Read Midnight Surrender: A Paranormal Romance Anthology for Free Online

sir.”
    Hunter had looked mighty good when they met in the middle of the night under the sycamore tree. He looked even better in broad daylight.
    At the last gathering, Hunter’s hand-me-down dress shirt had hung off his shoulders and covered all but the tips of his fingers. Now, it strained across the muscles of his upper body. The cuffs ended a good three inches above his wrists.
    Shep was eleven months older than Hunter, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the two boys. Shep scrunched his face into a grimace and ground his teeth. His whole body trembled.
    Veins stood out on the backs of Hunter’s hand, but his arm didn’t so much as twitch. A smattering of fine blond hair dusted his upper lip and sparkled in the sunlight. He grinned at the crowd, obviously enjoying all the attention.
    When his gaze met Channie’s, she lifted the plate to show him the pie, and mouthed, “For you.”
    Shep slammed Hunter’s arm onto the stump they were using as a table then raised his fists over his head with a shout of triumph.
    Hunter grabbed Shep’s arm. “I was distracted by Channie’s pie. I wanna rematch.”
    Shep laughed and shook his head. “I’m gonna go get me a piece before it’s all gone.”
    “ Too late.” Channie had just come from the table. “This is the last piece and I got it for Hunter.”
    Shep elbowed Hunter out of the way and reached for the plate. “To the victor go the spoils.”
    “ You don’t want this.” Channie dodged his grasp and tapped into her power-name, but Shep got his shield up in time to repel her persuasive magic.
    “ Oh yes I do.” He made another lunge towards Channie.
    Hunter stiff-armed him with one hand and reached for the plate with the other. “You keep away from Channie.”
    Shep arched an eyebrow as his gaze darted back and forth between Channie and Hunter. “I thought you and Lovie—”
    “ Uh-uh.” Hunter shook his head. It was hard to understand him with his mouth full of pie, but it sounded like he said, ‘Lovie’s just for fun.’
    Shep snorted and rolled his eyes. “Does her daddy know?”
    Hunter’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and glared at Shep. “You keep your big mouth shut, Shepherd Feenie.”
    Shep smirked and held his hand out, palm up. “The only way to shut my mouth is to fill it with pie.”
    Hunter pressed his lips together so hard a rim of white encircled his mouth, but he handed the plate to his brother.
    Shep shoved the rest of the pie into his mouth. His eyelids fluttered closed as he groaned and smacked his lips.
    Channie glared at him. “If you’re done with my plate, I’d like to have it back, now.”
    He licked it like a dog then shoved it at her. “Thank’s for the pie, Miss Enchantment. It was delicious.”
    Channie crossed her arms over her padded chest and stepped back. “You are not welcome. And you can just go put that plate in my momma’s basket. I’m not touching it after you slobbered all over it.”
    Hunter took Channie’s hand and led her away from the group of laughing boys. “It was right nice of you to bring me that piece of pie.”
    “ I’m sorry your jerk of a brother stole it.”
    “ Me too. But I’m in enough trouble with Lovie's daddy. I don’t need Shep spreading rumors.”
    “ What’s going on with you two, anyway?” Channie licked her suddenly dry lips. “What’d you mean ‘Lovie's just for fun?’”
    Hunter dropped Channie’s hand and shot her a sideways glance then scratched the back of his head. “There’s two kinds of girls. The kind you have fun with and the kind you marry.”
    Channie untied her shawl and let the ends hang loose. She pulled her shoulders back, pushing her padded chest forward just a bit. “Why can’t a girl be both?”
    “ It don’t work that way.” Hunter’s eyebrows arched as his gaze traveled the length of Channie’s body. “Though lord knows, I wish it did.”
    Channie grabbed the ends of her shawl