Dare to Tease: A Dare Nation Novella, Carly Phillips [well read books TXT] 📗

twenty questions, Hudson thought, narrowing his gaze. No, he hadn’t told Braden he was taking Bri, but there was every chance Braden already knew and was testing him, in which case he had no problem playing the long game and making his friend work for the answers.

“I made a reservation at the Four Seasons.” In fact, he’d pulled family strings, and he’d managed to book them into a suite. He wanted to make a good impression with Bri.

Folding his arms across his chest, he met Braden’s gaze and waited for the explosion.

Braden raised his eyebrows. “I hope you mean you made reservations, as in plural?”

“None of your business, and I take it the family grapevine is alive and well?” Hudson asked with a grin and heard the grinding of his friend’s teeth.

The last time he’d seen a scowl that deep on Braden’s face was during a walk through over-one-hundred-degree heat to a village that was a few miles away after their Jeep had broken down.

“Bri went dress shopping with Macy. She told Jaxon, and Jaxon told me. I can’t believe you weren’t going to mention it,” Braden muttered.

He leaned forward in his seat and met Braden’s gaze. “Look, she’s your twin. I get that you’re overprotective, but this is me, okay? I’m not going to hurt her.”

“You’d better not or you’ll have four Prescotts to answer to.”

Hudson was smart enough not to reply and to let his actions speak for him.

Chapter Four

Hudson said he’d pick her up by noon on Thursday, and Bri was ready when a town car pulled into her driveway. Both the driver and Hudson exited the vehicle, but she couldn’t tear her gaze from her date for the weekend.

Wearing a pair of jeans and a crew-neck shirt, aviators covering his eyes, Hudson strode toward her, looking sexy as hell.

He met her at the bottom of her front steps and glanced at her bags. “It’s one weekend,” he said, taking in the largest suitcase she owned, a carry-on for her toiletries and personal items, and the tote she always carried with her when she traveled.

“Well, hello to you, too.” She grinned and lifted the handle on the luggage, pulling it higher so she could drag it behind her when she walked.

He smiled and brushed his lips over hers. “Sorry. Hello. You look great.” His gaze raked over her, and though she wore a simple outfit, a pair of jeans, a white T-shirt, and a casual black blazer with sleeves that easily pushed up on her arms, from the heat in his eyes, she might as well be naked.

“Thank you. And as for the bags, I’m a woman. Enough said.”

He chuckled and took the luggage from her hand. “I didn’t have sisters. I wouldn’t know the drill.”

She wasn’t about to ask him about past girlfriends who’d made themselves at home in his apartment. She didn’t want to know, but one thing was certain. After sharing a bathroom with her this weekend, he would definitely learn.

He handed the luggage to the driver, who loaded the trunk, and they headed to the airport. Hudson had splurged on first-class, and the trip to New York was as fast and easy as their conversation. He was interested in her job and what she did for her clients on a daily basis, and she was only too happy to fill him in on the details, omitting names where the stories and history weren’t public knowledge.

They sat side by side as they talked, and he couldn’t stop laughing at some of the shenanigans the guys got themselves into.

“But crises don’t occur every day, so mostly my job is to keep them in the spotlight in a positive way. I build their brand both inside and outside their sport and make sure community goodwill is a priority. Good press is always a bonus. And if they have an overall solid reputation, they can draw on that goodwill in times of trouble.” She handed her glass to a passing flight attendant and turned back to Hudson. “If a guy is an overall jerk and then goes on to do something stupid, nobody will cut him any slack, and the athlete won’t deserve any. Even if he is my client.”

“You love your job.” Hudson studied her with admiration and true attentiveness she rarely saw in a man when it came to her profession. Unless, of course, it provided an opening for something they needed.

She shook those thoughts out of her mind and refocused on the man next to her. As much as he was curious about her, she wanted to know more about him.

“I do love it, and I know how lucky that makes me. Not everyone can get up in the morning and do something they enjoy.” She tipped her head, leaning against the seat behind her. “What about you? Do you love your job? Or should I say jobs?”

“Hmm. Good question. I like the job with the Thunder. It moves fast on game day, and I get to watch a player from injury through to recovery, which makes it satisfying, though I haven’t been on board long enough to see anything substantial. And thank God for that.”

She nodded in agreement. Nobody wanted an injury to happen to any player in the game. “You said like, not love.”

“I loved what I did with Doctors Without Borders, though one stint really was enough for me. I’d rather be in the States and do a form of humanitarian work here. Which is why I chose the clinic. The pay from working for the Thunder lets me work for free at the health care center.”

This was the part of Hudson Northfield that drew her to him. Yes, the outside packaging was pure sex appeal, but the man inside was a kind, decent man who cared for others despite the fact that he could have gone into his family’s business and helped to make them more money.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

Their faces were close together