I glanced over the few dresses hanging in his closet. I needed a fraction of the space he did. An eighth of his wardrobe and two drawers was enough to set me up for a week’s stay. I opened one of his many lotions and sniffed. Hmm. Yummy. Damn cat had more potions and lotions than a witch on market day.
“What are you doing?” Hudson asked as he appeared from his bathroom surrounded by a billow of steam, wearing only a tiny white towel.Don’t be coy, Principal. Drop the towel like a good boy and remind me why I’m torturing myself with another weekly meal surrounded by arguing supernaturals.At least this was just one faction—child’s play compared to the other meetings dominating my time.
I twisted the unmarked glass jar and raised a brow. “What is it?”
“Body moisturizer.”
I blinked. “You suffer from dry skin?” Not anywhere I’d seen, felt, or licked.
A wide grin stretched across his face, and Lord have mercy, he dropped the towel onto the bed. Nope, scratch that, no Lord. Again, I didn’t want discussions on how I wasted precious prayer airtime on wishing for my mate to be naked.
“I do not, because I moisturize.” He shook his head, making cool water spin across the room. I spun and covered my face while he acted like an animal. The impromptu rainstorm stopped, and I dropped my hands and glared at him.
I pointed at my face. “You see this face?”
He smirked. “Yes.”
“This took Rebecca no less than ninety minutes. I don’t have ninety minutes to spare, so the fact I spent it on being pretty for the pack means you have to keep your fluids off my face until after the meeting.” He pressed his lips together as my brain caught up to the words. I’m an idiot.
“I can manage that until dinner’s over. After that, I make no promises about where my fluids end up.”
Ugh, he was impossible. I waved at the dresses hanging in the closet. “Which one?”
He pulled out the cobalt blue silk dress and slid it off the hanger. Right. Well, if we’re going with that one, then I guessI could wear the matching lingerie. God forgive me, I have actual matching underwear for dresses.Nope, scratch that, God. Ignore me.
I opened the drawer and pulled on the silk panties in the exact same shade, along with the matching bra. Two tiny scraps of fabric that hardly covered anything and were certainly made for show, not comfort or support. I spun to grab the dress from Hudson. He stood frozen, mouth agape, his heated gaze drifting over my body.
Ignoring the flush creeping up my chest, I snapped my fingers to get his attention. “The dress.”
“No.”
I huffed and put my hands on my hips. “Dress, now.”
He shook his head. “No.”
Wait. No dress, no meal. Ahh.Clever, Rebecca, very clever.The door below us creaked open and slammed closed as the pack arrived. I raised a brow. “Decide, Principal. No dress, no meal. Or, you pass me my clothing, and we go sit politely while your pack makes passive aggressive comments about me, just enough to needle but not offend.”
Joke’s on them; you have to care what someone thinks of you to get offended. I did not care. There were a few exceptions. Norbert, the chief medic, had my professional and personal admiration, given he’d patched me up a time or two.
The door opened again and snapped closed. Hudson stared at me, and I stared back. Tick, tock. Eventually, they would come looking for us.
He stepped toward me, but I held my ground. His body brushed against mine, and his eyes fluttered closed for a moment, before snapping open and leveling me with his molten stare. Flecks of gold danced in his hazel depths, ones normally preceding some naked time.
“You will not take this off.”
I smiled. “Ever?”
“No, Cora. I will take this off. I’m struggling with my control around you.”
He was breathing a little hard. Huh, he really was struggling. I wrapped my hands around his neck and tipped my head back to look at him. Our height difference made for some interesting things, but it did mean he had to bend to kiss me. He didn’t embrace me, though.
“How can I make it better?” I asked.
“A date would help.”
“We’re already living together. Dating seems a little redundant.”
“A date for the ceremony.”
