Wound was an understatement. His skin was tight and his blood was heated to a near boil. And now he was attending a geriatric festival where prestige was granted in exchange for cash. All for a good cause, of course, and with a woman on his arm who wasn’t his wife. Though logic and her track record would indicate she considered the evening a dry run. Yeah, he was an asshole. Stag would have been honorable, but the charade had to be maintained.
Hudson swung the dangling end of the tie counterclockwise and threaded it through the loop he’d created at his brother’s neck. He pulled the tie tight, then straightened it. “There, done. Looking sharp, Nicky.”
“Damn, bro.” Nick admired his reflection. “You’re good at this knot-tying biz.”
Hudson smirked. “Another thing that takes practice. Let’s go,” he said when his cell vibrated. “Max has the car ready.”
Nick crouched down and picked back up with the baby talk routine. “You’re going to be a good girl while I’m out kickin’ it with Uncle Hudson, aren’t you?” The dog’s butt moved to the fast beat of her tail.
“Tell me you’re not planning on leaving that thing here?”
“She’ll be fine. She’s got the whole pee pad thing down.”
“Christ,” Hudson muttered as he strode back into the living room.
Nick caught up to him at the elevator. “If she pisses all over the place, I’ll clean it up,” he said as they stepped inside.
“I’ll hold you to that.” Hudson punched the button for the garage and put on his best game face. Tonight he needed to be Chicago’s most eligible bachelor; the womanizing playboy he used to be instead of the devoted husband he now was.
Chapter Twenty-four
Allie’s first public appearance with her new husband was far from how she’d imagined. Not that she’d really ever given the idea much thought. Or even considered any future where she was Mrs. Hudson Chase, for that matter. Just as it had ten years ago, a life with Hudson had seemed like an unattainable fairy tale. At least it had until she’d turned around to find him on bended knee. In that moment she believed anything was possible. And when he slipped the diamond and platinum band on her finger and vowed to love her for the rest of his life, she knew she never wanted to spend another day without him. Which was why she’d found herself saddened by the fact that he wasn’t there to zip up her dress, why her heart sank as she rode without him in the limo, and why her fingernails dug into her palm as she’d watched him stroll into the Palmer House with Melanie McCormick on his arm.
Allie sipped a glass of champagne as she took in the sight of the ballroom, aglow with the flickering light from dozens of floral-wrapped candelabras. She smiled to herself. Harper and Colin had done a wonderful job with the event. Her eyes darted to where the two of them huddled with the auctioneer. Nick stood a few yards away, tugging on his bow tie and looking like he would rather be just about anywhere but a black tie event.
Not unlike his brother.
Almost involuntarily she sought out the man she loved. He was standing by the bar, a squat tumbler of scotch in his hand and Melanie at his side. The conniving witch was all over him, although not in the obvious way Sophia would have been. While her agenda was the same, Melanie’s approach was more subtle. And if her string of marriages to powerful men was any indication, it was quite successful as well.
Hudson took a sip of the amber liquid, and as he did, his eyes met Allie’s. They narrowed almost imperceptibly and she could have sworn she saw a smug grin curve his lips just before he lowered the glass. She watched as he bent closer to Melanie’s ear, whispering something to her before making his way across the ballroom, weaving through linen-covered tables while cleverly avoiding unwanted conversations with a curt nod of his head.
Allie sipped her champagne, and for a moment her gaze shifted back to Melanie. Her frustration and disappointment were evident even from the other side of the room, and Allie had to fight the smile that tugged the corner of her mouth. But the satisfaction she took from the scowl on Melanie’s face cost her. By the time she turned her attention back to Hudson, he was gone.
“Excuse me,” she said, stepping out of the circle that had formed around her. She handed her empty champagne flute to a passing waiter and lifted the hem of her silver gown as she hurried in the direction Hudson had been heading. But when she pushed through the ballroom doors, he was nowhere in sight.
“Looking for someone?” Hudson was suddenly behind her. His voice was a seductive purr that under any other circumstance would have turned her into a puddle. But Allie held her ground.
“My husband. Have you seen him? Tall, dark, gorgeous, reveling in the attention of Chicago’s most notorious gold digger.” She turned and smirked at him. “Enjoying your evening with Melanie?”
Hudson frowned. “No, not particularly.” He grabbed her by the elbow and guided her toward the coat room.
“You could have fooled me,” she said as he pulled her past the velvet curtains. “Looked like—”
In one swift move he had her pressed against the wall, and then his mouth was on hers, silencing her with his untamed lust. Allie’s mouth fell open on a gasp and Hudson took full advantage, his tongue stroking hers with expert skill. On instinct her body went lax, surrendering to the moment, and when he finally broke the kiss she could hardly catch her breath.
He pulled back just enough to see her face. “As much as I enjoy you in this shade of green,” he said, his finger stroking her cheek, “you have no reason to be jealous.”
Her fingers curled in the hair at the nape of his neck. “I hate watching her fawn all over you.”
With a roll of his hips he ground the thick ridge of his erection against her. “You are the only one who does this to me.” He took her mouth again, his taut body pinning her, and she moaned with a desperate need. She loved it when he was like this, so raw and untamed in his desire for her. It made her entire body come alive.
But they were only steps away from hundreds of guests. “We can’t be seen together,” she reminded him, though her voice lacked conviction.
Hudson loomed over her, his mouth just inches from hers. “Julian is expecting me to try to convince you to take me back.” His lips curved into a grin that was somehow both sinful and playful all at once. “Consider yourself being convinced.”
Allie returned his smile with one of her own. “In the coat room at a company party? Rather cliché, wouldn’t you say, Mr. Chase? One step up from nailing me on a copy machine at the office Christmas party.”
Hudson chuckled. “Not my style, but multiple copies of my wife’s ass are tempting. I simply thought you might need a reminder of—”
Now it was Allie’s turn to interrupt. “Then remind me already,” she said, her voice taking on a more serious, seductive tone. She knew she should stop, straighten his tie and smooth her dress and get back to the three hundred patrons mingling in the ballroom. But hearing Hudson call her his wife was like an incendiary device to her already overheated skin. All she could think about was how desperately she wanted him.
His eyes grew dark as he pressed a key card into her hand. “Meet me upstairs in five minutes. Room 2305.” With that he turned, parted the curtain, and was gone.
Allie waited several beats before stepping out into the corridor. In the distance the hum of quiet conversation mixed with the strains of a string quartet. They had twenty, maybe thirty minutes until dinner was served. Once that happened, their two empty chairs would no doubt raise suspicions. Anticipation thrummed in her veins as she quickly made her way to the elevator bank, glancing over her shoulder every so often to ensure no one saw her leaving the event.