Kelly Apple's Blog, page 28

Grimwood Short – Broken Things

Broken Things

Grimwood

Isobel and Cade

 

Memories met Isobel around every corner as she and Cade worked on clearing out the decades of dirt and dust that had accumulated in the upper rooms. The dirt and dust would have been enough of a challenge on their own, but the broken pieces of her old life were also everywhere.

The old spindle left discarded on the stairs that the servants had spun thread on reminded her of when the halls of the old manor house had whispered with voices and life.

The spindle was broken now. Probably by her in one of her rages.

Isobel didn’t like to remember those times. In part because there were terrifying gaps in her memory. Entire seasons lost to her madness. Her rage. Her hatred of what was happening to her body and mind.

But the truth couldn’t be ignored when it stared at you from the cracked remains of something that had once been integral to life in the manor.

Averting her gaze, Isobel focused on the long hallway at the top of the stairs.

Breathe.

Just breathe.

Think of Cade and how he gave her the strength to find herself again in the depths of her madness.

Think of the green growing things that now blanketed the old garden out back.

Broken things could be repaired with a little love and a little luck. And sometimes a healthy dose of magic.

“Bel?”

Isobel focused on the man who gave her such joy. He’d wandered into the one of the rooms earlier while she’d been complaining about all the junk they’d have to haul away to make the upper levels habitable again.

She’d been ready to declare the second and third floors a loss and retreat to the tower above the library. But Cade had laughed his gentle laugh and told her it was a shame to have all these beautiful rooms if they were never going to use them.

So she’d stopped her bitching and grabbed one of the brooms they’d brought from downstairs and begun wrangling the dust into a pile to be easily scooped up.

Then she’d seen that damn spindle and…

Hell, she was a mess.

It was only a stupid spinning wheel. Nothing special. So what if the servants used it back when the house had been less a falling down mess.

The past was the past. Now was what she needed to focus on.

“Talk to me, Isobel.”

Isobel started, Cade’s face swimming into view. She’d lost time, hadn’t she? He’d been down the hall and now he was right in front of her, the beginning of a frown pulling down the edge of his mouth.

“I’m okay,” she managed.

His frown didn’t smooth out and those eyes that saw too much searched her face for a long moment after her declaration. Then he reached out and cupped her jaw, his warm palm just what she needed to banish the last of the shadows from her mind.

“Why don’t we work together for a while, love?” He smiled and leaned in for a soft kiss.

His kisses did things to her. They settled the beast beneath her skin and made it purr in enjoyment.

Yes, they could work together. But what would happen tomorrow? What if she never found the strength to do it on her own?

Her beautiful mate narrowed his eyes at her and Isobel knew he could read her like a book. He knew the stray thought that flit through her head. He was preparing his arguments against it.

“Not forever, Bel. Just for now. Today. We’ll take tomorrow as it comes.”

Damn him and his perception. He really could read her as easily as one of her mother’s journals.

“I can’t lean on you forever,” she said, more because she thought she should than because she didn’t want to spend the day by his side.

“You can, actually.”

Isobel made a face, the spindle and her memories completely forgotten in the wake of Cade’s preposterous statement. “Really? You want me dogging your heels around every corner for the rest of our days?”

“I wouldn’t mind.”

He probably wouldn’t, the silly man.

Silly, insane, perfect man.

Whatever had led Cade to her abandoned manor all those months ago must have known just how perfect he was for her. Against all odds, he loved her without reservation. He never fled when her beast roared and growled. He never flinched when she got frustrated and threw the cooking pot against the wall after she ruined yet another meal.

He was patient and kind and he saw her in ways she had forgotten to see herself.

Giving in, Isobel took his hand and tugged him down the hall. He’d been checking the rooms, hadn’t he? She could stand beside him and do that much, at least.

And if the rooms happened to have a bed? Well, it was only right they checked that out, too.

Memories banished for now by Cade’s quiet strength, Isobel let her mate tell her his plans for this floor. Long-term plans.

Plans that painted a future that was brighter than anything she’d ever dared hope.

Beneath her skin, her beast settled, content with the new life she and Cade were going to make.

The End

Want to see how Isobel and Cade first met? Grab Cursed Bones to read their story.

Missed any of the other shorts? Check out the Series Shorts page and get caught up.

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What I’m Watching – The Insane Movie Edition

It was recently brought to my attention (by me, when I was talking about movies and kept interjecting “Oh, I have that movie, I just haven’t watched it yet” into the conversation) that I was WAAAAYYYYY behind on my movie watching. Tragically so.

So I set out to fix that.

I went through my movies. I compiled a list. I made a plan.

Then I dug in.

So here, in no particular order, is a short review of each of the movies I’ve watched recently.

Captain America: Civil War – Not actually one I own, but I was told I HAD to watch it since I was preparing to see Black Panther and CW introduced T’Challa’s story. OMG! Civil War completely rekindled my love of Marvel movies. Not that the love had ever died or anything, but it made me waaaaaant to catch up. So I did.

11/10. Would watch again.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 – Another one I don’t own but ended up watching on Netflix and my love for Peter Quill crosses GALAXIES! Too cheesy? Anyway. I loved loved loved the craziness Quill and his crew got into. MOAR STAR LORD!

11/10. Would watch again.

Doctor Strange – This was a movie I just sort of missed the first time around and WOW DID I ENJOY IT. Benedryl Cabbagepatch was FANTASTIC. Ha. Okay, I know his actual name. Regardless of what I call him, he was REALLY GOOD.

11/10. Would watch again.

Ant-Man – Guys. Guys. GUYYYYYS! I LOVED THIS MOVIE! I don’t know what I expected, but it was ridiculously fun! Paul Rudd completely killed me. Dead. I AM DEAD.

12/10. Would watch again and again and again.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – I mostly watched this one for Wonder Woman. In fact, I consider it the precursor to her movie. I must say, I couldn’t actually tell you anything that happened in it other than a big battle at the end with lots of ‘splosions. Still, I liked Diana Prince.

6/10. Would watch the Wonder Woman parts again.

Wonder Woman – HOO-BOY! GIMME! I’ve had this movie since before Christmas and I really really really feel like I should have watched it before now. I LIKED! A LOT.

11/10. Would watch again.

Suicide Squad – This one surprised me. Jared Leto’s Joker creeps me the fuck out so I wasn’t expecting to like this one as much as I did. Fortunately for me, he wasn’t in it all that much. Which means I ended up enjoying it far more than people told me I would.

9/10. Would watch again.

Terminator Genisys – Guys, this movie had some BAD reviews. I’ve had it sitting in my movie collection for AGES and I didn’t really want to watch it because I had such low expectations. BUT I LIKED IT HARD. Possibly because of Jai Courtney. I do enjoy a good looking man onscreen. Besides that, I’m a sucker for alternative timelines and how they can mess with your head. Bottom line, I liked this one far more than I thought I would and I am PLEASED by that.

10/10. Would watch again.

Since I have MOAR movies on tap, expect to see another one of these once I start crossing them off my list!

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Stuff Your Ereader with the March Into Spring Freebie Event

It’s time for FREEBIES! That’s right, kiddos, hop on over to the OMG READS website, pick your platform, download books. It’s that simple.

My offerings this time around are Cursed Blood and The Wicked Naga. They’ll only be free for a limited time, so grab ’em while they’re hot!

March Into Spring with 40+ Free Romances

Happy reading!

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Grimwood Short – Home Is Where the Heart Is

Home Is Where the Heart Is

Grimwood

Lucy and Connor

 

“We should wait until late spring, at least.” Lucy ducked her head and worked on kneading the bread so she wouldn’t have to see Connor’s disappointed expression at her words.

“Luce.”

Just her name, nothing else. Lucy’s shoulders rounded. “We don’t want to be gone from the inn for too long, right? If we wait until late spring we won’t have to deal with the muddy roads the same as we will now.”

Weak. Such a painfully weak excuse.

“We agreed.”

They had. They’d spent the long winter making their plans and now Lucy was proving that being a wolf when the moon ran full didn’t make a woman fearless.

“I’m scared, Connor. What if she doesn’t want to see me?” Her fear tumbled out and Lucy kneaded the dough harder.

“If she doesn’t want to see you, we’ll leave. We’ll come back here to my grandmother who adores you and my parents who are expecting us to announce their next grandbaby is on the way soon.” Connor closed his hand over hers and stopped their fretful movement. “No matter what happens it won’t change the way I think of you, my love.”

Lucy let his scent sink into her. She let his words calm the burbling nerves in her gut.

Her mate wasn’t wrong. If her mom didn’t want her near, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. It would hurt, but she wasn’t the same terrified girl who’d been run out of her stepfather’s home when her curse took hold.

She wasn’t alone. Connor and his infinitely large family had taken her in and showed her what it meant to be loved.

She was Lucy Redfield now. Connor’s grandmother had talked them into letting the mayor marry them and she was officially part of the clan.

Managing a smile, she went up on her toes and gave her husband a kiss on his cheek. They’d made the plans. Connor had spoken to his family and one of his cousins was coming to help Alene Redfield out at the inn in their absence.

They were going to visit the village her mother and stepfather lived in whether she was having second thoughts or not.

“It will be okay, Lucy. You’ll see.”

It might not be, but that was the price she’d paid for staying away so long. Hope was a strange bedfellow. It flared up sometimes at the most innocuous of things.

Lucy had hope that her mother would be happy to see her. She was still scared. She would probably have nightmares until they got to the village, but the barest flicker of hope lived in her breast.

She’d see this through.

Her heart demanded it.

If for no other reason than to lay the ghost of this particular piece of her past to rest.

Before she was a Redfield, Lucy had been a Grimm. And Grimms could be tenacious when they needed to be.

For this journey, Lucy would need to draw on the same strength of spirit that had made her survive her first winter as a wolf.

If she could do that—if she could win the love of a man as incredible as Connor Redfield, she could do anything.

Even leave the home of her heart to see her mother after many years.

Drawing in a deep breath, Lucy gave Connor a smile and nudged him away from her dough. They’d have time to talk once it was in the oven baking. For now, she had a job to do and she could see by her husband’s expression that he understood that she’d found peace in his simple words.

Home was where the heart was and Lucy’s heart was wherever Connor was.

The End

Want to see how Lucy and Connor first met? Grab Cursed Wolves to read their story.

Missed any of the other shorts? Check out the Series Shorts page and get caught up.

The post Grimwood Short – Home Is Where the Heart Is appeared first on Kelly Apple.

What I’m Watching (or What I’ve Finished Watching)

A couple weeks ago, I fangirled over the 12 Monkeys rewatch I was diving into. Well, I’ve finished all the available episodes (season 3 isn’t available for streaming yet and I NEEEEEED it!!) and…the level of WTF-ery in that show makes me ridiculously happy. Flipping back and forth through time makes for some insane storytelling.

The downside to catching up on a favorite show is that now that it’s over I don’t know what to watch next. I’m half-heartedly rewatching Supernatural (I like background noise when I write and Sam and Dean give good background) and that’s fun and all, but I need a new show. Something fun. Something that makes me think.

OH WAIT. I can always watch the oodles of movies I seem to collect and never watch. RIGHT. I should do that. Or I could rewatch the entire Marvel Universe (Black Panther gave me a massive case of the feels and now I want more superhero ass-kicking!).

Huh. I guess I need to just gird my loins and pick something.

Don’t worry. I’m on it.

The post What I’m Watching (or What I’ve Finished Watching) appeared first on Kelly Apple.

Grimwood Short – Apple Wine and Kisses

Apple Wine and Kisses

Grimwood

Zel and Geneva

If Zel had been told a year ago that he would be spending his days with a beautiful woman who enjoyed climbing on his lap and teasing him with kisses, he wouldn’t have believed it.

Hell, Geneva was feathering her lips over his jaw right now and he barely believed it.

Despite everything he’d gone through at the hands of the witch, Zel truly believed he had to be the luckiest man in Grimwood to have someone as beautiful and kind as Geneva choose to be with him. Every day with her he learned something new. Every night, she gave him pleasure and whispered words of love.

He’d suffered and bled for an evil woman who’d tried to control him and Geneva was his reward for surviving.

When he woke in the middle of the night, the sweat from dark dreams chilling his body, she was there. She reached for him with soft hands and held him close until he could breathe again.

His Geneva was an angel.

An angel who was nipping at his neck at the moment.

“I want to visit my parents,” she said, never quite removing her mouth from his skin.

Zel wasn’t surprised by her words. She’d been bringing them up more often recently and he knew she missed both her mother and father something fierce.

“We could take a week, couldn’t we, Zel?” She finally stopped torturing him with her sweet nips and kisses and sat up to peer at his face. “We have food set aside for the cold months and you bled for the well recently. A week isn’t too long. Is it?”

Hating the uncertainty in her voice, Zel sought the words that would reassure her. She was right. They had food and wood set aside for when the snow began to fall. The well had been tended to and wouldn’t need another offering for another month at least.

His silence came from somewhere deeper and he was working to push past it.

In all his years as a captive, he’d only stepped past the barrier of the witch’s land once. After they’d burned her body, he’d trekked out alone and crossed over the boundary that had kept him trapped for so long.

He’d wept when his skin didn’t burn with dark spells. He’d fallen to his knees and cried silently when he realized it was truly over.

When the storm inside him had passed, he’d picked himself up and returned to Geneva and his tower.

Leaving the land he’d spilled so much blood on scared him.

He knew what others saw when they looked at him. He was a big man, rough and silent. That someone like him would be afraid of leaving a place like this would be mocked by many.

Geneva had never once mocked him for the fear he showed her in the darkest parts of the night when twisted dreams of the witch rose up and tried to smother him. She’d held him close and whispered sweet things for his ears only until the darkness was burned away by her light.

Even now, he didn’t have to tell her how terrified he was. She just knew.

“If you’d rather, I can go alone and bring them back here.” Her voice was low and smile sad.

Zel shook his head. He knew Geneva was brave and strong enough to take care of herself, but he didn’t want her out there alone. He didn’t know if he could stand being in this place without her.

“We can leave tomorrow.” He felt her start at his sudden words and he swallowed down the panic beating at his insides. “I need to get used to the world out there.”

Instead of laughing and throwing her arms around him with excitement as he expected, Geneva cradled his jaw in her hands and pressed a sweet kiss to his lips. “I love you, Zelthin Grimm.”

He knew that with every fiber of his being. Why else would she stay with a silent, scarred man in the middle of an enchanted forest if not for love? Someone as beautiful and kind as Geneva could have her pick of anyone out there and she’d chosen him.

“We’ll bring back some of my father’s apple wine.” She smiled when his eyes darted to hers. “We won’t drink it until we get back, though. It’ll be our reward for completing our journey.”

Zel had only tasted her father’s apple wine once and the taste had been one he remembered fondly. It would be a reward he looked forward to.

“I’d also like to make sure my parents know the way to our tower.” Geneva smoothed down a lock of his ragged hair and brushed her fingers against the edge of his mouth. “With the well to take care of, I don’t imagine we’ll be able to get away often. Maybe next time they can visit us.”

He’d never considered that. Given the things that the witch did to trespassers on her land, he’d never thought of inviting people to them.

But the witch was dead and the land and tower were his now. The well was his responsibility.

Dipping his chin in a slight nod, he gathered Geneva up and tried to convey with touch how much he appreciated everything she did for him. All the tiny things she did to make his life easier and his dreams less dark soothed him.

She was his light and his heart. She made their small tower a home and she was working on erasing the terrible memories in the main house day by day.

Maybe, once they got back from their journey, he’d take her by the hand and lead her into the house and they’d drink her father’s apple wine by the old hearth. He’d work on replacing the bad memories himself.

He’d do it with apple wine and kisses and Geneva.

He doubted there was a more potent combination in all of Grimwood.

The End

Want to see how Zel and Geneva gained their freedom from the witch? Cursed Blood is their story and the start of the Grimwood saga.

Missed any of the other shorts? Check out the Series Shorts page and get caught up.

The post Grimwood Short – Apple Wine and Kisses appeared first on Kelly Apple.

Looking Back on February

I know I say this every month, but…where the heck did the month go?!?! For reals.

That said, I did get some stuff done this month. Wanna talk about it? GOOD!

The fifth book in the Grimwood series was released in early February. Cursed Lives follows Fen and Gretchen’s romance and he’s my grumpy, snarly hero, guys. That’s right, I like writing grumpy heroes. They amuse me. Especially once they start the headlong tumble into loooooove.

The final book in the series will be coming soon and will (if I played my writing cards right) tie up all the loose threads that have been sadly waving in the breeze. As a disclaimer, I *say* it’s going to be the final book, but there might be one more teeny, tiny novella after. I haven’t decided yet.

Meanwhile, I’ve been writing about college girls falling in love with werewolves, a friends to lovers romance set aboard an abandoned cruise ship during the zombie apocalypse, and more Series Shorts that allow me to revisit old characters. (Psst, March’s Shorts let us delve into Grimwood and the Grimms. Eeeee!)

It might have been short, but February was a pretty good month.

The post Looking Back on February appeared first on Kelly Apple.

Anderson High Wolves Short – The End of a Perfect Day

The End of a Perfect Day

Anderson High Wolves

 

Lane

Tired, foot-sore, and a little drunk off all the sugar she’d consumed, Lane linked arms with Jenny when she and Matty ran into the other couple as they were walking the midway. Jenny looked like she felt and Lane felt a kinship to the other woman as they were nestled between the men.

Natalie and Mason met up with them not long after and Natalie’s goofy smile told Lane everything she needed to know about what she and Mason had been up to since they separated. Well, the smile and the beard burn beside her mouth.

“You ladies want to hit any more rides before we leave?” Matty was looking at her as he said it, a sly smile on his face.

They hadn’t gone on a single ride. Not one. They’d sat at the small table by the churro stand and watched everybody rushing from place to place.

It had been oddly hypnotic. Calming, in its own way. The idea that all these people had lives and were making their own memories while in the same place she and Matty were had amused her.

No, not amused.

It had been thrilling.

Nobody cared who she was. Who they were. Well, Matty got more than a few long looks from some of the women walking by, but that was to be expected.

Her man was a looker.

Nobody had looked at her and seen Lane Tennyson, the girl most likely to set something on fire. They didn’t sneer at her red hair that made her stand out everywhere else. They didn’t give her a look that said she wasn’t good enough for a man like Matty.

An older woman at one of the tables had given her a gentle smile before she’d been joined by an older gentleman wearing suspenders. Then the smile had turned to him and Matty and Lane had been forgotten.

Lane had been content to sit there the entire time. Matty hadn’t pressed her to ride any of the rides or impatiently asked when they could get up and start walking around.

They just were.

And it was enough.

 

Jenny

Jenny knew Matty’s question wasn’t directed at her, exactly. It was for the group.

So why did her face go up in flames as soon as he asked it?

Oh, right. Because she and Evan had gone through the haunted house so many times the attendant had stopped taking their tickets and just waved them in when they trotted up the steps. He’d smirked at them too. Probably because they kept having to be told to move along when they lingered too long in the shadowed corners of the ride.

Jenny’s lips were sore. In the best way, of course. She’d been kissed silly in every darkened nook and cranny of the old house and she kind of loved the stupid ride now.

Their picture was probably being printed out in some back room right this moment with a caption saying they were banned for life from coming on ever again and it was completely worth it.

Because Evan hadn’t just kissed her until her brain stopped forming complete sentences. He’d also deconstructed each of the rooms they’d gone through, telling her how the effects were put together.

His explanation had taken much of the terror out of the ride and soon Jenny could see the wires and hidden doors without him pointing them out.

She’d even maneuvered her hunk of a boyfriend against one of those hidden doors and mauled him with her mouth while the person on the other side had been trying to get out to scare them. As weird as it might sound, that had been the funniest thing they’d done the entire time.

Now she was tired. Lips sore, feet aching, her stomach more than a little empty since they’d only grabbed a hot dog early in the evening.

Despite all that, she wouldn’t change a thing.

She’d had the best night of her life. She only wished Taylor had been able to join them. He’d wanted to, but one of his classmates was having a birthday party at the pizza place down the street and the lure of pizza and cake had overruled the carnival.

Plus, Evan had promised he’d bring him another time.

She really did have the sweetest boyfriend in the known universe.

“What do you say, Jen? Want to go on another ride?”

Evan’s husky voice in her ear made her blush heat up again. No. She was good. She had her boyfriend and her friends.

She was tired and ridiculously happy with how the evening had gone.

Giving her wolf a slow smile, Jenny shook her head. “I think I’m ready to head home if everybody else is.”

 

Natalie

Somewhere after the first slow ascent of the Ferris wheel and seeing the city laid out like a glowing picture, Natalie had found her inner peace. They’d ridden the Ferris wheel a few more times. She’d eaten a sticky glob of cotton candy that necessitated a trip to the bathroom for a thorough washing up. She and Mason had made out like horny high school kids in a shadowy corner behind a building.

It had been, in a word, perfect.

Utterly perfect.

Now they were getting ready to head home. Part of Natalie didn’t want to let the glow of her perfect evening end, and part of her knew it was going to happen no matter how hard she held onto it.

That was life.

Tomorrow or the day after would bring another of those perfect moments.

Heck, it didn’t even have to be perfect. She’d be happy with good. Joyful. Passionate.

As long as she was with Mason it was enough.

As though they’d been called, Mason’s brothers and sisters appeared in groups. Mia sidled up to her, her sticky fingers sliding into Natalie’s, an angelic smile on her face.

Little faker.

As cute as she was, Mia was a hellion and Natalie knew her well enough not to trust that smile for a minute.

Still, the hellion’s smile added another checkmark in the perfect day.

They were all together. They were happy.

As a group, they were perfect.

The End

Want to see see how these three couples ended up together? Grab Anderson High Wolves: The Complete Novella Collection to meet all the wolves of Anderson High.

Missed any of the other shorts? Check out the Series Shorts page and get caught up.

The post Anderson High Wolves Short – The End of a Perfect Day appeared first on Kelly Apple.

What I’m Watching

Yooooouuuuu guys. I talked one of my friends into watching the 12 Monkeys TV show from the SyFy channel and I TOTALLY REMEMBER HOW HARD I CRUSHED ON THIS SHOW WHEN IT FIRST AIRED.

OMG! THE INSANITY.

Jennifer KNOWS crazy!

It also satisfies the shipper in me because DEAR GAWD CASSIE AND COLE NEED TO HOOK UP! I NEEEED THIS! SO BAD!

Just kiss already!

I watched the first two seasons when it aired originally so I know what happens (and when they actually hook up), but this is an insanely complex show. Sure, sure, the time travel component kind of lends itself to complexity, but, MAN, there’s some layered story telling going on here.

It’s not perfect (I think the writers got a little off course in a couple episodes of season 1), but it has me hooked all over again. I’m hooked. So hooked.

Enough of this tomfoolery! My season 2 rewatch is waiting for me. I’m going in!

The post What I’m Watching appeared first on Kelly Apple.

Anderson High Wolves Short – Quiet Moments

Quiet Moments

Anderson High Wolves

Lane and Matty

 

Lane hadn’t been to a fair since before the fire. Walking through the gates and breathing in the aroma of popcorn and dust brought what few memories she had forward and she smiled.

It was the smell of hot summer days and giddy exhaustion.

Linking her fingers with Matty’s, Lane watched Evan haul Jenny off toward the rides while Natalie and Mason went toward the Ferris wheel.

Natalie looked ready to pop at any moment and, for a moment, Lane felt sorry for her. A fair was a long way away from the type of things the former cheerleader had done with her previous boyfriends and she looked as out of place as Lane usually felt.

Then Natalie and Mason were swallowed up by the crowd and it was just Lane and Matty.

“What do you want to do first?”

First? Lane didn’t know. Eat her weight in churros maybe. Or get one of the brightly colored slushy drinks they were selling next to the popcorn stand.

She wasn’t here for the rides, although she figured Matty would want to go on a few of them.

Honestly, she didn’t care what they did first as long as she got to do it with Matty.

Matty being the wonderfully observant boyfriend he was, started in the direction of the churros and slushy drinks. “Evan’s probably heading toward the haunted house. He loves trying to figure out how they make the effects work.”

The haunted house didn’t sound fun, but Lane put on a smile. “Do you want to go in it?”

Matty slanted her a look out of the corner of his eye. “Not really. But if you want to go, we can.”

“I’m good.” She was, too. Lane would be happy grabbing a seat at one of the tables loosely grouped in the courtyard and sitting there to watch all the people passing by.

Another enigmatic look. Before Lane could ask him what that look was for, they were at the churro stand. Matty ordered—far more than she would have—and once they had their precious cinnamon and sugar dusted loot he turned waved her toward a table.

“I’ll grab drinks and find you.”

Arms full of sweet, fried dough, Lane nodded. She’d already spotted the table she wanted to grab. Tucked into the corner so they’d be out of the way, but still able to see the people laughing along the midway. A brief detour for napkins and Lane was soon lining up Matty’s churros on the tabletop even as she took a big bite out of hers.

A red slushy drink was placed in front of her, the straw an elaborate twisted curl rising up from the lid.

“I sprang for one of the silly straws,” her gorgeous, brilliant boyfriend said. “Do you like it?”

Did she like it? It was magnificent. Three loop-de-loops and a bright sparkling red. It was childish and perfect in every way.

“I like it,” she told him, eyes shining.

A flash of straight, white teeth and then Matty was sliding onto the hard bench next to her. “Good. Because if you didn’t, I’d go get you another one. And if you didn’t like that—”

Lane got it. He’d keep trying until she was happy.

Feeling bold, she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his mouth. Her boyfriend was sweeter than she deserved and there was no possible way she was ever willingly giving him up.

The man was stuck with her. Through thick and thin. Rain and shine.

They fit. With him, she felt like a whole person, not the hollow shell she’d once been.

“Stop thinking so hard, beautiful.”

Warmth crawled through her. Beautiful. Before Matty, she couldn’t remember anyone calling her that.

It wasn’t just a throwaway word for him, either. He actually thought she was beautiful. Perfect, even with all her flaws.

That was love, wasn’t it? Caring for someone even when they made mistakes. Loving them though whatever life through at them.

As much as she wanted to wrap her arms around her wolf and hold on, Lane didn’t. She’d used up all her boldness with that little kiss and it would take time for her to work up to another public display of affection.

Matty knew. He winked at her as he took a bite of his first churro and Lane laughed. Yeah, Matty knew her well. He knew she wasn’t here for the rides or the crowds. He knew she’d only come because he’d asked her to.

And he was okay with that. Her skittishness around people she didn’t know—and some she did—didn’t put him off. He accepted her. He loved her.

As Lane worked her way through her treats, she alternated between watching Matty eat and watching the people walking past.

The world was weird and unexpected sometimes. Who would have guessed that she’d end up with this wolf? Happy?

Not her, that was for sure.

But here they were.

A couple. Ready for face whatever life threw at them as a team.

Content, Lane slid her sugar dusted hand into Matty’s and leaned her head on his shoulder. She didn’t care that her hands would be sticky later or that anybody that looked over would see them.

For the moment, she just was.

And it was perfect.

The End

Want to see see how Matty and Lane ended up together? Grab The Girl Most Likely for their story or Anderson High Wolves: The Complete Novella Collection to meet all the wolves of Anderson High.

Missed any of the other shorts? Check out the Series Shorts page and get caught up.

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