Claimed (The Circulate Series)

by K. R. Smith

Just then I laughed at how he put that, as he made me realize that I was the one who was making me nervous, not him.

  So I’m attracted to the guy, so what? I may as well as enjoy his company for the four hours I have it. After tonight, I may never see him again.

  “Flint, I feel like I’m always saying the wrong thing around you!” I cried out, with a pink face.

  “That’s a pity, because I like your voice.” He smilingly looked out at the road ahead.

  “I like your voice too, it’s very deep.” I decided to give honesty a shot. “Why are you unmarried, Flint?”

  “Why are you?” He returned. “I’ve never met the woman I wanted to marry.”

  “And I’ve never met the right man.”

  “Tell me Jessica Tandy, who is this ‘right man’?” He smirked.

  “You mean what do I look for?” I guessed and when he gave a nod, I continued, “well somebody tall, somebody polite, somebody whose company is easy going. I’d like someone smart or intelligent, so I can talk about world news, instead of just sport… what kind of woman are you looking for?”

  “I’m not,” he said simply.

  “Huh?”

  “If I fall in love with a woman, I simply will. I can’t tell myself who I must fall in love with, as it doesn’t work like that. The person I end up with, will simply be the person I fell in love with.”

  I frowned, “then why are you unmarried? If you haven’t found the woman yet, whose qualities you weren’t looking for anyway, you could have fallen for any old person.”

  “I haven’t fallen in love.” He shrugged. “I haven’t met the woman whom I wanted to be with, for the rest of my life.”

  “Oh, so you’re looking for the thunderbolt?”

  Now he passed me the peculiar look. “Huh?”

  “You’re waiting for love at first sight?”

  “No, I don’t believe in love at first sight.” He shook his head. “I believe in attraction at first sight, but I don’t believe in love at first sight.”

  “OK Flint, you’ve confused me.” I sounded cross, but I was smiling which he saw. “Tell me how you see it then.”

  “This ‘woman’ we keep talking about, I assumed I’d be attracted to her in the beginning. After I spend some time with her then I might fall in love. I’ve been attracted to a couple of women, over the years. I’ve spent time with them. But I didn’t fall in love, so I did not marry.”

  “Just like that,” I tittered at his easy-going view. “Hey, why did you call Steve my mate, before? In your culture do you -”

  “In my tribe, if a man and woman live together, they’re mates.” He shrugged. “Since you went camping with him, I thought you may have lived together.”

  “So the woman you live with, will become your mate?” I asked in amusement.

  “Yes, she will bear my young and we will be mates.”

  “Sounds like the animal kingdom,” I said to myself, as I looked away.

  “Which animal though?” He overheard. “Some animals mate to reproduce, then they separate. Other animals, like the wolf or the fox, take a mate and they stay with that mate, for life.”

  “Really, do foxes do that? I didn’t know…” my eyebrows rose, “…I didn’t know wolves were old romantics either.”

  “In a pack, the male wolves fight each other to become first, as do the females. Then the first male and the first female mate, and the other wolves help them raise the young.” Flint explained.

  “Sounds like a lot of work, just to get laid,” I joked.

  “Has a man proposed to you, Jessica Tandy?” He asked, out of the blue.

  “Um…once.”

  “Why didn’t you marry this person?”

  “Because something just wasn’t right about him,” I sighed. “I mean, he was a nice guy but there was something missing.”

  “Were you in love with him?”

  “I thought I was, but now I don’t know.”

  “Was it Steve?”

  “Hell no!” I cracked up laughing, as did he. “It was two guys before him. I actually did live with this guy I nearly married, for about two years.”

  “Do you have children?”

  “No,” I shook my head, “good ole pregnancy prevention methods, protected me from that catastrophe. But funnily enough, it was the idea that I didn’t want to have children with this guy, which made me not accept his proposal.”

  “He did not make you feel safe?” Flint guessed.

  “Actually, I think it was something like that.” I looked his way, impressed again at his perceptiveness.

  “Then Jessica, instead of looking for a man to talk about world news with, why don’t you look for one whom you feel safe with.” He said gently.

  I stared out at the long road ahead, tiredly resting my head on my hand, which was propped up against the door.

  “Maybe you’re right,” I said wearily, “or maybe I’ll just give up and grow into an old spinster, surrounded by cats?”

  Flint laughed aloud, “with your pretty blue eyes, it would be a shame.”

  “It’s not a bad life.” I shrugged it off. “I won’t be lonely, my best friend would never let that happen.”

  “My friends don’t let me get lonely, either.” He smiled softly. “They have mates and young, but if they think I’ve been alone for too long, they come to visit.”

  “So do you have an apartment somewhere?”

  “I built a log cabin, which is as big as a house. It has three bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen, living area and front veranda.”

  “You built a log cabin, by yourself?” I stared and he nodded. “It sounds like you don’t like to get bored.”

  “Occasionally I had help, such as with the plumbing or electricity.” He explained. “But I built it myself, over two years. The land it’s on, has always been in my family. It’s away from the community centre of our tribal lands, so it’s quiet and secluded, amongst the trees.”

  “It sounds peaceful,” I smiled sleepily, as my eyes started to close by themselves. “Tell me more about your house and your tribal lands, Flint.”

  He paused, and I sensed he looked over and saw how tired I was. So he started to talk softly, as if he was telling a child a story. It suited his deep voice, which lulled me into a relaxed state.

  “The Lokoti have always lived in the same place, in the Alaska Range. The majority of it is a large National Park, where my people hunt. We have always lived off the land and will continue to do so. We get our meat, pelts, timber and vegetables from the land. Our tribal lands are older than the township of Alma, and older than the state of Alaska. We follow our own ways, which were born from loyalty and love long ago. We live by the old traditions, because it protects our families and it protects the land. What your people call, ‘land conservation’ or ‘environmentally friendly’, is what we’ve been doing for thousands of years. By respecting nature and her gifts, we also learn respect for each other. The man who takes a woman as his mate, protects and provides for her, just as the male Lokoti Wolf fights for his mate, in the wild…”

  Flint kept talking in a soft manner, it soon put me to sleep.

  A couple of times I opened my eyes, to make sure we were still on the highway and I wasn’t being kidnapped. However the long stretch of asphalt ahead, always greeted me. I wasn’t sure what it was about this giant called Flint Riverclaw; but in his company I felt warm, comfortable and most of all safe. The last time I opened my eyes, I found a man’s jacket resting over my bare legs, which must have been his.

  *****

  I woke up properly at 6.33 PM or so my watch said, as I straightened and looked out the window. I still saw mountains, forest and highway in the bright ‘twilight’ of the Alaskan summer. The sun didn’t set until late here, and when we were camping, the sunlight up until 11 PM; threw my sleeping pattern out of whack.

  “We’ll be in Anchorage in just under an hour,” Flint greeted.

  “I slept for that long?” I sounded surprised.


  “You’re very tired and your blood sugar is still a little low.” He sounded understanding.

  But I wondered how he would know about blood sugar levels, or even mine?

  “Do you have a relative who’s a diabetic?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “Then how do you know so much about it?”

  Flint smilingly shrugged, “I smell it.”

  “You smell it?” I gave a peculiar look.

  Then he changed the subject, “do you have somewhere to stay tonight?”

  “Um yeah, I have a reservation at the Sheraton.” I told him, but then I paused. “Oh oh.”

  “Hmm?”

  “I did have a reservation at the Sheraton, but it was for a room booked under Steve’s name.” I frowned. “I wonder…?”

  “Hmm?” He watched me take my mobile phone out of my bag.

  “Yes, finally! I have reception again!” I cheered then I talked on the phone. “Yeah hi, can you please put me through to the Sheraton Hotel in Anchorage? Thanks.” Pause. “Hi, is this the Sheraton Hotel in Anchorage? Great! Um, I had a reservation tonight under the name of Steve Gingall, but I won’t be checking in with him. Is it possible to have a room of my own, charged to my credit card? You’re completely booked up?”

  Flint watched my face fall, as he listened in.

  “Right. Right. Right.” My expression turned grim, before brightening. “Oh really? Could you please double check? Uh huh. Uh huh. Oh you do? That’s great! I don’t care, just book it in the name of Jessica Tandy. Yep. Uh huh. Well, check-in will probably be in an hour. Yep, OK bye.”

  Then I found my driver was half watching the road, and the other half was on me.

  “You have a room?” He guessed.

  “Phew! They were all booked up, but then they had a last minute cancellation. Yay! Oh Flint, this is good news! Tonight I’ll be sleeping in a comfortable bed, after a long hot shower, and ordering up a banquet from room service!”

  “That is good news, as it’s just what you were hoping for.” He smiled.

  “So what are you doing tonight?” I queried. “Are you staying with friends in Anchorage?”

  “No, I’ll be driving home tonight.” He answered.

  His reply hit me hard in the face, like a plank of wood. Immediately, I felt like an idiot! That’s me taken care of, but what about him?

  “Oh no Flint!” I cried out. “You can’t do that! Look, I’ll call the hotel back and see if they’ve had another cancellation -”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “Let me pay for your accommodation!” I raised the phone to my ear. “It’s the least I can do.”

  “Jessica, please.” He kept one hand on the wheel, as he used his other to gently take the phone away. “I want to drive back home tonight.”

  “But why?”

  “I don’t like to be away from tribal lands for too long,” he shrugged.

  “Why?”

  “Because they’re my home.”

  “But you’ve already driven four and a half hours, out of your way for me.” I said guiltily.

  “It wasn’t out of my way.”

  “Yes it was! I’m just some strange girl that stumbled into your bar, who nearly went into shock because of low blood sugar and a shitty camping trip…” I felt ridiculous as my eyes watered, “…and I must have looked like some social reject, with the crappy boyfriend. You took pity on me and drove me all the way to Anchorage!”

  “I was concerned about your health,” he admitted, “but you smell much better, after the food and the nap.”

  “I smell better?” My eyebrows rose. “Look Flint, let me repay you by shouting you a room in a nice hotel -”

  “Jessica,” he growled out, as he gently cupped my face with one hand. It was so large and warm, somehow it warmed me all over. He looked away from the road, just long enough to pierce my light blue eyes with his dark brown ones. “I liked driving you to Anchorage. I’m happy that I got to spend four hours with the beautiful girl who stumbled into the bar, where I play pool. I watched your face while you slept, and I put my jacket over you to keep you warm. If you lived all the way in Barrow, I still would have seen you home.”

  Then I don’t know what made me act this way, but I held his huge hand in my smaller two, as I kissed his palm.

  I knew it was forward of me to do that, but Flint didn’t seem to mind. He even caressed my cheek, before stroking my hair. When he rested his hand in my lap, the warmth made my legs heat up, as it made my heart pound. I almost wished he would do something else whilst his hand was there, but he didn’t and I knew why. He didn’t want me to think that I had to pay him back, in another way.

  We drove through the outskirts of Anchorage, which was sooner than I liked. A couple of times, he had to remove his hand to either change gears or use both hands on the wheel. But as soon as he’d finished, it returned to my lap.

  In the city, Flint parked his truck across the road from my hotel. Reluctantly, I climbed out of the warm cab and shivered, pulling my jacket tighter. He pulled out my backpack, sleeping bag and rolled up mattress from the back, and carried them into the hotel for me. He accompanied me to the front desk, where I checked-in. Instead of giving my things to the Bell Boy, he insisted on carrying them to my room, for me.

  In the elevator up, my eyes couldn’t leave his darker ones. I literally felt like he had a magnetic pull, which was attracting me to him. I’ve never felt desire, like this before. I started to argue with myself, how I could invite him to stay with me tonight? Or, would he be turned off by that kind of behaviour? I was still trying to make him out.

  I used the electronic key to open my door then I turned around to face him. Reluctantly, he handed over my backpack as well as the sleeping bag and rolled-up mattress. He truly seemed sad, to see me go.

  “Thanks for walking me to my door.” I began. “Um, would you like to come in for a drink or something?”

  I watched his eyes widen, was it with hope? But he remained quiet for a moment, as he seemed to be contemplating if he should. Does he need more encouragement?

  Just as I opened my mouth to invite him in again, suddenly I found myself pushed up against the doorway, with his lips smothering mine!

  His body heat seemed to radiate outwards and into me, as his larger lips moved almost forcefully. We kissed closed-mouth, until I offered another invitation by opening mine. Immediately, his bigger tongue entered and felt like it took over my whole mouth.

  By this stage, my heart was pounding so hard inside my chest, that I felt like I was shaking. My skin turned hot, as I tingled all over. This guy smelled so good, kissed so good and – and – and everything good so far!

  Flint lifted me up whilst he was still kissing me, as I heard him push my things into the room with his legs.

  I vaguely became aware he had carried me in, with the hotel room door shutting behind. It just felt so good kissing him, I took the liberty of running my hand through his long, dark hair. I felt him take my hair out of its pony tail, so he could do the same.

  “Mmm…” he growled again, “…you smell good, Jessica Tandy.”

  “I haven’t showered in five days.”

  “I know, your pheromones are concentrated in your sweat.” He leaned in to sniff my neck. “I like it.”

  Next, I felt his teeth scrape along the sensitive skin and it turned me on even more…!

  “I mean, I did try to wash myself down a bit. Er, I couldn’t jump into the whole river though, because it was too cold. Um, did you want me to have a shower first?” I offered.

  Abruptly, I felt my feet leave the floor as my back hit the soft mattress. Flint had just picked me up and lay me on the bed. Our eyes met and held once more, as if he was still waiting for further encouragement.

  “Yes, hell yes, what are you waiting for, take me gosh dammit!” I flung my arms about his neck.

  His mouth reclaimed mine, whilst his hands ran over my body. I felt them cup my breasts, run over my abdome
n, over my hips, down my thighs and then up the insides of my legs. Where his hands roamed, I started to feel my clothes loosen and I realized that he was undressing me.

  I started to follow suit, only I wasn’t as good as he was. Whereas my clothes seemed to be melt off with his touch, I on the other hand tugged clumsily with his. I almost strangled the poor guy, when I tried to pull off his t-shirt which had been under his flannel shirt. I suck at the sexily undressing your partner!

  “Shit! Sorry!” I cried out in alarm. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine, are you alright? Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat first?” Flint paused, to look down with care.

  “I want to eat you!” I pulled his head back down, so I could kiss him again.

  I felt him chuckle as he seemed to relax more, by moving his half-naked body up against mine. I started to wonder if he was holding himself back? Why, was he worried he might hurt me? I opened myself up to him as much as I could, with my open-mouthed kisses, my sighs or how I held onto him tightly.

  At last we were completely undressed, as Flint lowered himself again after removing his jeans. Then he hesitated, as he looked me over and from the expression on his face, he looked like he was about to change his mind?

  “What is it?” I sat up, worriedly.

  “Wait, let me look on you.” He gently pushed me back down. Then with one hand resting on my shoulder, his other moved over my body as he touched, teased and taunted the senses! Oh shit, his warm hand doing this to my body, felt good!

  He soon found out how good it felt, when he placed it over my crotch. His fingers pushed apart my moist folds and how wet I was, seemed to please him. He began to massage whilst further exploring at the same time, as he watched my face.

  “Man, you’re a tease!” I moaned, before playfully biting his lower lip.

  “I like your body, Jessica.”

  Flint kept massaging, enjoying my response to his constant touch.

  A couple of times, he pushed his fingers deep inside which made me moan. He used his other hand to push my legs further apart before he moved to sit in between. He watched closely, the closer I came to climaxing, as if the process of watching me come, fascinated him. His large hand kept moving over my crotch as my pleasure grew. His fingers felt delightful…!