by Anne Conley
Text copyright © 2018 Anne Conley
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover photography: Jeffrey Todd
Cover Model: Stanley Fields
Cover designer: James Price; AEP Bookcovers
Editor: Tiffany Fox; Beyond DEF
Interior Layout: Deena Rae Schoenfeldt; E-Book Builders for Beyond DEF
Table of Contents
Books by Anne
Spin the Bottle
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Epilogue
Looking Forward
Chapter One
About Anne
Anne’s Series
Books by Anne
Playing With Fire:
Truth or Dare
Hide and Seek
Spin the Bottle
Hot Lava
Pierce Securities:
Craze
Wire
Click
Grab
Murmur
Bond
Seek
Hitch
Echo
Pierce Securities: Aces Press Publications
Mae Day (Re-release 2019)
Redemption for Misty (Re-release 2019)
Book B!tches:
Power of Love
Loving the Enemy (Historical)
Master of Love
Hunt for Love (Coming Soon)
Fostering Love (Coming Soon)
Will to Love (Coming Soon)
Love’s Ward (Coming Soon)
Stories of Serendipity:
Neighborly Complications
Chef’s Delight
Dream On
Hot Mess
Falling for Him
Gambling on Love
My Mistake
Wrecked
Saving Charlie
Four Winds:
Falling for Heaven
Falling for Grace
Falling for Hope
Falling for Faith
Falling for Cyn
Falling for Eternity (Complete Four Winds Box Set)
Stand Alones:
Best Laid Plans of Boys and Men
The Fixer Upper
MeetCute: Fortune’s Kiss
Spin the Bottle
Zane has his sights set on the odd little woman with her funny rules. When their first kiss doesn’t end well, he can’t understand why she won’t give him a second chance. Now he’s seriously determined to make her see they can be explosive together.
Lettie has always believed a kiss will determine how the relationship will go. Her disastrous lip-lock with Zane is a strong indication she’s not moving forward with him. He won’t take no for an answer, though, and does the sweetest things to change her mind, including opening his home to over fifty animals while she cleans up the smoke damage at the local shelter.
Sparks fly as Zane and Lettie they do their level best to extinguish their attraction to one another.
Dedication
This entire series is dedicated to first responders everywhere. Thank you all for what you do, fearlessly.
Acknowledgements
First off, this series is only possible because there are readers who want to read my randomness, so thanks go to all the readers. Thank you so much for reading my words and wanting more. Without you guys, I’d be the crazy lady in the bar.
Second, my team--Tiffany, LT, LJ, Deena Rae, James, Jeffrey, and Stanley. I’m probably forgetting someone important, but hopefully, you won’t cut me out of your life for a shout out.
Third, my reader group, The Conley Corner, and my launch team. You guys keep me on my toes, help with motivation, and all the things. I appreciate you guys a bunch.
Fourth, my family. Y’all really should be first, but it’s totally hard to figure out how to order a list based on importance when all the people are important, but I seriously couldn’t do this without y’all’s support. And your willingness to eat all the frozen foods at times.
I forgot someone. I know I did. I always do. But everyone in my life is important, and I can’t name them all. *sobs*
Chapter One
Zane wasn’t part of the photo shoot today but couldn’t resist popping by the station to see how things were going. Sure enough, Hollywood—a rookie dipshit who looked like some Bollywood fantasy and had no sense of humor—was posing by the ladder truck with a bunch of kittens inside his hat.
And he was oily.
Zane thought this whole thing was crazy. He was all for helping out with these fundraisers the fire department was doing, and splitting the proceeds with the local animal shelter was super cool. But the calendar shoot was such a cliché. While he thought the idea of his image being hung up in offices all over town was interesting, it was hard to wrap his head around. It was him. He’d been looking at his body his entire life and had yet to pop a boner at the image.
Zane couldn’t resist the guffaw that escaped his mouth at the sight of Hollywood, even though he knew he was up tomorrow. But still, he wolf-whistled and catcalled with the rest of the guys, a little jealous of Hollywood’s composure.
If Zane were standing there—all oily and shit—holding a handful of kittens, with all the guys standing around making fun of him, he’d be firing off one-liners with the best of them. Well, he would get his chance.
There were light reflectors and flashing things set up all over the place to improve the lighting in the garage, and the kittens were cute, all wide eyes and calico. Zane could definitely see how this would be a great money maker for the department, as well as the shelter.
And he didn’t mind being objectified.
“What do you think about all this?” his buddy and teammate, Jude, whispered in his ear, which he barely heard over the barking of the puppies in the corner. His gaze followed the noise, and he watched the woman, Lettie, as she fretted over the animals in cages.
Lettie was a study in contradictions, and he found himself leaning against a truck and crossing his arms to watch her. Definitely a more interesting sight than oily Hollywood.
“It’s interesting, for sure,” he said, even as he watched the woman
who clearly didn’t want any part of the limelight. Dressed in jeans and a plain white t-shirt, she stood out to him like a beacon, and he was reminded of his reaction to her in the kitchen a week ago when she’d come by.
He’d about lost his mind.
Even hunched in her seat in the kitchen, she’d exuded something he couldn’t resist. Some sort of attitude, unapologetically awkward. She wasn’t the type of woman Zane was used to—a woman who made herself up to look great all the time or the weathered outdoorsy types who favored the sunshine to any makeup whatsoever. Nope. This woman shyly drew attention to all the things she didn’t want people to notice—biting her lips, tugging at her shirt, crossing and uncrossing her legs.
Her hair was in a messy up-do that made him think of all sorts of naughty things. Her rounded hips called to him to grab them and hold on for some sexy times. And her lips …
Currently, they were in a vague smile as she cooed to the puppies, but last week, they’d been pressed into a thin line of discomfort. Either way, they’d look amazing wrapped around his cock.
“You ready for tomorrow? It’s your turn, right?” Jude’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
“Huh?” Zane turned to his friend, trying to put thoughts of the woman out of his head but failing. “Yeah, I am. You?” His eyes drifted back to Lettie as he wondered if she’d talk to him.
What the fuck was wrong with him? Of course she would talk to him. All the women talked to him, but something about Lettie screamed at him to do it all differently. She was not like other women.
“Adjust yourself and go talk to her, man. You’re being creepy right now.” Zane snapped his neck around to look at his friend. “Not that I’m looking or anything, but you’re pitching a tent.”
He looked down, and sure enough, the semi he thought he’d been subtly sporting was totally poking straight out in his gym shorts.
“Yeah, whatever. Your mama loves my tent,” Zane tossed over his shoulder stupidly before rolling his eyes. Adjusting himself, he walked over to the woman who’d totally captivated his libido.
Lettie was sitting Indian-style on the concrete floor, singing softly to the dog in her lap while she had her hand stuck through the bars of one of the cages petting another.
She was singing something old. Nat King Cole? He wasn’t sure, but her voice was deep, husky, and sent a shock of untamable desire straight to his groin, his balls tightening as he got nearer.
“Hey.” He’d intended to try for nonchalant, but his voice was so deep with need he felt like he just sounded horny as fuck.
Lettie’s singing stopped abruptly as she snapped her gaze up to him, making the puppy in her lap squirm. Zane was jealous … of a puppy.
“Hi. Zane, right?” Her eyes held a humor he was unaccustomed to.
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah. My mom was a Harlequin Romance fan. You’re Lettie?”
She bowed her head back down to the puppy, clearly uninviting him to the private moment with the animal. “Yeah.”
And she was done.
Realizing he’d have to make more of an effort to get her to talk to him, he squatted down and opted for gaining her favor through the dog. Zane held out a hand for the pup to sniff, and it started licking his knuckle.
“He likes you. That’s good.” Without preamble, Lettie passed the dog over to him, and he sat cross-legged across from her to take it. It was a fluffy puppy, white with brown ears and brown circles around its eyes.
“What’s his name?” He tried to scratch behind the puppy’s ears, but it was so intent on chewing his knuckles, he couldn’t do it. He settled for being a chew toy.
“Otis. He’s a St. Bernard and a total mess, but he’s cuter than shit. That’s why he’s here. Wanda told me to bring the cute ones.”
Wanda was the photographer in charge of the shoot. The woman was mean as hell but was doing it for free for some reason.
Lettie pulled another puppy out of a cage. “They don’t like the flashing lights. It’s freaking them out. And the noise is different too. They’re used to barking at the pound, but all these voices aren’t really helping.” She held the tiniest puppy Zane had ever seen up to her face and started cooing. “Isn’t it? All these lights and men talking are just freaking you out, aren’t they?” The cutesy voice she was using on the puppies would normally get on his nerves, but now it wasn’t. He wanted this woman to pay that much attention to him. It was nice to see a woman not be self-conscious around him and give zero fucks whether he cared if she spoke baby talk to a dog.
Heat bloomed inside him as a sudden desire to help overcame him.
Zane had an idea. “Would a blanket over their cage help? It might muffle the noise and lights a little.”
“You have extra blankets?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, in the first aid closet.”
Otis whimpered when he made a move to put him down, so he stood with the enormous puppy in his arms and went to retrieve some blankets.
Zane managed to grab a handful of blankets while balancing Otis on his hip, but the maneuver earned him licks in the face while his hands were otherwise occupied.
“I don’t typically put out on the first date, Otis,” he lied as he made his way back to Lettie, who was holding the tiny puppy while holding her hand out to help with the blankets. He managed to brush her hand with his, but she jerked at the contact, making it impossible for him to relish it like he’d planned to.
She was so skittish.
“Thanks.” She put the puppy back in the cage with a bunch of other equally tiny puppies and draped a blanket over it. The yapping bark turned down a notch, and as she squatted down to soothe them, it disappeared altogether. Her shoulders visibly relaxed, and Zane smiled at the fact his idea had worked.
“Tomorrow, I want my picture with this one. I think we’re bonding.” Otis was washing his face with his tongue, actually, but the smile on her face as she looked adoringly at the dog made Zane return the grin. Even as Otis stuck his tongue inside Zane’s open mouth.
Ewww …
Lettie reached over and scratched Otis as Zane took a step closer to allow the contact. “He does seem to like you a lot. He growled at that guy.” She jerked her chin toward Hollywood, and Zane laughed.
“Then I want to take him home with me. It’s clear he has taste.”
Her eyes widened with surprise, her mouth falling open in a perfect “o” that almost made him groan. “You want to adopt him?”
Zane saw his in. He’d certainly done worse things for a date with a woman, and he knew this woman was worth this. Plus, he’d get a companion out of the deal. Lord knew he got lonely at home off shift. Maybe a puppy would help? As if in agreement, Otis barked in his arms, and Zane grinned at the pooch. “Yeah, I do.”
“Oh, well … I-I didn’t bring any adoption paperwork with me, but I can bring it tomorrow,” she stuttered, and he relished her discomfort. Something in his chest swelled up, and he couldn’t help picking on her a little more. She was adorable.
“Is it so surprising I would want a puppy?”
“Well, no. I see all sorts of people wanting puppies. But I wouldn’t have thought you’d need a companion, honestly.” A bright-red flush colored her cheeks after her admission, and Zane thought he might pass out from the redirection of his blood flow. This woman had no damn idea how hot she was.
“Maybe I can get the paperwork some other way? Like, over dinner?” He was more hopeful than he realized. When her face shuttered, her eyebrows slammed down, her mouth tightened, and the word “no” left her lips, he felt more than just deflated. He felt bereft—almost. And that was weird.
Zane hadn’t been told no in a long time. He’d thought for sure she would say yes just to make him leave her alone.
He could ask her why not but didn’t want to hear her stammer out excuses. Instead
, he’d just go home and lick his wounds and come up with a plan for tomorrow. He passed Otis back to her.
“Well, you bring the paperwork tomorrow, and I’ll totally take the little booger.” Even without the date I really wanted. Otis whined as he turned and walked away.
He wasn’t going to beg, that was for damn sure, but he would be back.
Chapter Two
The scent of fake cinnamon flavoring overwhelmed Lettie the next morning while she was unloading the puppies from the truck. Without turning around, she knew it was Zane. He seemed to be constantly chewing gum, his jaws working effortlessly when he wasn’t talking. She usually thought gum was gross, a lazy person’s habit for bad breath, hiding a bad habit of smoking, or just a youth thing. But she’d found herself engrossed in watching his jaws square and then soften with the movement, his temples flexing with each chew, and his mouth was more than a little distracting as she’d caught herself imagining what his tongue was doing.
So when she smelled his cinnamon looming, she gave herself a mental slap. She’d done well with his obvious interest yesterday. She could totally keep it up.
Men like Zane—attractive, easy-going, effortlessly fun—wanted one thing from women: to consume them and spit them out. If she gave him what he wanted, she would be a husk of herself when he was finished. Lettie liked her awkward issues just fine the way they were, thank you very much.
She would be polite and aloof, like yesterday, and get out of this madness unscathed.
But then she turned to look at his approach, and her “good morning” got stuck in her throat. He was so freaking beautiful. One man had no right to all those good looks. Seriously.
Wearing the navy cargo pants and the Pamona Gulch Fire Department t-shirt, he was dressed exactly the same as the first time she’d seen him—those cargo pants fit over his ass as if putting it on display. With dark, Mediterranean looks, his eyes glistened with interest while his thick hair was just short of too long. He was taller than she was, with broad shoulders, lean hips, and a crooked nose that gave him an appealing charm.