“I’m going to do more than take you. I’m claiming you, Barbara. You’re mine now.”
He thrusts all the way inside of me, pinning me to the bed for a moment. Then he starts to thrust in and out in hard pumps. He wants to get as deep inside of me as he can and I gasp at a few of his thrusts. It’s a sweet mixture of pleasure and something else I don’t have a name for. I can’t call it “pain” because this is the furthest thing from it.
I dig my nails into his back as my orgasm builds. “Shaw,” I moan, and the bed bangs against the wall, over and over.
“Give it to me,” he orders. “It belongs to me and I want it. Cum for me.” I cry out as the orgasm takes me over the edge.
Shaw holds me close as he keeps on thrusting in and out. He jerks, his warm release spilling inside of me, and my eyes sting with tears. I’ve never felt so happy.
“And you think I’d ever spend a night away from this?” I slowly open my eyes. “I love you and nothing will ever keep me from you.”
“I love you so much too.” I pull him down for a kiss and it’s hot and possessive.
I came to Magnolia Springs thinking I’d lost the last of my family. Little did I know I’d be finding a new one.
Epilogue
Shaw
One week later…
“Hey, what are you doing here so early?” Barbara comes around from the other side of the counter and gives me a kiss.
“I’m happy to see you too.” I smile at her and steal another quick one before I glance around the store. “Can you close up a few minutes early?”
“Yeah, I think so. My last customer just left right before you walked in and it’s only about twenty minutes early.”
“Perfect.” I pull her close to me and kiss her one more time before I let her go.
She giggles as she goes back to the register and closes it down. “What’s gotten into you? You seem excited.”
“I am,” I say, bouncing on my toes a little.
“Something tells me you’ve got something up your sleeve.” She narrows her eyes at me as she grabs her bag.
“Did Mom come by the store today?” I try not so smoothly to change the subject and she lets me.
“She did. She picked up a few books and took a look at the empty store next door. I guess Missy didn’t actually own the building and just leased it. The company who owns it came in today and cleaned it out.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah, it was kind of sad. But then I remembered what a witch she was and I’m glad it’s gone.”
Missy pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated harassment and a few other misdemeanors. She was sentenced to a couple hundred hours of community service and three years’ probation. The second she left the courtroom she packed up all her stuff and skipped town. Last my mom heard she was living three states over and starting up a bakery. Some people never learn; I’m just glad she’s doing it away from my woman.
“So why are you asking me to close shop early?” Barbara comes up to me and I take her hand as we walk outside and she locks up.
“I have a surprise for you.”
“I like your surprises.” She wiggles her eyebrows and I can’t help but laugh.
“I want you to put this on.” I hold out the blindfold and her eyes light up.
“Kinky.”
“I’ll remember you said that.”
She turns around and I tie the blindfold in place and then swat her ass playfully and she squeals.
“Hey! I can’t see that coming.”
I take her hand and kiss her neck as she sighs contentedly. “That’s the point.” She squeals again as I scoop her up in my arms and carry her to the truck.
“Any chance you’re going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Patience,” I say as I drive away from downtown.
It’s a short ride and I turn down the tree-lined driveway.
“I think I might be getting car sick.”
“Good thing we’re here.” I park the truck and lean over to unbuckle her. “Just another second, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Keep them closed.” I jump out and then help her down. Once I turn her around, I move behind her and take off the blindfold. “Open your eyes.”
“Oh my god, Shaw.” She looks around and her eyes widen. “Where are we?”
“Our new home.” She stops moving and stares at me for a moment and only blinks. “I bought it for us.”
“Wait, you did what?”
“I found this cottage on the historical register. It’s been vacant a long time and I reached out to the estate to see if they’d be interested in an offer way over asking.” I shrug as I stuff my hands in my pockets, suddenly second-guessing everything.
“I can’t, I mean, this is insane.”
She turns around to face the cottage again and she’s looking at it like she’s never seen a house before. I had to drive out this way last week to do some work for one of Mom’s friends. When I saw the house in the distance all I could think was it looked exactly like the house in the book Barbara told me about. She said it was her favorite book as a child and the stone house with ivy clinging to the side was what she always pictured raising a family in.
I knew it with one look, the way I knew the day I saw her for the first time. She was it for me and this house was it for her. But maybe now the dream isn’t meeting the expectation and I’ve gotten it wrong. Damn, it even has the tulip garden around the side like she talked about.
“Hey, I can change anything you don’t like, or we can just sell it and find something else.”
“What?” She whips around with tears in her eyes. “Sell it? Are you kidding me, Shaw? We can’t sell this house. It’s our home.”
She runs to me and I catch her just as she jumps into my arms.
“You like it?” I feel some of the worry leave me as she kisses my face.
“Love it, Shaw. Love the house, love you, love life, oh god, I’m just so full of love.”
“I love you too, babe.” I kiss her neck and hug her close as her legs wrap around me. “Want to see the inside?”
“Seriously? Is it really all ours?”
I fish the key out of my pocket and hold it out for her. “As long as I can carry you across the threshold, it’s all yours.”
She squeals as I lift her over my shoulder and carry her like a fireman would. When we get to the door, I turn around and she unlocks it, and then I carry her inside. Once through the door I close it behind us and then settle her in my arms. I’m not ready to put her down as I carry her through the house and show her all the rooms.
“I think this will make a perfect nursery because it’s right next to the master.”
“Shaw, this is like a real-life fairytale. Do you even know how romantic you are?”
“I don’t know if making a major purchase without your knowledge is considered romantic, but I want you to always have your dreams come true.” I kiss her softly and she wraps her arms around my neck. “I knew that I could fix it if it didn’t work out, so I took the chance.”