by J. K Harper
“He’s a sweet kid,” Hudson said, thoughtful. “He’d be mighty happy to see you again, you know. And you didn’t meet Hannah. She’s just one big marshmallow right now. You hold her and you just want to squeeze her.”
“Listen to you.” Hazel laughed. “Big, burly manly man with a bear the size of his truck going all weak at the knees over the little ones.”
“There are two things in life worth going weak at the knees over. Cubs are one.”
“What’s the other?”
“A mate with a pretty heart and legs that just don’t stop.” When Hudson spared another brief glance from the road, he caught sight of Hazel’s smile. His resolve hardened. “I’m gonna make you mine, Hazel Fortescue.”
“Are you really, grizz?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I could be agreeable to that.”
Nearing the outskirts of Gatlinburg, Hudson couldn’t help a smile. Hazel perked instantly, her cheer infectious as they drove beneath a sign with letters formed out of Christmas lights: Gatlinburg Welcomes You.
A few cars ahead had slowed to a crawl, so Hudson adjusted his speed to a comfortable coast.
Lit Christmas trees lined the road into downtown. The individual storefronts had been decorated, flooding the street with twinkling light shows. Further down, luminescent plastic snowmen and polar bears donned residential yards. Homes looked like gingerbread houses under the cover of night, with endless twinkling trimmings lining the roofs, doorways, and windows.
They drove from one end of town to another, following the unofficial parade of other lights-seekers. The displays ranged from tasteful and elegant to cheesy as all hell.
Hazel loved the cheesy ones the best.
By the time they doubled back, a large crowd had begun to gather around the enormous evergreen that sat near the center of the main strip. The tree was dressed from top to bottom. Shining gold lights adorned almost every branch, and Hudson thought it was a wonder the tree was even upright.
He parked and hopped out of the truck, rounding the nose to open her door. Mindful of her heels and the chilly breeze from the surrounding Smoky Mountains, Hudson wrapped an arm around her shoulder and hugged her close as they joined the crowd.
Hudson was normally twitchy around large groups of humans. There were too many smells, too many separate heartbeats, too many voices. But the Christmas spirit had taken root in Gatlinburg, and Hazel’s smile was just so damn dreamy as she craned her neck to assess the full height of the enormous spruce.
Without warning, fireworks exploded from every side of the tree. She jumped in surprise, throwing her arms around his middle. Hudson added his other hand to her waist, mostly to steady her, but also to finally feel that tantalizing curve beneath his palm.
Laughing at herself, Hazel hid her face against his shirt. The explosions continued, painting the night sky with an array of greens, reds, and golds.
The bear huffed slightly, unimpressed by the thunderous booms, but Hudson was gratified by his mate’s closeness. Slowly, she relaxed against him, pressing her body to his.
Hudson’s every primal instinct flared. He bent, burying his nose in her hair. While fireworks continued to burst all around them, Hudson inhaled the sweet honeysuckle of her scent. She might have been experienced with crafting sinfully potent brews, but Hudson couldn’t imagine anything more intoxicating than her fragrance.
Especially when that fragrance deepened, turning rich with longing.
Hazel leaned back, but only an inch. She didn’t immediately look up at him. Instead, her gaze lingered over the center of his chest.
“What do you see?” he asked, genuinely curious.
“You.” She flitted her eyes to his, then back again. “And me.”
“What are we doing?”
“Twining around one another.” She took his right hand, urging him to hold it up between them. She slid her palm up his, then laced their fingers together. He squeezed, and she squeezed back. “Like this.”
He trailed his other hand lower, following her curves to the slope of her ass. Her coat blocked a full feel, but he still splayed his fingers and gripped her through her clothes. He tugged her flush, giving her his warmth as another breeze shook her hair.
“I can think of other ways we could twine.”
Her pupils dilated, and a spark of ethereal blue lit her eyes. “Look up, handsome.”
Hudson lifted his gaze. A lock of mistletoe hung from the lamp post overhead. The bundle waved in the wind, and the bear rumbled.
Returning his focus to his mate, Hudson bent just as Hazel lifted herself onto her toes. He tightened his fingers around hers and held their joined hands over his heart. The first touch of her lips set off a fresh wave of fireworks, though these sparklers had nothing to do with the continued pops and sizzles coming from the Christmas tree.
Hazel tasted like honey-laced whiskey. Her soft lips moved against his, matching his slow, teasing pace.
Hudson forgot about the crowd. He forgot about the fireworks. He forgot his damn name.
Hazel had latched her teeth over his bottom lip, and the grizzly roared.
Chapter 9
The Shifter Lottery Jackpot
“We still haven’t had that drink,” Hazel said as she pushed open her front door.
The drive back to Wears Valley had been tense. She’d never felt such heat from another person. Intent roiled on the air between them, lashing in time with his aura.
Hudson’s breath steamed the cold air. The green of his bear swirled in his eyes. It had first manifested under the mistletoe, and he’d yet to blink it away. Under the pale glow of the white Christmas lights she’d wrapped around the columns of her front porch, he appeared almost feral, though not in a way that meant her harm.
Hazel was quite sure she’d never been safer in her whole life.
“You should come in,” she said, sensing he was waiting for her consent. “Now.”
He strode forward, walking her backward over the threshold.
Without looking, he seized her door and pushed it shut. The light from her Christmas tree spilled into the dark hallway, but she didn’t reach for the overhead light switch.
Hudson was still moving.
He walked her to the wall by the stairs, pushing her back to the surface. The green of his bear intensified. She could make out his profile, but nothing else. Snapping her fingers, she conjured another orb. The same light that had first made him flinch now seemed to draw him closer. His high cheekbones were especially pronounced as light and shadow played across his skin.
Hudson’s fingers traveled down the front of her coat, deftly unfastening her brass buttons.
He pushed the garment off her shoulders and it puddled at her feet.
Hazel lifted her chin, watching as his eyes roamed the stretch of her bare neck and shoulders.
The bear growled from his chest, loud enough that she could hear its grizzled baritone.
Hudson’s next kiss was savage. Hazel might have only been half wildcat with no actual animal to call her own, but she responded to him with equal intensity. Clawing at the front of his shirt, she kissed him until their teeth and tongues were a tangle. A cacophony of his growls and her moans echoed up the stairwell.
Everything about him was hard, from the sturdy line of his shoulders to the swell of his firm pectorals. His stomach was flat but ridged with the chiseled outlines of his muscles. His thighs were as solid as any oak.
With their lips still locked, he guided her backwards, navigating the stairs while she pawed at the final buttons of his shirt.
Halfway to the landing, he pushed her back to the railing and pulled up the hem of her dress. She gripped the spindles on the bannister, tightening her fingers around the wood as he dragged a hand from the top of her left boot to the back of her thigh. When he reached her ass, he dug his blunt nails into the fleshy swell of her cheek and squeezed with possessive force.
Whimpering, Hazel canted her hips to his as he lifted he
r right knee and hauled her into his arms.
Lightheaded and giddy, she laughed to realize she didn’t even need to hook her legs around him. He was so damn strong, he could have carried her with just one arm.
On the landing, she found herself with her back to another wall and her lips caught between his.
Kissing Hudson Holloway felt like throwing herself into a roaring fire. Between the unbridled heat of his body and the wild undercurrent of his bear, she would happily let herself burn.
He didn’t even ask which room was the bedroom; he must have followed his nose. Inside, he didn’t bother with the overhead lights. Her orb had followed them all the way upstairs.
With a growl, he tossed her onto the bed. Before she’d even finished bouncing, he’d seized her hips, yanked her to the edge of the mattress, and pushed the hem of her dress the rest of the way up her thighs.
“Goddamn,” he said under his breath. “I want inside you.”
She couldn’t find her words. He’d already snaked his fingers under the lacy fabric of her panties and pulled them down her legs, seeming to delight in the task of unwrapping her.
He positioned her left leg over his shoulder, turned his face to kiss her knee, then dove.
Hazel jolted at the first swipe of his tongue. The stubble on his chin tickled her sensitive skin, and she choked on a cry as he searched with intent.
The second his tongue hit her clit, she was a goner.
Hazel dropped her head to the bed. She stared up at the blue light through hazy eyes, aware that the rising cries in the room came from her own throat.
Every inch of her body tingled. Every hair stood at full attention. Her skin prickled with goosebumps despite the heated flush that warmed her neck and chest.
Her right thigh began to tremble first. Soon, her whole leg joined in as her muscles spasmed beneath the pending orgasm.
Hudson knew exactly what he was doing.
The orb exploded at the precise moment Hazel’s world flew apart. The light swept across the ceiling, flaring electric blue.
Between her thighs, Hudson laughed. The low rumble of the sound vibrated against her already sensitive clit.
“Guess I’ll never need to ask if you faked it.”
With her thigh muscles still spasming, Hazel could only gasp in response.
He climbed her body, joining her on the bed. Dizzy and disoriented, she allowed him to pull her upright. When she sat on her knees, he finally—finally—shrugged off his shirt.
Hazel bowed her head as if in prayer. Still panting, she peppered open-mouthed kisses along his sternum.
As she worked her way to his stomach, he took the opportunity to unzip the back of her dress and unhook her bra. She returned the favor by unbuckling his belt and unfastening his pants.
She shimmied out of her dress while he rid himself of the rest of his clothes.
“No.” His voice deepened with authority, and he stilled her hand as she started to unzip one of her boots. “Keep them on. Good grizzly, keep them on.”
Straightening, Hazel tossed her hair behind her shoulders. “You got it, grizz.”
Hudson’s eyes roamed her naked body, though he seemed especially enthralled by the sight of her bare breasts.
Hazel let her own gaze wander. Dark hair sprouted below his navel, leading lower. She followed the path and somehow managed to keep her eyes from falling out of her head.
She pushed him onto his back and straddled his waist. The bear rumbled again. This time, she felt the sound between her thighs. Exhaling a shaky breath, she trailed the tips of her fingers along the ridges of his abdominals.
She’d seen plenty of hot shifters in her life, but she’d never wanted to go to her knees for one.
Sliding down his body, she kissed every inch of his torso. He reclined his head against one of her pillows, seemingly content to let her explore. But as she went lower, his thighs tightened and his stomach muscles flexed.
Wetting her bottom lip, Hazel decided to give her beloved a very merry Christmas, indeed.
Taking the tip of his cock between her lips, she sucked softly to tease.
Hudson’s deep groan plucked at her middle.
Smiling to herself, she dragged her tongue along the sensitive underside of the head. Her big, burly, manly man bear shifter trembled.
She continued the tease, alternating between light flicks and long strokes of her tongue.
Hudson’s breath quickened. His chest heaved. He hauled himself onto his elbows and watched her through eyes that danced with an emerald fire.
“You best watch yourself, beautiful. You’re gonna make it snow.”
“Oh, are we making Christmas puns now? Maybe I oughta play with your jingle bells while I’m down here.”
Hazel had never heard a man laugh as loudly or as heartily as Hudson did at that moment.
Still gripping the base of his cock, she crawled back up his body.
He rolled them, taking over the top position.
“You’re so hot.” She marveled over his warmth as she slid her free hand along the biceps of his right arm.
“Me?” He braced himself on one hand and used the other to gently cup her left breast. “Look at you.”
Using only the tip of his finger, he traced a line from the crest of her collarbone to her navel. And he kept going. Once more, his touch between her legs sent her thigh muscles trembling.
“That’s the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said, gently brushing the pad of his thumb over her clit to incite another storm of shivers. “I wanna make you shudder all over.”
“Do it,” she dared. “I want to feel you.”
“You’re sure?”
Hazel nodded, knowing his brief hesitation had nothing to do with a lack of desire. Once he was inside her, skin-to-skin, they would have initiated a mating. A bite from him and a burn from her would complete the bond, but they had time to build their way to that milestone.
“I am if you are.”
“I’m sure,” he said, his timbre deep and unwavering.
He helped her upright and held the small of her back as if she were precious. Poised atop his lap, she took a breath as she aligned him with her seam.
Hudson leaned in toward her neck and sucked a kiss over her pulse point. Hazel’s heart skipped. Her magic reached out, mingling with his aura.
The first push of his thick head stretched her body. She was so slick from his earlier attentions, it was almost easy to slide down his length.
Almost.
Aunt Edith would be thrilled to know everything about Hudson Holloway was quite huge, indeed.
Just when Hazel thought she’d have to take a moment to tap out, he found her lips and kissed her with a tenderness she hadn’t expected.
All at once, Hazel understood why bears were the shifter lottery jackpot. Hudson might have been big, broad, and brawny with a huge, dominant apex predator tucked away in his chest, but he was sweet. He was gentle. And he was the type of man who would love and adore his mate until his very last breath.
But best of all, he hugged like an overgrown cub. As he held her in his arms, cuddling her until she dared to continue, Hazel’s magic laced around the energy that made up his bear and squeezed him in return.
She ended up on her back. Hudson moved on top of her, his movements like a finely oiled piston.
Hazel imploded twice more before he pulled out and painted her stomach with his release. But he didn’t stop. He pushed right back inside and continued to thrust.
When he came a second time, Hazel was delirious. Her thighs twitched and her stomach muscles convulsed. The third time, she was on her hands and knees. He spilled inside her and roared like his bear. The fourth time, he stood on both feet while holding her flush. The fifth time, the sun rose as he collapsed behind her.
Hazel had lost count of her orgasms.
Hazel had lost track of the time.
Hazel couldn’t understand how the sun was already rising ov
er Roundtop Mountain.
Hudson draped an arm over her waist and pulled her back flush against his chest. His body heat was better than any blanket. With a firm grip, he held her through the final shockwaves that had rendered her a shaking, shuddering excuse for a witch.
“Sleep, mate,” he urged when she’d finally fallen limp. “You won’t ever need iron outside your door. I’ll keep you safe.”
Chapter 10
The Christmas Spirit
“Hazel smells like marshmallows.” Beckett spoke in a low, secretive voice as he tugged on Hudson’s sleeve.
“No kidding, fuzzbutt,” Hudson said from where he reclined at his parents’ dining table. His witch sat cross-legged on the floor near the Christmas tree, with Hannah perched atop her lap. “She’s been shooting them around the room all night.”
Across the table, Damon watched with interest as his daughter conjured blue sparklers of light over Hannah’s head. The one-year-old giggled and grasped at the orbs. She was too young to enjoy Beckett’s favorite game of hunting for flying marshmallows, but she still grasped at the air, attempting to catch the balls of light between her chubby fingers.
“This is an infinitely better Christmas Eve,” Violet said as Hollis topped up everyone’s whiskey glasses.
“It’s downright jolly,” Katherine agreed, idly leaning back against her chair. “I haven’t had a Christmas Eve without Dam’s batty aunts in years. It’s wonderful. I’ll have to send a thank-you note to Santa.”
“Speaking of Santa, we should get the little ones to bed,” Harrison said, plucking Beckett from the floor.
Beckett playfully growled and kicked his feet in the air.
Across the room, Hazel stood with Hannah and gave her a final cuddle before passing her to Bonnie. Hannah began to whimper when the lights disappeared.
“Oh, shh,” Bonnie said, bouncing Hannah in her arms. “She can’t do them all night, silly girl.”
Hours later, Hudson and Hazel left her parents with his, knowing they were settled into the guest room for the night. She hopped onto his back, her legs around his waist and her arms draped over his shoulders, and he carried his witch through the snow. She rested her chin atop his head and spent the majority of the trek nuzzling her nose through his hair.
