Reaching Answers (Artemis University #8) - Erin R Flynn Page 0,30
a kiss.
I wasn’t ready for that, so I leaned away until I had backed down to the floor… Which had been his goal from the smirk he gave me.
He kissed the exposed part of my breasts, winking at me. “Father always bitches that—”
“Yeah, bringing him up really won’t help your chances,” I drawled.
He winced, but still kissed my shoulder as he moved over me. “Most mated bears—it’s not only for fated mates. Once a bear mates or if they find their fated mate, there are a few things that happens to us if we fuck up. Our bears drive us to apologize, grovel.”
“I like groveling,” I mumbled, not getting what he meant.
“I know.” He smirked at me and snapped my sports bra.
“Hey, I said you weren’t getting sex,” I bitched.
“I know. I’m pleasing my mate. I’m groveling.” He shrugged when I gave him the look he deserved. “Call Hudson. He’ll tell you.”
“He’s not your mate.”
“No, but it’s well known about bear shifters and you trust him,” he explained gently.
“Just tell me. I should be able to trust you.”
He sighed, lowering his forehead to my stomach. “You won’t believe me when you’re this mad at me. I don’t even blame you. It’s hard to justify why I’m also being so pushy. Trust me on that.”
He jumped to his feet and grabbed my phone, knowing the code and tapping it in before handing it over. I saw he had already connected the call as well.
“Hello?” Hudson said as I put it to my ear. “You sent Darby here?”
“Um, yeah, hi,” I sighed, holding my sports bra together with my other hand. “I sent Lucca away as well, but he came back and—sorry, he called you. He wants you to explain to me about bear shifters and apologizing?”
There was a long pause, and then Hudson burst out laughing his rare full laugh, shocking the crap out of me. It took a few minutes for him to calm down enough that I could even think to ask him what was going on.
“So smacking him around went well, I take it,” Hudson said when he finally got himself together, still chuckling and amused.
“I haven’t forgiven him but… I don’t know.” I sighed again. “What’s going on?”
Instantly, he lost his mirth. “You okay?”
“Not really. Could you please tell me whatever my supposed fucking mate won’t?”
“I can, Tamsin,” Lucca whispered.
“He can, but it would sound too ridiculous for you to believe,” Hudson muttered. I was seconds from smacking them both when he finally spit it out. “Bear shifters can’t finish until their mates forgive them. For the females too. Something happens with their chemistry and they turn crazy horny once they say the apology for real, and all they can focus on is groveling.”
I blinked up at Lucca who simply nodded. “You’re right. I wouldn’t have bought that when I’m this pissed and hurt.”
He shrugged. “And that’s valid. I wouldn’t have been upset, but most of my blood is in my dick right now, and I’m aching to take away all the stress I’ve caused you.”
“Sex doesn’t make this all better. I won’t just forgive you because you—”
“I know. I know that,” he whispered.
“He does,” Hudson agreed. “It’s just like River being pushy for attention so you don’t drift further away. It’s instinct. He didn’t show he valued you and all he can think of is spoiling you and that starts with physically when you’re so upset.”
“Well, there’s not really a switch I can just flip that—” I bit back a moan as Lucca started kissing along my stomach. “Cut that out.”
“I’m so fucking hard for you after you kicked my ass,” he growled as he tore off my leggings.
“You are not helping me be less pissed at you by not listening to me,” I warned.
He instantly froze. Lucca let out a long, shaky breath as he lowered his forehead to my stomach. “Shit. Sorry. Sorry, kitten. I smelled you get wet and I just can’t… Fuck. I thought you were teasing or…”
“Yeah, no way to really finish that, huh?” I drawled.
“No, yeah, I can.” He growled deeply. “I thought you were going to smack me around some more, not let me win so easily or work to get you in the mood. You deserve that. If you really don’t want to, of course you deserve that too.”
“Giving in doesn’t mean you forgive him, my princess,” Hudson murmured in my ear. “You’re thinking like a human. He’s a bear. This is like… It’s like Darby bringing you