Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 219

"What are you looking at?"

Nora stiffened entirely, frantically shoving the scrap of black fabric behind her back.

"N-nothing."

Hudson was already stepping into the closet.

He had just showered. His hair was still damp, water droplets trailing down his temples, rolling over his sharp brow bone, sliding down his nose, and dripping from his jawline onto his exposed chest, tracing the hard lines of his muscles.

His white bathrobe hung loosely, the belt tied in a careless knot that looked like it would come undone with a single tug.

He leaned against the doorframe, one long leg slightly bent. He looked completely relaxed, radiating a lazy, predatory energy. His eyes locked onto her face, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"What are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything."

Nora slapped the lid onto the box and shoved it into the drawer behind her, moving with the guilty speed of a bank robber.

Hudson's smile didn't waver, but he pushed off the doorframe and slowly walked toward her.

Nora instinctively backed up until her shoulders hit the wooden shelves, letting out a soft thud.

Hudson stopped right in front of her. He planted both hands on the shelves on either side of her, caging her in completely without actually touching her.

He lowered his head, pressing his nose into her hair, and took a slow, deep breath.

"Honey."

His voice was husky, thick with the heavy languor of a hot shower. "You're acting very suspicious today."

Nora's heart skipped a beat. "I... I am not."

"You are."

He pulled back just enough to look at her. His gaze slowly traced the curve of her brows, lingering heavily on her tightly pressed lips.

"When you brought me the milk earlier, you kept staring at me. Hesitating, tripping over your words, your head spinning with a million little schemes."

"..."

"And just now, you were secretly opening a package. The moment you saw me, you hid it like a thief."

He listed her crimes one by one, hitting the nail on the head every single time.

Feeling completely exposed, Nora looked away. "I was just... looking at something."

Nora's face burned so hot she felt like she was standing in front of an open furnace. She wanted to dig a hole through the floorboards and bury herself.

"Is this..."

Hudson finally broke the silence. His voice was incredibly dark, the last syllable dragging out with heavy, dangerous intent.

"I... I bought the wrong thing. I haven't had a chance to throw it away yet..."

Terrified to throw Grant under the bus, Nora blurted out the first ridiculous excuse she could think of.

Hudson's lips curled into a wicked smile. He wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her flush against his chest.

"It's not too late to throw it away."

"Right, exactly. Let's throw it away right now, immediately..."

Nora reached out to snatch the black mesh back, but the moment her arm extended, he seized her wrist.

"No rush."

His voice dropped an octave, dripping with that familiar, predatory heat she knew all too well. "Let's try it on first."