by: Elizabeth Otto
Series: Este Park Shifters
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: August 15, 2018
Amazon | Goodreads
Bear shifters make terrible boyfriends.
When drunk raccoons turn her beloved Sticky Sweet Bakery into a rave, Allie Rowe needs a good contractor to repair the damage. She’s ticked when her meddling father hires the sexiest bear shifter in town to come to the rescue. Her dad knows how she feels about shifters. They might be good workers, but they’re unsatisfactory lovers with small… cinnamon sticks, and bad tempers.
It’s a good thing this contractor is only after her sticky buns and a paycheck and nothing else because she’s not interested.
Until her new handyman gets soaked by her faulty sprinkler system, his tee-shirt plastering to his chest, wet jeans hinting that there’s nothing small about him. Ok, she might be a little interested. But he’s hiding something and if her past is an indicator, the truth will be anything but sticky sweet.
Dax Mitchell needs a wife pronto before his precious virility turns from stud to weakling. The moment he meets Allie, his inner bear wants to claim her for a forever mate. She’s beautiful. Decadent. Funny. And dead-set that shifters are the worst.
When a threat returns in Allie’s life, Dax must hurry to keep her safe, and convince her she’s his mate. Will true love be the frosting on their undeniable passion, or will they lose everything before the full moon ends?
“What the hell are you doing here?” Allie demanded. Her heart jumped, but it wasn’t from being startled. Dax’s huge arms were bare, the gray tee shirt he wore, cut off at the sleeves and clinging to his chest. No water required this time to mold it to his perfect body. His blonde hair was tucked behind his ears, the ends curling at the base of his neck.
He held up a single key on a ring and spun it around his finger. “Your dad gave me this so I could start as early as I like.”
“Oh, wonderful.”
He grinned wide, showing off the divot in the center of his chin. “Something smells really good.”
Allie cocked one side of her mouth. “That would be the scent of my despair.”
“Your despair smells exactly like chocolate chip cookies.”
Dax made a slow saunter around the room, perusing the space with a practiced eye. Jeans clung to the round rise of his ass and gripped the length of powerful thighs. Shifters might be cocky asshats, but she couldn’t deny this one was sexy as hell.
“Remember what I said about staring?”
Dax’s voice startled her. Allie’s face heated as he gave her a slow glance over his shoulders. She wet her lips and squared her shoulders. Her fingers actually itched caress the rise of his ass.
“Add it to my tab, I suppose. Seems the bill’s already getting high, thanks to the restoration crew you sent over.”
He nodded, pleased. And completely ignoring her sarcasm. “They did a nice job. It looks very dry in here.”
Rolling her eyes, Allie turned to go into the back. She needed to keep her interactions with Dax to a minimum. The pulse in her temple was pounding and her chest was tight with irritation. She was doing everything possible to ignore the needy ache between her legs.
Ben looked at her in question when she resumed her spot at the counter and picked up a rolling pin.
“Contractor is here,” she muttered, and began rolling the last of the almond sugar cookies. “Come on, dad, we need to finish up these cookies and get busy tidying up the store.”
“Oh, good. I told him to come as early as he liked. Gave him a key.”
“Let’s just finish up here, okay?” A thought popped into her mind. “When did you see Dax to give him the key?”
“We had a beer together at the Wild last night. Nice young man. He’s, uh, single.”
Allie set the rolling pin down a little too hard. “I know, you already told me. Maybe you should date him.”
“Sorry, I’m not into dudes.”
Dax walked close to the butcherblock counter where she was working, so silent that he could have been standing there this entire time and she wouldn’t have known. He nodded to her father in that bromance way guys had, and her dad nodded back as if he were forty years younger and wearing his ballcap backwards. Her skin began to heat, her nerves becoming a chaotic mess as Dax stood beside her.
Becks opened her eyes from the chair she was slouched in, blinked. Blinked again and then raised her hand. “I’ll date him.”
Ben snickered. “Honey, you can’t stay awake long enough to handle a man like this.”
“Dad!” Allie cried.
“I’m up for it. Allie, make some strong coffee and go get an illegal Ritalin from that kid down the street.” Becks moved to slip off her chair but Allie stopped her with an amused wave. Her friend’s seizure disorder and narcolepsy might technically render her, ‘disabled,’ but Becks took her illnesses in stride with good humor.
Dax turned to Allie, and everyone else in the room seemed to disappear.
“Want to give me a tour so I can check out the plumbing, electrical systems and the general layout?”
Breaking from his gaze, she cut the dough with a flower-shaped cookie cutter, not bothering to look at him. “Dad can show you.”
Dax leaned down with one elbow on the counter so he could peer directly at her face. His voice was low, the whispered timber of it making her nipples perk.
“I thought you owned this place.”
“I do.”
“You’re not acting like it. You want daddy to make decisions for your business?”
They locked gazes. Dax’s was too self-satisfied. She wanted to wipe that look right off his face. Or lick. Or kiss. Anger and irritation and for fuck’s sake, a helping of lust, filled her completely. How dare he imply she wasn’t capable or willing to run her own damn business. She’d had enough of men always doubting her.
Allie continued cutting the last row of cookies without taking her eyes off Dax. Her dad rushed over and took the cutter from her hand. “I’ll finish these up. I know, I know, 350 degrees for ten minutes and not a minute longer.”
“Fine,” Allie said and untied her apron. Whipping it over her head and dumping it on the counter, she turned. “This way.”
She wasn’t going to let this sexy brute get under her skin, or anything else.
He held up a single key on a ring and spun it around his finger. “Your dad gave me this so I could start as early as I like.”
“Oh, wonderful.”
He grinned wide, showing off the divot in the center of his chin. “Something smells really good.”
Allie cocked one side of her mouth. “That would be the scent of my despair.”
“Your despair smells exactly like chocolate chip cookies.”
Dax made a slow saunter around the room, perusing the space with a practiced eye. Jeans clung to the round rise of his ass and gripped the length of powerful thighs. Shifters might be cocky asshats, but she couldn’t deny this one was sexy as hell.
“Remember what I said about staring?”
Dax’s voice startled her. Allie’s face heated as he gave her a slow glance over his shoulders. She wet her lips and squared her shoulders. Her fingers actually itched caress the rise of his ass.
“Add it to my tab, I suppose. Seems the bill’s already getting high, thanks to the restoration crew you sent over.”
He nodded, pleased. And completely ignoring her sarcasm. “They did a nice job. It looks very dry in here.”
Rolling her eyes, Allie turned to go into the back. She needed to keep her interactions with Dax to a minimum. The pulse in her temple was pounding and her chest was tight with irritation. She was doing everything possible to ignore the needy ache between her legs.
Ben looked at her in question when she resumed her spot at the counter and picked up a rolling pin.
“Contractor is here,” she muttered, and began rolling the last of the almond sugar cookies. “Come on, dad, we need to finish up these cookies and get busy tidying up the store.”
“Oh, good. I told him to come as early as he liked. Gave him a key.”
“Let’s just finish up here, okay?” A thought popped into her mind. “When did you see Dax to give him the key?”
“We had a beer together at the Wild last night. Nice young man. He’s, uh, single.”
Allie set the rolling pin down a little too hard. “I know, you already told me. Maybe you should date him.”
“Sorry, I’m not into dudes.”
Dax walked close to the butcherblock counter where she was working, so silent that he could have been standing there this entire time and she wouldn’t have known. He nodded to her father in that bromance way guys had, and her dad nodded back as if he were forty years younger and wearing his ballcap backwards. Her skin began to heat, her nerves becoming a chaotic mess as Dax stood beside her.
Becks opened her eyes from the chair she was slouched in, blinked. Blinked again and then raised her hand. “I’ll date him.”
Ben snickered. “Honey, you can’t stay awake long enough to handle a man like this.”
“Dad!” Allie cried.
“I’m up for it. Allie, make some strong coffee and go get an illegal Ritalin from that kid down the street.” Becks moved to slip off her chair but Allie stopped her with an amused wave. Her friend’s seizure disorder and narcolepsy might technically render her, ‘disabled,’ but Becks took her illnesses in stride with good humor.
Dax turned to Allie, and everyone else in the room seemed to disappear.
“Want to give me a tour so I can check out the plumbing, electrical systems and the general layout?”
Breaking from his gaze, she cut the dough with a flower-shaped cookie cutter, not bothering to look at him. “Dad can show you.”
Dax leaned down with one elbow on the counter so he could peer directly at her face. His voice was low, the whispered timber of it making her nipples perk.
“I thought you owned this place.”
“I do.”
“You’re not acting like it. You want daddy to make decisions for your business?”
They locked gazes. Dax’s was too self-satisfied. She wanted to wipe that look right off his face. Or lick. Or kiss. Anger and irritation and for fuck’s sake, a helping of lust, filled her completely. How dare he imply she wasn’t capable or willing to run her own damn business. She’d had enough of men always doubting her.
Allie continued cutting the last row of cookies without taking her eyes off Dax. Her dad rushed over and took the cutter from her hand. “I’ll finish these up. I know, I know, 350 degrees for ten minutes and not a minute longer.”
“Fine,” Allie said and untied her apron. Whipping it over her head and dumping it on the counter, she turned. “This way.”
She wasn’t going to let this sexy brute get under her skin, or anything else.
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Sounds fun. Thank's for the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. I saw a different excerpt in her newsletter and I was like, I so want to read this book. I just haven't gotten around to it.
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