“What the fuck was that back there?”
He turns, his face looking tight and tense and his sharp blue eyes blazing liquid fire as they stare at me; “It’s nothing, Reagan; just leave it. Oh and say hi to Chet for me.”
I stare at him, feeling my own flame begin to churn inside of me; “You’re jealous? Of Chet?”
“Of course I’m fucking jealous.” He growls it quietly, before he starts to stalk past me back into the house.
“You know it wasn’t just that you rejected me and made me feel like a complete idiot.” My mouth spits the words out before my brain can stop me, and he freezes in the doorway.
He whirls around, his eyes blazing that steely blue fire as he looks right into mine.
“It wasn't just that you humiliated me, Hudson; after you led me on like that.” I take a shaky breath, realizing I’m about to say everything I’ve been wanting to tell him for five years; “I was young-”
“So was I-”
“You knew better!” The pained look in his eyes says it all, but I just can’t stop; “And you just left me there!” I can feel the tears begin to well up, hot and stinging my eyes as my heart races in my chest.
“I was a mess, Reagan,” He says gruffly, a tightness to his voice; “I was broken and I didn’t want you to get dragged into my-”
“You know what Hudson? Fuck you- it’s not that!” I’m desperately trying to keep it together and not let myself fly off the handle, but it feels like the whole stupid thing is about to give way. I feel my throat tighten, catching my breath in my throat; “It’s not even that you wound me up and left me feeling like a stupid little girl-”. My chest burns and my eyes sting as I glare at him, standing there with his smoldering gaze just burning into me; “I mean what was the point of pretending you even liked me like that for all that time Hudson?” I’m crying now and telling him this, and basically doing everything I don’t do as I just spill everything; “What was the point of making me feel like I was special or like you even wanted me?”
“Jesus, Reagan, because I-”
“I saw you!” Tears are rolling down my cheeks, fueled by the memory of him driving away all those years before; “I fucking saw you leaving with that girl, OK?” My breath hitches as I try and fight the tears; “And after nothing even happened with us, you went off and gloated to everyone that you fucked the boss’s daughter anyways!”
His face crumbles into a frown; “Reagan, what the fuck are you talking abou-”
“ ‘A girl like that is just another place to get your dick wet’, right Hudson? That’s what you fucking said, right?” Hudson’s face is tight and his eyes are flashing fire at me he takes a step forward and reaches for me, but I rip my arm away and turn away from him; “No, forget this, and fuck you, Hudson; fuck this whole thing, just leave me alo-”
He grabs me, his grip tight on my arm, and I gasp as I feel him pull me around and yank me against his chest; “Will you listen to me!” He growls.
I can feel my heart leap into my throat as he holds me tight against him, and I fall right into those eyes as the smell of him and the feel of his hands on my skin just draw me right in. “Don’t touch me!” But I know my fight is gone the second I find myself in his arms, and I’m not stopping him.
He shoves me back against the ivy-covered wall behind me, his body so close to mine that I can feel his heat; “I gave that girl a ride home because she was wasted, and her boyfriend was being an asshole.”
“Oh, please; fucking save me the bullshit Hudso-”
“Logan.” He growls out; “Logan was her boyfriend. They fought, she was drunk, and I was going back to New York anyways; that’s why she was in my car.”
His eyes pierce into me, and I’m trying to fight the cooling effect they’re having on my temper because I need to be mad; I need to scream at him and tell him I hate him because if I don’t I’ll explode. “You- you told that group of guys that we-!”
“You didn’t hear the whole thing, did you.” The winter wind whips up over the terrace, and I shiver against him. “Those guys were a bunch of douchebag finance assholes who worked for Archer Holdings, and I bumped into them after I told Logan I’d take his girl home.” His eyes narrow as if he’s remembering the moment, and he sort of looks through me as he talks; “They were all bullshitting around, talking about girls and their conquests or whatever, when one of them said something about a pool they all had about sleeping with one of the Archer girls.” Hudson’s face glowers darkly, and his eyes flash with a fierce emotion; “One little prick said something especially foul about you, and yeah, what I said was; ‘if you think a girl like that is just another place to get your dick wet, we’re going to have a problem’ “. Hudson’s eyes bore fiercely into mine; “I’m guessing you left before I told him I’d push him off the fucking roof if I ever heard him talk about you or your sisters like that again.”