“Seriously though, it’s not big enough?” She glanced at the hand towel and then gave him a doubtful look.
He just shook his head and she chewed on her bottom lip as her gaze settled on his crotch. Fuck, if she didn’t look away in the next three seconds, he was gonna get a hard-on. As if she’d read his mind, she snapped her gaze to the fireplace. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”
When she returned from upstairs, he had already removed his socks and his shirt. She stared at his naked chest for the briefest of seconds before hurrying to the far side of the living room. She held the larger towel up and said, “Okay, ready.”
He studied her silently. She was bright red and he couldn’t quite decipher her expression. “You sure you want to do this? Your face is really red.”
“Yes,” she said. “I’m just, uh… I’m sure. If you’re still okay with it. I can’t, uh, see anything below the waist and above the knees, I promise.”
He unbuttoned his jeans and thought briefly about telling Rosalie not to peek before deciding against it. He could already smell her embarrassment, and he didn’t want to embarrass her further by teasing her. Besides, she wasn’t the kind of girl who peeked.
He shoved his jeans and underwear down and stepped out of them before kicking them to the side. “Ready?”
She nodded, and he closed his eyes. He would never have imagined that he would shift purely for a human’s curiosity, but he couldn’t resist anything Rosalie asked of him. Besides, it weirdly didn’t bother him that she wanted to see it. Her curiosity was just that…curiosity, and he liked that she was interested in his shifting ability.
He called for his bear. His bear surged forward immediately, eager to show his mate how strong and powerful he was and how easily he would protect her and their future cubs.
* * *
Don’t you dare peek, Rosalie. Don’t you dare.
As Hudson closed his eyes and his body swelled, she held tight to the towel. She wouldn’t look, she wouldn’t let the towel dip, no matter how curious she suddenly was about Hudson’s penis.
Besides, he was probably totally exaggerating. Sure, he was a big guy and that meant his penis was probably pretty big, but it wasn’t that big. It couldn’t be. Could it?
The towel dipped just a little in her hand.
Rosalie! Don’t you dare peek. Don’t you –
She peeked.
As the towel dropped down just enough, she stared wide-eyed at what was – in fact – an incredibly large penis. The largest penis – in fact – that she had ever seen.
Holy forking shirtballs. He wasn’t exaggerating.
Rosalie! Stop it, you pervert!
She tore her gaze from the giant penis and straight up into the warm dark brown of Hudson’s eyes. They locked gazes for a moment.
He knew.
He knew she looked.
He knew that she knew that he knew she looked.
Before she could die of complete and utter shame, his eyes closed again, and she watched in fascination as his body swelled to an almost impossible size and thick white fur sprouted out of his skin. She heard his bones cracking, he made a low growl, she blinked, and suddenly a polar bear was standing in her living room.
“Holy shit,” she whispered.
He was standing on all fours and he stretched a little before making a low chuffing noise. She dropped the towel and approached him slowly. She couldn’t get over the sheer size of him. Hudson in his human form was an imposing figure. As a polar bear…
She moved even closer. His dark eyes studied her unblinkingly and he made another low chuff.
“Holy crap,” she said. “You’re so big. You have to weigh at least a thousand pounds.”
She cocked her head and studied him. He was about five feet tall just on all fours and maybe eight feet long from head to butt.
“Can I touch you?” She asked.
He made a snorting noise and hoping that was a yes, she reached out with a trembling hand and touched the fur on his shoulder. It was incredibly thick, and she stroked it lightly. He lowered his big shaggy head and she made a squeak of surprise when he nudged her hip with his snout. She patted his neck tentatively and when he leaned his head against her hip, she hesitated only a moment before digging her fingers into his thick fur and scratching.
She was rewarded with a contented snort and he twisted his head back and forth. She scratched all around the back of his neck before leaning over him and scratching along his back. He chuffed happily, a low growl spilling from his throat.
She laughed and scratched as much of his big back as she could reach. She could have stood there and scratched and petted him for the rest of the night, but a loud hissing made both of them turn toward the doorway.
Mr. Pibbles was standing in the doorway and he hissed again, his back arching and a low yowl rising out of his throat. All of his fur was standing on end and he hissed for a third time before turning and racing out of the living room.
“Mr. Pibbles, it’s okay.” Rosalie smiled at the big polar bear. “I think you scared the crap out of Mr. Pibbles. I’ll be right back.”
She left the room and called for Mr. Pibbles. He wasn’t in the kitchen and she searched the guest bedroom before checking her bedroom. He was sitting on her bed, staring balefully at her, and she made a soft soothing sound before sitting next to him. “It’s okay, Mr. Pibbles. It was just Hudson. He didn’t mean to scare you, Pib-Pib. You’re okay.”
Mr. Pibbles meowed before standing and rubbing up against her. She petted him again, smiling when he purred loudly.
“Is he okay?”
She glanced at the doorway. Hudson was standing in the doorway, fully dressed.
“Yeah, he’s fine. He was just a little scared. It’s not every day I have a polar bear in my living room.”
He smiled and to her surprise, sat next to her on the bed. Mr. Pibbles made a loud chirp of excitement and bounced across her lap to stand on Hudson’s big thigh. He kneaded happily, headbutting Hudson’s chest as the big man petted him roughly.
“Well, at least he isn’t afraid of you when you’re in your human form,” she said.
“Nope.”
She sat silently for a moment, trying her best not to look at Hudson’s denim-covered crotch. Shit, why did she have to peek. She’d never get the image of his giant penis out of her head.
Do you want to though? Damn, girl. He’s packing some serious dick.
Yes, he was. She really should be apologizing for looking, but she was too mortified by her behaviour. How would she even begin to apologize for staring at his penis when she had said not a minute earlier that she wouldn’t?
She couldn’t. And if he didn’t bring it up, she sure as hell wasn’t gonna bring it up.
“What did you think?” He asked.
She stared blankly at him. Was he really asking her what she thought of his penis? Should she actually tell him what she thought? Because somehow it didn’t seem polite to be all, “your penis is amazing, sir, and I am suddenly very curious as to how it would feel inside of my vagina”.
“Uh, it was, um… it was…”
“Shit, I scared you,” he said.
Scared? He thought she was scared of his dick? Maybe she should have been scared of the sheer size of his penis, but fear wasn’t making an appearance. Horniness? Now that was screaming front and center and holy God, what was wrong with her? She needed to stop thinking about Hudson’s damn penis before he smelled her lust for him.
“I’m sorry. When I growled, it wasn’t because I was angry or -”
“What? No, I know.” Shit, he wasn’t talking about his penis.
Rosalie! Stop thinking about his penis!
“It didn’t scare me at all, Hudson. I swear.” She reached to pat his arm before stopping herself and tucking her hands into her armpits. “It was very cool. Thank you for doing that for me.”
“You sure?” He sounded uncharacteristically shy and nervous, and her urge to touch him heightened.
She clenched her hands into fists.
“Positive. I was surprised at how big you were. How much do you weigh in your polar bear form?”
“About twelve hundred pounds, I think. Don’t know for sure.”
“Holy crap. That’s crazy. Your fur is really thick.”
He nodded, and she gave him a tentative smile. “You like having your back scratched, huh?”
“My bear does,” he said.
“Right.”
“I do too, though.”
She laughed, and he gave her a cute grin. “I’m really impressed that you weren’t too afraid to touch me.”
She smiled at him. “How often does one get the chance to touch a polar bear, you know? Hey, could you understand me when I spoke to you?”
He nodded. “Yes. I’m still in there and both me and my bear understand you. Shifters are different from animals. Different but the same.”
“That makes perfect sense,” she said teasingly.
He just smiled again at her and petted Mr. Pibbles. The cat was rubbing against him like crazy and, oh hey, was that jealousy again? Nice. She was jealous over her damn cat touching Hudson. God, she really did need to get laid.
Maybe you should talk to Hudson about teaching you to be kinky.
She almost snorted out loud. Even if Hudson was kinky, which she had no idea if he was or not, he would never agree to it and it was stupid of her to even consider it. She was just on a high from seeing his beautiful penis.
She needed to remember that he wasn’t the least bit attracted to her and if she even hinted that she wanted to have sex with him, she’d lose his friendship in a heartbeat. The thought of not being his friend anymore made her burgeoning lust disappear just like that.
She sighed and stared morosely at her hands. What was wrong with her? Why was she attracted to men who would never be attracted to her?
Hudson suddenly set Mr. Pibbles on the floor before standing. “It’s getting late. I should go.”
“It’s not that late.” She checked her alarm clock. “It’s only nine-thirty. We could watch some more TV if you -”
“Nah, I should get going. You have to work in the morning and I gotta be back at the bar tomorrow night. See you, Rosalie.”
“Okay, well, thank you again.” She followed him out of the bedroom and down the stairs. He slipped his boots on and opened the front door.
“Are we still on for a movie on Sunday?” She asked.
“Yes. I’ll text you Sunday morning.”
“Right, okay. Good night, Hudson.”
“Night, Rosalie.”
Chapter Eight
“Rosalie, you look amazing!” Maggie was waiting for her in the parking lot of Bud’s Bar.
“Are you sure?” Rosalie tugged self-consciously at the top of her dress. “It’s a little more low-cut than I normally wear, but my boobs are my best asset so…”
“They look fantastic.” Maggie eyed her breasts before sweeping her gaze down the rest of her. “That colour looks lovely on you.”
“Thank you.” She had bought the dress this morning. It was a dark purple, empire waist maxi dress with a scoop neckline that, thanks to the push-up bra she was wearing, showed off a generous amount of cleavage. Her heels were short, but they still brought her height to six feet. She towered over Maggie, and a wave of self-consciousness washed over her.
What she wouldn’t give to be short and dainty and feminine like Maggie.
“What’s wrong? You’re looking a little pale,” Maggie said.
“Nothing. I just feel really… tall and big,” she said.
“I’d kill for your height,” Maggie said. “You look beautiful, Rosalie. That dress is super flattering and your hair looks incredible. Did you straighten it?”
She nodded. She’d hit the salon after dress shopping and gotten a blow-out. She loved how sleek and straight her hair looked, and she smoothed it down before giving Maggie a hesitant look. “Is my make-up too much? I’m wearing way more than I usually wear.”
“Nope, it looks good. You look good. The lion shifter won’t know what hit him,” Maggie said.
“If one even shows up tonight,” Rosalie said. “If I can’t find a lion shifter, what’s the next kinkiest shifter, do you know?”
Maggie laughed. “I have no idea. But, there’s a lion shifter already in there.”
“Seriously? How do you know?”
“I came a bit early and saw him. I confirmed with Judd, but he’s definitely a lion shifter.”
“Is he…attractive?”
“Yep. He’s tall with a good body, beautiful blue eyes, and short blond hair. He’s been hitting on women left and right though, so we need to get in there before he leaves with someone else. Are you ready?”
“I think so.” Rosalie took a deep breath and followed Maggie into the bar.
* * *
Hudson poured another beer and added it to the three that were already sitting on the tray. Tori lifted the tray, the muscles in her slender arms bulging, and gave him a cheerful smile. “Thanks, Hudson.”
He grunted out a reply and nodded to the cheetah shifter waving at him from the far end of the long, curved bar. Last night had been insanely busy, and tonight was shaping up to be the same way. It felt like every damn shifter in the city were stopping by to see the renovations done to the bar.
He poured the cheetah’s bourbon and took his money, tossing the tip into the jar below the bar, before ringing the drink through the cash register. Porter was mixing a margarita and he grinned at Hudson.
“You doing okay, man?”
“Yeah. Thanks for helping out. I know you got paperwork and shit to do.”
Porter shook his head. “It can wait. If this keeps up though, I’ll have to hire a second bartender.”
“I can come in tomorrow night if you need me to,” Hudson said.
“Nah,” Porter held up his hand when a rat shifter, her nose twitching wildly, leaned over the bar and tried to get his attention. “One second, ma’am.”
He turned the blender on and raised his voice to be heard over the noise. “Tomorrow’s your day off and I’m not gonna make you come in and work.”
Hudson shrugged. “I don’t mind.”
“It’ll be fine, but I appreciate the offer.”
Hudson stared at the crowd of shifters in the bar. “Well, if you change your mind, just let me…”
“Hudson, what’s wrong?” Porter followed his gaze to Maggie and Rosalie, and then growled softly. “Do not stare at my mate.”
“I’m not,” Hudson bit out.
Porter relaxed and sniffed the air. “You like Rosalie, huh?”
Hudson’s hand clenched around the beer glass, and Porter clapped him on the back.
“You’re gonna break that glass. Ease up, would you? I just bought those.”
He set the glass down but didn’t take his eyes off Rosalie. He couldn’t. He leaned forward, using the bar to hide his immediate erection. He could barely breathe and for once, his polar bear was struck silent.
He couldn’t blame it. Rosalie looked beautiful. Her usual curly hair was straight and hung down her back in a sleek curtain of soft silkiness. And that dress… he stared hungrily at her tits, at all that unfamiliar pale skin that was just begging to be touched and kissed and licked.
Normally her clothing style was more modest, but this dress clung to her breasts and dipped so low in the front, he swore he could see the edge of her bra. A myriad of emotions flowed through him. He wanted to cross the room, pick up Rosalie and carry her somewhere quiet and private where he could have a nice long look and taste of her delectable tits. Another part of him wanted to storm across the room and demand she cover up before other shifters saw what belonged to him.
His polar bear growled angrily. Rosalie and Maggie were walking to an empty table, and every fucking male shifter in the goddamn bar was staring at his woman. The growl escaped his throat when a coyote shifter stared at her tits before touching a lock of her hair a
s she walked by. Rosalie didn’t notice, but Hudson’s urge to kill the coyote was overwhelming in its intensity.
Rip his throat out for touching what’s ours, his polar bear snarled.
An excellent idea. He’d kill the coyote for touching her, and everyone in the bar would know that she belonged to him. He braced his hand on the bar, about to leap over it, when Porter’s hand wrapped around his upper arm.
“Hudson? You all right?”
Only the tiniest shred of his self-control remained. He pulled his arm out of Porter’s grip, but instead of killing the coyote shifter, he turned and braced his hands on the counter behind them. He stared at the rows of liquor bottles gleaming under the lights as he took breath after breath. His polar bear was snarling and growling at him, but he ignored it grimly.
“Hudson?”
“Sorry,” he rasped. “I’m fine.”
“You sure?” Porter gave him a skeptical look. “You’re about to shift, man.”
“I’m not.”
“Maybe you should take a break.”
“I don’t need one. I’m fine.”
“You sure?” Porter asked again.
“Yeah.”
“Hey, Porter?” Tori’s high-pitched voice grated on Hudson’s shredded nerves.
“What is it, Tori?” Porter glanced at the rabbit shifter.
“I need one of whatever the lion shifter is drinking.” Tori pointed to the lion shifter who was standing at the end of the bar. He was flirting with a long-limbed tiger shifter who was staring at him with a mixture of amusement and annoyance.
“You don’t know what he wants?” Porter said.
“Oh, like, he didn’t actually order it,” Tori said. “That big human girl with Maggie wants me to, like, send him a drink. I think she’s, like, totally into him.”
“Yeah, okay. Hold on,” Porter said.
“Um, is Hudson, like, totally shifting right now?” Tori said.
The roar of his heartbeat in his ears drowned out the sound of Tori’s voice. She wasn’t wrong, the minute he’d heard her say Rosalie was buying the lion shifter a drink, his polar bear had rushed forward. He held onto the edge of the counter like a lifeline as his heartbeat thumped and thudded, and the beard on his face grew thicker. His fangs were out, and the back of his t-shirt ripped with a low purring sound as his body swelled.
Rosalie Undone (Book Six) Page 11