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I haven’t finished rinsing the soap off my body when I hear a hard knock on the front door. At first I think it might be someone knocking on my neighbor’s door – she’s known to have visitors at all hours – but the sound comes again, louder this time, confirming that it is my door being knocked on.

Not sure who it could be, given that it’s nearly two in the morning, I rinse as quickly as I can before turning off the water and stepping out into the crisp air conditioned room.

Wrapping my hair in a towel, I’m slipping on my floor length fluffy white robe when the knock comes again.

Hurrying from the bathroom, I flip on the hall light as I go, tripping over the heels I kicked off in the middle of the floor after I got home from having one too many cosmos with Emma.

Another knock, this one so hard I swear the entire front wall of my condo vibrates against the assault. Pushing up on my tip toes to look out the peep hole, my stomach sinks the moment I catch sight of Gage on the other side of the door.

“Come on, Lennon. I know you’re in there. Open up.” Another knock.

Not wanting to answer but also not wanting him to wake every neighbor in my building, I lean my forehead against the door and loudly grumble, “What do you want, Gage?”

The last time he showed up at my door was three months ago. He was shitfaced drunk, crying about how much he missed me, and even though it was the last thing I wanted to do, I let him crash on the couch. I may hate him for what he did to me but I didn’t want him getting behind the wheel of his car, knowing if he hurt someone I would carry that guilt forever.

So, I sucked it up, threw a blanket at him and locked myself in my bedroom, making sure I was gone before he woke the next morning.

“Open the door, Lennon.” He knocks again, the action causing my teeth to chatter slightly.

I step back, far too buzzed to be dealing with my ex but also knowing he won’t go away until I acknowledge whatever it is he wants. Letting out a slow sigh, I reach for the dead bolt and, against my better judgment, click it to the left before pulling the door open.

“Are you trying to wake the whole building?” I lean in the doorway, arms crossed over my chest like I couldn’t be more annoyed right now.

“We need to talk,” he says, his eyes scanning the room behind me. “Are you alone?”

He seems cleared eyed and even toned, which leads me to believe this isn’t a repeat of last time. Thank god.

“Um, last time I checked. Though I’m not sure why that matters. Shouldn’t you be at home with your very pregnant girlfriend?” I snip, tightening my robe when Gage’s eyes trace over what I’m currently wearing. Or rather not wearing for that matter.

“That’s why I’m here. Seriously Len, can we talk?” He slides past me in the doorway without waiting for me to answer.

“By all means, come on in,” I grind out sarcastically, closing the door.

“The baby isn’t mine,” Gage announces, running a hand through his uncharacteristically messy blonde hair. He’s pacing back in forth through my living room, not looking at me.

“What?” I say, not hiding my surprise.

“She had the baby. And he isn’t mine.” He stops mid stride and turns to face me.

“Wait. When did she have the baby? And how do you know he isn’t yours?”

“Earlier tonight.” He blows out a hard breath before continuing, “Dark complexion, dark hair, dark eyes. Does that sound like a child I fathered?” he asks, gesturing to himself.

Gage is tan but that’s from spending so much time outside surfing and jet skiing. In the winter he becomes almost as pale as me. Blonde hair. Light green eyes. I struggle to remember what she looks like, having only met her once when Gage played her off as an old friend when she’d showed up to a party at our house.

“Maybe the baby takes after her family,” I offer, not really sure what he expects me to say.

“She’s got blonde hair and blue eyes, Len. Practically her whole family does.”

“So, not all children come out looking like their parents.”

“She admitted it,” he yells, his voice exploding through the condo as he quickly resumes his pacing. “Apparently she was still sleeping with her ex-boyfriend when she got pregnant. I thought the condom had failed. Turns out she wasn’t using protection with him.”

“Well that’s an interesting turn of events.” I don’t even try to hide the humor in my words. Why should I? Serves the asshole right for what he put me through. “Guess it’s true what they say. Eventually everything comes back around.” I almost snicker, knowing I shouldn’t find this so funny, but the alcohol buzz swimming through my veins does nothing to dull the one emotion I didn’t expect to feel with this visit – humor.

I spent weeks crying over our breakup and even longer trying to drink away the memory of it all. This is the first time in a long time that I’ve looked at him, or even thought of him for that matter, and not felt the familiar pang in my chest from losing him.

“Why are you smiling?” Gage stops dead in his tracks, his eyes slicing through me like knives. “This isn’t fucking funny, Len.”

“From where I’m standing it kind of is,” I retort.

“Are you even listening to me?” he practically growls. “She fucking ruined my life. She ruined me. She ruined us. And it was all a lie.”

“Pretty sure you ruined us, Gage.” My smile slips as the anger starts to seep in.

“I loved you, Lennon. I still fucking love you. I was only with her for the baby. And the baby isn’t even fucking mine!” he roars, both hands tugging through his hair this time.

“Why are you here, Gage?” I lean against one of the stools that line the breakfast bar, urging him to make his point.

“As soon as I found out, as soon as she admitted the truth, all I could think was I had to fix this.” He gestures between him and I.

“Fix what exactly?”

“Us, Lennon. You and me. The baby isn’t mine. There’s still a chance for us.”

Laughter rises in my throat and bubbles over, despite my attempt to reel it in.

“After the hell you put me through you have the audacity to show up here unannounced with the news that the baby you thought you created when you cheated on me isn’t yours and you thought what? That I’d just take you back?”

“Len.” He steps toward me but I hold my hand up to stop him.

“Get out.” I raise my eyes slowly to meet his as I point toward the door.

“Lennon, I know it will take time but we can work this out.”

“I said, get out,” I snip, my teeth clenching.

“No,” he refuses. “Not until you hear me out.”

“There is nothing to hear out. You said everything you needed to say when you chose her over me.”

“I didn’t choose her. I chose the baby I thought was mine.”

“You chose her when you stuck your dick in her while I was at home waiting for you. You chose her when you lied to me over and over again. You chose her, Gage. Every single time.”

“I love you, Lennon.”

“You love me?” I push away from the stool, throwing my hands in the air. “News flash, you don’t do shit like that to someone you love. Now I will say this only one more time, get the fuck out of my house.” I point violently toward the door.

“I’m not giving up on us.” His voice is low, full of steely determination.

“There is no us, Gage. And you know what? I’m happy you cheated on me. I’m happy. You saved me from a lifetime of having settled for the wrong man.” I can tell my words sting but I don’t care. He deserves everything I throw at him and then some.

“You don’t mean that,” he objects.

“Yes I do. Now please, do us both a favor and go.”

“Lennon.”

“I said leave, Gage. Now!”

“This isn’t the end of this.”

“Yes it is.” I walk to the door and rip it open, my entire body faltering when I see Hudson on the other side, hand raised as if he was preparing to knock.

“What are you doing here?” The question comes out as barely a whisper, my eyes wide with shock.

“Surprise.” His eyes take in my flushed face and pissed demeanor before darting to the man standing in my living room, his expression instantly shifting.

“Who the fuck is this?” Gage bites as he crosses the space toward us, stopping just inside the foyer.

Turning toward Gage, I give him the best fuck you smile I can muster. “The right man.”

Instantly, Gage looks like he’s been punched square in the stomach. His eyes jump from me to Hudson who’s now standing so close to my back I can feel his heat radiating against my body.

“Lennon,” Hudson says from behind me, warning in his voice.

“Gage was just leaving.” I turn sideways so I can look at Hudson but still keep Gage in my peripheral vision. “Isn’t that right, Gage?” I glare in the direction of my ex who looks at Hudson again, clearly thinking twice about starting something.

Gage is not little by any means, but his lean frame has nothing on Hudson who towers him by at least four inches and has a body that looks like it’s carved from stone.

Without another word, Gage nods once, quickly sliding past me through the doorway, glaring at Hudson as he does.

“Sorry about that.” I pull Hudson’s attention back to me, grabbing his hand to pull him inside.

Closing the door and sliding the lock in place, I don’t give Hudson a chance to say anything before I launch myself into his arms, my lips crashing down on his.

He stumbles back slightly from the impact but quickly rights himself, reaching underneath my thighs to hoist me up and support my weight as his tongue dips into my mouth.

Grabbing the towel on my head, I quickly pull it off, allowing my long wet hair to topple down my back.

The kiss goes from a four to a ten point five in an instant and everything else melts away until there is only us. Hudson, me, and the undeniable chemistry that sparks between us.

All too soon Hudson pulls back, his chest heaving rapidly against mine.

“Don’t stop,” I pant, pressing my lips to his again.

“Lennon,” he whispers against my mouth, arching back slightly to look into my eyes. “You good?”

“What do you think?” I smile, looking down to see my robe has fallen open.

Hudson groans deep in his throat, his dark eyes meeting mine after doing a slow sweep of my bared chest.

“I’m trying to be the good guy here since I clearly walked in on some shit a minute ago, but you are seriously testing my will power.” His arms shift beneath me so that only one arm is supporting my weight as the other climbs up the back of my thigh until it reaches my bare ass cheek. “Fuck,” he groans, realizing I don’t have panties on either.

“Fuck will power.” I smile wickedly before taking his mouth once more.

Hudson turns, pinning me against the front door. His mouth works down my neck and across the base of my throat while his free hand slides the robe from my shoulders, the thick material falling to the floor.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” I point out, reaching between us to gather as much of his shirt as I can before tugging upward. It comes with no resistance and the second it’s over Hudson’s head his mouth is on mine again, growing less controlled by the second.

“Put me down,” I whimper against his mouth, dying to get my hands on him.

Hudson pulls back slightly, sliding me down his body until my feet softly hit the floor before pressing his weight back against me.

My hands explore his broad chest and the ripple of his ab muscles before sliding lower. Popping the button of his jeans, he blows out a heavy breath when I drag the zipper down at a tortuously slow pace.

Grabbing the material at his hips, I tug, taking his boxer briefs and jeans down in one quick sweep before I lower myself to my knees in front of him.

“Lennon.” A groan from deep in his chest falls from his lips as I slide him into my mouth, taking him all the way to the back of my throat.

His hands find my hair, his fingers tangling in the wet strands as I work him up and down. My hand moves along the base, my mouth taking as much of him as I can.

I slide in slow, dragging him back out even slower. His legs start to shake beneath his weight as I work him up and down, making him chase his release over and over again.

It’s the sweetest kind of torture, and not just for him.

When he’s taken all he can, he leans down and hooks me under the armpits, pulling me to my feet so fast I’ve barely gained my balance before his mouth is on mine, rough and full of need.

I barely register the rip of the condom packet, not once questioning where it came from, before Hudson hoists me back up, my back once again flush with the front door.

“Now’s your chance, Lennon. If you don’t want this say it now, tell me.” His voice is hoarse, his mild country drawl more prominent under the strain.

“I want this,” I confirm, pressing my weight downward so I can feel him hard against me. “I want you.” I slide my arms around his neck and kiss him hard, crying into his mouth when he enters me with one quick thrust.

Hudson doesn’t give me any time to recover before pulling back and pounding into me again. He sets a punishing pace, driving into me so hard my back knocks into the door over and over as our movements become almost animalistic. We’re clawing, biting, tearing at each other so intense it’s likely we will both have battle scars to show for it.

My orgasm hits me without warning, building so quick that before I can vocalize what’s happening, I’m already exploding around Hudson, his name on my lips over and over as I ride out the almost unbearable pleasure.

Hudson follows right behind me, slamming into me two more times before spilling his release into the condom, burying his face into my chest as he does.

I don’t know how long we stay with my back pressed to the door, Hudson still buried deep inside of me, neither of us able to calm our rapid breathing or hammering hearts.

Finally Hudson pulls back and hits me with a dimpled smile. “Best damn welcome to Florida I’ve ever had.” He pushes up and kisses the tip of my nose before sliding out and slowly lowering me to my feet.

I locate my robe on the floor beside me, sliding it on while Hudson rights his pants, not bothering to look for his t-shirt before pulling me back in his arms.

“So, you wanna tell me what all that was about when I got here?”

I should have known he wouldn’t let me off the hook so easy.

“Not really,” I admit, pulling back to look up at him. “Have you eaten?” I change the subject.

“I haven’t.” He grins, shaking his head.

“How about I make us something to eat and we can talk about it later?” I offer.

“Now she’s going to feed me,” he says to himself, smirking. “Keep it up, Lennon Claire. You may never get rid of me.”

“Maybe that’s my plan.” I wink, turning before taking off toward the kitchen.

Hudson slides into one of the stools at the breakfast bar, his eyes never leaving me as I pull ingredients from the pantry and refrigerator to make us sandwiches.

“Do you like ham?” I ask, laughing when he crinkles his nose. “No ham,” I answer my own question. “Turkey?” He nods like an excited little boy. “My man likes turkey,” I say without meaning to and instantly wonder if I’m pushing this way too fast.

I glance up at Hudson to find him still watching me. “What I like is watching my woman prepare my turkey.”

An instant wave of relief washes over me but it doesn’t stop the word vomit.

“Am I your woman?” I ask.

“I just had my dick inside of you and now you’re making me something to eat. If that doesn’t make you my woman, I don’t know what does.” He chuckles.

“That’s all it takes?” I gawk at him playfully.

“What can I say? I’m easy to please.”

“Clearly.” I laugh, holding up bottles of mayo and mustard.

“Mustard, please.” He nods toward the yellow bottle in my hand.

“Anything else you want?” I ask, squeezing some mustard on top of his sandwich.

“I can think of a few things.” He wiggles his eyebrows up and down at me suggestively.

“I meant on your sandwich, perv.” Before I even think about what I’m doing, a piece of bread goes flying in the air toward him.

“Did you just throw bread at me?” He laughs when the dough lands on the bar a couple feet from him.

“Damn it!” I cry with laughter. “Epic fail.”

“Good thing you’re cute.” He snickers, reaching over to snag the bread off the breakfast bar before dropping it on the other side of the counter where I’m standing. “So, you gonna tell me who that guy was?” He re-approaches the subject casually, leaning forward on his elbows.

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” I slide the knife through his sandwich, cutting it in half before dropping the paper plate in front of him, then doing the same to my own.

“Not a chance.” He lifts his sandwich and takes a big bite, moaning around it. “Sorry, I was fucking starving,” he says once he swallows.

“Guess I was a little excited to see you,” I say in a way of apology.

“Does it seem like I’m objecting?” He cocks his head and takes another large bite.

“You want something to drink?” I turn, opening the refrigerator. “I’ve got milk, water, tea, or tequila?” I say, popping my head up just in time to see the smile that spreads across his face.

“Water’s good.” He chuckles before taking another bite.

“I thought you weren’t coming until tomorrow.” Dropping two bottles of water in front of him, I climb on the counter so that I can sit directly across from him, careful to make sure my robe doesn’t come undone as I do. Although I really don’t think he’d complain if it did.

“I couldn’t wait.” He smiles, completely unashamed. “Although maybe I should have?” he questions, quirking a brow at me. “You gonna tell me about what I walked in on or are you gonna dance around it all night?”

“I like dancing.” I crinkle my nose playfully before taking a bite of my sandwich.

Shaking his head, he continues to eat without pushing the subject further. We finish our sandwiches in a matter of minutes. After slipping on a tank and a pair of plaid pajama shorts, I find Hudson on the balcony looking out over the water.

“Hey.” I slide up behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist before pressing my cheek to his back.

“Hey.” His hand slides across my arm seconds before he turns, breaking my hold on him.

“He’s my ex,” I blurt, my eyes staring at his chest rather than looking at his face. “It’s a long, complicated story.” I blow out a breath.

“He come here often?” He tips my chin, forcing my gaze upward.

“No. He’s only been here one other time since we broke up six months ago.”

“And the reason for him coming here in the middle of the night?”

“Apparently he decided he wants me back.” I kneed my lower lip between my teeth.

“And how do you feel about that?” His expression is completely relaxed but I swear I can see uncertainty in his eyes.

“Well, he cheated on me for nearly a year of our two year relationship and got the girl pregnant. Or so he thought he had. Only then did he come clean. What do you think?”

“I think your ex is certifiable.” He shakes his head, his thumb skirting along my bottom lip, replacing where my teeth had just been.

“I’m glad you think so.”

“Explain ‘or so he thought’.” It takes me a moment to realize he’s referring to what I said about getting Jenny pregnant.

“That’s why he was here. She had the baby tonight and apparently he came out looking nothing like either of them. When he questioned her about it she admitted that it is her ex-boyfriend’s baby. Probably thought Gage was the better father candidate and didn’t factor in that the baby would be darker complected like her ex.”

“Wow.” He shakes his head, his fingers going into the wet messy bun piled on the top of my head. “This is cute by the way.” He tugs playfully on it.

“You’re easily distracted,” I point out.

“Only when it comes to you.” He takes in a deep breath, dropping his hand. “So he came here to tell you the baby wasn’t his?”

“He had convinced himself in that twisted head of his that since the baby wasn’t his I would forgive him and things would go back to the way they were.”

“Certifiable,” he repeats his earlier statement.

“I think I have to agree with you there.”

Stepping past me, Hudson takes a seat in one of the lounge chairs on the balcony and reaches out, tugging me into his lap. Turning to the side, I drape my legs over his, smiling when he instantly picks up one of my hands and entwines our fingers together.

“Were you two pretty serious?” he asks, staring at our connected hands.

“We were.” I blow out a slow breath, hating that we’re sitting here talking about this when there’s a million other things I’d rather be doing. Then again, if I walked into Hudson’s place and found him in a heated exchange with a woman I think I’d want to know what was going on.

“How serious?”

“About as serious as you can get.” I trace the lines of the tattoo on his forearm with my finger tip. “We met through mutual friends and hit it off pretty quick. We moved in together after about a year. I was pretty sure we were on our way to marriage when I found out he was cheating. Guess I was lucky. I got out before I was stupid enough to marry him.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you,” he says, his gaze finally meeting mine again. “But I’m not sorry it happened.” The corner of his mouth twitches. “Does that make me a bad person?”

“I’m pretty sure I’d feel the same if roles were reversed, so I’m gonna go ahead and say no, it doesn’t make you a bad person.” I lean forward, pressing my lips gently to his before pulling away. “What about you? Any serious relationships to speak of?”

“None that are worth discussing.” He shrugs. “Takes a special kind of woman to tame all this.” He gestures to himself seconds before his warm laughter fills the space between us, not really giving me a concrete answer either way.

“Is that so?” I cock my head.

“Guess it’s a good thing you’re a special kind of woman.” He winks, releasing my hand to hook his fingers around my neck, pulling my face back to his.

“How special?” I whisper against his lips.

“How about I show you how special?” He slides his tongue along my bottom lip, his fingers digging into my thigh.

“I think I like the sound of that.”