Sealed With A Kiss: Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild, page 31
She nodded. “Keep that attitude.”
He started to turn away to return to his seat, but she reached out and grabbed his wrist. He looked back.
“And I love you.”
He looked surprised for just a moment, but then he said, “I love you, too. “
“I just want to say that. A lot. And I want you to know that what I’m about to show you is another way that I plan to show you how I feel.”
“Again, not exactly the actions I would expect to follow those words. But I can’t wait to see what you’ve got.”
Damn. She really was madly in love with him and it was not going to be a hardship to tell him that, and show him every single day, the rest of her life.
Everyone settled into their seats, and Ellie and Charlie cleared the wall of a couple of posters, and a few photographs so that they had a blank space to function as a screen. They set Zander’s laptop up and within minutes were projecting their new video onto the wall.
It started with a shot of Naomi. She was standing outside behind her house.
“Hi, everyone, I’m Naomi LeClaire and this is my hometown. In fact, this is my backyard. And this is my everyday view.”
The film cut to a shot of Donovan stripping his shirt off as he got ready to jump onto an airboat from one of the Boys of the Bayou docks.
The guys around the table whistled and clapped. Donovan grinned and sat back in his chair, linking his fingers on his stomach. He looked cocky and she loved it.
The camera came back to Naomi’s grinning face.
“I know, right? Well, stick around and I’ll tell you how I went from a child TV star working with trained animals to just a regular girl to a wildlife rehabilitation expert raising a tiger—”
The camera cut to the tiger pacing around in his outside pen.
“A baby seal,” Naomi’s voice said as video of the seal pup swimming in his pool played.
“A colony of endangered penguins—”
The next shot showed the entire penguin enclosure and all of the Galapagos penguins they were raising in Autre.
“And so much more.”
Then it cut to a clip of Donovan again. This time he was looking at the camera and saying, “Hey, Naomi, are you coming?”
Then Naomi’s grinning face was on camera once more. “And yeah, you get to see a whole lot more of that guy too. Tune in and we’ll take you along as we get a little…wild…on Main Street, USA.
The final shot was of the goats trotting down Main Street, Autre, Louisiana.
The video faded out and Naomi turned to face the group at the table.
There was only one beat of silence before the entire bunch erupted into cheers and applause.
“You looking for investors?” Dax asked. “Because I want in on this.”
“I am. We’d like to shoot three episodes and start shopping it around.” She looked over at Donovan. “Donovan will be the main star. I will be his costar and the director.”
He lifted a brow at the word ‘director’, but then gave her a smile that said he was all in.
“I’m in,” Ollie said simply.
“And I assume this means we can come down and visit you at any time,” Dax said.
Naomi actually felt tears well up in her eyes and her throat tighten. She nodded. “Of course. You’re part of the family now.”
Suddenly Donovan shoved his chair back and stalked toward her. He stepped up to her at the head of the table in front of everyone, cupped her face, leaned in, and kissed her deeply. Then he let her go, bent at the waist, and lifted her over his shoulder and started for the door.
“Hey, where you going?” Owen called.
“Staff meeting,” Donovan said. “Naked staff meeting,” he said for Naomi’s ears only.
“Wait!” Jill yelled. “That’s not fair!”
Donovan turned back. “What’s not fair?”
Jill looked around the table. “Well…what happens now with…”
“Everything!” Zeke filled in. “The zebra, for one!”
“And Brinkley,” Charlie added.
“And the Galapagos Islands,” Jill said.
“And Naomi’s wildlife rehab certification,” Jordan said.
“Oh, well geez, okay,” Donovan said, settling his hand on Naomi’s ass as she started to wiggle. “Naomi will take her test next week and pass with a perfect score, I’m sure. I’m not going to the Galapagos. They already have someone else lined up. The zebra, tiger, and seal all stay—we’re going to need names for the zebra and tiger, by the way. And Naomi and I are adopting Brinkley. She’s sleeping on her new dog bed at Rosalie’s right now, in fact.” He waited a beat. “Anything else?”
They all looked at one another, then a few shook their heads, while others shrugged.
“I guess not,” Jill finally said.
“Okay then. We’ll see you all later. Much later.”
Donovan pivoted toward the door again, but he only made it halfway across the room before the door opened and someone swept into the building.
Someone who stopped Donovan in his tracks.
“Hey,” Naomi said from where she was hanging over his shoulder, her view blocked by his back. “What’s going on now?”
This time he shifted her, letting her slide down his body, then turned her to face the newcomer.
The woman was drawing everyone’s attention. She was gorgeous. Like the type of gorgeous that drew attention wherever she went. She also had an air about her that said she was so used to it, she didn’t even notice.
But Naomi had to think that her appearance today was unusual.
For one, she was carrying a large pet carrier in one hand and was dragging a suitcase in the other. She was also wearing a huge very sparkly tiara on her head that, for some reason, Naomi was certain was made up of real diamonds.
And she was wearing a wedding dress.
“Hi. Can we help you?” Ellie asked, coming forward.
“I assume so,” the woman said. “I’m looking for Donovan Foster.”
Naomi’s eyes widened and she turned slowly to look up at her boyfriend.
“Swear I’ve never seen her before in my life,” Donovan said. Then he stepped forward. “I’m Donovan. “
The woman looked slightly relieved. She thrust the pet carrier at him. “Here, I brought this to you. I’m surrendering it.”
Donovan took it with a frown. “What is it?”
The woman gave him bored look. “It will be very obvious when you look inside.”
“Right.” Donovan set the carrier on the closest table and bent to look into it. He straightened and turned to stare at the woman. “No way.”
She shrugged. “He’s all yours. I brought him here specifically to you. I know you are an expert and that you have a sanctuary here.”
Then she turned and started back for the front door.
“What is it?” Naomi asked.
“It’s…” Donovan shook his head and just opened the latch and reached inside. He pulled the animal out and held it up for everyone to see.
“I kind of feel like that opening song from The Lion King should be playing right now,” Owen said.
Because sure enough, Donovan was holding up a lion cub.
“Come on,” Knox groaned.
Naomi glanced at the table.
Zander had slumped down in his seat and pulled his hat down over his eyes.
“I guess…we have a lion now,” Donovan said.
“Just like that?” Knox said. “People besides you are going to be bringing stuff here?” he asked Fiona.
Fiona shrugged. “She’s surrendering him to Donovan. He is a wildlife expert and we are an animal sanctuary. She can do that.”
“Without knowing where she got it? What if she stole it?”
“Why would she be bringing it to Donovan if she stole?” Fiona asked.
“Why would she just have it in the first place?” Knox shot back.
“Well, those are really good questions to ask her.”
They both turned to look at Zander.
The cop didn’t say anything.
“Did anyone else notice she was in a wedding dress?” Maddie asked.
“And pulling a suitcase?” Jill added.
“Might be a good idea to just ask if she’s okay too. You know, if there’s any particular reason she’s here in that dress without, you know, a groom,” Charlie agreed.
“Maybe he’s outside waiting,” Zeke offered.
“Why’s she pulling her suitcase around then?” Kennedy asked. “He could at least hold her bag.”
“And he’s sending her into a strange bar alone? With that tiara on her head?” Jordan added. “No way. Either he’s a huge asshole, or he’s not out there.”
“Someone really should probably go find out,” Fiona said.
Now they all looked at Zander.
He sighed. “What?”
“This kind of seems like something maybe you should follow up on, doesn’t it?”
“Wearing a tiara and a wedding dress isn’t illegal.”
“Zander!” about twelve people said at once.
He sighed again. Even more heavily this time. “I just wanted to go fishing today.”
“Alexander Raymond Landry,” Ellie said, taking a step toward the table.
“Okay, okay, geez.” Zander shoved to his feet and straightened his hat. “Let’s not all go gettin’ all worked up. We wouldn’t want that to happen.”
He started for the front door after the woman, muttering something under his breath that Naomi was sure none of them actually wanted to hear.
Donovan, cradling the lion cub against his chest, turned to Naomi.
“Our staff meeting is maybe going to have to wait.”
She laughed. “I kind of expect to hear that a lot over the…rest of our lives.”
At the words rest of our lives, heat and emotion flickered in his eyes.
He leaned in close and said with a little growl, “There’s always the couch in my office at the rehab center.”
“We really should probably get this lion up there and check him out.”
“We really should.”
“And, Donovan, something else that you should get very used to hearing a lot over the rest of your life?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you very much.”
“And I love you very much.” Then he leaned in and kissed her.
Until the lion cub between them made a weird part growl, part meow, part squeaking noise.
She looked down, then back up at Donovan. She was in love with a man who was now holding a lion cub between them. And it was just another Friday in Autre, Louisiana.
Yeah, she had definitely fallen for the right guy.
Epilogue
Caroline Holland stepped out of the bar/restaurant/whatever-it-was, whipping the train of her wedding gown out from behind her before the door could close on it.
She was in a tiny, nowhere town in Louisiana, wearing a tiara that cost fifty thousand dollars, trying to roll her stupid suitcase, deal with the train on her wedding dress, and handle a pet carrier with a four-week-old lion cub inside it, all at the same time.
Today was going pretty much exactly as she’d expected.
At least now the lion cub was taken care of.
Now she just had to decide what to do with…the rest of the mess she was in.
Thank you so much for reading Sealed With A Kiss! I hope you loved Naomi and Donovan’s story!
And yes, Zander and Caroline are coming up in Say It Like You Mane It!
But up very next is Head Over Hooves, a Christmas story from Autre featuring Rory Robins and Drew Ryan—from the Hot Cake series!
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You can also get more from Dax and Ollie and the rest in the Hot Cakes series! You can check it all out HERE… including the FREE series prequel, Sugar Rush!
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You know in movies where the big city girl lands in a small town for the holidays and falls for the hunky guy who saves Christmas?
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This isn’t that story.
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But this guy does look fantastic in flannel. And out of flannel…
Grab it now!
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If you love Autre and the Landrys…
If you love the Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild, you can’t miss the Boys of the Bayou series! All available now!
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My Best Friend’s Mardi Gras Wedding (Josh & Tori)
Sweet Home Louisiana (Owen & Maddie)
Beauty and the Bayou (Sawyer & Juliet)
Crazy Rich Cajuns (Bennett & Kennedy)
Must Love Alligators (Chase & Bailey)
Four Weddings and a Swamp Boat Tour (Mitch & Paige)
And be sure to check out the connected series, Boys of the Big Easy!
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Easy Going (prequel novella)-Gabe & Addison
Going Down Easy- Gabe & Addison
Taking It Easy - Logan & Dana
Eggnog Makes Her Easy - Matt & Lindsey
Nice and Easy - Caleb & Lexi
Getting Off Easy - James & Harper
If you’re looking for more sexy, small town rom com fun, check out the
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The Hot Cakes Series
One small Iowa town.
Two rival baking companies.
A three-generation old family feud.
And six guys who are going to be heating up a lot more than the kitchen.
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Sugar Rush (prequel)
Sugarcoated
Forking Around
Making Whoopie
Semi-Sweet On You
Oh, Fudge
Gimme S’more
And much more—
including my printable booklist— at
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About the Author
Erin Nicholas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over forty sexy contemporary romances. Her stories have been described as toe-curling, enchanting, steamy and fun. She loves to write about reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines and happily ever afters. She lives in the Midwest with her husband who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books, her kids who will never read the sex scenes in her books, and family and friends who say they’re shocked by the sex scenes in her books (yeah, right!).
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Erin Nicholas, Sealed With A Kiss: Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild
