Starstruck - Book Three Read Online Free Page A

me.”
     
    I wiped the tears from my cheeks and tried to gather my
composure.
     
    “Did Alec upset you?” he asked.
     
    I immediately stopped crying and laughed at the thought.
     
    “No,” I said. I took a deep breath. “We were at this little
boutique and next thing I know, Ava Fox is tapping me on the shoulder.”
     
    Hudson’s face morphed from concerned to angry as he took a
step back and placed his hands on his hips. He was growing more livid by the
second.
     
    “What did she say to you?” he demanded to know.
     
    “What didn’t she say?” I replied. “She said I was a nobody.
She said not to believe a word you say. She said you were going to get bored
with me and move on. She said your career was going to fall apart and you’d go
running back to her. She said you two were going to be spending an awful lot of
time together these next two weeks. She put a lot of lovely visuals into my
head.”
     
    His breath grew labored as his nostrils flared. I’d never
seen him so upset before.
     
    “Yep, that sounds just like something she’d do,” he said.
“She has no class. She’s fucking crazy. You’ve just experienced it firsthand.
There’s a reason I ended things with her. You know that.”
     
    I nodded.
     
    “Look,” he said as he glanced at his watch. “I’m running
late for a meeting. I really don’t want to leave you here, like this, but when
I get back, we can talk some more, okay?”
     
    “Okay,” I sighed.
     
    “I can’t miss this meeting or else you know I would,” he
said as he cupped my chin with his hand. “I’m going to make a few phone calls
though. I’ll make sure she never bothers you again.”
     
    “What are you going to do?” I asked.
     
    “Don’t worry about it,” he said.
     
    “Hudson, it’s okay,” I said. “Really. She wants a reaction.
That’s why she said those things. She wants to upset you. It’s not about me.
It’s about you. Don’t do anything. Let’s just forget it even happened.”
     
    He sighed and his shoulders fell.
     
    “I hate that she said those things to upset you,” he said.
“I hate that I wasn’t there to protect you.”
     
    “I’m a big girl,” I said as I forced a smile. “I’m learning
to grow thicker skin.”
     
    He leaned in and kissed me tenderly before heading out the
door.
     
    “I’ll be back in a few hours,” he called out before the door
slammed behind him.
     
    The second he left, I slipped into some comfy pajamas and
vegged out in front of the T.V. A bit of mind-numbing entertainment was in
order.
     
    I checked my watch every fifteen minutes, hoping he’d be
back soon. After a few hours, I’d stopped checking. He was running late, but it
was okay. It wasn’t like we had anything planned. I shuffled to his bathroom
where I drew the hottest, steamiest bubble bath I could possibly stand. I
wanted to soak away that awful day.
     
    I managed to find a few candles tucked away in the bathroom
cabinets and lit a few of those too. I deserved to be pampered, especially
after everything I’d been through that week.
     
    I splayed my hair behind the neck rest as I settled in and
let the water lap over me all the way up to my neck. The steam filled my pores
and I breathed it all in with several cleansing breaths.
     
    “Hey, there,” I heard Hudson’s voice call from behind me. He
was finally home.
     
    “About time you’re home,” I teased.
     
    “Got room for one more?” he asked as he began stripping
down.
     
    He climbed in behind me as water spilled out around the tub.
His wet hands slipped down around my waste as I made myself comfortable in his
lap.
     
    Hudson’s hands moved my hair off my neck as his mouth
peppered my damp skin with sweet kisses.
     
    “I’m sorry you had such a rough day,” he said as he held me
tight. “I’m here now.”
     
    “Yeah, but you’re leaving tomorrow,” I pouted. “For two
weeks.”
     
    “Don’t remind me,” he groaned. “I don’t want to