Woodland Creatures

"Where did you study?" I wanted to know more about her, so much more. It was odd, the way my interest sparked for her. I'll be honest; I wasn't the kindest person at that point in my life, especially to prospective dates. Sure, I'd listen to them talk about themselves, but I didn't hang onto every word they said like I did with Lee.

"I went to Penn state."

"Like, Pennsylvania?" I found myself leaning forward as I waited for her answer.

She nodded, sipping her tea. "Yeah. A buddy of mine told me about the opportunity out here and I jumped on it. I've always found this area fascinating."

"So, you left everything and moved here for a job you may have hated?"

"That about sums it up," she said, smiling.

We spoke more about our childhoods, her explaining that both of her parents had passed away a few years apart while she attended the university. I told her about my own mother passing two years before, Lee becoming sympathetic to my situation. Dead mother, now dead aunt. It took me telling her that to realize I didn't have any family left. I mean, I'd realized it before but hadn't acknowledged the weight of that. Whatever, I shrugged it off. She was so sweet, too sweet. And gorgeous. Did I say that already?

Ten after one in the morning, I started yawning. "Wow, I'm sorry I stayed so late," Lee said, pushing up from the table. Part of me wanted to jump her bones right then and there but I held myself back. I didn't want to scare her off before I got to know her. This was uncharacteristic, and I immediately wondered what had gotten into me.

"It's okay. I would've stayed up anyway, I'm sure. I usually don't head to bed until around two or three in the morning."

"Really? Do you work a late shift or something?" She grabbed her bag and moved toward the door as she spoke.

"No, I do freelance graphic design." My job kept me up at all hours of the night because it was when I was most creative. "So, about that lynx..."

She chuckled, shaking her head. "You mean the bobcat." When I began to protest, she held up her hand, grinning. "I'll believe it when I see it. Have a good night. See you in the morning." With a wink, she turned and walked down the porch stairs.

Again, I watched her backside until she disappeared into her truck.

***

Faint sunlight poured over the wooden floor of the guest bedroom the next morning. I rolled over, squinting at the rays, wondering what woke me. According to my phone, it was seven in the morning.

A car door slammed outside the bedroom window and I remembered Lee. Running to the bathroom, I pulled my mess of hair into a bun, little wisps springing free from the scrunchie much to my dismay. I dabbed light make-up on my face, remembering what she stirred in me. Was she even gay? I spent entirely too much time in the bathroom. When I finally went out into the living room, I saw Lee through the window, walking up the path from the alpaca pen, her medical bag slung over her shoulder.

She rapped softly on the front door and I opened it, smiling at her. My plan was to have her look at me the way she did the day before, to see if it was a fluke or she was indeed into me.

"I would've made you breakfast if I'd known you'd be here so early," I yawned, stretching my arms over my head, tilting my head back. It worked. Her gaze was still on my chest when I opened my own again.

"No worries," Lee said. she quirked one of her eyebrows and grinned. "What would you have made?"

I mentally went over what ingredients the kitchen had and figured I could make a quick breakfast. "Pancakes?" I ushered her inside, making my way to the kitchen to start cooking. It was early, the house still holding a chill in the air that the lingering summer sun hadn't had a chance to heat. I opened the cabinets in search for the flour I'd seen the day before. She stood by the counter, watching me. Finding the flour, I grumbled when I noticed a shit ton of weevils in it. "Oops," I said.

"What?" Lee asked.

I chewed my lip as I took the bag of flour and threw it in the trash. "Seems that the flour had a few too many bugs in it to be making anything. Sorry."

She smiled, chuckling again. I noticed she laughed a lot, the sound a symphony of emotion inciting my own giggle. "It's okay."

"You have to come back tonight. What about I cook you dinner?"

"What were you thinking?" She kept her eyes on mine, and for some reason, it felt like a challenge. Not in a bad way, either.

"Hmm, what do you like?" I toyed with her, running my tongue over my upper lip and puffing my chest out just a little bit more.

"Anything beats the fast food I would be buying instead. Dealer's choice," she offered. Her eyes shifted to my lips and I moved closer to her, just a step. I wanted to kiss her so bad, feel her lips against mine. Apparently, she was thinking the same thing because she brought her hand to my cheek, grazing my skin. I closed my eyes in anticipation. Warm breath covered my face and my heart rate picked up.

A generic ring pierced the quiet kitchen and my eyes snapped open. Lee answered the phone call, shooting me an apologetic look as she talked to the caller briefly. I kept myself busy, looking through the rest of the cabinets. There wasn't much food and what there was had expired in the last few months. What the hell would I cook her for dinner? I wanted to impress her. Okay, so I wanted to have sex with her. Ulterior motives were floating in my brain. She seemed so confident and I longed to see her writhe from my touch. Yikes, I needed to calm down or my cheeks would certainly be as red as the box of Lucky Charms cereal I was throwing into the garbage can. When I went back to the counter, Lee slipped her phone back into her pocket.

"Duty calls?" I inquired.

She nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, I've got an emergency at the clinic." Tucking her hand into the zipper of her bag, she pulled out a business card. "Here's my number if you need me in the meantime," she said, handing it to me. Oh, fancy. Not only was she a doctor, there were also a few other abbreviations behind her name on the card. "I'll see you tonight, then?"

"Yep, how about eight? Maybe we can find a movie to watch."Netflix and chill, here I come, I thought.

"Eight o'clock." She winked at me and I swear I had to stop myself from grabbing her and kissing her right then and there. Some serious self-restraint was involved, let me tell you.

After her truck left the driveway, I headed outside, ready to take on the chores for the alpacas. What the hell was I going to do with them? I found the bag of feed where Bert had instructed in his list of alpaca tasks. It wasn't a long list but appeared tedious. Feed, clean up their crap, talk to them. I laughed at that bit, thinking of a movie I'd watched as a teen. As I unlatched the gate and stepped inside, I noticed they already had food. The large pen was clean. "Huh." Had Lee already taken care of the to do list? Hazel, the rusty furred alpaca limped over to me, making a clicking sound with her tongue. "Hey, you're kind of cute," I said, offering the animal my hand. She nuzzled my fingers like a horse might and I pet her head. Her fur was soft, almost silken, and I could see why my aunt shaved them to spool her own yarn. That woman is either super kind or she wants to get into my pants, I thought. "Or, both," I said to the alpaca, who answered by pulling her lips back in what appeared as a grin.

A glance at the my watch told me if I didn't leave the house, I'd be late for my meeting with my aunt's attorney. I left the alpacas and got ready for the meeting.

Aunt Karen's attorney, Miranda, turned out to be exceptionally helpful, providing me with all of the information I needed during our appointment. Along with the necessary paperwork for the transfer of ownership to the property, her car, Miranda gave me information on how these things would be taxed if I did sell, what I had to pay regardless. I thanked her for meeting me on a Saturday and she brushed off my gratitude. When I left her small corner office downtown by the water, I was overwhelmed and thankful I had the weekend to think things through. Even after then, I had a grace period before I had to pay anything. When I saw the amount of money Aunt Karen left me, I couldn't breathe for almost an entire minute. I didn't ask Miranda how my aunt had so much money but I sure the hell wanted to.

I wandered around downtown, weaving in and out of the numerous shops lining the streets. How had I come to such a large sum of money? I hadn't a thought of what I would do with it. Certainly, I could spend it or put it away for retirement. It wasn't too early to be thinking about retirement at twenty-five, was it? As I stepped into an electronic store, I decided I'd treat myself to a nice camera. I had a decent Nikon at home and used it to implement specific aspects to aesthetic pieces for my customers, but I didn't have it with me and that wasn't helpful when I wanted to catch a photo of a wild animal. I found a suitable camera, holding no guilt at the price tag with the newfound cash at my disposal.

After that stop, I drove my rental to the grocery store, deciding on chicken marsala. It wasn't the easiest dish but not too difficult. Lee was on the top of my to do list, in more ways than one. I already posted an advertisement on the internet for the alpacas, in hope I'd find a suitable home for the three furry friends. Although I thought I'd planned to sell the property, the decision was solidified. One way or another, I still had to go home Monday morning. If I hadn't decided by then, I didn't want to keep forcing Bert or Lee to tend to them out of the kindness of their hearts. Shit, with the amount of money I now had, I could pay someone to tend to them.

Anyway, I texted Lee after I got back to the cottage, taking her number from the business card.

How does chicken marsala sound?

I put away the groceries and turned on to television for a while, thankful again the internet was still hooked up. An hour of binge watching my favorite show later, my phone pinged with a text.

Sounds delicious. I'll bring dessert if you get a pic of that lynx ;)

I smirked, excited she was flirting with me. Challenge accepted.

Good luck. I can't wait to prove to you it's a bobcat. Lee replied. Oh, she was cute and cocky.

An extensive google search told me a whole lot about lynxes. Most of the lynxes in Washington state were located east of the cascades due to the specific animal they ate, the snowshoe hare. Well, I knew from seeing the pictures it was definitely a lynx which brought on the question: what was a lynx doing on Orcas Island? This only furthered my craving to get proof of its existence.

I prepped dinner an hour before Lee was due to be there and waited to start cooking. At around 7:30, Lee sent me a text that made me glad I hadn't started cooking yet.

I'm going to be a little bit late due to another emergency. I should be there around 9. Is that okay?

Sure I'll find something to keep me occupied.

Have you gotten that pic yet?

I chuckled, refusing to answer her until I did. Maybe I would have better luck at dusk and what perfect way to distract myself until Lee got there and the wooing could commence?

Dressing in jeans and a thick pullover hoodie, I stepped out into the evening, taking in the smell of autumn's approach. The sun had just settled beneath the horizon, a light gray etching its way through the sky. My impending date with Lee had my head spinning and I couldn't wait to see more of the enigmatic woman. Night vision camera ready, I tiptoed out into the dense woods behind the house, eager to try to capture the big cat on camera. As my extensive google research proved fruitful and I figured maybe there'd be a better chance at twilight.

I made my way through the thick ferns, cursing my heavy feet as I trekked over to the same fallen log I'd witnessed the lynx the first time. Taking a quiet deep breath, I settled on the log. The forest was alive with activity, crickets chirping, frogs croaking and other animals I didn't recognize all coalescing into the opus of night. The cloudless sky above lightened the area more than it would've been due to the isolation of the property. With all the light pollution I experienced in LA, this was eerie for me. But, I was stubborn to prove to Lee wrong, that this critter was a lynx and not a bobcat. I wasn't sure why I had such determination to shed light on the real identity of the creature. Perhaps it was my sudden and unyielding infatuation with the woman.

Ten minutes into my silent waiting, something stirred to my right. There she was, gray coat standing out starkly in the darkness of the clearing. I held my breath, camera poised in my hands. Even in the blackness, I could see her nose flaring as she sniffed the air, crouched close to the ground. Her head snapped in my direction and we locked eyes. Long legs pushed up, raising the cat to full height and I finally realized how tall she was. I lifted my camera, switching on the night vision just as she hopped out of the clearing. I cursed, taking chase with my camera in hand as she moved toward the house. She darted in the direction of my aunt's house, zigzagging through before I lost sight of her. Breath heaving, I stood, looking from side to side but she was gone.

Reaching into my pocket, I realized I'd forgotten my phone. Since I was standing right behind the house anyway, I ran inside and grabbed it to text Lee. I'd be damned if I would leave those woods without getting a photo of the animal. When I stepped back outside, I paused, gasping. The damn lynx was standing on the porch! The camera had switched off the night vision in the time it took me to get back to the house and the lynx hopped off the porch before I turned it back on. "Damn it," I muttered, heading back into the house. I'd been so fucking close to capturing the little turd on camera. What was it doing so close to the house? Sighing, I pulled my phone from my pocket, opening a new text to Lee. Almost caught the little shit on camera. I'm telling you, I will get a picture if it kills me.

I grabbed the rough wool blanket draped over the back of the couch in the living room and went outside again. Slowly creeping through the woods, I poised the camera, ready with the night vision initiated. My phone pinged loudly, and I cursed. Was it in the clearing a few yards from the alpaca pen? I'll be there soon, just finishing up. The text was from Lee. Hmm, how'd she know about the clearing? I assumed it was because she lived in the area as well, perhaps she and my aunt shared land in the woods.

Yeah and I'm heading back there with a blanket. I swear I'm going to set up camp to get a picture of this little butthead. Text me when you get to the cottage.

When I reached the clearing, the sun had completely set, and I blindly fumbled around, using the light from my phone to illuminate my path.

A darkened shape moved around, and I froze. "Hey, it's just me," Lee said.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I hissed. "You're going to scare her away."

"Her?" Lee chuckled and moved closer, the light from my phone causing her eyes to take on a golden hue. Fuck, she was gorgeous in scrubs but even sexier in regular clothing. Casually, she stood from her perch on the fallen log, hands in the pockets of her dark jeans and the first two buttons on her black shirt undone. "How do you know it's a her?"

I snorted as I plopped down on the log, averting my eyes from her and hoping the darkness shielded my blush. I tugged the blanket on the lap, my hoodie keeping me warm enough. When the hell did I become so demure? "Because I said so. Fuck, I don't know. Maybe it's a he."

"Maybe they're non-binary," Lee said, smirking as she sat down next to me. Her thigh touched mine and my breath sped up.

"Fine. If they would get their furry butt out here so I could prove their existence, that'd be great."

"You really want to prove me wrong, don't you?" She crossed her arms over her chest, smirking.

Looking over at her, I smiled broadly. "Yes, yes I do."

"I apologize if you had to wait long for me," Lee said, leaning back against the nearest tree trunk.

"It's okay. I want to wait just a few more minutes to see if this critter comes back before we head in. I promised you dinner, and I'll still make it," I said in a whisper.

I covered the ground with the wool blanket, kneeling to flatten the fabric over the bed of pine needles beneath it. After I was satisfied, I plopped down, positioning myself a few feet from Lee's boots, my eyes on the sky above. Lee chuckled again, the sound rich and doing nothing to stifle her allure. Looking up, I took in the beauty of the stars. I hadn't seen anything quite like it, the shifting shades of black and navy blue, sprinkled with thousands and thousands of stars. "Wow," I muttered. Lee dropped to her knees from the log and crawled over to me. I held my breath as she closed the distance between us, lying beside me. Her arm touched mine and I sighed, her fingers touching the back of my knuckles. The contact was so chaste, but a fire was beginning to rage within me, further stoked when her fingertips went up my arm. She turned onto her side, her gaze upon my face. "Are you trying to seduce me?" I murmured, my throat tight.

Trailing up my bare arm, her nails scorched a path to my face, her hand cupping my cheek. I met her stare and saw the hunger in her impossibly beautiful eyes. "Me? Never." Her lips were parted, her fingers brushing the tiny hairs at the nape of my neck and I leaned in, kissing her fiercely. "Is it working?" she whispered against my mouth. I nodded before kissing her again.

She climbed on top of me, her lips never leaving mine with the movement. Wrapping my arms around her neck, I parted my lips, groaning when her tongue touched mine, tentatively at first. My fingers threaded through her short hair and our kiss deepened, her tongue running over the roof of my mouth before she captured my lower lip with her teeth. I opened my eyes, meeting her hungry gaze again. The position was so much different from my usual encounters. I was usually the instigator, the one in control, on top. Although, I had instigated quite a deal during the last two times we saw each other. But this was different. I found myself wanting her to be in charge, to take me.

Her knee pressed between my legs and I gripped her hair harder in my fingers, urging her to kiss me again, groaning into her mouth. Pleasure spread through my belly, deep and heady, her tongue lashing at mine.

She pulled away from me, staring down at me, chest heaving. "I want you," she murmured, causing me to moan.

"Have me." My tone was drowning in lust as she helped me out of my hoodie and tee, kissing my neck, nipping the skin below my ear. Her breath was loud as she took my earlobe between her teeth, nibbling gently while her hands caressed my sides. I reached down, grabbing the hem of her shirt, wanting to touch her skin.

She halted her movements, a fierceness in her eyes. "No, let tonight be about you," she said.

"Okay," I whispered. I would gladly let the night be about me, thinking it would've been hard to focus on anything other than her hands on my body, her tongue tracing a line down the curve of my neck, anyway. She yanked my sports bra up and over my head before kissing both of my breasts. Taking a nipple into her mouth, she ran her tongue over the pebbled surface, causing my back to arch. I held her head to my chest, my fingers twisting in her short hair. She propped herself up with one hand while she taunted the edge of my jeans with the other, teasing the erogenous area at my waist line. I squirmed, wanting her hand lower, wanting her to touch my needy core.