Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Starling

I stare up at him, torn between punching him in the eye and kicking him in the shin. Why won't the damn man listen?

"Look, I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I just need a couple of pairs of jeans, and I'll be good."

Hudson looks from me to the shop assistant. "Bring what you find over to the changing rooms."

"Of course. Can I get either of you something to drink?"

"Black coffee for me. Starling?" I open my mouth to tell him I'm fine, but he gives me a look and answers for me. "Bring her a bottle of water."

Hudson tugs on my hand and leads me to the changing rooms. He ushers me inside one of the rooms and turns me to look at him.

"Laura will bring you a bunch of things to try on. Try on everything. I'm going to sit out there and make some phone calls."

He leaves, closing the door behind him, leaving me to curse him out under my breath. Fine, it's his time to waste. Who cares what Laura brings? I'll stick to what I need and tell him the rest didn't fit. I take my jacket off and hang it on one of the hooks behind the door, then bend down and untie my boots. I take them off and slide them under the bench seat so I don't trip over them.

A few minutes later, there's a knock on the door. I open it and find Laura with a polite smile on her face and clothes draped over her arm.

I grit my teeth when I don't spot a single pair of jeans and let her in so she can hang up everything.

"I guessed your size, so if something doesn't fit, just let me know."

I nod.

"Excellent. I'll leave you to try these pieces on, and I'll keep looking."

I offer her a weak smile before closing the door. With a sigh, I look through everything, selecting a floral skirt and white tank top with three tiny pink buttons in the shape of flowers. I get undressed, leaving just my bra and panties on, and then pull on the skirt and tank top.

They're feminine and pretty, yet soft and comfortable, which is always good. It's flattering and an unusual choice for me since I tend to prefer darker colors. With a denim jacket thrown on and a pair of white sandals, this would be a cute outfit for the summer. It's certainly something I'd see other girls wearing at school.

I think of the cheerleaders who are always lusting after Abbot and grin. Okay, so the top would need to be cropped and the skirt four inches shorter, but that's not me. It's not that they don't look good. They do, and they know how to work it. But I prefer to cover up, and short skirts require grace, which is something I lack. Knowing my luck, I'd bend over and forget about my skirt and flash everyone. Then, before I knew it, there would be pictures of my panty-covered ass all over the internet. Yeah, short skirts are not for me, not in school anyway. I'm trying to blend in, not stand out.

I take off the tank and skirt, look at the price of the skirt, and nearly swallow my tongue. Five hundred dollars for a skirt? I grab the tank top and feel my eyes bug out of my head. Ninety dollars for a freaking tank top. That's insanity.

I yank the door open when I hear knocking, and Laura shoves more clothes at me. At least this pile has jeans.

"This is too much—" I protest, but she's already walking away.

With an annoyed huff, I close the door harder than necessary. I stand there fuming as I look in the mirror. How is this my life right now? I've gone from nobody giving a damn about me to every other person insisting they know what's best for me and telling me what to do.

Feeling beyond frustrated, I pull on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with two cherries on the front. The jeans are incredibly comfortable and fit like a glove, making my ass look amazing. The T-shirt is, well, a T-shirt, but the cherry design is not my style at all.

I reach for the hem and have the T-shirt half over my head when there's another knock on the door. With a huff, I reach out blindly with one hand and pull the door open. When the sales lady doesn't say anything, I tug the T-shirt lower and blow my hair out of my face and freeze. It's not Laura in front of me, but Hudson.

I yank the T-shirt down, covering my bra, and feel my skin burn with embarrassment. He stalks closer, forcing me to back up until my back is pressed against the mirror. His eyes move over my body, stripping me naked and leaving a blazing trail across my skin.

"Get what you want, not just what you need." His voice has deepened, taking on a gravelly sound that has my nipples pebbling.

I bite my lip, hoping like fuck he doesn't notice, but God never did like me. His eyes drop to my shirt, my breath stalling in my chest. I open my mouth to tell him I didn't choose it when he looks into my eyes. His are dark and ominous, staring into mine.

"Get the shirt."

"It's not my style. I?—"

One of his hands moves to my hip, the other slides up my body, his thumb grazing over my nipple as he leans in, and his mouth skims the shell of my ear.

"Get the fucking shirt," he growls before he pushes himself away. He storms out, slamming the door behind him, making me jolt.

My heart thunders like a herd of wild horses, and my legs are shaking so hard that I drop down onto the bench and take a deep breath.

I spend the next ten minutes trying to calm myself down as I strip out of the clothes and redress in my own. I don't bother to check through the items. I toss a bunch in a pile and throw the rest over one arm. I hide the cherry T-shirt under a blue dress draped over my arm and hurry out of the dressing room, ignoring Hudson when he ends his phone call and walks over to me.

"That was quick."

I nod and head to the counter, trying to keep some distance between us. Of course, Hudson doesn't know how to take a hint. He moves closer and presses his hand to the small of my back.

I move up to the counter when Laura finishes ringing up the customer in front of me and offers me another smile. "Did you find some things you liked?"

"Yes, thank you. I'll take these, please." I slide the small pile onto the counter. "Where would you like me to put the rest?"

"They didn't fit? I can bring them out in other sizes," she offers.

"No, they fit just fine, thank you. I just don't need that much." And truthfully, I probably wouldn't wear half of them.

Hudson takes the haul from my arms, the blue dress slipping a little to reveal the cherry T-shirt beneath it. He looks at me, a small smile playing on his lips as if my defiance amuses him.

He places the pile on the counter before pulling out his black card and handing it over. "We'll take it all."

I narrow my eyes, ready to tell him to fuck off, when his finger presses against my lips, silencing me.

"I'd think very carefully about what you say. We still need to get shoes and underwear," he leans closer, lowering his voice so only I can hear him. "Push me, Birdie, and I'll push back. I'll make you try on every scrap of lace in the store and watch you do it until all of Victoria's secrets are revealed."

I'm shocked into silence, knowing none of this is okay. I might not have had the most typical upbringing, but I know there's nothing fatherly about how he's treating me. He's looking at me like I'm his favorite snack, and the fact that I'm fucking his son doesn't seem to be any kind of deterrent.

"Thanks, Laura." Hudson takes the bags offered to him and gestures for me to go ahead of him. I do, confused and unsure of what to do next. If this were a movie, I'd be yelling at the heroine to get the fuck out now before she wakes up choking on more than a red flag.

But where would I go? I have nobody left but Abbot. I can't leave him. As much as I'm afraid of staying, I'm scared of leaving too. I don't have an easy out where I can tell Hudson off, then skip away to some magical land where everything works out perfectly. If I leave now, the only place I'll end up is on the corner of Eagleton.

I blink back frustrated tears as we walk back to the truck. Hudson opens the tailgate and puts the bags in the back. Closing it, he turns to look at me.

"You want to eat before we hit the next store?"

His voice is back to normal. Nothing in his expression gives him away, making me wonder if I'm imagining things. Am I so distrustful of men that I'm blowing things out of proportion, or is he playing some kind of game that's messing with my head?

"I don't feel good. Can we go home?" I ask him quietly, my hands pressed to my stomach, which suddenly feels queasy.

His face morphs from blank to concerned in seconds. "What's wrong? Did you eat something bad?"

I shake my head and throw out the only thing I can think of that might get him to back off. "I get bad cramps."

"Ah, gotcha. Alright, let's get you home so you can relax. Do you need anything while we're out, tampons or pads or something?"

My mouth drops open in surprise. I don't get periods very often. I have an IUD, which has all but stopped them. On the rare occasion I do get them, Abbot pretty much leaves me alone to deal with it.

"Um… no, I have stuff at the house, but thank you," I reply as he opens the passenger door for me. Once I'm seated, he buckles me in, making me tense. He closes my door and jogs around to the driver's side before climbing in and driving us home.

Thankfully, he doesn't make small talk. I close my eyes and let the hum of the engine calm my nerves. Unfortunately, we make it back home in no time. I don't see Abbot's car when we get back, making me wonder where he is. Or who he's with, for that matter. I shake the thought from my head, having more than enough to deal with right now.

Hudson climbs out and opens my door for me. I undo my seat belt before he can, but I take the hand he offers me. As soon as I'm on my feet, I let go of his hand and move to the back of the truck.

"I've got the bags. Why don't you go on inside and relax?"

I nod, taking the key he holds out to me, and head up the steps, hoping he'll leave me alone.

I unlock the front door, letting myself in and leaving it open for Hudson. Hurrying upstairs to my room, I step inside and close the door behind me. I take a few deep breaths and walk over to the dresser, pulling out a pair of loose pink pajama pants and a black long-sleeved Henley and quickly changing into them. After grabbing a pair of fluffy socks and pulling them on, I climb onto the center of the bed and curl up into a ball.

I might not be on my period, but that doesn't mean I don't feel emotionally and physically drained. I tug the pillow closer and bury my face in it. I'd love nothing more than to give in to the urge to scream. Instead, I will my body to relax until, eventually, I drift off to sleep.

The creak of the door opening sometime later wakes me, but I don't tense. I keep my body relaxed and my breathing even as I hear bags being placed near the foot of the bed. When I don't hear anything else after a few minutes, I wonder if he left. But I'm too much of a coward to check, so I keep pretending to sleep as I mentally snap at myself for being a chicken shit when I feel a hand on my hip.

How I stop myself from jumping and giving myself a way, I'll never know. I wait to see what he does next, but all he does is pull the comforter up over me before bending down to press a kiss to my temple. The move is maybe even more bizarre than anything else he's done, but I'm not in the right headspace to analyze it. I focus on my breathing until I hear him leave, pulling the door closed behind him.

My eyes snap open, the shadows in the room suggesting it's early evening. I've slept far longer than I thought. I stare into the empty room until the shadows lengthen and the light fades completely, trying to come up with some sort of game plan. I don't know if it's because I'm a novelty or if it's something else, but catching Hudson's interest was not part of my plan. Ignoring him doesn't seem to be working. The man pops up out of nowhere like he's part ninja. The only other option is to make myself as boring as possible, which honestly shouldn't be that difficult. I am boring. I keep to myself and am generally allergic to fun. Maybe once he sees that, he'll leave me alone.

I mean, what could he possibly see in me anyway? I frown as another thought occurs to me. Maybe he doesn't see me. Maybe this has more to do with Abbot.

I wonder if somehow Hudson has figured him out, and he's going to use me to remind Abbot who has all the control here. Because it's not Abbot.

And it sure as hell isn't me.