I did leave the apartment but only to get a wax and attend my group therapy that evening. When I returned, Hudson was passed out in our bed. I let him sleep.

Before I joined him, I got a run in on the treadmill and texted Stacy. Thanks, but no thanks, my message said. I probably didn’t need to respond at all, but it gave the issue finality. I slept soundlessly the whole night through.

The next day was a holiday—the Fourth of July. Hudson surprised me by taking me to brunch at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park. Afterward, we walked through the park, holding hands and enjoying each other’s company. We were good—it felt right being with him. Easy.

Yet there was a tangible fragility between us. We were cautious with each other, handling one another with kid gloves. Hudson’s lingering fatigue didn’t help the situation.

Later, getting ready for the evening’s fireworks display, Hudson came up behind me as I primped in the bedroom mirror. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed along my neckline. “We’ve been pussy-footing around each other all day,” he said at my ear. “I’m warning you now that I’m done. It’s time for me to start treating you like what you are: Mine.”

My breath caught sharply.

“And yes, that means that you’ll be fucked later. Hard.”

Just like that, our tentativeness was over. And I needed a change of panties.

* * *

Except for a few casual strokes and caresses, Hudson kept his hands to himself during our ride to the Firework Cruise. I had a feeling the minimal contact was purposeful. He was building the anticipation.

And, god, was it working.

The air between us was charged. His sexual promise remained ever present in my thoughts, turning me into a powder keg waiting for that one spark to light me on fire. He, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected—as though he hadn’t uttered those carnal words to me only an hour earlier.

It was late evening, the sun just beginning to set, when we arrived at the pier. Hudson didn’t wait for Jordan to open our door. He stepped out of the Maybach and reached for my hand to pull me out behind him. He was striking in his tan pants and dark suit jacket. He’d forgone the tie, leaving his white shirt unbuttoned to expose the top of his chest. The wind blew across the river that shared his name, mussing Hudson’s hair into sexy chaos. As always, he took my breath away.

The moment was short lived. Cameras clicking and people shouting Hudson’s name interrupted the reverie. Having been to only one other event with him where media was present, I wasn’t used to the attention.

But Hudson was.

Like he had the last time when I’d gone with him to his mother’s charity fashion event, he put on a show, pulling me into his side to pose for the cameras. He tactfully ignored many of the questions, only answering some with a simple yes or no.

“Is it true you’ve bought back your old company, Plexis?”

“Yes.”

“Are you planning to break the company apart?”

“No.”

“Is this your current girlfriend? Alayna Withers, is it?”

“Yes.”

“What about Celia Werner?”

This was one Hudson didn’t answer. The only betrayal that he’d even heard the question was a twitch of his eye. The man had stoicism down to a science.

I did not. The mention of Celia’s name threw a shiver down my spine. It hadn’t only been his mother who thought he and Celia should be together. Even the press had thought they were more than friends. Hudson, not caring what people thought or said about him, never bothered to correct the assumption.

I realized then that the media would never let her out of our life. She’d always be asked about, always be linked to him in the tabloids. I’d have to get used to it if I planned on staying with Hudson long term. And I planned on exactly that.

But just because I had to live with it didn’t mean I couldn’t fight back.

Forcing a smile, I did something that surprised even me—I spoke to the onlookers. “Don’t you think it’s rude to ask that when I’m standing right here?” I paused but didn’t let the reporter get a word in before continuing. “He’s with me now. Bringing up another woman in front of me is completely distasteful. If stirring up gossip is the only way you can write a decent story, I feel quite sorry for you. Don’t bother rebutting. We have a party to attend.”

Hudson’s eyes widened. “You heard the lady.” He took my hand and pulled me with him toward the dock where The Magnolia, a two hundred and fifty foot yacht, waited for us.

I squeezed his hand. “That wasn’t so bad.” I needed his reassurance. Needed to know I hadn’t pissed him off.

“It was mostly terrible,” he hissed.

Immediately I felt guilty for my outburst. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry.”

“Why? You were the only reason it wasn’t all terrible.”

“Well, then.” My smile widened. “Maybe I should talk to the press more often.”

“Don’t push it.” Hudson’s smile was brief. He quickly returned to his somber mood. After our pleasant day together, I had hoped that his crabbiness was over. Not the case. It was understandable. Dealing with the press and having to attend a big social event were not Hudson’s favorite ways to pass the time.

I, on the other hand, didn’t mind parties. Though I would have been just as happy to watch the show on TV from our bedroom. Or skip the viewing altogether. “Why are we going if you hate these things so much?”

He paused, mid-stride. “Good question. Let’s not go.”

“Hudson…” I tugged at him. Now that I’d gotten all dolled up, we might as well go through with the evening. Besides, even though he didn’t want to be there, I sensed he wouldn’t abandon the Firework Cruise so easily.

He sighed and let me pull him toward the ship. “I’m here because Pierce Industries sponsors this event. I have to go. If I don’t, it reflects poorly on the corporation.”

I put on an exaggerated frown. “Poor Hudson Alexander Pierce. Born into responsibility and obligation. Oh, and money and opportunity.”

He looked at me, an eyebrow raised. “Really?”

“A little, yeah. If you’re going to throw a pity party, H, I’m not planning to attend.” Frankly, I was tired of his cranky mood. I wanted fun Hudson for the evening.

The edges of his mouth relaxed ever so slightly. “I’m not throwing a pity party. It’s impossible for anyone to feel sorry for me when you’re at my side.” He pulled me closer to him so his arm could circle my waist.

“Yeah, that’s why people envy you.”

This got me a smile. “If it’s not, it’s the reason that they should.”

At the end of the dock, a man dressed in naval attire stood waiting by the plank leading to the yacht.

“Good evening, Mr. Pierce. We’re ready to cast off whenever you are, sir.”

Hudson nodded. “Then let’s go.” He motioned me ahead of him, but I heard the man, who I assumed was the captain, whispering something else to Hudson behind me.

I stepped off the plank onto the boat deck then looked back to see Hudson’s expression had grown grim.

“I’d rather not cause a scene,” he said, his voice low. “But have the crew keep an eye out for any trouble.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hudson climbed aboard, putting his hand at the small of my back when he’d reached me.

“Is everything okay?”

“Fine.” His tone was terse.

Dammit. Whatever the captain had said to him seemed to have undone the progress I’d made at ridding Hudson of his bad mood.

I knew from experience that pressing the matter would only make him grumpier. But I couldn’t help myself. “Hudson, honesty and transparency…remember?”

He glared at me for three solid seconds before his features softened. “It’s nothing. An uninvited guest arrived. That’s all.”

I suddenly felt guilty for teasing him about his obligations. Even on a holiday night when he should be enjoying himself, he couldn’t relax. He’d always have to take care of something, manage someone. No wonder these events were such a pain in the ass.

Making up my mind to try to give him the best night possible, I let the subject of the uninvited guest go, even though I was itching to know more of the details. The last thing Hudson needed was me badgering him.

Instead, I worked again to make him more amiable. I leaned into him and whispered, “By the way, I meant to tell you that I got waxed yesterday.” Since he’d been asleep when I got home, I hadn’t gotten a chance to show him. Which was probably best since the recommendation was to wait twenty-four hours after waxing before having sex.

“Waxed?” Hudson said too loudly, his brow furrowed in confusion. Then understanding set in. “Oh.” Immediately his expression lit with interest.

Behind us, a crew member that was helping the captain draw the plank into the ship looked up, obviously also getting my meaning.

Hudson glared at the man, and ushered me further onto the deck with him. “Tell me more.” This time his volume was appropriately quieter.

“I’m talking waxed. Like, all the way. Bare.” Normally, I kept a little more than a landing strip. This was the first time since I’d been with Hudson that I’d gone clean.

Hudson’s eyes narrowed as he adjusted himself. “Are you trying to make this the most uncomfortable night of my life?”

“I was trying to give you something to look forward to, Mr. Grumpy Pants.”

“Mr. Strained Pants, I think you mean.”

I laughed. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“For you.” He pulled me against him so that I could feel his erection against my belly. “It’s going to be a long evening. By the time I finally get to be inside you, I’m going to need to be there for a long time. And I don’t expect that I’ll be able to be gentle.”

Okay, wow. “No complaints here.”

“Good girl.” He stared longingly at my lips, but he didn’t kiss me. Finally, he said, “I’ll try to improve my mood. Let’s go. The sooner the socializing is over, the sooner I can bury my face between your thighs.”

Hudson led me up the stairs to the main deck. I’d never been on a yacht before, but I was pretty sure this one was more luxurious than most. I looked up the side of the boat and counted four decks, plus the mini one that we’d entered on. The deck furniture was simple but in good taste. Amazing taste, actually. At least what I could see of it. Most of it was covered by bodies. Dozens and dozens of bodies. There were at least forty people already in full party mode on this deck. Above me, more people leaned on the deck railings. And we hadn’t even gotten to the inside yet.

I followed Hudson through the throngs of people and inside to a grand lounge. This area was even more packed then the decks. “How many people are here?” I asked.

He nodded at a server across the room who immediately headed our way. “There were two hundred invited. They were each allowed one guest. We only take this many people out for the annual Macy’s fireworks. There are fourteen staterooms, so we’d never actually travel with this many aboard.”

Hudson took two champagne glasses from the server and handed one to me. He clinked his glass to mine before taking a swallow. “Except for a few other important people, we’ll be the only ones sleeping here tonight.”

“Hopefully there won’t be much sleeping.” The bare skin between my thighs was aching for the attention it had been promised.

“You’ll pay for your teasing later.”

Just then, the boat launched smoothly into the river. I grabbed Hudson’s arm to adjust to the motion as the crowd erupted into cheers. The place was utter chaos. Definitely not my boyfriend’s usual type of scene. No wonder he’d been anxious.

We made our way up the grand staircase to an upper level, stopping every so often so that Hudson could greet a guest. He introduced me to all of them, sometimes as his girlfriend, sometimes as the promotions manager of his club. I guessed he chose my title depending on how it would benefit me and my career. Always looking out for me.

The next room we ended up in looked like a large living room. A bar curved around the wall and an abundance of couches and armchairs filled the space. A giant flat-screen TV graced one wall. It was turned onto the telecast of the pre-fireworks show though no one seemed to be paying attention. This room was also crowded, but I heard my name called through the buzz of conversation.

I turned toward the voice and found Hudson’s sister sitting on a couch in the corner. She stood as we approached her, and I bent to embrace the petite woman I’d grown to love nearly as much as her brother. It was amazing how tightly she could hug with her pregnant belly between us.