Switching Gears: Coyote Bluff Series Book 3
Page 19
Without a moment to prepare Zeke dumped her off his lap onto the ground, stood and scooped her into his arms. He bounced her entire body a few times until he had her settled just so, and she’d clung to him in a very girly way. Damn shifter strength. She huffed and smacked his hard, naked chest when he chuckled at her. “My poor mate. I know you need me inside you. But there is no way I’m doing it now. I want you clean and in my bed. I need to feast on you, make you come so often your voice goes and I’ve finally had my fill of your cream. And I refuse to do that in the dirt.”
He had a point. She did want to have his face buried between her thighs.
“Fine. But I don’t have to be happy about everyone staring at me.”
He laughed again and jogged forward, probably toward a vehicle. Damn shifter senses. She didn’t have to like it, or love the feel of being carried. Nope. She wasn’t going to smile like a fool knowing he’d come out to get her, to chase her down like a good mate should. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to purr in kitty agreement that her mate was taking good care of her.
“You’re purring.”
She sighed, causing the sound to stop. “Shut up.”
He looked down at her, catching her eye, and, to prove his awesomeness, didn’t even slow his long gait. His words came out in a singsong way that made her want to laugh or beat him with a stick. “You love me. Your kitty looooves me. You both want to maaate me.”
Instead of doing either of those things, she looked him straight in the eye, turned her head and licked his pec in a long, slow, wet tease. Humming her appreciation wasn’t enough. “I licked it, now you’re mine.”
A growl and a peek of his coyote let her know what effect she’d had. “Damn straight I’m yours. Have been since the day I first saw you.”
She smiled and let the warmth of those words fill her. Pressing her lips to his chest was a simple seal to their messy promise. Letting her mate carry her to the waiting truck gave Amie a bit of time to accept their relationship was really happening. She was going to take a mate. Someone she loved, cherished and found freaking adorable. Someone who accepted her for the crazy, whacked out person she was. A person who loved her back, and had shown throughout her attempts to run that he was going to be with her no matter what.
“What the hell? Why is my phone ringing like—”
The voice cut off with a gasp as cells rung up and down the street, echoing and filling the quiet town with the sounds of Sister Sledge belting out “We Are Family”. The residents of Coyote Bluff wandered, bewildered and mildly irritated if the looks on their faces said anything, out onto the sidewalks. Slowly the song quieted as phones were silenced, but many continued humming the earworm.
Amie almost gave away her hiding place by bursting out laughing, but then her little thank you present to the town would have gone unfinished. As it was, some of the shifters were discreetly sniffing the wind probably looking for the culprit. It wouldn’t take long for someone to figure it out.
Her cheeks hurt from smiling. It’d taken her days of stealth and hours of thanking Zeke in creative ways for his assistance. They’d come back from her horrible freak out session in the woods to a town full of open arms and slight reminders that everyone loved her. So, to show her appreciation for everyone, the plans had begun.
Drums beat in the distance, vibrating the air and ground with the deep bass sound. Amie’s grin expanded until her eyes narrowed. The moment the band started playing she couldn’t help herself but laugh. She watched in amazement as the Bristol marching band carried the sounds of Led Zepplin along the main drag of Coyote Bluff. The upbeat version of “Thank You” was great and, as expected, anyone still inside businesses or homes could be seen peeking out of windows, wandering out of doorways and generally gawking.
The students swayed and two-stepped their way down the pavement, playing their little hearts out. And, like a monster rising from the deep, a huge display pulled by her loving mate came into view behind the band. The float had taken them most of the night to build, and almost as long to sneak into town, covered to look like a basket trailer of rolled hay bales.
Bright pink tissue paper flowers blew lightly in the wind but stayed glued to the huge cursive letters. Nothing said thank you like saying them in four-foot-high pieces of foam covered in a million pieces of flimsy paper.
Amie grinned.
The band director was a genius because the moment they were in front of the main block of town, the one where it seemed everyone from Coyote Bluff was now standing and staring, stunned, the band smoothly changed to “Danke Schoen” by Wayne Newton. He’d slowed them to a slow march, signaling the students to sway with their instruments. The flag girls in the front started twirling and spinning. It was perfect.
One final touch, that’s all it needed.
As the song came to an end, the band had moved down the road far enough that the float now sat dead center in the town. Everyone was clapping along, singing or snapping photos with their phones. As designed, the members of the band pivoted around on the last few notes and, when the song was done, all of them, in perfect synchronization, swept a hand out, pointing to the float. Amie watched a smiling Zeke through the windshield of the truck as he honked the horn twice.
She pushed the button on the CD player sitting next to her, and the sound of applause erupted through the speakers they’d placed on the trailer bed. It had taken them an hour or so to find the perfect sound bite of crowds cheering, but, once they’d heard some of the sound bites from the Beatles’ tours, Zeke and Amie had pieced a few of them together. The sound of young girls all cheering and screaming as if they were witnessing the most spectacular thing on earth echoed on the still air.
A drum roll started, softly at first but quickly grew in volume as the crowd noises on the recording quieted. The last couple of seconds was the well known voice of the king himself thanking everyone before there was nothing but the sound of drums. The band director held the remote Amie had given him an hour before, the older man sported a wide grin before signaling the end of the drums. An instant later there was a blast of noise as confetti cannons and screaming bottle rockets burst from the float. Two waves of confetti spewed into the air before falling slowly to the ground. The fireworks added the smell of gunpowder to the air even as the last high pitched screeches echoed through the town.
It took a heartbeat or two before everyone, including the band members, started clapping and shouting. Below, her friends and neighbors shook their heads while smiling and clapping. Zeke climbed out of the truck and looked up, easily finding her in the spot she’d hidden, and winked, raising an eyebrow in question. He’d wanted her to ride along and let people know it was her doing, but even though everyone had seemed to forgive her for running off and putting the guys in danger, she’d still felt like they were angry or disappointed in her. She’d hid. Plain and simple. She hadn’t wanted to see the disappointment in her friends’ faces if they didn’t understand the gesture they’d planned.
From someplace in the street a bellow reverberated. “Amie. Get out here.”
Skip didn’t sound angry but, no matter what, she scrambled to comply. She’d been trying to find a way to fix the problems she’d made and really had been trying to be a good pack member. Climbing off the roof of the bank was easier than getting up there, especially when she caught a whiff of her mate and looked over her shoulder to see him standing a few feet below.
“Catch me.” She grinned as she threw herself off the building, knowing he’d be there.
Warm arms caught her with ease and held her for a long moment. The feel of Zeke’s lips against her temple gave her strength.
“Let’s see what trouble we’re in.” She sighed. “And I’m hoping it’s not a lot.”
Walking toward them was a laughing Alpha, a grinning band director and a gaggle of her friends. They all started talking at once, circling her and Zeke and reaching to pat her, pull them into a hug, or just talk about how cool the display had been. Skip c
aught her eye, winked and nodded. She knew he’d understand. Mouthing ‘Thank you’ to him settled her kitty.
There was a mess of confetti to clean up, band students to feed, friends to talk to and a mate to thank, but Amie finally felt like she’d made her point to those that mattered. She was thankful from the bottom of her soul for the family she’d found in the people of Coyote Bluff. They’d healed her, forgiven her, and loved her.
“Don’t cry. Everyone has their phones out still.” Zeke’s breath whispered across her ear, making her shiver. “You know they’d blackmail you with it.”
She wiggled her ass against his crotch and turned her face to give him a chaste kiss. The low growl vibrating into her back drew a grin from her and, being the naughty mate she was, she snuck her tongue out and flicked his lips before whispering, “Mine.”
“Always.” His response sent a thrill through her. He brought her back to reality when he continued. “Later.”
Right. Clean up the street, get everyone happy, and then she could thank her mate properly.
The End
About the Author:
Lea lives in Western New York with her hubby, three children, and miscellaneous critters. Before the rugrats, she lived a life of adventure following her husband all over Europe with the US military. She’s slept in a car outside Paris, drove six hours just to see tulips in the Netherlands, and knocked ash from her shoes at Pompeii. Now she spends her time in life’s adventures at soccer games, PTA meetings and school plays.
Lea has loved reading from a very young age, spending many sleepless nights devouring books. Science fiction and paranormal were her favorite genres to read as a teenager, and that love bled into her adult life. She started writing during a bout of insomnia to fill time and found it filled a creative void. Now she communes regularly with the characters in her head and tries not to laugh out loud when they say something funny.
When Lea isn’t reading, writing or corralling kids, she enjoys watching movies and sciencey shows, or just kicking back and listening to some music.
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