by Molly Prince
For the briefest moment I thought it might be Mitch. That he’d come back to me, but that made no sense whatsoever. He’d burnt his bridges, he wasn’t coming back and he wouldn’t be caught dead on a motorbike.
My stomach clenched in fear. What had I been thinking coming out here all alone? A demented biker serial killer, all beard and tattoos, could take all weekend to torture me and feed me to his giant pet wolf and no one would even miss me until I didn’t show up at work on Monday. Even then they’d probably just assume I was in hiding. Ashamed to show my face after the abrupt termination of my engagement.
Oh God... he might not even kill me. He could take me back to his secret rape shack, lock me up and wait for me to go insane. I doubt it would take very long.
When the inevitable knock at the door came I had to bite my lip to keep a squeak of terror from escaping. I just stood in the middle of the kitchen. Dripping wet and naked except for a towel around my shoulders.
“Hey... hello. Hello?”
I just stood there. As if he’d forget I was here if he couldn’t sense movement. Never mind the fact that there was a pickup in the drive and all the lights were on. My first thought was that he didn’t sound like a serial killer, but any security that afforded me was long gone by the time I decided that the ones who didn’t sound like a serial killer were probably the ones who never got caught.
Just a minute. I mouthed, but didn’t say it out loud, as I made my way across the floor to the bedroom to grab an oversized nightshirt and pull it on over my still damp body.
If there’s one thing that scares me more than serial killers, it’s the idea of someone I don’t know seeing my big pale body in all its naked glory.
There was another knock.
“I’m sorry about intruding like this but it’s uh... serious official business.”
“Oh if it’s serious official business, by all means come on in and let the torture commence,” I muttered to myself.
“Right... I’m heading around back.”
Oh shit. Around back. I’d left the patio doors wide open. At least the front door was locked and had a security chain.
“Wait... wait... I’m coming. I was just... something,” I said.
I almost slipped on the wet floor as I headed to the front door and, chain in place, opened it a crack.
Why hello there handsome.
OK look. I probably sound like a bit of a hypocrite with all this self pity and my completely rational fear of hillbilly serial killers on motorbikes, but Mr. Serious Official Business was seriously cute. I’m not the kind of girl who’ll just lay back and spread them at the first sign of stubble and a square jaw, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate hot manliness when I see it through a crack in a chained door.
“Ma’am, uh hello Ma’am,” he said.
The accent was kind of cute and suggested he was a very long way from home.
“Is your husband here?”
“No it’s just...”
For a second I was going to tell him that I was all alone. As if I had been rendered stupid by some primal need to inform a handsome stranger that I was alone, newly single and currently available even if it meant letting them know I was defenceless.
“... my boyfriend. He’s asleep in the bedroom. It was a long drive and he’s sleeping... in the bedroom... on the bed.”
The man at the door swore under his breath then paused, his brow furrowed.
“You two really picked a bad time to go walkabout up here. Unfortunately you’re going to have to pack up and head back down the mountain. There’s been a... it’s an emergency.”
He was thoroughly unconvincing. Almost endearingly so. I waited for him to explain the nature of this emergency, but he didn’t volunteer any further details. After a long uncomfortable silenc,e he was the first to speak.
“Could you let me in please Ma’am?”
“Could you show me some identification?”
I thought I detected a brief flash of anger. His top lip pulled back ever so slightly to reveal his teeth in a way that reminded me of the wolf I had encountered earlier. Even though I was pretty sure he was planning on murdering me, I felt a small moment of premature victory at the fact that I’d gotten to him.
“Look Ma’am. I wasn’t being strictly honest with you earlier.”
You don’t say.
“I wasn’t expecting these cabins to be occupied at this time of year and this really isn’t a safe place to be at the moment. There’s a man. A dangerous man. I’ve been.... tracking him and...”
Even though he’d stumbled on the word tracking he was sounding a lot more certain now. He almost sounded sincere.
“How do I know you’re not the dangerous man?”
He looked at me confused, as if I had asked him a trick question.
“Why would I be tracking myself?”
I paused and let that one sink in.
“Oh.”
Oh.
He moistened his lips and I caught his eyes flicking up and down once. Taking stock of me through the crack in the door. I suddenly felt very self conscious. I’d thrown an oversized shirt on and nothing else. It only just covered my hips and my body was still a little damp, the material clinging to my curves. I moved to try and hide behind the door a little more, poking my head out at an awkward angle.
This time when he spoke he was deadly serious. This was his lay-it-on-the-line voice and I couldn’t help but believe every word he said.
“I can’t tell you everything. You wouldn’t believe me if I did. But that door you’re hiding behind? It’s not as solid as it looks. These cabins aren’t like the ones they used to build out here. They’re cheap pre-fabricated crap that’s shipped in ready to assemble. That chain you think offers some form of security was made in China and shipped over here in bulk for a nickel a piece and doesn’t do jack. If I gave the door a gentle tap right about here,” he patted a spot on the door just below my eyeline, “it would just pop straight out of the wall. Make no mistake lady. I am a dangerous man. But if I was a danger to you you’d already know it.”
His little speech left me breathless. I wanted to be afraid. The part of my brain that does most of the heavy lifting was telling me to be afraid. But the part of my brain that had only recently gotten busy in a hot tub wanted me to be turned on.
It was a new sensation for me. In general I play it safe. I mean look where I was. A romantic weekend away in a cabin in the woods was about as adventurous as I got. But when this man spoke to me, when he claimed to be dangerous, I believed him.
“Will you let me in please...”
“Carrie”
“Carrie. Will you let me in please Carrie and then go wake up your boyfriend? I need to speak to both of you.”
Or I’ll huff and I’ll puff…
I had no choice. As I released the chain it was hard to tell what I was more concerned about. This stranger’s intentions or the fact that I was going to have to face up to the embarrassing admission that I was actually having a dirty weekend away for one.
- X -
Chapter 4: Carrie
He sniffed the air as he stepped over the threshold.
“I wasn’t being entirely honest earlier. My boyf...”
“I know.” He didn’t even spare me a glance as he walked into the lounge and had a look around. It was like he was taking an inventory of each room. The cabin wasn’t large. A single room that combined lounge and a dine-in kitchen and one double bedroom with an ensuite. Other than the front door there was a single sliding door onto the deck.
“Something smells good,” he said.
“There’s some left if you’re hungry. Nothing fancy, I didn’t have much to work with.” Even as I spoke I was mentally kicking myself. If a handsome man complimented my cooking my knee-jerk reaction to offer him some was apparently more powerful than my survival instinct. I was a sucker for a pretty face.
He glanced at his wrist to check the time and nodded.
“Ye
ah, sounds good. I think we’re probably better off staying here for now.”
We’re? I raised an eyebrow as he poked his head into the bedroom. Once he was done he visibly relaxed and came over to the kitchen to join me.
“Look it’s none of my business, but you don’t really seem the type to be having a solitary weekend away, communing with nature or whatever.”
What exactly was that supposed to mean? Did my fuller figure preclude me from enjoying the great outdoors in his eyes? I glared at him and cocked my head, challenging him to go on.
“There’s just something about you that I can’t quite put my finger on.” I could swear he sniffed me as he said it, weird, “But I really wouldn’t expect a woman like you to be alone on a trip like this. No boyfriend? No husband? No secret lover?”
A woman like me? Was he flirting with me? I tried to stammer an explanation but he held up his hands, “None of my business,” and shoved a fork full of pasta in his mouth.
“Damn. This is good. It’s been a while since I had a home-cooked meal.”
This whole situation was starting to get a little surreal. I still had no idea who this rugged stranger was, but I found myself eating up his compliments and craving more. I was coming down from a bit of an adrenaline high and felt a little light headed and giddy. Not to mention the fact that now I could see him (him! I didn’t even know his name) properly it was hard not to be overwhelmed by his presence.
Attractive wasn’t the half of it. He was a big man. Tall, broad and solid. Under a loose t-shirt and faded jacket I couldn’t tell exactly how he was built, but it was hard not to assume we were talking well defined. At minimum a chiseled six pack and obliques. I liked my men big, and I’d be a hypocrite if a few extra pounds bothered me, but he really didn’t look like the sort to be anything other than ripped.
“Thanks. I’m glad you like it...”
“James... everyone calls me Jimmy. Take your pick.”
“James. Definitely James.”
He tilted his head in acknowledgement and kept shovelling forks full of pasta into his mouth.
“So any chance you’re going to cut the bullshit and tell me what’s going on James?”
“Says the beautiful girl with the imaginary boyfriend.”
He called me beautiful. I’m sure it was just a figure of speech along with all his “Ma’am”s and he didn’t actually think I was beautiful, but when a mysterious guy who looks like he just walked off the set of an action film calls me beautiful I’ll take it. I’m happy to take what I can get.
Unfortunately this all made me very self aware of how little I was wearing. As he ate, I couldn’t help notice his eyes doing a bit of roaming and I tugged my way-too-short shirt down lower which had the seld-defeating effect of pulling it tighter across my substantial breasts.
“I’m sorry,” he said as he put the empty bowl down on the counter, “that wasn’t fair. Your business is your business, I’m the intruder here, I owe you an explanation. I’m tracking a wild animal that came down from the mountain. Killed a girl a couple of towns over. Tragic business. They usually stay out of everyone’s way but it’s been a long winter and food is scarce and they’ve decided to head for warmer, more civilized climes.”
“You said it was a man earlier.”
“Hmmm?”
“At the door you said you were tracking a dangerous man.”
“I did? Yeah I guess I did... I...”
He inhaled deeply through his nose and lost his train of thought for a moment. Something passed across his face, his lower lip peeled back in a wolf-like snarl as it had earlier. Something was troubling him. I glanced down and saw that his fists were clenched so hard his knuckles had begun to go white. It looked as if he was about to explode and was struggling to keep it together. He shook his head as if to clear it and when he looked back up at me there was something wild and untamed in his eyes.
It scared me. It scared me a lot. But unlike the wolf earlier, the fear was more thrilling. My heart was racing and I didn’t know why. Without warning my nipples stiffened, straining outwards against the still damp material of my shirt. It wasn’t exactly my usual reaction to being afraid.
“No boyfriend. No boyfriend, but a suitcase full of frilly girly things and I can smell it. I can smell it on you. Why are you here? Were you sent here? No. that doesn’t make sense.”
Now he was really scaring me. He was beginning to sound paranoid, like he had escaped from somewhere. He took a step towards me and I took a step back. He leaned in and inhaled the air around me.
“I don’t... I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Can’t you feel it? Can’t you smell it?”
I humored him and inhaled. I didn’t smell anything, but there was something there, something that made my breath catch in my throat and my heart start beating in double time. With it came a sudden feeling of what I could only describe as overwhelming lust. As if James’ presence had triggered something in me. I wanted him.
“I think...” you should go.
But my words were cut off as he forced his mouth against mine. I wasn’t ready for that. I wasn’t expecting it and I gave a little muffled squeal of protest. He took no heed as he kissed me. The weight of him pushing against me, forcing me against the wall, painfully flattening my breasts.
I’d never been kissed like that before. Never. Not even close. I’d always seen a kiss as a negotiation. Something you both decided to do. Something with give and take. And if the negotiation went well, then maybe things got a little heated... or maybe they didn’t.
But this wasn’t a negotiation. I had no say in it. And I didn’t want a say in it.
As his tongue found mine he growled at the back of his throat. I didn’t hear it, but felt the vibrations pass from him to me. I groaned in reply. My body responding to the unfamiliar sensation of danger and spontaneity as I pushed against him, grinding my soft curves against his solid muscled torso.
His belt buckle caught on the hem of my shirt. Lifting it and exposing me. I didn’t care. I could feel a spreading dampness between my thighs. I couldn’t recall ever feeling this way before. So turned on and wired. There was something about this man. Something raw and primal that had a hold over me.
I stood on my tip toes and thrust my hips forward, offering myself to him and feeling a hardness beneath his jeans that pressed against my warm flesh. I wanted more. I wanted him inside me.
When he released me from his kiss we were both breathless. Panting like dogs and grinning like kids. He looked as surprised as I felt at the suddenness of it all.
“Can you smell me now pretty boy?” My voice was a husky whisper as he bent his mouth to my neck to nibble and nuzzle and tease. Each touch brought with it a little electric jolt of pleasure that went straight to my core. I could feel him inhaling me. Breathing in my scent. “Can you smell me? Am I in heat?”
Why was I talking like this? What had gotten into me? It was like I was possessed by some kind of slutty spirit of boning complete strangers. I could blame it on the alcohol or the stress, but it wasn’t that. It was something else.
He grinned and pushed me hard against the patio doors. I could feel the glass, cool against the cheeks of my ass, as he effortlessly lifted me and I wrapped my legs around his waist.
“Little girls should be careful out in the woods by themselves,” he said, “ you never know who they might bump into.”
“Who are you? The big bad wolf or something?”
Whatever he was he was certainly big. Something very hard was desperate to get out of his jeans and inside me and I was desperate to have him. Right about now it felt like that was exactly what I needed. Something hard. Something big.
“Maybe... if that’s what you want.” He grinned at me lasciviously and howled playfully.
“What is it with me and wolves today?”
And just like that he went from playful and passionate, to Mr. Serious Official Business again.
“What did you say?
”
I made a vain attempt to distract him, pushing my chest forward, I’d seen him eyeing my breasts, I knew he wanted them, but he didn’t take the bait. The heat drained from the room as the mood evaporated.
As he released me I tugged my shirt back down, trying to cover myself and suddenly feeling self conscious about how I’d been behaving.
“Carrie. What did you say?”
“Wolves. I said what is it with me and wolves today.”
“What wolves?”
“Earlier. There was a wolf. Your bike scared it off.”
“And you didn’t think to mention it? Describe it.”
“Why would I think to mention it? It was big. Black. I thought it was going to eat me. And then it ran away.”
“Shit. You have to leave. You have to leave right now.” He grabbed me painfully by the shoulder and marched me out of the kitchen and back into the lounge. “Pack your bags. Go.”
I shook free of his grip and turned around to face him. It didn’t matter how good looking he was, I didn’t take kindly to being bossed around and manhandled in this manner.
“Look James or Jimmy or whatever, I don’t know you and I don’t know what’s going on and I definitely don’t know why I suddenly came over all slutty. That’s just not me. You’re hot, but you’re full of shit and I’m not going to do a damn thing until you...”
And then, before I could finish my rant, James dropped to a crouch, snarling. As he did some trick of the light made it look like his eyes had changed color, shifting from a piercing blue to a hazy glowing orange. At first I thought he was about to attack me, but he was looking past me. At the door.
As I turned there was a loud crack and then it flew open. There was an explosion of pain as it caught me on the side of my head and sent me spinning to the ground. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was a blur of white, hurtling through the doorway and crashing into James. The last thing I heard was the brutal crunch of breaking bones.
