Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 93400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
I let out a laugh that was so fake, I could see Candace cringe from the corner of my eye. “McDream…um…Hudson. You’re back!” I tried for a cool, happy tone, but failed big time. What came out sounded more like the voice of a preteen girl who’d just had her high school crush smile at her for the very first time.
A crooked grin appeared on Hudson’s face, and I nearly moaned when his dimples appeared. He winked. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
I frantically shook my head. “No. It’s okay. Considering you write suspense, it makes sense you’d want to have sex there. And I own a bookstore, so it would make sense I’d want to have sex there too.”
His smile grew bigger, and my stomach did a weird jump. Holy shit, I cannot believe I just freaking said that.
“No. I didn’t mean that you want to have sex there now…or here. With me or anything. I just meant that it’s no surprise that the genre would turn you on.”
I frowned and shook my head. Did I really just say that? I seriously need an intervention.
“Oh dear Lord,” Candace whispered.
Hudson stared at me as I wondered how long it would take for a hole in the floor to open up and put me out of my misery.
I held up my hands. “Wait. That’s not what I meant. What I meant was that you probably get turned on by––”
Hudson reached up and pressed two fingers to my mouth, and I immediately stopped talking. An instant rush of heat swept through my entire body.
With a sweet smile, he said, “You might want to stop talking.”
I nodded.
He lifted one brow, a silent way of asking that if he removed his fingers, I would keep my lips closed. I nodded again, and he dropped his hand.
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I honestly don’t even have an explanation for the last five minutes.”
Hudson laughed, and I felt my mind go blank again. Especially when I glanced up at his eyes. They almost looked like they had small flecks of gold that caused them to sparkle.
“Then maybe we should just forget about them.”
I felt my head bob. “Yes. I think we should.”
A wicked twinkle lit up his eyes as he let them roam quickly down my body before he met my gaze again and winked. “May I use the study room today?”
I swallowed hard and tried not to breathe faster as images of Hudson making love to me on the aforementioned desk filled my mind. “Yes. Of course.”
Oh Lord. My voice sounded hot and breathy.
He started to walk past me, and I spun around to face him. “Are you doing research for a new book?”
His steps faltered a bit as he looked over his shoulder at me. “No, I’m actually trying to finish a book.”
I frowned and watched him retreat to the back of the bookstore and into the study room. He shut the door and started to unpack his laptop. When he glanced up, our eyes met through the window and he smiled once again.
With a wave of my hand, I turned and rushed to the front counter where Candace was sitting, laughing her ass off.
“That…that was…literally the best thing…ever!”
“Shut up! Why didn’t you tell me he was standing there?”
She wiped her tears away. “I tried, but you wouldn’t let me get a word in.”
I groaned and dropped my forehead to the counter. “I’ll never be able to look at him again.”
“Oh, trust me, I think you’ll be able to. And the way that man looks at you…” She fanned herself. “My goodness, it made me all hot and bothered.”
I jerked my head up and looked at her. “What do you mean by the way he looks at me?”
“Um, hello? I’m pretty sure he thinks you’re hot.”
“Me?” I pointed a finger at myself.
Candace leaned closer when someone walked through the front door, waving as they made their way into the bookstore. We both greeted them with a hello and a wave.
“Whatever he whispered had you blushing instantly,” Candace said. “What did he say, by the way?”
The last thing I wanted to do was repeat what Hudson had said. Not because I was worried about what Candace would think, but more because if I even thought it, let alone voiced it, I would blush again. “Nothing.”
“Mmmhmm. Sure. Okay, let’s go with that.”
I rolled my eyes and looked back toward the study room. “He said he was here to write a book.”
“So not a research trip, huh? Why here? Why Boggy Creek?”
After a long exhale, I replied, “Maybe he needs a change of scenery. But he’s not going to get that by sitting in a small room.”
“Could be he likes being surrounded by books,” Candace added.
Glancing at her, I laughed. “He’s in a tiny room.”
“Yes, but he can look up and see the books. Maybe he doesn’t want to sit in the Willow Tree Inn all day. Although, they do have a lot of cute little sitting areas outside.”