The Feel Good Factor
Page 1
This book is dedicated to Mary, who helped me so much with this story. We are all safer too, I suspect, because of you.
Contents
Also By Lauren Blakely
About The Feel Good Factor
1. Derek
2. Perri
3. Derek
4. Perri
5. Derek
6. Perri
7. Derek
8. Derek
9. Perri
10. Derek
11. Perri
12. Perri
13. Derek
14. Perri
15. Perri
16. Derek
17. Derek
18. Derek
19. Perri
20. Perri
21. Perri
22. Derek
23. Derek
24. Perri
25. Derek
26. Perri
27. Derek
28. Perri
29. Derek
30. Perri
31. Derek
32. Perri
33. Derek
34. Perri
35. Derek
36. Perri
37. Derek
38. Perri
39. Derek
40. Perri
41. Derek
Epilogue
Another Epilogue
Also by Lauren Blakely
Contact
The Feel Good Factor
Lauren Blakely
Copyright © 2019 by Lauren Blakely
LaurenBlakely.com
Cover Design by © Helen Williams, photo by Wong Sim
First Edition Book
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. This ebook is licensed for your personal use only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
Also By Lauren Blakely
Big Rock Series
Big Rock
Mister O
Well Hung
Full Package
Joy Ride
Hard Wood
One Love Series dual-POV Standalones
The Sexy One
The Only One
The Hot One
Sports Romance
Most Valuable Playboy
Most Likely to Score
Standalones
The Knocked Up Plan
Stud Finder
The V Card
Wanderlust
Come As You Are
Part-Time Lover
The Real Deal
Unbreak My Heart
Far Too Tempting
21 Stolen Kisses
Playing With Her Heart
Out of Bounds
Unzipped
Birthday Suit
Best Laid Plans
The Feel Good Factor
The Dating Proposal
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Never Have I Ever
Instant Gratification
The Heartbreakers Series
Once Upon a Real Good Time
Once Upon a Sure Thing
Once Upon a Wild Fling
The Caught Up in Love Series
Caught Up In Us
Pretending He’s Mine
Trophy Husband
Stars In Their Eyes Duet
My Charming Rival
My Sexy Rival
The No Regrets Series
The Thrill of It
The Start of Us
Every Second With You
The Seductive Nights Series
First Night (Julia and Clay, prequel novella)
Night After Night (Julia and Clay, book one)
After This Night (Julia and Clay, book two)
One More Night (Julia and Clay, book three)
A Wildly Seductive Night (Julia and Clay novella, book 3.5)
The Joy Delivered Duet
Nights With Him (A standalone novel about Michelle and Jack)
Forbidden Nights (A standalone novel about Nate and Casey)
The Sinful Nights Series
Sweet Sinful Nights
Sinful Desire
Sinful Longing
Sinful Love
The Fighting Fire Series
Burn For Me (Smith and Jamie)
Melt for Him (Megan and Becker)
Consumed By You (Travis and Cara)
The Jewel Series
A two-book sexy contemporary romance series
The Sapphire Affair
The Sapphire Heist
About The Feel Good Factor
That inked bad boy who’s been striking sparks with me since he rode into town? Turns out he’s my new housemate, which adds up to a super-complicated living situation and chemistry so hot it should be illegal.
I have a fantastic family, great best friends, a job I love…and now I’m up for a promotion to police sergeant. I need total focus—not a flirty, dirty, irresistible, tattooed hottie riding into my town on his motorcycle. Can I arrest him for being too good-looking? When he kisses me senseless in the back of a waffle truck, it’s criminal, the things he makes me think about hot syrup and melted butter. One order of hot, fluffy hookup to go, please.
But the next time I see him, it’s not for our date with benefits. He’s the guy who just rented the room above my garage.
I need the rent to pay my bills, not a man like Derek, who I soon discover to be strong, caring, generous, good with kids, and kind to puppies… If I’m not careful, he’ll be moving into my heart as well as my house.
***
A no-strings-attached fling with the fiery redhead who revs my engine? Why, yes, that does sound like a delicious perk of my new job in this new town, thank you very much. I’m coming off a bad relationship, and I have zero interest in anything serious. I’ve got all the serious I need helping my sister take care of her three little kids while her husband is deployed.
Except, surprise! Perri isn’t just my future fling. Turns out she’s my sexy, sassy landlord.
A lease definitely counts as “strings attached,” and as much as I’d like to get tangled in her sheets, I can’t let myself get tangled up in a relationship.
But as soon as we put the cuffs on our escapades, I learn over late-night conversations in the kitchen, that my landlord is so much more than the sexiest woman I’ve ever met– she has a quick mind and the biggest heart.
Once I’m in, I’m all in. And to convince her that we should see where this goes, I plan on turning up the heat—and not just in the kitchen.
1
Derek
There are lies, damn lies, and then there’s love at first sight.
That’s the kind of storybook bullshit that gets people in trouble. I can find my own way there, thank you very much.
Besides, a detour of
that sort is the last thing I need now that I’ve packed up all my shit and moved to a new town.
I’m not running away, even though it looks like it, thanks to the bike and the lack of stuff I own. I’m running to, and my goal when I arrive in town is singular.
Do what I came here to do.
Problem is, sometimes I go too fast.
Like today, as I’m riding down a side street on the way to my sister’s house, a little speedier than the limit. But hey, I have places to be, people to see. What’s the big deal if I go five miles over? I’m safe as fuck and always have been.
A siren blares.
“Ah, hell.”
I pull over to the curb, turn off the engine, and remove my helmet, ready to pull my “hey, we’re all in this together” card with the guy I didn’t see running traffic duty.
But there’s no guy stopping me.
The officer in blue strolling down the sidewalk is certified 100 percent babe, and I do believe this is the best view I’ve seen in days. Wait, make that years.
Because holy redheaded lady-cop fantasy.
Even that uniform can’t hide those curves, nor can the ruler-straight line between her lips hide their lushness. The cinched ponytail of auburn only makes me want to untie it, get my hands in those locks, then run my lips all over her neck.
“Hey, officer. Was I going too fast?” I ask with a gee, I couldn’t have been speeding grin.
“What do you think, Lightning McQueen?”
“Maybe a little.”
“Yeah, just a little,” she says dryly. “How about your license and registration?”
I grab my wallet and hand her my license, then the bike’s registration. She runs a quick check, nods since it’s all clear, and gives them back to me. “Let me guess. You either didn’t realize how fast you were going, or you have someplace real important to be?”
I flash her a grin, hoping the crooked kind is her favorite. “I do, and I sure hope you’ll forgive me.”
She parks her hands on her hips. “You’re aiming for full forgiveness?”
“Complete absolution. What’ll it take to get there?”
She scoffs, but it has the hint of a laugh in it. “Let’s hear your story. Tell me where you’re going, Mr. Speedy.”
I raise a finger to correct her. “I’m not Mr. Speedy. I’m Mr. Take My Time.”
She stares at me. “Yes, Mr. McBride,” she says, emphasizing my name. “And I’m Ms. I Don’t Have Time for Flirty Bikers.” Her lips quirk up though, like she’s trying to fight off a smile.
“I’ll give you the SparkNotes version.” I heave a sigh, drag a hand through my hair, then tell her where I’m off to, hoping the story of a man looking out for his sister and her kids will win over her black heart.
She shakes her head like she doesn’t quite believe me, but doesn’t quite disbelieve me either. She whips off her shades, revealing green eyes with flecks of gold—eyes that study me, that roam over my beard, my inked arms, and maybe, just maybe, all the way down.
Oh yes, keep the eye tour going, because I’m giving you one too, officer.
Exhaling deeply, she glances down the road then back at me. “Listen, it’s quiet today. I haven’t seen a lot of cars or kids or pedestrians. I’m going to let you off with a warning this time, Mr. Lawbreaker.”
I bow my head deferentially. “And I’m going to thank you from the bottom of my law-abiding soul.”
She chuckles. “Is it though? Is it a truly law-abiding soul?”
I grin, meeting her gaze again. “Right about now I can’t decide if I want to break laws or follow them. Would breaking them mean I could see you again?”
She flubs her lips and waves me off. “If I had a nickel for every time . . .”
Well, that’s no surprise. I bet each man she’s stopped has flirted with her. I’ll need to up my game. “Let me revise that. I can see that the way to your heart is through the law, so allow me to follow the rules.”
I kick down the stand and step off the bike. As I walk down the sidewalk, I look back at her, smirking, till I reach a stray paper cup keeping court with an empty Doritos bag. I pick up both, carry them to my bike, and tuck the trash into the side compartment. “I hate litterbugs.”
“So do I.”
I point to a sign along the sidewalk. “And littering is against the law. But hey, look at me, obeying like a good citizen.”
She fights off a laugh. “Thank you for handling trash patrol. Now, you need to go.”
I mount the bike and tug on my helmet. “You might be sending me off, but don’t think you’ll be out of my mind.”
“I won’t be thinking a thing about you.”
“But I’ll be thinking of you, officer.”
“Do us all a favor and obey the law. Can you do that?”
I wink. “Anything for you.”
She points at the pavement. “Hit the road. Before I decide to stop being the nice cop and write you a ticket instead.”
“Nice cop,” I say with a rasp. “I like the sound of that. Maybe I’ll see you around, nice cop.”
“Hopefully you won’t.”
“But a man can dream.”
And that’s exactly what I do that night, because I can’t get her out of my mind.
Insta-love? No effing way.
But insta-lust?
Oh, hell yeah.
There’s no greater truth than how much I want to see the redheaded officer again.
The only question is whether I’ll have to break the law to get her attention.
2
Perri
His tongue is seriously down her throat.
Well, I’m speculating on the exact location.
But based on the vise-like grip his lips have on hers and the way she seems to wriggle underneath him on the park bench, esophagus might even be a good bet.
The blond guy and the blonder gal have been going at it for close to five minutes.
Granted, that’s not necessarily a long time for PDA. But let’s be honest—how often does one see this level of PDA in the town square?
In my nine years working the streets, this has to be the most make-out-y of make-out sessions I’ve ever witnessed.
“Are we approaching public indecency levels yet?” Vanessa whispers, nudging me as we pass the gazebo on the way to her work.
“Nah. We’d have to have boobs out or wands on display for me to slap them with indecency.”
She snaps her fingers in an aw-shucks gesture. “Dammit. I was hoping I’d get to see you go badass cop.”
“You’re in the mood for a good old-fashioned public flashing just so I can make an arrest?”
Her brown eyes sparkle. “Oh yes. I can picture it now. A trench coat, a belt, a quick peek at some sculpted body.”
“Maybe it’s not an arrest you want. Perhaps you’re a Peeping Tom.”
“For the right Tom . . .”
“You do realize flashers don’t have Magic Mike bodies?”
“They don’t? Darn,” she deadpans. “But it’s still exciting. The idea of having a flasher. Well, if they looked like The Rock or something.”
“Maybe you should write a fairy tale starring your very own Dwayne Johnson–style flasher.”
She sighs contentedly as if daydreaming. “The thought is almost as delightful as the idea of watching you haul someone away to the pokey.”
Laughing, I pat her shoulder. “I’ll be sure to give you a heads-up before I make a lewd behavior or public indecency arrest in our exceedingly civilized town,” I say, waving at the classy assortment of establishments right here on Main Street—a wine bar, an artisan ice cream shop, a trendy jewelry boutique, an olive-tasting room, and a bookstore run by our other best friend, Arden. I’ve patrolled this block countless times, and the most trouble I’ve seen with my two eyes is too much toking up now and then. But that’s hardly a crime anymore in this state.
We reach the edge of the square, stopping at the statue of an old dude riding a horse.
Some fourth graders scurry past me in khaki skirts and polo shirts, their matching school uniforms. “Hi, Officer Keating,” they say in unison.
“Hey, Hayden, Becca and Madison. Are you rushing home to do your homework?”
“Of course we are,” Becca shouts for the trio.
“Good job.”
I return my focus to Vanessa, but my gaze catches on the tangled-up couple again. Going at it still. “Sheesh. It’s close to eight minutes now. Don’t they need to come up for air?”
“Are you actually timing their PDA?”
“Hell yeah. This is impressive. I’m dying to know how long they can last. We’re talking serious stamina display right now.”
She laughs, flicking her chestnut hair off her shoulder. “I’ll require a full update later. I need to get back to the bowling alley.”
“Have fun with your balls.”
“You will literally never not enjoy saying that.”