Revival Ch. 01

Sunny Anderson had been married now for eighteen years. Funny how that happened. Malcolm had approached her one day at her local university after she'd turned eighteen. And then. Eighteen years later. He died. He'd been thirty years her senior already when she'd met the man but he was the picture of perfection even at that age.

And during the length of their relationship the pair had heard and seen it all. Every bad name. Every dirty look. All of it. But their love knew no bounds and they cherished each other nonetheless. And then... he died. And her world became bleak and filled with misery.

The only good thing to come of it in the aftermath of his death was that neither of them had any children to speak of so when he'd left his money and his home and everything else he possessed to her as the sole beneficiary no one really tried to fight her for it. She'd been silently thankful for that. And now here she was, a year later, sorting through everything as she worked to assess what else could be let go of and what had to be built anew. Sunny had had her time to grieve. Though truthfully she never believed anything could quite fill the void that now gaped in her heart.

Sitting in his massive study she searched through his files until she'd found the one she was looking for. Most of the cars she'd already sold. They were Malcolm's treasures not hers and she'd felt it best they got good use rather than to collect dust in their massive garage with no one to drive them. Though, she did keep one vehicle he'd collected. She'd kept the Neiman Marcus Limited Edition Fighter he'd purchased for her when it had first came out.

Man she loved that bike. And more than ever before she found herself driving along empty scenic roads near Snoqualmie through the peace of the woods and wilderness. It was on one of these drives that she'd finally decided on what it was she was going to do. Which brought her back to the file in her hand. Ethan Flint had been a good friend and colleague to her late husband. Malcolm had invested in the start of Ethan's architecture firm and as a result Ethan had been on call now to personally help Malcolm any time he needed additions built onto their beautiful home.

Now, it was her turn to contact the man and enlist his services. Her stomach clenched as she picked up her cell and looked at the number on the business card. The last time she'd seen Ethan was at Malcolm's funeral. How the man had cleaned up so nicely she could never guess. Tattoos pretty much covered most of his body. Not that she was far from that herself. Malcolm had been more than happy to indulge in all of her... decorations.

But when she spotted him at the funeral he'd looked like what she could only describe as a dapper as fuck silver fox. At one point their eyes had locked, and it was like a bolt of electricity had pierced through her being in that intent gaze. But when the funeral was over, he only came and gave her his quiet condolences before she never saw him again. The number dialed, she paused a moment over the send button.

Her stomach tightened again and before she lost her nerve she thumbed over the screen and put the phone to her ear. "Ethan Architecture, this is Ethan speaking." For a moment her voice caught in her throat and she couldn't seem to think clearly enough to respond right away. "Hello, this is Ethan speaking." Sunny cleared her throat quickly and tried to find her voice again. "H-hi Ethan. This is Sunny. Um. Ms. Anderson. You worked often with my husband Malcolm?"

There was a distinct pause on the other end and she held her breath as she waited for him to respond. "Er. Yes Ms. Anderson. How can I help you?" came his short if not slightly startled reply. Sunny took a breath and continued on. "I.. I'm working on selling the big house here. It's.. it's gotten to be too much for me. I'd be much happier in a smaller place. I was also thinking of moving from the suburbs to someplace more.. wild."

Another long pause. "I was hoping to contract you for the design and structure," she finally went on. And again another long pause. She moved the phone from her ear to make sure the silence wasn't because they had become disconnected when Ethan began speaking again. "When can you meet?"

Sunny smiled wider than she thought she would have and set up a time and place to meet with him to go over her plans. After hanging up she reflected a moment. She was really going through with this. The house she was in was worth 3.8 million, and she'd already found a buyer willing to pay as much. Malcolm had left her the ability to not only live comfortably for the rest of her life but to live extravagantly. And this sale was going to put her over the top.

Not that it really mattered. If she had really wanted to she could have lived in this house for the rest of her days but the memories she had in them now only brought sadness and she'd rather live someplace quiet and small and all to herself. The rest of the day was spent in giddy excitement as she navigated Google and printed out the plots of land she'd been considering as well as to outline some of her own schematics in what she wanted for her new home. It was well past midnight by the time she finally shut off the computer and light in the study and finally made her way to her bedroom. A few bong hits later and Sunny was fast asleep in her bed.

--

Ethan had gone to the funeral of his good friend Malcolm. It hadn't been the first human he'd grown close to that had passed away on him over the years. Malcolm had been one of the few human friends to know of his nature though. To know that he was a wolf. And not just any wolf but the alpha of the local pack that ran the woods throughout Washington state. His pack house resided in Snoqualmie, just beneath the summit on a private patch of land that his pack owned not far from the falls.

It wasn't until Malcolm's funeral however that his wife of many years had a sudden and drastic change in scent. Or perhaps it was always there and his morals wouldn't let him butt into the marriage of what had turned out to be one of his closest friends. But when he entered the church where the funeral had been held, the strong scent had overwhelmed his senses and he was taken aback when he'd realized it was coming from none other than his friend's widow.

The entire procession he had tried to ignore it, telling himself that it couldn't be possible. Not after all this time. But when his blue eyed gaze locked with her hazel one there was no mistaking the instantaneous connection he'd had with her. And he was sure she had felt the sudden shock as well. Knowing what he now did he resolved to leave her be until the timing was right. Ethan knew that she would come to him. It was only a matter of time. All he had to do was wait.

But when the waiting turned into months, and then a year went by, and Ethan started getting a little worried. It was on a day when he was completely distracted by thoughts of Sunny when she finally called. At first she hadn't responded but when her voice finally rang out over the other end it was like music to his ears. Trying to play it cool he acted as though he were surprised to hear from her while truthfully he wasn't.

He was more elated than anything that she had finally reached out to him. But he worked hard to keep that from his tone as he responded to her introduction. Then she went on. She wanted to build a house. Her own house. A new house. And as he listened to her carry on he was more than a little pleased that she was already interested in working so closely with him. His response to her rambling had been with a small pause. He was trying to keep the utter excitement from his voice as he asked when she could meet.

A few short minutes later and he had her penciled in for the next day at ten in the evening. They were going to meet for drinks at one of the pubs in Seattle. And when he hung up the phone with her he let out a subtle growl of satisfaction. Finally. Finally he could put the moves on her and make her his.

--

The day had gone by much like any other. Sunny wandered around the house in her sweats and t-shirt though most of her time was now spent in the study making calls and handling accounts. Malcolm had shown her the process of his investments and as it turned out she had a good eye for business, so when he passed away she was already keen on how to handle all of his, now hers, accounts.

And she checked on them daily to ensure they were being handled correctly. Before she knew it it was half past eight pm and she shut off the computer and lights once more before going to her room to get ready. Her meeting with Ethan wasn't until ten but she didn't want to look like the slug she had become after Malcolm had died. Curling the long strands of her hair they bounced in thick ringlets down her backside, only reaching now to the top of her ass where they had once reached below.

She applied some light makeup and put on a new dress she hadn't quite found the time to wear before, her calf high combat boots and thick stockings completing the darkened but innocent look. One of the greatest feats of Washington state had been the legalization of marijuana, and she pursed several blunts to take with her and smoke at the bar should time allow it.

Spritzing herself a final time she grabbed her leather jacket and helmet and was soon out the door of their massive home, the large gate opening for her as she made her way on her bike towards Seattle. Save a minor accident on 405 she made it to the pub in record time and parked it on the side streets before walking towards the bar.

--

Ethan had arrived at the small bar about thirty minutes early. He hadn't intended on doing that. If anything he wanted to make her squirm as she waited for him. What happened instead was he ended up being the one doing all the squirming as he waited rather impatiently for her to finally show up. His head lifted and he scented the air, catching a whiff of her before his eyes focused and he caught her walking around the corner. Putting on his best smile he waved from his spot to catch her attention and catch it he did, her face lighting up upon seeing him for the first time in over a year.

Sunny walked up and swooped in for a hug. That, he had to admit, was surprising. They'd only ever been formal to one another before, and her embrace felt a million times warmer than any instance he'd had sunbathing by the falls as a wolf. As her hair came in contact just under his nose he took a deep breath of her inward, smelling not only her but the blunts she seemed to be carrying in her purse.

Ethan almost laughed aloud when he recognized the strain to be one of his packs. Smiling with mischief at her he offered his arm to lead her inside once she'd pulled away. He sat them at a small booth in the back and then walked to the bar to order their first round of drinks, a rum and coke for the lady and a stiff scotch for himself. Taking the seat next to her he finally spoke about their business. "So, you want to build a new house. Any ideas on that already?"

The smile she gave him radiated and he had to hold his breath to keep from getting too excited. "I do! I have it all here in this folder in fact!" She pulled the file folder she'd had tucked under her arm out and opened it to show him the plots for sale she was considering and the ideas she had on how she wanted her home to be. It was quaint and small, just enough for one or two people, but also spacious enough to give her room to breathe. He actually liked some of her designs.

Quietly he told her where he would keep something the same while pointing out the changes he would make and why. He then told her that he would be able to help her more in picking out the design of the inside and what kind of materials would be best to use. Ethan skimmed through the locations she'd had picked out and was thrilled when he saw the plot of land his pack house had planned on selling recently that was close to their own home.

It was a prime piece of land and worth a small fortune and it was one of the places she'd been considering. Not so subtly he moved the printed out slip of paper with the information of the plot in front of her. "This place here I believe to be the most perfect. Oddly enough I happen to know who's selling this bit of land and could likely get it for you at the best possible price." Sunny beamed. "I was looking at that place more than any other! I love the falls and it would be so close. If you could really help me get it I would be forever in your debt!"

Ethan had to quiet the satisfied growl that wanted to rumble through his chest. He was going to enjoy more than anything else in the world the courtship of his intended. After several more moments of discussion and agreements she finally put the folder to right and tucked it away at the end of the table in the booth they sat. Her eyes twinkled a moment as though she were debating asking him something before the question finally left her lips. "I brought some herb with me if you'd care to partake. Either way I'm stepping out back for a moment."

Ethan chuckled softly. If she only knew. His pack was one of the top suppliers to dispensaries here in the states. Nodding a bit he offered his hand to take her outside to smoke a moment before they'd come back inside and hopefully drink more booze.

--

As soon as they'd left the stuffy bar Sunny took a deep breath of the chilled evening air. It was summer. So it wasn't cold. But there was still a pleasant breeze filtering through the buildings that left the air around her cool. She wasn't sure how long she'd be able to stay in that bar for. But even during their business she'd started having fun with Ethan and that hadn't happened to her in a very long time.

They made their way around to one of the benches in Pioneer square and sat down as she sparked up the end of the blunt and took a long pull from it. A sigh escaped her as she finally let it out and sank back into the bench a bit before hitting it a second time and then passed it to Ethan. Her cheeks burned warmly as she found herself staring at him on more than one occasion.

Inside she could feel some kind of pull towards him that she didn't really know how to explain. He seemed unaware though of the awkwardness she felt, an awkwardness that reminded her of the time when she and Malcolm had dated before swiftly getting married. As they smoked they talked about how life seemed to be treating them recently, and much to her pleasure he avoided the topic of her late husband's death altogether. It was nice not to have someone showing her pity, or worse, disdain at the thought of her having been nothing more than a gold digger.

And the more they chatted and relaxed outside with their shared blunt the more she began to realize that Ethan seemed to genuinely like her and wanted to hang out. Smiling she thought to try something before losing her nerve on the idea. Taking the offered blunt she scooted closer to him on the bench and leaned in a little. "Here, come here. I've always wanted to do this.." she said before taking a long pull of smoke into her lungs. She held it a moment and motioned with her hands for him to come closer. When he was within range she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, gently filling his lungs with the smoke from hers.

However when she moved to pull away he suddenly stopped her, his hand lacing through her hair at the back of her head to hold her in place. Her eyes grew wide a moment as he blew the smoke out through his nose and began to kiss her a bit. And at first she tensed, not sure this was exactly where she had intended to go, doubting herself for a moment. But as his tongue slipped between her parted lips all those doubts quickly melted away as she tasted him for the first time.

Slowly she slid her arms around the back of his neck and leaned into him more, and as she did their kiss grew more heated until she finally had no choice but to break it lest he stole all of her breath away. Even Malcolm's kiss hadn't felt like that one. For a moment she sat there, panting as she caught her breath a dazed look on her face as he pulled her to rest their foreheads together. "I've wanted to do that for a long time," came his hoarse whisper and she nodded softly, closing her eyes a moment before slitting them just enough to peer at him.

"Care to carry on this meeting back at my place?" she finally managed to ask him before he nodded his head and they went back inside to pay their tab and collect her files. As they headed back out the door he held tightly to her hand, letting her know that his car was miles away at the park and ride and that unless she brought her own they'd be bussing it. Sunny led him to her bike and smiled when he gawked at it a moment. She swung the keys around on her finger before offering them to him. "I have a spare helmet on back. Care to ride us there?"

--

Ethan jumped at the chance to drive that beautiful bike along the open roads that would take them back to her place. That one kiss she'd given him had been the single most intense thing of his life and knowing the way the bike was likely to feel between their legs as she held tightly to him from behind sounded even better. He took the offered helmet and watched as she snapped hers in place while he did the same.

In no time she was sitting comfortably on the back seat behind him, her arms secure around his middle, the engine roaring to life before he pulled onto the road and made their journey there. By the time he'd pulled in through the gate and had parked in her massive but now mostly empty garage he could smell the distinct scent of her arousal that had built along their ride. He waited until she managed to take herself from the back before discounting himself. Before she could walk away though he caught her wrist in his hand and pulled her in so that he could taste those lips of hers again. This time he didn't try to hide the subtle growl that escaped him, the sound rumbling through his chest and against her body as he tightly and possessively held her close.

God she smelled wonderful. He lingered there a while longer until Sunny finally moved to pull away and catch her breath for the second time that evening. Without another word he let her lead him this time through the massive complex, watching her intently as she led him into the home and up the gilded staircase to a small room at the end of the hall.

He knew it wasn't the bedroom she had shared with Malcolm. Malcolm's scent was still strong in the opposite direction, towards what he knew to be the master bedroom. And when she opened the door he was quite surprised to realize she had moved into this room semi permanently. She let go of his hand and his gaze never left her body as she made her way over towards a mini fridge in which she pulled a cold bottle of Jack from within as well as a bottle of coke and some ice. Sunny made him a drink straight on the rocks and poured hers in her own glass with coke to mix.

As she sipped from hers he took the offered glass and took a long pull of it himself. His eyes then followed her as she moved towards her bed and she picked up an iPad. Plugging into some speakers she scrolled through her apps until she found what she was looking for and rock music began to play through. He watched her meander towards the sitting space in the room and sit down on a small loveseat patting the other side next to her where he happily accepted and sat down.

He watched as she pulled another blunt from her purse to light and puff on, tapping the ashes into the small glass tray on the table before them. Ethan settled in next to her as she passed him the blunt and he took a long pull before setting it down in the ashtray. He then pushed his hand into one of the pockets of his dark jeans and he pulled out a prescription jar of something his pack had specially cultivated. Ethan wasn't sure why he'd brought the strain they'd so aptly named Aphrodite. It was pretty much exclusive to his pack and others around the world. And he hadn't really anticipated her wanting to take him to bed so soon. But here they were and he was glad the little voice in the back of his mind had convinced him to bring some along. It would help her to receive him better.