Remembrance of Things Past Ch. 03

"It's so warm in here; may we go outside for a few minutes?"

Larry was startled out of his musings. "Of course, Miss Elsbeth." He offered his arm and led her out of the hall, Carr's eyes watching as they left.

They could hear the music and laughter, but had eyes only for each other.

Larry leaned in close to whisper in her ear, "You are so lovely tonight, Shamus mine."

Elsebeth's face glowed in the moonlight. A warmth ran through her when she heard her special name. "You are the handsomest man here, Sheriff."

Larry couldn't hold back for another moment and folded her into his arms, pulling her close and pressing his lips to hers. He felt electricity pass through them as they touched, holding her tighter, his tongue moving into her mouth, touching hers, feeling it follow his. One hand grabbed hold of her golden locks, pulling her head away from him so their lips were now just an inch apart. "Is this what you want, Shamus? Are you sure?"

Elsbeth breathed deeply, her chest rising and falling, her nostrils flaring with passion. "Sheriff, I want you." There, she'd said it. She did want him, regardless of her wolf's insistence this was not their mate. She had never felt this attraction to anyone before. She would defy her father, her Alpha, but she didn't care.

Elsbeth, I know I'm just your little brother, but think carefully before you leap. You can't take it back once you've done this, and Pa doesn't take kindly to being disobeyed. Carr wouldn't stop her, but dreaded the possible aftermath.

Thank you for your advice, Carr. Now go babysit our little sister before her wolf shows herself to the entire town. I can take care of myself! Elsbeth didn't like being told what to do, by Carr or by Papa. The sheriff was what she wanted, and what she would have. "Please, Sheriff, please, don't leave me waiting like this."

"Elsbeth," Larry had a sudden pang of guilt and let her go, backing away slowly. "Elsbeth, I could never court you openly." How could he tell her after he'd allowed himself to be so forward with her?

Elsbeth cocked her head, not understanding what he meant.

"I have a wife." There, it was out. He had hated keeping this from her. But how could he knowingly lead her down the path of ruination? He already cared for her too much to hurt her. And the sooner he ended it, the better for both of them.

Elsbeth was silent for a moment, not sure how to react. "Where is your wife? The boys have never mentioned her." She spoke matter of factly, no recrimination in her voice.

"She lives in Illinois, in a hospital. She's... sick." How could he tell her that she was in an insane asylum? "She will never be better, but I cannot divorce her. I'd feel I was deserting her. I'm sorry, Elsbeth. I should leave. Please, have fun, and I am so very sorry." He immediately turned but before he could take a step, he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"Please, Sheriff. Don't go. I understand, truly, I do. And..." She waited for him to face her again. "I want you even more now. I think we need each other more than either of us could ever know. Don't leave me!" She looked into his eyes, and he couldn't help but see her need there.

"Oh, my Shamus. I thought I would lose you. Tonight, we dance." Larry took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, lingering on her soft skin. He looked up into those wonderfully blue eyes. "Tonight, you are the belle of the ball. Tomorrow, I will make you mine."

Elsbeth smiled shyly, knowing that he was thinking of what tomorrow would bring. And so was she. She allowed herself to be steered back into the hall and flashed a grin at her brothers. She wouldn't cause a stir tonight. As they walked back inside, they passed Shannon and Cookie walking out.

"Oh, Cookie, I'm having such a wonderful time. Thank you so much for inviting me." She held tight to Cookie's hand, not wanting to let go for a second.

"Miss Shannon, I've been doin' a ton a thinkin'."

"Oh?" Shannon began to tremble. This was it. He was going to tell her what he'd decided. Oh please let him choose us! She bit her lip and tightened her hold on his hand.

"And, well, ah shucks, Miss Shannon. I just can't see livin' without ya. I wanna be with you the rest of my life. So I guess, I'm ready to be a wolf."

Shannon was speechless for just a moment and then broke out into the biggest smile Cookie had ever seen. "You've made me so happy, Cookie!" Shannon went up on her tiptoes and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her waiting kiss.

Cookie was momentarily frightened by the strength she exhibited when she held his neck, but as soon as their lips met, he forgot it and pulled her close.

Carr and Cole smiled.

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Monday – The day after the Social

"Papa, Cookie is here to speak with you." Shannon pushed Cookie into her father's office and shut the door, then waited nervously, pacing in front of the doorway. "Mama, Papa wouldn't hurt him, would he?"

Claire laughed. "No, my dear, he would not! Yer father is a kind wolf, whether ye know it or not. He'll just tell Cookie what is expected of him." Claire was about to leave the room when she spotted Elsbeth. "And where might you be going?"

"Out for a ride. My poor horse has been lonely. He hasn't been for a run in ages. I think we're going to go up into the mountains. I'll be back before nightfall, I promise." She leaned over to peck her mother on the cheek and made her way to the barn.

Don't think you can lie to me, me girl. Yer going to meet the sheriff. Please, be careful Elsbeth. Ye know yer father's rules."

His rules, Mama. I've waited over two hundred years for a mate, and have none. And now my little sister will mate at twenty years old. I'm through waiting, Mama. Tell him if you wish. With that she mounted her horse and rode out.

Claire's attention was brought back to her youngest by Shannon's incessant pacing. "Shannon, ye'll not be helping by acting this way. Come, help me with preparing lunch. I've no doubt the two of them will be ravenous by the time they finish their talk."

Shannon reluctantly followed her mother into the kitchen, straining to hear through the walls. Papa wasn't raising his voice. That was a good sign.

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Elsbeth's horse picked his way slowly up the rocky hillside. They reached the flat meadow that sat atop the mountain. The breeze blew through her hair which now billowed around her head. She could see as far as the town from here. No one ever came up here except during the dead of winter; that was when the boys used the cabin while they tended to the needs of the herds. She'd known Carr to stay up here alone for months at a time. He and Papa had built the cabin about sixty years before, when Carr was just ten years old. But the rest of the year, the cabin sat here unused.

Elsbeth came here often, just to get away from all the noise at the ranch. This was her place of solitude. She'd never shared it with anyone before, until now that is. She smiled when she saw the sheriff's paint horse tied to the fence. She dismounted and brought her horse over to tie next to it. The paint shied a little, but had become somewhat accustomed to the scent of wolf nearby and settled quickly.

Larry heard the horse coming and came around the corner just in time to see Elsbeth tying her horse. He grinned so big that it was noticeable even through his big bushy mustache. "Shamus," he whispered to himself, but she heard and came to him, arms outstretched. They embraced and his hand cupped her chin. "Are you sure, Shamus mine? Are you absolutely sure?"

"I'm sure." She spoke quietly, barely able to speak. She couldn't believe the lustful feelings she had for the sheriff. Was it love? She supposed it was, maybe not the type of love between bonded mates. And at the back of her mind she could feel a slight hollow feeling where her wolf was absent, but she didn't care. She had waited over two hundred years. The sheriff made her feel things she didn't think she ever would.

He leaned down and captured her lips in a torrid kiss, his body pressed against hers. He could have sworn he felt the heat from her skin through their clothing. His hand slid through her hair, tangling in the blond locks. He coiled them in his fingers and pulled slightly, tugging her head away just a bit. "Are you mine, Shamus? Even after what I told you last night?"

"Yes, I'm yours, Sheriff, all yours."

He is not our mate! The Alpha will not approve! Elsbeth's wolf thought the sheriff was very nice, but she was torn. They should wait for their mate.

Oh hush yourself! The males consort with females from other packs, but Papa keeps us locked in a tower, like princesses. And now Shannon is to mate. I will not be kept a prisoner for one more minute! The sheriff is a kind, generous, and loving man. And I think he needs me as much as I need him. And YOU will keep your silence and not breathe a word to anyone. Elsbeth ignored any further pleas from her wolf.

Suddenly Elsbeth felt her feet being lifted off the ground as the sheriff swept her into his arms and carried her into the little cabin. She just couldn't call him Larry; he would always be The Sheriff to her. Her heart swelled with emotion when she looked around the small room. He had been here for some time before her. There were fresh blankets on the bed and the mattress looked much fuller than she remembered it. Had he freshly stuffed it with straw? A fire was lit in the stove, and the room was comfortably warm.

He laid her gently on the bed, lying beside her, stroking her face and holding her waist tenderly. He began kissing her neck as one hand carefully undid the row of buttons in the front of her blouse. His fingers dragged across her bared skin. He hadn't touched a woman in so many years; he'd thought he didn't care about women anymore. Oh, how wrong he'd been. Something about his Shamus had reawakened his soul.

"Shamus, have you ever been with a man before?" he whispered in her ear. He was sure her answer was going to be yes. She seemed so confident and sure of herself.

"No, Sheriff, never." Her voice trembled as she caught her breath. So many feelings were running through her body. Her wolf had curled up into a corner of her mind, but even she was affected. She was restless in Elsbeth's mind.

"Never?" Larry stopped for a moment, his hand resting over her breast, touching her through her chemise. He watched as her chest rose and fell. She did not act like a blushing virgin. She was waiting for him. "Are you sure, Shamus? I can't give you a long life together. Are you sure you want to give your virginity to an old man who will never be able to marry?"

"Sheriff, I want to give myself to you! I don't care about your age. I don't care about marriage. You are a strong male, and I know that I need you, Sheriff. I need to be close to you, to feel your skin, your body. Please, show me everything a man does to a woman." Her hands came up to stroke his face, and then started on his shirt buttons. She found his skin and stroked his hairy chest, then lifted her head and pressed her lips to his, feeling him kiss her back.

They kissed and kissed, hands reaching to remove clothes, struggling to keep body contact at all times. Eventually, they had freed themselves from their clothing and couldn't stop their touching and kissing. Elsbeth knew from years of watching matings what would happen, but she had never felt it for herself. Her body was so ready. She wrapped her legs around Larry's and pulled him closer to her.

Larry was surprised by the strength of Elsbeth's legs but then passed it off as owing to years of riding horses. He stopped his kissing for a moment and stroked her skin to relax her. "Shhh now, my Shamus. Just lay here and let me take care of you." He slid down the mattress until he was hovering over her beautiful little pussy. Her fresh, clean scent washed over him, and he began salivating. "Open your legs for me, Shamus. There's a good girl." Her blond curls just barely covered her mound and the treasures hidden there. He leaned in close and inhaled deeply. "Ah, lovely, as I expected." He looked up from between her legs. "Now, whatever you do, just relax. I promise you only pleasure, my lovely Shamus."

Larry inhaled and smiled. He loved the smell of virgin pussy, and it had been so terribly long. He hadn't even thought it possible he'd have another chance in his lifetime. His hands slid up her lovely thighs and parted them wide, sliding in between them and seeing her nether lips spreading in response. He saw her tender pink flesh, glistening with moisture. His finger gently traced her opening and he used his other hand to soothe her movements. "Don't move, Shamus." She stilled and gasped as his finger slid inside her amazingly tight channel. Her moans were music to his ears as he slid in and out, feeling her tunnel grow accustomed to his finger. When he no longer had to force his way, he slid another finger inside and pushed until he felt her barrier. He would save that for a few moments.

Larry looked up between her heaving breasts and savored the look of pleasure on his Shamus' face. Her head had fallen back, and he could see the pulse jumping in her neck, her beautiful, long, flawless neck. With two fingers deep inside her, bumping into her maidenhead, he lowered his head and tasted her for the first time. Her pussy tasted like heaven to the old cowboy. His tongue lapped at her nubbin, so hard. He teased it as best he could, using her moans of frustration to tell him if he was pleasing her sufficiently.

"Oh, Sheriff, what are you doing? That feels so good! Oh, oh, ohhhhh." His bushy mustache distracted just enough to heighten the sensations that radiated from her tender flesh. Elsbeth grasped at the blankets in both hands, pushing her shoulders back into the mattress, her hips lifting up into her human lover's mouth. She had always wondered at the sounds she heard when the wolves were mating in their human forms, but that was infrequent and in private. But this was so much more pleasurable than she had imagined. Suddenly she was overcome by warmth flowing through her veins, and an uncontrollable urge to scream. Her legs closed around the sheriff's head and she lifted her shoulders off the mattress as she felt an explosion in her brain.

Larry held her legs as tightly as he could but couldn't keep them from closing in on him like a vise. But that didn't stop him from drinking the gushing fluids that rushed into his mouth. A virgin's first orgasm was one she would never forget, and Larry wouldn't either. He had never felt a woman move with such passion before. His cock jumped with the thought of being inside her when she next exploded. He continued to catch her flavorful essence until she had no more to give him, and then he kissed his way up her feverish skin, lingering at her beautiful breasts, holding them as her chest rose and fell while she caught her breath.

Elsbeth laid underneath her sheriff, trying to regain her senses. Her wolf had to admit to her that she had not expected to feel the lust that exploded through their veins.

But it will be even better when we find our mate. The wolf then retreated to the back of Elsbeth's mind. She would feel every bit of emotion, but without their true mate she could not really participate. And for that, she was a bit sad. Of course, she would never admit to it.

Elsbeth had never thought about the pleasure that could come from being suckled, and cradled the Sheriff's head as he chewed and sucked on her hard nipples. She smiled as she stroked his hair and moaned loudly, lifting her body to push her breasts closer to him.

Larry grinned and crawled farther up her body until his face loomed over hers. "Did you like that, my Shamus?" He grinned as she giggled. "I will take that as a yes." His face lowered until his lips brushed against hers.

Elsbeth smelled her scent on his lips and licked, smiling, and smacking her lips. "I think I taste very good." She grinned and licked his chin, cleaning her stickiness from his face. But she couldn't clean his mustache, and it smelled of her. She liked leaving her scent on him. For a wolf, that was a form of marking. Of course, it was different for humans. And if her father were to come anywhere near the Sheriff in the near future, things could end badly. She would make sure that did not happen!

Larry whispered, "Open your legs again for me, Shamus." He smiled when he felt her legs open wide. His hard cock probed her wet entrance. She wasn't as nervous as she had been earlier and her body now trembled with lust, not fear. She even lifted her hips to tilt her pelvis forward as his cock found its entrance and pushed forward.

Elsbeth gasped at the invasion of his hard member. He stretched her open, but stopped when the head of his cock hit her barrier. She felt him moving in and out and moaned, partially in frustration and partially in pain. When he had loosened her more, he stroked her face lovingly, calming his Shamus.

"I promise Shamus, just a bit of pain, and then, only pleasure." He kissed her deeply, and held her body tightly when he thrust forward, burying his cock in his tight little virgin's hole. He could feel her body tense and a groan as she felt a quick pain, and then moaning as she was filled for the first time by a man. And he moaned with pleasure at the tightness of her body, fully sheathed around his cock for the first time. He hoped to God it wouldn't be the last. He hadn't felt this way in so long. He'd forgotten what it was like to make love to a woman. And that's what this was, making love. He couldn't help but think as he moved slowly inside her, letting her get used to the feeling of him inside her. And all he could think about was how he hoped he would have his Shamus for years to come, even if they had to meet here in secret for the rest of their time on this earth.

Elsbeth felt enormous pleasure from every place on her body that touched his. She could feel his body tensing as he thrust harder and deeper into her body. His lips were constantly moving along her skin, and her body quivered in response. Suddenly, she felt his teeth biting into her shoulder as he gave a huge thrust and grunted. His teeth in her flesh sent a quick pain, followed by an orgasm as strong as the first.

Her wolf was momentarily confused by the bite. Was he a Werewolf? Of course not. Did humans bite too? Luckily, the bite was superficial and caused no marks, or Larry might have been shocked by watching it heal in front of his eyes.

Larry rolled to the side, not wanting to crush Elsbeth, and gathered her into his arms. He kissed her forehead and stroked the soft skin of her shoulder. "I hope I pleased you, Shamus." His fingers never stopped moving up and down her arm, lazily drawing designs on her pale skin.

Elsbeth laughed huskily. "Oh Sheriff, if I had known it would be like that I would have brought you here the first day we met." She nuzzled her face into his chest, her hand playing in the hair it found there.

He squeezed her tighter, laughing with her. He didn't doubt that she would have done just that.

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TO BE CONTINUED.....