I pictured what he must look like—his shoulders broad and squared, his face stern and unmoving. There was no way to refute him when he looked like that.

Her heels clicked again.

I tensed.

Then the sound of the couch creaking. “Is that why you brought me here? To tell me that you’re quitting?” Though she was trying to sound bored, I heard the disappointment in her voice.

“I haven’t even really played in years. Except to be your pawn.” Hudson’s steps then movement as he sat in his chair. “But no, that’s not why you’re here. I’m telling you that you’re quitting. You’re done, Celia. No more games.”

“You’re joking, right? You can’t decide that for me.”

While I appreciated that Hudson believed he could simply talk Celia out of her ways, I recognized her fortitude. She was not one to give up easily. Or at all. Even if Hudson asked her nicely.

“You’re right that I can’t monitor you in every facet of your life,” Hudson said, “nor do I have any intention, but I can tell you that you will not be messing with me or my family or my employees and definitely not Alayna.”

There, again. The sound of my name from his lips. Said so carefully, so reverently, like carrying something fragile and precious. Ah…precious. His care for me was…it was deep. I couldn’t deny that.

And the realization only hurt that much more.

Celia’s response kept me from spiraling into a fit of sobs. “That’s hilarious that you think you have any control over me in any measure. And your declaration is only begging for me to prove you wrong. Plus, even though I agreed to not press charges, I’m not finished with this Alayna game.”

“You are finished, Celia.” Again, he spoke with authority. “While I’d hoped you’d give it up for the sake of our friendship—or whatever it is that we once had—I had a feeling that you’d disagree. So I’ve attained some insurance.”

“I’m intrigued.”

So am I.

“Let me tell you about a company that I just bought.” There was unusual pep in Hudson’s tone. “Actually, I’ll show you the paperwork.”

Once more my heart raced as Hudson stood and moved. But he sounded like he was walking away. Then a shuffle of papers—he was at his desk. Then back to where he’d been—again, the chair creaked. I heard another shuffle and then individual paper movement as though someone was flipping through a packet and periodic silence as they paused to read. I could picture it—her French-tipped nails turning one page after another.

What was it? I itched to know. Though there was no way I’d be able to see what she was reading, I couldn’t take it anymore—I had to peek. If they were buried in papers, they wouldn’t notice me. I moved to my knees and peered around the door.

She sat, as I’d imagined, on the couch, a manila folder in hand, her brow furrowed. Her hair was up, as usual, and her nose was bandaged. Black and blue bruises extended underneath the tape.

I couldn’t help but smile at her injury.

Her eyes widened and her head shot up to look at Hudson whose back was to me. I sat down quickly, not wanting to be seen.

“How did you…?” she asked.

“Very sneakily.” He was proud; I could hear it in the edges of his even tone. “I’ll admit, it wasn’t easy. I had to convince another company to purchase a portion of the stock, and then I bought out that company—you don’t really want the details, do you?”

The deal he’d been working on. It had to do with Celia?

“The contracts are signed now,” he continued. “That’s all that matters. I’m officially the majority owner of Werner Media Corporation.”

I gasped, then slapped my hand over my mouth too late. Fuck! Had they heard my gasp? Had they heard my slap? And now my heart was beating louder than it had the whole time I’d been trapped in his bedroom—surely they could hear that?

But if they did, they gave no indication.

“And you said you’d quit playing the game.” Celia’s words were low and heavy.

“I had one final move to make,” he said.

And what a move it was. Werner Media Corporation—Celia’s family’s business—Hudson had bought it? This was…this was big.

She let out a long, slow hiss of air—or I guessed it was her, I couldn’t see for sure. “It’s checkmate, is it then?” she asked.

“You tell me.” Triumph hung in the texture of his words.

“What are your plans for Werner Media?” She fought to the end. Some people might be impressed with her dedication.

I imagined, once upon a time, that Hudson had been one of those people.

For me, it was Hudson that impressed me.

“At the moment, I have no plans. The company’s doing well as it is. Warren Werner is definitely the right man to be in charge. However, if there were any reason that I felt his presence was no longer needed…” He let his threat trail off.

“He’d be devastated,” Celia said softly.

“I imagine he’d be devastated just to learn he no longer holds controlling interest. For now, the fact is still hidden. He has no idea that he’s no longer in charge. Would you like that to change?”

“No,” she said.

“Do you plan on doing anything that might cause me to alter my current business plan?”

Defeat clung to her simple one-word answer. “No.”

“Then yes, it’s checkmate.”

We sat silently, all of us, for several minutes after the game was declared finished. My skin tingled as Hudson’s victory settled in the air. A smile graced my lips and a mixture of many, many emotions swept up and over me, very few of them sinking in with enough clarity to cling on to for long. Some, I could name—surprise, gratitude, relief, triumph. Others were more difficult to discern through the blanket of heartache that still covered me from head to toe. Was there some forgiveness toward Hudson in there? A touch of hopefulness, perhaps?

Love, there was love. There was always love.

“I guess it’s time for me to go,” Celia said eventually.

“It is. I’ll walk you out.”

They weren’t going back through the office. The realization sent another stab of panic through me—was Hudson not leaving? And my duffel—it was at the door.

Once again, I held my breath as they crossed the floor. I heard the door open. If they were at the entrance, their backs would be toward me. I had to see what was going on.

I moved up to my knees again and peered around the frame. Hudson was holding the door open as Celia walked past. He started to shut it behind her—dammit, he was staying—then his gaze fell on my bag.

He paused there for half a second. Then his eyes rose to scan the room.

I didn’t move—did I want him to find me?

He did.

Our eyes locked, and the intensity of his expression—it was all-consuming. Maybe I couldn’t read all of my own emotions, but in his gaze I saw three with clarity. Surprise, elation. And, clear as day, I saw love.

If he came to me at that moment, I was certain I’d fall back into him.

But he didn’t.

“Hold the elevator,” he said to Celia without looking away. His lip ticked ever so slightly, delivering me a half-smile. Then he left, shutting the door behind him.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Nine in the morning came awfully early after working until three a.m. I peeked from under my lids at the sun that suddenly filled the room.

“Hey,” I groaned. “I had the curtains shut for a reason.”

“Too bad. You got your fashionything.” Liesl poked at my foot sticking off the bottom of the futon. “Get up.”

“But, Mom, I don’t wanna.” I rubbed my eyes and sat up. I glanced at the time. It was actually after nine. I must have pushed the snooze button on the alarm clock a couple of times. “Why are you awake anyway?”

I’d worked a short shift but Liesl had stayed until close. That meant she’d probably only been home a couple of hours. Funny, she hadn’t woken me when she came in.

Then I realized, her coming in was what had woken me.

“Got a ride from one of the regulars.” She waggled her brows. “And when I say ride, I don’t mean in a car.”

Sex looked good on Liesl. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes bright. Part of me had always been jealous of her ability to sleep with random people and not get attached. This morning, thinking about sex just made me sad.

My face must have given away my thoughts because next thing I knew, Liesl had crawled onto the bed and wrapped her arms around me in a giant girlfriend hug.

I sighed into her embrace. It felt so good to be touched, to be cared for.

She kissed my temple. “Are you going to be okay today?”

I shrugged against her arms. “Hudson’s not supposed to be at the show. So yeah.” Saying his name made my heart simultaneously flip and sink. After he’d left the loft, I’d expected him to come into the club during my shift. Or to call. Find me somehow. There was so much to say after all I’d witnessed. Maybe he wasn’t interested.

Liesl released me and bopped me on the nose with her finger. “What’s that frown about then? You’re wishing he was coming, aren’t you?”

Did I wish that? “I don’t know.” While I didn’t want to see him, I wanted him to want to see me, if that made any sense.

I hugged my knees to my chest. “Why do you think he hasn’t tried to talk to me?”

“Maybe he’s respecting your space.”

Memories washed over me, times Hudson had bullied his way into my life when I’d tried to push him away. “Hudson’s never been one to respect my space.” Maybe that hadn’t been the real Hudson Pierce. It was preferable to think that than to believe he’d really given up on me so easily. “I guess I thought he’d fight for me. Especially after what he did yesterday. After he saw me.”