my hug with equal force.

“Welcome to Santo Via Island, babe.” I stepped back to give her a long, and very obvious, once over. Her cheeks turned rosy, her eyes still hidden by her sunglasses. I raised my hands to pull the sunglasses from her eyes. I needed to see them. I needed to know she was still as affected by me as I was by her.

Her breathing caught when my fingers brushed her face. Her eyes were wide and her pupils slightly dilated when her eyes were finally revealed to me.

Score one for the home team! It wasn’t just me.

“Thanks,” she breathed.

I fucking loved how responsive she was to me. I took her wheelie bag in one hand and caught hers with the other, lacing her fingers with mine.

I was kind of embarrassed to lead her to Kota’s truck after the reception I’d gotten on my arrival at the airfield, but Mia didn’t even seem to notice it.

“So, how have you been?” she asked, settling into the passenger seat.

I ran a hand through my hair. “I’ve been okay, actually. You?”

“Fine,” she paused, then added quietly. “Missing you.”

“Yeah?” I grinned, not adding that I’d missed her, too. I wasn’t that big of a pussy.

“Yeah.” She glanced at me, then fixed her eyes to the scenery as we neared the city.

“Where are we going?” she asked abruptly, clearly trying to change the topic.

“Dakota wanted to meet you.” Her eyes grew wide and she turned to face me. “So, we’re going to have lunch with him, if you’re up for it?”

“He wants to meet me?” There was a nervous tremor in her voice.

“Of course.” I was starting to understand some of her nerves about introducing me to her family. I wasn’t even close to Dakota, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to introduce Mia to him, but he’d insisted.

Dakota was waiting for us outside a pizza place near his construction site. He didn’t have too long for lunch, so he’d chosen a place within walking distance from work. I would’ve chosen somewhere flashier to introduce the two of them, but neither Kota nor Mia seemed to have much use or respect for flashy.

My brother’s face split into a wide grin when he saw Mia and I approaching, walking hand in hand. “You must be Mia. It’s nice to meet the girl who tamed the tiger.”

He scooped her up in a big hug. A wave of fierce possessiveness swept over me as I watched Mia swept up in Kota’s arms, a surprised laugh falling from her full lips. My hands balled into fists at my sides.

“Tamed the tiger?” she asked, slightly breathless when he set her down.

I didn’t resist the urge to lace her fingers through mine and to pull her to my chest. Kota didn’t miss the gesture. The corners of his mouth pulled up in amusement.

He inclined his head towards me. “Well, you did something to him that made him a better person.”

Mia smiled, then arched a brow at him. “I had nothing to do with it. He was already a good person.”

Dakota laughed good-naturedly, ruffling a hand through his hair. “Well, maybe you just convinced him that it was okay to show it.”

“Asshole.” I grinned, flipping him the bird as he led us into the restaurant.

“Just calling it like I see it, bro,” Dakota quipped, sliding into a red faux leather booth. The obligatory red checkered tablecloth covered our table.

Mia seemed delighted with the place. “I love this. It’s so much like the place Tina and I always go to back home.” She gushed. “And it smells delicious.”

I slid into the booth after her, pulling her close to my side and draping my arm across the back of the seat we shared. Dakota’s eyes lit up in amusement. He shook his head slightly and chuckled under his breath.

“Who’s Tina?” he asked, turning his attention back to Mia.

“My best friend from high school,” Mia answered, reaching for my hand and playing with my fingers under the table. My cock instantly jumped to attention at her touch.

Dakota and Mia chatted easily over lunch. The conversation effortlessly flowed from one topic to the next.

The hour flew by, and before I knew it, Kota glanced at his watch and cursed. “I have to go. I’ll see you both later.”

He flew from the booth, dropped a few notes on the table despite my protests, and darted from the restaurant.

Mia blinked. “He has quite a lot of energy, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah, he’s always been that way,” I told her. I didn’t have many fond childhood memories, but each one I did have included Dakota’s boundless energy.

“You two look so much alike,” she remarked.

“Yeah,” I teased. “It’s almost like we’re brothers or something.”

Mia laughed and bumped my shoulder with hers. “Wiseass. I guess some things didn’t change.”

I smirked. “That never will.”

I motioned for the check and spent the rest of the afternoon showing Mia around the city, avoiding the tourist attractions per her request and taking her instead to some of the few places around the city I’d frequented growing up.

Mia listened to my stories with rapt attention, and by the time the sun started setting, her stomach growled.

She blushed. I laughed. “Come on, let’s go find somewhere to feed you.”

“How about there?” She pointed at a Mexican place on the corner. I’d never seen it before, so I had no idea if it was any good, but Mia pulled me into it anyway. “If it’s no good, we’ll just get takeout from somewhere else.”

“Fine,” I agreed. “But no blaming me if you get sick.”

“I won’t,” she promised.

A waiter came by to take our order. We lapsed into silence as we studied the menus, eventually settling on sharing a sampler plate filled with what the menu described as “a variety of traditional Mexican dishes” and two Coronas.

Once the waiter left, I cleared my throat. “I should have mentioned this before, but are you okay with staying at my parents’ old place? I’m crashing there with Kota for the time being. Otherwise, it’s early enough we can get you a hotel room.”

“Don’t be silly. I came to see you. Why wouldn’t I stay with you?” Then she added quietly, “Unless you’d prefer it if I stayed at a hotel?”

“No, I just wanted to make sure you were okay with it.”

“That was thoughtful of you, but I’d be happy to stay at your place.”

“It’s not anything like your parents’ place,” I warned her.

“I know, you told me, remember?”

Sure, I remembered. I just wasn’t sure how she was going to deal with the reality. “I remember.”

“Well, then that’s settled,” she insisted. “So how are you really?”

“How am I really?” I mused, momentarily saved from answering by the arrival of our food. “I’m okay. Going a little stir crazy being so far away from the office, though.”

“I can’t imagine what you’re going through. The office is going stir crazy without you, too.” She fixed herself a plate and sipped on her beer.

“Thanks, but I can’t imagine there are too many people missing me.” I bit into a taco that had more than a little bite.

“I am,” she confessed again. “And so is Henry.”

“How is he holding up?” I was worried about the old man, even if I tried not to think about it too much.

“Truth?” she asked.

“Always.”

“I don’t know, but I honestly don’t think he’s doing great.”

Shit. “I was afraid of that.”

She finished off her plate, washing her food down with another sip of beer and seemed to be carefully considering her next words. “I want you to come back, Hudson. Is that ever going to happen?”

“Truth?” I asked.

“Always.”

“I don’t know. I’ve been speaking to Anderson, my lawyer, on a daily basis. For now, we seem to be out of options.” I hated to admit it, but she’d asked for the truth.

I paid for our dinner and led her back to Kota’s truck. He’d assured me he was going out with friends after work and would catch a lift home with someone else.

Mia was quiet on the way home, gnawing on her lower lip. It left me with plenty of time to become increasingly aware of the way the houses were becoming smaller, the nearer we came to mine. When we finally pulled up to the house, I was thoroughly embarrassed at how small it was.

Mia didn’t seem to notice. She asked me for a tour and took in every nook and cranny. I flipped on the light to my bedroom and wanted to cringe at the sight, as I imagined seeing it for the first time through her eyes.

As always, she surprised me. “I love it. It’s like a window into Hudson, pre- ‘I refuse to be seen in anything less than a three-piece suit.’”

I smirked, turning her to face me instead of the tacky room with the paint crumbling off the walls and the faded posters with the edges curling over. “If I recall, you’ve seen me in much less than a three-piece suit.”

She raised her finger to her chin and pretended to consider my words. Then, she grinned wickedly and laced her arms around my neck. “You know, I don’t think I remember that. You might need to remind me, Mr. Blake.”

I wrapped my arms around her, bringing her flush to my body. “I think that can be arranged.”

She tilted her chin up, her mouth so close to mine, I felt her breath on my lips. “How very generous of you.”

Then she leaned up on her toes and pressed her lips impatiently to mine.