“What do you want to talk about?”
“What do I want to… oh my God, what is going on with you? We kissed last night, you told me you’d have sex with me…what do you think I want to talk about?”
He took a deep breath. He needed to get this right. He needed to say exactly the right thing to convince Rosalie that she should use him for goddamn sex practice instead of some other random shifter.
“Why did you kiss me?” She asked suddenly. “You’re not even attracted to me for God’s sake.”
“I am,” he said. “I’m attracted to you, Rosalie, but I’m not looking for a relationship, so I never acted on it. Not to mention that you’re in love with a lion shifter so it would have made me a real dog to tell you that I wanted you.”
She stared into her mug. “You seriously are attracted to me.”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you want to be in a relationship?” She lifted her head to study him.
“Polar bears are loners,” he said. “It’s not unusual for my kind to never marry or have a family.”
“Oh.”
“But it doesn’t mean that I want to live the life of a monk,” he said. “Which is why I’m volunteering to help you. We both get what we want, right? You learn some new skills and I get laid.”
She flinched a little, but he didn’t apologize for his bluntness. Maybe if he told himself repeatedly it was just about the sex, he’d start to believe it.
“C’mon, Rosalie,” he made his voice light, “this is perfect for both of us, you know it is.”
“Are you even kinky?” She blushed furiously but kept his gaze. “I know how to have sex, what I want to know is how to have kinky sex.”
“That won’t be a problem,” he said. “I can teach you everything you want to know.”
“How do I know that for sure?” She said.
He grinned at her. “You’ll just have to trust me, little human.”
She chewed again at her lip. “Are you sure you don’t want to be in a relationship? Because, if you actually do want a relationship, then what I’m doing is just-just using you and that makes me feel awful.”
“I’m positive,” he lied. “This is exactly what I want, Rosalie.”
She studied him for over a minute before finally saying, “I don’t want it to ruin our friendship. Being your friend is very important to me, Hudson.”
“It won’t,” he said. “We both know exactly what this is and what to expect. It won’t ruin our friendship. Look, it’s because I’m your friend that I want to do this for you. The thought of you sleeping with random shifters that you know nothing about worries me. I want you to be safe, and you’ll be safe with me.”
“Have you slept with a human before?” She asked.
“No, but I know how to be gentle, Rosalie. I won’t hurt you.”
“I know that.” She scowled at him before sighing. “Listen, I appreciate your willingness to help but, uh, I’m just not attracted enough to you to -”
“That’s bullshit. You’re attracted to me,” he said.
She glared at him and stood up. She crossed to the counter and stared out the window. “I didn’t say I wasn’t attracted to you. I said I wasn’t attracted to you enough to sleep with you.”
He stood and moved to where she was standing, resting his hands on the counter on either side of her. She stiffened and kept her back to him when he let his body brush against her. He inhaled the scent of her hair, resisting the urge to nuzzle her neck.
“You think I didn’t see you checking out my dick when I shifted, Rosalie? You liked what you saw, didn’t you? How many times have you wondered whether your little pussy could take all of it? How many times have you pictured being under me, your legs spread around my hips, watching as I slide my dick into your tight pussy?”
“Hudson,” she moaned.
He was already fully erect, and he pressed his dick against her ass, making a low sound of appreciation when she ground against him. “I’ll go slow, sweet Rosie. I’ll give you every inch of my dick until you’re full, until the only thing you can feel is how good it is to have my cock inside of you.”
He gave in to temptation and nuzzled the soft skin of her throat. “I can smell how wet you are for me. Just like I could smell your wetness last night.”
Her cheeks were a bright red, and he pressed a kiss against the line of her jaw. “Turn around.”
She turned to face him. He pushed one thick thigh between hers, forcing her to straddle it. He rubbed it against her pussy, smiling in satisfaction when she moaned again and gripped the counter behind her. Her hips arched, and she gave him a hazy look of need.
He leaned down until his mouth was just above hers. He was playing dirty pool, using her lust for him to convince her to say yes, but he didn’t care. Now that he knew she wanted him, if she didn’t let him into her bed, he’d go crazy.
“Say yes, little Rosie,” he breathed against her mouth. “Let me show you how good I can make you feel.”
“Yes,” she whispered and pressed her mouth against his.
Her tongue licked at his lips and he parted them so she could slide it into his mouth. He sucked on it until she ground her pussy against his thigh. His erection was huge, and he pressed it against her hip.
“Can you feel how much I want you?” He nipped at her bottom lip.
“I want you too,” she moaned. “Let’s go upstairs and -”
He felt the vibration of her cell phone against his dick before they heard it ring. She groaned, and he pulled back a little so she could yank it from her pocket. She studied the screen. “It’s my mom. I’m sorry, I have to take it, or she’ll just keep calling.”
He nodded and stepped back, staring at her flushed cheeks. He wanted to cup her breasts but instead shoved his hands into his pockets as she answered her phone.
“Mom? Hey, can I call you later. This is a bad time and… what? Okay, calm down. It’s just a plugged sink. Leave it for tonight and in the morning, call a plumber and…”
She closed her eyes and rubbed at her temples. “Now isn’t really a good time for me to come over and I don’t know a thing about plumbing. Just use the bathroom sink for tonight and in the morning… no, I don’t… yes, I know Mrs. Nester’s daughter comes over every Sunday, but I spent most of yesterday with you and…”
Hudson frowned when Rosalie sighed. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be right over.”
She hit the end button and gave him an apologetic look. “I have to go over to my mother’s for a bit. Her kitchen sink is plugged and she’s freaking out and wants me to try and fix it.”
“I can go with you and take a look at it,” he said.
“Oh God, no.”
From the look on her face, you’d think he’d said he would fix her mother’s sink while butt naked.
“It’s no big deal,” he said. “I’m pretty handy with stuff like that and -”
“No,” she said. “I can handle it.”
He nodded, trying to ignore the hurt he felt. So what if Rosalie didn’t want her mother to meet him. They were friends, not dating for God’s sake.
As if she’d read his mind, Rosalie said, “It isn’t you. My mother is difficult and if I brought a guy over, she’d freak out and ask a bunch of questions and… trust me, you don’t want to meet her.”
“Yeah, okay.” He sounded cranky and put out and he made himself smile at her. “So, you’ll come by my place around seven?”
“Um, yeah, that should work. I should be done at my mom’s by then. Are you, uh, sure you want to do this, Hudson?” She asked.
“Positive. See you later, Rosalie.”
“Bye, Hudson.”
He left before she could change her mind. As he headed back to his own town house, he tried to control his excitement and his trepidation. Everything would be fine. This wasn’t putting Rosalie in danger. He would sleep with her a few times and then she’d start dating the lion shifter and he’d leave. He’d never see her again and with t
ime, his bear would forget all about her.
Like hell, I will. I’m not leaving my mate.
He broke into a jog and ignored his bear’s angry growl.
Chapter Ten
Rosie, are you really going to do this?
She pulled her jacket around her a little tighter and walked down the sidewalk to Hudson’s complex. Considering Hudson’s townhouse was only a five-minute walk from hers, she had left her car at home. She’d also hoped the fresh air and brisk walk would help her pounding head.
She hadn’t really slept last night, and the lack of sleep combined with four hours of dealing with her mother, had given her one skull thumper of a headache. She couldn’t fix the sink, something which had stressed and upset her mom, and Rosalie had stayed longer than she’d wanted to, just to calm her down. She’d found a few numbers for plumbers and written them down for her mother to call in the morning.
If you were a good daughter, you’d go over there tomorrow and call them for her.
She winced. She hadn’t told her mother she was on holidays. If she had, her mother would have been calling every day, insisting Rosalie spend time with her, insisting that she needed her for every little thing.
She loved her mother, she did, but the thought of spending an entire two weeks at her mother’s beck and call made her shudder. Besides, she’d been planning to seduce Lincoln, and that would have been impossible if her mother knew she was on vacation.
So, now you’re going to seduce Hudson instead? You’re an awful person, Rosalie. What kind of woman is in love with one man but will fuck another?
He’s fine with it, she argued. Hudson actually wants this. He just wants to get laid, remember?
Well, I guess if you’re fine with acting like a whore, then it’s all good.
She rubbed at her temples as she walked slowly toward Hudson’s home. Fuck, now her inner voice was sounding remarkably like her mother.
Not that it wasn’t wrong. She had a feeling that a big part of her apprehension about doing this was the way it made her look. More accurately – the way it made her look to Hudson.
So then don’t do it! You can change your mind, Rosalie.
She could. Except she didn’t want to. Wrong or right, she was attracted to Hudson and she wanted to know what it was like to have sex with him. Under all of her worry and her anxiety that she was making the wrong choice, there was a very big part of her that couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss in Porter’s office.
What about this afternoon? You liked it when he talked dirty to you. Admit it.
She blushed, and the extra rush of blood made her head ache even more. Yeah, maybe she did like it. She’d had zero idea that Hudson even thought things like that, let alone would say them to her, and even her usual shame at knowing he could smell her lust for him was a little muted.
Wet. He said he could smell how wet you were for him.
She was standing at the edge of the sidewalk leading up to Hudson’s home and she paused, trying to control the crazy beat of her heart. Was she seriously going to do this? She’d always considered herself to be a nice girl, but nice girls didn’t sleep with other men when they were in love with someone else.
She was on the edge of bolting when the door to Hudson’s place opened and he stepped out onto the front step. “Hey, Rosalie.”
“Uh, hi.” She stayed where she was, and he gave her a small smile.
“Come in, okay?”
She chewed on her bottom lip before nodding and walking the few steps to his house. She followed him inside and removed her shoes and jacket. He hung the jacket in the closet as she smoothed her t-shirt nervously.
“Sorry, I’m a little late,” she said. “I was at my mom’s place longer than I thought, and I wanted to have a shower before I came over so…”
She stared at the floor. She was late because after her shower she couldn’t decide on what to wear. Did she dress sexy? Did she wear something that showed a little cleavage? Her head had been hurting too much for her to make a proper decision. It felt weird and almost wrong to be dressing up for Hudson. It wasn’t that kind of relationship, it was just sex.
She’d stripped off the dress she was wearing and kicked the stupidly high heels that she had bought on a whim and never worn, into the corner. She’d finally settled on a matching bra and panty set and thrown her usual t-shirt and jeans over them.
“That’s fine,” Hudson said. “Did you get things sorted out at your mom’s?”
“I couldn’t fix the sink, but I found a few plumbers for her to call in the morning.” She continued to stare at her feet.
“You’re on vacation this week, right?”
“The next two weeks, actually,” she said.
“Right. Are you going to your mom’s in the morning?”
She shook her head, grimacing when it made pain dance across her forehead. “No, I, uh, I didn’t tell my mom that I’m on holidays.”
He didn’t reply, and she folded her arms over her torso. “I know how that makes me sound, but if I tell her I’m on vacation, she’ll expect me to spend all of my time with her.”
“Rosalie, look at me.”
She could feel Hudson’s gaze on the top of her head. Suddenly near tears, she made herself look at him and smile. “So, uh, you got my medical records that I emailed, right? I assume you did, because I got your email with your records and -”
“Rosie, shh.”
She pressed her lips together as Hudson slipped his arm around her waist. “You’re pale. Did you eat?”
She shook her head. “No, but I’m not hungry.”
“You should eat.”
“I can’t,” she whispered as a tear slipped down her cheek.
He wiped it away with his thumb before stepping back and opening the closet. “Come on, I’ll walk you home.”
“What? I thought we were going to… I mean, why?”
He smiled at her, but she could see the disappointment in his eyes. “Because you don’t really want this, Rosalie.”
She shook her head and refused to take her jacket when he held it out to her. “No, I do. I want this.”
He studied her, and she wiped at the tears collecting in her eyelashes. “I’m just a little tired and it’s been a stressful day and I have a really bad stupid headache. But I want this, Hudson, okay? Please don’t make me leave.”
“Okay.” He took her hand and led her down the hallway. His townhouse had the same floor plan as hers and she hesitated when he tugged her into the living room.
“Aren’t we going to go to your bedroom?”
“In a little bit.” The living room was sparsely decorated with a big leather sectional, a floor lamp, a television, and a coffee table. A few generic art pieces were placed on the walls, and a couple of mason jars with fake flowers were set on the mantel of the fireplace.
“This is nice,” she said.
He shrugged. “It’s not my stuff. I’m renting it furnished.”
“Oh.”
He sat down on the couch and pulled her down beside him. He put his arm around her and pressed on the back of her head until she rested her cheek on his wide chest. It felt supremely weird to be sitting this close to him. She was tense, and her mind was screaming at her to scoot down the couch and give Hudson his space.
“Hudson, I…”
“Shh, just relax, Rosie.” His fingers kneaded the tense muscles in the back of her neck and that was all it took. She tucked her feet up under her, closed her eyes and curled into Hudson like a contented kitten.
“God, that feels really good,” she groaned as his fingers pressed and kneaded and flexed. He found a knotted muscle in the middle of her upper back and massaged it out as she snuggled closer and yawned.
“Hudson?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think I’m an awful person for being attracted to you when I… like someone else.” She couldn’t bring herself to say either the word love or Lincoln.
“No.” His hand rubbed
the back of her neck again.
“Do you mean that?” She put her arm around his waist and rubbed her cheek against the soft material of his t-shirt. God, he was warm. The chill she’d felt since getting out of her shower was almost completely gone.
“Yes.”
“I’m not a slut, I swear.” Her head was still pounding but the ache was growing distant and unimportant as she drifted toward sleep.
“I know you’re not.”
“Do you -” her sentence was broken by a huge yawn, “promise?”
“I promise. Shh, little Rosie. Get some rest.”
“I am a little tired,” she sighed. “I’ll just close my eyes for a few minutes, okay?”
“Yes.” His fingers continued to rub and caress. “Sleep, honey.”
* * *
“Oh shit!” She sat up with a start, blinking owlishly at Hudson in the dark. “What time is it?”
He checked his phone. “Just before ten.”
“I slept for three hours? Why did you let me sleep so long?”
“You were tired. How’s your head?”
“My head?’ She gave him a blank look before remembering. “Good, actually. My headache is gone.”
“That’s good.” He smiled at her and clicked on the lamp before straightening and stretching his back and his arms. His back cracked, and he grimaced a little before saying, “Are you hungry?”
She just stared at him. “Is your back okay?”
“Yeah. A little stiff from sitting.”
“I’m sorry. You should have woken me.”
“It’s fine. Are you hungry?”
She shook her head. She hadn’t eaten much today but she really didn’t have an appetite. She felt a little disoriented from her nap, and the supreme weirdness at being in Hudson’s personal space had returned with a vengeance.
She slid down the couch, putting some space between them before clearing her throat nervously. “Uh, I guess I should go now.”
“Why?” He asked.
“Well, it’s late and -”
“You don’t have to work tomorrow and neither do I,” he said.
Rosalie Undone (The Shifters Series Book 6) Page 14
