Monster Marsh: (Crazy for Cryptids #2) Read online

  Monster Marsh

  (Crazy for Cryptids #2)

  by

  Cheri Wood

  This is a work of fiction and does not in any way claim to be quality literature. It has been produced solely for entertainment purposes. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you’d like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with.

  Copyright © 2017 Cheri Wood. All rights reserved. Including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the author.

  Cover image under license from Shutterstock.

  Ashley Wilson’s new employer was thrilled with the photos of the never-before-seen Adjule, and with the initiative she’d shown in taking a detour as she followed a lead. One that would now have cryptozoologists all over the world going to Egypt instead of Western Sahara.

  Benny – editor-in-chief of The Cryptid Explorer – offered a dinner and a fuck as reward for her hard work, but after having three spectacular shapeshifters tend to her every need, regular humans just didn’t cut it for Ashley anymore. ‘Once you go cryptid, you can never go back’, wasn’t that the saying?

  So now she was heading south, on another quest to capture a mythical creature on film. This time, she didn’t have to ride a camel to reach her destination, only a rental car. She was headed to the Altamaha River in southeastern Georgia, where the cryptid Altie was said to inhabit the abandoned rice fields.

  It had been little over a week since she left Duncan and his pack, and their encounters had played on repeat in her mind as she’d tried to achieve orgasm on her own. So far, it hadn’t been enough to send her over the edge. Had the shapeshifters truly ruined her for other men?

  Ashley sighed as she pulled into a gas station to fuel up - and ask around about purported sightings of the aquatic cryptid. Unlike last time, she didn’t have a guide arranged to take her out into the marsh and swamp, so she would have to find one. Or at least find a place to rent a boat and a room.

  The gas attendant walked up as she climbed out of the car.

  “Afternoon, Ma’am,” he greeted her. “What can I do you for?”

  “Good afternoon. Just a tank of gas, please.”

  “Sure thing,” he said and walked over to the pump. “You just passing through?”

  Ashley stretched her back and noticed the man’s eyes drop to her C-cup. The humidity made her tank cling to her curves, but she resisted the urge to pick at it. “Um… no, actually. I’m a nature photographer. I was hoping to find someone to take me out on the Altamaha, and into the swamp and the marsh. You don’t happen to know any guides, do you?”

  The gas attendant scratched his neck. “My nephew rents out boats, if that’s any help. I don’t know of any guides, though. We don’t see a lot of tourists out this way. Not like it’s the Everglades, you know.”

  “It’s a start. Might I trouble you for your nephew’s name and number?”

  The man dug into his shirt pocket and pulled out a piece of laminated paper. “That’s his business card. Tell him Earl sent you.”

  “Thank you, Earl,” she said and smiled as she took the card from him. Minutes later, she was back on the road again.

  ___

  Rafe Porter was a broad-shouldered, tall man in his thirties with salt-and-pepper hair cut short. He reminded Ashley of a military guy she’d once dated, and if memory served, his type of build lent itself to some serious stamina in the sack. Not that she was going to find out for sure.

  “What kind of boat are you looking for?” he asked, pulling her out of her musings.

  Ashley dabbed at her hairline, discretely wiping off the humidity gathered there making her blonde hair curl. The air was sticky hot, and so was she.

  “Um… do you have any that come with a driver?”

  He frowned. “Sorry?”

  “It’s just… I would really appreciate if someone could come with me and show some local spots where no tourists go.”

  Rafe shrugged. “I just rent out boats.”

  “Okay. Then, what type of boat do you recommend for the swamps?”

  He scratched his neck, making his muscles flex under his wifebeater. “Some folks rent kayaks. But you shouldn’t go out alone in the swamps.”

  “Oh? Why’s that?” she asked, playing ignorant.

  “Well, those waters are teeming with ‘gators and all sorts of venomous snakes. One hard shove and you’ll be in the water.”

  “They attack boats?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve heard stories.”

  “Oh?” She stepped closer, running her hand over the dock’s railing. “What kind of stories?”

  “Just crazy folklore shit,” he said and grabbed her wrist. “Those have a nasty bite,” he said by way of explanation and she looked down to see a scorpion inches away from her hand on the railing.

  “Thank you,” she mumbled as she pulled her hand out of his grip. “So… um… what kind of folklore?” she prodded.

  “You’ve heard of the Loch Ness monster, right?”

  “Of course.”

  “Well, the legend says there’s a similar, smaller creature living in this area.”

  “Have you ever seen it?” she asked, purposely widening her eyes as if it was the first she’d ever heard of it.

  Rafe scoffed. “Do I look like I have an overactive imagination?”

  “But you’ve heard stories?”

  “Kids making up fairy tales, that’s all.”

  “But what do they say they’ve seen?”

  “Anything from fins in the water to boats being turned over just as they’re making out. Nonsense, all of it. You still wanna rent a boat?”

  “Yes. And I should probably get a room for the night. Do you know if there’s a motel or B n’ B around here?”

  “Nope.”

  “Nothing?”

  “We don’t draw many tourists here.”

  “Okay… so the nearest town with a motel is…?”

  “A couple hours from here, I guess.”

  “I see… Well, I’ll have to come back tomorrow, then.”

  She raised her hand in farewell and headed back to the car, dejected.

  “There’s a room upstairs if you want it,” Rafe called out, halting her. She turned around to see him wiping his hands on an oil rag. He nodded towards the boat shop. “It’s nothing fancy, but it’ll save you the round trip.”

  “That’d be great, actually,” she said, walking back to him. “Thank you.”

  “You need help with your bags?”

  Ashley shook her head. “I travel light.”

  “All right. I’ll finish up here and lock up after you. There’s a bathroom and a mini-fridge with some beer and snacks upstairs.”

  “Perfect. Thank you again.”

  Rafe shrugged. “No worries.”

  Ashley got her bag from the rental car and headed up a set of stairs that had seen better days. The room was small but relatively clean and the shower felt divine after a day in the humid weather of the south.

  The air-conditioner was old and loud, and she opened the window facing the water to let a breeze in. The sun was setting and she sniffed the air. It was both muggy and heady. Was there a creature out there, waiting for her?

  She undid the towel and threw her head back as she cupped her b
reasts. The last of the water from the shower dripped from her hair and rolled down between her tits, quickly blending with the humidity already permeating the air.

  Her breaths were becoming more labored as she rolled and pinched her nipples and imagined Duncan’s cock slipping into her ass with ease. Would the Altie share Duncan’s shapeshifting feature? Would its appendage feel as good moving inside of her? Would it even try to mate with her?

  Ashley slipped one hand down to her clit and rubbed it. It was already slick with need and this time, she could make herself come. As she cried out her orgasm, the sound echoed across the water and she shivered.

  Sticky with perspiration, Ashley went for a second shower.

  ___

  What are you really doing out here?” Rafe asked as he bit into a breakfast roll. He’d shown up at the crack of dawn bearing food, to which her stomach had answered with a mighty growl.

  Ashley almost choked on her coffee. “What do you mean?”

  “Not a lot of women come out here on their own looking for a boat ride into the swamps.”

  “Well, I’m on assignment.”

  “Yeah? What kind?”

  She popped a piece of bread into her mouth. “I’m a photographer.”

  “We don’t see a lot of photographers coming out here, either.”

  She smiled. “Then my photos will be all the more exclusive, won’t they?”

  “What magazine do you work for?” he asked, sipping his coffee and keeping his pale green eyes fixed on hers.

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Curiosity. Why are you dodging?”

  Ashley cleared her throat and sat back in her chair. “The Cryptid Explorer.”

  Rafe shook his head. “So you’re one of those.”

  Her back stiffened. “One of who?”

  “Those fake journalists who sell conspiracy theories to people who can’t think for themselves.”

  “First of all, I’m not a journalist, and second, I’m a nature photographer. If there are creatures we’ve not yet seen out there, that’s exactly the kind of thing we should want documented. Besides, if I should find something out in these swamps, tourism will boom. And you’ll make a whole lot of money renting out boats.”

  “So you admit it’s all about the money?”

  She shook her head, remembering Duncan and his pack, and the arousal she’d experienced last night just being near the habitat of a mythical creature. “Not for me. I’m an explorer, it’s in my blood.”

  Rafe rose and cleared the table. “I’ll take you where you want to go. You just make sure my business gets mentioned.”

  “All about the money, huh?” she said, using his own words against him.

  He shrugged. “Crazy people’s money are as good as any. Shall we get going?”

  ___

  The kayak was a scary type of boat. Not just because it seemed so easy to tip over in it, but because it put her so close to the surface. If anything attacked…

  “How’re you doing?” Rafe asked, looking over his shoulder. He was leading the way in his own kayak and Ashley had enjoyed the view from behind for quite some time now.

  “Just fine. Are we close?”

  “Kellie and Logan claimed they’d been interrupted by a ‘big fish monster’ just around this bend.”

  “Did you say they’d been making out?”

  “That’s what Logan said. Why?”

  “It fits with what I’ve read about the Altie. It’s supposedly drawn out by hormones, looking for a mate.”

  “If you want to try luring it out, just let me know,” Rafe said and winked, making Ashley flush.

  Discretely, she slipped her hand between her legs, feeling the heat through her bikini bottoms. Rafe had given her an appreciative look when she’d dressed down to her swimwear before putting on the life jacket. Her tall, athletic body looked great in a swimsuit, and she wasn’t exactly ashamed of her C-cup.

  Suddenly, something bumped against her kayak and she gasped, grabbing the paddle with both hands again.

  “You okay?” Rafe asked.

  “I think something just bumped into my kayak.”

  “You serious?” he said with a frown, paddling over to her.

  “Of course I’m serious. You didn’t see anything?”

  “Nope.”

  “Well, keep an eye out. Whatever it is might come back.”

  It didn’t. After almost half an hour of idly paddling and waiting for contact, Ashley had to admit she’d either imagined it or whatever it was that bumped her kayak wasn’t coming back.

  “Can we check out the marsh and the abandoned rice fields, too?” she asked Rafe, who nodded.

  Surely they should be able to find something.

  ___

  “Sorry you didn’t find anything to shoot,” Rafe said as he helped Ashley out of her kayak back at the dock.

  “I’d like to go back out there tomorrow. Maybe go ashore in that area where I felt something rub against the kayak.”

  “There’s nothing but ‘gators out there, I’m telling you.”

  “Then I’ll shoot some ‘gators for the magazine.”

  “I don’t think they qualify as cryptids,” he said, unlocking the boat shop.

  “But they might explain the rumors. Myths can be debunked, you know?”

  “Not much of a magazine on cryptids if you can’t find any, is it?”

  She raised her eyebrows at him, looking over her shoulder as she headed for the stairs to her temporary abode. “Who said I couldn’t?”

  She was halfway up the stairs when he called out. “Dinner?”

  Ashley smiled. Despite his obvious flaws, Rafe was quite pleasant to be around. And she was starving. “I’ll be down in ten,” she called back before heading straight for the shower.

  ___

  “Let me guess,” Ashley said as Rafe parked in front of a small house with a flowerless garden, “no restaurants in town?”

  “Nope. My cooking will just have to do.”

  “Your cooking?” she asked, amused as they climbed out of his truck. “Not Hungry Man Dinners?”

  “My mother made sure I knew how to feed myself. She had her doubts that I would find a nice girl.”

  “You’re a bad girl magnet, huh?” she ribbed him and he chuckled.

  “So it would seem.”

  She didn’t know if he meant to include her in that category or if he was making a blanket statement. Still, having a hot guy cooking for you… not such a bad deal.

  ___

  “Wow, that was impressive,” Ashley said as she put her utensils down and leaned back in her chair with a full stomach. “I don’t think any man not wearing a chef’s hat has cooked me anything this good.”

  “Now, that’s just sad.” Rafe clicked his tongue. “Clearly you’ve not met the right kind of men.”

  “Well, the men I’ve met have had other… qualities to recommend them,” Ashley said, keeping eye contact over the rim of her wineglass.

  She highly doubted that Rafe was a shapeshifting aquatic creature, and there wasn’t that overwhelming mind-melting lust that she’d experienced around the Adjule pack, but she did feel a very human attraction to the man sitting opposite her, and the wine she’d consumed only heightened that attraction. Which would explain the flirting.

  “One doesn’t have to exclude the other,” Rafe said, matching her suggestive tone.

  Ashley licked her lips slowly and deliberately, maintaining eye contact so she could see Rafe’s pale green eyes darken.

  “You know, I used to date a guy with your build,” she said, leaning in across the table.

  Her mirrored her move. “Oh?”

  “He was a great fuck.”

  “You interested to see if we have more than our physique in common?”

  “Definitely.”

  Rafe rose so quickly that his chair toppled over, and before Ashley could get to her feet, he was hauling her into his arms and crushing his lips to hers.

  His b
ed was soft and squeaked as she landed on it. Ashley laughed. “The neighbors are sure to hear us.”

  “Lucky them,” Rafe grinned as he yanked off his pants and boxers.

  “Fuck,” Ashley said as she saw his cock, already standing proud and pointing at her.

  His grin only widened and he rolled on a condom before climbing onto the bed. “I should warn you, it’s been awhile. I may not be able to hold back.”

  “Good,” Ashley said and grabbed the back of his neck, hauling him in for a kiss as he thrust inside of her.

  Rafe grunted as he buried himself in her. “Fuck, you’re hot.”

  Ashley grinned. Going commando under her dress had been a good idea. “Right back atcha.”

  He pulled the fabric of her dress down so he could suck her nipple into his mouth and Ashley locked her legs around his waist in encouragement, her hands sliding down his broad back to grip his buttocks.

  “Yes. Yes. Yes,” she egged him on with every thrust, feeling his ass cheeks contract with the movement. “So good, baby. Fuck me harder.”

  Rafe took on her challenge and the bed didn’t just thud against the wall anymore, it rattled and banged. She swore she could hear paintings falling to the floor with the impact. She reached up to grip the metal bars and screamed as he hit her G-spot over and over again. She was going to break apart any second now, and just as she thought she would, Rafe shuddered and came. Even with the condom, she could feel his cum shoot, and she fell against the pillows in an exhausted heap.

  She hadn’t come as hard as she would have wanted, but she’d definitely felt something. In comparison to other, human partners, this would qualify as great sex. If only she hadn’t met Duncan before Rafe…

  ___

  Ashley had an idea for luring out the Altie. Despite Rafe’s objection that they could just as well have sex at his place, she was able to convince him to go on a picnic in the swamp.

  “You’re an odd one, you know that?” Rafe commented as he helped her ashore. “Not a lot of people have picnics in the swamps.”

  “Meaning we’ll have complete privacy,” she said, slipping her hand down to cup his crotch. “Maybe we’ll even scare up some birds.”