APPETITE

by Kathyrn, Lorraine

  Damien stopped walking and turned to face her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I am in the mood for something wild. Something untamed. A lush feast, dolcezza." He winked at her and dropped his hands. "You have three minutes. Run."

  "Ru...run?" Charlie squeaked, her nerves suddenly on fire as she thought of him catching her.

  "Run," he whispered, moving behind her and bending down to nip her ear as he gave her a playful swat on her behind. It was enough to get Charlie moving and, with an excited squeal, she took off running. Damien sat and patiently waited for three minutes to pass.

  She ran down the path they had traveled the night she found out what he was, veering into the same field and coming to a halt. She looked around and knew she would never make it to the woods on the edge of the field in three minutes. But maybe he didn't know that. She turned to her left and saw a large outcropping of boulders and decided to go there first. Maybe she could fake him out and circle back to the house. She started towards the boulders and stopped again, thinking. Don't I want to be caught? she asked herself, moving again towards the boulders. Yeah, but I think the longer I make him chase the more enjoyable it may be when he catches me. She laughed quietly and sprinted towards the big rocks, squatting down and hiding behind them.

  Damien rose and started down the path after her, nose in the air to catch her scent. He smiled, practically trotting in her footsteps, although he paused when he realized she hadn't run for the trees, but opted to run towards some boulders in the middle of the field. He could just make out her shadow and knew she was peeking at him. He slowed his pace, head up as he picked up the scent of her arousal mixing in with the natural lavender and chamomile scent that stirred his wolf.

  Charlie watched him approach and silently cursed herself for not running for the trees. She moved around the boulder, trying to be as silent as possible, waiting for the moment to break for the trees. She knew he would catch her quickly, was looking forward to it, and had to fight down a gleeful laugh. She peeked around the side of the boulder and saw him approaching on the other side and took off, running as fast as she could and laughing like a loon.

  Damien laughed and took off after her, content to follow her for a bit, enjoying the building tension in himself. His eyes traced the shape of her legs as she ran, watching them flex and stretch beneath her jeans, remembering how they felt when they flexed against his skin. He let his eyes continue up as he chased after her, seeing the way her hips swayed, the way she leaned forward, how the dark chocolate silk of her hair bounced against her back and shoulders. He felt a nearly overpowering surge of lust and knew that he had to stop the chase now, to wait any longer would be to risk his wolf taking over.

  Charlie shrieked with laughter when she felt Damien's arms grab her around her waist and lift her up. He spun her around, falling to the ground and pulling her on top of him, laughing with her as he rolled them over and pinned her beneath him. He caught her mouth with his, cutting off her laugh and kissing her deeply, pushing his way into the cradle of her legs. His cock, hard again, lay against the seam of her jeans and he rubbed against her.

  All playfulness left her at the contact. She wanted him, and she wanted him immediately. They quickly had her completely undressed, breaking the kiss only to pull of her clothes, her hands scrambling to pull him to her, inside her. Damien could feel her need, and it fed his, inflaming it until he thought it would consume him if he waited. He thrust inside her roughly as she wrapped her legs around him, nearly coming at finding her so wet. He began a ruthless rhythm, pounding his hips against her, the force moving her forward with every thrust. He put his hands on her head, trying to hold her in place. They savagely kissed through their moans and cries, Charlie's orgasm seemingly endless. The squeezing tremors of her pussy around his cock proved too much for him, and he came, tearing his mouth from hers with a loud growl, using everything he had to keep from shifting and marking her.

  They lay together, tangled and panting in the moonlit field, not speaking for a while. Damien lowered his head to her neck, trying to gather his wits as well as his strength. He couldn't believe he had been so forceful, so rough with her. He raised his head to look at her face, but he couldn't tell what she was feeling or guess what she was thinking. Her eyes were on the sky, her look far away; not happy, not sad, it was...content. As if there was nowhere in the world she would rather be than naked in a field with Damien. She gave a deep sigh.

  "Dolcezza," he began, his voice soft as her eyes found his. She saw the apology in them and cut him off.

  "Don't you dare, cowboy. Don't you dare say you're sorry for what just happened."

  "I was too rough, I could have-"

  "No," she cut him off again, placing her fingers against his lips. "That was wonderful, Damien. Please don't apologize for it."

  "But I nearly changed, Charlie," he said, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand.

  "I know." She cupped his face and lifted her head to kiss him. "But you didn't, so don't apologize, okay?"

  "I love you so much, Charlotte," he whispered, planting soft little kisses on her lips. He pulled out of her, moving to her side and throwing his leg over her thighs, propping his head on his hand.

  She turned her head to look at him and smiled. "I love you, too." He caressed her abdomen, splaying his fingers wide and making her flinch self-consciously. He leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose, smiling at her as she relaxed again under his touch.

  "I think we should stop," Damien said thoughtfully.

  "Stop?"

  "Stop making love."

  "Stop making love?" she asked, eyes wide.

  "I mean this-" he waved his hand, "stop, you know, intercourse. Until the mating." He leaned over and kissed her softly.

  "Why?"

  "It keeps getting harder for me to keep from changing and claim you," he said, his hand making circles on her abdomen. "I couldn't live with myself if I did that to you, dolcezza."

  "What would happen if you claimed me without the ceremony?" she asked, running her hand up and down his arm.

  "You...you wouldn't be as easily accepted into the pack."

  "As easily accepted," she repeated looking at his face.

  "You would be constantly challenged, Charlotte. And most likely eventually killed."

  "It would be that bad?" she asked, incredulous.

  "Yes, it would." She looked at his face closely.

  "Thank you for being honest with me," she said quietly. She lifted her head and kissed him.

  "I promised," he said with a smile. She smiled back at him, tracing his lips with her fingers.

  "And I promise to do my best to keep myself from jumping you," she sighed. "But you have to stop being barefoot and shirtless in the kitchen," she laughed.

  "I promise. No shoes, no shirt, no kitchen until after next week." She smiled and kissed his chin. "It won't be that difficult. Just think how good it will feel at the ceremony, how good the mating will feel," he said with a tweak of her nipple, his voice low.

  "Is...does sex feel better when you're...um..." she stammered.

  "When I shift?"

  "Yeah."

  He was silent for a bit, thinking on his words carefully. "It's not better, exactly. It's a bit different, but not better or worse."

  "Different how?"

  "Well, physically I'm different," he said with a sigh. "It changes the sensation a bit. Subtly."

  "Subtly?"

  "It's hard to explain." She looked at him, eyebrow arched skeptically. "It is," he insisted with a laugh. "It's like trying to describe an orgasm."

  "Right," she laughed, blushing slightly. "Like that's difficult."

  "Go ahead and describe it, Charlie." He watched her as she opened her mouth several times as if to speak but closed it without saying anything. "Exactly," he said.

  "Alright. Point made," she laughed, poking him in the ribs. They fell silent, caressing each other idly, just enjoying the quiet together.

  "Are you ready for
tomorrow?" Damien asked suddenly.

  "Your parents?" she asked. He nodded. "I guess. As ready as I will ever be." She squeezed his shoulder before using it to pull herself up.

  "Don't be nervous."

  "Right. Thanks. That makes it all better," she said, shaking her head at him and chuckling softly. "I think I just need to get it over with, you know? I'm going to be nervous until it's done." She shrugged her shoulders.

  "I know."

  "What time will they be here?"

  "Sometime in the afternoon, around four or so." He sat up and began pulling her clothes to him. "We'll have some time with them before dinner."

  "I thought it was going to be a barbeque and party?"

  "A roast, actually, but yeah, it will be a celebration." He passed her her clothes and watched as she slipped her shirt on, leaving the bra on the ground.

  "Okay." She stood and pulled her jeans on. "Do you do this every time they come back?"

  "Yes, we do." She put her bra and panties in her pocket and slipped her feet back into her shoes. He held his hand out to her as she finished dressing.

  "And they haven't been back for three years?" she asked, taking his hand and letting him lead her back home.

  "Yes." They walked in silence for a few minutes before Charlie stopped, tugging on his hand to get him to stop and face her.

  "I just want you to know....I am excited about meeting your family, Damien. It wars with my nervousness, but it's there."

  "I know, Charlie." He gave her hand a squeeze and started back towards the house. They fell quiet again as they made their way back to the main house and their apartment. Charlie cleaned up the uneaten stew on the stove and made sandwiches for them both while Damien showered. They ate in front of the TV, watching a funny movie and talking about trivial things. Charlie went up to shower when it was over, leaving Damien to clean up before coming to bed.

  She smiled at the simple domesticity of the night as she walked upstairs, understanding Damien's intent was to soothe her nerves -- and that it worked. She felt her heart swell at his thoughtfulness. "I'll have to thank him properly after our ceremony," she said to herself as she rummaged through the drawers before heading into the bathroom to shower. She undressed and stood in front of the mirror, no longer mindful of the wall of windows behind her. She looked at her scars, really looked at them for the first time in years, her hands tracing them gently. They weren't as bad as she remembered. They were there, and the word was clear, but was smaller than she always saw them in her mind, always believed they were, and they were much fainter in spots. I'd still rather not have them at all, she thought as she climbed into the shower.

  Damien was already in bed when she came out about twenty minutes later, propped up reading a book. "Where did you get my Plimsouls t-shirt?" he asked as she climbed into bed next to him.

  "This? This is my niteshirt."

  "Oh really," he laughed, putting the book on the bedside table and turning off his lamp.

  "Uh huh. My boyfriend gave it to me." She lay down and turned to face him.

  "You sure he didn't just lend it to you?" Damien asked, turning to face her.

  "Lend, give...it's all the same, really," Charlie said with a yawn. "Besides, he's not my boyfriend anymore so he won't mind."

  "He's not, huh?"

  "Nope. He's my fiancé now."

  "I see," Damien said, taking her into his arms and laying her head on his shoulder. "I hope he knows how lucky he is to have you."

  "So do I, cowboy. So do I," Charlie sighed, surprising a chuckle out of him.

  "I love you," he whispered, kissing the top of her head.

  "I love you, Damien," she said, nuzzling his skin as they drifted off to sleep.

  Charlie awoke the next morning alone in their bed. She raised her head to look at the clock and groaned to find it was already well past eleven. She made her way to the bathroom to relieve her screaming bladder and brush her teeth.

  "Charlie?" she heard Damien call from downstairs as she was making her way out of the bathroom. "You coming down for breakfast?"

  "Yeah, I'll be right there," she said. She paused, considering getting dressed but decided against it. She knew her nerves were going to wreak havoc on her later and didn't want to get her clothes dirty by fussing with them all day. She padded her way to the kitchen to find Damien sitting at the breakfast bar in a pair of shorts and nothing else. He was sipping a cup of coffee and looking at some paperwork.

  "No working today, remember?" she said, taking the stool next to his. He'd made her scrambled egg on toast and set a glass of juice and cup of coffee at her place.

  "I'm reading what you and Eva came up with for the Moon."

  "Oh?" she asked, eyes bright. "What do you think?"

  "It's a good idea, Charlie, but maybe a little..." he trailed off, wanting to find the right words so he didn't insult her.

  "A little...?" she prompted, taking a bite of toast.

  "Well...ambitious? I mean, for the area?"

  "I'm not trying to turn it into a Michelin rated restaurant, cowboy. Just modernizing the menu a bit and offering seasonal specials."

  "I know. Items like-" he paused, looking at the papers "- Washington's Best salad, salmon chowder, elk and port shepherd's pie?"

  "Those are specials, Damien. Offered a handful of times every month in season." She took a sip of her juice.

  "But you're also wanting to change the regular menu."

  "Yeah, I do a bit. Not a lot. It'll still be the Moon, you know. Best burgers in fifty states. But instead of fifteen different burgers it'll be a BYOB type of burger menu."

  "BYOB?"

  "Build-your-own-burger," she said with a smile, pointing to the bottom of the paper in his hand. "We'll still have the Full Moon Burger, of course. Just...the rest are all going to be made to order depending on the options people want."

  "Avocado?" he asked, looking at her doubtfully.

  "Just because you have an aversion to them doesn't mean everyone will."

  "And you don't think these changes are too much?"

  "I just...you have amazing resources. They should be showcased more."

  "Charlie-"

  "More than just the burgers and sandwiches there now. Comfort foods, Damien, like pot roast, stew, fried chicken and mac n' cheese. Fresh vegetables and sides that complement the main course. I don't want to change what the Moon is, cowboy. I just want to make it a bit fresher." She took another bite of toast.

  "And you'd be there to oversee everything, wouldn't you," he said with a sigh.

  "Well, yes." She gave him a funny look. "I'd be there cooking, Damien. And running the kitchen."

  "Hmmm."

  "It's what I can do. You know, everyone works together for the greater good of the pack, right?" He nodded, not looking at her. "Well, this is what I can do. It's what I'm good at."

  "I just -- I just wanted you to do something here. Not in town."

  "But there's nothing for me to do here."

  "I know," he said, putting the papers on the counter and turning to look at her. "They're good ideas, Charlie. Really good. I just don't like the idea of you being so far away." He put his arm across the back of her stool and rubbed her back.

  "It's in town, Damien. A ten minute drive, tops."

  "The way you drive," he teased. She laughed around a forkful of eggs, sending them flying across the counter.

  "Shit!" she exhaled, staring to get down from her seat.

  "Finish your breakfast. I'll clean up," Damien said, putting his hand on her shoulder and pressing her to sit back down.

  "Sorry about that."

  "Actually, I kind of like it." He grabbed a towel and wiped up the mess.

  "My klutziness?" Charlie asked, skeptical.

  "Absolutely."

  "Right. Well, who wouldn't?"

  "My point exactly," he said, making her laugh again. He remained on the far side of the counter, leaning his elbows on it, eyes on her face.

  "What
? You're making me self-conscious."

  "Nervous?" He didn't have to elaborate on what; she knew. Charlie nodded and shrugged her shoulders at the same time. "Anything I can do to make you less nervous?"

  "Yeah. But you won't for another six days," she said, her voice low.

  Damien watched her eat for a moment, remaining quiet. He knew that refraining from making love was the wise thing to do. It was the responsible thing to do. It was the right thing to do. But it didn't make it suck any less.

  "Are you worried about Becky?" Damien asked, out-of-the-blue.