All three turn to stare at me for a moment before they make their way to the fence. Kevin points to the redhead and smiles. “Hudson, this is my wife, Darla.” The stunning girl isn’t his. Fuck yes. The knowledge causes my heart to gallop away in my chest.
Darla smiles and shakes my hand while I say something appropriate. The entire time I’m wondering about my girl. He points at her as I hold my breath. Waiting. “This is my sister, Kathryn.”
“Kat. Everyone calls me Kat.” Her sugary sweet voice nearly brings me to my knees. She’s holding her tiny palm out to me, and I wrap my hand around hers.
Electricity shoots through every nerve of my body the instant our skin touches for the first time, and a low rumble escapes my throat. “Nice to meet you, Kat,” I manage to grunt. I lock eyes with her and notice little flecks of gold shimmering in the bright blue surrounding her dilated pupils. Everything but the two of us disappears as her delicate scent floats around us. In that instant, she becomes my sole focus. After a few seconds, the asshole clears his throat, and I realize I’m still holding her soft hand. I reluctantly release it and immediately miss the contact. This girl reached into my chest and stole my heart in front of everyone. My life will never be the same, and I honestly don’t give a flying fuck. Holy shit. My long-ago conversation with Jake runs through my mind, and I finally understand what my brother-in-law experienced when he fell in love with my little sister. There’s this unbelievable pull. The inability to see anyone except her. The knowledge that she’s the one for me. Nothing is going to stop me from having Kat.
“Your yard looks very nice.” Her southern accent brings me back to the present and causes all the blood in my body to race straight to my cock. Fuck.
I need to know everything about this girl. “Do you live here with Kevin and Darla?” When my voice sounds normal, I secretly congratulate myself. Kat commands all my attention and I ignore everyone else. An unfamiliar sensation shoots through my chest as my dick thumps against my zipper. She affects my cock and my heart, which exhilarates the fuck out of me.
“For now. I’m looking for my own place.” Kat smiles, and her brother turns to her and frowns. I’m betting she hasn’t let him in on her plans.
Darla’s hand is squeezing her husband’s arm tight enough to turn the skin white around her grip. She looks at Kat and squeaks out between her teeth, “We’ll discuss your plans later.” Her green eyes widen as she points her head at the house. Subtlety isn’t the redhead’s strong suit.
My family owns several rental properties close by. If Kat is attempting to find her own place, I’m going to make sure she moves into a safe and secure apartment. The time has come for me and my future brother-in-law to have a long talk.
The redhead does me a favor and pulls my girl toward their house. It’s the perfect time to make a few facts clear to him.
Chapter 5
Kat
His sapphire blue eyes see straight through me. The opportunity to inform Kevin and Darla about my plans comes up, so I grab it and run. Since they can’t argue too strenuously in front of Hudson, I slip the idea right into our conversation. “Melinda is helping me look.” I smile at my best friend and ignore my brother’s frown. “We’ve narrowed it down to two apartments.”
Hudson smirks as he looks back and forth between us. He opens his mouth, but Kevin cuts him off. “Hudson, excuse us. We need to get inside.” We do? That’s news to me. The last time we discussed plans, we’d decided to spend the evening out by the pool.
As Darla grabs my hand and drags me into the house, I look over my shoulder and see the men having a conversation. Kevin follows us a few moments later, shaking his head. “I can’t believe you decided to drop your little bomb in front of the new neighbor.” He glares at me from the doorway.
“I’ve been trying to find the right time, and I just decided to tell you.” I bite my lip and shrug.
I’m waiting for the explosion when Kevin sighs. “Okay. I know of some decent apartments close by. At least let me help you look.” Wow. This conversation is turning out to be a lot easier than I expected. I wonder how my brother is going to react to my new job. I’ll save that information for another time.
Two weeks later, I look around my new space and sigh. After dropping into the only chair I own, I pull out my notepad to start my list of needs. Decorations, furniture, cleaning supplies—I picture my bank account evaporating right before my eyes. Ouch. Moving out is going to take a huge toll on my savings. Time for me to pick up more hours at work.
I can’t believe this stunning place fell into my lap. The previous renters caused massive damage. Kevin is the owner’s CPA, and he assured them I’d take care of their recently remodeled apartment. They’re happy to have a responsible tenant and gave me a huge discount on the rent.
As I’m trying to decide if I can afford pizza for dinner, an unexpected knocking on the front door causes me to jump. Kevin and Darla are out of town, and there’s no one else to visit me since Melinda is working tonight. I’m debating ignoring whoever’s there when he calls through the metal door. “Kat, I know you’re home.” Hudson Russo? How the heck did he find me?
Glancing down, I cringe at my ancient, terry cloth shorts and “Just Do It-Later” tank top. Oh, well. No time to change. I pull the door open and attempt to stand partially behind it. “Hi. Uh, what are you doing here?” Mentally slapping my forehead, I look up into his smiling blue eyes and feel my panties grow wet.
Forgetting about everything around me, I step back when he pushes lightly on the door. “I told Kevin I’d come by and check on you tonight.” Huh? That’s news to me. When did my brother suddenly become best friends with Hudson Russo?
He walks straight into my empty living room and looks around. Turning to me, he smiles. “Kevin asked me to help you get a few things for your new place.” Hudson rubs his bottom lip as he glances around the room. “Seems we’ll have our work cut out for us. What time do you want me to pick you up tomorrow?”
When did I agree to go shopping with him? My mouth runs away without consulting my brain. “Whatever time works for you.” Huh. I just agreed to spend the day with Hudson Russo. “I was about to order pizza for dinner. Would you like to stay for some?” There goes my unruly mouth again.
He smiles and looks at the one chair sitting in the middle of my otherwise empty living room. “Why don’t I take you out to dinner to celebrate your move?” He’s not waiting for my response. He walks over to the door and raises an eyebrow. This whole exchange is still confusing me. How did I go from ordering pizza alone to going out on a date with Hudson Russo? “There’s no way we can both eat here with one chair. Unless you plan on sitting on my lap.” He wiggles his eyebrows, melting my heart.
Visions of feeling his hard thighs under my rear end fill my mind, and I miss everything else he’s saying. Blinking, I come back to the present and watch his eyes turn stormy blue. “Maybe ordering in is the best idea after all.” Hudson walks close to me and whispers, “I want to take this slow with you, but that sexy groan is making things hard for me.” He looks down at the front of his navy dress pants, and my eyes follow his gaze, seeing the huge bulge tinting the expensive material. I swallow hard. Holy shiitake. “I’m having all kinds of dirty thoughts right now.”