Chapter Seven
Hunter
Saturday Morning
T he sun was just starting to peek through the blinds, casting light directly into my face. I cursed my forgetfulness for not closing them last night. It felt like I had just closed my eyes. I had at least a few more hours of sleep left in me.
A soft hum vibrated across my chest. I looked down at Rachael, who was curled up on my chest with my arm wrapped around her shoulders. She had practically passed out in my arms in the shower after our fun. I felt a sense of pride that I was able to do that.
My wolf had wanted her, demanded her. As soon as my cock had felt her warmth, there was no going back. Giving into my primal instincts may have pushed her too far. I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to beg her for forgiveness and hope she didn't see me in the same light as her jackass of an ex.
She looked so peaceful as she slept. Those pinched lines between her eyebrows disappeared and her shoulders were relaxed. Not to mention how fucking sexy she looked in the clean shirt of mine that I slipped over her body. Her hair fanned out on one of my pillows.
Carefully, I removed myself from under Rachael and stalked towards the window. My sleep schedule had already been screwed up before this weekend, but it seemed to be even worse.
The full moon was tonight. If I didn't shift, didn't hunt, there was no telling what would happen. My father instilled the fear of the curse in me, just like his father did to him, and so on. My skin crawled with the need to shift. The craving for copper to coat my tongue was so strong it made me nauseous.
But if I didn’t give in, would I actually lose my humanity, unable to fight off the animal instincts?
“Hunter?” Rachael’s sleep-filled voice found me, pulling me from my deepest thoughts.
I closed the blinds then turned. Rachael reached out, her eyes blinking at me as if trying to decide if she was still sleeping. I adjusted the sweatpants on my hips then slipped in next to her and pulled her against me. She wrapped her leg around mine, nuzzling into my side. I buried my nose into her hair and breathed her in. She still smelled like herself even after our shower. I didn’t know how it was possible but I didn’t question it.
Rachael’s fingers slipped over the hair on my chest. Maybe I hadn’t fucked things up too badly after all. I mean, if she was reaching for me while on the edge of sleep, she had to feel content.
Her thumb brushed lightly at my skin, tracing the ink on my upper arm, and there was a calming effect to her movements. My eyes closed. For the first time this week, my mind was quiet.
“Hunter,” Rachael whispered. I groaned, covering her body with mine. “Hunter!”
“Shhh, go back to sleep, sweetheart.”
“It’s almost noon, Hunter. And I need the bathroom!” She giggled and pushed at my chest. Instead of letting her up, I rolled over and pinned her under me with my hips.
The tip of my nose ran up her neck as my hand worked the hem of her shirt up past her breasts. I took a nipple into my mouth, sucking until it was a solid peak, then turned my attention to the other. Little moans of pleasure escaped Rachael’s mouth.
“Hunter, I really need to pee,” she protested, but I didn't stop. Sliding my hand between her legs, I slipped a finger into her already wet pussy then added another.
“But you're already so wet for me, baby. I can't deny my greedy girl what she so obviously wants.” I brushed my thumb over her clit, eliciting a string of expletives as Rachael tried not to give into my touch. “Plus, aren't full bladders supposed to make orgasms more intense?”
“Where the fuck did you hear that?” She ran her nails along my scalp and I moaned at the sensation.
“I don’t know, but why don’t we test the theory?” I claimed her lips with a rough kiss, pushing my tongue into her mouth to deepen it further. She held me to her with a tug of my hair.
I pumped my fingers into her and used the leaking arousal to continue torturing her clit. She arched her back, pushing herself down onto my hand. I wrapped my hand around her throat and could feel the blood pounding through her veins. It was taking every ounce of control to not bite into her neck. My wolf wanted a taste, demanded it.
Memories of my teeth sinking into the necks of hares and deer flooded my mind. The way the warm blood danced across my tongue and sent my senses into overdrive. The way their bodies twitched under my paws as the adrenaline coursed through my veins and I tore their flesh away from their bones.
Shit. I shook the thoughts from my head. I needed to focus on Rachael, on giving her all my attention. If I did that, then everything would be okay. I could fight the instincts.
Rachael looked up at me through hooded eyes. Her lips parted slightly and she gasped as I twisted my wrist and pulled her earlobe between my teeth. “Fuck, sweetheart. Your pussy is clenching around my fingers.”
She moaned, moving her hips in search of more friction. I squeezed the sides of her throat, putting pressure on her artery to restrict the flow of blood to her brain. Her eyes went wide as she looked up at me. It wasn’t fear in her eyes though, it was lust.
“Two fingers inside you and my greedy pussy still wants more.” She tried to speak, but all that came out was a broken gasp as I applied a fraction more pressure to her throat and clit. “Tell me what I want to hear, baby.”
“Please, sir,” she forced out. “Make me come.” I curled my fingers inside her, hitting the spot I knew would make her fall apart under me.
A strangled scream fell from her lips and I claimed her mouth, swallowing every sound as my tongue danced with hers. Her legs shook underneath me as I worked Rachael through her release. When she finally stilled, I loosened my hold on her neck and removed my fingers from inside her.
I pulled away, looking down at the beautiful woman beneath me. A blush crept along her cheeks as I tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “You doing okay?”
“Mhmm. I, um–” She closed her eyes and laughed. “I think we just proved the theory correct.”
While I enjoyed my hunting trips in the sense that they felt normal, this weekend was turning out to be more than I ever dreamed. If I had known all I had to do to feel this overwhelming comfort of domestic life was break down Rachael’s door and kick out her shitty boyfriend, I would have done it a long time ago.
After our little adventure this morning, I helped her to the bathroom. By helping, I meant I carried her even though I knew she wanted to protest. After setting her down on the toilet, she demanded I give her some privacy to get ready for the day. I only agreed after making her promise she would call for me if she needed help. She kissed me on the cheek and my chest tightened at the simple action.
I left her to do whatever she needed, slipping on a clean shirt and leaving one on the bathroom vanity for her. The sound of the water bouncing off the tile drifted through my apartment as I worked on preparing us a late breakfast. I listened for any sign of distress, wanting to be available to Rachael in an instant if she needed me. Everything sounded normal so I returned to the task at hand.
Sausage links cooked on the stove while I whipped up waffle batter. There wasn't much in the way of food since I had expected to be gone on my trip by now and typically went to the store before coming home. There was some leftover soup but I would feel bad if I didn’t offer Rachael some variety. I was preheating my waffle iron when I heard Rachael release a hiss from behind me. Turning around, I found her limping slowly towards the kitchen, favoring her injured foot.
“Damn it, baby. Why didn’t you call for me?” I scooped her up, setting her down on the kitchen counter. Dropping to my knee, I inspected the stitches on the bottom of her foot. Nothing was swollen and the stitches were still in place. “Does it hurt? I should have been more careful this morning.” I stood up, turning to leave. “Let me go get bandages and some ibuprofen. Then I can brew you some more tea. I should have never let you–”
Rachael grabbed my arm, effectively shutting up my brain. She pulled me to her and I settled between her knees. Her face was inches from mine. I wanted to kiss her, but if I did, breakfast would go uneaten.
She didn’t get the memo though, her fingers slipping through my beard to cup my jaw. Our lips met in a soft kiss, the kind two lovers have after a long day.
Lovers.
Yeah, I thought maybe I was falling in love with Rachael.
“Hi,” she whispered against my lips then pulled away. The sun filtering through the kitchen bounced off the countertop surrounding her in a halo of light.
“Hi,” I responded, unable to say or do anything else. She smiled at me, running her nails along my jaw. Chills ran down my back and groans of pleasure escaped from the back of my throat as she worked her way under my chin. She giggled as my whole body practically vibrated with pleasure. I was seconds away from shaking my foot like a damn dog.
She pulled her hands away and my body immediately missed her touch. I kissed her forehead, knowing if I did anything else I wouldn't have the self control to stop myself. My wolf wanted to come out and play.
“Are those waffles?” She looked over my shoulder and eyed the plate of golden brown delights that I had stacked up. The sausage rested on the back of the stove.
“Sure are. Hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Let me just finish up these last few and then I'll make us plates.” I turned away, opening the waffle maker and grabbing the batter.
“I can help!” As I spun to tell her that it wasn't necessary, she slid off the counter, seeming to forget about her foot bothering.
In the mess of trying to keep her on the counter and not dumping waffle mix all over us, my forearm slammed against the hot surface of the waffle maker.
“Fuck!” I gritted my teeth to keep from losing my shit as I wrapped my uninjured arm around Rachael's waist. The smell of burnt hair lingered in the air as I set Rachael on her feet.
“Shit, Hunter!” She grabbed my wrist, examining the pattern of reddening skin up my arm. “Here, let's cool it down.” She pulled me towards the sink, turned it on, and thrust the offending appendage under the barely cool water.
“Sweetheart, I'm fine.” I tried to pull my arm from her grasp but her nails dug into my skin. She shot me a look that had a shiver running down my spine. The last time someone looked at me like that was when I was an unruly child.
She turned her attention back to caring for the burn. Her fingers along my skin soothed what little pain there was more than the water. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I healed faster than humans. Even as we stood there, the once angry burn was probably no worse than a low grade sunburn now.
My gaze was fixed on her face. Her brows furrowed together in concentration as she turned off the water and patted my skin dry with a paper towel. Her bottom lip pulled between her teeth while she inspected my arm.
Is this what it felt like to have someone care for me?
My heart leapt in my chest, my stomach following suit. Three little words threatened to ruin all of this.
“We might want to put some aloe or something on it. It doesn't look as bad as I thought it was.” She met my gaze and I knew I looked like a fool. A lovesick teenager. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No one has ever taken care of me before. Not since my mom anyway.” I brushed my knuckles along her cheek and she leaned into the touch.
“Well, I'm here now,” she whispered, turning her head to kiss my wrist. Whether she knew it or not, her words just solidified what I already knew. This woman was mine.
She dropped her gaze down to my arm and her eyes went wide. “Um, Hunter? Where’s the burn?”
I looked to find freshly healed skin. The only evidence of the incident was a few hairless patches. I chuckled, having expected this. “I did try to tell you, sweetheart. I heal fast. It’s a wolf thing.”
“Of course it is,” she huffed, dropping my arm.
“Besides, I’m more worried about you right now. How’s your foot?”
“Completely forgot about it.” She gave it a little wiggle. “Eh, it feels fine. At least for now.”
“Well, let’s not push our luck anymore.” I left the kitchen, heading to the bathroom to grab the ibuprofen. When I returned, Rachael was perched on the counter tearing apart one of the waffles.
“Couldn’t wait, huh?” I offered her two pills and a bottle of water from the fridge. She happily took both, swallowing the remaining waffle before taking the medicine.
“I told you I was starving!”
“Never doubted you for a second, sweetheart.” I grabbed a waffle of my own then found my place between Rachael’s legs. It was quickly becoming one of my favorite places. I rested a hand on her thigh and kissed her on the forehead. She smiled, her nose crinkling as she did. It was one of the most wonderful sights in the world.
We stayed in the kitchen, munching our way through our cold breakfast. I tried to keep my hands to myself as we chatted, exchanging our likes and dislikes much like a couple on a first date. We had skipped past the conversation part yesterday after all. I could listen to her talk all day. The enthusiasm she expelled over the smallest things was contagious. She could be telling me about the history of concrete and she would still have my full attention.
It was hard not to let my hand wander while I listened. Rachael’s skin was so soft, so welcoming. I slipped under the hem of her shirt, my thumb circling her hip. She stumbled over her words. My knuckles skimmed up her side and I soaked in the way her skin pebbled under my touch.
“Is this your way of shutting me up?” she muttered.
“Never. It’s just been too long since I touched you.” I pressed my chest against her, kissing down her neck. Her heartbeat pulsed in my mouth as I dragged my teeth along her pressure point. Her tiny moans nearly had me losing control. Images of claws digging into her perfect skin flashed in my mind, leaving behind fresh marks of crimson.
“This is a little more than just touching, Hunter,” Rachael whispered into my ear. She was right. Fear gripped my stomach from my earlier thoughts. I pulled away, dropping my hands and shoving my fists into the pockets of my sweatpants.
“I’m sorry. I should have asked.” I dropped my head, staring at my bare feet on the kitchen tile. I was forcing myself on her. My shame from yesterday’s lack of communication reared its ugly head. The fear that I would hurt her was at the forefront of my mind.
“Hey,” Rachael whispered. Her fingers held onto my chin, tilting my head up to her. The features of her face were soft with the corners of her mouth turned up in a small smile. “You don't have to apologize, Hunter. I trust you.”
“You do?”
“Yes. I feel safe with you.” She cupped my face and I covered her hands with mine. I let her touch calm the raging war inside me.
“I don't want you to ever think I would take advantage of that. You deserve the world, Rachael.”
“And I know you'll give it to me.” She pressed her lips to mine. A silent promise. I closed my eyes, drinking her in and letting her set the pace.
She pulled me to her and pressed her hips into me. My cock was already standing at attention, ready to give her whatever she wanted. I knew she felt what she was doing to me when she moaned into my mouth. Her fingers raked through my hair, her nails digging into my shoulders.
Her sounds were edging me on. All I wanted to do was sink into her perfect pussy. But I couldn't get carried away, not with the full moon tonight and my wolf itching to be freed.
When she pulled away, we were both panting, unable to catch our breath. Her fists balled my t-shirt, keeping my chest against hers. Our hearts raced in time with each other.
“Hunter, please,” she whispered between breaths.
“Baby, I'm going to need you to tell me exactly what you want.”
“Take me to bed?”
“Fuck yes.”