Chapter Nine
Briar
The sun rose. Briar’s alarm went off, but she didn’t move from her spot on her bed. Hudson remained in the chair next to her, elbows resting on his knees. Every so often, she felt his gaze on her, but she couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes.
Instead, she drew the blanket tight around her shoulders and leaned against the headboard. As tired as she was, she wouldn’t go to sleep.
The previous hours played over and over in her mind. She’d caught a glimpse of herself in the bathroom mirror as she’d peeled her clothes from her body and stood, arms at her sides, to be examined by Hudson.
It wasn’t the way she hoped to reveal herself to him.
Briar released the blanket and trailed her hands down her arms. His hands had been cool on her skin. If she closed her eyes, she could feel him grasp her wrist as he lifted her arm. He’d been thorough, but clinical.
His icy gaze had left a trail of goosebumps in its wake, but it wasn’t because it aroused her.
She was terrified.
Each time he’d paused, she expected him to say, “Here it is.” Or something to that effect.
But he hadn’t.
“There’s nothing here,” he’d said quietly, and stepped away from her. Her robe hung on the back of the bathroom door, and he helped her into it. Then, when her hands hung limply at her sides, he’d belted it and then lifted her in his arms.
To bring her here, where she remained.
“What class do you have today?” Hudson asked, and she shrugged.
“What day is it?” she asked. What had she been working on last night? She’d already forgotten. What the hell was she supposed to do? Go to class, turn in her assignments, and then come home and fall asleep?
Asher would be waiting for her as soon as she did.
Hudson must have stood and walked to the bed because when he spoke again, his voice was much closer. She startled when his hand touched her head, smoothing her hair down her back. “It’s Thursday.”
“Only a day,” Briar said. It felt like so much more time had passed than that. One day and everything had changed.
“Thursday is art. You love that class.” He gathered the hair at the back of her head and then released it. “Briar.” Hudson sat in front of her, but she couldn’t meet his eyes. She kept her gaze trained on her hands, on the darker spot that signified healing. She’d stuck this hand into the sunlight to grab her glove, and before she knew it, her life had changed. Would she give that up? If she could go back in time, would she choose not to know these guys?
No. The answer resounded in her head. One hundred percent no.
“It’s not until ten,” Briar said, gathering her courage. When she glanced up at him, heat overwhelmed her. He was looking at her with such pride. Why? Because she considered going to class despite the fact that when she came home and fell asleep later this evening, Asher might decide to kill her?
The blankets and sheets rustled as he slid closer. His fingers shifted through the hair that had fallen across her shoulder. It was baby fine and equal parts flyaway and unmanageable. She shivered and shut her eyes, the sensations overwhelming.
“Briar,” Hudson whispered, and then his lips were on hers. He was always so cool, so in control, but it changed when he kissed her. Something happened, and he became as frantic as she.
He dragged himself closer, one hand going to her waist and pulling her into his chest. She caught herself, but quickly wrapped her arms around him. Dressed for work from the day before, his button-down shirt was still crisp beneath her hands.
She wanted to mess it up. Without giving herself time to change her mind, Briar ripped the hem of the shirt out of his pants and shoved her hands beneath it to press into the muscles of his back.
Hudson groaned, his kiss becoming wild. He nipped at her lower lip and then sucked away the hurt. Briar did the same to him, letting his actions guide her. She acted purely on instinct, hoping that what felt good to her would feel as good to him.
If the sounds he made were any indication, it did.
Hudson’s body came over hers. She didn’t even realize she’d lain down until his chest pressed against hers. He gripped her knee, fingers digging into her skin, and pushed her wide open before settling into the cradle of her hips.
The first touch of his body against hers, and the smooth thrust that followed, had her back arching off the bed. “Hudson!”
He’d begun to nibble at her neck, teeth grazing up and down, before he sucked her skin into his mouth.
“I’ve walked in the sun for decades Briar, but here—” He breathed her in before resting his nose in the crook of her neck. “Right here, I can feel the sun. Smell the heat.” Slowly, he drew back to stare at her. His blue eyes were intense, the ring of gold around the pupil glowing like the sun he spoke of. “It’s the most amazing thing.”
His hips canted, and she shut her eyes to revel in the feeling. One stroke, another. It was almost too much but, somehow, not enough. “More,” she whispered, not sure what it was exactly she needed, except it had to be Hudson.
He did it again, and she moaned before his mouth covered hers. Over and over, he thrust against her, never moving for more. His hands were beneath her shirt, but he didn’t tug it over her head or dive his fingers beneath her sleep shorts, though she thought she wanted that. If her mind could have put together a coherent string of words, she may have asked him to touch her in ways she’d only imagined, but all she could repeat was, “More.”
And he complied. Happily. He chuckled low, moving from her mouth to her ear, and then to the scar on her neck. For a moment, she wanted to stop him. The skin there was sensitive, but also a little numb. The sensations, when they came, were delayed, like sound traveling through water.
“Too much?” he asked when she squeezed her eyes shut and cried out.
“No,” she answered quickly, shaking her head to drive the point home.
He skimmed his hand over her hip, around to her back, tucking her even closer before claiming her mouth again. Something came over her. Maybe it was because she knew when she closed her eyes tonight, she’d see Asher. Or maybe it was something more.
Like love.
But she wanted to touch Hudson. She wanted to feel him and watch his face when she touched him.
Sucking in a breath, she opened her eyes. As if he could feel her watching him, he drew back and opened his own. “Are you okay?” he asked, pushing himself a little off of her.
She nodded and carefully dipped her fingers beneath the waistband of his pants. He sucked in a breath, his eyes widening as her fingertips touched the top of his erection. “Briar.” Her name was a prayer, a whisper. His body moved, almost of its own accord, and he thrust into her hand.
Two spots of color appeared on his pale cheeks, and his teeth dug into his lower lip. He closed his eyes but reached between them to wrap his hand around hers. “Harder,” he whispered, and she tightened her grasp. His skin was so soft. When she moved her hand, she marveled at how he could be both soft and hard. “Briar.” He opened his eyes and pinned her with his stare. “This… I don’t want to…”
She might not be experienced, but she knew enough about the world to know what he was referencing. Was he afraid of coming? Of what she would think?
He was beautiful like this—coming apart at the seams. She saw him struggle for control, could see it in the tight set of his shoulders and the way he clenched his teeth, the muscles in his jaw jumping. His hand flexed over hers, like he didn’t know if he wanted her to stop or go on.
He’s waiting. In a flash, she realized he was waiting for her, for a sign this was okay. That he wasn’t frightening her. That this was something she wanted.
She did.
Briar wanted to see everything, know everything, about Hudson. “I want this,” she whispered, smoothing her hand down his length. “Please.”
His head dropped to her shoulder as if it was suddenly too heavy, and he shuddered. He thrust into her hand. His breath caught, and he groaned, coming over her hand. He held her still when she tried to continue stroking him, and lifted his head. The smile he gave her was blinding, but a little embarrassed. He met her eyes and looked away, and then down. “I’m sorry.”
Briar flattened her hand against his stomach and shook her head. “No,” she said fiercely. “Don’t be sorry. That was…” She struggled to find the words to describe what they’d just shared. He’d allowed himself to be vulnerable with her, and she wanted to honor that. “Magical,” she finally decided, because honestly, it was. Here she was, a country girl from Beckley, West Virginia, and a smart, handsome, caring man decided to share himself with her. Her!
Hudson shook his head, but this time when he met her gaze, the embarrassment was gone. He leaned down, sipping at her lips before drawing back with a wicked grin. “I’ve thought about this for weeks, but I never thought you’d touch me first.” He licked at the hollow of her throat before moving across to her collarbone. “My brave girl.”
It took a moment for his meaning to sink into her lust-filled brain. His. She wanted so desperately to be his—to be theirs. Hudson sat up, slowly removing her hand from beneath his pants to cage her body in with his knees. He unbuttoned his shirt quickly, swiped it over her hand to remove the evidence of his excitement, and tossed it over his shoulder. With one hand on either side of her rib cage, he leaned over again to kiss her neck. “Can I touch you now?”
Briar nodded. He could do whatever he wanted, as long as he stayed with her. When he was here, she was safe and, even if he hadn’t said it yet, loved.
Eyes on hers, he skimmed her pajama pants down her hips along with her underwear. Once, he glanced down at her body. His upper lip puffed out, and she realized, as he turned his head to the side, he was trying to hide it from her. Maybe he’d done the same thing earlier when he’d buried his face in her neck. But whatever the reason, she didn’t want him to hide this part of himself. “Show me,” she said, reaching up to turn his face to hers. “Don’t hide it from me. I lo—” She stopped herself at the last moment, but then took a deep breath. Be brave. “I love all these parts of you. The man…” She trailed her fingers down his neck to rest over his heart before bringing them back to his mouth. “And the vampire.”
He faced her, and she marveled at the being he kept just under his skin. There was no reason to hide the beast; it was part of Hudson. A purer, more violent part of him. This was the part of him that was relentless and indefatigable. It was probably what made him such a good scientist and kept him at his research through the dead ends and the failure. Briar suspected he had a lot more to thank his vampire for than just eternal life.
All thoughts of research and science left her head when Hudson’s fingers dipped between her legs. He teased her, stroking her gently, and her entire focus went inward.
Her body was used to pain. This? This was beautiful. He explored her with his hands while kisses whispered over her neck, across her collarbones, and down to the hollow of her throat. His fangs, sharp and smooth, skated over her skin at the same time he thrust one long finger inside her.
Briar cried out. It was bliss. Sheer bliss. No longer did she have any control over her body. Her hips chased his hand, and when his thumb pressed on her clit, her body exploded. Heat shot along her spine, down to her center and outward, like a firework. She hung on to Hudson’s shoulders for dear life while he muttered encouraging words in her ears.
Slowly, she came back to herself, aware of Hudson’s continued exploration of her body. She hummed in pleasure at the little sparks the sensation shot off.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered against her skin, voice distorted by his fangs.
“Thank you.” she smiled and drew back to see his face. Carefully, she touched his fangs with her thumb. “Thank you for showing me all of you.”
His face got serious, and he pulled his hand away from her body to cup her face. “No one has ever seen me, Briar. I didn’t believe it was possible.”
She gripped his hand, holding it to her. “I’m glad you showed me. Trusted me.”
“I trust you,” he said, a little wondrously. “With my life.”