Curse of the Bouda

Fearful

Asani guided Harlow to his jeep. As they took their seats, Harlow noticed his fists tightening over the steering wheel, as his eyes remained downcast. Motionlessly, they sat.

“I frightened you, didn’t I?” He asked, breaking the silence.

“No, of course not,” Harlow replied.

Asani gazed to meet her eyes. His face was littered with frown lines, and his brows were furrowed with worry.

“I went too far and lost my temper. I’m so sorry. When I heard what he had said to you, something snapped inside of me.”

Harlow reached over and rested a hand on top of his that clung to the steering wheel. As the tension of his grip relinquished and his stressed expression eased, he exhaled.

“Jerry was asking for it,” Harlow assured. “Besides, I was flattered by your protectiveness over me.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

Asani’s smile beamed, causing Harlow to cheese with an equal amount of enthusiasm.

“I refuse to let this be how we end the night. Are there any other hotspots?”

“The pub is the hotspot, but there’s one other place I think you might like.”

Asani’s brows rose with curiosity. She directed him to the special location. They arrived at Moonlit Lake. It was as beautiful as ever, as the currents gently broke against the rocks on the shore.

This time, Harlow opened her door. Though appreciative of Asani’s gentlemanly behavior, she did not want to continue the trend of waiting for him to do what she could do for herself. He paused, seeing her already stepping out of the jeep. He smirked. As if he was aware of her need for independence. He placed his hands in the pockets of his jeans, as they began their stroll along the shoreside. Since it was autumn, the lake was void of any other presence. Furthermore, given the lateness of the night, they had the beach all to themselves.

“Just one moment,” Asani said.

He jogged back to the jeep. Harlow watched from the beach as he retrieved a blanket from the trunk space. He was beside her a moment later. With a big smile he shook the blanket out. Then allowed it to flow down, making a pallet for them on top of the sand.

He sat on top of the blanket, before holding his hand out for her to take. She accepted his offer, taking her place beside him. They watched the lake, enjoying its serenity.

“This is beautiful. Thank you for sharing this place with me,” Asani said.

“You’re quite welcome,” Harlow replied. “Goodness, the moon is so big.” She stated, upon seeing the moon's reflection on the surface of the lake.

“Yes, but it is not a full moon.”

“Looks pretty full to me.”

“Nah, the full moon is still a few days off, trust me.”

She smiled, before adding, “In the summer this is a nice place to go for a cool swim. I will have to bring you back.”

“Why wait?”

As he took to his feet, Harlow laughed believing he was kidding, until he pulled his shirt over his head.

“What are you doing?”

“Going for a midnight swim. Do you care to join me?”

“Are you nuts that water is freezing! You’re going to get hyperthermia.”

To her concerns, Asani playfully scoffed, as he continued to shed his clothing. Eventually, only his boxer briefs remained. Harlow stared at his hard body, ogling every inch of his chiseled masculine form. Until she heard Asani clearing his throat. Sweeping her gaze upwards to meet his, the wicked grin he displayed informed her that he had noticed her shameless stare. She cast her eyes away from his, as a wave of heat warmed her cheeks. Asani bellowed a loud freakish cackle, a battle cry of some sort, before running and diving into the frigid water. Harlow’s jaw dropped as she refocused on watching him splash about in the lake. She covered her mouth, as she began to laugh uncontrollably at the sight. Asani beckoned for her to join him.

“No, I’m good!” She called back.

The water couldn’t have been any more than 50 degrees, or so. Yet, he seemed completely unbothered by the hypothermic conditions.

“Harlow, do you want to see something cool?” Asani shouts.

Yet, he didn’t give her time to respond. Without another word, he submerged beneath the water. As the lake settled, no longer rippling from his intrusive presence, she began to grow concerned. She walked over to the shoreline and called for him. Yet, it was useless. There was no way he could hear her beneath the water. Nevertheless, she screamed his name louder, frantic for his return.

Just when she was about to jump in after him, he ambushed her from the shallows like a crocodile preying on a gazelle, and like prey she ran.

Without looking back, she knew he was chasing her; he reached her in no time and tackled her onto the blanket. She turned over onto her back and began smacking him for frightening her. He laughed, as he released her from his hold. She sat up trying in vain to wipe away the droplets of water he dripped onto her. Then she remembered his state of undress. Unabashedly, he sat on his knees before her. Harlow's eyes dropped to his well-endowed member. Immediately she shot her eyes upwards to avoid leering.

“You might want to put your clothes back on,” Harlow cautioned.

Asani’s grin widened, as he posed a loaded question, “Does it bother you to see me like this?”

Harlow opened her mouth to answer, but she couldn’t formulate a suitable response.

Bother me? Harlow thought. Indeed, why would the sight of Asani's magnificent body with droplets of water still cascading along his perfectly sculpted torso, as the moonlight seemed to only aid in making him even more than mouthwatering delicious, bother me?

Thankfully, seemingly having his fill of teasing her, he began to get dressed.

“Better?” He asked.

Harlow cautiously peered at him beneath the veil of her eyelashes. Thankfully, he was fully clothed.

“I must confess something,” Asani said.

Not trusting her voice not to quiver, Harlow simply gave him a nod to continue.

“I like it when your eyes are on me. Your gaze makes me feel as though I have been set on fire and the closer I get to you, the more I desire to be consumed by the flames.”

Harlow’s breath became shallow as she took in his words. No longer did Asani’s eyes hold a carefree glint within them. No, they were heated, with a dark yearning that caused Harlow’s body to sprout in goosebumps. Asani began to stalk towards her, crawling on his hands and knees. She couldn’t move, nor did she want to.

“I've been fighting the urge all night not to kiss you. Please, end my suffering. I cannot go another second not knowing the taste of your lips.”

Still unable to speak, she nodded. His soft but firm lips pressed against hers. Their kiss was tentative, as if he were testing his boundaries, but soon it grew more passionate. Harlow's parted lips granted him all the permission he needed to invade her mouth with his tongue. Their kiss deepened, as the forcefulness of his advances caused her to recline onto the blanket. He didn’t break their connection as he followed her descent, covering her body with his.

His damped clothes pressed against hers, further soaking her. She would’ve been cold if not for the heat of his body to warm her. She kissed him, releasing her inhibitions and allowing for sensual urges to rule her. He trailed fiery kisses to her neck, sucking and teasing the most delicate parts of her skin. She giggled involuntarily as the stubble of his chin tickled her. He pulled back for a moment, a playful smile upon his lips, apologizing for the unintentional prodding, before continuing his exploration of her.

As the scene became hot and heavy, a nagging thought entered her mind. Why was he unaffected by the cold? There wasn’t a hint of discomfort, or a single shiver from him as his tongue glided downward delivering feathery kisses onto her collarbone. Logic posed the question and had begun to mute her lustful needs. No matter her wish to be spontaneous, she wasn’t. Common sense began to creep into her mind. No matter how much her body craved him; everything was happening too fast.

Just as she finalized her decision, he stopped kissing her. Pulling away, his chest heaved as he studied her, before standing to his feet.

Harlow frowned, as she considered his abrupt mood change. Just when she was about to spew a slew of apologies. He reached down, taking her hand within his. With one powerful tug, she was on her feet. The velocity of his pull caused her to crash into him, his arms wrapped around her possessively. Amazed by his strength, she was awestruck. Harlow tilted her head upwards as he peered down at her.

“We’ll go slow,” he said as if making an oath.

She exhaled, breathing a sigh of relief. She was glad he wasn’t frustrated, and even happier he didn’t want to rush her. He gave her a quick kiss, almost too quickly, as if he didn’t trust himself. He then suggested taking her home. Though she didn’t want to end their time together. She concluded it was the only reasonable option when she considered their raging hormones. As he drove her home, sensual tension hung thickly in the air. Though they managed to have pleasant conversations to distract them, it was obvious that they both were fighting the urge to draw near once more.

Once back at Harlow's house, Asani escorted her to the front door. Besides the front porch light, the house was pitch black. Harlow surmised that her parents were home, and most likely asleep since their truck was parked in the driveway. Distracted by the observation of her environment, Harlow didn’t register Asani’s quick movements. Suddenly, he had his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. He then pressed a gentle kiss on the top of her head before asking what she was doing in the morning.

Being how it was Saturday, and Harlow was off for the next couple of days. Her mother would assist her father in the hardware store in the morning, and the shop was always closed on Sunday. After telling Asani of her schedule, he became overjoyed. He then blushed as he asked if she would lend him a hand in renovating his home. Of course, it was not a problem at all. She was more than happy to help. They agreed to start in the morning. He gave her another chaste kiss on the lips.

More. Oh, how she wanted more.

Yet, he didn’t grant her request. She turned and entered her home, shutting the door behind herself. She waited a moment. Until she heard the turning of his jeep’s ignition. She peered through the curtains. She had to see where he would go. His jeep drove down the road towards his home.

“No midnight strolls tonight, huh,” she whispered to herself. A yawn escaped her lips. It was then she realized how sleepy she was and decided to go to bed.

That night...

Harlow dreamt about the bright moon looming over the lake. She approached the edge of the lakeside and dipped her toes into the water. Just as she did, the light of the moon dimmed. Tilting her head, she witnessed the moon as it began to turn blood red.

An eerie cackling echoed from behind her. She quickly turned but found herself transported to a clearing in a dense forest. She then heard scurrying coming from the dark woods. Yet, every time she twirled in the direction of the noise, whatever had made the sound would hurry off. Nevertheless, she instinctively understood one frightening fact. It was boxing her in.

Fearful, she screamed into the night, in hopes of scaring it off. However, when a low growl came from beyond the forest’s lining, just beyond her sight, she understood the ineffectiveness of her wolf ticket. Fear ripped through her as the growl sent a sinister chill down her spine. She strained her eyes to see. Slowly a large beast emerged from the darkness, with large glowing golden eyes. It prowled with menace intent towards her, causing her to back away. Frightened, she pivoted to run but was halted by Asani’s hard, unmovable body. His presence instantly caused a wave of relief as his arms encircled her.

Tenderly, he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, before he leaned forward, to whisper into her ear, “Wake up.”

Awake she did. Sensing Asani's presence, she inhaled and could even smell his scent all around her. Harlow found some comfort upon seeing the morning rays of the sun shining to chase away the darkness. Yet, there was still an underlining feeling that her nightmare was something more than a routine deposit of her unconscious, it was a warning.