Run: Beginnings (7 page)

              His hands ran down her curvy body, finding their way down her sweater. Yanking the thick material up, Eric exposed her full and creamy breasts into the night air. Plunging his tongue into her mouth, Eric grabbed both her nipples with forefinger and thumb, mercilessly pinching and rolling the sensitive nubs.

              Natalie gasped and arched her back, feeling the pain and pleasure shoot straight down to her pussy. She felt the moistness gathering between her legs as Eric continued to torture her nipples, sending wave after wave of agonizing pleasure across her body. She moaned as her body rose to meet each wave.

              “You are mine to have, little rabbit,” Eric breathed against her lips. “Mine to taste. Mine to touch. Mine to own.”

              His hand shot down her pants, his fingers finding her slick wetness. He made a deep rumbling sound of satisfaction as his fingers moved expertly within her wet cleft. Natalie squirmed underneath him but his body kept her completely pinned. His strong legs were firmly between hers, keeping her legs spread open for him. There was no escape. He had her completely open to him. She could feel the rush of ecstasy fill and overwhelm her as his fingers forked around her clit, teasing the sensitive tissue. Leaning down, Eric sucked hard on a bunched nipple as he closed his forked fingers around her clit, squeezing hard.

              Natalie arched and screamed, the crashing wave of her orgasm deafening her ears to the outside world. The heat of explosion flooded her arms and legs as pleasure sparked each nerve across her body, making her feel like a live wire.

              Eric pulled out his hand, his long fingers wet with her juices. He slowly licked each finger, seeming to savor her taste. It was one of the most erotic things Natalie had ever seen. He smiled, “My rabbit tastes as good as she looks.”

              But before Natalie could think of a response, Eric grabbed her pants, yanking them down. Feeling the cool air rush between their heated bodies, Natalie became aware again of how completely naked Eric was.              

              Cradling her head again between his hands, he positioned himself between her legs, his cock poised just at her entrance. Natalie couldn’t take her eyes away from the stormy look of passion on that chiseled face.

              “Say, you’re mine, little rabbit,” Eric said, his hold on her complete and total.

              Natalie felt her heart thudding and her blood racing. Yet deep inside she felt an utter calm. Her body knew where it belonged and who it belonged to. And realizing this brought Natalie a peace she had never felt before.

              “I’m yours,” she whispered, knowing she had never spoke truer words. “I’m yours, Eric.”

              A rough look of pleasure and satisfaction crossed his face. Grabbing her lips in a deep kiss, Eric thrust into her in one deep plunge. Natalie cried out as her pussy convulsed against the invading member. He was so large. She felt stretched, penetrated,
owned
. She squirmed to get away from his enormous size while simultaneously pressing against him to somehow get closer.

              Eric held steady, not pushing any further, letting her acclimate to his size. He kissed her cheek, her ear. “God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured, his voice harsh with his own overwhelming desire. And with another kiss, he pulled out and thrust back in, completely entering her.

              Natalie could hardly feel anything except the heat of Eric’s body as he plunged deeper and deeper into her. She no longer felt the discomfort of his size but instead rejoiced in it, luxuriating in the fullness of having him so deep within her. Her body began losing its boundaries, fusing itself with Eric’s powerful embrace. All the hurt, the pain, the humiliation she had suffered for months on end began to crack and melt within the heat of his arms. She really was his. And there was nothing more she could want than that.

              Eric began to increase his rhythm. Reaching down, he grabbed one of her full breasts, squeezing hard. He gripped her body with a tightness that spoke of his intoxication with her fullness, her softness. His fingers found her pert nipple, rolling it roughly, making Natalie cry out as she clenched her pussy in delicious pain. He could feel her rising higher and higher towards the inevitable precipice. He squeezed the tiny bud, sending a piercing pleasure down her spine.

              Natalie began raising her hips to match him thrust for thrust, allowing him to enter her deeper than before. She threw her head back. “I’m yours, Eric,” she murmured, almost slurring. “I’m yours. I’m yours!” Her words seem to ignite the same fiery passion in Eric as it did in her.

              With a grunt, he quickly thrust deeply into her. Reaching down between them, he gave her full ass a quick squeeze before forking his fingers around her swollen clit. With one more deep plunge, he pressed his fingers together, squeezing her clit hard.

              Natalie’s screams echoed across the trees as the world sheeted white before her eyes. She arched her back, feeling her body to somehow meld with his. Pleasure streaked across her entire being, sparking nerves and muscles to convulse with overwhelming ecstasy. Never had she come so hard before. She could feel Eric above her, thrusting deeply into her, coaxing out every last shudder and shake.

              She felt her body melt into the leafy floor beneath her as Eric quickly plunged into her once more with a primal roar that lifted the hairs on the back of Natalie’s neck. She could feel his release deep within her and felt pleasure in knowing that she had provided him with such satisfaction.

              Still joined together, they fell into a warm embrace. Natalie could feel her heart finally resuming a more normal pace. She felt no coldness. In fact, she felt the stickiness of sweat as her body tried to compensate for the enormous amount of heat it had received from Eric.

              As they quietly laid together with Eric running a soothing hand through her hair, she slowly raised her head, looking up at him. “I want to ask you something,” she said, hoping she was striking the right note of gravity.

              Eric’s body tensed. He paused before meeting her gaze. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” he said slowly, his voice steady and sober. “Always feel free to ask me anything, little rabbit.”

              Natalie closed her eyes and took in a shaky breath
.“
So
,
” she asked seriously, looking up into the grave eyes of a myth incarnate, “is Big Foot real too?”

              A deep rumbling laughter rang through the Canadian trees that night.

Chapter
Seven

              From that night on, life took on a surreal quality. It seemed like her happiness knew no limits. She felt renewed and rejuvenated. Every day with Eric seemed like a new beginning and she soaked in every wonderful moment of it. Sitting in her office, Natalie leaned her head against her hand as she gazed over her patient charts. The distant chatter of the nurses buzzed around her head as she dreamily began thinking about later tonight.

              After finishing up at the clinic, she would go home and make the preparations for dinner. When Eric closed up shop, he would drive over and together, they would work on some home projects that they could dowhile they waited out the col
d—
like retiling the bathrooms. Then Natalie would start dinner and they would eat and talk.

              Natalie had never talked so much with a significant other before. She and Michael had usually talked about their day but never about themselves. Michael always seemed to lose interest once the conversation turned inward. He would always suggest they watch a movie instead.

              But Eric wasn’t like that. He wanted to know everything. He wanted to know about her family, about Amber, about LA. And with every piece of her history she gave up, the more she felt her heart lowering its armor, exposing itself for the possibility of new love. And as early as it was, Natalie couldn’t think of a better word to describe her feelings towards Eric than new love.

              After dinner, they would then go upstairs where Eric would proceed to make love to her. Even after several weeks, Natalie had yet to decide which type of lovemaking she liked best from Eric. Some nights, he would be sweet, lingering over her body and keeping her in agonizing anticipation. He would hold her and murmur into her ear, making her feel beautiful and wanted. Other nights, he would have her on all fours and roughly take her from behind, sometimes even biting her neck. He would grip her full hips so tightly it would leave bruises the next day. Either way, Natalie always came screaming and panting.

              But Eric was more than just a lover or a boyfriend. He was something beyond that. He felt like a true partner. After that fateful night in the woods, he became quite open, letting Natalie sate her curiosity by answering as many of her questions as he could. He spoke of growing up near the Rockies and his happy childhood till his parents’ early death, leaving him alone in the world at fourteen. He described the odd jobs he had taken to make ends meet till he graduated from high school. Then he had traveled around Canada, up and down the mountains, working mostly as a carpenter to make a living. At twenty-six, he had stumbled into Lowell. He met Ted Darrenson which ultimately led to his taking over the hardware store after Ted’s death.

              “But what about…what about being a wolf?” she had asked one night in bed, both of them quite sated from their passionate lovemaking. It felt so surreal to be saying the word “wolf” out loud still. Since that night, she had seen him transform into his wolf shape again. A surge of adrenaline had filled her as the hulking shape of the giant wolf came towards her. Natalie knew it was Eric yet the beast was so dangerous looking. But as soon as the wolf was within arm’s reach, he lowered his head and chest, very similarly to a bow. Natalie had giggled nervously as she reached out to touch the bristly gray fur.
So it
is
you, Eric.

              Eric smiled. “I knew that about myself since I was young. Shifters are begat from other shifters,” he explained.

             
Shifters
. Natalie silently mouthed the word, making Eric’s smile broaden.

              “So there are others? Are there a lot?” she asked.

              Eric’s lips tightened momentarily before his expression lightened and he pulled Natalie into a hug, rolling both of them across the crumpled sheets. “There are quite a few. But the only wolf you need to be worrying about is this one,” he said, his gaze becoming quite wolfish indeed. “Because, right now, he’s quite hungry for some rabbit.”

              Natalie leaned back in her office chair and sighed as she recalled that night. Eric had taken her twice in the evening then once more in the morning. For the first week or two of their lovemaking, Natalie had walked slightly bowlegged. It made her blush to think what she must’ve looked like to others but she was deeply pleased that Eric found her so desirable.

              Gathering up her notes from the day, Natalie decided to stop by the hardware store instead of going straight home. She wanted to see Eric. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to feel his lips on hers, pulling her whole being into his mouth.

              The stores down the main street looked festive for winter. With October coming to a close and the air taking on a distinctively frostier edge, many of the stores were decorating for Christmas. Red and green crepe paper chains hung from the inside of shop windows. Painted snowflakes and snowmen were drawn on storefront doors. Seeing such cheery decorations in such a small town, Natalie felt like she was in a modern day version of
It’s A Wonderful Life
. But she had emerged from George Bailey’s dark brooding mood and had gone on to appreciate the life she had. And it really had become a wonderful life!

              Pulling up against the front of the store, Natalie quickly hopped out of the car and ran inside. Even though Natalie had never experienced snow, she could tell the first snowfall was not too far away. The air just felt cooler and thinner. The nippy bite promised frost.

              The warmth of the store soon heated her chilly body up. But nothing compared to the heat of Eric’s smile as he took sight of this unexpected but very welcomed customer. Natalie felt a searing blaze scorch down her spine as Eric around the front counter, arms open in a ready hug.

              She immediately fell into his embrace, reveling in his warmth. She had noticed that Eric’s body constantly ran hot. In her cold bedroom, Natalie normally wore thick socks and a sweater over her pajamas. But Eric liked to sleep completely naked. Pajamas made him too hot when he slept, he said. Ever since he had begun sleeping over, Natalie had foregone most of her nightwear as well. Sleeping with Eric was like sleeping with a furnace. The bed was always warm and toasty.

              “How was your day, Doc?” he asked, grinning down at her.

              “Five stitches, two colds, a sprained wrist, and a rash. Not too bad,” she said, returning his grin.

              “Beautiful
and
competent,” Eric said, nodding. “There has to be a catch somewhere.” He slowly lowered his head, his smile still playing on his lips.