The Hungry Wolf

Okay – a few quick notes and apologies. First off, my apologies to the town of Buck Creek, WA. I have taken shameless liberties with you – geographically and demographically. I am sure you are a fine town in your own right. I really just liked the name.

Secondly – I have to apologize for any perceived slur in Chapter 2. When I indicated the drug dealers were Hispanic, it was not meant as a perpetuation of a stereotype, or an indication of any form of bigotry. It was merely texture, and it pains me to think it might have been viewed as offensive. Not my intention. I owe Max a huge thank you for the gentle reminder that the reader's perception can differ so greatly from my own, and I will try to be more sensitive to that.

Lastly – but not leastly – I appreciate the emails and comments wanting me to go faster, to post more of Damien and Charlie's story. I do apologize if the wait is too long, but I would rather have a quality end product than push something out that was garbage.

And again – thank you to X for the excellent inspiration.

-W

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Charlie awoke alone a few hours later, her bladder screaming an SOS at her. She got up, wincing a bit at her sore muscles, and walked quickly into the bathroom. She took care of her business as quickly as possible, keeping an arm over her breasts and muttering "polarized glass my ass" to herself. She finished and made her way towards the sink as modestly as possible, washing her hands and looking at her face in the mirror. She didn't

look

any different, she noted. Not really. A bit more relaxed, perhaps. But she sure

felt

different. Less separate, not so much an automatic outsider.

She spied a new tooth brush on top of a towel and smiled at Damien's thoughtfulness. Gladly opening it and brushing her teeth before rinsing her face and combing her fingers in her hair. She smiled to herself and went looking for her clothes, finding only Damien's t-shirt on the floor next to the bed. She looked at the logo – The Plimsouls – and felt her heart swell. She couldn't believe she'd met someone so amazing, so perfect. "In the middle of fucking nowhere, I meet the only other person in America that remembers The Plimsouls," she sighed. She smiled, slipping it on and giggling softly when she saw it came to just above her knees, and made her way to the door, poking her head out to see if he was there. She could smell bacon and coffee, and her stomach gave a low grumble.

Charlie followed her nose downstairs and made her way to the kitchen, finding Damien in a pair of shorts and nothing else, the broadness of him making her itch to slip her arms around him and stay there indefinitely. He was at the cooktop, frying bacon. Or at least trying to. Looked like he was doing a pretty good job of burning bacon.

"You should turn the burner down," she said, watching as he lifted four pieces of bacon-scented charcoal out of the pan. "And run off some of that fat into a glass." She stepped up beside him and placed her hand on his back.

"I think I can cook bacon." He bent and gave her a quick kiss.

"Oh, really?" she asked, smiling at him. "You can certainly burn bacon. So when does the cooking demonstration begin?"

"I was distracted," he said, putting down the fork he was using and taking her in his arms.

"By what?"

"I kept thinking about this sensual, delicious, beautiful woman lying naked in my bed. Made it very hard to concentrate on bacon." He bent down and kissed her as she chuckled.

"Maybe you should stick with sausage then?" She put her hands on his face and kissed him back, pressing her tongue inside his mouth and caressing his.

"I think it would have had the same results," he breathed, sliding his hands down to her ass and pulling her to him.

"Oh, sorry, didn't realize you had company," Darian said, walking in.

"Your timing is impeccable," Damien said with a groan as Charlie squeaked and moved behind him. She busied herself with the pan, trying for the life of her to pretend she wasn't standing there in nothing more than a t-shirt.

"I knocked but got no answer." Darian looked at Charlie. "Good morning, Charlie."

"Good morning, Darian," she returned, sounding like she was unfazed by him finding her practically nude in his brother's kitchen, like it was a common occurrence for her to be found in strange men's homes. He gave her a smile that made her think he knew she was bluffing.

"Sleep well?" he asked, his nonchalance hitting home to her.

Of course

seeing a nearly naked woman in his brother's apartment didn't faze him. Why would it? He'd likely walked in on a similar scene on a regular basis.

"Yes, thank you," she said quietly. She felt like an idiot, humiliated at her own stupidity. She turned her attention back to the cooktop, shaking her head so her hair fell and hid her suddenly inflamed face. She turned down the burner and moved to the sink, grabbing a glass out of the dishdrain and running hot water over it for a minute. She returned to the cooktop and poured out some of the grease.

Damien watched her, wondering at her suddenly subdued demeanor, while Darian asked him about the status of the stateland contracts.

'What is it?' Darian sent, noting his brother's distraction.

Damien informed him of the progress and when to expect the ratified and signed contracts.

'Something has upset her,' Damien sent back.

They watched her carefully lay bacon in the pan.

"Well, I will go and let Gene know. I am assuming we will not be fined for grazing on the statelands?" Darian asked.

"That is correct."

"Excellent. Then I will see you both tonight. About six?"

"Alright," Damien said, absentmindedly. His attention was on Charlie.

"Bye Charlie."

"Bye," she called, giving a quick glance over her shoulder. She turned her attention back to the bacon, resolving to not acknowledge the incredibly sexy man stepping behind her. She turned the bacon over, poking at it with a fork, wholeheartedly ignoring him as he –

oh shit

– lifted the hem of her t-shirt and put his hands on her ass, squeezing her cheeks gently. She could sense him behind her, looking at her ass in his hands and she got wet thinking about it.

"You look so much better in my shirt than I do," he murmured at her ear. He watched, confused, as she stiffened a bit at his words.

"Yeah, well, sorry about that. I couldn't find my clothes, so I just grabbed what was on the floor."

"I like it," he whispered in her ear before taking her lobe between his lips and sucking at it, breathing deeply the commingled scents of her and him from last night. His nostrils flared as he also took in the scent of her arousal. Smiling, he widened his stance behind her, kissing down her neck as he rubbed his hardening cock against her ass, sliding his hands up her back, raising the shirt with them. "Turn off the stove."

She obeyed, unthinkingly moving the pan to a cool burner, too aware of him behind her. "Damien..." she began, but he cut her off.

"Sorry about my brother just walking in like that. I've never had a woman stay the night here before, so he didn't think anyone would be here." He slid his hands to her breasts, his fingertips making circles around the areolas.

"Never?" she whimpered and pressed her ass more firmly against his cock, angling her hips back.

"You're the first, dolcezza." He looked down at their bodies pressed together and groaned, rubbing harder against her.

"Oh god, cowboy," Charlie breathed, bracing herself against the counter and pushing back against Damien.

"Tell me what you want," he whispered, maneuvering her down the counter and away from the cooktop as his fingers teased and pinched her nipples.

"I want you," she simply said. Her voice was husky and low. She raised herself up on her toes and bent over, her hair laying on the counter. "Please, Damien," she moaned as he moved his hand between her legs, slipping a finger inside her briefly before sliding it down to make circles around her clit.

"Tell me what you want me to do," he said, his voice low.

"I want you inside me," she moaned. "I want you to fuck me."

Damien quickly had his shorts around his ankles and was rubbing his cock along her slit. "You're so wet for me." He angled his hips, rubbing the tip of his cock back and forth on her clit. "Do you like that?"

"Yes." She wiggled her hips about a little, trying to force a firmer touch. "Oh god, Damien, please."

"Please what? Tell me what you want."

"I want more. Please."

"More of this?" he asked, using his cock to stab at her clit. "Or do you want this?" he teased, fucking her with just the head of his cock.

"Oh god. Fuck me. Please."

He slammed into her and stilled, holding her hips steady as she arched and moaned. He could feel his wolf breaking through, and looked down at his arms to see fur begin to sprout on them as his hands became coarse and claws grew from their ends. He ruthlessly pushed it back, panting and sweating from the effort, watching Charlie closely to see if she had noticed anything, but she didn't react beyond bucking her hips. "Do you want me to continue?" he breathed into her ear, leaning over her.

"Oh yes, Damien," she sighed.

Feeling more in control, he began fucking her hard, holding her hips as he slammed into her, nearly climaxing as he watched her move her hand between her legs. He could feel her fingers working at her clit as his balls slammed into them. "Oh damn! You feel so good." He looked down, watching his glistening cock pump in and out of her and growled, his fingers digging in to her hips. She would bruise but at the moment neither of them cared. He could feel her start to clench around him, and he fucked her harder, the force of his thrusts lifting her feet off the ground, fighting the urge – the nearly overwhelming urge – to shift and claim her.

"Yes! Yes! Oh god! Damien! It's so good! Harder! Don't stop!" Charlie pushed back against him, moaning as he pushed against her womb. Her fingers rubbed her clit in time with his thrusts and she tensed, on the cusp of orgasm. "I'm gonna come! I can't...I can't...!" She gave an inarticulate moan, her body going rigid in orgasm.

"Oh fuck! Fuck!" Damien grunted as he came, grinding his hips into her and laying over her back.

He slowly relaxed his grip on her hips, running his hands up and down her sides as she trembled beneath him. He could hear her heartbeat slowing and her breathing returning to normal. He kissed across her shoulders before standing up and pulling the t-shirt down over her again, smoothing it down her back. "I'm sorry, Charlie," he said quietly.

"Whazzat?" she mumbled, turning her head to look at him.

"I'm sorry." He looked at her, contrite.

"Why?" She stood upright slowly, grabbing his hands and pulling his arms around her. She crossed her legs with a grunt when he slipped out of her and she felt their mingled fluids start to run.

"That was pretty rough. I just...I just couldn't resist."

"Whoa there, cowboy. I am so not complaining," she said, turning around in his arms. "I enjoyed every moment." She went up on her tiptoes and kissed him softly. "It was exhilarating to feel so desired." She blushed a bit at her admission, making Damien smile and stroke her cheek gently. "I do believe I need to hit the powder room," she said, grimacing at the feeling of wetness slowly coating her thighs, "can I trust you to not murder the bacon?"

"Of course," he said. He grabbed her by her arms as she tried to step away and pulled her flush against him. "You are desired, my Charlotte, more than I can ever express." He bent to her lips and kissed her hard, pushing his tongue into her mouth ruthlessly, trying to convey in a kiss how much he wanted her. Charlie splayed her hands out against his chest and let the kiss take away her sense and reason, leaving her panting by the time he finally let her lips go. She looked up at him, blinking repeatedly and licking her lips.

"Unfair," she said with a shaky laugh.

"Hurry up before I ruin breakfast." He laughed and turned her towards the bathroom, giving her a soft slap on her bottom.

She squealed and hurried off, walking as quickly as possible while trying to keep her legs together. She went in to the bathroom and quickly cleaned herself up as much as possible with toilet paper, wincing a bit at the stickiness of her thighs. She washed her hands, mindlessly lathering them up over the sink as her mind thought over what had happened since her tire blew out. She rinsed her hands, turning off the water and just staring down at the sink, not seeing it, thinking about the emotional roller coaster of the past day, analyzing her feelings. She was half scared and half elated by what had happened with Damien. She thought about the fact she would be leaving in a few days, the idea making her heart ache to the point she was actually rubbing her chest to try and alleviate it. She could not see her life past the big man that suddenly jumped in to it.

"Charlie?" Damien called from just outside the door.

"Yeah. Be right there," she said, shaking her head at her own reflection in the mirror. She dried her hands and made her way back to the kitchen. Damien was at the counter, loading plates up with bacon, eggs, sausage links and potatoes.

"Everything alright?" he asked as she walked up to him.

"Yeah. Fine," Charlie said. She gave him a small, forced smile.

"Take these to the table and I'll bring the juice and coffee," he said, handing her the plates and silverware. He watched her go, a slight frown on his face. He knew

something

was bothering her, but didn't know what, and the not knowing upset him as much as it upset his wolf. He could sense it throwing him baleful glances, as if to admonish him for not mating with her last night. He gathered the juice, coffee and glasses and followed Charlie to the table, taking the seat next to her again.

They sat in silence as they ate, Damien watching her pick at her plate. She picked up a piece of bacon and nibbled at it before putting it back down and reaching for the carton of juice and pouring herself a glass. She sat sipping her juice, her eyes on Damien's.

"What?" she asked at last.

"What what?"

"What's with the staring contest?"

"Just wondering what is bothering you."

"Nothing."

"Tell me."

"Nothing to tell."

"Will you tell me if I guess?"

"Alright."

"So there

is

something bothering you."

"Shit. Nice trickery, cowboy," she said, smiling and relaxing. She picked up her fork and started eating. "These are pretty good," she said, putting another forkful of O'Brien's in her mouth.

"Thanks. I'll let Ore-Ida know."

"These aren't from scratch?" Charlie asked.

"Does scratch include opening the freezer and getting out the bag?"

"Nope."

"Then no." Charlie snorted at that, taking a bite of sausage. "You willing to tell me now?"

"You're awfully tenacious, aren't you?" Damien nodded at her, smiling around a mouthful of egg and potatoes. "It was nothing, really," Charlie continued with a sigh. "I was feeling a bit...overwhelmed by the last couple days."

"Overwhelmed?"

"Well...yeah. Meeting you. Telling you about..." she waved her hand and he nodded his understanding. "Having sex with you. Twice." Her face went blank for a minute before turning bright red.

"Charlie?" Damien asked, concerned when she pushed her plate away and laid her forehead on the table with a groan.

"We had

unprotected sex.

Twice!"

"Are you afraid of disease or pregnancy?" he asked, lifting her and pulling her on to his lap, trying not to laugh.

"Yes," she said, leaning against him and hiding her face in her hands.

"Look at me, dolcezza."

"I'm too embarrassed."

"Look at me." He gently pried her hands away and held her gaze. "I am clean. Quite clean. I will be more than happy to show you my entire medical record if you wish. And I am also incapable of getting you pregnant." He kissed the tip of her nose. "As you had not been sexually active for quite a while, I'm not worried you may have given me anything."

"Damien.." she began, but he stopped her with a kiss.

"You're not allowed to worry about this. I told you before, I will never harm you. And I meant that in every way." He kissed her again, a soft and gentle kiss, as if to reconfirm his point, and felt her start to relax. "Now, what do you want to do today? I am at your disposal, my love."

She looked at his face closely for a moment, and, seeing his sincerity, let him lead them to another topic. "Laundry," she said, running her hands lightly over his chest, tickling her palms with the soft hair.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that."

"My laundry?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow but keeping her eyes firmly on his chest. She hadn't really had a chance to look at his body closely. He was perfect. Muscled, yes, but not "cut". She couldn't stand heavily muscled men. His strength was felt as much as it was seen. She could feel it in the way his muscles tensed beneath her fingertips as she brushed them over his skin. She watched them move, enrapt.

"Kind of." He smiled at her attention to his physique. "I was thinking, since you're only here for a few days, you could check out of the hotel and stay with me."

"You sure that's a good idea?"

"Positive. Don't you think it is?"

"I don't know. I mean, there's Aunt Mary to think about, isn't there?" she looked at him with a playful smile. "Och, Damy, what are you doing? Corrupting the wee lass?" she teased, imitating the hotelier's soft Scottish lilt perfectly.

"Absolutely corrupting the wee lass. Every chance I get," he laughed, squeezing her breast briefly. "And it would be much easier to do thoroughly if the wee lass was here."

She was quiet for a few minutes, thinking, and he didn't press her. "I'd like that," Charlie said at last, laying her head on his shoulder. They sat quietly, just enjoying the contact for a moment.

"You know what else I'd like?" she asked.

"Hmmmm?"

"A shower. I am fun-ky."

"Nope."

"Nope? As in 'nope you can't shower?"

"As in 'nope, you're still perfect'."

"But I can shower, right?" Charlie said, poking him in his ribs.

"Go ahead. I need to run downstairs to the main office for a few minutes."

"OK." She slid off his lap and picked up her plate and glass.

"You didn't eat much," Damien noted, looking at her still mostly-full plate.

"That's because you gave me too much. I ate enough, cowboy. Not like I'm going to waste away to nothing." She bent and kissed his cheek. "Give me your plate."

"You don't have to clean, dolcezza." He took her dishes out of her hands and put them back on the table.

"Come on – you cook, I clean. That's how it works." She reached over him and stacked her plate on top of his before picking them both up. "You grab the glasses and stuff?" she said over her shoulder as she walked towards the kitchen.

"You always this pushy?" he asked, clearing the rest of their dishes off the table and following her.

"Not at all, I assure you. I stop pushing as soon as I get my way."

"Clever little thing, aren't you?"

"Me?" She dropped the dishes in the sink, giving Damien the most innocent look she could muster.

"Mmm hmmm." He put the glasses in the sink and brushed a kiss on the top of her head before turning to go. "I'll be back in a bit, dolcezza."

"Alright," she said, giving him a smile. She watched him walk away, marveling at the look of the muscles in his shoulders and the way he moved. She turned back to the sink, rinsing the dishes and stacking them in the dishwasher before moving on to the pans. When she had everything cleaned up she made her way upstairs to the shower, piling her hair up on top of her head and securing it with a rubber band she found in the kitchen.