by Crymsyn Hart
She touched his face. “What would you do if I chose each of you to be in bed with me? If I needed the both of you for a relationship?”
He winced at the comment. “I’d have to think about it. I would have to meet the other man. It is not in my nature to share the woman I care for.”
“You care for me?”
“For the longest time, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to love another again. But with you, my heart has reignited. That was the reason I returned to this place from the West. I was betrothed, but she died of the pox. By the time I got back, I found my father had killed the family. The barn was ablaze.
“After we fought, I tried to put the fire out. The horses were screaming. The spirit balls surrounded me, and I felt light. I couldn’t describe it. The next thing I knew I was here and yet not here, trapped on the land. I could interact with my little sister and the others, but I could also manifest with practice.
“Soon I was able to be flesh. You were the first one I was able to trust with showing myself. Besides you moving into the house, I saw your spark on the other side. You burn so bright I had to see what you were all about. And then I heard the hurt in your soul. I watched you and my heart warmed. When you were gone that night, it made me realize I hadn’t felt that way about anyone since I was alive. I wanted you. That was why I lashed out. I’m sorry.” He kissed her and trailed his fingers down her throat, causing her to shiver.
“I’m sorry to hear about your fiancée. I —” She couldn’t form words from the thoughts floating through her mind. He said he loved her. She didn’t think that anyone would ever truly love her. Michael never had. He wanted her for arm candy to show off at his business meetings, to parade around that he had this beautiful thing and no one else could touch it.
“You’re trembling.”
Natalie tried to smile, but everything in her still ached from her thinking he might evaporate. “Must be the chill in the air. It’s going to be winter soon.”
Dustin inched nearer until his body almost touched hers. “The weather in these mountains can be unpredictable. It’ll be beautiful one moment and horrid the next, with snow flying everywhere. I can start a fire for you or keep you warm myself.”
He stole her breath. Staring at his lips again, the faint lines in them enticed her along with their shape. The small scar he had at the top of his upper lip enhanced his ruggedness. She tried to stay calm, but her heart thundered against her ribcage. Natalie placed her hand on his chest, grasping for something solid to hold onto and remind her that this was all real.
“I think you already have. I want you, Dustin. Will you make love to me?”
He studied her eyes. His cooler skin grew a little warmer. “Is that what you wish? To have me for a lover?”
“You said the other night you wanted to be sure if I was ready.”
“Yes. And you would choose me over the other man?”
“No. I choose both of you. I don’t really understand it, but I feel that we’re marked for one another. That sounds strange, but I don’t know how else to explain it. I ache to feel your lips on my breasts. To feel your hands running along my body. For your cock to be buried inside of me.” Natalie lifted his hat and brushed her lips across his. She tried to understand the inflaming desire that ignited inside of her. It was this way even with Scott. The need to be near him and Dustin. Now that he was only inches from her, it soothed an ache. He made her calm and feel protected. She could hardly draw a breath. His masculine scent mixed with the tang of his horse settled in her nose.
The two weeks without him around had been hell. She’d day dreamed about him claiming her and that was one reason she had cried herself to sleep. The loneliness of not feeling his presence made her crazy.
“Having that pull doesn’t surprise me. I reacted badly before to it. It happens, or so I was told. If we lay together, then there is no going back. I will claim you for my own. If that happens then I will need to talk to this other man you also desire. I am not opposed to being with another man. Although it would be an adjustment after so many years.” His hand slipped along her side and cupped the side of her breast. Her nipple hardened and jutted into his palm. Her breathing intensified. She slid her hand lower on his chest, feeling the muscles underneath.
Her hand continued lower until it cupped his erection. Dustin moved his hand ever so slightly until the heel of his palm pressed against her nipple. He began to knead it slowly, exerting a gentle pressure. Natalie breathed in time to his fondling. Small tingles of want sliced through her. Her eyes half closed as she gave in to the pleasure. Dustin kissed her throat, lightly nipping on her skin. His breath was hot against her flesh and stirred the small hairs all over her body until they rose. Wetness gushed between her legs.
“Do you ache for me?”
A small moan left her lips. Dustin kissed her neck and plunged his tongue into her ear. She jumped from the wetness but that brought her closer to him. Natalie squeezed his crotch harder as she tried to hold back her control. The orgasm was on the verge of taking her to new heights. Her head spun. Moving to her other breast, he began to entice her nipple. He bit the underside of her jaw. The pain was a pleasure she’d never had before. Her clit ached with unspent longing.
“Do you want me to claim you?”
“Oh God! Yes.” She groaned.
“Close your eyes.”
She did as he asked. His arms enclosed her. She felt his cock press against her backside. The air was suddenly sucked from her lungs, and her whole body doused in freezing water. Her skin went rigid. Her heartbeat became erratic as she tried to break away from him, but his arms tightened on her.
“Calm yourself. You’ll be warm again in a moment.”
Before she could protest, Natalie opened her eyes; they were in her bedroom. Dustin’s hat, jacket, and boots were gone. His shirt was all the way open. “How did we get up here, and where is your jacket?”
He flashed a lopsided smile. “Being in the spirit world has some advantages. The laws of nature are somewhat different.” Holding her face, he brought her lips to his. With his kiss, warmth began to flood back into her arms. A fire inside her started to consume her soul. Natalie went on tiptoe and hungrily kissed him. She slid her hands underneath his shirt and over his nipples. He broke their kiss and squirmed. Dustin stepped back.
“What did I do?”
“Nothing. I’m ticklish.” He took his shirt off and dropped it to the ground. Once it hit the floor, it vanished. She stepped out of her shoes and began to undress. When she was down to her bra and panties, Dustin laid a hand on her arm. “Allow me.”
Trailing his thumbs along her spine, he followed the natural curve until she trembled all over. Her panties were drenched.
When he came to the small of her back, he slid his thumbs along the elastic until his hand cupped her sex through the thin fabric. The other hand undid the small hooks of her bra. He kissed her shoulders and pushed the straps down, running his tongue along her scars.
“You’re so warm and wet for me already. I can taste your desire on your skin. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be human and have this. The ache of being close to a living person. For the need to feel. Taste. You make me want all those things again.” He dipped his fingers inside of her panties and slid them along the lips of her sex until he found her clit.
Once he touched it, the hunger to have him inside of her flared. Her moan echoed in the room. He worked her slow and steady, bringing her to heights of bliss.
Dustin removed one breast from the lace bra and cupped it in his hand. He held her and rocked with her, teasing her more with his hard dick encased in his jeans.
Natalie tried to keep her breathing at an even pace, but the gentle way he manipulated her was more than she could handle. “Dustin, please.”
He kissed her shoulder. “You’re almost there. Let yourself go.” He breathed into her ear and tugged on the lobe.
She squeezed her eyes shut. She pushed his hand to her breast and
wrapped her fingers around his neck. Her head hit his chest. Black dots started to appear before her eyes. A long cry that couldn’t have come from her left her lips, but he had teased it from her. Dustin didn’t increase his pace. He exerted a little more pressure and rolled her nipple, pinched it and pulled it. The sweet stabs of pain combined with her cresting orgasm were enough to sweep her over the edge.
“Yes. Ohhh yes.” Natalie let her herself go and still he continued to manipulate her, slowly easing her down. Now she needed him inside of her. He released her breast and slipped the straps of her bra all the way off.
“You taste so good.” He slid his finger along her lips so she could taste herself. She sucked in his finger and wrapped her tongue around it, hoping she could do the same with his cock. Her cowboy chuckled. “Go over to the bed and get on your knees.”
Natalie slipped off her panties and did what he asked. She settled on the bed so her ass faced him. She turned and watched him disrobe completely. His cock was hard and ready.
He ran his hand down its length and smiled at her. Dustin settled his hands on her ass and squeezed the cheeks before pushing her legs a little further apart. Natalie jumped when she felt his tongue began to lave at her wet sex. One of his hands slid along her side and clutched her breast. He plunged his tongue between the folds of her pussy. The feeling of being worshipped nearly swept her into another orgasm. She clutched the sheets and began to cry out.
“Please. Need you.”
Dustin obliged and eased his cock into her. Her cowboy’s hands clutched her breasts. He kissed her shoulders. His hot breath blasted against her nape. His added weight was welcome when he began to thrust, traveling a little deeper each time he entered her. He squeezed her nipples harder. The pain sent bolts of bliss to her clit, and she ground her ass against him, needing all of him.
His heavy breathing filled her ears. Squeezing her eyes shut, she lost herself in the rhythm of their lovemaking. Never before had she been able to give up complete control. The pleasure washed over her. He was building her to a peak that would take her away to another world.
Screams filled the room. She barely recognized them as her own. Dustin pounded into her harder, riding her. He groaned and then slid into her one final time. She felt him release inside of her and then rest on her back for a few minutes. His fingers slid from her breasts and touched her clit.
“What are you doing?” she asked, pulling in a breath.
He didn’t answer her but began to rub her once again. Natalie cried out from the swiftness of the bliss that captured her. Dustin thrust into her a couple more times, heightening the experience with her muscles clutching him. He continued to fondle her until he brought her down, and she was out of breath. Then they collapsed on the bed together.
A smile stretched on Dustin’s lips while he looked at her. “I’d forgotten what that was like.” He traced her lips.
She blushed. “I hope it was satisfying for you.”
He inched closer to her and kissed her lightly. “It was more than satisfying. It was wonderful. You’re a beautiful woman and you deserve to be treated as such. You deserve to be told the truth, too.”
Hearing his last statement brought a pang of dread burning through her. “What do you mean?”
“I haven’t been completely honest with you. I didn’t think you’d understand or accept me. I can’t claim you completely for my own unless you know the real story.”
She sat up and pulled her shirt on. “What is that exactly? You’re really some demon that wants my soul now.”
“No. I don’t want your soul. Your love and trust, yes. You see the marks on my leg.” He pointed to large slashes on his left calf. “Those were given to me by a wolf. I got them riding in the Oklahoma plains on my way back here. I was at my campfire one night and out of nowhere this wolf came upon me. It lunged at me. I shot at it, but even though I hit it, it didn’t go away. It latched onto me and began to pull me back into the grass. I fired again. This time, it released me. I bound the wound and treated it the best I could. On the way here, a full moon rose on the horizon. My wound was healing okay, but on that night, I turned into a wolf.”
“You’re a werewolf?”
She got up from the bed hardly believing her ears. I can deal with him being a ghost, but now he wants me to think he’s a werewolf!
She stared out the window and at the land around them. The mountains loomed in the distance. The bed creaked. She ignored it, but then she heard a large growl. Natalie whipped around and saw a large, brindle colored wolf on the bed. Her legs grew numb. It was hard for her to draw a breath. It seemed her heart stopped. The animal glared at her with a hungry look in its eye. She pressed herself against the wall and waited for it to spring, but it didn’t.
Gathering the courage to move, she grabbed her pants and pulled them on. The wolf jumped off the bed, but remained a few feet from her. It can’t be him. Can it?
Her mind went into overload. Instinct kicked in. Once she had her jeans completely on, she bolted from the room, grabbed her keys, and went out the kitchen door. She hopped into her car and sped out of the driveway.
Chapter Eight
Natalie didn’t know where she was heading. She just drove and eventually recognized the area. A route had been etched into her mind. When she stopped, it was outside of Scott’s house. She sat in the truck for a moment and stared at the light inside. I can’t go in there and tell him what happened. He’s going to think I’m crazy. I can’t go back to the house. I need to think this through.
She rested her head on the steering wheel and felt tears sliding down her cheeks. When she heard a knock on the window, she jumped. Glancing up, she saw Scott staring at her. She opened the door and slid out of the truck.
“Natalie, what are you doing here?”
She couldn’t speak and threw herself against him. His arms wrapped around her automatically. Natalie held onto him tighter, needing to know he was real. She inhaled his scent. He smelled of pine and sage. The night had grown cold around her.
“Hey. It’s okay. Come inside out of the snow. My God, you’re shaking something awful.”
Natalie followed him into the house. Once she was inside, he put on a kettle to heat some water. He led her into his living room and seated her in front of the hearth where a fire blazed. Scott sat next to her, but she couldn’t stop shaking. The image of the wolf was burned into her mind. She couldn’t wipe it clean. The disbelief of what she had seen hadn’t worn off. Almost immediately, her mind flashed back to her dreams of the men being wolves. Dustin had been the same brindle colored one from those visions.
Scott put a hand on her knee. “Tell me what happened.”
“H-he was there and then he wasn’t. God, its teeth. And those burning eyes. I couldn’t stay there. I had to get away. I had to!” She stared into Scott’s eyes and tried to make him understand.
He sighed.
She wanted to tell him what she had seen, but the words wouldn’t come out. He slipped off the couch and knelt before her.
He took her face in his hands and gazed into her eyes. His gentle touch helped to ease some of her confusion and shock. “The ghost in your house. He did something?”
She nodded.
“Was it the one in the room under the stairs?”
“No.”
“Okay. So it was the unquiet one. Dustin.”
She nodded again.
“He did something that obviously frightened you. Did he threaten you?”
The tea kettle began to sing. Some of her shaking had subsided and she was warming up. Natalie drew in a deep breath and tried to calm down. Her heart was no longer beating erratically, and her mind wasn’t blank anymore. “No. He didn’t threaten me.”
“Let me get the water, and I’ll be back.”
She didn’t respond, but stared deeper into the fire, entranced by it. She replayed the events of the last couple hours through her mind. Her body still sang from their lovemaking. Everything about Dustin
was perfect, or so it seemed. He had made her feel ecstatic and jubilant. And then the mood had been broken.
Scott returned with a cup of tea. He placed it in her hand. Wrapping her fingers around the mug, she let the warmth eek into her skin. The aromatic steam filled her nose and helped to clear her mind even further. After a few minutes, Scott sat next to her on the couch again. She looked at his concerned expression, and it dawned on her how she appeared. He must think I’m a total freak now running over here not put together.
“What happened?”
Natalie grimaced. “You’ll think I’m nuts if I tell you.”
“Try me. I do deal with the spirit world on a regular basis.”
“Dustin told me he was a werewolf and then turned into one on my bed. It was the same wolf I’d seen in my dreams.”
“What was he doing on your bed?”
Natalie heard a small hint of jealousy in Scott’s tone and was surprised by that. She took a sip of the tea. It was lavender and mint flavored. “We had just finished…” She blushed and looked at the dark liquid in her cup. Small leaves floated around in the brew.
“You let him touch you? You let him make love to you?” Scott jumped off the couch and grabbed onto the mantel. His back was to her, but she could see his muscles bunch underneath his shirt.
“Yes.”
“Did you enjoy it?”
“It was nice—why are you asking me about that?”
“Did he bite you?”
“What relevance does this have to me saying he turned into a werewolf?”
Scott spun around and grabbed her wrists. Natalie jumped, sending the cup of tea splashing into his face. He screamed and covered his face with his hands. Scott sunk to the floor. Natalie raced into the kitchen and got a cloth with some cold water and a dry towel. When she got back, he was breathing hard and still held his face.
“Let me see.” She slid down next to him. She tried to pull his hand away from his face, but it took all her strength to do it.
