Win (Were Zoo Book 3) Read online

  Win (Were Zoo Book Three)

  By R. E. Butler

  Copyright 2017 R. E. Butler

  Win (Were Zoo Book Three)

  By R. E. Butler

  License Notes

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book 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 recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

  Cover by CT Cover Designs Ltd.

  This ebook is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locations is coincidental.

  Disclaimer: The material in this book is for mature audiences only and contains graphic sexual content and is intended for those older than the age of 18 only.

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  Editing by Tracy Vincent

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  Thanks to Joyce & Shelley for beta reading

  For BB and BL - I love you both.

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Coming Next in the Were Zoo Series

  Contact the Author

  Other Works by R. E. Butler

  Justus (Were Zoo Book Four)

  Win (Were Zoo Book Three)

  By R. E. Butler

  Gorilla shifter, Win Carlson, would love to find his soulmate, the one female on Earth perfect for him. Thanks to the VIP Tour tickets that the Amazing Adventures Safari Park sent out to eligible females in the area, he is seeing a lot of females on the weekends. But none of them are his soulmate, and he’s finding it hard not to get discouraged.

  Curvy baker, Alexandra Flynn, has won awards for her banana cream pie, but her dream is to have her own bakery. Nothing would make her happier than having a place to call her own, except maybe finding a man to spend the rest of her life with. After winning first place for dessert at the county fair, her car breaks down and she’s stranded on the side of the road. To her surprise, a big, sexy guy stops and offers to repair her car. Unwilling to let their night be over before it even starts, she invites him back to her home, hoping to spend time with him.

  When Win is awoken the next morning to Lexy’s panicked screams, he realizes that she’s seeing him in his shifted form. When he shifts to human and convinces her to give him a chance, he takes her home to the zoo and shares everything with her. Lexy never believed in love at first sight until she laid eyes on the sexy mechanic, and she can’t imagine ever leaving his side, even though it means giving up her plans for the future. Win won’t let Lexy’s dreams die just because she’s his soulmate, and he plans to make sure that their life together is just as sweet as her delicious banana cream pie.

  Chapter 1

  Win Carlson finished tightening the bolts underneath the passenger seat in the Jeep, gave it a good push to make sure it was stable, and straightened. The sun was shining through the row of windows that lined the top of the mechanics’ building at Amazing Adventures Safari Park, where he worked on the vehicles that were used on the safari tour.

  A creak sounded and he glanced over his shoulder to see the secret door in the floor open slowly and his friend and fellow gorilla shifter, Zane, walk up the hidden stairs holding hands with his mate, Adriana.

  Shifters, unbeknownst to humans, lived and worked at Amazing Adventures. After many years with none of the park residents finding their soulmates, they had opted to send out free tour coupons to eligible males and females in the area. So far, two males had found their soulmates – Zane, and a lion shifter named Jupiter.

  Win was very much still single, like the other males in his gorilla shifter band, except for Zane, who had been lucky enough to meet Adriana on the tour, when he was in the gorilla paddock and she was in one of the Jeeps. The council, made up of the leaders of the different shifter groups who called Amazing Adventures home, had hoped that the tours would yield more soulmates, but so far it hadn’t worked out that way.

  “Hi Win,” Adriana said.

  “Hey,” he said, fist bumping Zane.

  “We’re going out to see a movie Sunday night, would you like to come? I’m trying to get all the guys to join us,” she said.

  “What movie?” he asked.

  “The new action one about the car thief who tries to go straight but has to steal one more car to free his brother,” she said.

  “Are you two going to be groping each other the whole time?” The two lovebirds were inseparable, and quite nauseating to the single males.

  “We don’t grope!” Adriana said, her cheeks pinking.

  “What would you call it?” Win asked, arching a brow.

  Zane was grinning, his gorilla rumbling in his chest. “Fun. Lots of fun.”

  Adriana’s cheeks darkened further, and she laughed as she leaned into Zane and put her arms around him. “Yeah, it is. But I promise to keep the fun to a minimum if you’ll join us.”

  “Thanks man,” Zane grumbled.

  Win chuckled. “What time?”

  “We need to leave at eight,” Zane said.

  “I’m in.”

  Adriana beamed and turned her attention to Zane, mouthing something that made Zane’s gorilla rumble in happiness. The two hurried back to the secret stairwell after saying a quick goodbye, and the sight of his friend being so in love made something in Win’s heart twinge.

  He was happy for Zane and Jupiter, but he wanted his soulmate, too. He hoped that he would find her eventually, that one day the female meant for him would happen to be on the VIP tour. He would be out in his gorilla shift in the paddock and their eyes would meet and that would be it. After, of course, he explained about the reality of shifters and that they were meant to be together.

  Adriana had accepted shifters quickly after meeting Zane. Whoever Win’s soulmate was, he hoped she’d be as accepting. With the secret of shifters’ existence being carefully guarded, it would be a disaster if the general human population ever discovered that they were real.

  Turning his attention back to the Jeep, Win put away thoughts of his future soulmate, and got back to work. He had to finish up the repairs so it was ready for the VIP tours that would start later that day. The movie, while a tantalizing distraction, wasn’t for two days. Maybe if he was lucky, his soulmate would be on one of the tours that were happening that day. Or, maybe he’d meet her at the movies, and then he’d be the one grossing out his friends with over-the-top PDA.

  And I could suddenly turn into a green-scaled dragon.

  Snorting at his inner critic, Win opted to keep an open mind. Soulmates were real, and somewhere, hopefully in New Jersey, his soulmate was as anxious to meet him as he was to meet her.

  Chapter 2

  Alexandra Flynn stirred the mixture that bubbled lightly on the stove, her thoughts drifting to the crust she’d chosen for her pie. She’d been experimenting with pie crusts for the last month, trying to find one that would ensure her banana cream pie had that little something extra, and secure a first-place win Sunday at the fair’s annual pie contest. Lexy had been competing in baking competitions since she was sixteen and her mom encouraged her to find a hobby. She’d chosen entering baking competitions, starting off in cookie and candy competitions and moving onto cakes and pies. For the last three years, she’d been trying to make the perfect banan
a cream pie, an homage to her favorite grandma who had passed away when she was eighteen.

  Lexy had consistently won around New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, but the pie competition on Sunday was the first one with a first-place cash award of five thousand dollars. It was just what she needed to secure the lease for a small space in a busy strip mall, getting her dream of owning her own bakery off the ground.

  The timer beeped. She turned off the stove, pulled the saucepan from the heat, and set it on a trivet. After adding the rest of the ingredients, she whisked briskly and then poured the hot filling into a bowl and covered it with plastic wrap. The front door opened and Trina yelled, “Halp! I’ve got bags!”

  Lexy brushed her hands off and walked out of the kitchen into the front room and found Trina, her best friend, cousin, and roommate, standing in the open front door, arms laden with shopping bags and a wild look in her eyes.

  “I don’t know why you don’t like to make multiple trips,” Lexy said as she took several bags from Trina’s arms.

  “Why make lots of trips to the car when I can just yell for help and my fave person in the world comes running?”

  Lexy made a face. “I didn’t run.”

  “You love me. You know you ran.”

  Setting the bags down on the couch, she said, “What did you do? Buy out the mall?”

  “Not quite. There were some very good sales, plus I had to get my bestie something amazing.”

  “You did?”

  “Of course. I feel bad that I have to leave before the competition.”

  Trina was traveling to visit her parents in Rhode Island for a week to celebrate her older brother graduating from college. Lexy had been invited to attend, but she’d had to pass because of the competition. To make up for missing out on her cousin’s party, she’d baked a cake for Trina to take with her.

  Trina rustled through the bags, making a ton of noise, and then grinned in triumph as she lifted a paper wrapped bundle and handed it to Lexy. She took it and sat down, tearing the tape that secured the package and opening it. Inside was a frilly yellow apron with tiny bananas embroidered on it.

  “Oh, Trin,” Lexy said, grinning at the adorable apron.

  “Try it on!”

  Lexy pulled the apron over her head, and then tied the thick yellow ribbon at the waist into a bow at her lower back. “It’s perfect.”

  “I know! It’ll look great with the outfit you planned to wear, too.”

  Lexy had chosen to go with her favorite pair of black leggings and a cute yellow tunic. She was going to braid her long, dark hair and adorn the tie with a piece of black ribbon with bananas on it. She was going all out with the banana theme, hoping it might give her some good luck with the judges.

  After Trina put her purchases away, she joined Lexy in the kitchen as she finished assembling and decorating the pie. She set the finished pie in the center of the kitchen table and took a picture with her phone.

  “I’m so tired of banana cream pie,” Trina said as she looked down at it.

  Lexy laughed. “Sorry. The next baking competition is for pecan pie, so no more banana cream after this weekend.”

  Trina had been Lexy’s food taster for years. The two had grown up together as next door neighbors, their mothers were sisters and Lexy and Trina were only six months apart.

  “I like nuts.”

  Lexy blinked at Trina. “What?”

  Trina’s cheeks pinked. “I mean I like nut pies, like pecan.”

  “I think that was one of those Freudian Slips. You like nuts, you nut-lover,” Lexy teased.

  “Stop teasing me! I won’t taste-test your current bakery masterpiece if you make fun of me.”

  “Fine, fine.” Lexy cut a slice of pie and lifted it slowly.

  “It’s really pretty,” Trina said, taking the plate that Lexy handed her.

  “If it tastes as pretty as it looks, I’ll be happy.”

  “You know it will. You’ll win and then you can have the money for the rental space. Trina’s Treats.”

  “That’s not what I’m naming my bakery.”

  “You should! I’ve been eating your baked goods since you were making mini cakes with that light bulb heated plastic oven. The least you can do is name the place after me.”

  “I might let you work the counter for me, but that’s it.”

  “Oh, how generous,” Trina said.

  Lexy cut a piece for herself and took a bite, chewing slowly and thinking of all she’d done to tweak this version.

  “Okay, this is fantastic. I like the crust, it’s buttery and just the right kind of crispy, crunchy texture with the rest of the pie.”

  Lexy grinned. “I think I hit the jackpot with this one.”

  “First place, here you come!”

  * * *

  Lexy stared at the cashier’s check from the fair. She wasn’t sure if she’d win with her pie or not. There had been a lot of competition with bakers she knew from the competition circuit. There was something about Lexy’s banana cream pie that had wowed the judges. Whether it was the shortbread crust, the extra half teaspoon of bourbon, or something else entirely, she didn’t know, but she also didn’t care. She’d won!

  She’d been given a plaque with her name engraved on it, the check, and a big blue ribbon. She knew exactly where she’d put the plaque and ribbon – on the wall of her new bakery – Creations by Alexandra.

  Her hands were still shaking and she felt like she wanted to cry. She already had a thriving bakery business out of her home, but having a storefront was just what she needed to boost her business.

  “Congratulations,” one of the judges said. “The pie reminded me of one my aunt used to make.”

  “I’m so glad, thank you,” she said with a smile.

  Untying the apron, she folded it, put it in her bag along with the plaque, and set off for the parking lot. The day had gone so quickly. She’d been up since four a.m., ready to bake, making three pies just to ensure that if one of them didn’t live up to her standards she had two others to fall back on. Fortunately, all three pies had looked equally good, so there were two pies in the refrigerator at home.

  She set the box on the passenger seat of her car and sat down behind the wheel, turned on the engine and used the hands-free system to call Trina.

  “Tell me good news only,” Trina said when she answered.

  “I have great news. I won!”

  “Yay, I’m happy dancing.”

  “I would if I wasn’t driving. I’ll wait until I get home.”

  “When can you get your place?”

  “I’ll call the owner tomorrow morning. He said I could have it as soon as I had the money and signed the paperwork. I should be able to get in right away and get it cleaned.”

  “Another reason I wanted to be gone this week.”

  Snorting, Lexy said, “I knew it. So, why did you only want good news? Is everything okay at your folks?”

  “Yeah,” Trina said with a sigh. “They’re getting after me for not having a boyfriend. Then Devlin said he’d set me up with one of his college buddies, and I had to steal his phone so he wouldn’t call any of them. He’s still pissed at me since I won’t tell him where I hid it.”

  With a laugh, Lexy said, “They just want the best for you, but you’re happy being single.”

  “Well…”

  “Well, what?”

  “I wouldn’t mind meeting Mr. Right. But I’m pretty sure he’s not in Devlin’s nerdy accounting frat, and he’s definitely not in the gym where he hangs out.”

  Devlin was a man of many contrasts. He was smart as hell, but he looked like an underwear model, with his arms covered in colorful tattoos and a mouth that was always curled up in a smirk. Devlin was a few years older than Lexy, and he’d always treated her like another kid sister, tormenting her as much as he’d tormented Trina.

  “So, tell your family you don’t want to be set up.”

  “I don’t think they’re listening. Maybe I’ll r
emind them that you’re single.”

  “Don’t you dare!”

  “Ha ha! I will totes do that, and that will take the heat off me. Win-win.”

  “Not for me. Dev doesn’t know what I want in a boyfriend, and neither do your parents, so tell them a firm hell-no from me.”

  “What do you want in a man?”

  “I’m not giving you a list to give to them.”

  “I’ll guess, then. Muscular. Sexy. Likes bananas.”

  As much as she wanted to argue, she was laughing too hard to say anything. Her laugh was abruptly cut off when there was a loud popping sound and her car began to shimmy all over the road.

  “Damn it! I think my tire blew,” she said as she got the car over to the side of the road and put it into park.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Can you change it?”

  “No. Maybe there are instructions.”

  “You better call a repair place.”

  “In hindsight, I should have taken my dad up on his offer to teach me about car maintenance.”

  “Probably. Text me when you’re safely home.”

  After searching through her glove compartment, she found the card for the roadside assistance company she used for situations just like this. The dispatcher said it would be an hour before someone arrived to change her tire, and to just sit tight.

  Fortunately, it was a warm night and the stars were bright in the sky like twinkle lights. Opening the moon roof, she turned off the car, put on her hazards, and watched the stars. One streaked through the sky, and she quickly made a wish for a repairman to show up quicker than the hour promised, and then she laughed at herself.

  If it was a wishing star, then she’d just wasted her wish on a repairman. If Trina were with her, she’d have encouraged her to wish for a great first year of business, or a sexy guy to drop from the sky next to her.