Forever Zara: (novella 9.5) by V. Theia (ebook reader txt) 📕

I might have to kick you in the shin.” She warned him as he reached out and roped her into the side of his body. She snuggled in, inhaling the outdoorsy smell on his clothes.

“We all know the only exercise you get is riding my dick, baby.”

Even as she laughed for the truth of it, she still gave him a whack in his solid stomach.

“It’s all the cardio a girl needs.” She informed him. “What are we doing out here?”

It was funny how their life from years ago sometimes paralleled the present. Not only the trouble with the Rebels. It was as though life was testing Zara, seeing how she handled a situation any better than she did back then.

She was no longer the same person, having grown a lot, learned to trust and deal with situations better. Becoming a mama and an old lady to the most revered biker in the united states put a lot of pressure on her small shoulders. And you know? She felt pretty damn proud of herself for being able to keep her chin high.

So when Rider smiled at her and threw out his arm, declaring. “Welcome to our new house.” Zara took it in her stride. He shifted his grip and stroked his thumb on her inner wrist. It was a well-placed move, and one Rider had done many times. It signified so many things between them. To let her know she was loved and cared for. That she wasn’t alone in this world, he was there. But it also had the desired effect to heat her blood to a high temperature. With years’ worth of small touches and significant looks between them that only spoke a lovers language they could understand.

It wasn’t the first time he’d thrown a house at her.

Only today, it wasn’t a cute little two-story brick abode he was offering her, but great big wide-open spaces at the foot of the snowy Colorado mountains.

TWELVE

“Turned on by a pantry. We all have our kinks.” – Zara

 

“Okay.” She started. “Are we broke? Are we going to live in tents now? Where will my Disney collection go?”

Rider laughed, feeling some of the tension slip from his shoulders. Remembering the last time he offered her a place to stay, she nearly took his head off. Angry little ice queen. He’d all but shoe-horned himself into being her roommate in his own damn house, all in the name of obsession. He still felt it today, bigger than ever. More passionate and stable than he did years ago.

Plans never went according to a schedule. He should be used to that by now. He felt like Zara needed this surprise sooner rather than later.

It was meant for their wedding day, but where his old lady was concerned, he was shit at keeping surprises from her.

“I had some plans drawn up with a local contractor. I know we talked about moving somewhere bigger in the future, but we need that now, Zara. This land is ours, so I thought we could build a house here.”

“Oh, my god. Are you serious?”

“You like the idea?” She hadn’t been keen to move and he knew why. Their house was her haven, the first place she’d felt at peace. Even Rider was reluctant to take that from her, but they’d outgrown their place, so had the kids. He’d wanted to give her a bigger house for a long time.

“I do,” she beamed up at him. Zara’s cheeks were reddened with the cold. Bundling her closer, he rubbed her arms, lifting the fake fur-lined coat hood over her hair, and then he hooked up her hand, walking forward. “Five steps up would be the porch. You wanted a wraparound one, yeah?”

“So much. With padded chairs, so we can sit out in the summer evenings.”

He knew that and worked it into the house blueprints.

“It’ll have a basement and an attic to store all your holiday crap. Five bedrooms, you get to tell the contractor how you want the rooms designed. Over here will be the double garage and a shed for my bikes. It’s close enough to the compound for extra security but far enough away that it’s still our private place, Zara. It’ll even have a private road.”

“Let me take it all in.” she breathed, turning her face up to the sky.

He watched her.

He always watched her.

Gauging her reactions.

He got off on seeing her happy, and that’s what he witnessed now as she saw in her mind’s eye the things he described to her.

While some things had been so easy for them after their tumultuous start—their love, for example—which was easy as breathing, other things were not.

She found solace when he loved her, especially when monsters came to her dreams, and she clung to him for safety. It was a blessing and a curse at the same time. He hated her being hurt, but loved how she turned to him. He could take her away from the world with sex and affection, but he couldn’t save Zara from the war in her mind.

But she kept fighting.

And Rider kept trying to overpower her demons, anyway.

It was better now. Even Zara would say the same. Was it any wonder he would put a bullet in anyone to keep better days ahead for her?

Rider had a conscience, he wasn’t a serial lunatic, but killing didn’t mean shit to him because there was always a valid reason for it. But worrying over his old lady, now that almost castrated him.

He should have given her a bigger house when Knox was born. He’d probably screw up in the future too, but hey, his Zara loved him, which made him the luckiest bastard on two legs.

“I wanna be able to fuck you without having to press my hand over your mouth when your