Savage Bliss (Corona Pride Book 5) Read online

  With that, she slammed the car door and marched into her house.

  Hudson followed her inside, but she was already upstairs—he could hear her stomping around. He looked at his watch. Thirty minutes until dark. He guessed they wouldn’t be doing that run he’d offered to go on with her this evening.

  She was right—he wanted her. He wanted her too much, in fact. And if he was honest, he wasn’t holding back just because of the job. He was using that as an excuse. What really freaked him out was the idea of having a mate. Being tied to one person in such an intense way that your entire reason for living was wrapped up in theirs. It wasn’t Hudson’s choice. He didn’t want to get that close. He didn’t want to spend his life fearing the death of the one he loved most.

  But fuck it all, why was he starting to think that this was no longer a choice he could make—that the choice had already been made for him?

  Seething, he bypassed the people milling around the great room and went upstairs into his own room. Viviana’s room was quiet—he even acted like a total creep and listened at the wall separating them. He shuffled to his bed, kicked off his shoes, and lay down.

  She was crowding him, pushing him into doing something about whatever was between them. He was at a breaking point, ready to march into her room and make good on all the dirty things he’d been thinking about her during the week.

  The next time his bratty little lion gave him attitude, he’d tell her exactly what he thought. But right now, he needed to rest.

  His alarm woke him thirty minutes later. Time for work. He was used to long hours working in security, but he was exhausted now. Maybe it was a combination of the emotional turmoil of trying to help his mother, the effort of trying not to fall for Viviana, and the physical act of being awake to guard Viviana that was taking its toll, he didn’t know.

  He knocked on Viviana’s door as he passed, but she didn’t answer. “Viv? You there?”

  Still no answer. He rushed downstairs. Had something happened to her? Had she sneaked out without him? Marlana would kill him, and worse—Viviana would be in danger. He ran down the stairs, his heart in his throat.

  When he saw Viviana, perched on one of the sofas in the great room, a cup in her hand, he skidded to a stop. She was okay. Alone in a crowded room, like usual, but okay.

  Her gaze locked on his as she took in what had to be a cross between alarm, relief, and annoyance on his face.

  “I thought you’d left,” he explained.

  “I’m not an idiot,” she said. “You probably don’t even need to guard me anymore.”

  He wanted to growl, take her in his arms, and kiss her senseless. Press her into the couch, show her what he was feeling—possession, passion, love, lust.

  A knock sounded on the front door. Hudson groaned at the interruption. He was closest to the door, so he asked Viviana, “Okay to get that?”

  She nodded.

  When he pulled open the door, a young woman waited on the other side. She looked to be in her late teens, and she had pale skin, blond hair, and eyes so dark they looked black.

  Immediately, a feeling of otherworldliness swept over him. She wasn’t human. She wasn’t shifter.

  Vampire.

  She stuck out her hand. “I’m Gracie Jane Moseley. I’m here to see Marlana—it’s important.”

  Hudson turned and searched for Marlana in the crowd of shifters. Could he invite a vampire in? Was that a myth?

  “Oh, cut it out,” Gracie Jane said, pushing past him. “That invitation thing doesn’t work on us, and besides, I’ve been invited before.” She marched up to Marlana and said, “I’ve got a message from the court.”

  Marlana shook Gracie Jane’s hand while Hudson stared at the two women, bemused.

  “Let’s go to my office,” Marlana said. “Hudson, you come, too. Jeff! Viviana!”

  Viviana and her father hurried over. All five of them trailed upstairs. Hudson noted the curious looks on the faces of the other pride members, but nobody asked questions.

  Inside the office, Hudson stood next to the door.

  Gracie Jane spoke. “We’ve learned who the rogue vampire is,” she announced. “Astor. Consort to Ana.”

  “Okay,” Marlana said slowly. “What does he want? He killed Chase—he killed one of our own. The only thing we don’t know, is why.”

  “The closest we can guess is that he’s here for revenge,” Gracie Jane said. “Ana was killed by shifters in your pride. She was Astor’s consort—his greatest treasure.”

  “Revenge,” Marlana said. “He’s already killed Chase. That should be enough, yes? One for one?”

  Gracie Jane shrugged, the movement fluid. Hudson couldn’t stop staring at her—superficially, she looked young, but he’d wager that she was nearly as old as everyone in this room combined.

  “It’s hard to say,” Gracie Jane said. “Bo and I know him real well—he turned us into vampires. But we still can’t guess what he’s thinking or feeling. Could he be finished? Maybe. But he hasn’t left the territory yet. Mikhail is trying to forge a psychic connection with him, but Astor is resisting.”

  “Do you know where he’s staying?” Marlana asked. “We need to either talk to him, or get him out of here.”

  “We’ll take care of the problem,” Gracie Jane said. “He’s in our territory, too, and risking our exposure and our treaty with the pride.”

  “Thank you,” Marlana said.

  Gracie Jane turned to go, seeming to float above the floor. Hudson stared. How did she do it?

  Just past Gracie, Hudson saw Viviana. She was watching him, her eyes soft, her lips slightly parted. He knew her skin, he knew her mouth. He knew the breathy sounds she made before she came.

  How could he go on like this, watching her, protecting her…and not having her?

  Gracie Jane stopped in the doorway and turned to face all four of them. “There’s one other thing you should know about Astor. If you do find him during the day, he won’t be sleeping. He stays awake all day, like me.”

  Nineteen

  The room went silent after Gracie left. Viviana tried not to fidget. She didn’t want to look at Hudson, but he was the first to speak. “Stays awake all day like her? Vampires do that?”

  “Most vampires sleep during the day,” Viviana said. “But some, like Gracie, have different abilities. She can stay awake.”

  “So, it wouldn’t be as easy as walking in and staking him,” Hudson said.

  Viviana shook her head and faced her parents. “I’m turning in for the night.”

  Hudson looked like he had more to say, but she left the office and walked down the hall to her bedroom. She told herself that she wanted to be alone, away from the rest of her pride.

  But really, she needed to get away from Hudson. His clean laundry scent seemed to follow her everywhere through the house. She could still taste his kisses, if she closed her eyes and concentrated.

  She heard footsteps behind her. The scent of clean laundry in the air caused her heart to leap with joy and her mind to groan with dread. Hudson.

  “Just don’t,” she said, spinning to face him. “I’m tired of you following me around, tired of you pretending there’s nothing between us, tired of your stinking professional face that won’t stop me from wanting to pin you down and kiss you.”

  Spine straight, she opened the door to her room and stepped in. She tried to close it in his face, but he held it open.

  “Hudson, just leave me alone,” Viviana said. “Let me be—”

  He stopped her with a kiss. His mouth was hot, demanding. She allowed herself to be carried away by the sensations for just a moment, and then she pulled back.

  “You think you can shut me up with a kiss?” she whispered.

  “Yes.” He crowded her back into her room, closing and locking her door behind them. “Come here.”

  He led her into the bathroom, where she noticed her dirty clothes on the floor. She kicked them to the side, embarrassed that she hadn’t cleaned up aft
er herself. Then again, it wasn’t as if she’d been expecting company.

  He smirked. “You’re going to be showing me a lot more than your dirty panties and bras.”

  “I—?”

  “Strip.”

  Her heart thudding, she hesitated. “What?”

  “You’ve been pushing me and pushing me, Viviana. And I’m not holding back anymore. Never again. You want all of me? Then take off those fucking clothes and see what I have to offer.”

  Her hands shook. This was what she wanted, wasn’t it? But…he was ordering her around. He was telling her what to do. No, she didn’t play like that. She would call the shots.

  “You first,” she said.

  He shook his head. “Tell me if I’m wrong, but I think I know what you need. I’ve been paying attention to your body. You want to be told what to do. You want to be made to listen. Not anywhere else, no. But in bed? You do. Tell me if I’m wrong.”

  She stared back at him and caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror behind him. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes blazing. He was right—every time he gave her an instruction, it made her even hotter.

  “You’re not wrong,” she whispered. It was the most she could do.

  Grinning, he said, “Good. So take off your clothes and I’ll give you your next instruction.”

  Her face felt like it was on fire. He was really doing this.

  When she slid her t-shirt over her head, she heard him suck in a staggering breath.

  Oh, she thought. So he liked this as much as she did. Already she was wet between her legs—her panties were damp and uncomfortable. She looked up, met his gaze. His eyes flashed with a searing heat as he took in her bare breasts and stomach.

  “You’re perfect,” he said, and rewarded her with a kiss. His tongue made the briefest lick into her mouth, then darted out again. “Keep going.”

  She stared at him. He had all his clothes on, but he was sporting a very obvious boner—she could see the outline through his jeans. If he’d just take off one thing, she’d feel better about this.

  “Please,” she said. “At least take off your shirt?”

  He looked like he would ignore her request, but something in his eyes softened. “Sure, Viviana.”

  Her name always sounded like an endearment on his lips, like her name embodied all the tenderness of sweetheart or beautiful or precious. She was unbelievably turned on, but melting inside at the same time.

  She watched as Hudson reached down to the hem of his shirt and lifted it up, over his chest. Muscles rippled—he was just as built as a shifter. Grace, power, strength. Viviana gulped. His beauty took her breath away—did he know that? Should she tell him?

  He didn’t give her a chance. “The rest,” he said, gesturing at her jeans.

  She slid them down, along with her underwear. It was true—she did want him to take control like this. She was tired of the pressure of not knowing what would happen next. She was tired of being groomed to be alpha. So much responsibility waiting for her. Not tonight—not right now.

  She stood before Hudson, naked, her hair falling around her shoulders and tickling her skin.

  “So beautiful,” he murmured. He leaned back against the counter and squeezed his cock through his jeans. “Touch yourself for me. Start with your tits.”

  “Ohmygosh,” she said. “I don’t know—”

  “Come on. You’ve done it before.”

  “Yeah, but—” She couldn’t say it out loud. That had been when his mouth was on her, when his fingers had been inside her. She’d been so driven by desire that she hadn’t given any thought at all to what she was doing with her breasts.

  Hudson raised his eyebrows, waiting to be obeyed.

  Biting her lip, she brought one of her hands up and rubbed it across the small mound of her breast. Hudson made a deep sound. If he’d been a shifter, it would have been a growl.

  “Pinch yourself, just a little.”

  Her face felt like it was on fire. But she did as he said, and felt an arc of pleasure shoot from her nipple, straight to her clit.

  “With your other hand, touch your pussy. Put your finger inside.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t. Please.”

  He grinned wickedly. “You need help?”

  She nodded, but felt a thread of misgiving about that satisfied smirk on his face.

  He walked the two steps over to stand in front of her, then knelt on her shower mat. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, then took her index and middle fingers into his mouth, sucking on them gently. Viviana had never had someone do this to her before, and she felt like her knees would buckle.

  Without warning, he yanked her fingers out of his mouth and directed them to her pussy. He pressed them slowly inside of her, allowing her to bend them to her shape.

  “There,” he said, his voice gruff.

  Viviana watched as he scooted back against her counter, sitting on the floor. She had two fingers in her pussy, and her other hand was at her breast. She didn’t know if she could even speak, or what she would say if she could.

  He stared at her, his gaze hungry. If he’d looked impassive, or disapproving, she would have stopped. But after a second, he unfastened his jeans and made enough space to pull out his cock. He held it in his fist and jacked his hand up and down.

  He was just as turned on as she was, and she loved it.

  “What do I do next?”

  He gave her a surprised smile. “You’re getting into this. Good. Next, I want you to pull your fingers out of your pussy and rub them over your clit.”

  She did as she was told, her legs quaking with the pleasure spreading through her. This was so freaking hot she thought she’d fall over. Her brain couldn’t handle all the pleasure, and her muscles were tense from her approaching orgasm.

  “Now I want you to turn around, and bend over.” Did his instructions sound a little breathless, or was that just Viviana’s imagination? He continued, “Grip the edge of the bathtub.”

  She did as she was told. She was completely bare, and he could scrutinize every inch of her. She peeked behind her, saw him standing there, cock in hand, staring. She turned back to face her tub, eyes squeezed shut.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said. “So beautiful.”

  Then he was lining up behind her, the head of his cock at her entrance. Viviana held her breath, waiting for the stretching pressure of him. When would he do it? She waited.

  “I loved watching you play with your tits, Viviana,” he whispered.

  And then he shoved inside of her. Viviana bit her lip to keep from moaning aloud. He felt so good in there, so filling. She rocked back on her heels, hoping to get more of him in, wanting the delicious friction of him moving back and forth.

  He groaned and pumped forward, hard. Viviana nearly came right there, but she held back, wanting to enjoy this even longer. He moved his hand around so he could pinch her nipples, one and then the other, back and forth. With his other hand, he fluttered his fingers over her clit.

  “I liked watching you touch yourself,” he whispered. “Made me hard. But now I get to touch you, and your orgasm belongs to me. Understand? I’ll tell you when you can come.”

  Viviana whimpered. She was so close. Please, please tell her she could come. The pleasure was building and building inside her, and she didn’t know if she’d be able to hold it back.

  Her breaths were ragged and loud, echoing off the tile of her bathtub. To keep herself from coming, she focused on her shampoo and conditioner bottles. If she thought of shampoo and conditioner, she wouldn’t be as focused on the way he kept her on the very brink of an orgasm.

  She wanted to give him everything—her orgasm, her heart, her very name—but if he didn’t allow her to come soon—

  “Come,” he said. “Now.”

  Viviana let the pleasure spiral out of her in a blinding bright sensation of joy. He pulsed inside of her as her pussy clamped down on his cock. The feelings of fullness and completion we
re overpowering. She held fast to the edge of the bathtub and moaned.

  When Hudson pulled out, she felt the liquid of his come dripping out of her. She gradually stood up, her legs still shaking. “That was…” she said, but words failed her. She couldn’t describe it.

  Hudson turned her around so she faced him, and then he leaned down and gave her a kiss. “I meant what I said. I’m not going to pull away from you anymore.”

  Her heart thudded in her chest, and not only from the exertion of what they’d just done. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I refuse to fight this. You’re right—we do belong together. We’re mates, Viviana. You and me. I’m terrified about what it means, but if I’m gonna be terrified, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be terrified with.” Leaning forward, he pressed his forehead to hers. “You’re everything to me.”

  Twenty

  Hudson took a five-minute shower in Viviana’s bathroom, washing her scent away. Then he dressed again and ran to his room to retrieve his phone, just in case his mom’s doctor needed to get in touch during the night while he was guarding Viviana.

  Viviana—his mate.

  As he came out of his room to return to Viviana’s, Laura, one of the Corona Pride’s Guardians, was passing through the hall. She looked at Hudson and her nostrils flared. “Viv’s shampoo,” she commented softly. “Peach really suits you, Mr. Hudson.”

  Shit. He hadn’t thought about that when he’d washed. He’d just used the first bottle he’d seen. “I had to borrow some,” he said, being careful not to lie.

  Laura winked.

  He let himself into Viviana’s room after a quick knock. She was sitting on the edge of her bed as if waiting for him.

  She scowled when she saw him slide down against the wall next to the door.

  “Before you get all mad,” he said, “I’m still getting paid to guard you. Doesn’t really count if I’m in your bed, don’t you think?”

  “Oh.” She nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  He didn’t say anything about how he was technically “working” when they’d been in her bathroom. That had been…incredible. For a few minutes there, he thought she might not be into it. He’d never bossed someone around like that before, but he’d liked it. And it seemed she had, too.