He reached for her. “Come here.” Allie leaned down, and with a shaky hand he pulled her closer. “You’re so brave. You amaze me,” he said, pressing a tender kiss to her lips. “Thank you.” The sense of relief he felt over Julian being out of the picture was short-lived as reality bombarded him from every direction.
“Fuck,” he said. “What about Nick? Did they find out about him? The video?” He made a move to get out of bed. “Where’s my phone?”
“Oh no, you don’t.” Allie pressed a gentle hand against his shoulder. “No moving. Doctor’s orders.”
“Fine.” Hudson lowered his head. As if he was going anywhere hooked up to miles of tubing and a goddamn catheter anyway. “Now answer me.”
“Your phone is with me.” Before he could speak, she added, “And you don’t need it. Darren is taking care of everything at the office. As for Nick.” She lowered her voice. “Max arrived shortly after I called 911. I don’t know the details, nor do I think we should discuss it here, but he assured me the threat no longer exists.”
“Have the police been here?”
“Detective Green came by yesterday. She took my statement and I gave her the recording.”
“You got him to admit what he did?”
Allie nodded. “Everything. From the sound of it, wrapping up the case is just a matter of a few formalities now. Although I believe you still have some explaining to do.”
“Explaining? I was fucking shot, what’s there to explain?”
“Not to the detective, to your brother. He’s rather pissed.”
Hudson lifted a brow. “And why’s that?”
“In the chaos he may have heard me blurt out that I was your next of kin.”
“Is that so?
The smile she’d been fighting curved her lips. “Mmmhmm. And he may be a little pissed there wasn’t a bachelor party.”
“Shit.” Hudson rubbed the stubble on his chin. No doubt Nick would have tried to recreate the Playboy club right in the middle of Hudson’s penthouse. Yeah, not a chance in hell.
“He’s out in the waiting room with Harper. Neither of them would go home.”
A vague memory flashed through Hudson’s mind, and he shot her an amused look. “Was I hallucinating on painkillers or did you pull the do-you-know-who-I-am card?”
She blushed. “I did, shamelessly. But there was no way they were keeping me out of that recovery room, no matter how scary that nurse was.”
He laughed, then winced as his chest erupted in pain.
Allie frowned. “Are you sure you don’t want me to call for meds?”
“Not yet. I’m not ready to go back to sleep. But water would be good. My throat feels like fire.”
“That’s from the intubation. They said it would feel better in a couple days.” Allie poured water into a plastic cup and held the bent straw to his lips.
“What about the rest of me?”
“A few weeks. And before you say another word, it will be spent resting.”
“With you as my nurse?”
“If you promise to behave.”
“Not a fucking chance.”
She grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
“I love you.”
“I was hoping you’d say that even more.” Allie leaned down to kiss him again. “I love you, too.”
“How about you get up here with me?”
“Oh no.” Allie let out a throaty laugh. “Save it for when you’re all better.”
“I assure you we won’t be waiting that long, Mrs. Chase. But how about a honeymoon when I’m better?”
“Sounds perfect.”
Hudson’s hand stroked Allie’s hair. “Where would you like to go?”
She placed another kiss on his lips. “Anywhere but Paris.”
Chapter Thirty
Allie peeked up through the canopy of the elliptical chaise. The month of April was said to be one of the most desirable times to visit the Maldives, and so far it had lived up to its reputation. In fact, after a solid week of blue skies and sunshine, she and Hudson were seriously considering moving their corporate headquarters to the remote island chain. At least for the winter months.
She popped her earbuds in and settled back against a cluster of white pillows. With its thick cushion, the dark wicker lounger was more of a pod-shaped daybed than a chaise per se, making it the perfect choice for two people on their honeymoon. Sunbathing side by side with their fingers entwined had become a daily ritual, as had stargazing at night. Although to be fair, that usually involved a lot more than holding hands.
With a swipe of her thumb, Allie pulled up the playlist she’d created especially for the trip. Ed Sheeran began to sing and she closed her eyes, picturing the dances she and Hudson had shared not only when they eloped in January, but at the small reception they’d had with family and friends the night before their trip. Originally they’d discussed having a big society event, something befitting the union of a billionaire tycoon and his heiress bride. But in the end that wasn’t the type of celebration either of them really wanted. So instead of a ballroom full of five hundred people they cared little to nothing about, Hudson and Allie renewed their wedding vows in an intimate ceremony attended by the people who mattered most to them.
The first song rolled into the second, and Sinatra crooned about summer winds. Allie pressed the center button on her phone and stole a glance at the lock screen photo. It was a picture of Hudson she’d taken when they first arrived on the island. They’d been sitting on the deck that ran the length of their over-water bungalow, enjoying a fruity cocktail, the kind served in a coconut shell with a tiny umbrella. The panoramic view was right out of a travel brochure, but it wasn’t the breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean or even the pod of curious dolphins that inspired Allie to take the first snapshot of the trip. It was Hudson, flashing a grin she’d come to know quite well over the three months they’d been married; the one that said “you’re about to be naked.” His eyes were the same blue as the turquoise lagoon, and the tropical breeze was playing in his hair, giving it that sexy, unruly look she found so irresistible. “Freshly fucked” was the style Hudson sported most days, whether in the boardroom or the bedroom, but recently, at least, it had lived up to the name. It seemed her new husband had spent the entire first week of their honeymoon buried deep inside her.
When the second week began she’d insisted they see something besides the inside of their bungalow. Hudson had finally agreed, but only to one day. He jammed it full of everything the resort’s concierge suggested. They’d spent the previous morning exploring the remote island hideaway and visited the Marine Discovery Center where Hudson made a generous donation to the sea turtle fund in his new bride’s name. After lunch they went snorkeling with manta rays and strolled hand in hand along the pristine white sand that stretched the length of the atoll. Allie even gave paddle boarding a try, but she drew the line at shark feeding, stating she’d had enough danger to last her a lifetime. When they finally made it back to the room, she was hardly through the door before Hudson tackled her to the oversize canopy bed. They’d fallen asleep sometime just before dawn and she’d barely dragged herself to the chaise by noon. Honestly, the man was insatiable.
Instinctively, her gaze shifted to the sex god himself. He was sitting on the edge of their private infinity pool, staring out across the lagoon wearing nothing but a pair of black swim trunks. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she took a moment to appreciate her husband, drinking in every detail, from the hard planes of his tanned chest to the rippling muscles of his abs to the super sexy V of his hips. The only imperfection on his otherwise flawless body was the small scar where a bullet had pierced his lung. The sight of it should have brought a pang of sorrow, triggering the memories of that horrible night. Instead it centered her and gave her a sense of calm. Because as much as she hated to be reminded of the night she almost lost her husband, that scar was also a reminder that he’d survived.