He shrugged, “I like working with wood as much as flowers.”
“I’ll have to see about that.”
Jeff blushed, but it only took him a second to recover before he gave me a sly grin and nodded to the kitchen, “Come on, I want to show you your pool.” He turned on his heel and strode through the kitchen which was as gorgeous as the rest and out of a door next to the fridge.
We walked out into a rather large yard, you couldn’t see the wooden fence from this side because they had beautiful tall bushes in front of it with red flowers that I could smell from where I stood. A lovely brick patio that had a large gas grill to my right. To my left, there was a brick fire pit built into the landscaping with cushy chairs and lounges spread in a circle around it. Right in front of me, however, there was the biggest private pool I had ever seen, and it was beautiful. Big enough to hold at least fifty humans and another twenty in the Jacuzzi off the side, a stone waterfall as well as a slide, and a diving board.
Unfortunately, while I would fit in my shifter form, no one else would be able to get in there with me, and I’d probably make a mess of the water as well.
“It’s so beautiful Jeff, but I’m afraid—”
“Afraid of what?”
“That I might break something.”
“Don’t be ridiculous the pool was shifter built, for shifters by shifters. It can fit several polar bears at the same time.”
“I’m a lot bigger than a polar bear.”
“Show me.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
Jeff’s stepped in my line of vision with a smile that could melt girls’ panties off. He took my backpack off my shoulder and my purse from my hand, walked several feet and set them next to one of the chairs. “According to google you should fit, and according to me I think taking a swim with you is a very good idea.”
“I don’t know, it’s a bit cool out and what if there’s a plane above us? I’ll be seen.”
Jeff smiled then went to a large metal box along the side of the wall and flipped open the front revealing a control panel and promptly hit a couple buttons and there was a noise of machinery being turned on. Jeff was instantly at my side, took my hand, and led me to the edge of the pool. By the time we got there, bubbles from the jets were causing ripples and steam began to rise. Then there was another loud noise as about ten feet from the edge of the pool glass panels began to rise on three of the four sides. I watched in fascination as they reached nearly thirty feet above our heads then I saw sparks from up all the edges as a shimmering magical barrier was formed along the top creating a large arch.
“Wow, that’s incredible.”
Jeff laughed, “I landscaped several of the leadership fey properties. They were more than willing to help me not have a big ugly barrier ruining my aesthetic. They created the top for me. From below I can make it show anything I want, from above it a no one ever takes a swim. So, you have no excuse not to get into the water.”
“But—”
“No buts. Get into the pool.”
“I’m beginning to think you just want to see me strip naked.”
Jeff didn’t have the decency to say no as he grinned and shrugged his shoulders. The way his eyes were devouring me made me feel bold and beautiful. I wondered if he would still make me feel the same way when he saw me naked. I’d never stripped in front of a man before, embarrassingly, I was still a virgin at eighty-six. But at that moment I felt brave and decided there was a first time for everything.
“Okay then.” I walked about twenty-feet away from him along the edge of the pool then turned and faced him. I took off my jacket and tossed it to the side as I kicked off my flats. Then unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans; tugging them down to my ankles before stepping out of them. Jeff was staring at me as I had never been before. His eyes were slightly glazed and were clenching his hands into fists like he was stopping himself from doing something. I crossed my arms in front of me and grabbed the sides of my tee shirt and slowly lifted it above my head and tossed it aside.
Jeff took a step forward with an almost crazed expression on his face then grabbed his own thigh and squeezed for a second. Dark course hair spread along his hand and there were little pinpricks of blood where his claws had extended into his own thigh muscle. It was taking every ounce of his will not to devour me where I stood. I reached around and unsnapped my bra but left it on my shoulders as I hooked my panties with both thumbs and bent at the waist as I pulled them down my thighs letting my bra fall down my arms. I let both go at the same time, took a breath to steady myself before I stood up slowly revealing myself to him completely.
I wasn’t sure what I expected. The guys in my pod weren’t timid about telling me what they thought of my body; fatass was their favorite insult, but there were too many to count. I saw none of that in Jeff’s face and demeanor, however, he was barely hanging on by a thread. I wondered if he’d enjoy my back as much as the front as I turned on my heel and walked to the furthest side of the pool. I still wanted to know what he was thinking about–what he was seeing–but when I turned around, no wish was needed to know. I could see it all right there in the way that his body had grown and not only were his hands covered in fur but his forearms as well. The blood has spread down his thigh where he still dug his claws. I stepped to the edge, raised my arms into a T, then brought them together above my head and dove into the pool.
I stayed underwater until I reached where I could stand on my feet before I surfaced. Jeff had moved to the edge of the pool and was staring at me intensely. He had let go of his thighs and had his arms crossed over his bare chest; he must have taken his shirt off when I was under the water. My Goddess, he was spectacular, and that made me feel a little self-conscious about myself until I noticed how excited he was; he didn’t need to take his pants off for that.
When I finally raised my eyes from the bulge in his pants, it was the knowing cocky face of Jeff. He raised his eyebrows and grinned even larger.
“I’m still not sure this is a good idea,” I pleaded.
“Oh, I think what’s happening here is a fanfuckingtstic idea.”
“And what do you think is going to happen here?”
“I’m not sure.” He shrugged, but his expression told me he knew exactly what he wanted to happen. “But I can’t wait to find out.” He stared into the water, and I could tell he was staring at my naked body underneath the water. “Show me,” He said, and I had to oblige.
Shifting came easy for me. I was one of the quickest in my pod so I knew it wouldn’t take Jeff long to see his big mistake. It took barely a thought for my body to shift. Jeff was right, I did fit length and width wise within the pool; I was only thirty-five feet long, but he forgot about volume. My expanding form pushed the water out into a giant wave dousing Jeff and the walls of the enclosure. The pool wasn’t deep enough for me to swim underneath the water but I was able to do a couple belly rolls to feel the magic in the energy restore my strength. In all honesty, Walt and the others were absolutely right, shifting did make me feel so much better. When I caught Jeff’s expression standing there resembling a drowned rat, I started laughing. I’m not really sure how I sounded, but the glass walls shook a little.
I swam close enough to stretch my ten-foot long neck close to him so he could see my face up close. He was in awe as he lifted his hand and gently stroked my cheek, “You are magnificent.”
I moved my head back and changed back to human almost instantly, “And you are all wet.” I laughed, “I told you this wasn’t a good idea. I hope I didn’t break anything, granted I did warn you.” When I laughed again, I noticed his expression change. He was staring at me so intensely I glanced down. I had pushed so much water out of the pool that it came to my waist, exposing my breasts which were jiggling with every laugh. Jeff growled, and I looked up in time to see him step out of his pants and jump into the pool. His expression, I’d never seen before; he was a man on a mission as he stalked me like prey.
&nb
sp; I was frozen in place watching his approach. He was taller than me, so it took a second for his excitement to be hidden by the water.
“With your wish, you feel nothing right now, huh?” Jeff’s voice was a deeper tenor than before and it elicited a new batch of butterflies in my belly.
“I’m not sure what I’m feeling.”
“I can help you with that.”
He reached me and stared intensely into my eyes as he lifted his hand stroked my cheek along my neck over my collarbone down my shoulder and arm ending at my fingertips. Then he threaded his fingers through mine and lifted my hand, so it was touching his chest. “What do you feel right now?”
I sighed and closed my eyes, “I feel divine.” And I did, it wasn’t the oversexed crazed feeling that I had before. It was soft and comforting, my body felt at peace. Like as long as I was next to this man, touching him, I was normal, whole, and complete once again. But then the sensations started to change. A throbbing I had never felt before in my clit reached a feverish pace. He moved his free hand to my left breast, stroking my nipple until it tightened into a tiny pebble. “What do you feel now.” He whispered in my ear, and my entire body shook once from the goosebumps.
“I uh—”
Jeff pinched my nipple; stars burst behind my eyes and I gasped at the sensation that it left behind. Jeff moved both hands to below my ass and pulled me closer then lifted me up high enough to wrap my legs around his waist. My clit landed right where it was meant to be and the sudden pressure from his erect cock relieved the throbbing for a few seconds before it increased in intensity once again. It wasn’t enough for me, my body wanted more, I wanted everything. My mind, however, was in a battle of wills at that moment. One side of me was fighting for the impossible, the other rehashed old fears that I would never meet my—
“Mate,” Jeff mumbled before he slammed his mouth down on mine.
I responded instantly, kissing him as hard as he was kissing me and wrapped my arms around his neck. Everywhere his body touched mine the sensations were almost overwhelming yet not enough at the same time. He pulled me in tighter against its length as he walked with me to the edge of the pool pushing my back up against the side and grinding himself into me.
While I felt incredible, with my cursed condition, I still wasn’t convinced that what I was feeling was real. What if it’s because Jeff’s the only man that ever touched me this way? What if I just haven’t felt anything for so long these feelings are heightened? What if this was some cosmic joke brought by the Fates to punish me for my original wish? What if—
He abruptly stopped kissing me and looked deep into my eyes, “What do I need to do to convince you this is real?” I was a little taken aback, it was as if he heard my thoughts and then said, “You know why.”
I knew my mom and dad could communicate telepathically and other mated couples that did as well, if he heard my thoughts that had to mean one thing, right? But still, maybe I was horny because some unbelievably hot guy seemed interested in my body.
“You know that’s not it. Don’t get me wrong, I do love your body. But you know this is more than that. I want to hear you say what you know to be true.”
“I want it to be true, but, how fair is it to you? I’m unfeeling.”
“That’s not true. I can feel you right now.”
“Because you’re touching me at the moment. What about all the other times? It would bother me if I were in your position.”
“I knew the moment I saw you, there was no doubt you were my mate. Didn’t you know?”
“I shook my head, “No, sorry. I thought you were hot but felt nothing until you touched me. Maybe I wouldn’t be so doubtful if I had experienced what you did.”
“Listen, we wouldn’t be mates if the Fates didn’t have a plan for us regardless of your wish, trust that. Trust me.” He squeezed my ass and pushed into me.
I wanted to, I wanted to trust him and the situation more than anything, but I didn’t. I felt stupid for making that wish in the first place, frustrated that I didn’t experience our first meeting as he did, and jealous that he got to experience so much when I was usually dead to the world. Grrr, that was the shittiest part, not feeling as he did, “I wish I could feel how you feel—”
BOOM!
Chapter Five
The explosion came from where Jeff had set down my bag. He squeezed me tighter and shifted slightly as if we were under attack and he was protecting me. Over his shoulder and could see little pieces of clothing and other items raining down on my now destroyed suitcase with Jenn dressed in her Jinn garb looking victorious in the center.
“I knew you’d need me,” Jenn said before her eyes widened when she took in the scene: Jeff’s bare ass and my arms and legs wrapped around him. She smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. “This is much more pleasant than I imagined. I figured you would mess up when you were in a perilous state. Would you like to explain what the hell is going on here?” She took her time checking out Jeff’s backside nodding in approval, “In great detail, if you don’t mind.”
“I do mind,” Jeff growled at her and then asked me, “What the fuck is going on?”
“That’s what I said!” Jenn exclaimed and walked toward the edge of the pool.
Jeff ignored her and asked again, “Who is she and what is she doing here?”
“I’m standing right here, you know.” Jenn tapped her curl-toed genie shoe and waited until she had Jeff’s full attention. “I’m Jenn, and had a feeling Edi might need my help so I stuck my lamp in her bag and here I am!” She seemed so damn proud of herself but at the same time slightly ridiculous.
“Nice outfit,” I teased.
Jenn looked down like she hadn’t realized what she was wearing: sheer harem pants, her busty boobs spilling out of her low-cut midriff bikini top, both were black, accented with gold sequins and coins. Her golden tattoos that only showed when called to duty covered most of her skin–it stretched all the way down both arms and hands as well as her belly, back, and legs. Her bright red hair was covered by a turban with a giant purple crystal hanging to the middle of her forehead. She was beautiful, she always is.
She shrugged, “What did you expect? You said it, and now I’m on duty.” Her eyes widened as did mine. “Holy Shiite, it wasn’t for something simple, or I wouldn’t be dressed this way, and it would be completed. It’s a big one, isn’t it?”
“I wished I could feel how he feels.” I pointed at Jeff’s head.
Jenn eyeballed Jeff and took in our compromised state, then shrugged, smiled and said, “That might not be too bad. It could be like, double the pleasure, double the fun.” And proceeded to make some hip thrusting motions accompanied by a bow-chicka-bow-wow.
Jeff watched her for a moment before turning to me, “Who is she? And why is she standing in our backyard uninvited while we’re naked.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Mister. I only show up if I’m invited; it’s part of my genetic code.”
“And what is that, exactly?”
Jenn held her hands in front of her chest and batted her genetically superior eyelashes, “I’m Jenn, Edi’s best friend, plesio pod member, and a Jinn. I love long walks on the beach, magic carpet rides, and think people that hurt animals are meanies!”
“She’s the genie whose wishes always go bad?” He asked with concern.
“I am not a genie,” Jenn said with the sneer she always uses when folks make that mistake. It was a bit of a sore subject. While distantly related, Genies were the offspring of a Jinn and Fey union, they were not born tied to an object, they were not obligated to grant wishes, they weren’t the universe’s answer to punish those who want to jump to the front of the line
“Most of them go bad.” Jenn crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, “Mine just have minds of their own.” She glanced at us, “Besides, I have a little magic in me.” She pointed at us, and our discarded clothes then snapped her fingers. Our clothes instantly appeared on our bodies. Unfortunately,
we were still in the pool, so they were soaked. Jenn’s eyes widened, “Whoops.”
“Not much though, huh?” Jeff carried me to the side of the pool.
“Not much what?” Jenn replied.
“Non-wish related magic.” He helped me out and then climbed out behind me and shook off the excess water like a dog.
“I’m not that bad! That was a simple mistake because you got me riled up from the whole Jinn-Genie thingy.” Jeff put his hands on his hips and stared at Jenn until she said, “Whatever.” And snapped her fingers again. Out of nowhere, a hurricane force wind hit us. Any small decorative items instantly flew from their proper places crashing against the back wall of the dome with some of the lighter furniture following. Jeff and I had to grab ahold of the more substantial items as they slid past us, our legs lifted from the ground and we probably looked like a couple of windsocks. The wind stopped as suddenly as it started causing us to drop to the ground in a heap.
“See, all better!” Jenn announced cheerfully once it was quiet again.
Jeff got up and surveyed the damage, “All better!?!”
“Oh, I can fix—”
“No! It’s fine, I’ll clean up myself later.” He gave me a hand up.
“Are you sure because it’s just a snap—”
“I’m sure, I’m positive. Now put those things away before you break something.”
Jenn huffed, “Fine.”
“Good,” Jeff said. They stared at each other for a moment before Jeff asked, “Can you stop it?”
“Stop what, the wonk-a-doodle?”
“Wonk-a-doodle?”
“The W word isn’t in the Jinn’s vernacular. Too risky, so they substitute, although Jenn’s substitutions are a bit more creative than most.”
“Okay, can you stop the wonk-a-doodle?”
“You don’t have to say it, you’re not in possession of my lamp. And nope, that’s the first rule; once a wanker is made, it cannot be unmade.”
“I’m so sorry, Edi,” Jeff said with a crack in his voice.
Covet the Curves: a Romance Collections Anthology Page 5