“Nice,” I say. I want to ask him what we’re going to do when we go home, but I don’t. It’s too soon to even think about that.
The intro to the show starts playing on TV and it draws our attention. Hudson stretches his arm over the back of the couch as if he’s inviting me to sit closer. I really want to lay my head against his chest and be near him. I know he wants me too, but if I take that step it’ll lead to something more. Do I want that? More than anything.
We finish watching the intro and I can’t help but notice that there are more video shots of me and him than any of the other couples. Hudson clears his throat and moves a little closer to me. “Am I the only one who noticed that you and I were shown quite a lot in that intro?”
I shake my head. “I noticed it too,” I say, keeping my eyes on the TV. I already know the reason for it too. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Hudson staring at me; it makes shiver, but in a good way.
I look over at him and he lifts his brows curiously. “Do we have your sister to thank for that?”
“Not exactly,” I answer. “Now don’t get a big head or anything, but she told me that you and I are the favorite couple on the show. Viewers want to see more of us.”
His grin broadens. “Well, I’ll be damned. That’s awesome. The world wants us together.”
Rolling my eyes, I slap him playfully on the arm. “Great. I can already see your head swelling.” We both laugh and watch the show. It was pretty cool being able to see the other couples and what they did on their dates. It was easy to see which people were genuine and which ones were faking the entire time. Once the day time footage of all the couples is done, it moves to the dinner where the guys are presented with the gifts. It’s the part of the show I’ve been dreading. And just like I thought, there’s a close up of my face during the time I’m afraid to look at Hudson and see him opening his box that he casually pushes to the side. The entire time, he’s smiling at me and my eyes are turned. I can feel the heat rushing to my cheeks. Luckily, Hudson doesn’t say anything. We finish watching the show and it turns out the guys who opened their boxes had to leave their eggs on the stage while the women chose who they wanted. The tables have turned. Once they were all matched up with their new partners, the glowing new couples smiled for the camera. I’m more than relieved that I wasn’t up there on that stage.
“You really didn’t want me opening that box, did you?” Hudson teases. He moves closer and I can feel his warmth on my arm.
A small smile spreads across my face as I turn the channel to something else which happens to be Dirty Dancing. “What can I say? The thought of you wanting to be with one of the other women made me mad.”
Hudson gently touches my chin so I have to look at him. I meet his gaze and it’s so hard not to get lost in those gray eyes of his. He stares into mine as if he can see right into my soul. “What are we going to do when we go home? Will you want to see me again?” he asks, his voice low.
“Depends,” I whisper back. “What do you want from me?”
He focuses down on my lips and smiles. “Right now, I’d give anything to kiss you.” My heart stops and then thumps wildly in my chest. He moves closer and I do the same. I don’t have any control. My breaths come out fast and I’m dying to feel his lips on mine.
“Then kiss me,” I tell him.
When our lips touch, I melt against him. Fire ignites throughout my body and I find myself wanting more. His hand cups the back of my neck and the other is on my cheek, holding me to him. I love every single second of it. I don’t want it to end, but he pulls away first.
“I wish you knew how long I’ve waited to do that.”
I smile. “It’s a shame you didn’t kiss me like that in high school. I might’ve had to change my mind about you.”
We both laugh and it feels good. Something has changed between us. There’s a connection that only seems to grow stronger every second I spend with him. Hudson lays back against the couch and opens his arms. “Want to watch the movie? I promise I’ll just hold you tonight.”
And that makes me fall for him even more. I lay down and snuggle against his chest. “The answer to your question is yes. I’d love to see you again once we’re back home.”
He holds me tighter. “That’s all I wanted to hear.”
9
Allison
I wake up in Hudson’s arms and I can hear his heartbeat in my ear. All I remember is kissing him and then falling asleep while trying to watch Dirty Dancing. I sit up and thank God that I haven’t drooled all over Hudson’s shirt. He stretches his arms and smiles. “Morning, cupcake.”
“That’s the second time you’ve called me that,” I say, laughing. “Is it my new nickname?”
He shrugs. “It’s cute.”
“Okay,” I give in. “I kind
