SNAKE

by Leal, Samantha

  But now, the trail had been lost to her and everything was wet and muddy. Climbing seemed like an impossible effort, and Estelle found herself slipping and falling again and again as she tried to make her way up what was now a steep area full of treacherous twists and turns. She grabbed what seemed like a sturdy branch, but it turned out to be a loose root sticking out of the side of the mountain. It was no longer attached to anything, whether because of testing for gold or simply bad luck. Whatever the reason, when she tried to use it to steady herself it slipped out of the dirt and she found herself thrust backward, and now she was tumbling down the hill, pain filling her body as she seemed to roll endlessly down the mountain.

  And then, she stopped. There was a soft, springy body behind her that helped her to slow her fall. It was huge, but somehow, she knew without even looking at it, that it was Blaine.

  He ducked down on his front haunches, a silent invitation for her to mountain. She struggled to get to her feet, he nuzzled her with his head in support as she did so, and then she pulled herself up on top of him, clinging to the course black fur of his shoulder blades.

  When Blaine seemed convinced that she was steady, he rose to his feet and sprang forward, running as quickly as his legs could carry him up the mountain. Estelle had to hold on tightly, ignoring all the pain of the results of her fall. Being with Blaine like this was exhilarating. He was so massive, and so powerful, and she knew, without having to say a word, that she was safe. That even in his monstrous form, he would never hurt her.

  And then suddenly, they were in front of a large and looming cabin, one that was much bigger than her own. Blaine deposited her on the covered porch, and she climbs down, her body trembling in a combination of adrenaline and fear. She was so relieved to be somewhere safe that she nearly collapsed as soon as her feet touched the ground. She closed her eyes and ran her hand through her hair, trying to center herself and reassuring herself that she was safe now and that everything was okay.

  “You all right, kid?”

  Estelle was shocked by the sudden masculinity of Blaine’s voice reaching her ears, and when she opened her eyes again, she gasped. He was standing in front of her, now back in his human form, his dark eyes looking pensively at her. And to top it all off, he was completely naked.

  “Yeah, I’m all right,” Estelle said, her voice hoarse whisper after the experience. He looked at her, his eyes narrowed as if he didn’t believe her, and then took a step forward with his hand outstretched.

  “What the hell were you doing out there?” Blaine asked,

  “Jack told me that taking care of the front-end loader was going to take some time, so I thought I would try to make my way up to the office.”

  “That son of a bitch,” Blaine growled, has hand dropping from Estelle’s face and forming a fist. “He didn’t even offer to let you drive?”

  “I told him I’d walk,” Estelle said firmly. Jack hadn’t done anything wrong, so she felt the strong need to defend him from Blaine’s fury. But in a way, it warmed her that Blaine was so concerned for her.

  “Oh, well then…”

  “Yeah…”

  “You probably would have ended up in more danger on the road like that anyway,” Blaine said, apparently deciding to put his anger aside.

  He was looking at her in a way that she almost dared to believe was tender.

  “Yeah, I really don’t know these roads well yet,” Estelle agreed, fighting the urge to reach up and touch her cheek; to feel the place where Blaine’s fingers had last touched her face.

  “You’ll get there in time,” Blaine said, his eyes a deep, comforting blue. “It just takes some practice, that’s all.”

  “Yeah…”

  Estelle was a little bit taken aback. He was being so kind all of a sudden. She couldn’t help but focus her attention on his muscular torso; broad and powerful and virile as he gazed at her, his eyes flashing with a deep, forbidden feeling that she wasn’t sure she should acknowledge. And yet she couldn’t look away.

  “Come on,” Blaine said finally. “We should get inside. I’m kind of naked.”

  Estelle giggled and followed him in, where he switched on the overhead light. The cabin was illuminated with a soft golden glow, and once again she found herself stricken with the flawlessness of Blaine’s muscular body. He had the unmistakable look of a shifter, as if he spent all his time and energy tending to his own needs and climbing the mountain on foot. It made her warm; a heat that spread to a place deep inside that she didn’t even know she had. She’d dated before, but nobody had invoked that sense of raw desire. But he was her boss. And he was so much older…

  Blaine turned to her, suddenly seeming to be very much aware of the power of her arousal. His eyes flashed and he almost looked angry for a moment. Was he angry at her? Was he just as aware of how wrong it was for her to feel this way. She felt embarrassed suddenly; ashamed of having such a powerful feeling near a man who so clearly would be able to see right through her.

  Her thoughts froze in her mind when Blaine’s hands were suddenly on her shoulders, his eyes anguished and serious as he studied her. Estelle’s body was immediately engulfed in sensual flames, her heart pounding wildly as she returned his gaze. Suddenly, without speaking, she could sense the urgency of his need for her; the overwhelming power that radiated from his body and forced her into a state of awe and respect. This man was pure force; unadulterated power. And all he wanted in that moment was her.

  Blaine’s eyes flashed golden as he allowed his hands to roam over her body, and she closed her eyes, overpowered by the sensation his fingers left trailing on her skin. She had never felt anything like it before in her life. She could feel the strength radiating from his body as she was lifted bodily from the floor and Blaine pressed her against the wall, the whole of his body pressed urgently against her.

  Estelle gasped in surprise and pleasure as Blaine’s longing became apparent as their middles touched, and she moaned softly when he buried his soft lips against the tender flesh of her neck; tentatively at first, and then passionate with deep desire. The soft warmth of his tongue electrified her body, and she gripped Blaine’s strong shoulders, her legs growing weak beneath her.

  But Blaine seemed to be anticipating this and supported her fully, assaulting her senses again and again with gentle, tender kisses and long, languid strokes of his hands and tongue.

  Estelle threw her head back, completely consumed by pleasure as Blaine began gently rocking his hips against her, the swollen muscle of his groin shocking the most sensitive area of her body through the rough material of their clothing. Blaine’s eyes flashed at her, dark and serious as his need for her became obvious. Nothing had ever felt more urgent than her desire to be taken by him, and as soon as Blaine sensed the ferocity of her longing, the bear inside of him came out in full.

  Estelle gasped in surprise when Blaine gripped her wrists with one hand, pinning them above her head and stripping them both with the other. Before she could even process what was happening, they were naked and she was staring at the dazzling muscles of Blaine’s perfectly sculpted body.

  “I…”

  But before she could say anything, his lips were pressed hard against hers and she was lost in the pleasure of his body as it began to explore hers. Her lips were tingling by the time they parted, and Blaine’s serious dark eyes studied her seriously.

  “You’re so beautiful.”

  “That’s not what my family thinks,” Estelle mumbled, annoyed at herself for saying it even before the words were out of her mouth.

  “Your family is fucked up,” Blaine said simply.

  All thoughts of them were wiped out of her head when Blaine’s lips met hers again, and suddenly his stiff member was pressed against her inner thigh, gently massaging the sensitive bundle of nerves between her legs, coaxing her to open up to him and let him inside.

  She closed her eyes and suddenly, the head of Blaine’s cock was resting against her, tentatively pressing inside. She
had never felt such a hot, overwhelming pleasure in her life, and Blaine seemed to sense this. He didn’t stop; instead, he held her tight and continued to venture in, his handsome face creased with pleasure as his pulsing muscle was engulfed inside of her.

  They stood still for a moment, each of them basking in their own ecstasy, before finally Blaine began to thrust in earnest.

  Estelle cried out in deep pleasure, her eyes toward the ceiling but seeing nothing; her only true sensation that of sheer rapture.

  Blaine seemed to sense this and unleashed his full power inside of her, and soon she could feel every inch of his cock as it made its way inside, testing the limits of her pleasure again and again as he unleashed the fury of his desire within her.

  She was rocked by the enormity of her bliss, closing her eyes to try to brace herself as Blaine’s powerful body took all it wanted to take from her. she wanted him more than she had ever wanted anything, and although it was scary, it was also exhilarating as his body worked beyond the limits of normal human limitations to please her.

  Finally, she couldn’t hold back any longer and threw her head back as she became overwhelmed by her pleasure. Blaine seemed able to sense she was on the brink of her climax and sped up his efforts double-time, pushing his cock as deeply as it would go and electrifying her with the explosive burst of his orgasm. Estelle’s world was suddenly on fire as she shuddered and quaked, her body rocked by a pleasure unlike anything she had ever known. Blaine continued thrusting through it all, until finally, every last drop was spent inside of her.

  Blaine then took her hand and led her to the bedroom, where they laid down together and, without any fuss, fell quickly asleep.

  9.

  “What the hell is the matter with you?” Blaine mumbled to himself, dressing quickly, careful not to wake Estelle up. She was sleeping so peacefully; had seemed to be a good dream that she was having to keep her so content.

  He had been stupid to bring her back to his cabin, but now that he had, he would just have to be a gentleman about it and make the lady breakfast.

  It had been a long time since Blaine had cooked for a woman. Bear shifters had very voracious appetites, and he wondered briefly what someone like Estelle might like to eat.

  Almost as soon as he wondered, the perfect meal popped into his head and he set to work. He was going to give her a nice breakfast and let her down easy. Tell her that this was something that could never, ever happen again.

  “Good morning.”

  Blaine’s heart lurched at the sound of Estelle’s soft, sweet voice, and he turned to her, almost angry. Furious, actually, more at himself than at her, but the look on his face must have been enough for her to see right through him. But would she blame herself for his anger?

  “Hi,” he said gruffly, turning away quickly and heading back toward the kitchen.

  He had to look away as quickly as he could. Estelle looked almost more beautiful than she had been the night before. That just made it that much harder. What they had done was wrong, and there was absolutely no way that they could do anything like that again.

  Still, the bear within him was grinning, urging him to look back again. giving in to temptation couldn’t be that big of a deal. He had broken the rules. They were already broken. Nothing he could do about it now. he could take her right back upstairs and…

  But no, he wasn’t going to be that kind of a man. He had a plan, and he was going to stick with it. Make the girl breakfast. Explain that everything they had done had been a mistake. Then drive her back to her cabin and pretend that nothing had ever happened. Easy enough. Sure, things would be hard and awkward at work for a while, but he had been through much worse.

  Forcing himself not to think about that almost made him as angry as the temptation to claim Estelle again. But he would just have to be stronger than that, no matter how big of a fit the bear within him was planning to throw. It had gotten its way once, and that was more than enough. He couldn’t let that happen again.

  “You like pancakes?” Blaine asked, desperate to get his mind off his temptation.

  “Yeah,” Estelle said. “I love them. Especially with eggs.”

  Blaine nodded. “That’s the only way to have them.”

  Estelle sat down at the table and they fell into silence as Blaine began to cook their breakfast.

  “Can I help?” Estelle asked.

  Somehow, the question made the strained silence between them even more unbearable.

  “No, I’ve got it,” he said, refusing to look up from his task at her. Last thing he needed was to feel guilty for doing the right thing. It was hard enough, damn it.

  “All right.”

  They didn’t speak again until the smell of food was wafting through the kitchen and Blaine sat the plates down on the table. Estelle mumbled a quiet, nearly imperceptible “thank you,” and then let out a little gasp of surprise.

  “What’s all this?” she asked, staring down at her plate.

  “A little something special,” Blaine said, raising his brow. “Is that a problem?”

  “No, not at all!” Estelle looked up and beamed at him, and once again, his heart hammered against his chest. God, she was beautiful. The man she ended up with would be one lucky son of a bitch.

  “Well try it,” Blaine said gruffly, grabbing his fork. “It’s got a bear’s touch.”

  “If I don’t like it, will you fire me?” Estelle asked, laughing softly as she brought the first bite to her lips.

  “Yes,” Blaine grumbled.

  She studied him, as if not quite sure whether he was serious, and then let out a beautiful laugh.

  “This is amazing,” Estelle breathed, her baby-blue eyes lighting up.

  Blaine couldn’t help but feel the surge of deep pride that heartened him, and he grinned at her.

  “Special family recipe.”

  “I believe that it is pretty special,” Estelle said, bringing another bite eagerly to her full lips. “I never would have thought to put seeds and berries in a plate of pancakes.”

  “Well, we know how to utilize our resources,” Blaine said.

  Estelle smiled brightly and they held each other’s gaze, probably a lot longer than they should have. That was enough. He couldn’t let this go on any longer.

  “You know that can’t happen again between us, right? What happened last night…”

  Estelle stopped chewing for a moment and looked at him, her eyebrow raised. Her expression implied that he was the stupidest son of a bitch who ever lived, but somehow, he still found himself on the edge of his seat waiting for her response.

  “You’re the boss,” she said with a noncommittal shrug.

  Blaine peered at her, shocked by her indifference. Surely no woman was going to take it that well! But when he tried to tune in with his inner bear, hoping that his heightened animal senses would be able to tell what she was really feeling, he was hurt and surprised to find that she seemed to feel legitimately relieved. She didn’t want anything else to happen between them. She was perfectly fine.

  “All right,” Blaine said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He wanted to test her, to push her until he heard for himself what she really felt about it, but he didn’t want to find himself being vulnerable to a woman again. no matter what kind of woman she thought she was. no matter how strong the bear’s claim on her might be.

  “Thanks for breakfast,” Estelle said, standing abruptly once she finished eating. Blaine had lost his appetite in trying to deconstruct Estelle’s response to him, and stood too.

  “It’s no problem. We burned a lot of energy last night.”

  Estelle quirked her brow at him, and he could almost read her thoughts. “Classy.”

  “Anyway,” Blaine said, clearing his throat quickly. It wasn’t like him to be so damn blustering, but this damn girl brought out the worst in him. “I’m going to take you back up the mountain. Ain’t going to let anything crazy happen to you this time.”

  Estelle looked l
ike she was going to refuse his help at first, but then nodded slowly.

  “All right,” she said quietly. “Let’s get going then.”

  Blaine was surprised that she surrendered so quickly. This wasn’t the kind of woman who submitted to a fight. He had learned that much for himself in the time they had known each other. And it was part of the reason why it had been so damned impossible for the bear to resist her. but he wouldn’t make that mistake twice.

  “Right,” Blaine said gruffly.

  They headed out of the cabin and shut themselves into his little car. The air around him was suddenly thick with her voluptuous scent and Blaine had to do everything in his power to keep his eyes forward. No matter how much the bear wanted it, he wasn’t going to give in. not again. he wasn’t going to be that big of an asshole. She was just a kid, and they both deserved better than this. It was a stupid, careless affair that would just hurt them both in the end.

  The drive was quiet, and Blaine sighed deeply to himself as he surveyed the damage.

  “There was something weird about that storm last night, wasn’t there?” Estelle asked suddenly, after passing by one of the fallen trees that the wind had whipped right out of the ground.

  “Seems like these days all I can do is make enemies,” Blaine answered, doing his best to keep his eyes forward, his thoughts on the road.

  “Dragon shifters?” Estelle asked quietly.

  “You heard of them?”

  “Yeah…in one of my classes on shifter history, they said there was a myth that they could control the weather. But that had never been proven…”

  “That’s something the humans say to make themselves feel better. Safer against the shifter people. But truth is that we’re all very powerful in our own rights, and there are ancient magics that have been passed down through the ages. Only a really powerful shifter warlock can change the weather, but it’s not impossible. You just have to manage to piss them off just right…”