Was he a total dick for shooting her down?
“We could’ve let her stay for a couple nights.” The frown marring Kade’s face confirmed that he thought yes, Connor was a major dick. “You know how tough it is to travel alone. Especially for a woman. And she said everyone in her group had been killed.”
“Keep your bleeding heart in check,” Connor grumbled. “We can’t take in every person who gives us a sob story. We can’t afford to take anyone in, period.”
“You took me in,” Kade countered.
Yeah, and Connor was beginning to regret it, what with Kade’s disapproving stare pinning him down. Having people who depended on him had robbed him of his independence. He’d been perfectly content roaming the colony in search of Dominik, and then he’d met Rylan and Pike, who’d become his shadows despite his numerous objections. Next came Xander, whom they’d encountered on a raid. And finally Kade, who’d escaped from the city and never looked back.
Four tagalongs were enough for Connor. Bringing a new player into the mix would only spell disaster.
So why was he easing up on the accelerator?
Rylan chuckled. “Aw, is someone’s conscience making an appearance?”
“Fuck off,” Connor said through clenched teeth.
He jerked the steering wheel in a U-turn, tires raising a cloud of dust. Fucking Kade and his fucking guilt trip.
“One night,” he snapped. “Two, max. And then we’re sending her on her merry fucking way.”
Neither man said a word, but Connor saw their lips twitching. Fighting back laughter. Assholes.
Up ahead, a flash of yellow caught his eye. Sure enough, Hudson was still ambling along, her black bag swinging back and forth with each step she took. Her body immediately stiffened in a defensive posture when she heard the hum of the engine.
Connor stopped on the other side of the road. “Get in,” he called, his voice carrying in the night air.
She hesitated for a moment, then dashed over without a word. She tossed the bag inside and hopped in next to Rylan, so fast that Connor had zero chance of changing his mind.
Twisting around, he scowled at her and repeated what he’d told the guys. “You can crash with us for a night or two. No longer.”
She nodded. “Fair enough.”
Fair? Uh-uh. There was nothing fair about this. Just seeing her again made his body tighten with arousal.
Their gazes connected, and along with gratitude and slight amusement he saw something else flickering in her eyes.
Anticipation.
Christ.
He pulled another U-turn and sped off, trying to ignore the introductions going on behind him. When Hudson leaned forward to shake hands with Kade, her arm brushed Connor’s shoulder and he nearly jumped out of his seat.
He kept his eyes on the road, cursing himself for the stupid decision he’d just made. Inviting a total stranger back to their camp. What the hell was he thinking?
“Let me see.”
Hudson’s soft demand had him glancing at the rearview mirror. His jaw tensed when he saw her reach for Rylan, whose face was looking dangerously pale. Well, no kidding. His neck had been grazed by a bullet. Said a lot about Ry that he was only now starting to show signs of it.
“Gorgeous, I’ve had a lot worse than this,” he told her, his Southern accent flaring as he got his flirt on. Rylan’s ancestors had once lived in Texas, and although the state was now underwater, some remnants of the South still existed, at least in the form of Rylan’s easy drawl.
“Well, good for you. But humor me. You look like you’re about to pass out any second.”
With a sigh, Rylan capitulated.
Using the mirror, Connor watched Hudson examine his friend’s wound. She leaned in so close that her hair fell over his chest and her breasts pressed up against his arm, and from the way Rylan’s eyes twinkled, Connor could tell the bastard was enjoying every second of it.
“It’s still bleeding,” she chided. “You’re not putting enough pressure on it. And I think you’ll need some stitches.”
Connor had just refocused his attention on the road, but his gaze darted back to the mirror when he heard a rustling noise. His throat turned to dust. Hudson was wiggling out of her jacket. She dropped it on the seat, then reached for the hem of her tank top.
He was so busy watching her strip he failed to notice the pothole, a deep depression that made the vehicle bounce like a rubber ball. The Jeep wasn’t the only thing bouncing, either. Nope, Hudson’s mouthwatering tits bounced too, emphasizing the cleavage spilling out of her black bra.
Rylan’s gaze met his in the mirror. “Eyes on the road,” his friend said in a singsong voice.
Connor’s fingers clenched around the wheel.