by Ivy Hayes
Well, it was, “Alright, sure. But we won’t stay out long.”
“You never know,” he responds, his voice full of wonder and mystery.
As we head back outside, I ask, “How are you so calm with all of this impending doom?” I move my arms around to emphasize.
“This is par for the course with me. My father has always been more on the side of violence and worrying about what he will do next would have just driven me crazy growing up. I know he is going to make a move and we will just get through it, like I always do.”
“Oh, Parker that sounds miserable.”
He shrugs my comment off, “It’s just the way it is.”
I reach down and grasp his hand in mine, interlocking our fingers as we walk and look forward down the road, trying not to imagine what the next few days are going to bring, or dwell on the upheaval that has already happened.
I am almost in shock by how normal everything seems in town. Everyone is moving at the same slow pace they always do. People are stopped on the streets to talk to their neighbors, others are weaving in and out of shops, oblivious to the danger coming our way. That will change soon, I have no doubt Grant has already spread word among the men, who will be pulling their wives and children home, close and safe in no time. That makes me realize I forgot all about my class.
“Oh. I will have to cancel school for the coming days. You know, just to be safe.”
“That is probably for the best,” he agrees.
Ahead of me, working at her parent’s vegetable stand was Maci, one of the older girls, I point at her and say, “Let’s stop over there and I will tell Maci, she should be able to spread the message to all the others by tonight.”
As we approach, Maci sees me and smiles, “Miss Gwen, how are you today?”
“Hello, Maci, I have had better days.” I motion over to Parker, “This is Parker, he is the one who gave us all those books.”
“Really?” She started looking Parker over, absorbing as many details as she could about him, no doubt preparing to tell the other girls all she saw.
Parker extended his hand to Maci, “It’s nice to meet you, Maci,” and she grasped his hand a gave it a shake.
She giggled, “Likewise.”
“I hate to say, but I have some bad news to pass on,” Maci looks back at me, the hint of a blush still on her face, I continue, “I have to cancel classes until further notice.”
“Does this have to do with the trouble from Westhaven?” She asks.
“It does. I don’t want any of you out and about more than is necessary.”
“I figured as much. I hope it will all be over soon, I am almost finished with the book I borrowed.”
I smile, “I’ll tell you what, if you pass this on to the other girls, you can swing by this afternoon and pick up a few more books from the classroom.”
“I can do that! I already have my next one picked out.”
I envy the innocence of the young girl. I can tell she does not understand the gravity of the situation, that we might be going to battle, and people will die. I feel helpless, knowing I can’t do much to preserve her outlook on the world, it will all depend on the turning tides of fortune and on how this all plays out.
“That’s good. Just don’t forget to pass the message along.”
“I won’t, I promise,” she grins at me and I grin back.
“Alright, well we are going to continue on our way. It was good to see you Maci and I will let you all know when classes resume.”
“Bye, Miss Gwen. Bye, Parker.” She giggles after saying his name.
We wave to her as we head away from the stand. A short time later we are walking out of the bakery holding a small box of my favorite chocolates and a scone for Parker. We decided against spending more time in town, we figured it would be safer to be close to home and that way, Parker could help deal with Theo, whenever he appeared.
When we are safely out of earshot of the town, Parker says, “It seems like a small thing, with everything else going on, but it isn’t, it’s huge. How have you been dealing with your new ability?”
I expected this conversation, sooner or later.
“It’s actually okay. I fear people other than you or my family finding out, but I don’t plan on doing anything reckless that will expose me.”
“You’re brave.”
“I don’t know about that.” I try and gloss over that, I am not that brave because most of my family are shifters, making me feel secure and safe.
“What does it feel like?”
“It’s fantastic, I get to experience everything all over again, with a whole new prospective. My other form has heightened senses and I am starting to discover things I had never noticed before. I am dying to shift again.”
“Well, you can shift in front of me, whenever you would like.”
My mouth quirks into a grin and I have a feeling it is for more reasons than the shifting, surely he knows I would have to get naked before I do. At some point during the talk, our hands found each other, and he was holding onto it tight as we made our way back towards home. We are nearly there and, not for the first time, I wished we lived slightly further out of town.
Right before I open the front door, Parker stops me, “Gwen, what do you say we enjoy our snacks in my room?”
“Parker,” I gasp, in mock outrage, “are you implying what I think you are implying?”
He grins and nods, “Yes.”
“You are bold,” I laugh, “but how could I turn down an invitation as tempting as that?” I say with a wink.
His voice is breathy, “Let’s go, then.”
We both enter my home, walking at a torturous, normal pace until we make it up the stairs. Thankfully we don’t see anyone on the landing, so the coast is clear.
TWENTY-EIGHT – GWEN
The door closes and our treats are all but forgotten. Parker is looking at me with lust filling his eyes and my body instantly floods with warmth. He grasps my hips and pulls me forward, into his. As soon as we make contact, I can feel his arousal already present.
Our lips meet, and it sends a ripple of pleasure through my body. I wrap my arms around Parker’s shoulders, deepening our embrace. He responds by burying his hands in my hair. Our lips are moving together, bold and exploratory. Our bodies are melded, but it is not enough.
Parker reaches down and grasps my backside in both of his hands, the next second, he has me in the air and pressed against the closed door of his room. It was so sudden, I find myself gasping for breath. Sensing this, he breaks off from my lips and starts trailing kisses down my neck and collarbone, teasing with his featherlight touches.
He lifts me up again, and this time, I wrap my legs around his waist. I am immediately rewarded with the feeling of his erection pressing against my core. I moan at the contact. It is my turn to run my hands through his long hair, and I yank his face back up towards mine. I am loving his gentle kisses along my exposed collarbone, but I need to claim his mouth with my own again.
I flick out my tongue to meet his and Parker moans into my mouth. He carries me away from the wall and places me gently on the bed. We are separated for a few moments while I scoot further up, watching as he rips off his shirt.
I am drawn to his chest. It is strong and muscular, peppered with a spatter of dark hair, matching the mane on his head. My eyes trail down, following the path as it leads down the length of his midsection, disappearing under his waistline to meet with the coarse hair around his manhood. I see the bruises from his accident with Powder and I wince at how much pain he must be in. I crawl forward and give the worst bruise a gentle kiss. I hear Parker suck in a breath above me, but I don’t let it distract me from my exploration of his spectacular body.
I am surprised to see behind the bruise a mess of once healed injuries, the scars running at random over his skin. I touch them, and he stills under my fingers.
“Parker, I didn’t notice all of these the last time.”
Instead of spe
aking, he responds my lifting my hand from its location on his skin and bringing them to his mouth. He kisses it with the same gentleness he showed earlier at the door. Holding my arm outright, he starts a trail, kissing down the length of my arm, crossing over my shoulder and arriving at the mound of my breast that is pushed up from my tight dress. He grasps them in his hands and massages them with a soft fury.
The friction of his hands through the material of my dress sends immediate pings of pleasure, flooding my center with moisture. Parker buries his head in my cleavage and I hear him say, “I love your breasts, they are so soft, so luscious.”
I moan and arch myself forward, trying to give him more access to the peaks he likes so much.
“Undress for me, I want to taste them.”
My nipples perk to tight points at his words, eager for his attentions. I don’t waste any time doing as requested.
This time, he does not help with my laces, instead he stares at me through lust filled eyes as my dress gets looser around my chest. Finally, I have enough slack to lower it down. I expose my nipples to him first, then slide the soft material down until it is at my hips. I feel unashamed, baring my upper half to him in such a way, and the penetration of his gaze on my body sends a fresh buzz through my center.
Parker pushes me back, gently so I am laying on the bed. In my prone position, he helps relieve me of the rest of my outfit, slowly sliding it over my hips and down my legs until there is nothing but air covering me. I shiver, but not from the cold, instead from his stare of pure desire.
I feel featherlight kisses making their way down my body. First to my taut nipples, suckling them until I am begging him for more. He chuckles then continues his slow path down my body, kissing my stomach then the smooth skin surrounding my core. Parker teases me with his touch, by getting close to my slit but bypasses it to kiss the skin on the other side. I let out a frustrated sound.
He stops a hairs breath away from touching me where I need it most then says, “Now, Gwen, would you like me to taste your sweet folds?”
The heat of his spoken words sends shutters through my body, all I can manage is a barely breathed out, “Yes.”
He runs a finger up the inside of my thigh, causing goosebumps in its wake. He plunges that finger deep in my heat and I buck my hips up with the suddenness. Parker immediately retracts his finger.
“I need you to keep your hips flat on the bed during this, can you do that for me?”
“I can. I will do anything, right now, just don’t stop.”
He accepts my answer and plunges his finger back inside me, while simultaneously surrounding my clit with his soft lips. He moves his finger slowly in and out of me and uses his tongue to tease my outer folds, that plus the harsh sensation of his beard running across the smooth skin of my inner thighs is more than enough to build me to a sweet release.
My breath is growing shallower and my hips burn to grind into his face, but I fear him stopping if I move too much, so I lay still and lose myself if the skill of his attentions. Parker senses my growing excitement and increases the speed and pressure at which he is devouring my hidden parts.
I am so close, I can feel the ultimate pleasure building inside me.
He reaches his free hand up and starts fondling my breast at the same rhythm he is pumping his finger inside me and at that moment, I fall apart into a million pieces. I feel the sensation of this orgasm travel from my head to my toes, making me lose parts of myself for a few short seconds. His tongue does not stop, drawing my orgasm out longer and I find my hands clutching the blankets as if they are the only thing holding me onto this surface.
I am gasping from the sensation when he makes his way up to my mouth and kisses me deeply. I can taste myself on his lips and it drives even more desire inside of me.
I want to touch him, pleasure him the same way he just did me, but I don’t know how that would work for a man, so instead, I settle with exploring using my hand.
Tentatively, I find his bulge through his still on pants and rub it with my hand, marveling at the thickness of the girth I feel. Parker moans into my mouth and grinds his hips against my hand, encouraging my movements. It’s obvious he likes this, and I want to give him more, so I make my way through the top of his waistband and touch him without the barrier of our clothes. Parker’s breath quickens on top of me and I his shaft gets impossibly thicker under my caress. I am encouraged by his reaction and grip firmer.
Parker sucks in a breath, “Yes, Gwen, just like that.”
I keep up my movements, kissing Parker as I do. Touching him this way is more enjoyable than I thought it could be and in no time at all, my hips are grinding against my hand and his body. Both of us are panting in excitement and by the time Parker starts to pull away to undress, I know I am more than ready.
I prop myself on my elbows to watch him strip out of the last threads of clothes, admiring the vast strength of his entire, chiseled and perfect, body. I would have like to watch him longer, but as soon as his erection springs free from his pants, he is back on the bed and hovering over me.
Parker immediately goes for my straining nipples, taking one in his mouth and massaging the other. I feel the tip of his engorgement prying itself into my opening and I try and arch forward to bring it in more.
Parker lets out a breathy chuckle, “Are you ready for me, Gwen?”
I would think my dripping wet entrance would be enough to convince him, but I respond anyway, “I am more than ready.”
He continues his attention on my nipples, and I feel his hips starts to move forward, pushing himself further inside of me. I stretch to take him all in and can feel small spasms pass through my lower half at the welcome of his massive girth. Parker does not stop until he is buried all the way inside me, then he grinds his hips in a circular motion, causing a ping of pleasure to bounce through my body.
This time feels infinitely times better than the pain I experienced when he first entered me last time, and I am grateful for it. I don’t have to wait for the adjustment of my body, instead, I can comfortably move and try and take him in further. I mimic his movements and start grinding my hips in the same circular motion. Parker releases his grip on my nipples, so he can straighten and have a deeper control of his thrusts.
We move together as if we had been doing it for years, and he knows just how to make me feel wild. Our breaths mingle together as we increase the speed and intensity of our lovemaking and it isn’t long before I feel my release rising. I cling to my partner, digging my nails into his back, as if I am letting him know the extent of my excitement.
Parker takes the cue and plunges his cock harder inside me. That is all it took, and my orgasm erupted inside of me. I moan loudly and without abandon. My insides clench all over him and an instant later, Parker’s grunts of ecstasy join my own. He keeps moving inside of me until we both collapse under the weightlessness the sex brought.
He flops on his back and pulls me tight on top of him, holding my close and stroking my arm as my breathing finally returns to normal. For a time, our only movement is the rising and falling of our chests. I find myself starting to drift to sleep when Parker’s voice stirs me out of the exhaustion.
“Gwen, I want to marry you.”
“You’re going to bring this up again? With everything that is going on?”
“That is exactly why I am going to say it. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, nor where I will be after all this is settled. The only truth I know is I am infatuated with you, I have been since the moment I met you.”
“But I was yelling at you.”
“I know,” he chuckled, “and rightly so. You looked beautiful, being that animated.”
“So, is that why you want to marry me? I am a beautiful hot head?”
“That is one of the many reasons.”
“But have you really thought about it? Everything has changed, the plans have all changed.”
He shakes his head, “None of that matters. Don’t you see, Gwe
n, I want to be with you.”
“Of course, it matters,” I sit up and look him in the eyes, “even if all of us survive the strife, there is no way my father is going to support this marriage, not now. He wouldn’t trust your father enough to even let me visit. And, what about my shifting? You can’t have a shifter wife, I would have to hide it, or risk our ruin, forever.”
Parker grasps my hand in his, “No, Gwen. I would protect your secret and I will always keep it and you safe. We can handle our parents, if we want this, they won’t be able to stop us. Hell, it might even achieve its first goal and stop any conflict.”
“This is just all so sudden.”
“I know,” he brushes the side of my face with his hand, “but with how strongly I care for you, I don’t want to risk waiting, not when tomorrow could bring anything to our doors.”
I can’t bring myself to say anything, so he continues.
“I can’t promise you any grand future, but I can promise you love. I will love you until my heart stops beating.”
I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear his declaration of love until it passed my lips. Suddenly it all felt right. He loves me, and I love him, probably more. I have felt this way for a while, but I hadn’t put words to thoughts.
“I love you, Parker.” We will make this work. He is the one I have been waiting for, I just can’t believe the circumstances that brought him to me.
Parker pulled me into him and kissed the crown of my head. I fell into his embrace and let his warmth cradle me, enjoying the feeling of the man I love holding me. Despite the comfort, my mind is spinning with plans and thoughts. I try not to panic with all the different outcomes and dangers that are coming our way.
As if sensing my distress, Parker says, “Everything will work out, you will see.”
I want to believe him, but I don’t know if I fully can.
“Only time will tell. We should get going.” It is time for us to head back to the rest of the house, there is bound to be more preparation we can help with.