Bears of Burden: HUTCH

by Candace Ayers

  “Brett…” I choked out, “I want you… inside me.”

  Brett's whole body burned. I could feel it even through his clothes. He swung me around and threw me down on the bed. His chest was a map of muscles—mesas and valleys highlighted in his bronze skin. He was hard as a rock and I wondered how he got this way when I never saw him work out. He pushed me back and crawled over me on the bed.

  "Uh uh..." I murmured, placing one foot against his chest to stop him from getting too close. “Not just yet,” I said slyly. I backed away from him, pushing myself to the corner of the bed (which was so big it could have held eight people) and slowly unbuttoned the shirt I wore. Brett's eyes bugged out of his head as I freed my breasts He looked almost as though he would drool on himself. I reached behind my back and unhooked my bra letting my breasts bounced out, spilling into the open air, full and round. I was enjoying the hell out of the expression on his face as I toyed with him. He looked at my tits like he’d just won the lottery.

  He moved across the bed, a fire flaring in his eyes. I watched him, waiting for his touch. He hands stroked over me, caressing my breasts with long, strong fingers that were surprisingly tender. I arched my back for him. "Don't be shy," I purred. He grinned and leaned into me, his tongue stroking my nipples. They grew hard as pebbles as he worked his tongue over them. It was so evident the enjoyment my body brought him and I relished in it. I’d never had a man worship me the way Brett did.

  I moved closer to him, wrapping my legs around him. He stopped me, pulling my legs away one at a time and sliding his hand up and over my thighs. He undid my belt buckle with lighting speed and tore my jeans off me. He tossed them aside with a wicked grin.

  "Now what?" I asked, teasing him. I licked my lips and waited to see if he'd take my hint. Brett's mind had already gone there, though, he was a step ahead of me, and when my legs parted for him, he rubbed a finger over the crotch of my panties, already soaking wet. He ripped my panties in two with ease before his tongue sank into me, lapping at the folds of my slick pussy with perfect speed and agility. I moaned and couldn't stop myself from gyrating my body under him. His hands reached out and pushed down on either side of my hips, holding me still.

  "Don't move," he whispered. "I wouldn't want to bite you."

  I looked down to see if he was joking and the smile in his eyes was answer enough. I laid back and tried to be still as his tongue circled my clit, sending shockwaves through my entire body. It felt as though we were meant for each other. I pushed my hips against his mouth and he worked faster, sensing my pleasure with each tremble of my body.

  I wanted to taste him, too. I pushed him backwards, and he let me, lying back on the mattress. I untied the singed sheet that slung low on his waist. I saw him grin as my eyes widened into saucers. "Is that thing real?" I asked, feeling my cheeks burn for asking such a silly question.

  "Last time I checked," he said. I drew him into my mouth before I could say anything else so foolish. He tasted like a cross between red wine, a deep Merlot that ripens with age, and fresh peaches. I drank his bottle, filling myself with the exotic flavors of his manhood as he moaned under me. I explored every inch of his body with my tongue.

  "Are you done examining me?" he asked, teasing me now when I came up for air.

  "That depends," I said. He raised an eyebrow. "On whether or not you're ready to finish what you started."

  His eyes darkened and he rolled me over so that his body was on top of me now. His cock pressed against the folds of my pussy and I felt electric heat spark between us. My body flexed under his, preparing myself for his intimidatingly thick shaft. I shivered in anticipation. "Now," I said, and he thrust himself into me without waiting for another word.

  I felt his mass fill me like a tidal wave covering the shore. An explosion went off inside my body. My head filled with sensations of ecstasy I'd never known existed. He looked at me with worried eyes. "Are you alright?" he whispered, worried when he saw my eyes water.

  "I've never felt so alive," I told him. He smiled and pressed his lips to mine as he continued to pleasure me, his thrusts keeping time with the steady rhythm of our hearts.

  His movements were gentle, but firm and focused. He let me get used to him. I loved the way he filled me so completely. We were like two puzzle pieces finding a match in one another. I moved my hips up hard to meet his, letting him know he didn't need to be gentle with me. He answered my call by pushing deeper, his cock making slick sounds as he pumped furiously in and out of me.

  I screamed under him and clawed his back with my hands. His body arched and I felt his lower extremities stiffen.

  My skin tingled each time his pelvis slapped mine, and soon I saw the door to a new world open before me. I stepped through it and felt my body give in to the erotic sensations that racked me now. I shuddered uncontrollably and Brett picked up the pace, pushing himself harder and faster as my body began to convulse. My heart raced and my mind stopped being able to think.

  "Brett!" I screamed as he pushed into me one last time. Then the world went black except for his face, which glowed above me. His warm seed rushed into me in throbbing pulses and my head filled with light and air until my body gave out and we fell together into a deep abyss.

  We laid quietly together for a long moment, his breath soothing me. "I love you," I whispered, nuzzling my head against his chest.

  "It doesn't matter," he said. "This will never work." Then he fell asleep, leaving me alone with a fresh hurt and time to think.

  Chapter 14

  I walked towards the bus gasping for air. The idea of going home sent waves of panic through me, but I didn't know how to stop them. The sidewalk wavered and for a second I thought I might faint, then I regrouped somehow and felt my resolve steady. At least for now. For a moment last night, I'd been so certain that everything was going to work out. Brett loved me too, I'd thought. It had seemed that way when our bodies were connected. I'd almost thought I could read his mind. Then he'd said it: "This will never work."

  Even after the incredible physical connection we'd shared, he still wanted me to leave. My heart had crumbled into a million pieces while he'd gone to sleep. I wondered if he had any idea how much those words had hurt me. If he knew, would he be sorry? Did he even have feelings? I was beginning to think he repressed everything about himself. Maybe he didn't even know what he wanted himself.

  I'd written him a quick note and had left it on the pillow next to him. It was still early when I'd left. Brett had been snoring, but I had been certain he would wake up before night fall. I'd stopped in to say good-bye to Jeremy and let him know he'd have to lock Brett up that night. He'd actually hugged me and told me he was sorry to see me go.

  Now, I was waiting for the bus to open its doors so it could whisk me back to Bliss, Idaho, where my mother was waiting to berate me until I died. I was leaving Brett against my will, but at least I was leaving with my pride intact. No putting me up in an apartment or paying my bills like I was his painted doll.

  Rejected, painted doll.

  I pictured the small town I was from, it's general store no bigger than a closet, one doctor for the whole town, the boys I'd either have to settle for or end up an old maid. My phone rang and I jumped, dropping it. I fumbled to pick it back up, so certain it was Brett I didn't even check the caller I.D.

  "Hello," I said, breathless, my heart starting to race. My agent's voice crackled into my ear.

  "Hey kid, glad I caught you. I got you an audition for today. Get to Sunset and La Brea by noon."

  "Er... that might be a little difficult," I said, disappointment rushing me.

  "Don't give me that. You've been out of it for weeks now. If you don't go to this one, I gotta drop you." He wasn't mean exactly, just perfunctory. He was right, too. I don't know why I was clinging to the idea of keeping my agent when I was waiting for a bus to take me back to Idaho.

  I thanked him and hung up, with no intention of going. It was too late for me. The bus doors opened and my
heart seized. My head felt dizzy. Maybe you're giving up too easily. But I was broke, and I was hurt and angry, and I didn't know what else to do. There was a quarter laying on the ground. I bent over and picked it up, deciding at that instant to leave it to fate. After all, fate had steered me to Brett's house, and despite all that had happened there, I was glad for the time we'd shared

  "Heads I stay, tails I go." I took a deep breath and flipped the coin high into the air. Heads. Relief flooded me. I turned and headed back to Hollywood. One last audition couldn't hurt anything. If I bombed it, I could still take a later bus.

  It was one of the largest casting calls I'd ever been to. The room was filled with trampy looking blondes and plastic boobs. I saw Melissa in a corner. She saw me and waved, then stuck her tongue out like a fourth grader and leaned towards the person next to her. Soon they were pointing and cackling at me.

  I had no idea how I'd landed this audition. I didn't fit in with any of the girls here. They were all skinny and dressed like they were going to a club. Skin tight dresses clung to their manmade curves, making me ill. It was like they'd called me in just for a joke. I sat in a chair and pulled my phone out. I'd been hoping Brett would at least shoot me a text he woke up this morning and read my note, but nothing. Even a simple "good-bye" would have been nice.

  He'd slept the whole day yesterday, or at least up until the time I'd left. I'd stayed for a while, waiting for him to get up, thinking we could talk, and had finally decided it was pointless. Maybe the extra sleep was some weird side effect of turning into a dragon. I'd let him sleep while I slipped out and spent the night on a park bench at Griffith Park. It was the same bench I'd slept on the night that Colin had tried to drive me out of the apartment by screwing another girl with a megaphone attached to the bed.

  I paced the room like I usually did before an audition. The script they'd given me to go over was short and humorous. I thought the part would actually be better suited to someone like me, rather than the stick figures that permeated the room. It was a dark romantic comedy, about a woman in love with a man she couldn't have. He wasn't a dragon, he was just rich. And she was poor. It was close enough to hit home for me.

  I turned and saw Leah, the floozy that Colin had brought home that time, sitting with her legs crossed and her lips pumped full of collagen. I tried to turn before she saw me but it was too late. She waved and started walking towards me. Just then, they called my name.

  "Sorry," I told her, "that's me."

  I ran into the room and almost knocked over a casting assistant who was trying to bring his boss a coffee. The room was dark. The glow of the lights allowed me to see some of the front row of chairs filled with people. I couldn't even see the back of the room. It was a little unusual. Generally, these rooms were brightly lit and sometimes cameras were even set up to capture your audition.

  The casting director glanced down at his paper without any introduction. "Start whenever you're ready," he said. "Renee will read with you." He indicated an eighteen or nineteen year old girl on his right.

  My heart hammered in my chest. How was I supposed to pretend that that girl was the man I was in love with? This was a pivotal scene. I wished I was at least reading with a cute guy, not someone who reminded me of all the things I hated about this city. I sighed. It wouldn't be the first time I bombed an audition, but if I didn't nail it, it would be the last.

  "Um," I said, kicking myself for the lack of confidence in my voice. I understood this part perfectly. There was nothing to be afraid of. I reread the lines, trying to feel the emotion. "Okay, I guess. Ready."

  I read the first line. It came out sounding flat and stilted. The girl reading with me didn't help. She had no personality (or maybe she was just bored) and read everything in a monotone. I tried my best to deliver the lines the way I knew they should be, but nothing helped. By the time I was done, I'd already decided to leave and go back to the bus stop. No good could come for me in Los Angeles.

  "Alright, Ms. McGrath. Thank you," the casting director said. I moved toward the exit but froze when a strong voice reached out of the shadows from the back of the room.

  "Let's try it again," the voice said. "I'll read with you this time. If you don't mind, that is, Ms. McGrath." Brett stepped from the shadows, his face luminous. He looked almost like a whole new person. The haggard lines were gone from his face. The pain that had been permanently etched there since I'd met him was gone. He actually looked happy. My throat dried up.

  "Hi," I said, then noticed the casting director watching me a little too closely. "I mean, um, sure. Whatever you say." Brett stepped to the front of the room with me and took the script from the girl I'd just read with.

  "Whenever you're ready," Brett said. I started again. This time, the words came alive. I didn't have to fake the emotions; they were there waiting for me. I moved in the body of the character, feeling everything she felt and more. By the time we had finished, the casting director was on his feet, moving towards me.

  "Wonderful!" he shouted. "Perfect! Exactly right!" He began making notes and talking to another man about calling my agent. Brett pulled me aside.

  "I'm sorry," he whispered.

  "For what?" I squeaked.

  "For not realizing that without you, I am nothing. For letting you walk away, when I am so madly in love with you." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "You said once that you wanted to help me find my treasure." I nodded, breathless. "Well, please. Please do help me, but we don’t need to look, I’ve found her, you just need to stay." he said.

  Tears welled in my eyes. I threw my arms around his neck and he held me so tightly I could barely breathe.

  He leaned his head down and whispered against the soft flesh of my neck, “Kaitlyn. The heart of the dragon.”

  I could tell by the way he held me that he'd never again let me go.

  Epilogue

  Someone was nudging me. I opened one eye and saw Brett staring at me, a coffee in his hand.

  "Ugh," I said, covering my head with the pillow. "You said I could sleep in today."

  "You did," he smiled, setting the coffee on my nightstand. "It's almost noon."

  I threw the pillow back and stared at him, unbelieving. "It is?" He nodded. "I can't remember the last time I slept so late."

  "Well, you deserve it."

  I beamed at him and held out my hands.

  "Where is it? Give it to me."

  He laughed. "Are you gonna start sleeping with it now?"

  "No," I pouted. "But I just got it last night. It's gonna take at least another month before the thrill is gone."

  "From what I hear," Brett said, handing me a golden statue with my name scrolled across the bottom, "the thrill never goes away."

  I smiled and clung to my Oscar like it was a new teddy bear. Brett handed me something else.

  "Check out the paper," he said. "And I think your mom sent you like fifty text messages." I rolled my eyes and opened the paper. The headline screamed at me:

  POWER COUPLE SWEEPS OSCARS, KAITLYN ELLIOT WINS BEST ACTRESS

  I laughed and threw the paper in the air like a rocket. "Feels good, doesn't it?" he asked. "I've still got about eight more Oscars than you, you know," he said, kissing my forehead.

  "Yeah, but I'll catch up. Just you wait." I smacked his cheek lightly and he jumped into bed with me, his hands reaching out and tickling me in all the right places.

  "Wait, wait!" I squealed. There was a quick knock on the door and Jeremy poked his head in. His cheeks flushed when he saw us in bed.

  "Sorry," he said. "Just checking," then he winked at me and shut the door again.

  Brett rolled his eyes. "It's been eight months. You'd think he'd lighten up by now."

  "I don't think Jeremy is capable of lightning anything," I said. "Hey, let’s read my mom's stuff. I bet she shit a brick when I won."

  Brett laughed. "So crass... so cute."

  I picked my phone up, ignoring the hundred other messages I had and searching for my mot
her's.

  "Oh my God," I mumbled.

  "What? Is she still convinced I'm using you for your body?" At our wedding, my mother had tried to talk Brett out of marrying me. She was convinced that he was using me for my body and that he'd get tired of it fast and go looking for a real woman. One who wasn't so fat.

  "No," I said, covering my mouth with my hands, fighting back tears rising from my giggles. "She says..." I could barely get the words out; I was choking on the laughter. "She says that... that..."

  "Oh just give it to me," Brett said, swiping the phone from my hand and reading. "Darling," he looked at me. "Darling? Has she ever called you that?"

  I shook my head. "First time in my life."

  He continued. "Darling, I've always known you were special. I've always believed in you. You were too good for Colin. By the way, the roof in my house is leaking."

  Brett tossed the phone aside and pulled me into his arms, laughing. "Tell you what," he said. "We'll invite her over next month. Really show her what she's missing out on there in Idaho."

  I kissed him and felt my body tense. The passion between us hadn't slipped one bit in the last eight months, and I didn't think it ever would. "You invite my mom out if you want, only give me plenty of notice so I can make sure to book myself a weekend at Lake Tahoe."

  Brett wrapped his arms around me and drew me close. His sweet scent filled my lungs, and I reveled in how lucky I was that his treasure and my dreams were one and the same.

  THE END

  SNOWBOUND WITH THE ALPHA

  STORY DESCRIPTION

  MIRA