Win (Were Zoo Book 3) Read online

  “You probably need to get to work,” she said.

  “One more thing, though,” he answered, taking her hand and leading her from the barn. They walked back to the main path of the park, and turned toward the front gates. As they neared the gate, where park visitors were starting to arrive now that the park was open for the day, Win led her to a small building that looked like a cottage. There was a fence around it with no trespassing signs. He unlocked the gate and led her to the building.

  “I didn’t know about this until Justus mentioned it. There used to be a candy shop. A mated pair ran it for years until they retired. It wasn’t in business when I came here. But the couple made signature candy for the park that was sold in decorative tins.”

  He pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the front door. A bell rang as the door was opened, and she glanced up to see an old-fashioned brass bell hanging from a hook that was struck every time the door opened. Inside the airy main room were wooden tables and shelves and a long counter with an old-fashioned cash register on one end. The large windows allowed plenty of sunshine in to brighten the shop, although at the moment all it highlighted was the layer of dust on everything.

  They walked through the room to a wooden door that swung open when he pushed it, and she found herself in a commercial kitchen. There were wall ovens, commercial stoves, large mixers, and metal counters. The shelves were empty, but she could picture them holding a variety of mixing bowls, tools, and supplies. She turned in a slow circle, and then spied something in one corner hidden under a blue plastic tarp. There was a bright yellow sticky note on the tarp.

  She read out loud: “Have fun! Justus.”

  She bent over, lifting the corner and peeking under.

  “Oh!” she said as she pulled the tarp away completely and dropped it to the floor. “It’s a taffy machine.”

  The red metal machine was similar to one she’d seen in use at a candy shop when she went to Ocean City with her family every summer.

  “Have you ever made taffy?” Win asked as he joined her, sliding his hand around her waist and drawing her close.

  “No, but I’ve watched plenty of demonstrations.”

  She turned to face him. He grasped both her hips and smiled down at her. As she looked up into his handsome face, his eyes sparkling and the smile curving his lips up in the sexiest way, she knew she wasn’t just falling for him, she had already fallen. Hard.

  She rose onto her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her head and pressing her lips to his. A gruff rumble vibrated his chest, and she recognized it as the happy sound his beast made when they touched.

  Breaking the kiss, she whispered, “I love you, Win.”

  His hands tightened on her and his eyes darkened. “I love you, too.”

  Her heart pounded in excitement. She’d never really been in love before. What she felt for Win made everything in her romantic past fade away. No man had ever been so sweet to her, so generous and loving. He went out of his way to make sure she knew he cared for her, even before the three most amazing words were ever uttered.

  “I wish you didn’t have to go work a double shift,” she said.

  He grunted. “I’m one hundred percent in agreement.”

  “Did you bring me here for a reason?” she asked, resting her cheek on his chest and loving the way his heartbeat sounded in her ear.

  “Yes, actually. The bears went to the alpha council and asked them to allow you to open this place again.”

  She lifted her head, her eyes wide with surprise.

  “Seriously?”

  He chuckled. “Absolutely. You can pick the name and what you make here. It’s been suggested that taffy and fudge are big sellers with the public, but you can do anything you want from your amazing pies to whatever else tickles your fancy.”

  Her eyes stung with tears. “Really, Win? It would be mine?”

  He cupped her face with one large, warm hand and she gripped his wrist. “You said it was your dream to open a bakery. I know this isn’t quite what you had in mind, but Justus said that they’d love to have you oversee the dessert stall as well, planning the menu and creating new recipes. I didn’t want you to have to give up your dream because you’re my soulmate. If I could give you the moon, I would.”

  She grinned and tears slipped over her cheeks. “Now, I really wish you didn’t have to go to work.”

  “We’ll celebrate tonight. We have two things to celebrate, anyway – your new shop and our new love.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  Chapter 9

  Win ran his finger on the inside of his collar and tugged a little. The dress shirt felt like it was choking him slowly.

  Lexy elbowed him with a smile. “No one ever died from dressing up.”

  With a chuckle, he kissed her. “Are you sure?”

  “I promise. You look so sexy, I wish we didn’t have to leave the house.”

  “You look good enough to eat, too.”

  She was wearing a black dress that hugged her curves. It had taken a lot of willpower not to keep her home and take the dress off, but they were meeting her parents for dinner and it was important to him that they liked him. He’d never had to meet a female’s parents before, and he was nervous. Zane and Jupiter had given him some tips on meeting human parents, and the biggest piece of advice had been to keep a tight leash on the beast.

  “My parents are going to love you,” she said. “But only if we actually get out of the SUV and go into the house.”

  “My smart sweetheart,” he said, leaning over to kiss her.

  He turned off the engine and got out, coming around to her side and opening her door. Offering her his hand, he helped her out and lifted her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles.

  Lexy said, “Fair warning, Trina is here, too. That’s her car parked on the street.”

  He’d already met her cousin and best friend when he’d taken her to her apartment to finish packing the weekend after they’d met. Trina was very protective of Lexy, and Win was thankful his mate had such a wonderful support system.

  Win walked with Lexy up the sidewalk of a large, but inviting home. The wide front porch had a wooden swing on one end that creaked lightly as it moved in the breeze. A wreath with pink and purple silk flowers hung on the front door, with a wooden welcome sign in the center of it. Lexy opened the door and stepped in, tugging on Win’s hand so he didn’t stay rooted to the porch, waiting for a verbal invitation.

  “Hello!” Lexy called as Win shut the front door. The air was saturated with the scent of roasted chicken, and there was a quiet hum of conversation deeper in the house.

  “In the kitchen, honey,” a woman’s voice called out.

  Lexy glanced at Win and murmured, “Love you.”

  His gorilla loved to hear that declaration from his soulmate. No matter the circumstances, the phrase made him want to carry her away somewhere private and spend a few hours making her as happy as she made him. But since he was reining in his beast, when he opened his mouth to reply, his voice – while gruff because of his gorilla – was still articulate enough to say, “I love you, too.”

  She grinned, the sort of smile that made him feel like the luckiest male on the planet, and squeezed his hand. He followed her down a hallway that was covered with framed photos of family members, including many of Lexy in her younger years.

  They entered the kitchen and Trina stood from the table and said, “About time you showed up! I’m starving.”

  She hugged Lexy and gave a little wave to Win.

  “Sorry. I was downloading recipes and got distracted.” She turned to face her parents who were standing near the island, and said, “Mom, Dad, this is Win. These are my parents, Rhonda and Joel.”

  Win shook hands with her parents. He was thankful that humans didn’t have hearing as good as his, or they’d have heard his heart hammering a mile a minute.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Win said.

  “Let’s sit and eat.
Then we can start the Q&A with full bellies,” Rhonda said.

  “Mom,” Lexy said, groaning.

  “You brought your boyfriend to dinner, you have to suffer the consequences,” Trina said.

  “Just wait until you find a man,” Lexy threatened.

  Trina rolled her eyes. “As if Devlin will approve of anyone I like. He’s systematically gone out of his way to scare off any guys interested in me.”

  “I think you just need to find someone who’s bigger than him,” Lexy suggested. “Then he won’t think he can get away with scaring a guy just by flexing like an overgrown gym-monkey.”

  Win bit back a snort and Lexy giggled and coughed to hide it. She blushed, her cheeks turning a pretty shade of pink.

  “Brothers are supposed to protect their sisters,” Win said. “It’s because guys know how guys think, and no good brother in his right mind would let his sister date just anyone.”

  Trina smiled. “That’s a nice way to think about it. I’ll just wait until he hooks up and then he’ll be too busy with his own love life to bother with mine.”

  Win pulled out Lexy’s chair and sat next to her. Rhonda and Joel sat on opposite ends of the table, and Trina sat across from him and Lexy. After saying a prayer of thanks for the meal, Joel lifted a clear baking dish that contained chicken breasts stuffed with cheese and tomatoes.

  “Oh, this is my favorite,” Lexy said as she took the serving spoon and lifted a breast onto her plate. She put one on Win’s plate, and then put the spoon back in the dish. “My mom is as good a cook as I’m a baker.”

  “Aw, honey, that’s such a nice thing to say,” her mom said.

  “Well, it’s true. You could enter one of those reality cooking shows and win easily.”

  “You’re the competitor in the family, not me. I’m happy to cook at home for my family.”

  While they ate, Win answered questions from her parents and Trina. The topics ranged from his work at the zoo to his parents, and a rehash of the night that he and Lexy met. Which was one of his favorite stories. When the meal was over, they moved into the family room for coffee and cookies, which Rhonda said were from the store and not nearly as good as Lexy’s.

  “Tell us the news,” Joel said as he settled into a dark green recliner.

  Lexy beamed. “My shop is opening in one week!”

  Her parents and Trina cheered, congratulating Lexy on the news.

  “The shop opens on Friday morning, so I’m having a party the night before and I want you all to come. It will give you a chance to see the shop and try out some of the new things I’ve made.”

  “That’s wonderful! We’d love to come,” Rhonda said.

  “And I’ve been authorized to hire someone to help out behind the counter,” she added, smiling brightly at Trina. “If you’re still interested.”

  “What? You bet!” Trina said. “I thought you’d forgotten all about me after getting all your dreams to come true.”

  She shook her head. “Never.”

  Joel excused himself and left the room, returning a few moments later with an old book.

  He handed the book to Lexy. “I was cleaning the attic and I found this in my grandmother’s trunk. I thought you’d like to have it.”

  The “Recipes for Home” cookbook was worn with age. As Lexy opened the book, the spine creaked loudly and the darkened edges of the pages crumbled when they were touched.

  Lexy looked at Win. “I never met my Nan. She died before I was born.”

  “She would have been very proud of you for all you’ve accomplished,” Joel said. “She used to make a pie for my father for dinner almost every night.”

  Lexy’s brows rose. “A whole pie a night?”

  Rhonda chuckled. “That’s what they did back in their day. She could make a pie that would knock your socks off.”

  “I thought I got all my baking skills from your side of the family, Mom, but I guess it comes from both sides.” She closed the book carefully. “Thank you, Dad. I’ll take good care of it.”

  “I’m sure you will.”

  “Are you ready to go?” she asked Win.

  “Whenever you are.”

  “I’ll walk out with you,” Trina said. “I need to get home.”

  The three said goodbye to Lexy’s parents and walked out.

  “Are you okay with paying the rent on your own?” Lexy asked Trina. “I can pay my half until you find another roommate.”

  Trina shook her head. “I don’t want you to do that. I can handle things for a bit, but I’m going to look for a less expensive place. And it would be awesome if my new boss would give me a really great starting salary.”

  Lexy laughed. “You don’t even have the job yet and you’re already asking for favors!”

  “And three weeks’ vacation,” Trina added with a wink.

  “I’ll think about it,” Lexy said. “Come to the park at ten. I’ll leave a message at the front gate for them to take you to the security building. Someone will escort you to the shop so we can talk.”

  “It would save me some trouble looking for a new place if the job came with a place to live. Or is that just for you?”

  Lexy glanced at Win with a smile. “Sorry, just for me. I have to be there sometimes super early in the morning for some of the goodies, and they don’t want to have to worry about me getting in and out of the park safely at all hours.”

  “Oh well. It was worth a shot,” Trina said.

  The two hugged and then Win opened the door for Lexy as Trina walked down the driveway to where her car was parked. He shut the door and walked swiftly to the driver’s side.

  “That was hard,” Lexy said as she buckled her seatbelt.

  Win backed out of the driveway and put the SUV into gear. “What was?”

  “Lying.” She sighed and leaned on his shoulder, wrapping her arm around his bicep.

  “I’m sorry you can’t share everything about us with them.”

  She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder and said, “It’s tough keeping a secret from them. Especially Trina, who’s as close to a sister for me as anyone could be. But I’d rather you be safe, than tell my family the truth and have something terrible happen. It’s not like I think they’d tell, but I guess you don’t really know what people will do in a situation until they’re in it.”

  “That’s very true. Best intentions can disappear quickly.” He kissed the top of her head and returned his attention to the road. “I promise I’ll do everything in my power to keep your family a big part of our lives so they never feel as if you were taken away from them, or that you can’t spend time with them because of what I am.”

  “And our kids.”

  His gorilla grunted in happiness at the idea. “Definitely.”

  “Will our children be shifters?”

  “The shifter gene is dominant, so most likely.”

  “Can I tell you something strange?”

  “You can always tell me anything, sweetheart.”

  “I think having a flat tire was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  “It was for me, too.”

  When they reached the park, he turned down the private drive, checking in with security and parking the SUV with the others utilized by the zoo staff. He opened her door and held her hand as they walked to the maintenance building to use the private entrance.

  “I have a surprise,” he said as he lifted the door in the floor and turned on the light to illuminate the stairs.

  “Oh?”

  He followed her down, closing and securing the door, before catching up to her. “I thought I could shift before bed tonight.”

  “Really?” Her face lit up.

  “If you’d still like to do that.”

  “Yes!”

  He entered the code for the band’s private living area and held the door for her. “You have to promise not to be scared when you wake up.”

  “I promise.”

  They stopped at the base of their home and he began
to strip.

  “Why are you getting naked out here?” she asked.

  “I want to carry you up to the house in my shift, too.”

  “Aw. Okay. But strip slower. I like a good show.” She waggled her brows.

  Giving her what she wanted, he slowed his movements, teasing her with little glimpses of his skin before covering up again.

  “Okay, okay, I take it back. Normal speed is fine.”

  He laughed and finished stripping. Then he moved close, caught her in his arms and kissed her hard.

  “Um,” she said, when their kiss ended. Her eyes were a little glazed and her lips were swollen.

  “You give me quite the ego boost when you can’t talk coherently after we kiss.”

  “It’s not my fault you kiss me senseless.”

  Releasing his hold on her, he stepped away and let his shift take over. She watched, wide-eyed, as he changed forms. Even though she’d promised not to be afraid, he didn’t want to scare her, so he settled on his haunches and waited for her to come to him.

  She moved slowly until she stood in front of him. Her hands were steady as she smiled and cupped his face. “You’re the sexiest man I’ve ever met, and you also happen to have a beautiful gorilla inside you. I’m definitely the luckiest woman in the world.”

  He hooted, knowing that he was the one who was truly lucky.

  She kissed his nose and then moved to his back where she wrapped her arms around his neck. He would have told her to hold on, but since he couldn’t speak in his shift, he patted her hand and hooted in question.

  “I’m ready, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  He chuffed a laugh and then leaped for a low branch. She squeaked in surprise and then giggled as he swung them up into the tree. He rose high into the branches and then swung lazily down toward the front porch, where he landed gently so he didn’t jar her. He pushed open the door and she climbed down. She walked into the house and he angled his massive body through the door and then pushed it shut.

  With a sweet smile, she beckoned him to follow her and he did, all the way to the bedroom. She walked into the bathroom and he heard the faucet turn on and knew she was brushing her teeth. When she came out, she stripped by the dresser and put on one of his t-shirts, which fell to the middle of her thighs.