Run: Beginnings (8 page)

              A few weeks ago, Natalie would’ve been quick to point out that the catch was her double digit dress size and her overly full breasts. But today, she just smiled, feeling truly beautiful in his eyes.

              “Of course there is,” she whispered, her lips only a few breaths away from his.

              She couldn’t see his lips now but she could hear his smile. “Oh? And what’s that?”

              “I’m dangerous with step stools,” she said.

              Eric’s snort of laughter made her giggle but she was quickly cut off as Eric swooped in, claiming his prize. It was the first kiss she’d ever had where both participants couldn’t stop smiling.              

              Eric ushered Natalie behind the counter and sat her on the only seat available. The store was empty, warm, and cozy. Standing behind her, he began to massage her shoulders, asking about the details of her day. Natalie groaned as her muscles relaxed and began describing the battle she had with Ernest Briggs about eating blueberry muffins by picking out the blueberries. “So I get at least the flavor without the actual berry!” he had argued. Eric chuckled. Natalie was so involved in her recounting that she hadn’t notice Eric’s hands sliding lower and lower down her arms. By the time she realized what was happening, his hand was already slipping down her pants front. She gasped and tried to stand up but Eric’s large body kept her in place.

              “What are you doing?” she whispered breathlessly.

              “I’m listening to you talk about your day,” he murmured huskily, playfully nipping at her ear. His fingers found her warm cleft, which after a few strokes, became a soaking cleft. She bit her lip to prevent a moan from escaping. They were in public! What if a customer were to walk in right now? She asked him.

              “Ah well, now we wouldn’t want that, would we?” he said. Keeping his right hand firmly between her legs, he reached behind him with his free hand and pulled out a tattered old power tools catalogue. Spreading it in front of her on the counter, he continued to gently stroke her pussy while leaning his other arm on the counter. To any passerby it would look at if the couple were huddled together over the catalogue, intently studying the options available. Eric gave her swollen clit a neat pinch making Natalie squeak. “Why don’t you study this in case the whole medical fad goes belly up and you need to find work in a humble hardware store?”

              Natalie huffed a laugh but was unable to think up a response. Eric’s fingers were now reaching lower towards her entrance. She took in a deep breath as two thick fingers entered her. Unable to help herself, she moaned loudly, her body spasming from the penetration. Eric worked quickly, thrusting his fingers in and out of her wet pussy. Although her body hadn’t expected such an intimate attack, it was quickly warming up to the invasion and she could feel her pleasure rising. She knew she wouldn’t be long. Eric thrust in faster. Natalie gasped as the heat within her became unbearable. She squirmed, needing the final release. As Eric’s fingers pumped into her, she could feel the end. She knew it was just a matter of moments away. Just another second more….

              “Hey there, Eric! Did you get any more of those nails I need?”

              Natalie jumped in her seat but Eric hardly moved. He looked up, face innocently bland. Nodding with a genial smile, he jerked his head down to an aisle. “Sure did, Buck. In the back.” And for good measure, Eric flipped a couple pages of the catalogue with his free hand, looking intently interested in a new table saw. Buck nodded and quickly headed towards the back aisle.

              Natalie tried to stand but Eric’s chest kept her in place. “You have a customer!” she whispered, feeling embarrassment flame her cheeks.

              “Which means you have, at most, a minute, little rabbit,” he whispered, grinning. “So let’s get to it.”

              “No! I—” But before she could protest, Eric resumed his thrusting. Natalie’s entire body shuddered in response. She could feel her body quickly picking up the momentum that had been interrupted. Even with her embarrassment and nervousness, Natalie couldn’t help the hungry ache that was growing between her legs. She panted, needing something more to give her that extra nudge over the cliff and into that deep pool of bliss. Eric, seeming to hear her body’s cry, pulled his fingers out then thrust back in
three
large fingers, stretching Natalie completely. That bit of overload was just what she needed. Her back arched and her mouth opened in a silent scream as her body shook from the strength of her orgasm. Aftershocks of ecstasy rocked her from head to toe as she slumped forward on the counter.

              She could hear Eric chuckle above her. “And with thirty seconds to spare,” he teased as he left to help Buck with his shopping. 

              When she wasn’t busy being fingerfucked, Natalie loved watching Eric work. Not only was he friendly but he was also knowledgeable and helpful. She could see that he was dedicated to his customers and in making sure that their own personal projects were successes, regardless of what they were. Natalie was proud to know that he was so well respected within the town. He had come from being an unknown orphan into a Lowell staple.

              A few hours later, Natalie stood outside, her arms wrapped around herself, as she watched Eric lock the doors of the shop. Closing time. He looked over his shoulder at her shivering form. “What are you doing? Little rabbit, I told you to get your butt into that truck and warm yourself!” he said, giving her a gentle shove towards her truck.

              “Well I thought I’d wait for you but I didn’t know you had so many locks on your door,” she said, sniffling her cold running nose.

              “You can never be too careful,” he said, locking the third lock.

              Natalie smiled to herself as she opened her truck door. In a town of less than 10,000, she was sure one could be a little lax in their precaution towards strangers. A gust of wind blew against her, knocking her back a step, as she tried to get into her truck. “God, it’s getting cold,” she murmured to herself.

              Eric, finally done securing his closed shop, turned around. He opened his mouth as if to say something when another gust of wind blew, this time bringing with it the eerie howl of an animal.

              Natalie shivered. Even the animals were crying out at how cold it had become. She was surprised more of them weren’t hold up for the winter already. “Eric!” she called out, her teeth chattering.

              But Eric was frozen solid, his mouth slightly open in surprise. Natalie wondered if he had maybe forgotten something inside. But before she could ask, he quickly came up to her side, taking the car door from her. “You should head on home, little rabbit. It’s cold,” he said, his voice unusually low.

              Natalie looked up at him searchingly. “But you’re coming over tonight, aren’t you?” she asked. She knew he had his own truck parked behind the street. Eric looked down the road in the direction of her house. His face seemed suddenly distracted.

              “No,” he said. “Not tonight. But get home safe and I’ll see you tomorrow.” Before she could say anything else, he bent down to give her a quick kiss and then ran off towards his truck.

              Perplexed and more than a little disappointed, Natalie got into her car. Shivering, she drove home, wondering what had so suddenly distracted Eric.

***

              But it wasn’t just that day Eric was distracted. For the following two days, Eric became more and more remote. He hadn’t come over to her house or come to her bed at all. Although he still spoke with her and welcomed her when she visited the store, he wasn’t as present as he used to be.

              Natalie wondered what was going on.

              She knew that sometimes when she had a problem or a concern, she sometimes preferred thinking it through first before sharing it with others. Perhaps that was the case with Eric as well. And if it indeed was, Natalie didn’t want to crowd him while he gathered his thoughts in order. She would give him the space he clearly needed. For now.

              As Natalie was putting away some of the week’s groceries, she heard a knock at the door. She recognized that knock. Running with absurd eagerness, she yanked open the door. Eric stood on her porch with a coat and hat on, and completely out of breath.

              “Little rabbit,” he said, coming closer but not entering the house, “I want you to promise me something.”

              Natalie nodded, wide eyed in curiosity. “Eric, what’s wr—”

              He shook his head, cutting her off. “Promise me that until I say so, you won’t go wandering into the woods like you did that one night.”

              Natalie was brought up short. Of all things she thought he’d ask of her, this was the last thing she expected. “Oh, um, okay. I promise. But—”

              Eric grabbed her arm, squeezing tightly. “I mean it. I want you to promise that under no circumstances will you be going into the woods by yourself.”

              Natalie slowly nodded. “I promise.”

              Eric gave a quick jerk of the head in acknowledgment. Giving her a quick kiss, he turned around to leave.

              “Wait!” Natalie cried out. “Where are you going?”

              But Eric didn’t turn around. She only heard his voice call back out. “No woods! You promised! Stay in the house!”

Chapter
Eight

              “What time will you be landing?” Amber asked for the third time.

              “Eight o’clock,” Natalie answered patiently.

              “Okay. I should be able to pick you up but if not, Danielle for sure can,” Amber said.

              Natalie gave a small laugh. “And if Danielle gets struck by lightening or eats a poisoned apple and can’t make it, Alice for sure,
for sure
can,” she said, finishing her friend’s thought for her.

              Amber’s rueful chuckle crackled through Natalie’s cellphone. “God, I must sound like a babbling idiot. I swear, this pregnancy is making me dumber every week.”

              Natalie shook her head in understanding. “It’s all perfectly understandable, Am. It’s normal.”

              “I just want to make sure you’ll make it,” Amber said anxiously. “I don’t think we’ve ever been apart this long before.”

              Amber’s baby shower was this weekend. Natalie had booked her ticket weeks in advance thanks to Amber’s insistence that she would forget to purchase it otherwise. When she had initially bought the ticket, she had been excited to go back home and see her friends and family after the long separation. But then she had met Eric and suddenly she felt less eager at the idea of being away from him for several days. She had already told him about her trip but a week ago Natalie had had the idea of perhaps asking him to come along. It was probably too early in their relationship to be asking him to meet her family but she didn’t see the harm in just asking.

              But that was before he had begun to act so oddly. She had tossed and turned in bed all last night trying to figure out what Eric had meant by having her promise to not go into the woods. Since that first fateful night when she had seen Eric as a wolf, she hadn’t gone back in. He knew she had never been a much of an outdoorsman so why have her promise?

              “Are you sure you have to go back so soon? You’re stay is so short,” Amber said.

              “The sick people of Canada can’t do without their only doctor within a hundred miles, I’m afraid,” Natalie replied. She would only be back in LA for four days. Although that had seem like a fraction of a visit before, now it seemed like ages. She did
not
want to leave with things the way they were. Not for four whole days.

              “Hey, Am, let me call you back. I need to finish packing and wrapping stuff up at the clinic,” Natalie said, already grabbing her car keys. The nurses had already been notified and the clinic would be doing a half-day on Thursday then closing for all of Friday.

              Throwing on her coat, Natalie slid into her car and started the engine. It was Mr. Big Bad Wolf who had talked about total honesty to her in the woods that first night. Well it was time he took his own medicine and learned to be more honest about his own feelings. And Natalie was just the doctor to make sure he got his proper dose.

***

              As she drove into the quiet town, she noticed the outer trees looking…fuller. Lowell was completely surrounded by thick woods and distant mountains. It made the town look like a picture perfect postcard. But somehow today, Natalie notice the woods taking on a different hue. The leaves seemed darker, the trees larger, and the mountains somehow sharper.

              Natalie leaned over her steering wheel and peered up at the craggy cliffs. Was she just stressed from work and her personal life? How could trees or mountains look different in the space of one day?
But,
her rational mind argued,
how could there be men that shift into wolves? A few weeks ago you would’ve brushed that off as the stuff of stories
. Natalie couldn’t argue with Inner Natalie’s logic. “But c’mon,” she muttered aloud, “you’re telling me now there are were-trees?”