by Liza Street
Her breath came in soft puffs against his neck. Warm. Smelling of toothpaste. Why did she have to smell so good? All of her. And he knew her skin. His hands itched to feel it again, to trace her curves, follow the smooth lines to all the parts of her body. Bring her pleasure, take away her pain.
No—that wasn’t his role here. His role was to protect her.
Something warm and wet grazed his neck. She’d—she’d licked him.
He couldn’t pretend the tension wasn’t between them anymore. Turning his head, he was going to say that he should get up and sit by the door. But as soon as he saw her watching him, all of his intentions left his mind. He crashed his mouth to her lips, tasting her, drinking her.
She moaned in response and twined her fingers in his hair. “Hudson,” she whispered.
She was under the covers, he was on top of them. That had to change, immediately.
Even as he pulled the blankets back, he knew this wasn’t right. He was being unprofessional. His former boss would have crucified him for this. His current boss would probably flay him alive.
But he couldn’t give one single fuck.
Viviana’s camisole was thin, and her nipples were already poking up through it, hard like little buttons. He lightly pinched one, then the other. She squirmed, sliding her legs back and forth against each other, probably trying to relieve the tension he was causing between her legs. He moved his mouth back to hers and forced his tongue inside. She sucked it, greedily.
When he sent an exploring hand down to the waistband of her pajama shorts, she gasped against him and arched forward. She wanted this even more than he did.
“This okay?” he asked. Hating himself for giving in to this lust. This all-consuming lust. But he couldn’t stop, not if she wanted this like he did.
“Better than okay,” she whispered back. “I need to forget, Hudson. I need you, and I need to forget everything else.”
She needed him. That, right there, would be his undoing.
He hovered over her body, staring down at her beautiful face. He couldn’t stand to be away from her.
But…this shouldn’t be about what he needed. If he didn’t let himself find release, this wouldn’t be about him. It would only be about her…and then he wouldn’t feel as unprofessional.
He scooted back on the bed, nestling his head between her thighs. Her sweet scent filled his nose. He yanked her shorts down. She wasn’t wearing panties, and he grinned up at her, wickedly. That first time in the woods, she’d said, Tell me what to do. Did she get off on that? On being told what to do?
“Touch your breasts,” he said, his voice husky. “Touch yourself while I lick you.”
She moaned uncertainly, but did as he asked. Her pretty face was screwed up in concentration.
“Just let go, Viviana. It’s just you and me here, all right? Everything’s going to be fine. Just feel this.”
With that, he stuck his tongue out and licked along her seam. She was sweet, divine, and he couldn’t get enough. “I knew you’d taste good.”
She whimpered, her fingers pinching at her nipples. She was so ready. It would be so easy to slide up and into her and give her everything—but no. He had at least a little more restraint than that. He kept his jeans firmly on and continued to alternate licks along her pussy lips and little nibbling sucks on her clit. She squirmed more, tried to clamp her thighs around his head. He loved every second of driving her wild. With one hand, he held one of her thighs in place, and with the other, he slowly, ever so slowly, inserted a single finger into her pussy.
She moaned louder. “That feels—oh, Hudson. That feels so good.”
He moved his finger back and forth, reveling in the way she clamped down on him. Her muscles were so, so strong, and he wished they encased his cock instead. But no, that wouldn’t, that couldn’t be the case. He’d never be able to look in the mirror again.
When he put a second finger in along with his first, she whimpered and moaned. “Keep touching those gorgeous breasts,” he said. “Play with your tits.”
He wasn’t imagining the way her breath hitched every time he told her to do something. She was into this. He began to slide his fingers in and out of her faster and faster, and moved his tongue up to lick and suck her clit, both at once. She arched up, and her legs tensed around his shoulders.
“I’m coming—oh,” she whispered. Her entire body shuddered, and she squeezed his fingers.
He pulled them out of her pussy and licked them clean, then he slid up beside her.
She reached for his zipper, but he grabbed her wrist.
“No,” he said. “Thank you.”
“No? Thank you?” She giggled. “But, you’ve got to be kidding. I mean—”
“I mean, I should be sitting in a chair over there, by the door. Viviana, I feel bad enough that I did this much. I mean, I’d do it all again, but I shouldn’t be touching you.”
“Yeah.” She turned over on her side, facing the window. “Never mind, it’s fine.”
Hudson reached out and ghosted a touch along her spine. He wanted to feel her skin, wanted to lose himself in her.
But this was a job, not a relationship. He stood and straightened his shirt and pants, then grabbed her desk chair and dragged it over to the door. There he sat, replaying in his mind, over and over, the way her pussy had clamped around his fingers, the sweet taste of her filling his mouth.
It took a long time, but eventually Viviana’s breathing evened out and grew softer. He envied her sleep, envied the very bed she was sleeping in. He wanted to be with her in that bed, curled around her body.
When dawn broke, sending warm rays of light through her gauzy white curtains, Hudson stood up. Viviana remained asleep, her breaths even. Resisting the urge to wake her with a kiss, he replaced the chair by her desk and walked from the room.
In his own room, he locked his door. Then he lay on the bed, shoved his pants down to his feet, and lifted his shirt. Grabbing his cock in one hand, he felt the heavy thickness of it.
Maybe this was unprofessional, but it wasn’t like he was on the clock. This was his leisure time, after all, and he could do this silently. Nobody had to know what he was doing in here.
Or who he was thinking about.
He wondered what Viviana would think if she saw him holding his cock in his hand. Would her eyes grow wide with surprise? Would they become heavy-lidded with desire? Would she want to repeat everything they’d done in the woods?
Sounds of her shower running reached his ears. He stifled a groan, because now his imagination was going wild. He thought of the shower water beading on her skin. Imagined licking it from her shoulders, and trailing his tongue to her breasts to suckle her nipples gently.
This was killing him. He pumped his cock harder, faster. Felt his balls squeeze. He came suddenly, silently, then cleaned up and fell asleep.
The ringing of his phone woke him. He looked at the time. Noon. The caller ID read Heritage Pines, and his heart beat fast.
“Yes?” he said. “This is Hudson.”
“Mr. Hudson,” a female voice said, “this is Dr. Powers.”
“Yes?”
“Everything is fine. There’s been a massive improvement—your mother is speaking again, and she’s asked to speak with you.”
“She has?” This was fantastic—she was getting better. And it had been so long since he heard her voice. Not only was he worried about his mom, he’d also missed her. “I’ll be there in an hour.”
He hung up, feeling hopeful for the first time since he’d learned of Chase’s death.
Fifteen
Viviana walked slowly down the stairs. Her body was sore—too much sex yesterday. That time in the woods, and then again, in her bed with Hudson.
Why did he keep pulling away from her? Maybe it was just as she’d feared—she was an ice princess. Ben had been right.
Breakfast things would probably be put away; it had to be at least noon. Her fellow pride members had probably eaten
everything and headed out.
But when she got all the way downstairs, she realized that almost everyone was still here. Voices came from the music room, people talking about Chase. Doors opened and closed in other parts of the house. The picture window in the great room revealed the back lawn, where some of the Guardians had arranged themselves in a circle, stretching.
Viviana stopped on the third step. She didn’t want to face everyone right now. They’d be here again tonight, and the night after—however long it took to resolve things with Chase’s death. She loved her pride, but she wanted to be alone. She wanted to think about everything that had happened with Hudson, and figure it out.
She forced herself to keep walking and shuffled into the kitchen. She didn’t want to eat or drink anything—daily routines didn’t feel right knowing that Chase was gone, so suddenly. But she felt like she should put on a brave front. People would look to her to set an example.
After grabbing a banana, she went to the table and sat down alone.
Ben and Doug came out of the music room. They didn’t look over at Viviana, which was new. Usually they’d be asking her questions, teasing her. Probably making dick jokes about the banana. What had she ever seen in Ben? He was immature and rude. Nothing like Hudson, who was kind, and thoughtful. Hudson had been there for her last night, giving her exactly what she needed.
Until he stopped.
She bit the banana rather harder than she needed to, taking out her aggression against men on the nearest phallic object. She heard Hudson’s voice coming from the stairs near the front door, and she followed the sound.
“I’ll be back soon,” he was saying.
“It’s no problem,” Marlana said. “We’re fine during the day. It’s the evenings and nights I fear.”
“I’ll definitely be back by sundown,” Hudson said.
Waiting until she heard her mother’s footsteps fade away, Viviana rushed toward Hudson. “Where are you going?”
He hesitated. “Heritage Pines.”
Viviana had seen the commercials, growing up. When you have a problem you can’t solve on your own, try Heritage Pines. If life is too difficult, try Heritage Pines. We’ll help get you back on track.
Suddenly she realized that he knew all there was to know about her, but she knew absolutely nothing about him.
“Who are you visiting?” she asked.
“My mother.”
Viviana looked around the room. “I’m sorry. She must not be well.”
“She’s not.”
“Would you like company?” The question surprised Viviana—she hadn’t meant to ask it. Her desire to go wasn’t only the fact that she wanted to get out of the house for a while. It was more that Hudson looked so lonely and sad. Viviana hated the idea of him going out to Heritage Pines all by himself.
“My mom might not want the extra company,” he said.
Viviana nodded. “I understand. It’s okay. It was just, if you wanted company.”
“I do want company.” He reached for the door, then hesitated. “If she doesn’t want to talk to you, you won’t mind waiting somewhere else?”
“Oh! No, not at all,” she said.
“Great.”
Now it was Viviana’s turn to hesitate. “I actually didn’t think this through. Marlana might not want me to go.”
Hudson leveled a look at her. “Is it her decision? Are you alpha material or not?”
Anger flared in Viviana’s chest. Was she alpha material? Hell yes, she was. She’d been training since adolescence. She’d even trained to fight in case of a pride war. She’d monitored the members of the pride and managed Marlana’s accounts. She’d watched carefully as Marlana made and executed decisions. Viviana was alpha material.
His voice was softer when he said, “I know you’re alpha material. But does your mother know that? You have to show her.”
She wanted to stay mad. Mad at Hudson, mad at herself. But he was exactly, one hundred percent right. She hadn’t been showing her mother that she was an alpha. She’d been showing her mother, instead, that she was obedient, that she would listen to instruction, that she would fall in line.
She’d been showing her mother that she was a follower, not a leader.
“You’re right,” she said, her voice clear and strong. She turned to the staircase and marched up to Marlana’s office. The door was open a crack, and Viviana walked in.
Marlana looked up in surprise, probably because Viviana hadn’t knocked. “What is it?”
“I’m going out,” Viviana said.
“You are? Where?”
“Heritage Pines, with Hudson.” Viviana stood up even straighter. “I’m telling you so that you don’t worry, but know that it isn’t your business where I go. I’m an adult now, Mother.”
Marlana’s ice-blue eyes flashed with irritation. “I know you’re an adult.”
“Good.” Viviana walked back downstairs, feeling taller than she had when she walked up.
Sixteen
Hudson kept sneaking glances at Viviana’s face as he drove. She looked serene but sad in the passenger’s seat. Her crystal blue eyes were thoughtful as they took in the road in front of them. He wished he could ask her what she was thinking about, but he didn’t want to disturb her.
Finally, she pointed to the car stereo. “May I?”
“Sure.”
He grinned when the crashing drums and electric guitars blared, and she visibly sat back in her seat. Recovering herself, she quickly turned the music off again.
“Never mind,” she said.
“What, you’re not a fan of classic rock?”
“Is that what that is? I thought an eighties band was getting melted in your transmission.”
“Ha.” Hudson pulled into the long driveway leading into Heritage Pines. “Have you ever been here?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, I haven’t. Is it nice?”
“Nicest one I could find,” he said. “Well, I guess that’s not entirely true. There’s another place up near Missoula, but it’s more for wealthy celebrities with drug addictions. A recovery place. I’d call it a recovery paradise, but that’s just me. We couldn’t afford that one.”
“We?”
“The Evergreen Pack and me. They’re chipping in so we can pay for all this.”
Viviana nodded. “That’s kind of them.”
“Any pack or pride would do that, though, wouldn’t they?” he said.
“No. Not all of them. Each has their own way of running things. There are a lot that are similar, but some places still have strange laws.”
Hudson parked and turned off the engine. “I guess that makes sense. But the main reason we chose this place wasn’t the price—it’s the fact that there’s a doctor here who knows the shifter world. If my mom accidentally reveals something, Dr. Powers will be able to take care of it.”
He wanted to take her hand as they walked up to the building, but he held himself back.
“Why is your mother here?” Viviana asked.
“Depression. My stepdad died a few months ago, and Mom’s been getting worse and worse.”
The automatic doors opened and Hudson and Viviana went inside. A young man in a dress shirt sat behind the reception counter. “How may I help you?” he asked.
“We’re here to visit Ellie Hudson,” Hudson said.
“Visiting hours were this morning and won’t start again until three—oh,” the man said, looking at his computer. “There’s a note from Dr. Powers. Yes, apparently you can see her now.”
“Thanks,” Hudson said.
“Go down this hallway right here, and the second left is the visitor’s room. If she’s not there already, someone will bring her shortly.”
“Thanks,” Viviana said.
The visitor’s room was large and had big windows that looked out over the expansive lawn. Hudson hoped his mom was getting plenty of time outdoors. One of her favorite activities had been going on long walks with Clay throughout the
Evergreen Pride territory.
He felt a pang of his own at the loss of Clay. Clay had been a great stepdad, and Hudson had even taken Clay’s last name when Clay adopted him. He’d kept correcting people so often on his new last name, that everyone just started calling him “Hudson.”
His mom wasn’t in the visitors’ room yet, so Hudson and Viviana sat side by side on a small couch. She looked around at the room, taking in the details, like he had done.
“What does it smell like in here?” he asked her. “Beyond the physical stuff?”
She gave an experimental sniff. “Sadness, mostly. Some desperation. Confusion. Emotions don’t always have discernible scents, but those are the ones I’m picking up.”
She reached over and took his hand. It felt right, and Hudson didn’t have the strength to pull away. But how would he manage to keep his distance from her enough that he’d be able to do his job properly?
After a minute of waiting, Hudson saw his mom approaching the doorway to the visitor’s room. He stood up and went over to her.
“Hudson,” his mom said. Her voice sounded dry and soft, unused.
“Mom.” He pulled her into a hug. She felt frail within his embrace, but then she hugged him back and he detected her core strength. She would come out of this. Maybe not right away, but soon, he hoped. “Are they treating you okay? How’s the food?”
She gave him a wobbly smile. “They’re treating me just fine. It’s not the Evergreens, but this place has its own hierarchy. I miss everyone, though.”
He nodded. “I’m just so glad you’re speaking to me again.”
She squeezed his hand. “And who’s this?”
“Oh, sorry,” Hudson said. “Mom, this is Viviana Corona-McKennon. Viviana, this is my mom, Ellie Hudson.”
He watched as Viviana confidently shook his mother’s hand. His mom and Viviana were about the same height, but Viviana’s fair features were a contrast to his mom’s darker ones.
“It’s about time for the afternoon snack,” his mom said. “Do you two want to join me in the cafeteria?”
“Of course,” Viviana murmured.
The three of them stood in line at the little buffet counter in the cafeteria—a small room populated with five or six round tables. It was a social place, Hudson noted, but not many of the guests seemed too interested in being social. Viviana chatted with his mom about mundane things like the weather, and how the summer blossoms were holding up after the unseasonable cool spell last week.