Isabel and the Wolf: (Part 4)

by Ariana Hawkes

  “A beautiful combination,” he said, taking them from her. His feet were bare, and he had a damp, tousled look. It felt intimate, him letting her see him before he was prepared for the world. He kissed her on both cheeks again and led her through to a large kitchen-diner. It had a nice, earthy feel, with a rustic wooden table, like a smaller version of the one Marianna and Bill had, simple white tiling, and a huge oven. There were racks of herbs and spices, and a shelf of cookbooks.

  “Great kitchen!” she said.

  “I actually chose the place on the basis of the kitchen,” he said. “As soon as I saw it, I didn’t care what the rest of the house was like. I’ve kind of got a thing for cooking.” Isabel grinned at him in delight. She always thought that a man being into cooking was very sexy. “Wine, or beer?”

  “Oh, beer,” she said, and he handed her craft beer, icy from the refrigerator.

  “I’m sorry, I’ve still got a few things to do before our food’s ready. Would you believe, today, of all days, I got held up at work, so I’ve only been home for half an hour?”

  “That’s totally ok,” she said. “Maybe I can help you though?”

  “Help, no. But if you want to sit on the bench there and keep me company while I cook, I wouldn’t object!” She hoisted herself up onto the bench and crossed her legs. He was preparing a kind of casserole, putting lots of herbs and spices into it.

  “Are you ok with spicy?” he asked, hesitating over adding some chilies.

  “You bet,” Isabel said, watching him with fascination. She loved the way his strong forearms flexed as he bent to put the heavy dish in the oven.

  “Ok. That’s it for half an hour!” he said. He tore off a piece of kitchen paper and wiped his forehead. “Phew, it’s hot work!” He took a beer out of the refrigerator and clinked it against Isabel’s.

  “Sounds like you had a tough day?” she asked, as they went out to his garden. It was prettily decorated. There was a small table and chairs in white filigree metalwork, and colored lanterns were suspended on brackets from the fence on both sides of the garden. Tealight lanterns were arranged here and there. The night flowers were opening as the dusk sky toned down to navy, and the air was thick with their heady scent.

  “Oh, most of the day was fine. It’s rare that anything dramatic happens in this jurisdiction. There’s always some DUIs – partly due to the distances between places – and a few speeding tickets. Policing is mainly community liaison over here. But, just at the end of the day, an hour before my shift was due to finish, a girl came in, all battered and bruised. Her boyfriend was convinced she’d been cheating on him. She swore she hadn’t, but he knocked her about anyway. It was horrible to see her. She was a delicate little thing – built a bit like you – and she had a black eye and a cut lip. We left her with a female officer, and went to pay her shitbag boyfriend a visit. He didn’t hear us coming, because he was smoking dope and watching porn. When I got a-hold of him, it was all I could do not to – ” He broke off, the muscles in his jaw twitching. He looked like he needed a hug. Impulsively, she stood up.

  “Hey, c’mere.” She stretched her arms towards him and, to her relief, he stretched his arms out too and drew her into an embrace. As he squeezed her more tightly, it seemed natural to slip onto his lap.

  “I was so cut up about it, I thought I was gonna have to cancel on you tonight,” he mumbled into her hair. “But I’m so glad you’re here now.” She kissed his forehead.

  “I’m glad I’m here, too,” she whispered. His hair smelled of sandalwood shampoo, and she inhaled the scent of his skin at his temples. “It sounds like a really grueling experience. I hope that poor girl’s ok, and won’t go back to that animal!”

  “I’ve come across a few abused women in my time as a cop, and they do have a tendency to go back to their abusers.”

  “But why? If a guy hit me, I’d run like hell. After I’d hit him back, of course!” Jed smiled.

  “I don’t doubt it, feisty girl!” he said. “I think they’re in denial. They love these losers so much, and can’t believe that someone who claims to love them would hurt them. Either that, or they come from broken homes, and love and abuse have always been interchangeable in their minds.”

  “And this girl?”

  “I actually think she’ll be ok. The guy’s going to jail. He’s got a criminal history, so he’s probably going down for a couple of years at least. The girl said he was on his second and last chance with her, and I do believe her. She had a plan all set up if things didn’t work out. She’d already sent her kid to her mom’s place, and there’s a job for her over there too.”

  “Well, I hope she finds some peace,” Isabel said.

  Jed was looking at her in admiration, his forefinger lightly stroking her jaw. She bent her head and brought her mouth to his. He kissed her, lightly at first, then more deeply, his lips full and soft on hers and his tongue slipping into her mouth. Their tongues danced around each other, and Isabel sighed. His hand grasped her thigh and he pulled her closer, wrapping his other arm around her waist. Her hands rested on his shoulders, unconsciously massaging the bunched-up muscles. Their kisses became hungrier, more biting. As she adjusted her ass on his lap, she felt a hardness growing there. She couldn’t resist wriggling around a little, and he made a small sound, as it became more pronounced. Jed’s arousal increased her own, and she began to burn to feel him inside her. His hands moved up and down her torso, as far as the underwire of her bra. She willed him to move higher and caress her breasts, but he stayed infuriatingly out of reach. Still being the gentleman, she thought, with frustration. His pelvis gave a jerk and he moved back and forth a couple of times. Then, he stopped abruptly, breaking away from their kiss. He lifted her off his lap, and got to his feet, laughing.

  “Ok, if we don’t stop now, dinner is going to be burned to a crisp!” Isabel’s nerve endings fizzled in disappointment. But, as she followed Jed back into the house, the smell from the oven made her stomach growl. Jed removed the casserole dish from the oven. It smelled incredible.

  “I’ll open the wine,” she said, and uncorked the bottle of red she’d brought. Jed put some rice in a pan, and prepared a salad of cucumber and tomatoes, with fresh herbs. “So what’s this called? She asked, as Jed ladled the casserole onto two plates. It was rich and dark.

  “It’s a Turkish dish, from the east of the country, not far from the Middle East, which is why it’s a bit spicy. He added some yoghurt to the plates. “You might need some of this,” he said. He paused at the kitchen table. “I was planning to have dinner here, but maybe we could eat in the garden, if you’d like?”

  “Yes, let’s!” Isabel said, always keen to take advantage of an opportunity to be outside. Jed put a lantern on the outside table, and added bowls of rice and the salad.

  “Thank you, this is amazing!” Isabel said, when they were sitting at the table.

  “It’s an absolute pleasure,” Jed replied, flashing her his straightforward smile, which always made her heartbeat speed up. It was the smile of a man who was confident in his own skin, without being arrogant. It was also personal, somehow, giving her the feeling that he’d never smiled at anyone else like that before. The casserole tasted even better than it smelled. It was rich, complex, and fiery. Isabel ate most of the yoghurt and dived into the refrigerator to get some more.

  “Sorry!” Jed said, sheepishly.

  “No, I love it!” Isabel said. “The burn is part of the pleasure!”

  They chatted easily as they ate, finding out more about each others’ lives.

  “Does you family all live close by?” she asked.

  “No, my pack’s from the other side of Gila, actually.”

  “Your what?”

  “Oh, my family.” A flush darkened his cheek, fleetingly. “We’re Arizona natives. I came here because it was the first job that was available after I qualified, and I ended up staying because I loved Silver City.”

  “I think I’ve fallen in love with it too,�
� Isabel said. “I’m a big city girl, but I’ve always had a craving to live somewhere small, where everyone knows everyone.”

  “You don’t think you’ll get bored and move on after a year or two?”

  “I don’t think so,” she said. “And it looks like Kara – my friend you met at the dance – might be working down here soon, which will be great!”

  “Yeah, it’ll be awesome for you to have your best friend here! I can see you girls are pretty close.”

  “We are. We’re like sisters, really.”

  They finished eating, and Jed cleared the plates away and topped up their wine. They were both silent, staring out at the night. Isabel was full of a pleasant languidness. They both knew what was going to happen next, and there was no rush. Jed took her hand, and toyed with her fingers. His touch delivered a current of electricity to her skin, but still they sat quietly. His fingers moved to her sensitive inner wrist, her forearm, the soft crook of her elbow, her upper arm, the edge of her shoulder. They traced a path along her collarbone, dipping into the hollow at the base of her throat. While she kept looking forwards, as if nothing was happening, they travelled the length of her throat, up, over her chin, and then his thumb brushed over her lips, catching on the lower one. She turned her head quickly, and caught his thumb between her teeth, sucking it into her mouth. The expression in his eyes was intense, his pupils dilated. Finally, she stood up and went to sit on his lap. But this time, instead of turning sideways, she straddled him.

  “Where were we, before dinner interrupted us?” she asked. He wrapped his arms around her waist and began to kiss her passionately. His tongue probed her mouth, more forcefully than before. It was an arousing kiss, and an ache began to grow between her thighs again. She shuffled towards him, so that her pussy pressed against his waist. He groaned at the contact, and his hands moved onto her ass, pulling her closer. She could feel his hardness, as his hips made little jerks, leaving her in no doubt how much he wanted her. Keeping his mouth on hers, he pulled the strap of her shirt down, along with her bra strap. She shivered as his fingers slid into the valley of her cleavage and across the swell of her breasts. They edged further and further down, her flimsy clothing pushed aside, until his thumb grazed her nipple. Isabel drew in a sharp breath, and felt her nipple harden at his touch. He teased it, circling the areola, making the point harder and harder. Then, he pulled her straps down, until her breast was fully exposed, and took her nipple into his mouth. His tongue flicked over the sensitive bud, while his lips latched onto it, sucking gently. His other hand pulled the straps from her right shoulder, and closed on her other breast, caressing and kneading it. As Isabel watched him, a moan escaped her lips. It was a delicious sensation, being outside in Jed’s garden, her arms imprisoned by the straps of her clothing, while he sucked her bare nipples.

  “We should probably go inside,” he said at last, with a laugh. As Isabel stood up, she could feel that the crotch of her panties, and probably her pants, were damp.

  Jed led her through the house, up the stairs, and into his bedroom. She barely registered that it was tastefully decorated, in a minimalist style, with white bed sheets and fluffy pillows. It was lit by a couple of small lamps, leaving it appealingly dim, and bathed in a greenish glow. Holding both her hands, Jed walked her back to the bed. As the backs of her calves made contact with wood, she sat down, and allowed herself to fall backwards, so she was lying flat. For a moment, Jed stood and gazed down at her, his eyes dark with desire, before joining her on the bed. He lifted her shirt up, raising it over her belly and her breasts, before pulling it over her head and casting it aside. He ran his hand over her taut stomach muscles, a finger dipping into her sensitive belly button. Unfastening the button of her tight black pants, he eased the zipper down. She lifted her hips for him, and he pulled her pants down, sliding them off and casting them aside too. Crouched over her, he feasted his eyes on her body, murmuring appreciation of her matching underwear. She tingled all over with anticipation. This was the undressing she’d always fantasized about, but never experienced before. She sat up and unbuttoned the pale-blue shirt he was wearing. His chest was broad, with well-developed pecs, and deeply tanned with a light scattering of blond hair. She had a sudden urge to bite his flat brown nipples. Instead, she lay back, and he reached behind her to unclasp her bra. He removed it slowly, reverently. She thought he was going to kiss her breasts again, but instead, he took hold of the sides of her satin panties and eased them down, an inch at a time. When they’d slid as far as her thighs, he pulled them down swiftly, tossing them onto the pile of her other clothes. He regarded her body again, taking in her fair skin, her round breasts, and her rose-tinted nipples, with their hard, aching points. His eyes trailed over the plain of her stomach, and widened at the sight of her pussy. She’d shaved The Wolf’s strip off, and it was bare again. Jed made a small sound of appreciation. Her hips jerked of their own accord. As uncomfortable as it was having him staring at her naked body, it was also very arousing. He knelt down between her thighs. She lay still, feeling like a sexy offering. He brought his head down, close to her pussy, and gave her a firm lick, all the way along her cleft. She cried out in surprise and pleasure. He licked her again, his tongue sliding between her labia, and finding a tender spot right by her entrance. Then, she felt his tongue probing inside her. He’s got a really long tongue, just like – No! She stopped herself. She wasn’t about to think about Peter right now. She forced her mind to go blank, and concentrate on the sensation of Jed’s tongue sliding in and out of her instead. Before long, he moved up, his tongue feathering over her inner labia, and settling, at last, on her clit. She was so turned on that her clit felt taut and swollen, aching for his touch. He closed his lips around it, and licked and sucked it, much as he’d done with her nipples. She caught a fistful of his blond hair in her hand and moved him till he was exactly where she needed him, then she lost herself to the incredible rhythm of his tongue. Every breath was a sigh of pleasure, and she bit down on her lip to stop herself from making even more noise. She thought about how it would feel when Jed was finally inside her, his strong body between her thighs, thrusting in and out of her. She imagined how big he’d be; imagined the moment when he’d take his pants off and reveal himself to her. The thought was so hot, that she exploded in his mouth, in a throbbing orgasm, radiating out from her clit in multicolored stars.

  She lay motionless for a long time. Gradually, she became aware that both her hands were fisted in his hair. Embarrassed, she relinquished her grasp. Jed lifted his head with a sexy smile.

  “You’re some woman, Bella,” he said. He got to his feet and stood at the foot of the bed. Isabel lifted her head so she could see him properly. She watched as he unbuttoned his pants and slid the zipper down. He slipped his jeans off, and then his white cotton undershorts, and his cock sprang out, big and hard. He walked over to a set of drawers and took a foil packet out, then he returned to her. He arched over her, pushing her legs further apart.

  “I don’t want to hurt you, Bella,” he whispered.

  “You won’t,” she replied, noting that his cock was almost exactly the same size as the man’s who she wasn’t supposed to think about. The tip of his cock brushed her pussy and she sighed. Slowly, slowly, achingly slowly, he began to go inside her. She closed her eyes and abandoned herself to the now familiar sensation of her muscles yielding to something big, to the little ripples that ran through her pussy. At last, he was all the way in, his pelvis pressed against hers. She opened her eyes. He was looking down at her tenderly. He began to move in and out, the friction of his cock setting her on fire. He kissed her the whole time, deeply, passionately, as he made measured thrusts. This wasn’t fucking; it was making love!

  Jed began to move faster, and Isabel’s breath came in pants and moans as he rocked her pelvis, bumping against her clit with every thrust. The rhythm was building and building, and her muscles rippled in tiny spasms. Abruptly, he pulled out of her.

  “Turn over,”
he whispered in her ear. Her heart sank.

  “But I like it like this,” she replied. He looked into her eyes. Although the room was dark, she could see the amber stars that usually burst from his eyes in bright light.

  “I’m sorry Bella. It’s just that I can’t come like this,” he said, his expression beseeching.

  “You can only come from behind?”

  “Yes.”

  “How about if I was on my back, but with my eyes covered?” she said, in a sharp voice.

  “I would never ask you to do that Bella. But yes. That would work.” Isabel pressed on his chest, pushing him away, as she slithered out from underneath him.

  “Jed, is there some other reason why you can’t come if I’m looking at you?” she demanded. He shook his head minutely, as if making up his mind, then he nodded, looking down. “Tell me what it is.”

  “I can’t,” he muttered.

  “I suspect I know already. But, if you don’t tell me, I’m leaving right now!” He met her gaze again, and his eyes were full of anguish.

  “Isabel, I can’t tell you. I just can’t.” Anger and disappointment washed over her in a tidal wave.

  “Fine!” she yelled. “I’m leaving.” She reached for her clothes and pulled them on in seconds.

  “Bella, please don’t go,” Jed said, his voice full of pain.

  “All you have to do is explain.”

  “I can’t. It’s about more than just me. I’m sorry.” Taking a last, sad look at him, Isabel stormed out of his bedroom, ran down the stairs and out into the night. She got into her Mini Cooper and started driving. She was probably over the alcohol limit, but there was no way she was going to wait around for a taxi.