Rosalie Undone (Book Six)

by Elizabeth Kelly

  They stood in silence for a moment before he said, “I like your bedroom.”

  “Thanks.” For the size of her townhome, her bedroom was actually quite large with an attached master bath, a walk-in closet, and a gas fireplace. “Does your townhouse have a large master bedroom too?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “My neighbor to the right has the same size bedroom as mine, but the one on the left doesn’t. Weird, huh?”

  “Yeah.” He glanced at her neatly-made bed and his cheeks went a little red. She wondered if he was too warm. She kept her house on the cool side, but he was a polar bear shifter.

  “I should go.” He turned and walked out of her bedroom.

  She chased after him. “Hudson, wait.”

  He paused at the top of the stairs, and she said, “I know it’s late, but I haven’t eaten yet. Do you want to stay for dinner?”

  “Sure,” he said.

  “Great. I’m just going to change out of my work clothes and then I’ll start dinner.”

  “Okay.” He stayed where he was for a moment. “Who’s helping you put the organizer together?”

  “Oh, uh, I’m doing it myself.”

  He raised his eyebrows at her. “You can’t do it by yourself, Rosalie.”

  “Why not?” She gave him an indignant look. “Because I’m a woman? Just because I’m female doesn’t mean I can’t build stuff, Hudson.”

  “It says right on the box that two people are required to build it,” he said.

  “Oh.” Feeling stupid, she gave him an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

  “Can you build stuff?” He asked.

  She shook her head. “Honestly? No. I suck at it.”

  He laughed, and a weird, warm flush infused her body. His laugh made her feel a little tingly in the pants if she was being completely truthful.

  “You want some help building it?” He said.

  “Yeah, if you don’t mind?”

  “I don’t. I’ll unpack the boxes while you make dinner and then we can start building as soon as we’re done eating. Okay?”

  “Okay.” She smiled happily at him, ignoring the way her flush grew when he returned her smile.

  * * *

  “Hudson, are you sure you had enough to eat?” She gave him a worried look as she stood next to him in the closet. She’d made chicken wraps for dinner and even though she’d stuffed them full of chicken, rice and vegetables, she was still concerned.

  “Plenty,” he said.

  “Really? Because I could make you another wrap.”

  “I had four, Rosalie. I’m full, I promise. Hand me the drill.”

  She handed him the drill and he attached the shelf. She picked up the next shelf and he took it from her before eyeing the organizer. “I think I’ll need you to hold this one in place while I screw it in.”

  “Sure.”

  He shuffled back a few steps and turned to her when she didn’t move. “You’ll have to stand in front of me, Rosalie.”

  “Right, of course.” Feeling self-conscious and a bit weird, she slid between his big body and the closet organizer. Her closet was spacious, but she wasn’t small, and neither was Hudson. They’d been building the organizer together for the last two hours – well, he built it, she mostly just read the instructions to him and handed him screws and nails – and she’d been very careful to make sure to give him a wide personal bubble, even in the tight space of the closet.

  He put the shelf in place and she reached up and held it. A loud boom of thunder shook the organizer and Mr. Pibbles, who’d been sitting in one of the empty boxes, hissed, jumped out of the box, and raced under the bed.

  “The storm has gotten really bad,” she said.

  He nodded as more thunder drowned out the sound of her voice. The lights flickered and dimmed and they both stared at the ceiling. After a moment, he said, “Ready?”

  She nodded and clamped her mouth shut against the gasp that wanted to escape when Hudson leaned forward, and his crotch brushed against the top of her ass. His wide chest and hard abdomen pressed against her back, and she was pretty certain the sudden warmth in her crotch was not because Hudson threw off a lot of heat.

  His warm breath blew tendrils of her hair into her face as he used the drill to attach the left side of the shelf. She stared straight ahead, trying desperately to ignore the feel of his hard body against hers.

  She was not getting turned on. Nope, she absolutely was not. She was not so desperate for sex that just feeling a man’s body against hers was making her horny.

  Not just any man. Hudson. He’s so big, Rosalie. Big and strong and…c’mon, you’re a little curious about how he is in the bedroom. Admit it.

  Fine. Maybe she was a little curious. But what woman wouldn’t be? She didn’t often feel small and delicate, and standing next to Hudson made her feel that way. She wouldn’t deny that she liked it. Hell, he could probably even pick her up.

  Whoa, slow down there, Rosie. Hudson’s strong but you’re almost six feet tall and carrying an extra forty pounds. He’d put his damn back out and then –

  “Rosalie?”

  She realized that Hudson had finished putting the shelf in and she was still holding it like an idiot. She dropped her hands and turned around to face him. “Sorry.”

  He sniffed the air – oh God, could he smell her lust? – and said, “What were you thinking about?”

  Desperate to distract him from knowing she was thinking dirty thoughts about him, she blurted out, “Just whether you could pick me up or not.”

  Shit!

  “What?” He gave her a confused look as thunder boomed and the lights flickered again.

  “Um, nothing.”

  She went to dart past him, pulling up short when he put one big arm on the organizer and penned her in. He studied her for a moment. “Explain.”

  Mortified and wishing she could just sink into the floor, she said, “Uh, it’s just that, um, I’m a big girl, and so, uh, my previous boyfriend never, like, lifted me or anything, and I would watch romantic movies and the guy would lift up the girl like it was no big deal, right? Only, like I said, girls my size, that never happens to us because we’re too heavy. But you’re big and strong and I was thinking that you probably could pick up someone even as heavy as me.”

  “You want me to… pick you up?” Hudson said slowly.

  “I was just thinking you probably could. But then I was all, don’t be stupid, Rosalie. He’s strong but he’s not that strong, and -”

  Rosalie, stop talking! Dear God, stop talking.

  She pressed her lips together and stared up at Hudson. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  He studied her for a few seconds more, and her eyes widened when his heavy arm circled around her hips. “H-Hudson? What are you – oh my gosh!”

  He lifted her up with one arm, and she grabbed his shoulders as her feet left the ground.

  “Holy crap. You’re gonna hurt yourself, Hudson.”

  “You’re not heavy,” he said.

  She was pressed up against his body, her breasts smushed against his hard chest, the curve of her belly fitted against his flat abdomen. Her face was level with his for the first time since she met him. She studied him unblinkingly, her gaze wandering over his wide cheekbones, firm lips, the blond stubble along his jaw that was only noticeable up close. She stared into his dark eyes framed with long dark blond lashes. Man, he had pretty eyes. She always thought she preferred blue eyes, but there was something about the rich chocolate colour of Hudson’s that made her feel warm and tingly.

  Her gaze dropped to his mouth. He had a great smile. She saw it only slightly more than she heard his amazing laugh, but she loved it when he smiled.

  Without thinking, she lifted her hand and brushed her fingertips across his jaw. The rough feel of his stubble brought goosebumps to her skin. He inhaled sharply, and she squeaked in surprise when he abruptly set her down and backed away.

  “Hudson
, I – I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have touched you.”

  “It’s fine.” His voice was low and rough. “I just – don’t do that again, okay?”

  “I won’t,” she said as there was a huge crack of thunder. The lights went out and they were plunged into darkness.

  “Shit.” She turned and fumbled her way toward the closet entrance. She tripped over the pile of empty boxes and went flying forward into the bedroom, landing with a painful thud on her hands and knees.

  “Rosalie!” Hudson was suddenly behind her, his big hands hooking under her armpits, and for the second time in less than two minutes, he was picking her up again. He set her on her feet and turned her to face him as lightning flashed across the sky. It lit up the bedroom for a few brief seconds, and the look of confusion and embarrassment on Hudson’s face, made her own shame grow.

  “I’m sorry,” she repeated. She yanked her phone out of her pocket and turned on the flashlight.

  “Are you hurt?” He asked.

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “Okay. I should go.” He started toward the doorway.

  “You don’t have to leave,” she said. “I’m sorry. I won’t – I won’t touch you like that again.”

  “No, it’s not – it’s late and without power, I can’t finish the organizer, right?”

  “Right.” She sounded on the verge of tears, even to herself, and he hesitated in the doorway.

  “Maybe I could come back tomorrow night and finish it,” he said.

  “You don’t have to,” she said. “I’m sure I can figure it out from here. There isn’t much left to do on it.”

  “I want to. What time will you be finished dinner?”

  “You could have dinner with me,” she said.

  He nodded. “Yeah, okay. Around five thirty?”

  “Sure. Can I at least drive you home? It’s really raining out,” she said.

  “No, it’s okay. I don’t mind the rain and it’s only a five-minute walk. Bye, Rosalie.”

  “Bye, Hudson.”

  He left the room and she sank onto the bed before burying her hands in her face. What was wrong with her? She had made Hudson pick her up and she touched him. He hated both touching her and being touched by her. Was it no wonder he left? She’d be surprised if he actually came back tomorrow night. Hell, she was pretty sure she’d just ruined their friendship.

  Mr. Pibbles jumped up on the bed and she stroked his soft fur as she blinked back the tears. “I’m an idiot, Mr. Pibbles.”

  Chapter Seven

  “It looks amazing, Hudson. Thank you so much.”

  He pushed in the last drawer of the organizer. “You’re welcome. Thanks again for dinner.”

  “Of course.” Rosalie sounded nervous and unsure and even though he’d been here for almost two hours, she hadn’t looked him in the eye once.

  He picked up the drill and the extra screws as Rosalie backed out of the closet. He had fucked up yesterday. Fucked up big time.

  He should never have picked her up like that, but after spending two hours in the tiny closet with her, his polar bear was going insane with its need to touch her. When she had started babbling about him picking her up, it had been the perfect excuse.

  Yeah, well, you’re damn fucking lucky she didn’t feel your erection.

  He was. Her soft curves pressed against his body and the touch of her fingers against his face had made him sport a woody in five seconds flat. He’d apparently set her down before she got a good feel of his wood, but it had been a very close fucking call.

  Still, his reaction had made her feel awful and that made him feel awful. He had to fix this.

  Maybe it’s better if you don’t. You’re getting too close to her. You’re using whatever excuse you can think of to be near her now. How many times did you fucking walk by her house last night before she finally came home? You’re pathetic and being stupid about being around her. It’s dangerous for her.

  It was, but he was so damn tired of resisting her. He couldn’t sleep with her, she would never want him the way she wanted that fucking lion shifter, but spending time with her at least kept his bear from going completely crazy.

  He stepped into her bedroom, trying desperately not to stare at her bed. It was piled high with clothing from her closet, but how easy would it be to just shove the clothes onto the floor, carry Rosalie to her bed and settle his body between her soft thighs?

  Way too fucking easy.

  “Hudson?” Rosalie took a deep breath. “I really want to apologize again for yesterday. I don’t know why I said what I said or did what I did, and I realize it was incredibly inappropriate and made you very uncomfortable. I just want to assure you that I won’t ever do anything like that again. Okay?”

  “I know,” he said. “It really isn’t that big of a deal. I was just feeling like I was being inappropriate by picking you up, that’s all.”

  “You weren’t. I asked you to do it. I mean…sort of.”

  She sighed and rubbed at her temples. “Anyway, can we just forget what happened last night?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, good.”

  There was a moment of silence before she said, “So, it’s only seven. Did you, uh, want to watch a movie? I could make some popcorn.”

  He should go home. He should go home and masturbate in the goddamn shower to thoughts of Rosalie like he’d been doing for the last three weeks straight. Instead, he said, “Sure. I’d like that.”

  “Really?” There was a mixture of surprise and relief on her face.

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, great. I’ll start the popcorn and you can pick the movie.” She smiled at him, and his heart skipped an actual goddamn beat. Fuck, he was in deep trouble.

  * * *

  “What did you think of the movie?”

  Rosalie smiled at him. “For a Tom Cruise movie, it wasn’t half bad.”

  “You don’t like Tom Cruise?”

  “Eh, he’s okay.”

  Hudson grinned and set the empty popcorn bowl on the coffee table. He was sitting on Rosalie’s couch next to her. Another stupid idea, but determined to make her feel better, he had insisted they both sit on the couch when Rosalie had hesitantly moved toward the uncomfortable looking armchair.

  “So, I was wondering something.”

  “What’s that?” Hudson stretched his long legs out and tried to ignore the feel of Rosalie’s thigh brushing against his.

  “Does it hurt when you shift?”

  He shook his head. “Nah, mostly it just…tingles.”

  “How do you shift?” She asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Like, do you say a magic phrase or…”

  He laughed. “No. I just call for my bear and then I shift.”

  “Oh.”

  “It’s kind of hard to explain.”

  “Yeah, I imagine it is. You think of your bear as separate from you, right?”

  “He is separate from me,” Hudson said.

  “Do you talk to him?”

  “We communicate. He talks to me and I hear it as words, but it’s not words. I know that doesn’t make sense, but I’m not sure how to explain. I definitely know when he’s happy or angry or…hungry. He’s hungry a lot.”

  She smiled at him. “I bet. Do you ever shift without meaning to?”

  He shrugged. “It depends on the situation. If my emotions get the better of me, it can be harder to control my bear.”

  “So, if you’re really sad or something?” She asked.

  “More like angry or afraid.”

  “I doubt you’re ever afraid,” she said.

  “Sometimes I shift while I’m sleeping.”

  “That would be awkward if you fell asleep on a plane or something.”

  “I have to be sleeping pretty deep and be fairly relaxed to shift in my sleep,” he said.

  “Oh. It seriously doesn’t hurt when you shift?”

  “Nope.”

  “Weird. It looks like it hu
rts,” she said.

  “You’ve watched a shift before?”

  “Sort of. I watched some YouTube videos.” She took a deep breath. “Will you shift and let me watch?”

  He turned to study her, and she flushed and looked down at her lap. She brushed some stray Mr. Pibbles hair from her jeans.

  “Why do you want to see me shift?”

  “Like I said, I’ve never seen a shifter change into their animal form in real life, only on YouTube,” she said.

  He didn’t reply, and she gave him a chastised look. “Oh God, is it, like, super rude for me to ask you to shift? I’m sorry. I was just curious about it. I didn’t mean to offend though.”

  “You didn’t,” he said. “I’ve just never had a human ask to watch me shift before.”

  “I really didn’t mean to offend you,” she said.

  “You didn’t,” he repeated. “It’s just…”

  “What?”

  “I’m usually naked when I shift.”

  Her soft mouth rounded into the perfect ‘o’ and her gaze skittered over his chest as red covered the apples of her cheeks. “Oh God, I forgot about that.”

  There was silence and then she said, “I could stand at a distance and hold up a towel in front of your, uh, private parts.”

  A grin crossed his face and she gave him a soft slap on the thigh. “Stop laughing at me. It was just an idea. I really want to see you shift.”

  “All right.”

  “All right, what?” She said.

  “Grab the towel.”

  “Are you serious?” Her look of unabashed glee made his grin widen.

  “Yes.”

  She jumped off the couch and he heard her run into the guest bathroom before returning with a hand towel. He eyed it and the size of her small living room before shaking his head. “Not big enough.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He pointed at the towel before gesturing to the living room. “The distance you have to stand back from me – that towel won’t be big enough to cover it.”

  “Cover it… oh. Oh!” She studied the towel in her hand and he was weirdly amused when her flush brightened. “Um, congratulations.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, thanks.”