Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 610

Zachary finally connected the dots. "You... you mean this is Hudson Lancaster's doing?"

"Who else could it be?!"

While Zachary stood paralyzed by the sheer absurdity of the situation, Leo's phone began to vibrate violently. He glanced at the screen and his stomach dropped.

Grant Hamilton.

He was so dead.

"H-Hey, Grant..."

"Leo, have you completely lost your mind?" Grant's voice roared through the speaker. "I'm giving you exactly thirty minutes to get your ass back to the estate. If you're one minute late, I'll lock you out for good!"

Before Leo could even stammer out an excuse, the line went dead.

"Who was that?" River asked, watching Leo leap up from the sofa.

Leo didn't answer. He snatched his jacket and sprinted out of the booth like his life depended on it. The heavy door slammed shut behind him with a loud bang.

River and Zachary exchanged a look.

"Right, I need to get back to the office," Zachary muttered.

He had to pull every favor he had to kill that trending hashtag. If his name stayed plastered all over the internet until morning, his professional reputation was finished.

"Wait..." River started.

But Zachary had zero patience for small talk. He waved a dismissive hand and hurried out the door, leaving River completely alone.

River sat back down in the plush booth, holding a glass of liquor. He stared at the closed door, a faint smirk tugging at his lips, before finally setting his drink down to leave.

Just as he stood up, the door swung open.

Five or six women in incredibly revealing dresses spilled into the room. Their makeup was heavy, and they brought with them a suffocating, sickly-sweet perfume that instantly flooded the air.

They giggled, immediately throwing themselves at River. Soft arms looped around his neck and shoulders, while one woman shamelessly straddled his lap.

"Oh my god, look at him. He's gorgeous... his skin is flawless."

"We never get to hook up with guys who look like movie stars. It's our lucky day!"

"Hold on, girls, take turns. There's plenty of him to go around!"

"Don't just hold his hands, use that mouth... come on, give him a kiss!"

River gagged on the overpowering, synthetic perfume, a sharp throb spiking behind his temples. He tried to shove the women off, but his arms felt like they were made of lead.

Something was wrong.

Hudson didn't let her finish. His tongue parted her lips, sweeping in to taste the lingering sweetness of the red wine, claiming every inch of her mouth before gently biting down on her lower lip.

Nora let out a soft gasp at the bite, her fingers instinctively curling into the lapels of his heavy coat.

It took a long time for Hudson to finally pull back. His breathing was heavy, uneven. He rested his forehead against hers, his voice a gravelly whisper. "Tell me, honey. Whose abs look better? Theirs, or mine?"

Nora froze.

She opened her mouth, fully prepared to say 'Yours, obviously,' before she realized it was an absolute death trap.

"I... I didn't look," she defended herself in a small voice. "They lifted their shirts on their own."

"Oh?" Hudson arched an eyebrow, his tone dropping an octave. "They lift them, and you just watch? You've never been this obedient with me."

Nora flushed, completely at a loss for words. "I was just about to tell them off... but then you kicked the door down."

"So my timing was just awful, then." Hudson smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. His thumb brushed slowly against the corner of her mouth. "My apologies for interrupting your viewing."

Nora felt a mix of frustration and embarrassment at his sarcastic tone. Her cheeks burned bright red. "I didn't! And besides... there wasn't even anything worth looking at."

Realizing how bad that sounded, she quickly backpedaled. "I only paused for a second because it made me think of yours."

"Is that so?" Hudson stared down at her, a complicated, dark emotion swirling in his eyes. His voice cooled. "You were thinking about my abs, so you stared at another man's?"