The Mating Season: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (5 page)

He couldn’t help it. He increased his pace as he lost control. His teeth started to grow and his mind started to go feral. Kim’s second crisis approached and he buried his head in her shoulder and bit down as he emptied himself deep within her.

Kim felt an odd kind of pressure inside her as Keith blew his load, which just added an extra layer of intensity to the orgasm that rocked her. It was so intense she didn’t even realize he had bit her.

They lay in a tangled heap on her mattress, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. Kim began to regain her senses and was mortified about how easily she had succumbed to Keith’s charms. Her shoulder hurt where he had bit her, and was bleeding a little bit.

Keith looked at her and smiled warmly. “Hey, I’m sorry about the bite...sometimes I get a little carried away.”

Kim shrugged as she got up to tend to the wound. “It’s no big deal. I’ll clean it and put a bandage on it.”

Keith was confused by her reaction. Maybe she wasn’t really ready for the mating ceremony. He hoped he hadn't ruined his chances with her. “Look, if it’s anything I’m...”

“Just...go home for right now. I need to think about what just happened,” Kim said forlornly.

Keith was heartbroken, but not deterred. He put his clothes back on and looked at Kim with love in his eyes. “You know, I’m sorry for rushing you. I hope that well...whatever,” he said as he walked out of the bedroom and out of the house.

Kim sat back down on her mattress, not caring about the wound on her shoulder anymore. She couldn’t believe how easy it was for her to fall for another guy again. After what Smiley had done to her, she really didn’t want to get tangled up with another guy again. Unfortunately, she kept making the same mistake over and over again.

Maybe, she thought, Keith was different. She did feel something there. It really wasn’t like any of the other guys she had been with. His touch was kinder; hell, he made her cum not once but twice. None of her previous lovers had even cared enough to get her even the slightest bit moist before sticking it in. She just didn’t want Smiley hurting him. If she didn’t get involved with anyone, then Smiley would only come after her and not anyone she loved.

As Keith walked home from Kim’s house, he kicked the gravel and cursed himself for being so damn stupid. “So much for taking it slow, you moron. Fuck, I can’t believe it, I really hope she doesn’t hate me for it.” He stalked home, glad he had a half a case of beer left in his fridge. After today’s emotional rollercoaster, he definitely needed it.

He was so angry at himself that he didn’t see the strange blue, beat up pickup truck parked across the road from Kim’s house. Anyway, he thought to himself, I’ll see if I can get in touch with Mary at the general store. I can at least try to help her get a job. I just hope I don’t fuck that up as well.

*

The next morning, Kim woke up and prepped herself a cup of coffee. She still needed to unpack most of her stuff, but she felt vaguely unmotivated. She had noticed that Keith left his garden tools in the back yard. She decided to drop them off on his door step on her way to the general store to apply for a job. That way she wouldn’t have to see him at all. While the coffee brewed, she hopped in the tub for a quick shower.

She lathered up her raven hair and gave it a good rinse under the warm running water. She then picked up her loofah and put a bit of cinnamon scented body wash on it. She rubbed the loofah all over her tan skin, working up a rich lather and exfoliating all the dead skin and grime from the previous day. She rubbed her hands over her breasts remembering the pleasure Keith brought her the day before. Her hands retraced the path that Keith’s took as pleasant memories warmed her mind.

It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy yesterday. She enjoyed it, maybe a little too much. She really didn’t want to have any entanglements right now. She made a coffee in her French Press as she thought about yesterday’s whirlwind of events.

As she worked in the garden with Keith, it felt right somehow. It felt as if they should have been together all along. She never did believe in the concept of soul mates, but this was getting scary close to that, and she wasn’t ready.

After all the bad relationships she'd been through, this latest one with Smiley being the absolute worst, to put it mildly, gun-shy didn’t begin to explain what her feelings were regarding relationships right now. So, until she felt ready, she needed to figure out how to keep Keith at a distance, without hurting his feelings. The friend zone wouldn’t work, she knew that.

She sat down at her simple kitchen table and looked out at the garden she and Keith put in. The freshly turned sod steamed in the air, and the discarded garden tools lay in a heap on the ground, shining with a thin sheen of morning dew. The sun shimmered through the thin high clouds that day, promising another hot one.

After she finished her morning coffee, she shuffled through one of the remaining unpacked boxes and found one of her resumes in a file folder. She put it on the table before heading out to the back yard to grab the tools Keith left behind the previous day.

She unlatched her back gate and placed the tools outside of the back yard so she could easily grab them as she walked by. She looked at the pile of tools and felt a small pang of sadness. Impulsively she took a small trowel out of the leather holder and put it behind her gate. One never knows, she might need it, she lied to herself.

She ran inside and grabbed her resume, tucked it under her arm and locked the door behind her. She picked up the tools and walked them towards Keith’s house. When she got there, she noticed that the blinds were closed and everything seemed shut down. She placed the tools on his doorstep, knowing no one would bother to steal them in this small community, and started her walk towards the general store.

On her way, she took in the sights of her small town. There was, for lack of a better term, a town square. The general store was on the north side of the square. There was a clothes boutique and a little cobbler on either side of it. On the other side of the square was the local garage-gas station combo, and to the east was the police station. The sleepy little town had, in the center of the square, a decent sized orchard. The cherry trees were heavy with fruit, and the peach trees were just beginning to ripen. Berry bushes lined the ground and gave off the sweet scent of ripe strawberries. The upkeep of this bounty was the responsibility of all the townspeople. She noticed a little boy in the middle of the orchard gathering up strawberries in a plastic ice cream bucket. Kim smiled and waved at the tyke, who appeared to be no more than five years old.

The little boy shyly waved back as he hid behind the trunk of the heavily laden cherry trees. She was a stranger here, so she understood his reticence to engage. He then picked up his full bucket of strawberries and ran off down the street towards his house.

Kim crossed the square and walked towards the general store. There was no traffic in the quiet town. Everyone seemed to enjoy walking everywhere. People did have cars. Sometimes they did travel to the bigger city and towns for things not readily available in the town.

She pushed open the door to the general store and set off the bell that announced an incoming patron. She looked around and saw a stand of chocolate bars underneath the cash counter. Behind the counter were cartons of cigarettes and other tobacco products, as well as lottery tickets and other things children shouldn’t buy. A cooler with beer and other alcohol was also located behind the counter.

Groceries were neatly stacked on their respective shelves, and in the back of the really large building was a small hardware store. A few coolers filled with milk and soft drinks were off to the side, and a decently supplied bulk foods area filled another area of the store.

There was also a postal counter near the back, which doubled as the pickup for a catalog retailer. It worked well when the weather wasn’t poor. Once the valley got snowed in, people had to rely on each other until services were brought back.

“Hello, how may I help you?” an older gentleman greeted her. His white hair was plaited into a single braid down his back, and his smiling, tan face was deeply lined with age. He wore a black button up shirt and faded blue jeans. He seemed fairly frail due to his age, but there was something about him that belied a hidden strength. He had a cunning, almost predatory, look about him. Kim gulped, feeling a touch uncomfortable.

“Umm. I’m here to apply for a job? Like, Keith said he would talk to you, I don’t know if he did yet, but I really would like to have some kind of work,” Kim stammered.

“Yeah! He came in early this morning when I was opening up. He said something about a new girl in town wanting a job. So you’re Kim, eh?” The old one eyed her up. She had a distinct feeling he wasn’t just sizing her up to see if she met the job requirements. Kim shifted uneasily under the man’s magnetic gaze. “Yep, you’ll do just fine,” he said. “By the way, my name’s Rusty. Last name, well that’s not important right now.”

Kim held out her resume, “Are you going to need this?”

“Pfft, no. That isn’t how things work around here.” Rusty dismissed her. “You got the job. If you work hard, you’ll keep the job. I need someone to help out around here; I’m getting too old for this shit and want to retire. My son helps out to bring in the heavy stuff, but he has no desire to help in the front with the customers. He’s not much of a people person.”

“Wow, thanks. I can start right now if you want?” Kim said, perking up. “I’ve worked retail before so I won’t have any problems learning your system.”

“Yeah, why not,” Rusty said, shrugging. “You know the tax system right? For food, if it’s not pre-processed junk, it’s tax free. If it’s junk, or cleaning stuff and whatnot, punch the tax button. Right now, it’s slow, so just go around, get the products all proper and check the bulk bins. If you need help lugging, Junior is in the back. Just holler at him. I think I’m gonna go take a nap.”

“Will do! Thanks so much,” Kim gushed. “I mean, I’ll do all that I can.”

“Oh, and there’s some stuff in the back if you need to restock shelves. I noticed some empty spaces on the shelves. Don’t forget to dust, alright?”

“You got it, Rusty,” Kim replied cheerfully. She was very happy to be working. She could get the rest of her house set up later. She needed something to do to help take her mind off of all the stuff that’s happened so far, until she was ready to deal with it on her own terms.

Kim spent her day dusting and arranging the products on the shelves. She puttered around the store, checking the dates on things, and discounting the ones that were about to go off. She enjoyed the simple tasks that she had to do. Occasionally, a customer would stop in.

“Why hello, dear,” an older lady greeted her as she placed her items on the counter. “I haven’t seen you around here before. You must be the new girl that moved in the other day. How are you liking it here?” she asked, her wizened tan face grinning from ear to ear. She looked like one of those dolls with the heads carved from an apple.

“I think I’m in love with this place,” Kim replied with a smile. “It’s just so small and out of the way. It’s like a little slice of paradise. “

The older lady patted Kim’s hand. “Good. It’s nice to finally find a place where you belong, isn’t it?”

Kim was unnerved by the wizened old lady’s piercing black eyes. They seemed to sink deep into the depths of her soul and worm out the truths she was unwilling to face.

“Yes, it is,” Kim replied, fighting to keep the smile on her face. “I hope I can meet the rest of the band soon.”

“Oh, don’t you worry,” the old lady reassured her, “Working here, you’ll see everyone at least once or twice a week. My husband is pretty good to work for, from what I hear. By the way, my name is Betty.”

“Nice to meet you, Betty.” Kim smiled at her. “I’m Kim.”

“Oh, Rusty told me about you this morning. I just wanted to see you for myself, child.”

“Ah. Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day, Betty,” Kim said trying to force a smile. This little band had some pretty odd members, but really, what community didn’t? She hoped she would grow to love the eccentric elders as much as the ones who were younger.

“You too, child.”

Kim looked at the clock and noticed it was getting close to the 9 pm closing time. She looked for the broom along with the mop and bucket so she could wash the floors after locking the door. Junior came out from the back room and waved at her as he left to go home. He was big, around six foot eight inches tall, and didn’t seem all that bright. He was good for the hard labor, anyway.

She located the cleaning supplies and filled up the bucket with hot water. Kim spent the better part of an hour tidying up the store after the day’s business. She really wanted to make a good impression on Rusty. After she finished up mopping the floor, Rusty came back to cash out the till for the day.

“So how did you make out?” he asked as he punched the cash out button on the register. The receipt printer started printing off the sales for that day as he took the cash out of the drawer and started counting it.

“Not too bad. I kept busy,” Kim replied nonchalantly.

“It looks like it.” Rusty was impressed. He looked around at the sparkling store and was genuinely pleased with Kim’s performance. Usually, when he brought on a new hire, he had to micromanage them and he was getting too old for that. “Hope you come back the same time tomorrow, make sure you bring your stuff for payroll.”