Page 37 of Claiming Lily

“No, you don’t,” Hudson says, taking the dress from my hands and tossing it onto the bed. “Stay. We want you to.”

I furrow my brow. “Why are you guys being so nice to me?”

“You deserve it,” he murmurs, cupping my face. “Don’t let him in your head, Lily.”

Maybe it’s because Matt’s insults scraped me raw or because I’m dying to know, either way, I wet my lips, daring to ask questions that are better left unsaid. “Is it true? Did you guys like me?”

Hudson searches my face before quickly glancing at the guys. When he looks at me again, his expression is more open than I’ve ever seen it. “We still do.”

My heart skips, thoughts colliding all at once. What are they saying? That I’m not alone in feeling this way? That I’m not crazy for falling for them? “So what do we do now?”

“Well, first,” Hudson says softly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “Will you stay if we ask you to?”

“I shouldn’t.”

He lifts an eyebrow.

I might regret this, but I’m not going to live my life wondering what would have been. “Yes,” I breathe.

A pleased smile tugs at his lips and then, they’re pressed against mine. The kiss is quick and chaste. When he pulls back, the world is spinning in the best way. Suddenly Matt’s hurled insults are gone. All that’s left is the tingling memory of Hudson’s lips on mine.

Hudson’s thumb smooths over my bottom lip. “Unpack and we’ll make dinner, understood?”

I nod, completely dumbstruck by the hope that’s blossoming in my chest.

“Good girl,” he murmurs. He steps back and it takes all of my control to keep from reaching for him and dragging him back.

Cole and Gage give me knowing looks before they duck out of the room with Hudson. I stare at the space they vacated, mind reeling, heart giddy.

What have I gotten myself into?

Chapter Twelve

HUDSON

As soon as we’re downstairs, Cole spins around and looks at me and Gage. “Are we really doing this?”

Gage runs a hand through his hair, shooting him a look before glancing at me in question.

“Do you not want to?” I ask though I already know the answer. Those two like Lily as much as I do.

“I’m not having second thoughts.” Cole leans against the kitchen counter, that signature smirk nowhere to be found. “I only need to know we’re all on the same page here.”

I grab three beers from the fridge, popping the caps and sliding them across the granite. “We’re all in this together or we’re not in it at all.” That’s the only way it’ll work.

“Agreed.” Gage takes a drink. “But we need to be smart about it. She’s vulnerable right now.”

Cole nods. “The last thing any of us wants is to take advantage of that or for us to hurt her.”

“We won’t.” The words come fierce and certain. We’ve never talked about it openly before. Our attraction to her has been hanging between us like a live wire every time she came around with Matt. Every time she smiled at one of us, laughed at our jokes, looked at us like we were worth something.

Gage sighs, leaning his hip against the island. “Fuck, I hope we know what we’re doing.”

Cole grins. “When have we ever known what we’re doing?”

Gage laughs. “Fair point.”

My mind drifts as I grab the stuff for burgers from the fridge. Lily might’ve moved in, but I’ve been thinking about her since I was eight years old, standing on the playground during recess, watching the new girl with red hair and freckles sit by herself on the swings. She’d started at our school that Monday, and I’d been working up the courage to talk to her all week.