“Did he take advantage of you?” The thought made his jaw tighten.

“No. I wasn’t that drunk. I’d just been dumped by the guy I’d been dating for years and assumed I was going to marry. I was depressed and desperate, sitting alone in a bar. A friendly guy smiled at me, and that was pretty much all it took. Not my finest moment, but because of Hudson, I can’t regret it.”

Zayne thought back to the years when he’d had lots of one-night stands. Some he could barely remember. He supposed it was possible there was a kid out there somewhere with a Rutledge family connection. “Does the father know about Hudson?”

“Of course he knows.” Her voice sharpened. “He just doesn’t care. Turns out he already had a wife and kids he forgot to mention. He offered me money to take care of things. When I told him I was having the baby, he thought it was some kind of shakedown and suggested he wasn’t the father. I told him he was welcome to sign away his parental rights, and he did it without a second thought.” She paused. “This is so not the after-sex conversation I was expecting.”

“Sorry. I’m not very good at the after-sex stuff.” He tended to just...go. They were rarely in his home. Or in his arms.

“Well, you are very good at the during-sex stuff.” She patted his forearm lying across her stomach.

“Thank you, ma’am. You’re not so bad yourself.” He buried his face in her hair again, inhaling the scent of her. A scent that would be forever tied to this night in his memories. Her fingers traced slowly back and forth on his arm. He closed his eyes, knowing these memories would visit him every night for a very long time.

When he opened his eyes again, Andrea was gone. He sat up, trying not to panic. Had she left? Before he had a chance to make love to her again? To explore every inch of her...to make her cry his name? He glanced at his phone on the nightstand and blinked. Holy hell, it was six thirty. He swung his legs out of the bed, and he heard something. Was that...singing?

He stepped into his shorts and followed the sound to the bathroom. Duke was lying on the floor right outside the door, which was cracked open a few inches. He could see Andrea’s reflection as she brushed her hair. She was singing something to herself—slightly off-key, but with great enthusiasm. She was wearing the T-shirt he’d been wearing earlier, and it hung down to her thighs.

Duke let out a loud groan, sounding irritated that Zayne was disturbing his watch. The dog had definitely embraced having a woman around the place. Zayne realized he could get used to the idea, too. At least with this woman.