by James, Ava
Donovan locked eyes with the cat. Its ears went back as it let out a growl. He needed to establish the upper hand and run the cat away from her. The big cat leapt off the rock and landed on top of him. Its teeth sank into the back of his neck and Donovan stood up on his back legs, throwing the cat from his back. He turned and charged after the cat and swiped its face with his razor-sharp claws. A bloodcurdling scream shocked him and they both looked in the direction of the scream. Isabelle was on her belly, trying to army crawl away from them. The cat lunged in her direction and Donovan forcefully knocked his weight into the cat blocking it away from her. The bear showed no signs of stopping and the angry cat soon realized that on this night, it was no match for the powerful bear. It quickly dashed away up the hill and was soon out of sight.
Isabelle was sobbing and trying to crawl away. She let out a cry every time her knee touched the ground. Donovan knew that she was probably just as frightened of him as she was of the mountain lion. He sat down away from her and kept his distance. He could never hurt her, but had no way of communicating that to her. She was clearly injured, and even if he was able to get away from her and shift back, he couldn't leave her alone with the mountain lion nearby. Isabelle soon stopped crawling and never took her eyes off the bear. Her breathing was labored, and she was obviously in pain. She rested her head in her hands on the ground.
He slowly crawled toward her and she never took her eyes off him. As he got closer, he realized that she wasn't afraid of him. She had a look of wonder in her eyes. He stopped and sat down. She lifted her head and watched him breathe, their eyes locked on each other.
*******
Isabelle's body was aching and cold. Although she had tried desperately, she couldn't climb to the top of the mountain. The smell of smoke was stronger now. Her eyes burned and her throat felt raw. Thankfully, the bear had run the mountain lion off, but she didn't know if it would be back. She watched the bear stare at her. She had always assumed that if she ever faced a bear out in the woods, it would clearly be the end. But there was something so peaceful about this bear. He simply sat staring at her. She was afraid to take her eyes off him, fearful that if she did, he would pounce on her and that would indeed be the end.
Isabelle could feel the cool night breeze blowing across her body and the smoke was growing thicker. Her mouth and throat were dry and she soon started coughing. She watched a helicopter take off from the roof of the firehouse. Isabelle hoped that it was coming to look for her. But it headed over the mountain toward the thick plume of smoke.
*******
Donovan didn't know what to do. She was injured and clearly couldn't walk. He could carry her to the top of the ridge, but he wouldn't be able to carry her all the way down the trail back to the hotel. He didn't want to shift back because the mountain lion wasn't far away and could come back at any moment. Her eyes were fixated on him and heavy. Her blinking got slower and he watched her close her eyes for a moment and then open them, valiantly fighting her exhaustion. She closed them again and her breathing steadied. Donovan scooted closer to her hoping that his warmth would radiate to her and she wouldn't be as cold. He watched her sleep and waited.
The sky soon began to lighten and with first light, she was safe enough for him to leave her. He got up and quietly made his way back up the hill to the ATV and shifted back. His phone was of course dead and the ATV wouldn't start. He took off in a sprint down the trail toward the firehouse.
Exhausted, he pushed the button for the big door to come up. The firehouse was empty, and he assumed that all of his brothers had spent the night in Applewood trying to keep the fire from coming over the ridge onto Scarlett Mountain. He grabbed a blanket and the keys for another ATV and hauled ass back up trail one to Isabelle.
The ATV screeched to a halt as he reached her body. She was lying on her back, her eyes were open and she was staring at the sky. She appeared to be mumbling and was shaking from the cold. Donovan grabbed the blanket and ran to her, quickly covering her shaking body.
"Isabelle! Isabelle! Can you hear me? It's me, Donovan. It's going to be okay." Donovan drew Isabelle up into his arms and cradled her against his chest. Her skin was freezing to the touch. He couldn't make out the words she was trying to say.
"You're going to be okay. I'm taking you to the hospital." Donovan knew that he needed to reassure her that she would be okay because she probably believed she wouldn't be. He picked her up and headed to the ATV. Donovan held her tightly against his chest and they rode back to the firehouse.
He carried her to his truck and got her safely inside. The hospital was at least an hour away and he didn't want to wait for an ambulance. He ran back inside and grabbed a couple water bottles to help get her hydrated. Isabelle's skin was sunburned and dry. She wouldn't open her eyes. He climbed up next to her on the seat and put the water bottle to her lips.
"Drink this, honey, please."
Isabelle parted her lips and took a sip. The cool water helped soothe her dry mouth and throat. "The bear saved me." Donovan was finally able to make out what she had been saying. "The bear saved me."
Donovan brushed her hair out of her eyes and kissed her forehead. "The bear saved me." Isabelle rested her head against the seat and he pulled away from the firehouse. He called the hospital from the truck radio and let them know that she was on her way. When he pulled up in the ambulance entrance, paramedics were waiting and helped get Isabelle out of the truck onto the gurney. "The bear saved me," Isabelle whispered as they wheeled her inside.
The laceration on her knee needed stitches and her ankle was sprained. She was severely dehydrated and lucky to be alive. Donovan stayed with her once they had moved her to a hospital room. He sat and watched her sleep just like his bear had done through the night. She was so beautiful. She had captivated him from the first moment he saw her. He knew who she was. She was the woman he had been waiting for. The warrior who was his match. But what would she think of his bear? He had never shared his secret with any woman and preferred to live alone. To be alone. But he was drawn to her inexplicably and he had never felt like this about anyone, let alone a woman he had never even eaten a meal with. His feelings for her were also terrifying and he felt a loss of control. What would it mean to let a woman into his life? Into his world? Into his heart? She was the one, even if she didn't know it.
A nurse came in to check her vitals and she woke up. Isabelle opened her eyes and looked around the room. "What's going on?" She looked at the nurse holding the blood pressure cuff and then looked over at Donovan. "Who are you?"
"I'm Donovan. Do you remember me? We met at Mini's yesterday."
"Okay, I think so. You look really familiar. Your eyes."
"Yeah, we met yesterday."
"I know, but never mind."
"I'm Tina, your nurse today. Donovan brought you in. You were injured on a hike yesterday and spent the night outside on Scarlett Mountain. You have a lacerated knee, a sprained ankle, and you're dehydrated. We're got some pain meds going for you and we're going to give you a bag of fluids and watch your vitals for a couple hours and then you can go home. Do you have anyone you need to call?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Can I get you anything?"
"No."
"Alright. Just hit the call button if you need anything."
The nurse left as quickly as she had come into the room and left Donovan and Isabelle alone. Isabelle wasn't sure why Donovan was in her room sitting next to her bed watching her.
"Well, the hospital is about an hour away from the hotel. I was planning on staying here to give you a ride back."
"Oh, okay." He's so cute. I'm sure I look horrible.
"I'm gonna go get some coffee. I'll be back, okay? Unless you want me to wait in the waiting room."
"It's alright. You can come back in here." Isabelle watched Donovan as he walked through the door. He did have a mighty fine ass.
Isabelle stared up at the ceiling. She couldn't shake the image of that bear on
the mountain. He'd been so calm, so caring. "The bear saved me."
Donovan was gone longer than Isabelle thought he would be, but he returned with two cups of coffee. "I wasn't sure how you like it." He set the cups down on her tray table and emptied a mountain of sugar packets and creamers from his pockets. She smiled up at him. There was something so familiar and yet mysterious about him. His deep chocolate eyes penetrated her brain every time she looked at him. Before she knew it, she realized that they were both frozen and staring into each other's eyes.
"You look like you're cold." Donovan turned around and headed out into the hall again. "Here, these will help warm you up. A couple heated blankets." Donovan unfolded the blankets and piled them on top of her, warming her to her core. She couldn't help but smirk when she thought that he could warm her up even better than the heated blankets.
"So, how do you take it?"
"I'm sorry?" Isabelle was lost in a daydream about how Donovan might look with his shirt off.
"Your coffee? How do you like it?"
"Oh, sorry. Um, two creams, four sugars."
"You've got a sweet tooth."
"I do. Unfortunately, I do."
"Why do you say that?"
"No reason, really." Isabelle didn't want to overwhelm Donovan with a diatribe about societal expectations of women's bodies and just smiled as he handed her the warm cup.
"Do you need another pillow?"
"No, I'm okay."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. I'm alright, really I am." No man had ever fussed over her before, and Isabelle wasn't sure what to think of a man being so attentive to her needs.
Donovan sat back down next to her and they sat in silence sipping their coffee. The silence was deafening, but their heads were filled with words that neither of them was willing to say.
"I'm glad you're okay, Isabelle."
"Me too. I was so scared last night."
"I can only imagine." Donovan didn't want to pry into her feelings and he wasn't sure how to tell her that he had been there with her.
"I never want to go through anything like that again." Isabelle stared into her coffee cup and thought about the bear in her cappuccino yesterday. She also couldn't help but think about the bear who had sat beside her on the mountain and made her feel so safe. She figured that Donovan would think she was a nut case if she told him about the bear that had saved her. It all felt more like a dream anyway. Maybe it was a dream. This weekend had all felt like a bad dream. Seeing her relationship go up in smoke on Friday, almost dying alone on a mountain on Saturday. What would Sunday bring?
"I don't think I've ever seen someone so deep in thought." Isabelle looked over at Donovan and smiled.
"It all seems like a bad dream." She could feel tears start to well up.
"It only seems that way. It'll be okay. You're going to be fine." Donovan wished he could wrap his arms around her and just hold her. This magnetic pull wouldn't ease up. Fighting it seemed to only make it stronger.
"I just... I don't know... It's... I don't know..."
"Isabelle, you don't need to talk if you don't want to. If you're not ready, you don't need to say a word."
"Thank you for finding me and bringing me to the hospital. I don't know how to thank you enough. I–"
"Alright, another check of your vitals, honey bunny." Tina burst in the door without knocking and startled them both.
Donovan got up and walked over to the window. Fucking nurse.
She took Isabelle's temperature, blood pressure, and checked her pulse and oxygen. "Looks good, my dear. Got about an hour or so left on this bag, and as long as you're up to it, we can get you outta here in a bit. I'll check with the doc and let you know." Tina once again left as quickly as she had come in and they were once again alone.
"Last night...I...I thought I was going to die alone out there on that mountain, and nobody would ever know. I don't have any family. I caught my boyfriend cheating on me on Friday. Now I have no place to live, either. I have no place to go and I thought I was going to die. Alone." Isabelle's sunburned face bore the agony that she was feeling. Donovan turned around from the window and looked at Isabelle. Even though she was sitting in a hospital bed, he was mesmerized by her radiance and couldn't take his eyes off her.
"But you found me. I'm so thankful you found me. I don't have any words to explain how I feel. I wouldn't know where to start." Tears glistened in her green eyes as she looked up at him.
"I need a shower." Isabelle let go of Donovan's hand and tried to push him away. Donovan had driven Isabelle back to the hotel after she was discharged from the hospital. He insisted on helping her to her room and into bed. He made her heart race and her panties wet.
"I want you." Donovan leaned in to her and delicately kissed her.
"But I'm filthy. I smell like dirt and sweat and smoke." Isabelle tried to pull away from him again.
"I don't care. I want you." Donovan's mouth pressed against her lips, consuming her. She tried to pull away but succumbed to his passionate touch and kissed him back. Her tongue explored his mouth and he held her tight against him. He sat next to her on the bed and even sitting down his large physique intimidated and excited her.
"Besides, if you want to take a shower, you still can't get away from me. You can't stand up very well, and I'll have to help you." Donovan pulled back and winked at her. Isabelle realized that he was serious about helping her shower. Before she knew it his hand was on her head and he pulled her in to him as he kissed her again. His passion overwhelmed her and she finally leaned back in to him instead of pulling back. He stopped just long enough to pull his shirt over his head and grabbed her again for another kiss. With her leg bandaged, there wasn't anything she could do to get away from him. Getting away from him was the last thing that she wanted, anyway. In fact, the only thing she wanted was him. Her panties were wet and begging to be ripped off her. Donovan pulled back and looked into her eyes. She could feel him looking deep into her soul. An irresistible force drew her to him. It was a force she had never felt before, not with any man she had ever known. There was something so powerful and protective about him, and she no longer wanted to fight it.
She pulled her shirt off and tossed it and her bra to the floor, baring her breasts to him. Donovan leaned in to her, grabbing her breasts and pushing them together.
"These are so amazing. I can't believe it." He slowly started licking her nipple while he held her breasts. His licks soon turned to kisses and he drew her tight nipple into his mouth and sucked on it, making it even harder and soaking her pussy.
Isabelle ran her fingers through his hair while he licked and kissed her breasts.
"Isabelle, you made me hard the first time I laid eyes on you. Do you know how fucking sexy you are?"
"No, I've never thought I was sexy."
"Well, I think you're the sexiest woman I have ever seen. These huge breasts and round ass. All I could think about in the coffee shop was fucking you right then and there."
"I had no idea. I thought I would have scared you off, the way I talked to you."
"No, it would take a lot more than that to scare me away from you. I have to have you, Isabelle." Donovan pushed Isabelle onto her back and climbed on top of her and kissed her hard. Her fingertips tickled his back and she could feel his hard cock about ready to burst through his pants.
"We have to do something about these pants." Donovan sat up and leaned back away from her, looking at her body. "Oh, yeah, these have to go, now!" The bottom part of the leg of her jeans had been cut away in the emergency room. He unbuttoned her jeans and helped her as she raised her butt up as he pulled them down. He carefully pulled them off over her bandaged knee and ankle. He felt bad for thinking that he hoped her knee would heal soon so that he could get her on her stomach with her ass in the air. Something he would definitely look forward to with her. Donovan stood up and took off his jeans, baring his huge cock. His dick was at least twice the size of Tim's. That asshole was
quickly becoming a very faint memory.
Isabelle wasn't sure that her pussy could take all of Donovan's cock and her breath caught in her chest as she watched it.
"Do you like what you see? Because I know I sure do. You have no idea how beautiful you are, Isabelle. You fascinate me." Donovan climbed on top of her and his cock dug into her belly while he kissed her.
"Open your legs, Isabelle." Donovan's knees pushed against her thighs as she spread her legs. He made sure that her ankle was stable and she wasn't in any pain. His hand slid down and he caressed her pussy lips with his fingers, spreading them wide and smearing her juices around her opening.
"You're so fucking wet. I can't stand it. I have to be inside you."
Isabelle's heart raced as he came down on her and kissed her. Their tongues explored each other's mouths. He moaned and relentlessly kissed her. The mere touch of his skin against hers sent shock waves though her entire body. He held her and kissed her again as she felt the tip of his cock pushing into her. He pulled back and pushed in again and again until her pussy submitted to his thick cock. Her pussy soon enveloped him and she craved all of his powerful cock. Isabelle bucked and moaned as he thrust his cock into her as far as he could. With her legs spread as wide as they would go, he had complete access to fill her with his engorged rod. Isabelle had never felt anything like Donovan's cock before. She'd never been fucked like this in her entire life, and they weren't even finished yet. He relentlessly took her soaking wet pussy.
