Reborn

by Fall, Carly

  She pressed herself closer to him as he let his hands wander more.

  He grabbed her butt and lifted her off the floor, her legs wrapping around his waist, the kiss never broken. He thought about making it to the bed, but decided that wasn’t going to happen, so he bent his knees and laid her out gently on the plush carpet.

  He studied her face. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips slightly red, her eyes so dark they were almost black. Her breath came in short spurts.

  He wanted tonight to be perfect for her. He wanted her to remember him. Lowering himself down onto her, careful not to put his full weight on her, he kissed her neck and began showing Beverly what it was like to be treasured.

  Chapter 36

  Beverly heard someone screaming, but she didn’t realize the sound was coming from her until the waves of pleasure stopped wracking her body.

  She opened her eyes to see Hudson kissing the inside of her thigh as he stared at her with a slight grin on his face. The one she liked that showed the dimple.

  “Hudson,” she breathed.

  “I’m right here, Bev, right here.” He began moving up her body slowly, peppering her with tiny kisses as he went. His tongue swirled her nipple, and she felt her body respond.

  Again.

  She had had three orgasms, and he hadn’t even been inside her.

  Feeling heat on her back, she decided rug burns were a good thing.

  Lying on the carpet feeling like a big, happy, mushy pile of goo, she put her hands on each side of Hudson’s face and kissed him deeply, tasting her own essence. In the back of her mind, a little voice reminded her that he wasn’t fully human, but it didn’t bother her. Being with Hudson was something that came so naturally, it was almost as if they were supposed to be together.

  “Shall we hit the sheets?” he whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine, winding up her anticipation of what was to come.

  “Yes,” she said. He got off her and she tried to stand up, but he was having none of it. He scooped her up as if she weighed as much as a pillow and set her on the black silk sheets.

  “How come I’m the only one having any fun here, Hudson?” she said with a smile as she moved over.

  He stood next to the bed, undid his loose-fitting jeans, and they dropped to the floor. Her heart skipped a beat as she took him. His black hair swirled around his shoulders, his yellow eyes glowing at her, his body stood tall and strong, his long, thick sex jutted out at her. Her mind traveled back to Greek Mythology and the story of Adonis, the most beautiful man in the world, according to the myth.

  He chuckled. “Oh, Beverly, I’m having fun.” He slid into bed and wrapped her in his arms. “And I’m just getting started. I can’t wait for all the fun we’re going to have.”

  As he kissed her, her head began to spin. His hands and mouth were everywhere, and her body exploded in desire again. When he entered her, she gasped for a moment, getting used to the invasion. He hovered above her and looked at her with his dimpled grin. He began moving his hips slowly, and within minutes, she felt the tsunami within her building, getting stronger by the second.

  As the waves overcame her, she felt Hudson’s strong arms encase her, and somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that she would never, ever experience anything like this again.

  No man would ever compare to Hudson, sexually or otherwise, and she fought an almost overwhelming flood of sadness as she allowed herself to be lost in him.

  Chapter 37

  Beverly woke to the smell of bacon. She opened her eyes, fully expecting to see a plate of it in front of her.

  There was nothing, and she was alone.

  She took a deep breath and turned onto her stomach, feeling a sadness that was toppled by an insane craving for bacon. As she stretched her limbs out, she smiled because she felt sore in all the places that mattered, and she thought about the previous night.

  Hudson seemed to have been on a mission to satisfy her, as if he was trying to prove something to her. She had never felt more beautiful, more alive, or sexier than she did last night with Hudson, and she was enjoying this new highly sexual side of herself that had surfaced.

  Holy crap had she been missing out!

  She sighed when she remembered she would be leaving today.

  With that thought, sadness overtook her craving for bacon. Remembering her time with Faith and Abby made her smile. They were real friends; however, she had the distinct feeling that when she left, there would not be any “keeping in touch.”

  And then there was Hudson. She had grown so attached to him over the past few days. Spending time with him had renewed her confidence in herself, and she was no longer the ex-drug addicted doctor, but she was Beverly. Beverly, who had really screwed up her life, but who was now getting it back on track. Beverly, who an incredible man like Hudson wanted to be with, to talk to, to know and to pleasure, over and over again.

  She told herself that any feelings she did have for Hudson would eventually fade.

  The door opened, and Hudson stepped in carrying a tray wearing his black silk robe.

  Speak of the sexy devil himself.

  She smiled when he met her eyes.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he said, setting the tray down on the dresser and walking over to the bed. He sat down, his hand drawing lazy circles on her back. “Did you sleep well?”

  She nodded and smiled. She loved the way he touched her.

  “I brought you breakfast. One of my famous vegetable omelets, a fruit smoothie with an extra kick of vitamins, and some bacon.”

  She turned over and smiled. “That sounds wonderful, Hudson. I’m starved and craving bacon.”

  He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “I’m sure you are. We burned a lot of calories last night.”

  She laughed, and he bent down to kiss her. The little peck quickly turned into more, and before Beverly knew it, Hudson was naked and back in bed with her.

  “You’re insatiable!” she said. Secretly, she was thrilled he found her so desirable. She had never been wanted like this before.

  “That’s your fault,” Hudson said, as he slowly kissed her neck. “If you weren’t so damn beautiful...” his mouth moved to her breast, “if these weren’t so damn perfect for me...” she felt his lips on her belly, “if your skin wasn’t so soft...” and finally, he came up to her earlobe. “If you weren’t so kind, sweet, and interesting, I wouldn’t have a problem keeping my hands off you.”

  Beverly let her hands travel up his arms and over his shoulders. “Thank you, Hudson,” she said quietly.

  He stopped kissing her neck and propped himself up over her, obviously confused. “For what?”

  She let her fingers trace over his cheekbone, down to his jaw, and over his collarbone. “For...for everything. For making me feel beautiful. For accepting me, flaws and all. For being so kind. For...I guess just for being you.”

  He stared at her for a moment, then said, “Beverly, you are one very special lady. Don’t let anyone ever make you believe otherwise.”

  She felt tears stinging her eyes. “Don’t cry, honey,” he whispered, kissing her cheek. “Don’t cry.”

  Inhaling deeply, she pulled herself back together and smiled.

  “Do you want to eat?” he asked.

  She did, but she wanted him more. She reached up and brought his face to hers.

  He groaned as she kissed him. Then he got up and took her in his arms, quickly making his way to the bathroom. “What are we doing?” she laughed as she held on to his neck.

  “Shower,” he said in a guttural voice. “I can’t fucking wait to get you all slick and soapy.”

  Chapter 38

  Hudson chopped green peppers for the dinner he was preparing for his fellow Warriors, his hands moving in habit, his mind far away. After the two-hour shower this morning, he had watched as Beverly devoured the breakfast he had prepared, and he had called the hotel to make sure her car was still there.

  It wasn’t.

  They had to
wed it yesterday. He didn’t want Beverly driving at night, so he decided she would stay one more night and leave bright and early in the morning. Rayner and Noah would be going out later, and they would get her car out of impound.

  He sighed. Damn, that woman brought him peace that he hadn’t felt in over twenty-seven years.

  When he had woken this morning, the pain was nowhere to be found. He felt lighter, as if the two tons of weight on his shoulders had been removed.

  Instead of taking the elevator up to the kitchen that morning, he had run the stairs, stopping to do a little Fred Astaire at one of the landings. When he got to the kitchen, he wasn’t even winded.

  While cooking lunch, he had chatted with Abby and Noah as they drank coffee. He actually wanted to participate in the conversation. He laughed, he smiled, and it was all real, not the usual fake bullshit he pulled. Hudson noticed that Noah was studying him, looking at him as if something wasn’t quite right.

  “All right,” Noah had finally said. “What the hell is going on here? I feel like I’m having a conversation with Mary-fucking-Poppins instead of Hudson.”

  Abby smiled, giving Hudson a knowing look, but said nothing. Apparently, Beverly had been dishing their dirt with Abby.

  Hudson turned to Noah. “Can’t a male enjoy time with his daughter and friend while cooking them lunch?”

  Noah had rolled his eyes. “Bullshit. Total bullshit, Hudson. I don’t know what’s going on, but something is.”

  Hudson turned back to his pan and pushed around the vegetables he was carefully sautéing for Beverly. They had to be perfect, so he was keeping a close eye on it. “You spend a lot of time thinking about that one, okay Noah? Like you don’t have anything better to do. Then you let me know when you’ve got it all figured out.”

  Noah didn’t say anything.

  “Are Rayner and Faith coming up? Do they want lunch?” Hudson had asked to change the subject.

  “I called a while ago,” Abby said. “They’re foregoing lunch and having ice cream instead, but Rayner asked if you could cook him some bacon.”

  Hudson laughed. “I don’t know how that guy can stomach ice cream and bacon at the same time.”

  He cursed as the knife missed the pepper and sliced his thumb. “Shit,” he hissed, reaching for a towel. As he waited for the bleeding to stop, he thought about Beverly. He would miss her, but she deserved more than he could give her. He could like her, but he could never love her the way he loved Iris.

  And…yep, there it was. The pain made him grit his teeth. He was an SR44 male without his mate, and no matter who was around, there was no changing that fact. Beverly had given him a short period of happiness, and for that, he would be eternally grateful. His moha had been right. The road to happiness was peace in your soul, and Beverly had provided him with a glimpse of it.

  How he would continue it, he had no idea, but he was certain that Beverly needed to move on. She needed to find her own path in life, not get stuck in the ruts and bumps of his. He couldn’t keep her around to sleep with her every now and then to keep his marbles in a row—it simply wasn’t fair to her.

  Rayner and Noah came in, interrupting his thoughts. He noticed that they each had a gun tucked into their pants pocket. “Is that a gun or are you just happy to see me?”

  “Looks like we’ve got our own Jerry Seinfeld in the house, Rayner,” Noah said, lacking a witty comeback. “Abby and Faith want to get out of here for a while,” Noah continued. “We’re going to take them to the mall so they can do some shopping, then go get Beverly’s car. We bribed Cohen to come as well.”

  “And we’re sure as shit not going unarmed,” Rayner said. “But if we’re there too long, I may just start shooting out of boredom.”

  Hudson laughed. He imagined a trip to the mall was something short of watching grass grow for Noah, Rayner, and Cohen.

  “What did you bribe Cohen with?”

  Cohen came in the kitchen. “They told me I could be on Abby’s team for pool, and they also promised me a bottle of Jack.”

  “Jovan’s not going to be happy about that,” Hudson said.

  A satisfied smile came over Cohen’s face. “Don’t I know it, man.”

  Hudson laughed. “Okay, you guys have fun. I’m leaving dinner in the fridge for you fuckers. Beverly and I are going out tonight. Keep an eye on my little girl, Noah,” he said sternly.

  He turned to run water over his cut. Faith and Abby came in, obviously excited about their trip, trailed by Talin.

  “Be careful out there, guys,” Talin said. “Looks like there’s a nasty dust storm brewing. The conditions are perfect.”

  Noah and Rayner nodded, and the five of them left.

  Hudson put a bandage on his finger and resumed his chopping. Looking at the clock, he saw that he would have to get moving to make that five-thirty reservation with Beverly.

  Chapter 39

  Hudson sipped a scotch, waiting patiently at the bar in the Great Room for Beverly.

  He was excited about their outing tonight.

  He had made reservations at the Wigwam Resorts fine restaurant, Litchfield’s where the food was delicious, and a small jazz band was going to be playing in the bar. He wondered if Beverly danced and decided that even if she didn’t, he would take her for a quick spin on the floor.

  It felt good to be doing something so normal. For a few hours, he would be a somewhat human civilian and enjoy a delicious dinner with a pretty woman in a beautiful restaurant. He didn’t need to think about Beverly leaving, Colonists chewing up humans or anything else negative. All he needed to do was have a fun night.

  Yeah, he was definitely excited about it.

  Turning as the elevators opened, he felt his heart skip a beat and his breath caught in his throat. Beverly stood before him in a bright blue sundress, her blonde hair swirling around her shoulders. She smiled demurely at him, blushing, and he couldn’t help but smile back.

  She was a contradiction. She had such a shy way about herself, yet she stood with the grace and elegance of royalty. It was as if she didn’t fully recognize her own beauty or the power within her own soul that screamed of how strong and capable she was, but instead she held on to her own self-doubts and the negative labels she had put upon herself of ex-doctor and ex-junkie. He hoped that someday in her near future she would be able to erase the preconceived bullshit she had assigned to herself and realize what a stellar and magnificent woman she was.

  “Hi,” she said.

  He stared at her a beat longer. “You look lovely, Beverly,” he said in a low tone.

  She blushed and stepped out of the elevator. “You look pretty amazing as well, Hudson.”

  He glanced down at his brown linen slacks and black short-sleeved silk shirt. He would have liked to have worn an nice Armani suit for the evening, but summer in Arizona didn’t make that possible. The cooler the material, the happier his sweat glands would be.

  “Thank you.” He liked the fact that she approved of the way he looked. “Ready to get out of here?”

  She nodded, and they headed for the door.

  ***

  The Wigwam Resort was located in a little gem of the Arizona desert called Litchfield Park where the streets were lined with fragrant orange trees and lush green grass. Rows of palm trees towered over everything, like lines of soldiers placed throughout the small city to guard against breaches of the city walls.

  “Hudson, this is so pretty,” Beverly said, as they turned into the main city area of Litchfield Park.

  The Wigwam Resort dated back to 1929 where it started out as a guest ranch for the executives and their families of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company who would come to Arizona during the winter months to enjoy the beautiful weather.

  Hudson pulled the Range Rover up to the valet and hurried out of the car to get Beverly’s door, only to see the valet attendant had beat him to it. Hudson felt a ripple of anger tear through him as the valet took Beverly’s elbow to help her from the car. Closing his eyes
, he reminded himself that they were just friends, and she would be gone tomorrow. It was perfectly normal for a human male to touch a female while helping her from the car, and he had no claim on her.

  Friends.

  Period.

  With benefits.

  But he wasn’t going to think about those benefits. What he was going to think about was having a great, normal evening with Beverly and maybe later they would explore the benefits.

  Well, if had any say in it, they would definitely be exploring those benefits over and over throughout the night.

  “Hot enough for you?” the valet said.

  Hudson smiled, then handed the guy a couple of bucks. Of course it was hot enough, unless you were Satan himself. He had never heard of anyone saying one hundred and fifteen degrees was sweater weather. Hudson also didn’t understand why people complained about it either; you lived in Phoenix. It got really fucking hot during the summer months, and that was the way it had always been and the way it would always be.

  So the best course of action was simply to shut up and deal with it.

  “You could probably cook a steak on the hood of the car,” Hudson answered, trying to hide his sarcasm.

  The valet laughed. “Will you be staying the night with us?”

  “Nah. We’re just here for dinner, man. We’ll be out in a couple of hours. And there’s an extra couple bucks in it for you if you can park the car in a shady spot.”

  Hudson took Beverly’s hand and led her inside.

  The chilly air hit his warm skin, causing a shiver, but it felt good to be out of the heat. The hardwood floors of the lobby gleamed, and their footsteps echoed against the white walls. Old, worn leather couches sat in front of a fireplace that roared during the winter months. As they made their way down the hallway to Litchfield’s, they stopped and looked at pictures of the resort from years passed, and marveled at the way it had changed over time. They passed the indoor/outdoor bar, and stopped for a moment at the windows to admire the green grass, fully bloomed rose bushes of yellow, pink, and purple, and the elegant, yet comfortable, very busy pool area.