“Hudson?” Her eyes blinked open. “Are you ok?” The sleep quickly faded.
“I am. You should sleep.” He turned for the door.
“Are you leaving?” It sounded more accusatory than she had intended.
“I thought you would want to sleep.”
“Aren’t you going to tell me where you went? Why you left?” She pulled her legs under her.
“I needed a little air, that’s all. I went for a walk.”
“Hmm.” She saw the worry and fear on his face. “Is it about today? Just tell me. If you think it was a mistake I can handle it. Just tell me.”
“Oh God, no.” He rushed next to her. “Not like what you think, Riley. It’s not.”
He buried his head in the softness of her lap. She ran her fingers along his scalp, threading his thick locks through her fingers.
“Then what is it? What freaked you out?”
He lifted his eyes to her. “I can’t lie to you.”
She pinched her lips together. “I would hope you wouldn’t lie anyway, but what’s going on?”
He nuzzled into her neck, sniffing behind her ear, his hand cradling her cheek. “Please let me make love to you. Just once.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “Didn’t we already do that?”
“No, that was different. Let me show you.”
Her body was sore and aching. The nap helped, but she was afraid the slightest touch from him would burn.
“I’ll be gentle, I swear,” he moaned into her throat. “Please, Riley.”
She nodded, feeling the need building between her legs and he had barely touched her.
“And then.” He held her gaze. “I’ll explain.”
“Ok,” she whispered. Explanations suddenly seemed secondary. This man had control of her.
He let the folds of her shirt fall open, and took one of her breasts in his hands. His head lowered and she watched in awe as his tongue barely touched the tip of her nipple.
“Ahh,” she moaned. It wasn’t enough.
He licked lovingly, soothingly, melting the stinging sensations from early. His tongue circled wide, then closer together. “These are so beautiful,” he murmured. “So perfect.”
Her head reeled back, jutting her breasts closer to his face.
His hands moved to her hips, wriggling her yoga pants over her hips. “And your curves. Your fucking curves,” he growled. “I want to get lost in you. Do you know that?”
She held his gaze, marveling at the new tenderness in his fingers. She shuddered when she felt him peel her panties from her ankles.
“I’m so sore,” she whispered.
“I know, baby. I’m sorry.” His fingers parted the folds between her legs. “I had to do it. You wanted it, remember? I didn’t have a choice anymore.”
She nodded, moaning as he moved her legs farther apart. Nothing he said made sense, yet next to his body everything made perfect sense.
She felt a deep ache inside. One that was clawing for him. Desperate for him to invade her, take her, command her body. She arched up, begging for his fingers to find entrance into her warmth.
“I want it again.” She looked at him as if there was some explanation in his eyes. “I want you again, Hudson. Why?” Her back writhed and her legs spread, letting his fingers dance lightly. She felt the sudden heat of wetness between her legs and she smiled, knowing how much it turned him on.
“You’re so good at that, fuck,” he growled. “I want to bury myself in you. Taste you. Suck you. Lick you. Fuck you until the moon goes to bed. Riley.” He closed his eyes.
“I want it too.” She rocked against him, forcing his fingers to slip inside her. She clamped tightly around them and began moving her hips. It hurt, but it was a beautiful soreness reminding her of him. How he had taken her. How she had found something of herself when he was buried deep in her core.
“No.” He laid a kiss on her navel. “I want you to see how I worship this body of yours. I can be both to you, Riley. I can be an animal, but I can be your lover.” His tongue began lapping between her legs, sliding over the nub already pulsing with want.
“I can give you this.” His finger moved to her entrance, spreading her with tender strokes. She buckled at the sensation. It felt raw and sore, but exquisite with his touch. He circled her nub again, before dipping inside, drawing moans from her throat.
“More,” she breathed.
He inserted another finger, stretching the center and she cried out from the pain.
“I’m sorry.” He pulled away and his brow furrowed in worry.
She sat up. “Don’t stop. It hurts, but it’s an amazing ache. It’s pure bliss when you touch me.”
“Really?” he asked, returning his fingers to her hot and wet center. “Like this?” He added another finger and she groaned, leaning forward gripping his shoulders.
“Yes, yes.” She began to rise and fall on his fingers, her hips rocking, into him, sinking deeper into his hand.
“Yes, Riley. Come like this.” He gripped the back of her hair, yanking her head back.
She jolted on to his hand as he added a fourth finger inside her and she screamed toward the ceiling.
“That’s it, baby. Come on my fingers.”
She glided over them, letting the wetness spill onto his hands. “Hudson.” She clawed at his back, letting the surges fill her, take her one spiraling breath at a time.
She pressed her forehead against his. “It’s not enough,” she moaned. “I need you.”
He shook his head. “No, I’ll hurt you.”
She reached for his buckle. “No, you won’t. That felt amazing. I’m ready for you.” She eyed him. “All of you.”
12
Hudson
Hudson looked at this woman lying in front of him. She was everything he ever wanted. Everything he needed. She was his fucking mate, but he was too afraid to tell her. Too afraid to fuck her. Afraid he’d hurt her after what he had put her through this afternoon. But she wouldn’t listen. She wanted him. She needed him.
“Fuck,” he groaned as she pulled his belt from the loops. His bear couldn’t resist her.
Her eyes landed hungrily on his throbbing cock. His bear wanted to plunge into her, take her again roughly and wildly. But he couldn’t do that. He needed to prove to her before he told her the truth that he could treat her like she should be treated. He could make love to her. He could be gentle. He could be a man.
He closed his eyes as he felt her shove his boxer shorts off his hips. Before he could position himself over her she wriggled toward him. He felt the heat of her mouth take him inside.
“Oh fuck,” he growled. He began to lightly pump against the ridge of her mouth and the softness of her tongue. He didn’t want it to end like this. He withdrew and looked down into her eyes. She was fucking unbelievable.
She rolled on to her back, spreading her knees to the side. She was ready. More than ready for him. He placed the tip at her entrance feeling the heat of her center, letting her sweet honey coat him before sliding deep inside her.
“Oh, Hudson,” she moaned.
“Too much?” he asked. His hips were moving faster, she was like a drink he was thirsty for all over again. He didn’t think he could slow down.
“No, you’re never too much for me.” She smiled.
And he knew then exactly what he had to do.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her ankles at his low back. He tilted her hips forward, and plunged the head of his hardness as far as he could. Like a bolt of lightning shooting from his body to hers he drove himself deeper into her folds, into her soul—searing his body to hers with a ferocious burn consuming his cock like nothing he had ever experienced.
“Oh, shit, Riley!” His mouth landed on hers as he felt the release shudder through him. He filled her with everything he had. His tongue lashed in her mouth as she sucked against his lips.
She began to vibrate around him and he knew what was happening. The firs
t time he had claimed her for himself, but this time she was claiming him—taking the release he was giving her for herself. Pulling it into her protective and warm depths.
He looked in her eyes. The eyes of the woman who was his mate. The mother of his cubs.
* * *
Hudson
Riley nestled into the crook of Hudson’s chest. The heat still penetrating from their bodies.
“Do you feel good?” he asked.
“I feel incredible.” She stretched against his solid form. All the hard muscles of his legs.
“Good.” He wanted to make her feel pleasure like she never had. It was his job now after all.
His hand lingered over her belly, flattening his palm. She was exquisite. Soft and warm. Her body opening up to him like a flower with gentle petals meant only for him. Even if she didn’t know yet what had happened between them, he did.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
“And it’s not book related?”
“It’s not book related.” He kissed the side of her neck.
“And you can’t lie?” she giggled.
“No, I can never lie to you.”
“You realize that sounds completely strange.” She twisted in his arms so she was facing him. “Just spit it out, Hudson.”
“There’s no good way—no easy way—no way you’re going to understand—” He was a damn bear. A strong powerful, rip-your-head-off bear. Why couldn’t he just say the words?
“Let me guess. You want to keep me up here in the family house as your sex slave.” She teased, toying with the hairs on his chest.
“Not a bad idea, but no. That’s not it.” He took a deep breath.
Her eyes darted back and forth, searching for a hint of what he was about to explain.
“Riley, you’re my mate. You are my life now. My everything.” He rubbed a thumb against her cheek. “This is forever.”
“Forever?” she whispered. “But we…I just…it’s been…”
He nodded. “There’s more. That’s the most important though. Remember that when I tell you the next part.” He swallowed, his throat closing momentarily. “I’m a bear.”
Her expression froze. The rosy hues dotting her cheeks disappeared. “A bear?” She created space between them, jostling the sheet off her arms.
“Yes, that’s right. A shifter. A bear shifter.”
She sat forward, taking the sheet with her. “What kind of messed up mind games do you play?” She rolled to the side, scurrying to the bathroom. “I’ve heard a lot of fucking excuses from guys but nothing like this.” She slammed the door.
“Shit,” he mumbled. “Riley!” He pounded on the door, forcing his bear to remain calm while he handled it. “I’m not messing with you.”
He thought he heard sobs muffled through the door. “Go away, Hudson.”
“It’s the damn truth. I’m a bear. You’re my mate. Today sealed all of that. We are forever, Riley. Forever.”
The door flew open and he looked down at the woman who had stolen his soul. “You expect me to believe that?” She huffed past him, throwing clothes in her suitcase.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m packing to leave.” She zipped the side. “You can finish the book. Don’t finish the book. I don’t give a fuck.” She spun to face him. He saw the rage firing in her eyes. “But don’t call me. Don’t bother with more excuses.” She jerked the handle in her hand and rolled the bag behind her.
Hudson chased after her. “Wait, you can’t leave.” He took the steps two at a time until he was in front of her, blocking her exit. “We’re mated. You can’t leave me.”
“Stop with this mated, mate, mating talk. If you weren’t that into me all you had to do was say something. You didn’t have to pretend. You didn’t have to use me like that.”
He saw her eyes glisten with tears. Please don’t cry. He couldn’t see her like this.
“I didn’t use you. I would never use you.” He looked around, helpless to stop her from leaving.
“I know how this works. I may not have had a lot of boyfriends but I get it. We’re here alone. You needed a good fuck and then you woke up and realized who was in your bed.” The tears slid over her cheeks. “I should have gone the first time.”
He shook his head. “No, don’t say that. Never say that.” He gripped her shoulders, bringing her against his chest, but she wiggled free.
“Would you sit for a second?” He led her to the living room, planting her on the couch. “Let me explain. Please.”
She sat on the edge of the sofa, not ready to stay for long.
“I’ll start from the beginning. I’ll explain everything.”
She crossed her arms, but at least she was listening. All he wanted to do was wrap her in his embrace and tell her that together they could face this. They could live with the bear, but Hudson wasn’t sure it was the truth.
“I’m waiting,” she fumed.
Hudson ran his hands against his face, as if he could draw strength from his chiseled jaw. He didn’t know where to start. How he was going to explain the shifter world she now existed in.
13
Riley
Riley couldn’t believe it. She had shared everything with him. Given him every part of her body. Places no one had touched. Screamed his name. Obeyed his commands under the sheets. And what was more humiliating was that she had begged for it, pleaded for him to take her into oblivion like an animal. It felt good. It was satisfying and quenched something primal deep in her core. Staring at the man in front of her, she didn’t know whether to hate him for what he had done, or love him for opening her eyes to her sexual goddess.
“Aren’t you going to say something? You’re supposed to be a master with words. Best-selling author and everything.” Her words were harsh, but she was done being his sexual toy. She wanted answers before she packed up for the final time.
“I’m a bear.” He held his hand forward, quieting her protest. “A real, vicious, living, breathing, bear shifter. It’s who I really am, Riley.”
She swallowed hard. He crouched to the floor and the flames cast a deep shadow over his back.
“I was born a shifter. My brothers and I were born into this life. We didn’t ask for it, though they seem to handle it better than I do.” He paused. “This is a lot to take in. I know it is.”
“Keep going,” she whispered. Her thoughts hadn’t landed on whether this was fact or fiction, she only knew she had to let him speak. Let the husky-laden words fill the room.
“It’s why I’m here. It’s the reason I spend so much time in the cabin. I can be myself here. All of me. The bear and the writer.” His hand landed on her knee and she shuddered at the impact. “Don’t be scared of me, Riley. I won’t hurt you.”
She heard a low rumble from his chest, and the hair along her forearms prickled. This might be for real. He might be an actual fucking bear.
“I don’t know what to think right now.” She wanted to move his hand away, but she was nervous to touch him. Nervous her body would betray her.
“I came up here to escape one of my bear responsibilities.”
“And what was that?” She barely had any life in her voice. Her throat was clamped tightly together.
His eyes locked onto her gaze, searing her with emotion. “To find my mate.”
“Mate?”
“Yes, you.” He rubbed the pad of his thumb against her bottom lip, and she felt an involuntary sigh escape from her mouth. “You’re my mate, Riley. Forever.”
She shook free from the spell. From the heated connection stirring between them. “You keep saying mate, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think I can explain it.” He rose from the floor, taking a step from her. Good, she thought. She could reason through things if he gave her some distance. “See, in the bear shifter world, we have one mate. One fated person we spend forever with.”
“But, I’ve seen you.” She didn’t mean to inte
rrupt. “You’ve been with lots of women. There are pictures of them everywhere.”
He nodded. “True. But they weren’t my mate. I can date. Hell, I can fuck who I want, but there is only one. One I will give everything to.”
His eyes bore into hers.
“And if I haven’t found her in my thirtieth year, then I am free to live a life how I choose. Bear and human. No rules. No mate.”
“So you’re hiding out from women?” It came out almost as a laugh. Riley quickly covered her mouth.
He glared at her. “I’m not scared of women. I was trying to protect her. Whoever she might be. Turns out she is you.”
“Protect her. I mean me from what?” Riley moved forward, the fear churning in her stomach.
Hudson’s eyes dropped to her stomach. His palm flattened against her shirt.
“From bearing my cubs,” he whispered.
“C-cubs?” She took a step back. “No. No way.” She remembered the sex they had. No protection. Not a single condom. Nothing. She had wanted him to fill her with his release, she begged for it like she needed it to keep breathing. It wasn’t anything she had ever wanted before from another man. But in the moment she thought she’d die if he didn’t fill her with the essence from his cock. She had wanted it over and over.
“Why didn’t you use a fucking condom?” she screamed.
He hung his head. “When a bear finds his mate you don’t use condoms. I asked you. I told you I had to take you.”
“But I didn’t know what in the hell you were talking about. I couldn’t stop myself.” She covered her mouth. “I wanted you from somewhere in me I didn’t know I had.” It had felt out of her control. She would have killed to have him inside her—she knew it. It was epically the best fucking experience of her life.
She closed her eyes. “No. No, this can’t be happening.” She backed up again.
Hudson reached toward her. “It’s ok. We’re in this together. I promise you, Riley…”
But she couldn’t listen. She didn’t think she’d ever want to hear or see another one of Hudson Highland’s words again.
The Write Bear (Highland Brothers 1) Page 6