Animal Attraction Read online

  Animal Attraction

  Lynn Marie

  eXcessica publishing

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  Animal Attraction © 2/9/2018 by Lynn Marie

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  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older.

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  This book is for sale to ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It contains substantial sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which may be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

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  Excessica LLC

  P.O. Box 127

  Alpena, MI 49707

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  To order additional copies of this book, contact:

  [email protected]

  www.excessica.com

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  Cover design © 2018 germancreative via fiverr

  First Edition February 2018

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  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  About Lynn Marie

  More from Excessica

  Chapter 1

  The phone on the counter next to the cash register started to vibrate. Evelyn tossed the rag she’d been using to clean out the row of empty cabinets into its dirty, soapy bucket and removed her rubber gloves. She glanced at the number on the screen of her phone briefly before sending it to voicemail. He wouldn’t leave a voicemail—he never did.

  Using the back of her hand, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked disparagingly at the state of the water in the bucket. The space had been on the market for just shy of a year and, clearly, in that time it had collected more dust than a backwoods trail. But at least now she was done and she could admire her space instead of being too grossed out to want to touch anything.

  The walls were a pretty light blue and the display cases were large enough for, by her estimate, six cookie trays, four loaves of bread and four pies or cakes. There was even a separate cooled display for the deli items or ice cream in the summer. The back had industrial sized ovens, sinks, mixers and dishwashers, as well as a slicer for the deli meats. It was a good kitchen, really, and the slicer and deli display had excited her, because it meant there was enough business to warrant the purchase of expensive equipment. Not state of the art, but really everything that Evelyn had hoped for and needed. Besides, in this tiny town, what was state of the art?

  As if to prove her point, an antique cash register stood in the center of the counter, loud and proud. At first sight, she’d resented the stupid, enormous, brass machine because old often meant broken, but it sort of fit with the décor and the feeling of this small, rural town.

  All morning she’d been going through the store in a slow, methodical way. The windows were first because she couldn’t do anything if she couldn’t see. She spritzed them with Windex and wiped until the sun cut through the grime and illuminated the dark store. Then she cleaned the floor, walls, industrial equipment, counter and cabinets.

  The last thing to do was bring out, clean off and arrange the small wrought-iron tables and chairs, so customers could eat their sandwiches and desserts outside on nice days during their lunch breaks. If anyone came… other than her sister who’d always support her.

  As if summoned, Dana’s name flashed on the screen of her phone. This time, she smiled and lifted it to her ear. “I was just thinking about you.”

  “I know. My psychic ears were burning.”

  Evelyn laughed, but knew there was a small part of her sister that really did believe she had psychic powers. She loved Dana dearly, but couldn’t get into all that woo-woo stuff that she filled her shop with—specialty candles, incense, wiccan books, pentagram jewelry and tarot cards.

  “Hey, how are you feeling?”

  “Good. I just wanted to check in. Did you get moved in okay? I still feel bad that I couldn’t make it over to help you out, I—”

  “Couldn’t get a different appointment, I know.” Evelyn waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. I mean, I don’t have that much stuff and the exercise was good for me. Plus, I got some help from the locals with the heavy stuff. How was your appointment? How do you feel?”

  “I’m fine,” she replied impatiently. “Enough about that. Anyone helping you worth a second glance?”

  “What, gone through all the guys in Delmore twice?”

  Dana scoffed. “As if there’s anyone here worth dating twice.”

  “Well cool your jets because these two were in high school.”

  “Jailbait—nice,” she laughed. “So you’re good?”

  “So far. I’ll be better once I get the bakery up and running this weekend.”

  “Good,” Dana said, but she didn’t sound totally convinced. “Because this is the closest we’ve been since before college and I like the thought we can see each other whenever we want.”

  “I know, Dana. Me too. Why do you think I moved all the way out to the middle of nowhere, AKA the town right next to your weird, loner ass?”

  “It’s not so remote—”

  “The closest McDonalds is a hundred miles away,” she countered.

  “Fair point. But take it from me; small towns are anything but lonely. After a while you’ll be looking back fondly on your city days when your neighbors didn’t know all your secrets.”

  Evelyn chuckled. “I suppose I’ll be the subject of gossip even if I manage to stay open after this month.”

  “If you need a loan, you know you just need to ask,” Dana said, her tone growing serious.

  “Yes, and thank you, but you know me. You’re the first one I’ll call for advice, but I want to know that I can do it on my own.”

  Dana let out an exasperated sigh. “You know, you should loosen up. There’s a bar a couple towns over, and plenty of singles.”

  “I’m not sure it’s the best time for that. I’ve got to focus on my business.”

  “My sister, the entrepreneur. Or is it spinster in denial? I can’t quite tell.”

  Evelyn rolled her eyes and switched her phone to the other ear, cradling it against her shoulder as she picked up her rag to wipe off the chairs. “Hey, if the right guy comes along, I’m not going to kick him out of bed, okay? I—”

  “Oh yes you will,” Dana shot back. “Look, I know that you’ve got abandonment issues or whatever, but Dad left a long time ago—he’s out of our lives, right? And you deserve to be happy.”

  The corner of Evelyn’s mouth lifted. “You do, too.”

  “Damn right. Anyway, I’d better get going. I wanted to tell yo
u, though, that I did a reading for you earlier today.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Evelyn asked distractedly, finishing with the chair and hitting the arm with the rag one final time. “And what did the tarot cards say?”

  “Your business will prosper if you trust yourself, you’re going to make some new friends and there’s a man coming and he’s got a pet.”

  Evelyn’s eyebrows snapped together. For all her cynicism, she usually ended up getting completely sucked in. “A pet?”

  “Yeah, like…a dog.”

  “That’s oddly specific.”

  “Well, at first I thought they were saying that an animal was coming, so I thought you were thinking about getting a pet. But the lover card came up twice, so he must have a pet. The art of tarot is not exact… anyway, keep your eyes open for dogs or…wolves.”

  “Wolves? Come on, Dana. You can’t fool me—tarot cards don’t work like that.”

  She giggled. “You haven’t heard them around here yet? People say they’re coyotes, but I swear to God, the howling will make all the hairs on your arms stand up. Plus,” her voice lowered conspiratorially, “it’s a full moon tonight.”

  “You’re ridiculous.”

  “Well, it could be worse. He could be a snake owner or a… bird person.”

  “You. Are. Ridiculous.”

  “And yet you love me. Just be open to whatever happens. Love you! Bye!”

  Evelyn hung up with a smile on her face. So the tarot predicted a man coming, eh? She shaded her eyes as she looked down the street. For such a sparsely populated town, there was a lot of testosterone milling about on Main today—the tall, scruffy types that looked like they could build a bonfire and fix your sink. Competent, able, virile… ooh, that one even had a cowboy hat! Sure, some were too old or young and some were clearly married, but there was no crime in looking.

  At first glance, Pottsville, Wisconsin, was like any other small town in middle America. Everyone knew everyone and Main Street consisted of the Town Hall and post office building, a hardware store, a grocer, a home-salon, a diner, a doctor who doubled as a dentist and, now and again, a bakery. Farms rolled on for miles in any direction and most folk made their living by the land.

  At second glance, people in this town seemed to have some unifying traits. They were bigger than normal people. Like taller, for one, and just… broader. The high school boys she’d given $20 to move her dresser and mattress up the stairs into her tiny apartment over the bakery had to have hit puberty at eight years old. They’d made her feel downright small, and at 5’8” and a sturdy size 14, that was an emotion Evelyn seldom felt. Even most of the women were taller than her.

  Must be something in the water. At least bigger and broader hopefully meant they didn’t mind silly things like the calories from fat in a muffin. She’d put on her brave face for Dana, but she really couldn’t afford to fail here. Unlike her sister’s, Evelyn’s inheritance was long gone. She winced, thinking about that first and last month’s rent and security deposit checks that had whittled her savings down to triple digits.

  Shaking those thoughts, she decided that she’d put in a good day’s work and it was time to relax. Ten minutes later, she crossed her legs under the iron table, picked up her Kindle and took a sip of her coffee—decaf, because it was late in the afternoon, and cream and sugar because she didn’t particularly like the bitterness of plain coffee.

  If Dana had been there, the table would’ve been littered with empty yellow Splenda packets. Their mother used to joke that it was the only way a Montgomery woman could be a single-digit size. No carbs. Baking sweet things all day was good for the soul, but dangerous for the thighs; as the owner of a bakery and a long-time addict to sweets, Evelyn had long-since surrendered in the Battle of the Bulge.

  “That smells good.”

  Generally, Evelyn was hard to pull away from a book—especially as the time traveller and Scottish Laird were about to give in to their undeniable attraction—but the deep timbre of the voice commanded her attention. The late afternoon sun shone behind his head and, even shielding her eyes, she couldn’t make out his features. “I do make a mean cup of decaf. I’ll sell it to go when I open up,” she said, shamelessly self-promoting.

  The man settled into the seat across from Evelyn, his bulk barely fitting in the small chair behind the table. She swallowed, allowing herself a delicious few seconds of taking stock of the broad shoulders, tapered waist and rolling biceps under his simple shirt. He wore the country uniform of beat-up jeans and a tee that had seen better days, but he really made it work. Maybe it was the laugh lines around his eyes, the subtle five o’clock shadow or the roughness of his hands that hinted he was as good with them as he looked… whatever it was, it sent a shiver through Evelyn.

  His jaw was all angles and bone and his mouth was the stuff of fantasies. Those unreal eyes were deep set under slanted eyebrows. Her heart started pounding a little harder. The size of him, and those muscles… He looked like the kind of guy who’d take a woman. He’d fill her until she ached and make her beg for more as she held on for dear life. She licked her lips as a bolt of pure, raw lust shot through her, straight between her legs.

  Whoa… maybe she’d been reading too many romance novels. Though stunning in its intensity, her reaction was ridiculous. Thinking about him naked before learning his last name was hardly a polite way to meet someone. So she started introducing herself; then she noticed that he was looking at her in the exact same way she was looking at him. It made her cheeks heat.

  “Measuring me for a dress?” she asked levelly.

  His gaze lifted from the V of her shirt and they locked eyes for one breath-catching instant. She gulped. His eyes had the same contrasting quality as that last guy’s—so light against his dark complexion—but his were clear, light blue. They reminded her of an x-ray; she felt like he could see right through her.

  Suddenly she was very aware that she hadn’t buttoned the top button of her button down. Her mother had always called it the “saucy” button—the one that made the difference between wearing a shirt for an interview or for a date. She looked down and fought the urge to close it.

  He smiled good-naturedly. It annoyed Evelyn how much she liked his smile, and how unrepentant it was. He leaned forward and extended his hand. “I’m Michael.”

  Hesitantly, she accepted it. It was warm and his grip was strong. “Evelyn.”

  “You’re new to town.”

  “Undeniably,” she countered, taking the last sip of her coffee to avoid the feel of his stare.

  “What brings you to Pottsville?”

  “A job,” she gestured behind her to the sign with her name. “I have some family nearby. Plus, the price was right.”

  He nodded. “Right, I heard about the new baker. I mean, good luck, but Wendy’s was a town staple.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” She’d heard as much from the previous owner of the bakery (some kindly-meant advice) but this reeked of negging—subtle insults to make her want to impress him.

  He grinned at her sarcasm, letting it roll of his back with the same ease he’d ignored her barb earlier. “All I’m saying is that the people in this town are nothing, if not loyal.”

  “And you? Where do your loyalties lie?”

  “With the provider of baked goods. Which—now—is you.”

  She chuckled. “I guess men write their own stereotypes. Next you’ll be telling me that the way to your heart is through your stomach.”

  There was a beat, then his eyes flashed. “Have dinner with me, Evelyn.”

  Her heart jumped and heat surged in her lower stomach. She took a deep breath to steady herself. Slow down, libido. It had been a while since that metaphorical itch had been scratched, but now was not the time for impulsive decisions.

  He was hot. Why shouldn’t she go out with him? A man that could incite this kind of reaction was certainly worth a shot. However, there was an intensity about him that threw her off, and she never responde
d to presumptuousness—he hadn’t asked, he’d told.

  “I’m flattered, but I already ate.”

  “I didn’t mean tonight.”

  “I know.”

  He straightened and his eyes flicked down to her left hand. “You’re not married, are you?” he asked, voice low.

  “No.”

  “Dating someone?”

  She paused, toying with the idea of lying. “No.”

  “Then step outside the box. Have dinner with me.” He leaned back and laced his fingers behind his head, stretching out and revealing a strip of his abdomen. It seemed casual, but was an unmistakable gesture of determination. He was staying right where he was, whether she liked it or not.

  Her pussy clenched. She shifted in her seat, feeling the delicate satin of her panties growing damp. Determination was one hell of a sexy quality in a man. Determined, quick-thinking and he had big hands… looked like she’d hit the trifecta.

  When she stood to clear her cup, he stood. Immediately, she felt dwarfed—more so than when they’d both been sitting. He was at least 6’4”, and built like a pro wrestler: big-boned, with a broad chest and narrow hips and thickly corded muscles everywhere she looked. Jeez. He probably hit the gym every day for at least three hours.

  “Nice meeting you, Michael.” You and your eyes and face and body… What the hell is the matter with me? Why am I running away from that?

  She made a hasty retreat back into her shop to deposit her coffee cup on the counter. Considering the matter closed, her heart jumped when the door opened behind her.