I roll my eyes. “You’re such a doofus.”
Hudson smirks and nods his head. “As long as I’m your doofus, Fay.” His face becomes serious once again and he crushes me against him. I press my face against his chest and take a deep breath, taking in his woodsy scent. “No more running from me, Fay. I’ll always find you, no matter where you hide, and although I didn’t chase after you several days ago, you can be assured I will not be making that mistake again. You’re mine.” I shiver at his tone and swallow pass a lump in my throat. “And I refuse to let something like fear stand between us. I intend to steal your heart, no matter how long that might take.”
You already have a piece of it, I say in my head but out loud I say, “Let’s take this one step at a time, handsome. It takes me more than a few days to fall for someone.” I say and laugh when he growls at me. “You growl a lot, do you realize that?” He stiffens in my arms and I wonder if I said something wrong?
“I guess I’m animalistic at heart.” he responds back, sounding off now. But before I can question him, he pulls back and grins. “Let’s go outside and join Gavin. If we don’t leave now, I’m going to throw you on my desk and ravish you until you’re screaming my name again. I doubt Gavin would like that very much.”
I raise my eyebrows and laugh. “You’ll be surprised. Gavin is into some freaky shit.”
We leave his office, hand-in-hand, and Gavin’s eyes widen when he sees us. Thankfully, he doesn’t question why I’m holding hands with his boss—when I’m supposedly never met the man—and I know from Gavin’s expression he’s going to nag me later tonight, until I tell him every juicy detail.
You got to love best friends,
Hudson, Gavin, and I talk about my designs, discussing which pieces they believe would work well in the store. I brought a few of my favorite pieces with me and when I show Hudson, they impress him. He tells me he runs the business side of the boutique, while his little sister mostly deals with the designers and bringing more merchandise into the store, but since his sister is on vacation, he decided to do this interview with me today, since he liked the designs Gavin showed him before.
“I think Laney is going to love your collection, Fay.” Hudson says and gives me his sister’s number. “I like your most recent collection and I believe it will sell well in our store this fall. I’ll tell my sister about you today and will send her a copy of your designs. I want you to call her tomorrow morning so you two can discuss things further, but I know she’s going to love you and your line.” he stands up and offers me his hand with a smirk. “It was nice meeting with you, Miss Hennessy.”
I refrain from rolling my eyes at him and shake his hand. “The pleasure was all mine, Mr. Royce.” I reply back, my eyes heating up as I speak. Hudson’s eyes glaze over with desire and Gavin clears his throat, breaking the tense moment.
“I’m going to go tidy up and get ready to open the store for the day.” Gavin smirks and wiggles his fingers at me in goodbye. “I’ll see you later, Fay. We have a lot to talk about and I’m not letting you leave out any delicious details.” he winks at us and laughs. “I’ll leave you two kids alone.”
Hudson doesn’t acknowledge Gavin as he leaves and instead, he’s watching me intently. Every time this man looks at me, I turn into a pile of mush under his gaze and I feel all the barriers I put up around myself slowly slipping away.
Maybe Hudson is right and there is something here to explore.
“We’re going out to dinner tonight.” Hudson says, not asking me, but telling me. I narrow my eyes at him and he smiles. “There’s no arguing about this, Fay. And if I recall, you still owe me a breakfast together, but since I do not want to wait until tomorrow to see you again, and I’m busy most of the afternoon, I’m compromising for dinner tonight.”
“You call this compromising?” I ask, smirking at his bossiness. He’s hot when he gets all worked up, which is why I like teasing him so much. Hudson’s eyes darken and I chuckle in amusement. “Okay, Hudson, you win. I’ll go out with you tonight, but I’m picking the restaurant.” Hudson is now the one narrowing his eyes at me and I mimic his signature shrug. “You wanted to compromise, remember?”
Hudson grabs me into his arms and sits me across his lap before he crushes our lips together and his tongue enters my mouth, dancing along with mine. He breaks away and chuckles. “Fine, you can pick the place, but I’m driving us.”
“Works for me.”
Then we seal our compromise with a passionate kiss.
~*~
Fay
Seven days.
It takes me only seven days to fall head-over-fucking-heels in love with Hudson. I don’t know when my feelings of attraction morphed into love—maybe it was on the second date when he gave me flowers—not for me, but for my father’s grave. I’ve never been on a graveyard date before, but as odd as it is to say, it was the best date I have ever been on.
Hudson didn’t have to bring me to my father’s grave, but he insisted he did, wanting to pay his respects to my father. At first, it was sad; sitting by my father’s grave and knowing I will never see him again, but then Hudson started asking me questions about him. We spent four—yes, four—hours at his grave, trading stories about my father and his mother and eventually, the pain gave away and a new emotion crept into my heart.
Hope.
Hudson is the guy I’ve always wanted, but never knew I needed. He treats me with respect, affection, and carefulness. He knows when to push me on certain topics, but also knows when to back the fuck off things. He’s in tune with me and it feels like we’ve known each other all our lives. Not to mention, he’s crazy supportive of my dreams and even created a fashion show for my newest line, which will be featured in his store. Hudson is excited for me, but his sister Laney is even more ecstatic for me. We have only exchanged a few phone calls and texts, but she has been amazing in helping me with this line. I’m glad that things are slowly falling into place.
Still, I haven’t told Hudson how I feel about him. Yeah, I know, I’m chicken-shit, but do you know how hard it is to put yourself out there for a guy and tell him you’re falling in love with him? What the hell am I saying? I am in love with him. If only telling him was as easy as admitting it to myself.
“Hey, beautiful.” Hudson’s sleepily voice rumbles out and he pulls me closer to him on the bed. His eyes are studying my anxious ones and he frowns when he sees the worry and fear in my eyes. Hudson always knows when something is bothering me. “What’s wrong?”
I swallow hard. “Nothing.”
His eyes narrow at me. “Fay…” he says in warning. A warning I have learned better than to ignore, but I’m feeling defensive right now and terrified, so I ignore his warning and glance away. He growls and rolls us until I’m on my back and he’s leaning above me. His eyes are blazing with need, but also with concern. “I usually love your temper, since it’s so damn fun to take you when you’re mad at me, but not today, Fay. Tell me what’s wrong.”
Tears fill my eyes, but they don’t fall. “I love you.” I blurt out, but my words have an edge to them, showing I’m upset. In fact, I’m pouting, which I hate. Hudson’s eyes widen at my words and he’s now grinning like the Cheshire cat. “Don’t smile! I’m terrified right now. This is not a smiling moment.”
Hudson holds back his obvious amusement and leans down to kiss me softly on the lips. Pulling back slightly, he’s still smiling and doesn’t seem to be going to stop anytime soon. “I love you too, Fay.” My heart stops and my breath catches at his words. “Damn, I’ve been wanting to say those words for days now, but I thought if I did, you’ll run away from me—away from us.” he kisses me again and I relax slightly, feeling a bit better now that I know he feels the same way. Still, I’m scared and Hudson sees this. His eyes soften and he lays his forehead against mine. “It’s okay to be afraid about falling in love, Fay. I’m terrified every day.”
“Of things not working out?” I ask, voicing my fear.
Hudso
n shakes his head. “Of losing you.”
My heart melts a bit more. “I’ve never felt this way for a guy before, Hudson. I’m going to be bitchy, and irrational, and some days, you’re going to want to throttle me.” he chuckles and I smile. “But I’m working on taking down my barriers, Hudson. For you.” I whisper the last two words and kiss his lips. “For us.”
Hudson places his hand on my face and stares intently into my eyes. “For us.” He echoes, and then lowers his mouth to mine for a spine tingling kiss. He nudges both my legs apart and settles in between my legs and I moan. Breaking the kiss, he grins and rubs the head of his shaft against my entrance in a teasing motion. “Loving me has its benefits, Fay. You wake up every morning in my bed, so you have more access to this.” He thrusts up into me and I cry out his name. Hudson chuckles and pulls out almost all the way before he pushes into me harder. I shiver at the feeling of fullness and my eyes are rolling into the back of my head in bliss. “I’ll never get enough of you, my mate.”
Hudson then proceeds to hammer into me with restless abandon. And when I finally get close to the edge, he pulls out almost all the way, and then the bastard waits until my body has calmed down before he shoves into me again. He repeats this motion several times, and each time he leaves me hanging, I want to kill him. Hudson loves teasing me and I’m afraid this game he’s playing is actually a punishment for ignoring him earlier.
But what a pleasurable punishment it is.
When Hudson denies me my orgasm for the sixth time, I grab the back of his head, bend him down to my face, and growl at him. Damn it, his stupid growling is rubbing off on me. “Stop fucking around and let me come! If you don’t, I’m going to make you sleep on the sofa and I refuse to go down on you for a month.”
Hudson stops his slow thrusting and laughs. He shakes his head and kisses my nose. “As much as I like teasing you, I don’t like the idea of you not going down on me for a whole month. You have such a talented mouth and it’d be a shame if it became enemies with me.”
I roll my eyes and chuckle, despite myself. “You’re such a doofus, Hudson.”
He rubs his nose against mine in affection and laughs softly. “I am, but as I said a week ago, I don’t mind being one as long as I’m your doofus.”
Becoming serious now, Hudson pulls out of me and rams his cock back inside of my soaking heat and my back arches when he rubs against my sweet spot. He continues to rub against that spot and I moan when he kisses my neck—my body hypersensitive from all of his teasing. When Hudson reaches between our bodies and rubs circles over my clit, I’m taken by surprise, and I explode, screaming in delight.
I’ve never come so hard in my life, so maybe there’s something good that came out of all the teasing.
Hudson, not slowing down, continues to thrust into me, making my aftershocks last longer. And when his body tenses and he comes, his eyes flash gold and he growls. I jump at the sound, terrified by how animalistic it sounded. It was as if an actual animal growled at me and his eyes, that are now glowing gold, are currently causing my heart to beat in overdrive.
I wait for Hudson to come down from his orgasm and pull out of me before I freak out.
“Hudson?” I ask, fear in my tone. He stares at me, eyes still glowing gold, and I swallow past the lump in my throat. For the first time since I’ve known him, I’m scared of Hudson. What’s going on? “Hudson…I’m scared.”
Hudson growls again, but this time, it sounds more like a whimper of a frightened animal. He closes his eyes and clenches his fists together, seeming to be concentrating. When a few, tense minutes have passed by, Hudson opens his eyes back up, but this time, they’re back to their normal brown eyes.
“Fay…” he reaches out to me, but I flinch in fear. I instantly regret my reaction when Hudson’s eyes close and he hangs his head in defeat. “I need a minute…just…don’t leave, okay? I need to tell you something, but I need a moment to gather my thoughts.” He leans in, as if to give me a kiss, but stops himself. Shaking his head, he gets off the bed, puts on a pair of sweats, and strides angrily into the bathroom, slamming the door as he does.
I get off the bed and walk to the bathroom. My fist hovers over the door, wanting desperately to knock, but I ultimately lower my hand and sigh.
We finally confessed our love, but something is still standing in our way.
I try getting Hudson’s glowing gold eyes out of my head, but I can’t. When he was hovering over me, eyes glowing, I was scared. I didn’t know what was happening and when Hudson growled like a wild animal, my heart faltered and stopped for a moment. He didn’t look like my Hudson at that moment and I didn’t know who was staring back at me—which freaked me out.
“I need a drink.” I mutter to myself and jump when I hear someone punch the wall. Hudson curses and I want to go to him, to tell him everything will be okay, but I have a feeling he needs a moment to himself. Whatever he needs to tell me he needs to work out himself. And if I’m being honest, I need a moment apart myself.
I head towards the kitchen and pour myself a glass of water, eyeing the wine in the fridge with want, but ultimately close the fridge door without touching it. I need to have a clear head when Hudson and I talk, so no alcohol for me. Taking a sip, I almost choke on the water when a knock comes at the door, startling me.
Walking to the door, I look through the peephole and see a petite brunette girl standing outside, biting her lip in worry. “Who’s this?” I ask, not wanting to open the door without at least knowing whom this person is.... Please don’t let this be an old girlfriend. I’m already vulnerable right now and don’t need that added to my list.
“Um, sorry to bother you, ma’am, but my car broke down outside your house and I was wondering if I could use your house phone?” The girl looks over to a car that’s smoking and sighs, obviously stressed out. “It’ll only be a moment. I want to call a tow and then my brother so he can drive me to work. If I’m late to work one more time, my boss is going to fire me and I really need this job.”
I open the door and gesture for the girl to enter Hudson’s home. But when she doesn’t move, I know something is wrong. Especially when the girl holds up a black device and clicks on a button. As soon as the pain registers, I realize that the object she’s holding is a taser and that I’m in big trouble.
Before I can collide with the ground, the woman catches me in her arms and lowers me down to the floor.
My body is momentarily paralyzed and my vision is growing fuzzy. The woman quickly puts duct tape over my mouth—as if I can scream—and then drags me out of Hudson’s house, making sure to close the door quietly as she does.
Then everything goes to black.
~*~
Keith
The time has come to play with my little human.
Fay is tied to the chair in the middle of the warehouse—still knocked out from the taser I used on her earlier—but from the rapid fluttering of her eyelids, I can tell she’s about to wake up at any moment.
Then, things can get started.
Not a minute later, Fay’s eyes flicker open and her eyes widen once she’s realized the situation she’s now in. She, as all my previous victims, thrashes from side to side, trying to get free, but all she manages to do is make herself dizzy with all her struggling.
“Don’t even bother, Fay. The chair is bolted to the floor and those ropes are secure.” I smirk at her as I approach her. I reach out and allow my index finger to draw a line down her cheek and I laugh when Fay flinches away from my touch. “What? I’m not good enough for a girl like you?” I laugh when her eyes widen at me. “Don’t worry, I intend to play with you before I kill you.”
“Kill me?” she shouts and begins struggling again.
I roll my eyes at her attempt of escape. “Yes, Fay. After we play, I’m going to kill you and chop your head off. It’ll be the perfect gift to give the Prince.” I say, conversantly and her eyes widen further. “You should have stayed away from Royce, Fay. Because you
got involved with the Prince and his clan, you have to die now. So don’t be mad at me, be upset with your mate, who couldn’t keep you safe.”
“Prince?” Fay questions, seeming confused. “What the fuck are you talking about? Hudson isn’t a Prince! He’s a businessman who owns a boutique with his sister!”
I don’t laugh often, never finding anything that truly amuses me, but this is rich. My laugh goes on and on and I only stop so I can tell the human just whom she fell in love with. It’d be amazing to watch her realize she fell in love with a man she didn’t even know. God, I love my job. “Royce is a bear shifter, Fay. His father is the clan leader, a shitty one, that keeps his clan limited and useless, so that makes Hudson the Prince. Only when he finds his mate can he take the throne away from his father and make his clan strong again. Obviously, I can’t let that happen. I’m the enforcer to another rivaling clan and my boss has instructed me to kill anyone who can possibly be Royce’s mate. Let me tell you, I have been very busy these last few years. Your boyfriend sure knows how to get around.” I smirk when I see her face redden in embarrassment and anger.
“You’re…you’re lying!” She spits out, but her eyes show her confliction. “Royce isn’t a bear! He would have told me if he was. We love each other and tell each other everything. He wouldn’t keep a secret like this from me. Besides,” she laughs humorlessly. “There’s no such thing as shifters! They only exist in romance novels.”
I roll my eyes. “I think you are reading too many novels, Fay. Bear shifters aren’t the sweet, romantic creatures you read about in books. We’re strong, powerful supernaturals who are not to be trifled with. If only you knew this fact before you fucked Royce and sealed your fate.” I grab the knife from my back pocket and twirl it around in my hand, enjoying the way the girl squirms in her chair in fear. “Tell me, has Royce been acting odd? Notice any physical changes when you’re together?”
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