I don’t think the smells-like-his-scent thing works that way, idiot.
Her blood was rushing through her veins, and she stared blankly at Maggie as the smaller woman scrolled through her phone. What if Hudson had claimed her? What if she belonged to him now? What if she smelled like him forever no matter how many times she showered? She’d never get Lincoln to fall in love with her, if she smelled like a polar bear.
Oh well. Guess you belong to Hudson now.
She traced her fingers over the bite mark again as her pulse thumped and thudded. But it wasn’t panic or dismay making her blood roar in her ears. It was – shit – it was excitement and a little bit of breathless anticipation.
Would it really be that bad belonging to Hudson? Would it be so awful to have him in her bed every night? To be under his big body, hear the low and intoxicating rasp of his voice as he fucked her over and over?
Her pelvis throbbed, and she shifted against the hard chair. Maybe not that bad, she decided. She could definitely think of worse things than banging Hudson every night.
Let’s go find him and bang him right now.
That actually wasn’t a bad idea. Her nipples were hardening in her bra at just the thought. They couldn’t go to her place with her bed broken, but she could text Hudson and ask him if she could drop by.
She was grabbing her phone from her purse when Maggie said, “Well, I don’t see anything definitive by Googling, but I could text Porter and ask him.”
Rosalie stared blankly at her. “Ask Porter what?”
Maggie gave her an odd look. “If polar bears bite to claim their mate.”
“Oh right. Uh, that’s okay. I’ll just ask Hudson.”
“They probably don’t,” Maggie said. “And honestly, it does look like just a nip and Porter’s was a full-on bite. You know?”
“Yes, I’m sure it doesn’t mean anything,” Rosalie said.
But what if it does, Rosie? You could belong to Hudson now and not even know it.
Another weird buzz of excitement went through her and she shifted on the chair again.
“You okay, Rosalie?” Maggie asked.
“What? Uh, yeah, I’m fine.”
“Don’t be worried.” Maggie squeezed her hand reassuringly. “From what I just read on the internet, most polar bear shifters rarely even talk with humans, let alone have sex with them. I doubt a polar bear would claim a human as a mate. And even if they did, Hudson said this was just sex, right?”
“Right.”
“So, he wouldn’t claim you without your permission.”
“No, he wouldn’t.” Her little rush of excitement was fading. Maggie was right. Hudson wanted sex only and even if he did want a relationship, he’d never claim her as his mate without asking her first.
“You sure you’re okay, Rosalie? You look upset.”
“I’m not,” she replied.
“Okay.” Maggie gave her a doubtful look. “So, you guys had sex, went to sleep, he shifted to his polar bear form and broke your bed, and now what?”
“I’m not really sure. Keep having sex with him, I assume. We seem pretty compatible so I’m hoping that he’s still into teaching me to be kinky. Although, if he keeps shifting into his polar bear form and breaking my bed, it’s gonna get super expensive for him.”
Maggie laughed. “I’ve seen Porter in his wolf form lots of times, but he’s never shifted when he’s sleeping.”
“Hudson says he has to be really relaxed and sleeping deeply to shift in his sleep,” Rosalie said. “So, I’m actually sort of flattered that he was relaxed enough to shift in my bed.”
“It is kind of sweet in a weird, this is my life with a shifter, kind of way.” Maggie glanced at her watch. “Okay, I hate to cut this short, but my lunch break is almost over, and I know Simone has a few errands to run on her lunch break. I’d better get back to work.”
“Thank you so much for using your lunch break to listen to me,” Rosalie said. “I really appreciate it.”
“Any time.” Maggie smiled at her. “I mean that. Just text me whenever you need to talk, okay?”
“Okay,” Rosalie said. She watched as Maggie headed back toward the counter before staring out the window and sipping at her coffee. She would stop and pick up a few groceries and then head home. She hadn’t heard from Hudson yet, and she wondered if she should text him before dismissing the idea. She wasn’t in a relationship with him, it was just sex, and she would be smart to remember that.
Chapter Twelve
Rosalie had just finished putting the groceries away when the doorbell rang. She headed toward the front door, Mr. Pibbles trailing behind her.
She opened the door and smiled at the big polar bear. “Hi, Hudson.”
“Hey, Rosie. Can we come in?”
She stared at the grizzly shifter standing just behind Hudson. “Uh, sure. Hi, Bishop.”
“Hello.” He stepped aside and ushered the curvy redheaded woman behind him into the house. “Go ahead, Ava.”
“Thanks, honey.” Ava was holding Lila in her arms. “Hi, Rosalie. Do you mind if I feed Lila while the guys work?”
“No, um, I don’t mind,” Rosalie said. “Did you want to use the spare bedroom or…?”
“Kitchen is fine,” Ava said cheerfully. “As long as you’re good with that?”
“I am.”
Hudson slipped past her in the hallway and Bishop kissed Ava’s forehead before following Hudson. She watched in disbelief as the big grizzly shifter crouched down and held his fingers out to Mr. Pibbles. The cat sniffed his fingers before rubbing up against his legs. Bishop petted him gently, smiling a little when the cat purred.
“What’s your cat’s name?” He asked.
“Mr. Pibbles.”
“Hey, Mr. Pibbles.” Bishop petted him again before straightening and turning to Hudson. “We can throw the old bed into the back of my truck. I’ll take it to the dump.”
“You sure?” Hudson asked.
“Yeah.”
“Okay. Bedroom’s this way.” Hudson and Bishop walked up the stairs and Rosalie stared at Ava for a moment.
“What’s wrong?” Ava asked.
“I have no idea what’s happening,” Rosalie said.
Ava grinned at her and jiggled Lila when she fussed. “Hudson asked Bishop to help with the bed. I came along because I was going a little stir-crazy in the house with the wee muffin here, and I thought it would be nice to get to know you a little better.”
“Um, come into the kitchen,” Rosalie said.
Ava followed her to the kitchen and sat down in the chair. She unbuttoned her shirt as Rosalie said, “Can I get you something to drink? Tea or water or coffee?”
“Tea would be lovely,” Ava said. Lila latched on and made small grunts of happiness as she drank. Ava smiled down at her, stroking her fine red hair. “Thank you, Rosalie.”
“You’re welcome.” She found the box of tea pods at the back of the cupboard and popped one into the coffee machine. As the tea poured into the mug, she looked up in time to see Bishop and Hudson walk by the doorway, both carrying large pieces of the broken bed frame.
She set the tea in front of Ava as Mr. Pibbles jumped up on the table and sniffed at Lila’s hair.
“Mr. Pibbles, get down,” Rosalie said.
“It’s fine,” Ava replied. “We have a cat at home too. Bishop loves cats.”
Rosalie sank into the chair across from her. “Hudson likes them too.”
Ava laughed and rubbed Mr. Pibbles head with one hand. “I find it hilarious that such big men love cats. Bishop is ridiculous about Princess. She has him wrapped around her furry little paw.”
Hudson and Bishop walked by again, this time carrying the box springs. Rosalie gave Ava a confused look. “Hudson asked Bishop to help get rid of the broken bed?”
“Well, technically he asked him to help him carry in the new bed. I guess it’s one of those custom ones and Hudson wasn’t sure he could get it upstairs on his own.”
Rosalie didn’t reply, and Ava took a sip of her tea. “Bishop broke my bed when we were first dating too. He felt terrible about it.”
“Hudson feels bad, but it was an accident. He doesn’t have to feel bad.” Rosalie said.
“I told Bishop the same thing. I think it’s just one of those things that’s bound to happen when you date a bear shifter.” Ava laughed. “Then one day, before you know it, every piece of furniture in your house is built for the weight of a bear. Our couch is about the size of two couches, I swear.”
Rosalie laughed, and Lila turned her head at the sound. She stared at Rosalie before latching on again.
“Trust me, you’re gonna love the new bed. Bishop has a custom bed and, oh my God,” Ava grinned at her, “it’s magnificent. Large enough that there’s enough space for both Bishop and me, even with his giant body. I love cuddling, but I also like to have my space to sleep. You know?”
“I do,” Rosalie said.
“So, how long have you and Hudson been dating?” Ava asked.
Rosalie hesitated before saying, “Not very long.”
“Cool. You ever dated a shifter before?”
“No,” Rosalie said. “Just humans.”
“Bishop was the first shifter I dated as well,” Ava said.
“Is Lila a bear shifter?” Rosalie asked.
“No, she’s human like I am.” Ava lifted Lila to her shoulder and patted her back. The baby burped, and Ava kissed her head. “Good job, sweetie. Rosalie, would you mind holding her while I use the bathroom?”
“Not at all.” Rosalie took the baby eagerly when Ava handed her over. “The bathroom is just down the hall.”
“Thanks.” Ava left the kitchen and Lila stared at Rosalie.
“Hi, sweetie,” Rosalie said. She laughed when the baby broke out into a wide grin, showing off her gums. “Oh my goodness, you’re just the cutest baby ever. Yes, you are. So sweet and adorable and look at those chubby cheeks.”
She nuzzled the baby’s cheeks and Lila’s smile grew. There was a noise to their left, and Rosalie and the baby turned to see Hudson standing just outside of the doorway. He was holding the broken headboard in his hands and staring at them, and Rosalie gave him a tentative smile. “Everything okay?”
“You like cubs?” He said.
“Sorry, I - what?”
He cleared his throat. “I mean, you like babies?”
“I do,” she said. “I want at least two.”
His gaze drifted to her belly before returning to her face. Heat blossomed in her pelvis. The look on his face made her suddenly certain that he very much wanted to put a baby in her belly.
Yes, please.
She flushed bright red. Holy shit, she was being an idiot. Hudson absolutely did not want her to be knocked up with his baby – cub, he wants you to have his cub – and she was reading something in his face that wasn’t there.
Feeling stupid and awkward, she said, “You really didn’t have to buy me a new bed.”
“I wanted to.” He walked away without saying anything else and Rosalie stared at Lila.
“I’m an idiot, baby girl,” she said.
Lila stared solemnly at her for a moment before breaking out into another wide smile.
Rosalie laughed and kissed her soft cheek. “Thanks, baby.”
* * *
“Oh my God.” Rosalie stared at the bed in stunned disbelief.
Ava and Bishop had just left and after saying goodbye and thanking Bishop for helping, she’d climbed the stairs to see Hudson just finishing up making the bed. He had bought green sheets and a green and white duvet cover that matched the green on her walls perfectly.
The bed was massive in size and while it fit in her bedroom, it certainly took up way more space than the old one. The cost of the bed and the sheets and duvet must have been a fortune and she turned her gaze to him. “Hudson, you - you shouldn’t have done this.”
“I broke your bed,” he said.
“Yeah, but… this had to have cost so much money. You could have just bought another queen-sized bed.”
“I don’t fit in a queen size bed.”
“I know, but…”
“But what?”
“I would have been okay just going to your place for, um, sex. You didn’t have to spend a boatload of cash on a custom-made bed.”
He just shrugged. “Your place is nicer than mine, plus I figured you wouldn’t want Mr. Pibbles being alone every night while you were at my house.”
“You bought the custom bed because of Mr. Pibbles,” she said.
He rolled his eyes. “No. I bought it because I broke your bed. It’s no big deal, Rosalie. I knew your bedroom was bigger and that the custom size bed would fit in it, so I bought it.”
“But to spend all that money when in two weeks, we’ll be…”
The words died in her mouth. For some weird reason, she didn’t want to say, ‘we’ll be over’. Not that she thought she was in a relationship with Hudson, she wasn’t, but it felt rude to bring up the fact that he was only teaching her to be kinky for the man she was in love with.
“It’s fine,” he snapped. “Just drop it, okay? I wanted to do it, so I did it.”
“All right,” she said. “Don’t be cranky about it.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.” She hesitated and then decided she might as well tell him. He was already cranky. “I told Ava we were dating.”
He stared at her from across the room, and she chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have done that, but in my defense, the words ‘I’m dating Hudson’ didn’t actually come out of my mouth. Ava just assumed we were, and I didn’t correct her.”
He stayed silent and she gave him an uneasy look. “I really am sorry. I just didn’t want a stranger to know that we’re only having sex, so you can teach me to be kinky. But that’s no excuse for lying about it. I can – I can call her right now and tell her the truth. I’m sure Maggie has her number or can find it for me.” She fumbled her phone out of her pocket as Hudson shook his head.
“It’s fine,” he said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. Well, um, thank you again for buying me the bed. It looks really comfortable.”
He grinned, and the awkward moment passed. She crossed the room and had to hoist herself up to sit on the bed. Hudson sat down beside her. His feet touched the floor but hers dangled like a little kid’s.
“It’s almost dinner. Would you like to stay and eat with me?”
He nodded, watching as she ran her hand over sheets. “These are so soft. Thank you, Hudson.”
He rested one big hand on her thigh when she started to slide off the bed. Warmth drenched her belly and her mouth went dry when she stared up at him. She was starting to recognize the look on his face now, and her own desire for him immediately kicked in.
He studied her mouth and then her breasts as his hand stroked her thigh almost lazily. “Rosie?”
“Yeah?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“What do you say we break in your new bed and then eat dinner?”
“I think that’s a good idea,” she said.
“Me too.” He leaned down and kissed her. She clung to his thick arms, returning his kiss with an embarrassing amount of enthusiasm.
When she was flushed and panting, he broke the kiss and pulled her t-shirt over her head. He reached for her bra, and she gave him a startled look when he made a sound that was remarkably close to a whimper.
“Hudson? What’s wrong?”
“I hurt you.” He was staring at the bruise at the base of her neck.
She touched it. “It’s fine. I bruise easily.”
“I was too rough, I shouldn’t have bit you. I’m sorry.” The shame was back in his eyes and she immediately crowded close to him, rubbing his big body and shaking her head emphatically.
“No, I liked it. I liked it a lot, Hudson. You didn’t really bite me, it
was more of a nip, right? I swear I just bruise easily, that’s all. Okay?”
“I won’t bite you again,” he said.
“You can, I don’t mind,” she replied.
He shook his head, a stubborn look crossing his face. “No, little human. No more biting.”
She gave him a saucy look. “What if I want to bite you?”
He laughed. “You’re allowed to bite.”
“I really don’t mind if you bite me,” she repeated. “I swear.”
He just shook his head and she sighed. “Fine. Hey, um, just really quick – Maggie told me once that wolf shifters bite during sex to claim their, uh, mate. Polar bears, don’t, um… I mean, they don’t bite to, uh…”
Oh Lord, she sounded like a complete moron.
“It was just a bite, little human. Nothing more,” Hudson said. He didn’t sound like he thought she was stupid, but she felt stupid anyway.
“I’m sorry. That was a dumb thing to ask. I know you just want sex and you’re not going to, uh, claim me or something, but I don’t know much about shifters and I just wanted to…”
“It’s fine,” he said.
“Okay.” Anxious to make him forget how awkward and weird she was, she unclasped her bra and took it off. Hudson’s gaze immediately dropped to her tits and her nipples hardened.
He growled in approval before cupping one in his big hand. “Christ, I love your tits.”
She blushed but didn’t object when he pushed her onto her back and stripped off his own shirt before leaning over her. “They’re fucking gorgeous. Did you know that?”
“Thank you, I – oh God!”
He had licked the tip of one nipple and she immediately arched up. He growled again and cupped her right breast, squeezing it gently as he teased her nipple with his thumb. He bent his head and licked around her left nipple before pressing soft kisses along the underside of her breast.
She tangled her fingers in his short hair as he kissed between her breasts and then sucked on her nipple. She moaned and arched again, moving one hand to his shoulder and gripping tightly. He kissed his way across her collarbone before licking at the bite mark at the base of her throat.
Rosalie Undone (The Shifters Series Book 6) Page 18
