Honoring Hudson (Surrender Book 6) Read online

  Honoring Hudson

  Surrender, Book Six

  Becca Jameson

  Copyright © 2021 by Becca Jameson

  Cover Artist: Scott Carpenter

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. And resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Newsletter

  Acknowledgments

  About the Book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Author’s Note

  Also by Becca Jameson

  About the Author

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  Becca’s Newsletter Sign-up

  Acknowledgments

  Many many thanks once again to Rose C. Carole who spends countless hours plotting with me for this series. There aren’t enough words to express my gratitude, but a bottle of fantastic wine and a delicious five-star dinner will at least chip away at my debt!

  Thanks also to my amazing editor, Rebecca, for hashing out the fine details, and to my beta readers who always make me shine. Susan W., I can’t do this without you!

  This is my sixth book in the series, but technically my fourth Daddy/little, and I really connected with these characters. I love this one dearly. I hope everyone else does too.

  About the Book

  Cindy

  I work at the front desk at Surrender, but it’s just a job. I don’t play in the club.

  After seven years, I know all the members and I’m familiar with every sort of kink. Including mine.

  Master Hudson is new, and he spends a lot of time flirting with me.

  I know he likes me, but I can’t fall for him. I won’t. I have too much baggage.

  No one can ever know my secrets. I’ll never reveal my little side.

  Not even to Master Hudson. I won’t take the risk. Not with anyone.

  No matter how much I crave a Daddy of my own.

  Hudson

  She catches my eye the first time I enter the club.

  She’s mysterious and sweet and nervous and a little OCD.

  I don’t know her secrets, even after chipping away at her walls for months.

  But I’m half in love with her the first time she submits to me.

  When her world comes crashing in, I’m there for her.

  Then I see the inside of her closet and my heart stops.

  She’s mine, and I’ll do whatever it takes to convince her to be my little.

  Chapter 1

  Master Hudson

  “You okay?” I lean my elbows on the edge of the counter and watch Cindy closely. She’s been quiet for the last five minutes.

  She lifts her gaze and furrows her brow while straightening a pile of papers for the tenth time. “Of course.”

  I lift my brows. “It’s just that you were in the middle of telling me a story before Master Kellen came in with Sabine.”

  “Oh, right. I forgot. What were we discussing?” She doesn’t meet my gaze. In fact, she turns around and organizes the pens in a jar, as if this is a thing.

  I was watching her closely as Kellen and Sabine met up with Lucy and Roman in this reception area. She’d gone from her usual laid-back self to stiff and unnerved.

  The truth is, I watch Cindy closely every time I see her. It’s become a habit, hanging out with her at the front desk, befriending her, trying to figure out what makes her tick. Some nights I make headway. Some nights I don’t.

  I’ve been doing this for months. There is a lot I know about Cindy. There is a fuck ton I do not. “You were telling me about the puppies someone brought in to the animal shelter.” I lean closer, inhaling her scent. Something floral. Probably her shampoo. Her long wavy brown hair is in a ponytail at the base of her neck, and every time it swishes, I catch the scent.

  Cindy Kertis intrigues me. It’s irrational and probably a lost cause, but I can’t stop myself from spending time with her. I could be inside the club right now dominating someone, but instead, I’m in the entrance area flirting. As usual.

  She gives me a fake smile. “Oh right.” She shrugs. “They were just cute is all. And we have to hand feed them because they’re too young.”

  “How many are there?” I encourage.

  “Five. Boxer mix, we think.” Now her smile becomes more believable as I watch her remember the puppies.

  It’s contagious, her smile. I grin also. “I bet they’re cute. Did you take pictures?”

  A wider smile now. “Of course.” She picks up her phone and taps the screen several times before showing me a picture. The puppies look like nothing but a pile of brown fur.

  I reach out and take the phone from her to get a closer look, not because I need to see the picture better but because I want my fingers to touch Cindy’s.

  She leans in and points at the screen. “See their little faces?”

  All I know is that Cindy’s face is now inches from mine. “Yep.” I continue to stare for as long as I can just to keep Cindy close. Finally, I release the phone back to her.

  If Cindy were mine, I’d be such a pushover that we’d have ten dogs before the end of the week. But Cindy is not mine. She’s not anybody’s. She’s not even a participant at Surrender. As the receptionist, she has a full membership, but she has never exercised it. I asked Roman. She’s been at Surrender seven years, and she’s never once played.

  “How are your classes going?” I ask next to keep the conversation alive. When it becomes too awkward, I’ll need to head into the club. I only do this for as long as I can each night Surrender is open. Some nights it’s five minutes. Other nights it’s as much as a half an hour I get to spend with Cindy.

  “Good.” She sighs. Apparently “good” was a bit of a stretch. “I mean, well…” She glances at me, her face flushed. “I’m only taking calculus this semester. I abhor it. It makes no sense to me.” She meets my gaze and admits, “This is the third time I’ve taken it.”

  Fuck me. Bingo. I suddenly feel like I’ve hit the jackpot, and it’s difficult to keep from fist-pumping. “I’m good at math. I could help you.” I try to say that as casually as possible.

  I have no idea why I’m so careful with this woman. It’s bordering on ridiculous. I’ve forced myself to befriend her and keep that growing. She’s skittish, and I don’t want to risk her turning me down, so I have not asked her out.

  What I’d like to do is take her hand, lead her into the club, and wander around with her at my side until I can figure out what
kind of kink she’s attracted to. And then I want to dominate her. So badly that my cock gets hard thinking about it.

  Her eyes go wide with momentary excitement, and then she glances away. “I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

  “You didn’t ask me. I offered. If I didn’t want to help you, I wouldn’t have suggested it.” I don’t want to give her time to retreat. “Tomorrow is Saturday. I don’t have to work. Let’s meet for coffee somewhere and start a tutoring lesson.”

  She draws in a deep breath, seemingly thinking, not looking at me. If I’m not mistaken, her fingers are trembling. It unnerves me. What happened to this woman? Finally, she meets my gaze. “Okay. Thank you. I appreciate it.”

  I grab a sticky note off the top of her perfectly organized counter and jot down the name of a local place and the intersection. And then I add my number before handing it to her. “Here you go. Call me if you can’t find it. How about ten tomorrow morning?”

  Her fingers brush mine again as she takes the pink square of paper. “Thank you,” she murmurs again.

  I shove off the counter, righting myself. “Okay. I guess I’ll head inside. See you in a while.”

  “Yep. Have a good time.”

  As soon as I’m out of her line of sight and inside the main room of the club, I smile so broadly my face hurts. Finally. Headway.

  Chapter 2

  Cindy

  I’m shaking as I walk the last few blocks to the coffee shop where I’m supposed to meet Hudson. I should never have agreed to this. The man is way the hell out of my league. As if I have a league. Or men.

  I stop on the sidewalk and play with the ends of my hair, hesitating. I could turn around and go back home, but then what would I tell him the next time I see him? Oh, sorry. I was sick. Nope. There’s nothing I could say because he gave me his phone number. If I wasn’t going to show, I would need to call and tell him.

  I pace back and forth. I’m early. It’s only nine forty-five. I’m a punctual person. Always. So I have plenty of time to fret or come up with an excuse.

  The problem is that I really need help. This is my last semester of college. I have to pass calculus to get my degree. I’ve dropped it two previous times as soon as I realized I was going to fail. I have good grades. I didn’t want to risk ruining them with a fail.

  Hudson is… God, what is he? He’s smoking hot for one thing. And kind. He’s a friend. I guess. At least it seems that way. Or he’s just kind to everyone. Maybe that’s it. I don’t have a lot of friends, and none of them are very close. That’s intentional.

  The reality is that I keep people at arm’s length so that I don’t have to explain myself to them. Dig into my past. I don’t want to talk about it. It’s easier to be a loner. Even women. There are two women at the animal shelter—Safe Harbor—I’m friendly with when I’m working there, but I always turn down their offers to go out.

  I take a deep breath. The man hasn’t asked me to fuck him. He’s offered to tutor me in math. I need the help. I can do this. Straightening my spine, I close the distance to the coffee shop and step inside before I can talk myself out of it.

  I scan the crowded room until I spot Hudson rising from a small table and waving at me. I have to weave through several people, bags, and kids to get to him. “Looks like we’re lucky you got a table.” I glance at my phone. “Plus, you’re early.”

  He smiles. “Yep on both counts. I was worried it might be crowded. I probably should have picked a different location. I wasn’t thinking about how busy it would be here on a Saturday when I suggested it.” He pulls out the second chair for me.

  Butterflies flutter in my stomach as I let him push me in. He’s so…kind. I want to kick a hole in the wall over the fact that the simple gesture of pulling out a chair is something that makes me wish I’d lived a different life up until now.

  “You stay here and hold the table. I’ll order for us,” he tells me. “What do you like?”

  “Oh. Whatever you’re having is fine.” I reach for my bag, thinking to give him some cash.

  “If you’re about to fish out money, stop it. The coffee’s on me. And woman, you’re going to have to tell me what you like or you’ll be drinking black coffee with no cream or sugar.” He sets one hand on the table and the other on the back of my chair, leaning closer.

  I tip my head back, licking my lips. “Sorry. Habit. A vanilla latte would be great. Thank you.” I fold my hands in my lap.

  He holds my gaze for a moment and then nods, muttering under his breath. “Habit?”

  I watch him as he heads to the counter. His ass is fine. Everything about him is fine. In fact, as I glance around, I notice women all over the room are watching him. Of course, they are. The man exudes power. He’s six-two and built. I’m five-six. Not short for a woman but short compared to Hudson.

  He’s also younger than me, I remind myself. He’s thirty. I know this because I looked at his birthdate when he filled out a release form on the first night he visited Surrender. I’m five years older than him.

  Somehow he does not seem younger though. He’s so damn confident. Hell, he’s a Dominant. Of course, he’s confident.

  I like that I have this opportunity to stare at him from behind. I usually only get to catch glimpses as he walks into the club. I enjoy every second as he orders and then waits for our drinks. When he finally turns around to make his way back toward me, he has two drinks in his hands and two mysterious bags under his arm.

  When he reaches our table, he sets the drinks down and then hands me both bags. “I got a blueberry muffin and a chocolate scone. I figured one of the two would appeal to you.” He sits as he informs me of this.

  “Oh, you didn’t have to do that.”

  “I know, but I did it anyway.” His smile melts me more every time he flashes his teeth at me.

  I don’t want to appear as fragile as I feel, so I sit up straighter and make a decision. “I like both. Half of each?”

  “Perfect.” He tears open the bags and pulls both pastries into two parts.

  “Thank you.” I take a sip of the coffee and moan around the flavor. It’s delicious. I don’t usually allow myself such extravagances. Not because I don’t have the money but because I don’t want to spend it. I’ve always been frugal, but for the last seven years, I’ve been extremely careful with my finances.

  “So, this is your last semester of school, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Business degree?”

  “If I pass calculus,” I inform him.

  “And that’s your only class?” He sips his coffee.

  I cringe. “Yeah. My last class. I would have graduated last semester if I hadn’t dropped it. Again.”

  “Ah. That bad. Well then, we have work to do, don’t we?”

  A lock of hair has escaped my ponytail and I tuck it behind my ear. “I feel bad asking you to do this,” I inform him. “You barely know me.”

  He sets his elbows on the table and leans closer. “Okay, that’s the last time I want to hear you worrying about my offer to help. You didn’t ask. It was my idea. If I hadn’t wanted to help you, I could have said nothing and walked away.”

  I nod. He’s right. I chew on my bottom lip though, wondering if this offer has an attachment. It’s not that I wouldn’t thoroughly enjoy being fucked clear into tomorrow by the man. I would. But I won’t do it because I’m not interested in that level of intimacy with anyone.

  I shudder involuntarily.

  “Cindy…” He draws my name out. “Look at me.” His firm command sends tingles down my spine.

  I lift my gaze.

  “Let me be blunt and clear the air here.”

  I swallow. Shit. Fuck. Damn.

  “You have to know I like you. I go out of my way to talk to you every chance I get. I’m attracted to you. However, I’m astute. I realize you hold people at arm’s length. I bet it’s hard for anyone to penetrate your armor. I also bet you have a pile of secrets that has caused you to be the way you are.”


  I suck in a breath. My cheeks heat.

  He holds up a hand. “Don’t panic. I’m just telling you how I feel because it would be a lie to continue tiptoeing around you. So now you know. I’ve wanted to ask you out for a while now, but I was afraid you would turn me down. When you said you needed help with calculus, I jumped at the opportunity.”

  “So wait…” I narrow my gaze. “Do you even know calc?”

  He chuckles. “Yes, Cindy. I do. I have a master’s in business myself.”

  I force my shoulders to relax and take another fortifying sip of my coffee. It really does taste good. I should splurge for the drink more often. “I’m not…” I clear my throat. “Is this a date? I’m not going to date you. If that’s a requirement…” I glance away. I want to kick myself. I sound ridiculous, and besides, I’ve thought about nothing except what it might be like to be with this man for months. It’s distracting.

  He reaches across the table and grabs my hand, squeezing it. “Cindy, relax. It’s okay. You don’t have to go out with me for me to help you. Of course, it’s not a requirement. This is coffee, not a date. I would like it if we could be friends though. Can we do that?”