Passion Projected (4 page)

When minutes started to pass by, Marley’s mind began to drift.

Maybe Zachary had meant that he couldn’t catch her sense, not scent.

That made more sense to her. What that had to do with her being outside she didn’t know.

Lost in her thoughts, Marley mindlessly stared at the priority marked envelopes. Movement caught her attention from the side of her vision. She turned and nearly gasped. What looked to have been a quick flash of a transparent apparition of a person disappeared before she could focus on it. Something told her it was Zachary. Had he sensed her while she meditated? Had he come to her?

Blood pumped rapidly through her ears, blocking out the women’s voices. She could feel her heart rate escalate. The small women walked toward the door, catching her attention. Numbly, she walked and placed the boxes on the countertop.

“I need to send these off,” Marley told the red-haired lady in a shaky voice. It was becoming hard for her to breathe. Trying not to be so noticeable to the woman at the counter, Marley peaked toward the windows to see if anyone had pulled up outside.

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“All right,” the woman said cheerfully.

With her hands shaking, Marley gave the woman the money. She wasn’t even able to focus on anything the woman rambled about. The longing to get outside overwhelmed her. Sense, scent, whatever Zachary needed, she just knew she needed to be outside for him to get it.

Not even waiting for the change, Marley ran outside. Frantically, her eyes circled around the area, but no one was there. She stood in the thick humidity of the parking lot until sweat started to bead on her forehead.

Reluctantly, she got in her car and headed to the grocery store.

“That had to be him,” she said, slapping her steering wheel. Of course it hadn’t been clear, and she hadn’t gotten a good enough view of the figure, but what else could it have been, a ghost?

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More in a daze than ever, Marley walked up to the store. This obsession was getting out of control. It continued to be the only thing driving her. She knew it was the only reason she made it day to day without completely losing her mind to boredom.

Grabbing a basket at the front of the store, she headed to the frozen food aisle. TV dinners ruled her life. It wasn’t like she had anyone to cook for and cooking for herself seemed like a waste of time.

Mindlessly, she tossed box after box into her basket, not even paying attention to how many she had already thrown in there.

“Marley, how are you? I haven’t seen you since high school!”

Distracted from her thoughts, her eyes flew up to look into the face of Olivia Johnson, who, once upon a time, happened to be the most popular girl in her school. Olivia’s blonde hair rested on her shoulders, flipping out away from her face. Her big green eyes sparkled brightly. The teenage Barbie had remained as beautiful as ever.

“Olivia, I’m good. How are you?” Marley looked around for a reason to flee the uncomfortable situation.

“Great. Listen, you should call me sometime. I’m divorced again, so maybe we can hit some of the clubs in Corpus. You’re single, right?”

Marley cringed. Of course she was. Had she ever looked so miserable?

“Yes, I’m single. It sounds fun,” she lied.

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Olivia waited while Marley wrote down her number and placed it into her perfectly manicured hand. Her eyes trailed the perky blonde, watching her sway her hips while she left the aisle. Heaps of TV

dinners filled up half of the basket. Marley rolled her eyes, putting all of them back but five.

That would get her through the week, then she would come back for more. Back in a daze, she headed to the checkout line. Tabloids on racks lined the edges of the opening. Marley grabbed one trying to focus on something besides
him
.

“Miss, we’re ready,” a tall boy who looked to be in high school said from behind the counter.

Marley looked up to see her dinners already bagged up, waiting.

Shit! She needed get in the game today. This was ridiculous.

On top of everything, Marley’s wallet seemed to somehow get buried at the bottom of her purse. She dug it out trying not to cuss out loud in the process. This was why she hated leaving her apartment. At least there she would be safe from injuring or annoying anyone who got in her way.

As quickly as Marley could, she paid and headed to put her basket up. The moment she turned around her body nearly collided with a black cotton t-shirt covering a wide, massive chest. It rested eye level with her face. Embarrassed, she ducked around the figure only to be faced with two men who looked more like giants than men.

Their smiles left her skin tingling. They acted as if they knew something she didn’t. Why did that set off alarms in her head?

* * * *

Zachary woke up frustrated. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t asked her where she lived sooner. Of all things, that should have been the first thing he said when he realized that she could hear him.

The next town headed south was Refugio. Something about the name pulled at his mind. The name repeatedly chanted in his head. He Ebook piracy is stealing. It is a federal offense.

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30

studied the map, betting on Corpus Christi, but there were so many small towns along the coast that he just wasn’t sure. What if he needed to go east toward Port Lavaca or Tivoli?

Cole and Jordan stood, dressed and waiting on his command.

They both looked eager. They all knew Marley resided close by. She had to. As soon as he found her, he would convince her she would be safer with him. Then they could go home.

“Let’s go get your mate,” Cole said, slapping Zachary on the back.

“Yes, lets. Say, Cole, when are you going to start looking for a mate?”

A laugh exploded out of his mouth. “I’m sure when I see her, I’ll know. I’m not in a hurry. Let’s find yours first. That’s more important than anything.”

“All right, but after we find Marley I want you to start your looking.”

“You got it, Zach. I just hope my search doesn’t prove to be as complicated as yours has been.”

“I hope it doesn’t either.” Zachary laughed.

“What about you, Jordan? Have you thought about finding a mate?”

Jordan looked over and smiled. “Yeah, I’ve thought about it. I think maybe I already have, though. We’ll see how things work out.

I’m in no big hurry, either.”

They loaded into the packed SUV. The drive to Refugio was a good thirty minutes. Cole killed time by blowing out their eardrums with music. Zachary ignored it as best as he could and focused on sniffing the air as they drove. He wasn’t about to miss the opportunity of catching Marley’s scent if it was in a close enough proximity for him to detect.

He looked at the clock. It was almost lunch time. They spent way too much time laying out a plan over breakfast. The SUV rounded a turn, and the small town came into view. The word Refugio repeated Ebook piracy is stealing. It is a federal offense.

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31

in his head again. Marley’s scent slammed into him with incomprehensible force. It took everything he had not to jump out so he could track it on foot.

“She’s here,” he whispered. “Jordan, slow down, Marley’s here.

We have to find her. I think she’s out. The scent is still fresh.”

Zachary bounced back and forth on the second-row seat, going from window to window. He looked at the stores as a small gust of wind blew across his face.

“There!” He wedged his chest between the two front seats, pointing Jordan toward the store.

The SUV pulled into the crowded parking lot. Zachary jumped out of the moving vehicle, sniffing the air. He stopped in front of a black car. It had to be hers. He knew she had been in this particular car.

He started to jog toward the store. Cole and Jordan flagged him as he burst through the opened sliding doors. The cold air nearly stopped his breathing as hundreds of scents smothered him at once. Marley’s scent clawed its way through the others.

“Over here,” he said mindlessly to Cole and Jordan. He luckily hadn’t gotten whiplash from spinning his head toward the checkout counters so fast.

Dark hair and pale skin grabbed his attention. Her scent went to the back burner. Without a doubt, he knew he was physically looking at Marley. In the light, she held a beauty he hadn’t expected.

A blush crossed her face as she paid for her groceries. He couldn’t help but smile at the innocent gesture. With an annoyed push, she put up the basket and never looked up again. A frown covered Zachary’s face while he watched her study the ground.

The closer Marley got to him, the more he knew she was going to run right into him. He smiled and never moved. Her dark hair rested just inches from his nose as she came to a halt directly in front of him.

Automatically, he closed his eyes, breathing her in.

“Excuse me,” she said quietly, side-stepping him. He turned as she faced Cole and Jordan. The nod and smile he gave to them Ebook piracy is stealing. It is a federal offense.

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32

indicated she was the girl, the one he spent a year looking for. She was his mate.

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33

Marley gripped the bags tighter in her hands and almost ran to the main entrance of the store. Then she stopped. A feeling so overwhelming came over her, making it hard to breathe.

Slowly, she turned around and looked right into the eyes of the man she almost ran into. Blue-green, his eyes were the color of Zachary’s! Her breath caught.

He was beautiful, even more so than anything she imagined. His dark hair hung to his eyebrows but wasn’t neat. Some of the strands stuck out in odd angles as if he had run his fingers through it repeatedly.

The features on his face couldn’t have been a more perfect fit. His nose sat straight and small, making his lips look so full. Her tongue licked over the softness of her own. The thought that she tasted that mouth just last night made her body react instantly.

Wetness soaked her panties just thinking about what they shared.

The strong urge to feel him again controlled her, forcing her feet in his direction.

“Marley,” he said, meeting her halfway.

His voice sounded odd not echoing, but it was the same voice nonetheless. Marley would never forget the deep tone that underlined it. It alone sent chills through her body.

“Zachary?” she whispered.

He stood well over a foot taller than her small frame. While she looked into his eyes, she almost felt like he could see right through her. Something was there, some connection between them. Now that Ebook piracy is stealing. It is a federal offense.

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34

he found her, she prayed he would tell her something that could describe how they met like they did.

“Come. I’ll get a hotel room. I need to talk to you and explain a few things.”

Nervousness filled Marley. With this being the first time of meeting physically, an awkward sensation hovered between them.

She would just have to figure out a way to get around it and find the Zachary she knew and felt at ease with.

“Why don’t we go to my apartment? There’s no use of you getting a hotel.”

Zachary’s feet shuffled. He seemed just as nervous. “All right, but we don’t have much time. It’s not safe.”

Marley took a step back.
What does he mean by it isn’t safe
.
This
is Refugio, of course it’s safe.

“I’ll ride with you. Cole and Jordan can follow,” he said quickly.

Hesitation poured through her. Something wasn’t right. What had she set herself up for? What had she done by meeting and falling in love with this guy? Shit! There was no way she just thought love. She couldn’t love someone she didn’t know. It felt more real now that she actually could see him. This wasn’t a dream anymore.

“All right, let’s go.” She walked toward the doors. Zachary followed behind her, constantly looking around as if he expected someone to jump out at him. His nervousness made
her
nervous.

She hit the button to unlock her car and threw her bags in the back seat.

“Now please tell me what the hell is going on,” Marley said as soon as they were both in the car. “This doesn’t make any sense to me whatsoever. Why are you so nervous?”

Zachary looked at her, gently smiling as he brought his large hand up to her face. The moment his fingertips traced her jaw line, she softened against his touch.

“Wait, let me look at you. I’ve spent so much time trying to find you, I don’t want to ruin this moment. God, you’re so beautiful.”

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35

Marley’s heart melted while she looked into his eyes. All doubts and awkwardness vanished. This was Zachary, her dream lover, the person she longed to meet from the moment he came to her.

“I’m not beautiful.”

Marley could feel her cheeks heat. She knew she was blushing again. Dammit!

“Oh, yes you are. You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.

Even in the dark when your body lay beneath mine, I knew I’d never find anyone more perfect than you.”