Rosalie blushed and nodded as Bria sat down next to her. “Uh, yes.”
“Good for you, Rosie.” Jace studied a menu as Rosalie handed a menu to Bria.
Bria took the menu and opened it before lowering her voice. “You and Hudson?”
Rosalie gave her a small shrug and waited for Bria to ask why she was suddenly over Lincoln. Instead of asking about Lincoln, Bria studied her for a few moments before smiling. “You look really happy.”
Rosalie blinked at her. “Oh, um, thanks. Yeah, I am.”
“Good. I’m glad. The four of us will have to go on a double date sometime.”
“Um, I’ll talk to Hudson. He’s not really social.”
“Most polar bears aren’t,” Bria said. “I’ve never even heard of one dating a human before, but I’m not surprised he couldn’t resist you. You’re awesome.”
As Bria studied the menu, Rosalie glanced at Hudson. He was staring at her, and her whole body reacted to the possessive heat in his gaze. It practically screamed ‘mine’, and another soft tremor went through her body when he gave her a brief but wicked grin before walking to the far end of the bar.
Jesus, she was making damn sure she was awake when Hudson got home tonight. She was suddenly and undeniably horny for him. She made herself look away from his amazing ass and stare at the menu instead.
No doubt both Bria and Jace could smell her lust for Hudson. To her surprise, there was no surge of embarrassment. So she was feeling all tingly for her man. No big deal, it was to be expected.
He’s not really your man, Rosalie.
She swallowed down the disappointment that surged through her. God, what was wrong with her? Now she wanted another man who wasn’t interested in anything but sex. She was hopeless.
* * *
“Hey, Hudson? Take your fifteen, big guy,” Porter said.
Hudson nodded and immediately headed toward the back hall. It was perfect timing for his break. Rosalie had just left her friends to use the bathroom. He would intercept her before she joined her friends again, take her into the small supply room, and fulfill her fantasy of public sex.
You sure you’re doing this for her? Or are you doing it because you want your scent on her again. You want to make it perfectly clear to every shifter in this bar that she belongs to you.
He shook off his inner voice. He was doing this because Rosalie wanted it. Not because of some macho misguided effort to ensure that every part of her milky soft skin carried his scent. She already smelled like him.
Not enough, his polar bear sulked.
He ignored it. Rosalie was practically swimming in his scent, but it would never be enough for his polar bear.
She’s ours, the bear growled.
Knock it off, he growled back. And don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you keep trying to force me to make Rosalie say she’s my mate. It’s never gonna happen. I won’t make her say that.
His polar bear’s answering growl was decidedly smug. You will.
Sadly, it was a possibility. The last two times he’d had sex with Rosalie, he’d come stupidly close to trying to get her to say she was his mate. It didn’t help that every time he said or did anything even remotely possessive, there was a noticeable increase in her lust for him.
Listen to me, he tried to reason with his bear, even if I make her say she’s our mate while we’re fucking, it doesn’t mean she’s our mate. Do you understand?
She’s ours.
He sighed and leaned against the wall. It was pointless to argue with his bear. He’d just have to make sure the damn thing didn’t take over at some point or he’d start spouting off to Rosalie about being his mate. She’d freak out for certain and he’d never see her again.
In a week, you’re never gonna see her again, anyway.
The thought – one he’d been steadily ignoring as each day ticked by - brought on a dismaying sense of panic. Before it could settle too deeply, the door to the ladies’ room opened. Rosalie appeared in the hallway and fuck, he loved the way she smiled when she saw him, loved the intoxicating scent of happiness and lust that always covered her when he got close.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hey.” He held out his hand and she took it without hesitation. He led her the few short steps to the door marked ‘employees only’ before taking a quick look up and down the hallway. It was empty, and he opened the door and pulled her inside the room, shutting the door firmly behind them.
“Hudson? What are you doing?”
He flicked the light on and she studied the small room. Large closet was more apt of a description, and she grabbed at his shoulders when he lifted her up and pressed her back against the door, holding her in place with his body.
“Legs around my waist, little human.”
She did what he asked, hooking her feet in the small of his back. Her look of confusion turning to surprise when he rubbed his erection against her core.
“Hudson?” She whispered.
He kissed her, coaxing her mouth open with small nips and licks. She moaned into his mouth and he cupped her breast, squeezing it gently through her bra and shirt as their tongues tasted and teased. When he went to flick open the button on her jeans, she reached down and pressed her hand over his, stopping him.
“What are you doing?” She whispered.
“Public sex,” he kissed her soft throat, “and it’s not even in a gross bathroom.”
She giggled, and he grinned at her before kissing her again. “We’ve only got fifteen minutes, but I can do a lot to you in fifteen minutes.”
He stroked his hand along her thigh before kneading her ass. She returned his kisses, but after only a couple of minutes, he pulled back. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said.
“I want the truth, little Rosie.”
She sighed. “You’ll think I’m an idiot or even worse, a tease.”
“I won’t,” he said.
“I know I said I wanted to try public sex but,” she hesitated, “but this is where you work and if we get caught, you’ll be fired and I’d feel terrible, and my boss is here and if I go back to the booth after fucking you, he’s going to know and I don’t want him to think bad about me.”
She ran out of breath and gave him a miserable look as she sucked in another big gulp of oxygen. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“Is it?” She asked. “Or are you just saying it’s fine when really it isn’t fine at all?”
He grinned and gave her a quick kiss. “I mean it. I was doing this for you, little human.” He kissed her again, making this one long and slow as he ground his erection against her pussy again. “My preference when fucking you is to have plenty of time to,” he nipped at her earlobe and squeezed her breast again, “kiss and lick every inch of your amazing body before I bury my dick in your perfect pussy.”
She moaned, and her lust was back in full force for him. He kissed the tip of her nose before setting her on her feet. She stared up at him. “Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad to have a quickie just for… reasons.”
“Nope. Now you have to wait until I’m finished work to get all of this.” He lifted his shirt, just enough to show her his flat abdomen, and she gave him a cute pout.
“You don’t play fair.”
“I don’t.” He kissed her again.
“Will you wake me up if I’m asleep when you get home?” She asked.
Christ, he liked hearing her refer to her place as his home a little too much.
“Yes,” he said.
“Do you promise? You haven’t woken me up at all this week.”
“I will tonight.” He squeezed her ass a final time before opening the door and peering into the hallway. “All clear. Go back to your friends, little Rosie. I’ll see you,” he paused, “at home later.”
“Okay.” She stood on her tiptoes and he bent so she could give him a soft kiss on the mouth. “Bye, Hudson.”
Chapter Seventeen
H
udson stripped off his clothes and slipped into the bed. Rosalie was sound asleep in the middle of the bed. He spooned her, his hand cupping one heavy breast as he pressed a kiss against the silky skin of her back.
She’d had a bath before bed and her skin was fragrant with the scent of vanilla. He smiled a little, even the body wash she used wasn’t enough to mask his scent. He kissed her skin again as his cock stiffened against her ass.
Normally she slept in shorts and a t-shirt, but tonight she was completely naked. Any guilt about waking her disappeared and he palmed her breast, squeezing it lightly as she made a soft sighing moan and pressed her ass against his dick.
He wondered if he could convince her to always sleep nude. Waking up to Rosalie’s naked body every morning was his idea of heaven.
Yeah, well in a week you’ll never wake up with her again so there’s no point in –
“Hudson?” Rosalie said sleepily.
“Hi, honey.”
“Hi.” She arched her back when he gave her nipple a light pinch.
He kissed her neck as she reached behind her and rubbed his hip before muttering, “How’s work?”
“Fine. Did you have fun with Maggie?” He teased her nipple with his thumb and forefinger.
“Hmm, yeah.”
God, she was adorable when she was a combination of sleepy and turned on. He slid his hand down to her curvy thigh. “Open.”
She spread her legs immediately, and he cupped her pussy as he kissed the top of her shoulder. “That’s my good girl.”
“I like being your good girl.” Her eyes were still closed, and her yawn turned into a low moan when he rubbed her clit.
“I like it too, baby.” He circled her clit with his rough fingers, feeling a smug sort of satisfaction at how quickly she got wet for him.
She was still mostly asleep, but she rocked her hips against his fingers, making soft and sexy moans. A thick beard sprouted on his face and his fangs dropped. His deep voice lowered another octave and he growled, “You’re my good mate, sweet Rosie. Say it.”
“I’m your good mate,” she said, her voice slow and dreamy.
He rubbed her clit more firmly. “Again.’
“I’m your – mmm…” she arched into his hand, her eyelids flickering up for a brief second before closing again, “good mate.”
He rubbed his beard across the back of her shoulder, nipped her soft skin with his fangs. “That’s right. My mate. No one else’s.”
“No one else’s,” she repeated languidly. “Only yours.”
“Does my mate want to be fucked?”
“Hmm, yes,” Rosalie said on a soft sigh and widened her legs even more.
He lifted her leg up and over his hip before moving his body down a bit and guiding his cock to her wet entrance. She pushed back against him, moaning quietly as he slid deep inside of her. When he was fully sheathed, he cupped her pussy again, resting the tips of his fingers against her clit while he waited for her to adjust to his size.
“Good, my mate?” He asked after a few moments.
“Yes,” she moaned. “Fuck me.”
He didn’t move, holding her still with his hand on her hip when she tried to move.
“Hudson, fuck me.” Her sleepy pout was ridiculously endearing.
He waited patiently. His mate was clever, she would figure it out.
She tried to move again, making a low sound of frustration in the back of her throat. His polar bear growled happily when she squeezed her tight pussy around his dick and moaned, “Fuck me, my mate.”
He rewarded her with slow and gentle thrusts. She met each of his thrusts, her body soft and pliant against his. He closed his eyes and concentrated on how good his mate felt, how wet her pussy was, the low sounds of her moans and the way her body shuddered when he lightly rubbed her clit. He kept the same slow pace, thrusting and retreating as she rocked her pelvis and matched his languid tempo stroke for stroke. He continued to rub her clit as her soft cries grew louder and her pussy grew wetter. He was close himself, the hot, wet grip of his mate’s pussy making his balls tighten and the base of his spine tingle.
When his mate cried out and arched against him, her body trembling as her orgasm washed over her, he moaned her name and thrust deep. Her pussy squeezed around him, pulling his seed deep into her body as he came. He buried his face in her back, his hand tightening around her pussy as he held her flush against him.
When he finally came down from his high, he slid his hand from his mate’s pussy to her breast. He cupped it, her nipple a hard pearl against his palm, before kissing her naked back and raising his head. He was still deep inside of her, and he rested his head on the pillow behind hers.
“My mate?” He whispered.
“Hmm?” She was already almost asleep again.
“I lo -” He shoved his polar bear down and shut his mouth with a snap, his heart pounding in his chest as his bear roared angrily and tried to surge forward again.
He held it back grimly as Rosalie made a sleepy sound. “What?”
“Nothing,” he whispered. “Go to sleep, sweet Rosie.”
She made another happy and drowsy sigh. “Good night, my mate.”
His hand squeezed her breast compulsively as his bear finally retreated with a contented growl. “Good night, little mate.”
* * *
“You have no idea how awful it is to be afraid in your own home, Rosalie.”
“Hmm,” Rosalie stared at the television, barely hearing her mother’s voice. She kept thinking about last night with Hudson.
She’d been asleep when he came home from work and she’d mostly woken up when he’d started touching her. They’d had sex and she’d gone back to sleep almost immediately.
You sure you actually had sex, Rosie?
Yes, they’d had sex when Hudson got home from work, she knew that for certain. But she must have been half asleep the whole time because something didn’t make sense.
You’re my good mate, sweet Rosie.
She almost swiveled in her chair to look behind her, so clearly did she hear Hudson’s deep voice.
You dreamed it, Rosie. He didn’t say that to you.
She sighed and rubbed at her forehead. Her inner voice was right. She’d had sex with Hudson while half-asleep and dreaming. He hadn’t said anything like that to her and she knew it because she’d asked him about it just before he left for work.
Not that she had asked him specifically about the mate thing. She couldn’t actually seem to say the words – Hudson, did you call me your mate last night and make me say I was your mate before you would fuck me – but she had awkwardly admitted to being half asleep before asking if they’d talked during sex. He’d given her a strange look. A look that was confusion mixed in with…
Guilt, Rosie. He looked guilty.
She rubbed her forehead again, as if she could just rub her inner voice right out of her head. Why would Hudson look guilty? She’d been imagining it, that was all. He had shaken his head in denial of her question and, feeling dumb, she’d quickly changed the subject.
So, she’d had sex with Hudson and dreamed that he called her his mate. Was it really all that surprising when there’d been more than once during sex that he made her say she was his? No, it wasn’t.
“Rosalie!”
She jumped in the recliner and gave her mother a guilty look. “Sorry, Mom.”
“What is going on with you lately?” Her mother asked. “You’ve barely come by this week to see me, you didn’t come over today until after five, and now you’re completely ignoring me.”
“I’m not,” Rosalie said. “I have a lot on my mind right now, that’s all.”
“Well, what about me, Rosalie? I’m terrified.” Her mother crossed her arms over her torso and stared at the front door. “I think you should call a locksmith for me and get a second lock put on the door.”
“Mom,” Rosalie said, “you’re not in any danger.”
“A shifter moved in next door and
you think I’m not in any danger?” Her mother glared at her.
Rosalie took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before releasing it slowly. “Mrs. Nester was outside when I got here. I chatted with her for a couple of minutes and she told me the new neighbor is a rabbit shifter. He’s not dangerous, Mom. I promise. Even if he was a tiger shifter or a bear shifter, you still wouldn’t be in danger.”
“You’re not worried about me being here all alone, are you?” Her mother’s voice was full of hurt. “You don’t care about me.”
“Stop it,” Rosalie said. “You know I love you and that I care about you. But you’re not -”
“If you really cared about me, you’d ask me to live with you.” Her mother leaned forward. “I’m getting old, Rosie, and money is tight. If I lived with you, we could spend more time together and I wouldn’t be so lonely.”
Something that was close to panic raced through Rosalie. Trying to keep her voice neutral, she said, “I’m a little too old to be living with my mother again. Besides, you love this house.”
“It’s expensive living on my own.”
“You have a very good pension, savings in the bank, the house is paid for, and inexpensive hobbies. You’re not penniless, Mom.”
Her mother sniffed loudly as a few tears slid down her cheeks. “I also have a daughter who refuses to spend time with her mother, who thinks she can just abandon the mother who sacrificed everything for her, who raised her and took care of her and made sure she had everything she wanted.”
“I’m not abandoning you, Mom.” Guilt was creeping in and she made herself smile cheerfully at her mother. “I love you so much and I’m appreciative of everything you’ve done. It’s just – living together doesn’t work for me right now. I need my space and quiet time, especially when I start school for my real estate license.”
Her mother blinked in surprise. “Are you still on about that? I thought you’d decided it wasn’t a good idea for someone like you.”
“No,” Rosalie forced another smile. “I never said that.”
Rosalie Undone (Book Six) Page 26