“You’ll see,” Zane said. “Come on.”
He led her out of the library and to his truck, enjoying the way the look of curiosity on her face deepened.
“Don’t I get a hint, at least?” she asked.
“Nope,” he said, grinning as he fired up his truck’s engine. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
Molly made a pouty face but seemed to accept his refusal to tell her anything else about the surprise. She settled into her seat and began talking about how well the show at the library had gone, and how the mothers had loved the way she changed the show up to cater the performance especially for kids.
Zane’s heart swelled with pride as he glanced over at her. She was really damn good at what she did, and he loved watching her work. He knew that she had been disappointed when she lost most of her clients in Dallas, but he was glad that the loss had led her to do more work in Persimmon Springs. The town was definitely benefitting from her talents.
“Are we going to my house?” Molly asked, cutting into Zane’s thoughts. Zane had just turned into Molly’s neighborhood, and she was looking over at him with a questioning look.
“Yup,” Zane said. “Sure are. Is that okay?”
Molly nodded. “Of course. I’m just really confused about what this mystery surprise might be.”
Zane grinned. “You’ll see in a minute,” he said.
Molly fell silent as the anticipation built, and Zane felt his own nerves getting rattled once again. He hoped that she was going to like what he had done for her. He watched her face carefully as he turned onto her street and into view of her home. Her eyes widened, and she clapped a hand over her mouth.
“Zane!” she said, pointing at her driveway. “Is that what I think it is?”
Zane nodded as he carefully parked his truck on the street in front of her house.
“But…how?” she asked. Her eyes were glued on the driveway now, where her old black car sat with a giant red ribbon it. Zane was having a hard time judging from her reaction whether she liked the surprise or not.
“I saw the notice of sale the bank sent you sitting on your counter,” he said, a bit sheepishly. “I went to the auction and bought the car back. Got a pretty damn good deal on it, too. I know how much you loved that car, Molly, and how much you missed it. I wanted to get it back for you.”
Molly’s eyes had filled with tears now, which Zane took as a good sign. She slowly got out of the truck and went to reverently touch the red bow on the car. It was kind of funny, really, to see a giant bow on the old car. Usually bows like that were reserved for luxury cars, like a brand new Mercedes. But Zane knew Molly would have wanted this car back, and he thought the occasion deserved a bow.
“Zane…I…I can’t accept this,” Molly said, looking up at him as a few tears escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. “It’s too much.”
Zane sighed. “I knew you’d say that. You’re so stubborn, you know that? I love you, Molly, and I wanted to do this for you. It’s a gift. Please accept it.”
“But it’s so much money,” Molly said. “I’ll feel like I owe you.”
Zane laughed. “It wasn’t that much money. I hate to break it to you darling, but you’re the only one who loves that old car so much. It isn’t worth a lot, especially not at an auction. And besides, no matter what it cost, you don’t owe me anything. We’re in this together, okay?”
Molly looked up at him, hesitant. Zane thought for sure she was going to protest again, but, after a long pause, she smiled and nodded, causing more tears to spill over the edges of her eyelids.
“Okay,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. “Together.”
Zane stepped over and drew her into his arms, kissing the top of her head.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “This is the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me.”
Zane felt his heart clench up. “Well, then, you better get ready, because it’s only the beginning. I plan to spoil you rotten. My woman deserves to be treated like a princess.”
In response, Molly held him tighter, burying her head into his chest. Zane smiled, and breathed in deeply, relishing the heady coconut scent of her shampoo. Across the street, one of the neighbors’ curtains fluttered, but Zane didn’t care.
Let the nosy gossips of Persimmon Springs spread the word far and wide that he and Molly were in love, and acting like two googly-eyed teenagers. He wasn’t the least bit ashamed to act the fool for her.
In fact, he planned to do just that for the rest of his life.
* * *
Molly sat at one of the barstools next to her kitchen island while she waited for the water in the teakettle to boil. She could hardly believe the day she’d had. Everything felt surreal, but when Molly pinched herself, she could feel the pain. She definitely wasn’t dreaming.
She still felt a little shaky with excitement from how well the show at the library had gone. She couldn’t believe how quickly all of the parents had jumped up at the end, clamoring to be the first to schedule a birthday party with her. Between the parties, and her now-regular shows at the bar and coffee shop, Molly had more than enough work to keep her busy—and to, mercifully, keep her bank account full.
The teakettle started to whistle, and Molly hopped off the barstool to go pour water over the tea leaves she had prepared. She heard a loud curse from a few rooms away, and she smiled. Zane was finishing up some rewiring he had started last week. He had assured her that he was going to make sure that the electricity in her house was the safest and most efficient out of any of the houses in Persimmon Springs. He’d been working on it all week, and after they got home from the library show today, he hadn’t been able to resist making a few more tweaks.
Molly stared out her kitchen window, which overlooked her driveway. She still couldn’t believe that her old black car was sitting out there once again. She’d thought she would never see it again, but Zane had found a way to get it for her. She felt a little strange taking such a big gift from him, but he’d insisted. Molly chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. This what love was about wasn’t it? Not the big gift, but about being so much on the same team that it felt natural for him to do something so extraordinary for her. Molly smiled. For the first time in her life, she felt safe with a man. She knew Zane loved her deeply, and wasn’t just going to walk out on her or decide that she was too “different” to handle.
Molly turned back to the tea, which had now finished brewing, and poured out two generous mugs of the steaming hot liquid. She carefully carried the mugs out to the living room and set them on the coffee table, then called out for Zane.
“Hey! You want some tea still?” she asked.
A few moments later he appeared from the hallway. His hair was mussed up and he had such an intense look of concentration on his face that Molly couldn’t help but laugh.
“You do love your work, don’t you?” she asked.
Zane grinned sheepishly. “So do you,” he said, reaching over to pull her down onto the couch. Molly giggled as he nuzzled her nose and then found her lips and began kissing her.
“Hey!” she said, trying to pull away. “Our tea is going to get cold.”
Zane shook his head. “It needs to cool down a bit, anyway. Come here, you.”
Then he pulled Molly back to him, finding her lips with his again. Molly gave in this time. He felt too good not to. Never in her life had she felt as safe as when his arms were around her, and she never wanted that feeling to stop.
He kissed her gently at first, taking his time and letting his tongue dance with hers. Molly felt her body responding to him, heating up and growing wet between her legs, anticipating what she knew he was capable of. Zane’s body was responding, too. She could feel him growing hard where she was pressed against his lap. She moaned slightly, thinking of what he would feel like inside of her. He responded to the sound, intensifying his kiss. All thoughts of tea were forgotten as he reached for her shirt, struggling to pull it off. She did
the same with his shirt, pulling it up and over his head as quickly as she could. She wanted to feel his bare skin on hers.
When their shirts were off, he quickly unfastened her bra and slid it off, then turned his attention to her breasts. He dipped his head to first her right nipple, and then the left, running his tongue and teeth over the sensitive skin. Molly was on fire. The pressure in her core was building in a hot, familiar way, and she couldn’t keep herself from moaning out his name.
He let out a low growl, then pushed her backward so she was lying flat on her back on the couch. He pulled off her pants and underwear in one swift movement, leaving her naked and breathing heavily in front of him on the couch. He grunted in approval as his eyes ran over her body, and then he quickly stepped out of his own pants and underwear. He slid back over her, so his huge erection was poised right over her slick, wet entrance. Molly trembled.
They had made love madly and passionately more times than she could count now. But looking at his massive dick never got old. He was impressive, and he could do impressive things with that asset. She closed her eyes as he lowered himself, getting closer and closer to her until he pushed at her entrance gently with his member, and then slid into her in one smooth movement.
Molly moaned again as he filled her. Having him inside of her was unlike anything else she’d ever experienced. He filled her completely, and perfectly. As he started to slowly slide forward and backward, rubbing against her inner walls, she could feel the pressure within her building. She grabbed the couch cushions with her hands, writhing underneath Zane as the pressure built. He sped up his movements, driving her even crazier than before. She was on fire in the best possible way, and she arched her back as he moved within her. And then, she found her release. She threw back her head and screamed with abandon as the waves of pure ecstasy washed over her. Her inner muscles clenched around Zane, and he let out a roar of his own. Moments later, he roared again as he came into her. They rode the climax together, each holding desperately onto the other and savoring how wonderful it felt to be as close as two humans could possibly be.
When the tremors in their bodies finally slowed, and their breathing began to return to normal, Zane gently slid out of her and sat up on the couch. Molly followed suit, sitting up to snuggle next to him. She was a sweaty, sticky mess, and she knew her wild hair was sticking out in all directions, but she didn’t care. She knew that Zane loved her just as she was.
She had finally found someone who appreciated her differences instead of mocking them, and she knew life from here on out was going to be a grand adventure.
Chapter Fourteen
Zane cheered wildly as the crowd roared. A chant of “Encore! Encore!” filled the air, and Molly graciously agreed to perform another trick. The Hometown Bar was packed to the walls, as it was every Friday night now. Persimmons Springs had fallen in love with Molly and her show, and they never seemed to tire of coming to watch her perform. Zane glanced over at his brothers, Theo and Drake, and smiled. Theo was sitting with his wife, Maddie, and they were all watching Molly intently, cheering as she completed yet another magic trick. Next to Zane, their good friend Max was sitting with his wife, Cassie on his lap. Cassie had taken a break from bartending to watch tonight’s show, and she was cheering louder than anyone else.
When Molly finally finished her last encore, she disappeared into the back of the bar. About ten minutes later, she came back out, wearing street clothes now. She made her way to Zane’s table, which took a while since she was stopped every few seconds by someone wanting to shake her hand and tell her how much they enjoyed the show. Zane knew she didn’t take those moments for granted. She was one of the kindest, most gracious people he had ever met. She had continued performing her random acts of kindness, although the people around town knew by now it was her. She never wanted any thanks for it. She just wanted to brighten people’s days.
When she finally made it to their table, Max and Cassie stood so she could scoot in next to Zane. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a big kiss.
“Good job, baby. You were amazing, as always,” he said.
She blushed and smiled. “Thanks. The crowd here is always so much fun to perform to.”
Zane’s brothers congratulated Molly as well. Zane couldn’t help but notice that Drake looked a little sad these days. He made a mental note to ask Molly later whether she had noticed it, too. But for now, he wanted to focus on celebrating Molly and her magic show. Cassie had already gone to grab Molly a mug of her favorite beer, and when she returned, Zane raised his mug in a toast.
“To Molly, my beautiful lifemate. And to the magic that happens when you open your heart to kindness and courage.”
“Here, here!” the group at the table said in unison. Their mugs clinked together, and Zane leaned in to give Molly a kiss. His heart had never been so full.
After all, what more could you ask for out of life, than to share it with someone who was the same kind of different as you?
More Books by Sloane Meyers
Book Four in the Shifters in the Heart of Texas series will be coming soon!
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About the Author
There are bears walking among us. Sloane Meyers is devoted to telling their stories.
Sloane thinks we could all use a little escape in our lives. And what better way to shake up the ordinary than to transport yourself to the mysterious world of those who have an animal within them, roaring to be let out. Sloane brings you hot shifter males, and spunky, spirited heroines—with NO cliffhangers! Each book can be read as a standalone.
When she’s not busy crafting bear tales, Sloane enjoys a good glass of wine, preferably shared with good friends. She loves reading, baking, and pretending that she’s actually a music buff. On weekends, she spends a lot of time in the great outdoors, hiking with her own sexy alpha and adorable little cub.
You can connect with Sloane at her website, www.sloanemeyers.com, or by Friending her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sloanemeyers.
Lone Star Magic (Shifters in the Heart of Texas Book 3) Page 9
