His mouth was hot at my ear. “The only mingling that interests me at the moment is the mingling of our genitalia.”

“You’re insatiable. You had me in the car.” But his suggestion caused my skin to tingle with want and anticipation.

“It wasn’t enough.” He pulled me off the path through a hole in the hedges—somewhere we certainly weren’t allowed to be—and pushed me up against a tall tree, his hip anchoring me in place. “I can never have enough of you.”

My breath caught in a moment of complete adoration for the man in front of me. This man who had worked through his own demons to let me in his life, had ignored every natural inclination to stay closed off and instead was trying his damndest to be with me in the way we both wanted.

I buried my gaze in his eyes. “I love you.”

He bent closer, his nose grazing the skin of my cheek. “Is that what you pulled me away to tell me? I’m not complaining if it is.”

I giggled. “You pulled me away, not the other way around, silly. And it’s not what I had to tell you. But I’m glad every time I get to say it.”

Hudson’s mouth curled into a slow smile, but movement on the path nearby caught my attention. I turned my head toward the small group walking up and spotted the salt-and-pepper man walking past. “Actually, you picked the perfect location. You see that man over there?”

Hudson followed my eyes. “The one in the tan?”

“The man next to him.” I gave him a minute to make sure he got a good look. “Do you know him?”

“Not that I recall. Should I?”

I shrugged. “Not necessarily. But I overheard him talking with another guy—” I swiveled my neck around, looking for the other man. “—that I can’t see right now. Anyway, not important. The salt-and-pepper man works for the company that purchased—wait for it—Plexis.”

Hudson relaxed his hold on me and studied the man one more time before he walked past. “How do you know this?”

“I heard him. When I was wandering earlier. He was boasting about how he was lucky to snatch such an amazing company from the likes of Hudson Pierce.”

Hudson’s posture stiffened. “Go on.”

I bit my lip. “You were right. They’re planning to dismantle the company.”

“Damn it.” It wasn’t often that Hudson showed any emotion where business was concerned—or showed any emotion period—yet I’d guessed he’d felt passionately about the company he’d lost. Now I knew for sure.

It made my next bit of news so much sweeter to deliver. “But he mentioned that they might be interested in selling if they got a good offer first.” I waited until I saw the wheels spinning behind his eyes. “You know what that means? It means all you need to do is get in there with a good offer.”

In a flash, he had me pinned again, pushing his body heavily against mine. “How about I get in you with a good offer?”

“Hudson!” I pushed lightly at his chest. “I’m serious.”

“So am I.” He nibbled along my jawline.

Unable to ever resist his advances, my body was already yielding, melting underneath him, throbbing with need to be closer. Still my brain continued to pursue answers. “I thought Plexis meant something to you.”

“It does.” He smiled as he bent in toward my lips.

I swerved my head to the side and met his eyes. “Then how come all you can think about is sexing me up? Is that all I am to you?” I knew that wasn’t all I was to him, and my words were more playful than anything, but I was disappointed that I’d been wrong about Hudson’s commitment to Plexis.

Adjusting his grip on me, he pressed tight to me again, and moved his lips near my ear. “No, it’s not. You know that your business mind turns me on to no end, especially when your business mind is looking out for my interests. And because I’m not skilled at expressing how I feel in words, I’m wishing I could show you exactly how into you I am at the moment.”

I melted. Completely.

Still my brain struggled for more validation, my voice sounding soft and full of need. “So you’re grateful for the information?”

“Very.” He thrust against me, his hard bulge showing me exactly how grateful.

I squirmed, trying to touch as much of him with as much of me as possible. “And you’re attracted to me beyond the physical?” My words were thick.

But I must have been coherent enough to be understood, because he responded between kissing and licking at my neck. “I’m attracted to everything about you—your body, your mind, your sass. Even your ‘crazy,’ as you call it.”

“You’re crazy, too, if you’re serious about that last one.”

His head jerked up so I could see the sincerity in his eyes. “I’ve never been more serious, Alayna. You’re the first person I’ve ever met who makes me believe I might not be crazy. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

The world stood still around me, and all I could see and hear and feel was Hudson in front of me, on me, in my skin, in my bones. “You need to rethink that whole I’m-not-good-with-words angle, because those words were perfect.”

His nose brushed mine as he nodded once. “Now stop talking and let me occupy your mouth in other ways.”

“What happened to that good offer you had?” I bucked my h*ps forward, searching for something to rub against, to ease the ache growing between my legs.

“Patience, precious. Patience.” His lips took mine, caressing against them lightly at first then crushing forcefully, as his tongue lapped hungrily inside my mouth. Cupping his hands on each side of my face, he controlled our movements, pulling sweet sighs from my throat that he swallowed with his deep kiss. My own hands pressed into the tree, the bark stinging against my skin in stark contrast to the sweet ecstasy of Hudson’s mouth on mine.

I was lost to everything but him and his all-consuming kiss.

“Excuse me. Excuse me.” I vaguely heard the woman speaking, barely registered her clearing her throat. “Excuse me!”

We broke apart as it finally clicked that someone was speaking to us.

“Excuse me, but the lawn is off limits except for in—” The woman’s voice broke off. “Oh, Mr. Pierce. I didn’t realize that…Alayna?”

Still half-dazed, I turned toward the voice. “Julia? What are you—” Julia had said that she had an event later in the day. “Is your company in charge tonight?”