“I don’t know what to say,” Melissa said, her hand on the Uber I’d called for her. We’d just finished packing it up. Liam was already in the car seat, happily checking out the new book I’d brought him. “I don’t know how to thank you. How I’ll ever repay—”

“Take care of yourself,” I cut her off. “And that little one. That’s repayment enough. I promise.”

She flung her arms around me, the motion so youthful it was a reminder of how damn young she was. “I will,” she said, clutching me like a lifeline. “I promise.” I flashed the security detail a small smile over her shoulder, still getting used to his presence. Hudson had put one on Elliott too, but he was told to remain as unseen as possible. I’d tell her everything…soon. Hudson was right, I couldn’t let her be blindsided. But, as different as it was, I was slightly comforted that the detail was here. Just in case.

“And don’t underestimate yourself,” I said as she pulled back to look me in the eye. Hers were glittering with unshed tears. “You are strong and smart and fully capable of carving out a life for yourself and your baby. Don’t let anyone tell you different.”

She nodded, sucking in a sharp breath. “My aunt…” She sighed. “I never thought she’d take us in. Not when my own mother had been so cold.”

Melissa’s aunt had worked really damn hard to get in touch with her—going through me and all the proper professional channels before they were put in touch. It was admirable, and it was beyond clear how much she loved the girl. They’d lost touch when Melissa’s mother had disowned her, but she’d been fighting for her behind the scenes for longer than Melissa had even known.

And now she’d be safe and loved, and Liam would have a warm home to go to bed in every single night. A real home, not a shelter or the help house I’d set her up in.

“And,” she continued. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”

I nodded. “He’ll be in there for at least six to ten years.” Something cold flickered inside my blood, the chilling juxtaposition of this case with my past. The sole reason I was so freaking attached to this girl. Though, she had family where I didn’t, and that was something to treasure. “And you need to prepare yourself every day for the chance he gets out early,” I said, hating that I had to bring down the joyful moment. “Not in a way that ruins your life, but in a way that you’re prepared. Strong. Holding plans of action if he ever tries to approach you again.”

A slight flash of fear colored her eyes, and I gripped her shoulder.

“I’m not saying he will,” I said, hating that I had to speak from experience—Todd’s sudden appearance in my life fueling my warnings. “He likely won’t go to the trouble after his time is served. But, it’s good to not ignore the possibility.”

“I understand,” she said, holding her spine straight. “And I will. I won’t waste the chance you’ve given me and my son.”

I hugged her again. “You did it all,” I said. “I just helped a tiny bit.”

She chuckled. “Okay, I’m going to get out of here before I get super weepy.”

I smiled as she slipped into the car. “Good idea,” I said, and shut the door after she’d settled next to Liam. The Uber pulled away from the curb, and I waved to them both, choking back the emotion clogging my throat.

Another case closed.

This one with a happy outcome.

Not all were, and I savored the ones where I felt there was genuine hope and happiness at the end of it.

An hour later, I’d finished all the necessary paperwork on the case at my office, and skimmed the details of my next. I’d meet with a new mother on Monday. It was so late for a Friday workday that Grace had already long gone. She’d picked up both our girls and was probably enduring a squeal-fest at the sleepover. Lord be with that woman. Sleepovers were fun but exhausting, and usually you somehow had a headache at the end of them and you didn’t know why or where it came from, just that it was strong enough to make you reach for a bottle of painkillers or wine.

Shutting down my system, I clicked to my car, anxious to unwind after the emotional day. One glance at my phone had all my plans involving a book and bubble bath evaporating.

Hudson: Sleepover night. That means you sleep here, right?

Heat flared through my body, twisting and coiling tight. Hudson had told me he loved me. He’d wanted to protect me and Elliott not out of some forced obligation, but because he loved me.

And it had shocked me so much I’d pounced on him instead of telling him the truth.

That I loved him.

Had loved him for longer than I realized.

And I felt beyond unworthy.

Felt like loving me came with costs that weren’t worth what I gave in return.

He deserved to know that…

Me: You sure you want to have a sleepover?

Hudson: Of course.

Me: Should I stop by my house and grab my PJs?

Hudson: PJs are entirely optional. You know I have plenty of things for you here.

A gasp slipped through the smile I couldn’t suppress.

Me: On my way!

I pulled up Elliott’s tracker app, checking it out of habit—I trusted Grace completely, but with Todd showing up at Elliott’s game…I couldn’t stop checking it. Even with the security details.

Satisfied to see she was settled at Grace’s house, I started the car and drove toward Hudson’s.

Anxious butterflies flapped in my stomach despite the fact that we’d been official for a while now.

I needed to give him the last pieces of me—no matter how gritty they were.

The elevator doors had barely parted before Hudson yanked me inside, crushing me to his chest, his lips slanting over mine. He stole my breath, the sheer size of the man, the utter gentleness in the way he held me to him, the way his tongue danced over mine.

“Wow,” I said between his lips.

“Missed you,” he practically growled while he continued his delicious exploration of my mouth.

Tingles shot over my skin from the power in his kiss, making my head spin slightly.

“I missed you, too,” I admitted as he drew back an inch to look down at me.

A soft, nearly imperceptible smile shaped those lips as he rubbed his hands over my arms. “How’d it go?” he asked, taking a step away from me but holding my hand. Like he knew we needed the distance to have a normal conversation. Like he knew how badly I wanted him already, how badly I’d come to crave him against me.

“Good,” I said, breathless as he tugged me toward the massive marble kitchen island.

I sat on one of the stools at the island, adjusting my glasses while he went around it. “Wine?” he asked, holding up a bottle of my favorite brand.

I grinned at him. “How’d you know?”

He shrugged, filling two stemless glasses halfway. “Big case,” he said, sliding one toward me and then taking the seat right next to me. “One that you were…emotionally invested in.”

I sipped the red, letting the slight spice in the liquid slid down my throat and warm my insides. Uncoil those muscles that had been bunched all day. “You could tell?”

He cocked an eyebrow at me. “You’re not that hard to read if you know where to look.”

“Is that so?” I asked, both impressed and a bit unnerved. What if he could tell how badly I felt about the other night? How I didn’t know how to form the words to explain how much he meant to me…

He smoothed a thumb over my lips, his brow furrowed. “Like right now,” he said, confusion coating his blue eyes. “You’re scared.” He swallowed hard. “Did something happen on the case again? I thought they locked the guy up. Or did he show up—”

“No,” I said, blinking several times, trying to control the emotions he could read too clearly.

God, no one had ever so easily penetrated my walls, so easily seen through the defenses I’d kept in place for a decade. When people only saw strength and will, they never looked too closely. And I couldn’t afford to have anyone see my internal scars because I would never let anyone second guess my ability to take care of Elliott. Though, it had been years and I’d more than proven my capabilities, but when she was a baby, and I was still technically a minor, I’d lived with the fear of someone like who I was now ripping her from my arms.

“They did,” I finally said. “Catch him. A couple of nights after he hit me. He had warrants for his arrest that were a mile long. He’ll be inside for a long while.”

Hudson dropped his fingers from my lips and took a gulp of his wine. “What are you scared of then?” His tone was low and sharp like steel. “Is it Elliott? Do we need to listen to her tracker?”

I chuckled softly. “If you thought I was scared for Elliott do you think I’d be sitting here sipping wine with the sexiest Shark in the world?”

The tension in his shoulders loosened a bit before his head dropped slightly.

“I’m running out of options here, Shea.” Fear coated those blue eyes. “It’s me,” he said. “Isn’t it? Did I hurt you the last time?” Panic colored his features. “Because it seemed like you liked—”

“Oh my God, Hudson, stop,” I said, my hand on his muscled thigh. “I promise, I’m not afraid of you. And I know you’d be the last person to hurt me.”

Physically.

That’s the word I didn’t say. Because emotionally? He had the power to crush me.

I’d let him in.

I’d come to depend on him and crave him and love him.

And that was enough to destroy me if he decided to leave…

“This,” I continued, moving my hand to the center of my chest. “What you’re seeing? It’s all me. Seriously. You don’t need to worry about it.”

He narrowed his gaze at me. “It wouldn’t be the first time someone was afraid of me,” he said, still not comprehending. There was genuine worry and pain like the silent chaos inside him had driven people away before. I could see how it might be possible for those who didn’t take the time to get to know him, or his opponents, but me?

“You don’t scare me,” I said, setting my wine down and standing up.

I traced my fingertips over the scar that dissected his eyebrow before planting a light kiss on top of it. Then I reached for the hem of his shirt and sighed when he allowed me to tug it over his head. Again, I ran my fingers over his smooth skin, the muscles beneath tensing. I bypassed the whorls of ink decorating him and found a scar by his ribs. I knelt to kiss it, then moved on the next, and the next.

So many scars.

From childhood.

From his time on the ice.

From his time fighting because he’d always had someone to protect.

Again and again, I kissed and flicked my tongue over the long-healed puckered flesh, until I’d made it back up to his lips.

Gently, softly, I kissed him, poured all the love I felt into that kiss before drawing back. I reached for his hand, his breaths ragged as I did, and placed it on my heart.

“You don’t scare me,” I said again. “Not your size or your anger or the scars you have.” I pressed his hand harder against my chest. “I’ve got as many scars as you,” I said. “You just can’t see all of them.”

A shuddering breath flew from his lips, the longing in his eyes churning. “I see them,” he whispered. “I see all of you, Shea.”

Somehow, those were the most intimate words anyone had ever said to me.

And he loved me despite seeing all of me.

I ran my fingers through his hair, lightly scraping his scalp, the emotion building in me so much I thought I’d burst.

“I am scared,” I said, my voice breathless as I trailed my hands past his cut abdomen, and lower, until I’d reached the band of the athletic pants he wore. I tugged on the band, and he stood, his muscles flexing with each movement as I slid them down.

His hands were gentle in my hair, his head slightly tilted, waiting for me to finish my thought, as I slowly dropped to my knees.

My warm breath coated the sleek fabric of his black boxer-briefs as I grazed my teeth over the bulge that was barely contained.

“I am scared,” I whispered again, massaging his massive thighs as I continued to look up and up into his eyes. “What I feel for you…” I glanced down, planting a kiss to his hard length over the fabric. “It’s consuming and powerful, and it turns me into a madwoman most days.”

He growled as I slipped my hand through the slit in the briefs and freed his long, hard length. I used both hands to hold him, to gently grip him.

“Shea,” he said, his fingers in my hair.

“I know I snap first and think logically later,” I said, pressing on as I pumped him in my hands. “I know I’m difficult and I have a dark past. I know I bring nothing but baggage to the table.”

“Baby—”

“My turn,” I said, cutting him off and wrapping my lips over the head of his cock, a little tease to get him focusing. Another growl. “When you told me you loved me,” I said before trailing the tip of my tongue along the length of him and back. “I froze. Not because I don’t feel the same, because I do, Hudson. I do. But because I don’t feel worthy of your love. You’re amazing.” I took him in my mouth again. “The taste of you is enough to claim me,” I said when I’d pulled him out again.

“But it’s more than that,” I continued. “You’re kind. And gentle. And powerful.” Each phrase I paired with another suck of that perfectly thick head inside my mouth. “I have nothing, nothing to give you—except drama. Bad press you don’t need.” I gripped the back of his ass and took his entire length in my mouth until there was nothing left of him, and I sucked and swirled and rocked my head back and forth, worshiping him in the way he’d done for me too many times to count. Savoring the taste of him, the feel of him.

His fingers tightened in my hair, and a low rumble came from his chest.

“My heart,” I said, pulling out, breathless from the size of him. “That’s all I have to give you, though you likely know it’s already yours.” I flicked my tongue over his head, the taste of warmth and salt melting the center of me. “I love you, Hudson. So damn much.” Without preamble or gentleness, I took him in, all the way again, and pumped and sucked as hard and as lovingly as I could. I needed him to know how real this was between us. How much I could never be afraid of him. How sorry I was for all the times I’d let my fear control my mouth before—let it fuel my heated words filled with spite, that were not meant for him but for me.

“Shea,” he growled my name and dug his fingers into my hair.

One second he filled my mouth so much my eyes watered.

And the next, he’d hefted me atop the marble island.

He nudged my knees apart, stepping between them, his warm, hard chest hitting between my thighs. His face, for once, was eye level with mine, thanks to the height of the island I now sat on.

“God damn, Shea,” he said, his forehead against mine as he caught his breath. “I love you,” he said, cupping my cheeks. “You’re everything. My everything. You’ve given me…everything.” He stilled before me, and I wrapped my legs around his back, holding him close as I never lost connection with his eyes.

The honesty in his words, the pure vulnerability in his eyes, wrenched something free inside me.

“I’m terrified of…” I licked my lips, needing the time to collect my racing thoughts. “Of losing you.”

“That will never happen.” His tone a breath, a promise.

I swallowed around a lump in my throat that could very well be my heart.

I’d laid myself so damn bare.

So exposed and raw.

He remained frozen before me, and a piece of me crumpled inside. “I know it’s too fast. I know I’ve spent years building walls to keep people out. To protect myself from this. But you…you didn’t even break my walls, Hudson. You didn’t shatter them or tear them down brick by brick. It’s like you simply fit. Slipped through the cracks—sinking into my heart while still keeping my foundations strong.”

His warm fingers slid behind my knees, cupping my legs.

“Fuck, Shea,” he said. “How do you exist?”

“What?” I breathed against him.

“You. The way you are. Your strength and your fierce passion and everything about you seems made for me.” He sighed. “I love you. I don’t care if I’m saying it too much. I have for a while. Even when I tried to deny it. Even when I remembered how badly love can hurt. But…I trust you. And that isn’t something I do lightly.”

“Me either.”

“Maybe that’s what makes you perfect for me and me perfect for you.”

Tears welled in my eyes, one traitorous sliver slipping free.

Hudson kissed it away, working down my neck, and stopped at my chest. Right where my blouse dipped modestly in a V. And, so tenderly I held my breath, he kissed right over my heart like he was placing a brand on it.

Claiming it with a promise.

To protect.

To defend.

To strengthen.

“Hudson,” I said, shuddering as if he’d kissed between my thighs. I reached for him, my fingers greedy as I trailed them over his spectacular abs, and lower, until I reached that still gloriously hard length of him. “You stopped me. Let me down. Let me take care of you.” I bit my bottom lip. “Let me make up for all the times I’ve snapped at you for being perfect.”

A smirk flashed across his lips before he captured my wrists in his hands. “I love that mouth of yours,” he said. “Don’t you dare apologize for being fierce. It’s why I fell for you.” He planted a kiss on my lips, fast and searing.

“Later,” he said, slowly, gently moving my wrists until they were above my head, and I was arching so much I could do nothing but lay down, my back against the cool marble. “For now,” he said, releasing my hands and slipping his fingers up my pencil skirt, hiking it up and up until it bunched around my stomach. “I’m hungry.”

The words, guttural and aching, melted my core completely.

He gripped my hips and tugged me until my ass was at the lip of the island, and then he pressed a kiss over the scrap of lace I had covering me.

“Red,” he said, a smile in his tone.

“I know you love red,” I said, sighing as I closed my eyes, the heat from his breath covering the apex of my thighs.

“I love you in any color,” he said, the vibrations from his deep voice awakening each cell in my body. “Almost as much as I love you bare.” He hooked those fingers into the lace and slid them down and over my pumps. A shuddered breath ripped from him, that warmth hitting my slightly swollen flesh.

Him.

This man.

He did this to me, to my body.

Made me ache in the deepest, most primal way.

“Fuck, Shea,” he growled. “You’re fucking beautiful. And wet.” He teased me with the tip of his tongue. “And delicious.”

Everything in me disappeared.

Ceased to be until I became nothing but sensation.

Nothing but his tongue expertly lapping, sliding, pumping.

Nothing but his lips as they grazed my clit, teasing, torturing.

I reached behind me, gripping the edge of the island, needing the support before I flew off this planet.

Hudson moaned against me, and I became that subtle tremor in his voice, that hungry growl as he devoured me. Became the sparks that tensed and flared and crackled with each stroke he delivered.

Unhinged.

The man…God, he was my undoing.

Years of being locked up tight—my heart, body, and soul.

Years of fortifying against a potential break.

And Hudson Porter had slipped through them like he’d always held the key.

Maybe he had.

He squeezed my ass with one hand and held down my writhing hips with another. I was no match for his strength, and yet I felt safe, worshipped, desirable.

“Hudson,” I groaned, bucking against his hold as he devoured me.

“Shea,” he said, mimicking me with a tease in his tone.

“Please,” I said, breathless. “God, I can’t take any more.”

“You can,” he said, moving the hand from my ass to my center, slipping two fingers into my warmth while his tongue continued flicking my clit. “You can handle this,” he said, emphasizing the word by rolling his fingers inside me in a come hither motion. “And this,” he said, laying his tongue flat against my clit. “And more,” he continued, taking that moment to raise himself up just slightly, just enough for me to look down at him where he grinned between my thighs.

“Fuck.” I shuddered, every ounce of my being coiling like a tight spring.

The word on my lips made something red hot flare in his eyes, and he unleashed himself on me. Pumping those fingers once, twice, three times before he placed his lips on my clit and sucked.

I saw stars.

Splintering, shining sparks that danced across my vision as I bowed against him.

His name a scream.

My breath ragged.

My fingers aching from how hard I gripped the island.

I trembled against him as he saw me through one orgasm and right into another, until I was gasping and limp from the pleasure.

Slowly, sweetly, he kissed the interior of my thighs, slipping his fingers from my warmth as he raised to his full height once again.

And I could’ve wept from wanting him so badly.

But then he turned away from me, to do what I didn’t know or care.

“Don’t you dare leave,” I said, hooking my legs around him, my pumps digging into his bare back.

He growled, sliding his hands under me and hefting me off the island.

“Just looking for where I want to fuck you next.”

A moan rippled through me, and I shifted around him, the slickness between my thighs drenching his abs where he held me against him.

“Anywhere,” I demanded. “As long as it’s now.”

A wicked smirk shaped his lips as he slowed his walk through the penthouse. “Any requests?”

I quickly scanned the area, the layout suddenly new and ripe with possibilities now that we were here alone.

“There.” I pointed to one of his tall-backed, armless chairs that sat next to the unlit fireplace.

He cocked a brow at me but moved us toward it. “Kind of hard for me to fuck you there.”

I clenched my thighs. “But I can fuck you there.”

A tremor rolled through him, all of his defined muscles tensing and flexing underneath me.

He swallowed hard before turning us until he sat in the chair.

I shifted, widening my thighs so I could straddle him, my heeled feet on the floor for leverage.

“Please,” I said, swiping my tongue over his lips. “Let me take care of you for once.”

A growl rumbled his chest as I teased him with my wetness, rolling my hips to allow him to slide in an inch before moving back out. Quickly, I stood and shimmied out of the now wrinkled pencil skirt, leaving it and my blouse a rumpled mess on the floor. Then, I unclasped my lace bra and let it join the pile.

Completely bare.

That’s what I wanted to be with him.

The muscles under his smooth skin grew taut and strained as he gripped my hips when I settled back over him, his length hard as the marble he’d just feasted me on. He dipped his head as I rocked against him, teasing, torturing as he’d done for me. My breasts were full and heavy as he kissed them, flicked his tongue over my pert nipple, before taking it between his teeth.

A gasp tore from my lips from the bite of pain, and he laughed against my breasts as he smoothed the hurt with his tongue.

I gripped the back of his neck, forcing his lips up to mine, and claimed his mouth, the position above him fueling my possession over this giant man. It didn’t matter how small I was compared to him, how in a blink he could have me on my back. I was in control, and he was mine.

I tucked his bottom lip between my teeth, scraping his flesh until he hissed.

“God damn, Shea,” he groaned against my mouth.

The desire in his words, the hunger, they soared right down the center of me.

I moved my hands between us, gripping his considerable length with both hands. He was slick with me, and I gently twisted and spiraled and rolled him between my hands. His massive thighs flexing underneath me as he arched his head back.

And when his hands on my hips tightened so much they bit my skin, I guided him to the center of me, and sank, agonizingly slow, on top of him.

Sank until he was seated to the hilt.

His head snapped up, his eyes locking with mine.

Chest to chest.

Nose to nose.

Completely, utterly connected.

My heart skipped and stuttered.

And once I’d adjusted to the size of him, I moved on him.

Back and forth.

Up and down.

Each trip his hard length stoking the flames that curled inside me.

Faster.

Harder.

I dug my fingers into his shoulder and rode him, giving up my control entirely to the primal instincts that had me writhing and rocking like a wild woman against him.

I arched backward, letting go of his shoulders, the angle sending shocks of electricity down my spine. Knowing without a doubt as I kept arching that he’d hold on to me, wouldn’t let me fall as I rocked against him and the deeper angle hit a spot deep within me that I was certain had his name branded upon it.

One hand held onto me as I moved, relentless in my need for him, and his other slid down the center of my breasts, over my stomach, and lower. Until his fingers found their way between us and teased.

I drew myself back up, our foreheads practically touching, and just as he pushed against me with his hand, I slammed down on top of his length.

Again and again.

Until I shattered around him.

“Hudson!” I screamed, unable to contain his name between my lips.

His hand shifted back to my hips, hefting me up and down, my body limp from the throes of the who-knew-what-number orgasm. Harder, faster, he lifted and lowered me, until I coiled again.

Until he hardened within me to the nth degree.

Until he growled and pleasure barreled down my spine when I felt his release spill inside me.

His grip loosened, his forehead dropping against my shoulder as we sat there, connected in both ragged breath and body.

And when he stood, holding me against him until we’d made it to the bathroom, where he so painstakingly and gently cleaned us both up, I knew everything I’d ever been afraid of had come true.

I loved this man more than I knew possible.

And I knew I’d never come back from it.