Win (Were Zoo Book 3) Read online

  Or maybe a sexy guy who could fix her tire and liked bananas.

  With a yawn, she closed her eyes for a moment, and then realized she’d quickly fall asleep if she did that again, so she sat up straighter in her seat and grabbed her phone, looking for a game to play. A few minutes later, two big dark SUVs passed by, stopping on the road ahead of her.

  A small group of people got out and walked toward Lexy’s car. When they came into the lights of her car, her heart pinged in her chest at one guy – he was the sexiest guy she’d ever seen. Broad shouldered and muscular with short, dark hair.

  If it wouldn’t have been a terrible idea, possibly the best, terrible idea she’d ever had, she would take a picture of him and send it to Trina, with the texted phrase “suck it” in all caps.

  If only her bestie could see her now. Stranded on the side of the road with a hunky knight in no armor striding toward her like he knew exactly what she needed.

  And it had nothing at all to do with her popped tire.

  Chapter 3

  Win sat in the dark theater next to his fellow gorilla shifters, Neo and Patton. A few seats down, Zane and Adriana were playing tonsil hockey, in spite of her promise that she’d keep the groping to a minimum. Their public display of affection was like rubbing salt in a wound.

  Patton whispered, “I think we should start doing tours every day.”

  “More tours mean more females, right?” Win whispered.

  “That’s my thinking. Couldn’t hurt, you know?”

  Already, the park was running tours Fridays through Sundays. It wasn’t that he didn’t think the tours were working, it was just that it was getting harder to be in his shift in the paddock and watch vehicle after vehicle pass by and not seeing his soulmate.

  “What if there isn’t someone for everyone?” Neo whispered, leaning forward to look at Patton.

  Win didn’t want to think about that.

  His parents were mated, but they weren’t soulmates. His mom had been part of a large gorilla band in Canada when his dad’s group had met up to see if any of them were compatible. Back then, shifters cared less about finding soulmates and more about keeping their species going. They’d liked each other enough to have a child together, and once Win came along, his dad had decided to ask his mom to be his mate permanently so they could raise him together, and he’d joined her band. He had no doubt that his parents loved each other, but his dad had told him once that he’d wondered if he’d made a mistake – not in raising a child with Win’s mom, but in mating her. Deep in his heart he’d always felt as if he’d settled, because that was what shifters did back then. Soulmates were rare, and most shifters didn’t want to spend their whole lives waiting for the one right person.

  Win had opted to leave the Canadian band and travel to the states. He’d found out about the gorilla band that called Amazing Adventures home, and joined them. Zane’s dad, Atticus, was the alpha of the gorillas, and their small band – made up of seven gorillas and one human mate – had been home for Win for many years. Now, as he approached twenty-five, he was beginning to wonder if he was making the right choice by staying in New Jersey.

  “I’m not ready to give up on the tours yet,” Win said.

  “They haven’t been going on very long,” Neo said. “I think we’ll all find our soulmates, one way or another.”

  Win hoped it was soon.

  * * *

  When the movie was over, the group split between two of the park’s SUVs and Win rode with Neo and Patton. Zane, Adriana, Jupiter, and Celeste rode in the other SUV. Adriana and Celeste were best friends, so it hadn’t surprised Win that the couples had wanted to go out as a group. Out of the rest of the gorillas and lions, only Win, Neo, and Patton had come along.

  Up ahead in the distance, they saw emergency flashing lights on a vehicle at the side of the road.

  “Should we stop?” Neo asked.

  “It seems like a nice thing to do. It would suck to be stranded out here in the dark,” Win said.

  Patton texted Zane that they were going to stop to see if the driver needed assistance. As they pulled over a few yards in front of the stopped car, the other SUV stopped behind them.

  Win got out of the SUV, and everyone else followed him. As he neared the vehicle, his beast began to pace in his mind. Inside the vehicle, he could see only one person behind the wheel. The car, sitting at an odd angle, clearly had a flat tire.

  “I’ve got this,” he said to his friends, motioning with his hands for them to stay back.

  The closer he got to the car, the more excited his beast grew, hooting and beating his chest.

  What the fuck?

  He strode to the open driver’s side window and placed his hands on the door, leaning down and looking inside. The female behind the wheel was illuminated by the soft blue light of the instrument panel, and she was stunning. Her eyes were wide and glittering with interest, and her dark hair was tied into a long braid. He inhaled silently and smelled bananas of all things.

  “Hey beautiful,” he said, pushing his beast away and trying to appear relatively sane. “You’ve got a flat?”

  She opened her mouth but only a squeak came out. Even in the soft light from inside the car he could tell that she was blushing. Clearing her throat, she nodded.

  “Yeah. I don’t suppose it’s my lucky night and you’re a mechanic?”

  A dozen dirty phrases slipped through his mind and it took a lot of willpower to not say them.

  “I am. I work at the Amazing Adventures Safari Park in the maintenance department.”

  “No kidding? That must have been a wishing star.”

  He arched a brow. “A what?”

  She licked her lips and he couldn’t help but track the motion.

  “I opened my moon roof and saw a falling star, so I wished for someone to come quick to help me.”

  “I’m Win.”

  “Lexy.”

  “Pop the trunk and I’ll get your spare out.”

  He heard the lock disengage and walked around to the back. Zane and Neo joined him as he used the flashlight app on his phone to see into her trunk.

  “You need help?” Zane asked.

  “It’s just a tire, no problem.” He pulled a duffel bag from the interior and set it gently on the ground, and then lifted the hatch that hid the full-sized spare tire.

  “All right. Are you okay?”

  Win nodded. “Very okay.”

  Win lifted the jack from next to the tire and went to inspect the car using the flashlight. He found only one flat tire and no other damage. He knelt next to the flat and put the jack together.

  “Where are you and your friends going?” she asked as she rested her forearms on the door and leaned over.

  “We went to see a movie so we’re on our way home. How about you?”

  “I was in a pie baking competition at the fair today and was on my way home when my car decided it didn’t like me very much.”

  He looked up at her and his stomach flipped. “Then your car’s an idiot.”

  “Aw. You’re just guessing I’m nice. I could be a terrible person who leaves dirty dishes in the sink and wet towels on the bathroom floor.”

  “If that’s the worst you do, then I think you’re just fine.”

  Neo knelt next to Win and whispered, “Are you flirting? Because it’s painful.”

  Win snarled under his breath. “I feel connected to her.”

  “Um, what?”

  He rubbed the space over his heart. “My beast has been really vocal ever since I got out of the SUV.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I think it means that she’s mine.”

  “Well shit. She’s human.”

  “I’m aware,” he said dryly.

  “What do you want to do?”

  Win blew out a breath as his beast made several suggestions that all involved no clothes. “I don’t know.”

  Neo disappeared and Win turned his attention back to the tire. He
was inclined to really take his time with the job so he could get to know Lexy more, but he didn’t want her to think he didn’t know what he was doing.

  Giving himself a moment to once more push the beast out of his thoughts, he jacked the car up, and removed the damaged tire. When he carried it to the trunk, Zane and Jupiter were standing with Neo and Patton.

  “There’s no protocol for this,” Jupiter said. The lion male was second in command of his pride and head of park security.

  “I know.”

  “What do you want to do?” Zane asked.

  “I…don’t want to leave her. I’m afraid I’ll never see her again.”

  His beast railed in his mind, furious with even the faintest notion that she might slip through their fingers.

  Jupiter let out a short growl and looked skyward for a moment. Lowering his gaze to Win, he said, “We’ll leave one of the SUVs for you. That will at least give you the flexibility to stay with her longer without us hovering. If something more should happen between you then just talking, keep in mind that she doesn’t have a clue about us, and you can’t just share our secret with her because your beast wants you to.”

  “I know. I don’t know what I’ll do, but I’ll figure it out without endangering us.”

  Zane clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s the best thing that could ever happen to you. Congrats.”

  “Thanks. I’ll keep you posted,” Win said.

  Patton tossed the keys to one of the SUVs to Win and left with the others. Win rolled his neck and ordered his brain to be romantic and engaging so that Lexy didn’t think he was an awkward nutjob. Lifting the spare tire from the interior, he carried it to the jacked-up car and knelt next to it.

  The driver’s door opened and Lexy got out, coming to stand next to him. He looked up at her, his pulse pounding in his ears. She said nothing for a long moment and then squatted down next to him.

  “I called the repair company to let them know my tire was okay now since you’re fixing it. Are you the sort of guy who always rescues damsels in distress?”

  He chuckled. “You’re my first. How am I doing?”

  “Excellent. When I tell my dad that I got a flat tire, he’s going to lecture me on how I should know how to change one myself.”

  “How about I give you my number and you can just call me the next time and I’ll ride to your rescue.”

  She stared at him in silence and he wondered if he’d crossed a line into creepy territory. The last thing he wanted to do was make his soulmate uncomfortable.

  “Will you be riding a white horse?” she asked, wiggling her brows.

  “Whatever you want.”

  “Oh,” she said, chewing on her bottom lip, “I’m getting all kinds of strange ideas and I can’t figure out why.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like, I hope you take a long time to fix the tire so we can talk more.”

  “I can fix the tire and we can still talk when I’m done.”

  “Okay.”

  Whenever the subtle breeze blew, he could scent her skin, a lush mixture of fruit and cream. She smelled like banana cream pie, and it happened to be his favorite dessert. Of course, his gorilla loved anything with bananas, and it had bled over into his human diet as well.

  They chatted about the fair as he finished tightening the lug nuts. He’d been to a few fairs over the years, but he’d never been to one that had a baking competition. Lexy had been baking competitively for years and was apparently quite good, judging by her modest talk of the first-place win earlier that day, and other awards in previous competitions.

  “I haven’t won anything since a fifth-grade spelling bee,” he said as he stood. “I would offer to help you up, but my hands are dirty.”

  “Hold on,” she said, opening the car door and lifting the center console. She straightened with a container of hand wipes and offered him several. After cleaning his hands thoroughly, he tucked the dirty wipes into his back pocket.

  She tossed the container onto the passenger seat and looked up at him, chewing her bottom lip. She was shorter than him by almost a foot and curved in all the right places. He hadn’t laid a finger on her and he could already tell that they would fit together perfectly.

  “Lexy,” he said, his voice hoarse with a combination of emotion and lust.

  “Win,” she whispered, rising onto her toes and wrapping her arms around his neck. She tugged lightly and he met her lips with his own.

  He let her lead the kiss, his gorilla hooting in happiness at the way she played with his hair, twirling her fingers through it and tugging gently. She leaned back against the car and he followed her, laying his hands on either side of her and pressing close. His body was on fire, every nerve ending inside him screaming for him to get closer, to make her his forever.

  Their tongues slid together, twining sensuously. She made a soft purring sound in the back of her throat, a moan of pleasure that slid over him like a caress and almost made him forget that they were standing on the side of the road.

  She broke the kiss, gazing up at him with a sweet smile. “That was so good, I think my brain shorted out.”

  He couldn’t help but grin. “Mine, too.”

  “I don’t want to say goodbye.”

  “I don’t want to either.”

  The air was electric between them, the silence laden with promises. He wanted so badly to take her back to the zoo, down to his home in the private underground area that belonged to the gorillas, but he knew he couldn’t. Bringing her down before she had accepted the truth of his nature was just asking for trouble.

  “Follow me home?” she asked.

  As if he’d say no.

  Kissing her gently, he opened her car door and then shut it when she sat behind the wheel. “I’m about twenty minutes away.”

  “I’ll be right behind you.”

  Chapter 4

  Lexy drove to her house, fighting the urge to squeal in happiness. She couldn’t explain what it was about Win, but she was entirely smitten. From the moment she’d seen him in her headlights, she’d thought there was something special about him. What it was, she couldn’t put her finger on it, but it sure as heck didn’t hurt that he was sexy as hell and just about kissed her socks off.

  She’d never invited a guy she’d just met to her house before, but something about him called to her. It wasn’t just that he was handsome, or that his smile made her toes tingle, she just felt connected to him. She felt kind of crazy for feeling that way, but judging by the way he’d kissed her back, he was feeling connected to her, too. He seemed sincere, and she felt like they were meant to be together.

  Which seemed both fantastically romantic and extra-strength crazy.

  Win parked behind her in the driveway and walked beside her up the sidewalk, his fingers brushing hers as they moved side by side. Unlocking the front door, she let out a soft gasp when he put his hand over hers and stopped her from opening it.

  “I don’t want you to think I’m only after one thing, sweetheart,” Win said, his voice gruff. “I just want to be with you, in whatever way you’ll let me.”

  She looked up at him, aware of how much bigger he was than her. He was a foot taller, two of her wide, and so stacked with muscles that they stretched the fabric of his shirt. He could easily overpower her, but there was nothing menacing about him at all. She felt utterly safe, and connected on a level that she couldn’t explain.

  “How did one kiss affect me so much?” she whispered.

  He gazed down at her, his eyes glittering in the light over the front door. “Do you believe in fate?”

  “Maybe in romance movies, but not in real life – at least not until now.”

  He smiled. “I’ll believe in it enough for both of us. How else can you explain why we feel so connected to each other after just meeting? Fate. Kismet. Whatever it’s called, I’m so glad to have met you.”

  They pushed open the door together and he followed her inside. She closed and locked the door, an
d flipped the switch to turn on the overhead light in the family room.

  “I live with my cousin, Trina. She’s in Rhode Island for her brother’s graduation. Do you have family in the area?”

  “My parents live in Canada, and I’m not close to any of my relatives.”

  “Aw.”

  He smiled down at her. “It’s okay. I have friends I live and work with at the zoo. They’re like my family.”

  “The guys who were with you tonight?”

  “Yep. My friend Zane is…married. All my other friends are single.”

  “I find it kind of hard to believe that you’re single.”

  “Oh?”

  She turned to go into the kitchen and he followed. Her heart hammered in her chest and her palms were sweaty. She’d never been so attracted to a man before. He had the sexiest voice and it made her stomach flip.

  She opened the fridge and pulled out two beers, handing him one. “You’re sexy.”

  “So are you,” he said as he twisted the cap off and took a drink. “Sexy Lexy.”

  She giggled at the nickname. Opening her bottle, she took a sip and stared at him. She was well aware that she was ogling him, but she couldn’t stop looking at him. She wanted to reach out and grab hold of him.

  He set the beer down on the counter and moved in close, cupping her face with his large, warm hands. “I want to kiss you so badly, Lexy.”

  Setting her beer next to his, she rose onto her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Kiss me, Win.”

  He pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss. She threaded her fingers through his hair, the silky strands just long enough for her to grasp. Tilting her head, she parted her lips and flicked her tongue along his and he followed suit, chasing her tongue with his own. She felt the kiss all the way to her toes, her mind spinning as the kiss deepened. Her body heated, her pussy clenching as wicked thoughts rolled through her mind.

  She slid her fingers down his shoulders and arms, feeling his muscles bunching and flexing. She moved down his sides and reached the hem of his shirt, tugging upward to untuck it from his jeans. He pulled away from their kiss only long enough to grasp the back of his shirt and pull it over his head. Before the shirt hit the ground, he was kissing her again. She touched his skin, feeling the ridges of his stomach muscles and the smooth expanse of his back. His skin was warm, and she wanted to kiss and lick him and find out if he tasted as good as he smelled. Because he smelled amazing.