Jessica Florence
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events, and persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of those terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.
Jessica Florence© 2016
Editing by Librum Artis Editorial Services
Cover by Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations©
To the Animals who have no voice in this world.
I will be your voice
Chapter One
I don’t like dirt, and I don’t really have a fondness for animals, either. In my opinion, it was a testimony to my love for my niece, Natalie, that I was sitting at Wild Rescue, surrounded by both. Natalie, who was turning seven, loved animals, and wanted to have a cool birthday party with her friends.
In her eyes, the exotic animal rescue center was the best thing ever. I was just waiting for an animal to escape and eat me. I had bad luck like that sometimes.
Just a few days ago, I was standing outside my salon when a dog peed on my stilettos. I kid you not. The little thing lifted its little leg and leaked on me, then sashayed off with its bedazzled collar winking in the sun. It was traumatizing, to say the least.
“Auntie Cammy! You have to come see this wallaby. You can feed it, too! Come on!” Little Natalie grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the small fuzzy creature. Although, what really caught my eye was the man squatting down next to the fuzz ball. Big, blond, and filled out his jeans and flannel pretty well. My little B-cup boobies perked right up. I could stand to pet him a little.
He gave Natalie a handful of some sort of feed and held her hands out to the creature. It didn’t look too bad. Maybe I could give this a shot for her.
“Here you go, Mrs….?” The man trailed off, as if asking a question. My, my, he was quite flirty already.
“No Mrs. here. The name is Cammy.” I squatted down as best as I could in my tea length dress. It was a birthday party, after all; who didn’t want to wear a pretty dress to a birthday party?
“Just hold out your hand,” he said, with a hint of a country accent. Ooh, I liked that. My blue eyes connected with his brown. Yeah, I could totally tap that if I wanted to. I held out my hand and he placed some little pellets in my palm. Big hands. I wondered if he was big everywhere.
My gaze drifted down to the little kangaroo-looking thing. I was getting a little nervous. It hopped from Natalie’s hand over to mine and sniffed it. I bit my lip, waiting to see if it would be a nice little creature and eat the food then move on, or if it would do something horrible. I felt its little muzzle touch my hand, making me audibly sigh my relief.
“Wallabies are sweet creatures; this one here is named Dundee.” The man looked at me, then down at Dundee. Dundee probably wouldn’t be slaying any crocodiles soon, but he wasn’t so bad.
Then the pain hit.
“HOLY HELL! OW! OH MY GOD, THAT HURTS!” That fucker bit me. Bit me hard. I fell back on my ass, bright pink panties on display for all the little kiddies to see. I didn’t care. I might not have a finger on my left hand anymore! I panicked. Somehow, while holding my left hand with my right, I managed to get to my feet.
“I need a doctor! Call the paramedics!” I screeched at the flannel man while he looked at me like I was crazy.
“Let me see your hand please, ma’am.” He held out his to me. I looked at him in disgust. He told me that thing was sweet. Obviously not!
“No, thank you. Just point me to where I can find a first aid kit, please.” I calmed my tone. I subtly felt that all my fingers were still attached, but I bet that bite broke some skin. I would fix myself up. I didn’t need some man in flannel who had dirt covering his shoes tending to my wounds. Yeah, I was not in a nice mood right now. Being bit to hell would turn anyone.
“Just follow that trail to the lodge. Ask for Jake.” He threw his hands up in surrender and then turned his attention back to the vicious beast. When I turned to follow said trail, I noticed everyone at the party was looking at me. Shit.
“I’m good, just going to the lodge. I have to wash my hands and pee.” I avoided the what the hell look coming from my older sister and fled towards the lodge in search of a man named Jake.
I passed a tall fence that looked like it went on for a good acre or so. I wondered what lived in there. I got my answer when a pack of wolves ran by. I swear one looked at me like I was a juicy steak, but it could have just been me. I saw a house up ahead with a little sign that said The Lodge. It was a two-story ranch-style home. Not really a lodge, but whatever. It supposedly held my salvation.
I stepped up the wooden stairs, my heels clicking as I made my way to the bright red door. I knocked, no reply. I knocked again and called out a greeting. Nothing. Peeking in the window next to the door, I saw a table covered with papers but no one in sight.
Voices hit my delicate ears, and it sounded like they were coming from around the house. I walked along the wrap-around porch and saw a barn. Those voices started up again, so I stepped down the stairs and walked the ten yards over to the red barn. It was cute. I really needed to get that first aid kit.
“All right, let’s see if Ole Gemma here is having a foal. Jake, you can handle the exam. I’ve taught you and this will be good for the future if she is.” An older male voice told Jake. JAKE! I quickened my pace towards the voice, looking over the wooden fence at the men.
“OH, HELL NO!” I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing.
In the first second, time seemed to slow. I saw sexy brown hair, a trimmed beard running along a chiseled jaw, and perfect lips. Oh, and one of the hottest bods I had ever laid eyes on. He was lean, but had big muscles bulging from his arms.
In the next second, that is where everything went wrong. Those bulging muscles in his arms? Well one of those arms was elbow-deep in a horse’s ass.
Ass.
Yep, a horse’s ass.
Eyes of both gentlemen turned towards me.
“Why do you have your whole arm up a horse’s ass?” My injury was forgotten. I couldn’t understand what I was seeing.
“We are doing a rectal exam to see if the lady is in the family way,” said the older man, who was not fisting a horse. I didn’t speak. I was still in what the hell mode.
“We can feel the uterus this way and determine size and hardness to see if she is indeed pregnant.” He tried again. I understood him this time, but still wanted to take a Lysol dip after seeing that. Tearing my eyes away from the horse’s backside, I looked at the men.
“I’m looking for Jake. The wallaby bit me and I need a first aid kit.” They stared at me.
“Please,” I added for sincerity. The one man pulled his arm out of the horse. Thank God he was wearing a very long glove. But still. Ewe.
“I’m Jake. Head into the lodge and I’ll be there in a minute. The back door is open.”
Back door jokes flooded my brain after what I had just seen, but I held them back. Didn’t need to make this moment any more awkward than it already was.
“Uh, good luck with that.” I nodded and turned to go back to the lodge. This is what happened when a girl like me went out into the woods.
I walked up the stairs and opened the back door. My mind was still reeling from that experience. The inside of the lodge was cozy, but seriously lacked organization. It looked like someone’s home. It was a fairly open floor plan. The di
ning table, like I had seen earlier, had papers scattered about. The living room had a couple of dog beds on the floor and one sofa. The kitchen was pretty nice, though, with commercial appliances. Someone must spend a ton of time cooking. I was looking around when the back door opened. I turned to see Jake, who had melt-your-panties blue eyes that were looking straight at me.
“I didn’t catch your name, Miss?” Oh God, his voice. His voice sounded like rain during a summer storm. Soothing, but powerful. That power ran through my veins, making me shiver. Cue wet panties. I shook my head.
“Cammy. Just Cammy. I need a first aid kit.” He took a couple steps toward me. Hello, gorgeous.
“Because the wallaby bit you,” he stated. His eyes scanned over me, watching me. It was a little unnerving and arousing. Lord, I needed to get laid.
“Yes.” I felt like we were in one of those scenes in a book where the heroine takes steps back while defying the hero, as he stalks towards her, pinning her against the wall. Why? It just seemed intense for such little words.
“May I see your hand please, Cammy?” I won’t even dignify the feelings I got from hearing him say my name. I held my hands out to him and slowly unwrapped my right from my left. His larger, tan hands took hold of mine. Tingles shot up my arm and down the rest of me. Oh my! Then a tinge of pain entered the picture. My middle finger had a bite mark around it. Nothing serious, but it should be cleaned. Maybe I had been a little overdramatic.
“Looks okay. I’ll go get you some hand wipes.” He let go of my hand and headed into the kitchen. I took a moment to appreciate the fine specimen of manliness as he walked away. He had a nice ass. His jeans and Henley shirt did not hide what was underneath at all. When he came back, I continued my appraisal. He had nice hair, short and chestnut brown. Not styled. His skin looked pretty good, too. Tan. No freckles. Those eyelashes. Man, I had women in my salon spending tons of money to have eyelashes like that.
“Here. I think you’re gonna live,” he teased. Normally I would have found that jab funny, but I was still traumatized from everything that had occurred in the past hour. My natural-born defiance reared its cute red head.
“Yeah, well, you should teach your animals not to bite.” There.
“They’re wild animals. Animals can bite. Maybe you shouldn’t wear such delicious-smelling hand lotion,” he commented back. His eyebrows rose and his lips grew into a smirk. I scoffed. My pomegranate and vanilla hand lotion was a staple in my life. Wait a second…
“Why are you smelling my hands? Are you going to bite them too?” Why I said that was beyond me. Sometimes things just leap out of my mouth and I have no control over it.
“I can; I am an animal, you know.” That was kind of hot. I bet this Jake would be an animal in the sack. Wild and carnal. With that thought, I decided he and I were too different. I was sundresses, high heels, and make-up. I didn’t like to get dirty. Jake was clearly about the animals, since he worked here. Probably was covered in dirt all day and wouldn’t know the first thing about a girl like me.
“I can see that. Quite the little kitten, aren’t we? Well, I need to get back to the party. Thanks for the wipes, Jake.” I blew him a kiss in true Cammy fashion and strutted out the back door. Back doors were getting quite a lot of action around here, I giggled to myself.
Chapter Two
I woke to the sound of an annoying alarm clock. I was too tired for that shit.
“Turn it off, for crying out loud. You don’t even need to wake up this early anymore,” I grumbled, rolling back over.
“I’m still trying to figure out why you’re in my bed this morning.” Rayne, my best friend for life, yawned. I rolled back towards her and opened one eye.
“Cammy Jr. needed me.” I closed my eye, attempting to go to sleep even though I knew it wouldn’t happen. I heard Rayne chuckle. I like hearing her laugh. Rayne and I had been best friends since our freshman year of high school. Up until six months ago, Rayne was the top female MMA fighter in the world. Now she was pregnant and happily married to her hot stud, Arson, who was a retired fighter as well. He was gone this weekend and I was sort of missing Rayne and our alone time. While I loved Arson, and he was the sweetest, most amazing man I had ever met, he hogged her sometimes. Not that she was complaining, but I definitely was! I needed my bestie time.
“Baby needs breakfast. Want to go get waffles with me, since you’re here?” My head perked up. I did love food, and I was so excited now that Rayne wasn’t on her training diet for fighting. We could totally be fat together.
“I think I can fit it into my schedule.” I slowly sat up, wishing I had some coffee right now. Rayne looked cute in her shorts and tank top. She had me cut her black hair short for the summer. It was a little above her shoulders and she rocked it. Combine that with her little baby bump, and she was adorable. She rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom. Slowly I got up and changed into a cute blue sundress and one-inch sandals. Rayne and I traded places in the bathroom and I twisted my long red hair into a stylish messy bun. Next I grabbed the pink eye shadow to make my blue eyes pop, and finished it off with some black mascara. I hardly ever went out in public without make up. It was just barbaric to even think about it.
Together we left her and Arson’s apartment to go get some waffles.
“I think once Arson is back from his trip, we are going to start looking at houses,” Rayne mumbled while chewing on her large Belgian waffle with strawberries and whipped cream. Cammy Jr. was like me, an eater.
“Awesome, you guys staying close to the bay or wanting to find some more privacy?” I could see them living in a house on the water, where they could buy a boat and do happy family things together. She finished her bite this time before speaking.
“Not sure yet. I like living by the water. It would be a nice jog with the stroller once the baby arrives.”
“Cammy Jr.,” I corrected her. It was more of a tease than anything. I remember back when we first talked about her needing to have little babies with Arson, she was so flustered. So, to continue to ruffle her feathers, I kept the name. She rolled her eyes.
“How was the party yesterday?” She went back to chewing and speaking. I shook my head. That baby was making her nutty.
“It was like something out of a movie. First there was a hot guy with blond hair. He was all, here baby come feed this wallaby with me. But the damn thing bit me!” I flashed her my bandaged middle finger.
“Then I flashed all the kids my bright pink panties before running into an even hotter guy with his arm up a horse’s ass! Then in the lodge, he is all I’ll-bite-you-like-an-animal intense. It was crazy, Rayne.” I finished telling the events as they happened and took a deep breath. Rayne had stopped eating and was staring at me like I was insane.
“Seriously?” She thought I would make that shit up?
“Yes, seriously!” I exclaimed.
“Why was his arm up a horse’s behind?” she asked curiously. Couldn’t blame her, it was a shocker in itself. I explained what the old man told me. I wondered briefly if the horse was preggers. Hopefully Jake got his answer before coming to tend to me. That would suck for the horse, if not. Thoughts of Jake’s face ran through my mind.
“I know that face, which hot guy are you thinking about?” She was looking at me with sparkles in her eyes. I could never hold back from her.
“Jake, the horse fister.” Sadly, calling him that did not diminish how hot he was to me. Nope, not at all. Something was wrong with me.
“Ah, tell me about him. You said he was all I’ll-bite-you-like-an-animal. Details, woman! It’s my turn to pester you about men.” I was about to remind her that she pestered me about a guy I was dating a year ago, but I didn’t feel like going down that path. There wasn’t really a reason why Daniel and I didn’t work. He was perfect in every way I wanted a man to be, but something was missing. I was lost at a loss to what that missing thing was.
“He’s tall, brown hair that you could run your fingers through, light stubbl
e, hot build, strong arms, a squeezable butt and a nice smile.” Not that I saw a true smile. Just the smirk.
“Oh, he sounds hot.” I nodded, he was.
“But I’m not going to give it a second thought. I have no plans of going back there. He is an outdoor man. He works at the animal rescue. He is probably covered in sweat, dirt, and animal stank all day. I don’t even like to walk around barefoot outside. We are complete opposites!” I huffed. She watched me as I officially stated I was not interested in Jake.
“I’m curious to see how this goes.” She sat back in her chair and rubbed her baby belly.
“How what goes?” I was confused.
“You and Jake. Something tells me you will be getting Arson’d soon.” She smiled smugly. I laughed out loud, probably disturbing the old biddies sitting behind us. I would not be Arson’d. When Arson had shown up into Rayne’s life, he left no room for arguments. She belonged to him. She fought it for a little while, but he made her fall for him in record time. Yeah, that would so not be happening to me.
“Yeah, I don’t think so. I think those hormones are making your brain mush.” She just smiled. That smile made me want to stomp my feet in a toddler fit.
“I will not be Arson’d!” I pouted. There would be no earthly reason for my path to cross Jake’s ever again. Like I said, we were completely opposite. Rayne raised her hands in submission but I know she didn’t actually concede on her statement.
I moved us on to lighter subjects as we finished eating.
“I have to head to the salon. Need me to do anything?” I asked, as she hopped into her little sedan. She shook her head.
“Nope. I think I’m going to swim in the pool a bit, then hang out. Morning sickness has been hitting me a little in the afternoons.” All in all, Rayne’s pregnancy was going pretty well. They recently had an ultrasound, but didn’t want to know the gender of the baby. Crazy, but I was still beyond happy for her.
“Ok. Catch you on the flip side, hooker!” I blew her a kiss and walked over to Bambi, my orange beetle car. I loved Bambi. It didn’t take me long to drive over to the salon.
The Final Chase (Final Love Book 2) Page 1
