Avoiding the Badge by Dorothy F Shaw Book Tour and Giveaway :)
AVOIDING THE
BADGE
Arizona K9 #1
by
Dorothy F. Shaw
Genre:
Contemporary Romance
Pub
Date: 9/4/2018
Rayna
Michaels may be a veterinarian, but she knows a little something
about the human heart—especially when it comes to worried pet
owners. Law enforcement’s bonds with their K9 partners are
legendary, and Derek Hansen is a perfect example—he’s had his dog
Axle in more times than she can count in the last few months. And
Derek’s sculpted muscles and heart-stopping smile would be truly
irresistible, if only he wasn’t an officer of the law…
Derek can’t get
Rayna’s stunning face and no-nonsense smarts out of his mind. Any
excuse to see her will do, until he works up the nerve to ask her
out. He’s not sure where her resistance to cops comes from, though
he’s more than willing to prove he’s one of the good ones. But
when casual dating turns into explosive lovemaking, Derek knows he
has to come clean about his past before the woman he loves finds out
what he’s been hiding and turns tail to run…
Chapter
1
“Ahem...
Heeeee’s heeeere.”
At
her head vet tech’s declaration, Doctor Rayna Michaels looked up
from the lab report she was reading in the back of the main treatment
area and furrowed her brow. “I’m sorry. Who is ‘he’?” Andrea
leaned her hip against the counter and dipped her chin. “Seriously?” “Always.”
Careful to keep her expression blank, Rayna stared at the woman.
Andrea
sighed and rolled her eyes. “He
as in the hottest pet owner we have.” Even as Rayna returned her
focus to the lab report in her hands, Andrea continued. “Come on,
really? He as in ‘the
cop’ who’s so freaking hot we could fry an egg on his
unbelievable abs. We haven’t seen the abs, but we all know he’s
got them. In spades. The same he
who’s so totally into you—so into you that the rest of us are
green with envy.” He
was not and they were not. Rayna sighed and set the report back on
the counter. Yes, she knew exactly
who Andrea was talking about, but no way was Rayna going to let her
vet tech know that. And
yes, Officer Derek Hansen was handsome—very handsome in fact. The
kind of handsome every hot-blooded woman, self-assured man, or more
specifically a gay man—her receptionist Billy had pointed out last
time Officer Hansen had been in—on the planet took notice of. If
they didn’t, they were likely dead, because very
handsome was not only accurate, it was also an incredible
understatement. Dark,
close-cropped hair, just a little longer on top. Dark, straight
brows. Green eyes. Full lips. Always clean-shaven, but Rayna bet he
looked good with a five o’clock shadow, too. His nose wasn’t
perfect, but it fit his face perfectly. And then there was his
body ... Rayna
sighed. Great. The mere thought of how good-looking Hansen was had
heat spilling through her system like warm syrup. If she hadn’t put
the report down, she could’ve used it as a fan—though that
would’ve been way too obvious. “I’m sorry, but you’re going
to have to be a bit more specific.” “I
swear, Doctor Michaels. Sometimes I don’t even know what to do with
you.” She threw her hands up in the air with a harsh sigh, then let
them flop back down at her sides. “Fine. Officer Derek Hansen is
here with Axle for yet another
‘checkup.’ Specific enough?” Andrea smirked. “Well
then, let’s hope Axle is okay. I know Officer Hansen has been a
tad...cautious, possibly overly so, since his canine partner was
injured. But honestly, as you know, there is nothing
wrong with taking good care of your animal. Especially one as
important as Axle.” She smiled, knowing her statement was only
going to annoy Andrea further. Which served as a fantastic
distraction from the heat rising in her body. Rayna cleared her
throat. “What room is he in?” Andrea
let out an exasperated groan and grabbed a file off the counter.
“Exam room four. And not for anything, but he’s been in twice
already this month. This makes visit number three. I think it’s a
sign.” Andrea grinned and started to turn away, but then stopped.
“All professionalism aside, enjoy the view for the rest of us,
please? You know we’re all going to want a full report when you’re
done in there.” After a wink, she headed for the short hallway
leading to the front of the office. Rayna
watched her go before picking up the lab report and reading it over
once more. Deep breaths, in and out. In and out. In and—It
wasn’t working. Desperate for some relief, she fanned herself with
the lab report. Around
six months ago, Officer Derek Hansen’s canine partner, Axle, had
been injured in the line of duty. Apparently, her clinic had been the
closest place to where the injury happened, and when he’d burst in
the front door, of course she’d immediately treated the animal. The
injury hadn’t been anything too serious, thank goodness. Axle had
needed a small laceration stitched up, but the animal had also popped
his kneecap out of joint on his left hind leg. Leg injuries could
lead to hip issues with many big dogs, but shepherds especially.
Ensuring Axle was healed properly was essential for his career as a
police dog, but more importantly, the animal’s overall well-being
and quality of life. However,
after the dog had healed, Officer Hansen continued to bring Axle into
the clinic—to the tune of every three weeks, give or take, for what
he called “regular checkups.” It didn’t mean anything more than
that the man was caring for his animal. Rather typical for an officer
and their canine partner. Those teams never left each other’s side. Besides,
who was she to turn away a patient? Hansen
wasn’t a man of many words, but he was always polite, respectful.
And, of course, considering Rayna was counted as a red-blooded woman,
she’d also noticed he was gorgeous. How could she not? She had a
pulse, after all. Still,
checking out her patients’ owners wasn’t something she made a
habit of, or ever did, so she made sure to keep their dealings
strictly business. It would be unprofessional and highly
inappropriate for her to act in any other way. Every
time he’d been in the office, Rayna tried for all she was worth to
not focus on how
beautiful he was or how incredibly well built his body was, but with
each visit, she failed. Plus, whenever she was in one of the exam
rooms alone with him, her skin got warm all over, and without a doubt
her face was the shade of a fire truck, her spray of freckles
becoming little red spotlights. Worse,
each visit, she emerged with the effects he had on her nervous system
on display for all to see. As if she were having some sort of
allergic reaction, the skin covering her sternum and neck was
completely flushed and blotchy. Her entire office staff would not let
her forget it. Frankly,
not noticing the officer wasn’t possible. After all, how could
anyone with a set of functioning eyes not
notice a well over six-foot-tall, hard-muscled, incredibly gorgeous
cop? The
answer was plain and simple: they couldn’t. Rayna
grabbed her mini medical bag filled with doggie treats and moved to
exam room four’s entrance. With another deep breath to cleanse her
mind and hopefully cool down her body, she pressed her palm to the
metal panel of the door. As
she was about to push it open, Andrea sauntered back into view, a
stack of files in her arms. “Good luck! He looks really, really
good today,” she whispered. Rayna’s
eyes went wide. She was going to kill Andrea if Officer Hansen heard
the woman’s comment. “Are you done yet?” Andrea
grinned from ear to ear. “Nope. I have to get these files updated
in the system.” Reining
in the nervous tension crawling up her spine, Rayna switched topics.
“How many more appointments are on the schedule for today?” “Lucky
you, none. He’s your last one. You get to take all
the time you need.” Andrea placed the files on the counter and sat
in front of the computer.
“Great.”
What on earth did luck have to do with it? And wait, he looked good
today? How was that different from any other day? The man
always looked good.
Like when he crossed his thickly muscled arms over his very broad
chest, the veins in his forearms stood out in harsh relief against
his tanned skin. A
flash fantasy of running her tongue along all those perfect veins
made—oh dear, she hoped like hell the heat rising from her stomach
to her chest like a wildfire would settle enough for her to do her
job. And
do it without her face glowing bright as the Arizona sun.
Dorothy F. Shaw lives in Arizona where the weather is hot and the sunsets are always beautiful. She spends her days in the corporate world and her nights with her Mac on her lap. Between her ever-open heart, her bright red hair, and her many colorful tattoos, she truly lives and loves in Technicolor!
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