Her Enemy Protector Bear by Cynthia Wilde

Chapter 9

Zoe wiped the sweat from her brow as she pulled another clean-smelling heap of tangled fabric from the washer. The material was heavy, and she had to use muscles in her arms she hadn't used in a long time. Wrestling the basket into the yard, she started to carefully hang each piece to dry in the sun. Her concoction of vinegar, baking soda, and lavender worked, and the fabric no longer smelled like ammonia. The next trick would be fixing all the damage the sharp claws had caused.

She had allowed Devon to spend a few hours with Rafe’s kids, so she was able to have a bit of quietude. She had never felt the need before she realized it felt good to be able to relax alone for a change.

With everything hanging in the breeze, she allowed herself a few moments to sit on the patio lounger by the door. The direct sunlight lulled her into a slight drowsy state. She slipped into a dream.

Furdinand's bright green eyes stared into her own. He jumped onto her chair and slunk up to her leg until he was sitting on her chest. The weight of him was at first comforting. Her hands went up to pet him behind the ears. Zoe could feel him purring. The sound of his contentment vibrated through her chest.

In her sleepy state it seemed perfectly normal he was there at Nick's house. But then, the purring stopped, and Zoe looked at him. The cat smiled at her with a distorted, too-large grin; his mouth full of sharp, yellow teeth. The weight of him on her chest went from comforting to oppressive. She suddenly couldn't breathe. The cat then opened his terrible mouth. He howled at her so shrilly that Zoe put her hands over her ears.

She tried to push him off her chest, but she couldn’t move. Furdinand just laughed at her with a high-pitched, evil laugh. His weight pressed deeper into her chest. Fearing her rib cage would break under pressure, she opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out except a gurgle of sheer panic. Then she felt hands on her, shaking her, someone was saying her name over and over again.

Zoe struggled to wake herself.

"Zoe!" someone in the distance yelled.

She moved upward as if swimming from the depths of the ocean. Finally cresting through the surface, her lungs were desperate for air. She struggled to wake up as she worked to comply with the urgent voice that was now relentless with its insistence. Now digging its nails into her, the thing was no longer her cat, but a substantial orange monstrosity of fur, teeth, and claws. It shrieked in frustration.

"You are mine," it hissed. Its eyes flashed, and its teeth glimmered with saliva as a long-forked tongue reaching out to lick Zoe's face.

Just before it could lick her, her eyes flew open to see Nick standing over her. His hands were on her shoulders, and he had a concerned look on his face. Her arms involuntarily clung to Nick as her body shook with fear. He wrapped his arms tightly around her. Zoe felt warm and safe; all she wanted to do was melt into him. She buried her head into his as the awful dream faded.

"What's wrong?" Nick asked. "What happened?"

Zoe's back tingled where his hands touched her. It was more than that though. Her dull ache was building in her pussy. She shuddered, wanting more comfort from him than she knew was wise. She physically gave herself a shake. Get a grip girl. The vision of Furdinand had shaken her to her core. She wanted to believe it was just a dream but she knew instinctively that it was not. She didn’t know how but she could tell it, the cat, or whatever it really was had been trying to possess her. She calmed herself. Maybe she was just overwhelmed with all her new found responsibilities. She tried to convince herself it was just a dream.

She took a deep breath and then lifted her head. "It was a bad dream. That’s all," she said. "I've been rather stressed out lately. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause concern." He will think I am nuts! When Nick moved his arms away from her, she sat up, feeling an unexpected pang of need for him to touch her again. Zoe blinked and looked around, trying to get her bearings. "Let me see if everything is dry enough to sew."

She carefully put her feet down on the deck and stood up. She was having trouble shaking the feeling of horror. Furdi was just a cat, not a monster. She really needed to believe that, at least.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" she asked Nick as she started taking down the dried fabric and folding it into baskets. "I hope Devon didn't give you any trouble."

"None at all," he said as he started to help her. "He even met a few new friends on site, and he mentioned the cat you had mentioned. I just hadn’t put it together before."

"Oh," said Zoe, feeling confused for a moment. Then, she remembered. "Right, the black and white cat we saw on site a few weeks ago.”

"Yeah it may have been her," he said, placing the last of the dried fabric into the basket and picking it up like it was nothing. She couldn’t help but eye his rippling muscles as he worked. She felt a little zing hit her heart. Then his arm brushed up against Zoe's breast; she held her breath and looked up at him. The two of them locked eyes. She knew what he wanted; the look of desire was written all over his face, and Zoe knew that her need for him was right there in plain view. She could no longer deny that she wanted this man.

Nick slowly set down the basket as he stepped closer to her. She could feel the heat of his body. An electrical current of desire washed over her as her body pulsed with her own arousal. "Nick," she whispered as he quickly pulled her into his arms, claiming her mouth with a possessive growl. She felt herself let go of all the tension she held over the past month and allowed her body to do what it wanted. She opened her mouth as his tongue darted in and out, exploring every bit of her. What are you doing? But she didn’t care. She pushed all attempts at logic from her mind.

Zoe's knees gave out, and she felt herself falling, but Nick didn't miss a beat. He picked her up in his strong muscular arms without breaking their connection. She felt warmth course through her belly and down between her legs, drenching her pussy with anticipation as Nick enveloped her, pressing her closer to his hard chiseled chest. She felt him carry her to where she didn't know.

Zoe opened her eyes, he'd taken her to his bedroom. A large four poster bed dominated the space. Nick moved his lips to her neck, biting and nuzzling her as he deposited her gently on the bed It smelled of fresh clean sheets and his musky masculinity.

She closed her eyes as all of the sensations of his closeness overpowered her. "Nick," she whispered as he moved further down her body toward her breasts. "I've been thinking about you like this," she said, desire making her voice sound low and husky. “I have tried not to…”

"I've been doing the same," he said as he pulled her shirt over her head, exposing her lacy pink bra. She heard his sharp intake of breath and looked at him, his eyes gazing at her like a starving man. "You're so beautiful," he said as he cupped her lace-covered breasts in his hands, his thumbs brushing across her nipples until they hardened under his touch.

Bending over her, he kissed each point on top of the delicate fabric; as he did, his hands worked to remove the flimsy barrier between him and his prize. Once released, Zoe's breasts were exposed to his lips, he immediately went to work. While one hand cupped and massaged her breast, his mouth sucked and nibbled on the other, taking turns until she sat up and ripped at his shirt, removing it so she could put her hands on his hard flesh.

She reached up to trace her fingertips along his defined pecks and washboard abs, then traced the beginning of the V that led from his hipbones down to his still-clothed but obviously hard and waiting cock. She wanted him more than she'd ever wanted a man in her life, Zoe unbuttoned his fly, then carefully unzipped him and reached her hand into his pants hungrily.

One hand cupped his cock and balls as she leaned even further toward him while pulling down his pants with her other hand. He helped her free himself from the cage that was his jeans, and soon, he was completely naked in front of her. Zoe couldn't stop staring at his sizeable member as she held it in her hand. It was long, smooth, shapely, and proud; she could feel him watching her while her eyes feasted on his cock. She smiled mischievously as she bent down, taking the head in her mouth.

Her reward was the sharp gasp of breath that emanated from his mouth, then a low growl that sounded like a bear. She bobbed her head up and down on him, slowly at first, acclimating to the feel and taste of him. She moved her tongue in circles around his shaft, opening and closing her lips around him, sucking him, then letting go, using her teeth with restraint, and massaging his balls. She teased at the tip with her tongue, relishing in his hardness, as she once again took him in her mouth. Nick growled again as he slowly sunk down onto the bed, on his back, taking her with him as he surrendered to her. "Oh god," he moaned, gripping her hair tightly as she slid up and down his shaft with one hand while tickling his balls with her other. She flicked her tongue around the head of his cock as her pace grew faster. "Zoe!" he exclaimed; she felt his body stiffen underneath her. "Zoe, I'm going to cum!"

She quickly took his entire cock into her mouth and sucked hard as she bobbed up and down with intensity, her tongue whipping around him with abandon. She paused and gripped at his girth as she felt him buck against her. Then almost immediately she felt him spasm underneath her as his hot seed poured into her mouth; she sucked and swallowed with each convulsion of his rigid manhood until he roared so loudly that he shook the room. She lapped and kissed his cock as he relaxed, then she looked up at his face.

Nick lay sprawled on the bed, his body limp, his eyes half-closed, with a satisfied smile playing on his lips. "Come here," he said, reaching for her. She slid her body up to kiss his waiting lips; Nick growled into her mouth, then suddenly flipped her onto her back. "We are not done yet," he said as he licked her ear. "It's your turn."

Before she knew what happened, Zoe's pants joined the growing pile of clothing on the floor, leaving her wearing her pink panties and nothing else. His mouth claimed hers as his hands roamed all over her body. He started with her breasts, massaging his way down until his fingers settling on her hot wet pussy.

She moaned with a shock of ecstasy that flowed through her as he gently slid two fingers underneath the thin cloth to explore what laid beneath. She knew that she was drenched and ready for him to take her. She wanted him deep inside her. But he made her wait. She moved her hips toward his touch, encouraging him to go deeper. But to her frustration, he pulled his fingers out, licking them. "You're delicious," he said with a wicked smile. "I want more of that."

He kissed her, then licked her from her chin down to her hip bones with tiny flicks of his tongue until he reached his destination. Sliding his fingers under the straps of her underwear, he carefully slid them down and off, adding the final topping to the small mass of clothing on the hardwood floor.

Then he kissed the top of her mound and licked around the soft flesh that surrounded her pussy, teasing her, making her writhe with the want of him until finally, he slid his tongue into her. She cried out in pleasure as he pushed his face into her swollen pussy, his tongue lapping at her engorged clit. She clutched at his hair, her hips pushing into him as he gripped her ass in his hands, sucking at her until she felt a pressure building in her very core.

Zoe's muscles tightened as screams of pleasure escaped her lips as she came, over and over again, into his mouth. Her body was wracked with spasms, and convulsed uncontrollably, as he continued to suck at her. As she calmed with exhaustion his movements became more gentle until he was only kissing her inner thighs. When the last of her trembling subsided, Nick carefully set her bottom down on the bed, as he made his way up to kiss her. Finally he lay beside her, cradling her in the nook of his arm. She nuzzled against him as they lay together, spent from their passions. She basked in the surge of calm peace that flooded her body.

"That was amazing," Zoe breathed as she traced the lines of his abs with her fingertip. "You are a wonder."

She heard him laugh softly. "You are the wonder," he said as he took her fingertips in his hand and kissed them. "There is so much more I want to do with you," he said, as he seemed to breathe in her very scent.

"Oh yes, absolutely," she said, snuggling closer to him, his warm body pressed against hers. She felt safe in his arms; like he would fight the world for her at this very moment if only she asked.

Nick slid out of bed and rifled through the clothing on the floor, placing each item in its respective pile. They dressed in companionable silence. Nick grabbed Zoe in a tight embrace, kissing her hard on the mouth one more time. "Let's finish what we started very soon," he said, then held her hand for a minute as they gave each other one last kiss.

“I think Devon should be back in about half an hour,” she said, thinking what good timing all this had been. “Rafe was nice enough to offer to have his driver bring him out here. He is going to text me when they are on the way. I thought that would be easiest, she said.

“Great,” he said, giving her a wink.

She rinsed off quickly without getting her hair wet of course and was back to feeling more or less centered by the time Devon arrived. She still had some work to do.

After Devon told them a little about his day she refocused on her job as she spoke to Nick. "Okay, I'm going to pin as many seams as I can today, then I'll be back on Wednesday to do some sewing now that everything smells clean."

"Thank you for doing this," Nick said, a little mischievously. He lifted the one basket of at least clean, dry clothes and carried it to the sewing room as she followed behind. After placing everything on the floor, he took her hand and kissed it, his eyes full of promise.

"You're welcome," she said quietly, as his finger stroked her knuckles. "But I'm doing this because you are paying me."

"Of course," he answered. Something like amusement flashed in his eyes. "I will make sure you are compensated. Is there anything else I can get you before I go back to work?"

"No," she said a little too quickly. "I think I am good. Devon and I will be just fine for the next few hours."

"Okay," said Nick, but he stood there as if wanting to ask a question. Zoe gave in and asked what was wrong.

"I'm wondering about your cat," said Nick. Zoe wasn't sure if he noticed her stiffen. That vision she'd had faded some after their… moment, but she still felt on edge. And it was a strange coincidence that he was asking her, now, about their cat.

"Do you mean Furdinand?" she asked.

"Yes," said Nick. "I've seen him on site a few times, and today, he was rather unhappy to see me."

"He's a strange cat," she offered. "We found him at a truck stop right before we came here. He's been with us ever since, honestly, getting stranger by the day. Why do you ask?"

"There's a lot of stray cats around, I just am starting to have a weird feeling about it." said Nick pensively. "Maybe it would be a good idea to keep him inside your camper if that’s possible, so he doesn't get into a fight or catch something they might have. Also I wouldn’t want him to get caught in one of the live traps we have set."

"We will try," said Zoe, nodding in agreement. The image of Furdinand's teeth and serpentine tongue made her heart pound in dread. She wasn't sure she wanted him inside at night at all when she was sleeping. She thought again about mentioning it to Nick. Are you crazy…he is just starting to think you aren’t crazy. Besides, obviously it had been some sort of hallucination, possibly brought on by exhaustion. She was going to have to figure something out, she didn’t want to tell Devon she was scared of Furdi because of a stupid dream either. He loved that cat.

* * *

After Nick left,Zoe worked quickly. She loved sewing; the feeling of the fabric between her fingers, threading the machine, the pressure of her foot on the pedal. She enjoyed seeing the items as they once more returned to the way they should be ─ clean, pressed, and beautiful. It felt like she was performing a magic trick.

Though the fabric was not the best, it cleaned up rather nicely, and it took new stitches well. Zoe found that she also had to repair a lot of crooked stitching done by whomever manufactured his products.

By the time six o'clock rolled around, she'd pinned ten garments and fixed, fully, four of them. She left the completed clothes hanging in the cedar wardrobe that stood in the corner of the room.

Devon was asleep on the little overstuffed couch in the center of the room, with his book open on his chest. Zoe gently touched his shoulder. "Devon, time to get up." He kept sleeping, and his eyes were rapidly moving under his lids. "Devon," she said a little louder. Her boy could sleep through a throng of bagpipes walking through the room. "Time to get up." He sat up quickly and rubbed his eyes.

"Where's Furdinand?" he asked, looking around the room wildly. "He was just here."

Zoe immediately felt anxious and sat down next to her son. "What are talking about hun? Did you see Furdinand?" she asked anxiously.

"Yeah," said Devon. "He was right here watching me. His eyes looked funny, and he was smiling at me, and I did not like it."

"Oh my gosh,” she gasped. “I see," said Zoe, quickly composing herself. "Anything else?"

"Well he was enormous, like a bear or something, and his teeth were kind of sharp."

"Oh," said Zoe, deciding right then and there that the cat would be sleeping outside tonight, like he had so many other nights.

"Well," she said, trying to sound calm. "He's not here now, and we both know he's not that big, so it must have been a dream, right?"

"Duh, I know that mom," said Devon, not sounding very convinced. "Can we go home now?"

"Sounds like a great idea," said Zoe, standing up and offering her hand to her son. She knew she would be uneasy for the rest of the day; however, she smiled, and the two of them walked out the door just in time to see Nick pulling into the driveway.

He waved and flagged them down before they could get into the truck.

"Hey there," he said as he got out of his car. "How did the sewing go?"

"I got a lot done if you'd like me to show you," she said, gesturing toward the window of the sewing room.

"Yes, actually," he said. "I'd like to see your handiwork."

"Of course," said Zoe as the three of them went back inside. When Zoe opened the wardrobe's door to show him the repaired clothing, she thought he was going to cry.

Nick pulled out each outfit and inspected it. He oohed and aahed as he touched the even stitches and fingered the repaired hems. He even put his nose up to each and smelled them.

"You've done a fantastic job!" he exclaimed as he walked around, looking at the cleaned fabrics that were pinned for sewing. "Let me take you two out for dinner."

"How do you know I don't already have plans?" she asked, looking at him speculatively.

"Okay," he said, his one eyebrow going up curiously, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Do you already have plans?" he asked. "I'm kind of a spontaneous guy, if you haven't figured that out already, and I'm hungry. So, if you're hungry, too, I'd like to remedy that fact."

"I'm hungry," said Devon. His stomach growled as if on cue. "We don't have any plans."

Zoe couldn't dispute what her son just said. They didn't have plans, and she was a little afraid to go back to her trailer, at the moment, anyway. Stupid cat dream. "I think we might be free," she said. "But nothing fancy, I don't have a change of clothes for either of us."

"Do you like burgers and French fries?" asked Nick. "The place I'm thinking of has all kinds of things, but their burgers are really the best."

Devon hopped up and down, and his eyes pled with Zoe to accept. Her mind took inventory of what they had in the cupboard. Tonight's dinner consisted of canned ravioli and a bag of salad, neither of which sounded good to her at this time. Oh relax Zoe, just say yes.

"We accept," she said, nodding at her son as he squealed with delight. "But you are buying, of course."

Nick made a little sarcastic bow to her. "Of course, my lady," he said, teasing her. "I never invite someone to dinner and make them pay. That would be seriously rude of me. Shall we go?"

* * *

Before she knew it,Zoe was sitting on the patio of a lakeside bar and grill with strings of hanging lights above her head. The weather was mild, with a slight breeze easing its way around the tables. A solitary guitar player sat on a raised platform, tuning his instrument.

Nick was right about the menu. It had everything from burgers to seafood. She was a little worried about the expense though. When she tactfully asked for the more inexpensive items on the menu, he stopped her and asked the waitress to give them a minute.

"You know, you saved me thousands of dollars, right?" he asked her candidly. He then reached for her hand and looked deeply into her eyes.

Zoe felt like she was going to melt right there in her seat. The memory of his lips from earlier in the day moved through her like a wave of electricity.

"I want you to order whatever your heart desires. Really, it’s my pleasure. Nick pointed at the entree she'd wanted in the first place. "So, if you want the seafood platter, or the lobster, for that matter, get it. You're worth every penny, and I would take it as an offense if you order the cheap five-dollar salad. If salad is really what you want, at least get the best one." He added a wink for good measure.

Zoe blushed at his words and then smiled. Nick definitely wasn't the man she thought he was. He was showing himself to be kind, and now, generous. It was not at all the impression she had gotten from him when they first met. When the waitress came back, she ordered the seafood platter with a side of lobster.

"Excellent," he said, apparently pleased. "Now, tell me about yourself and Devon here. What made you want to come here?"

Zoe sent Devon to the playground that was off to the side of the restaurant. Obviously, many parents who were dining there did the same thing. Then she looked at Nick, took a deep breath, and told him everything; from her background as a farm girl and how much she loved animals. She even told him about her strange connection to them at times. She told him about when she realized her husband was cheating on her with a woman half his age too. He listened attentively the whole time, never interrupting, and just taking in whatever she wished to tell him. Finally she spoke of the moment when she parked at Ravenstone Realm and how it had felt almost magical to her. She had felt like they had found their new home. When she finished, she looked at his face, hoping she hadn't said too much.

"I have to admit," said Nick, clearing his throat. "I was wondering about a few things. I looked at your store's Facebook page, and I noticed some guy standing with you in a lot of the pictures."

"I meant to delete those," whispered Zoe, feeling embarrassed. "I just haven't had any time to be online, lately."

Nick's hand claimed hers again. It was something Zoe felt like she could get used to. "Don't ever be ashamed of your past," said Nick. "It shaped your future and brought you here. And we all have one. You did what you knew how to do at the time. And you have grown from the experience."

Zoe locked eyes with him. The look he gave her was full of meaning. A trail of heat moved down from her heart to her stomach, then directly to her groin. She knew, that once again, her pussy was very wet.

Just as Zoe was about to speak, the food came. Each tray was filled with delicious aromas steaming from each plate. Devon ran back to the table, and Zoe took the opportunity to excuse herself to ‘take Devon’ to wash his hands. He was too old for that now, but she also wanted to splash water on her very flushed face. Nick was making her aroused, and she had to get a hold of herself. This is becoming a problem. She smiled to herself.

* * *

By the endof the meal, Zoe and Devon had to take to-go boxes for the slices of cake that Nick insisted they get. Zoe felt like Nick would have to roll her out of there.

"Let's take these to the car and then go for a walk," he said. "It's a beautiful night."

Zoe happily agreed. They walked from the car to the boardwalk along the lake. The moon was high, and the temperature was still comfortable for the time of year. Nick and Devon got into a conversation about fishing. It was something Devon used to do with his dad occasionally. Zoe listened to them for a bit, but her mind wandered. This night was absolutely perfect. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had taken her out like that.

As she mused, she noticed a streak of black and white run across her path. Zoe stopped and looked toward where the animal ran. It stopped and looked at her. It was the white and black cow cat, she was sure. Before she had a chance to go get Nick the cat was on the move. She didn’t want to scare it by calling out and she didn’t want to lose it, so she slowly approached, calling to the cat and blowing little clicking kisses at her. But she only edged closer to the bushes. Zoe followed, hoping she could catch the cat and bring her back to Nick before it escaped entirely.

The cat dashed into a patch of bushes right by the lake. When Zoe pushed through them, she found herself on the very edge of the water. There was no cat to be seen. Then she felt a nudge against her leg. Looking down, she saw the cat was there, staring at her. But its eyes didn't look right; they looked red instead of a typical yellow or green. A chill went up her spine. She was just starting to think something was very wrong when suddenly the cat sunk its claws into her leg, and she felt something push her hard toward the water.

Zoe screamed as she lost her balance. Her body hit the surface with a smack as the cold lake claimed her. She pumped her arms and legs, keeping her head above water. She kicked and stroked toward shore. Zoe was an excellent swimmer so she didn’t panic. She felt confident that she would be able to get out on her own, but suddenly, something grabbed her leg and tried to pull her down to the bottom. That’s when the panic set in.

But she struggled and fought with everything she had. Her muscles strained to keep her above water, but she couldn't get free. Whatever was pulling her was too strong. She felt herself going further down as everything around her grew silent. The moon shone above her. Her eyes were wide open, and her lungs strained to gain air, but there was none to be had. Her chest began to burn. Then she let go of her last breath and the world around her went black.