Element, Part 1 (20 page)

She hugged her legs tightly, wishing this was all a dream.
Coming to the lake usually helped. This time she felt more confused than ever.
Nothing seemed to help. Sitting on the shoreline, she had the weirdest
sensation that Ryan was nearby. His scent filled the air and her body quivered
with each breath she took. A nudge deep inside her told her to turn around. She
looked behind her and saw Ryan walking toward her.

She smiled. Seeing him brought so much joy. A part of her
was also scared and nervous; worried she might change in front of him. Could
she hurt him? She had no idea what she was capable of doing. She wanted to run
to him and throw herself in his arms. Instead, she waited for him to come to
her and she prayed nothing would happen.

“Hello beautiful. I wanted to check on you.” Ryan knelt down
at her side.

“I’m okay. I needed to get away, clear my head. How did you
know I would be here?”

Ryan winked. “Intuition. When you texted me and said you
were going to get some fresh air, I had a feeling you would come here. It’s
kind of weird because the closer I got to the water, the more I felt your
presence. Like something pulled or guided me over toward you.”

“That is weird.”

“I know, I’m a freak.”

“No, you’re not.”  She wanted to tell him that she was the
freak and that she smelled his scent and sensed his presence too. She held
back. He would probably think she was crazy. For a moment, she contemplated if
she should tell him the truth about what happened.

“Honestly Natalie, I missed you so much. I couldn’t wait to
see you. You’re not mad at me for coming out here, are ya?” Ryan stroked her
arm with his fingers, sending chills all over her body, despite the warm humid air
that surrounded her.

“No, I’m not mad at you. I missed you too.” Natalie rose to
her knees and glided her hands up and down his arms, forgetting all about the
dangers she possessed or the need to take it slow.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to take care of you last night. It
won’t happen again. I promise.” He took her hands and raised them to his lips,
kissing her palms.

Her heart sank with every word he spoke. The warmth of his
touch comforted her and soothed her aching soul. “Why are you apologizing? I’m the
one who left without you.”

“I don’t know. I guess I feel guilty for not taking care of
you.”

“Don’t. What’s important is that you are here with me now.”
It didn’t take long for the distressing thoughts to return. She didn’t know
what to do. Tell him or don’t tell him? She couldn’t stand to be without him.
She needed him and had to be with him always.
 
She didn’t want to put
him in any danger. She loved him too much. 

Ryan pulled her up in his arms and kissed her. His kiss grew
more intense, creating a need within her that increased with every stroke of
his tongue. He pulled away from her lips and stared into her eyes. “I love you
more than you’ll ever know.” His lips lingered on hers and she yearned for
more.

“No, I love you more.”

Once again, he took her lips captive and she lost herself in
his heady kisses. She ran her hands up and down his back, feeling the contour
of his muscles underneath his shirt.

Ryan moaned low in his throat. 

With every caress, something overcame her.  She felt herself
losing control.  She paused for a breath. “There’s something about your touch,
your smell, the way you make me feel. I don’t know what it is. I get these sensations
and feelings all over my body that I can’t explain.” Natalie panted.

“I feel them too beautiful. Something takes a hold of me. It
feels so right. I can’t describe how it makes me want you.” His hands glided
down her back and over her thighs.

Ryan seized her lips again. This time, causing something
deep inside of her to move and turn.  This was more than a sexual awakening.
All the feelings he stirred up had her so deeply entrenched with his love. She
completely forgot about telling him what happened and she ignored the
sensations going through her body.

“You are so beautiful, you know that?” He brushed her hair
to the side.

She tilted her head and stared deeply into his eyes. “And
you are so handsome.”

He laid her back on the soft sand and pressed up against
her. The sheer weight of his body felt good and she held on to him tightly. 
All her emotions collided inside of her; the passion, the romance, and most of
all the love. She didn’t want him to stop kissing her.

Ryan pulled back suddenly. “Whhhhaaatttt…what in the world?”
His voice quivered and rattled with fear. His hands dropped from her face and
he moved away from her. 

Natalie opened her eyes. “Ryan, what’s wrong?” She reached
out for his hand but he jerked it away.

He stumbled to his feet and then fell back on to the sand.
He crawled his way backward, getting as far away from her as possible. 
“You…ummm…y--our f--ace. Something’s wrong with your face. And y--our ar--ms.”
He pointed at her, his hand trembling.

She held up her arms and watched her body materialize into a
vibrant green color. “Oh no, it’s happening again!”

The color drained from his face and he gasped for air. “Wh--at?
What do you mean it’s happening again?”

“I….ummmm...well, it’s like….” She didn’t know what to say.

He stared at her in disbelief. “What’s happening to you?”

To Be Continued In

Element

Part II

About the Author

CM Doporto

Born
and raised in the United States of America in the great state of Texas, CM
resides there with her husband and son enjoying life with their extensive
family along with their Chihuahua, Mexican Redhead Parrot and several fish.

She
is a member of Romance Writers of America, and is associated with the Fantasy,
Futuristic and Paranormal Chapter and the Young Adult Special Interest Chapter.

To
learn more about her upcoming books, visit
www.cmdoporto.com
. You can also like CM’s
fan page on Facebook and follow her on Twitter and Pinterest.