Series: Kilgore Fire #5
Angie is a survivor. Anything you could throw at her, she could overcome.
After her father left her like a pile of unwanted trash, she began fighting. Fighting to build a life. Fighting to keep her child. Fighting to matter.
She thought she had it all figured out.
Then Bowen Race Tannenbaum walks into her life, turning it into a flurry of confusion, hope, and then ultimately despair. He tore down, brick-by-brick, her carefully constructed world, leaving her heart in tatters and longing for more. Such as a happily ever after, something that wasn’t ever going to happen for her. Not when she couldn’t give him what he wanted. He’d break her, and she couldn’t be put back together a second time.
Bowe wasn’t always so jaded, but when you keep drawing a losing hand, it tends to affect a man. He didn’t mean to lash out so carelessly. But he was so over being told no. He was done being lied to. He was through with being cheated on.
This time, his heart was getting what it wanted. If Angie wasn’t able to see what he was offering, what was right here in front of her, well then, he’d just have to damn well show her.
I headed toward the yelling. The closer I got, the louder it became.
At first I wasn’t sure what it was. Then the closer I got, the more I realized that it was someone cheering. Some sort of competition from the sound of it.
The moment I rounded the corner of the firehouse, I could see what everyone was cheering and yelling about.
The firehouse stood on a large hill or sorts, and the moment I cleared the building, I could see down into the valley below the hill, not far, but far enough that I could see over the men’s heads, straight for the obstacle course below.
Bowe had already started his testing.
Feeling like shit that I’d left him with Elise too long, and he’d had to bring her with him, I automatically started scanning for her, and found her with PD.
Once I saw that she was happy, I moved my gaze back to the course, and was amazed by how fast Bowe was moving.
A man was also running with him, and upon closer inspection, I realized it was Booth.
Booth, I’d heard, held the best time on the course.
And it looked like Bowe was holding his own.
He wasn’t winning, no, but for him being off for so long, I thought he was doing pretty damn good.
Then instead of taking the last flight of stairs with his patient, he jumped over the side, cradling the dummy.
It, of course, wouldn’t work in real life.
Not with someone that was sick or in need of life saving measures.
But it worked for now.
Laughing out loud, I yelled.
“Go, Bowe! Go!” I screamed, cupping my hands around my mouth to project the sound further.
He didn’t hear me over the crowd, but my daughter did.
She turned her head, and immediately started to clap her hands as she realized it was me.
Grinning from ear to ear, I walked towards her, glancing over her shoulder at Bowe as I moved.
I weaved through the throng of men, some firefighters
Bowe had just crossed the finish line, Booth very close at his heels, when I reached Elise.
“Hey there, baby,” I cooed.
She giggled, but didn’t hold her hands out for me, so I chose to let PD hold her for a few more seconds as I turned to the field.
That’s when I saw Bowe.
Shirtless.
Laughing his ass off while he shook Booth’s hand, who, conveniently, was also shirtless.
Both men were wiping sweat out of their faces with their shirts, talking about what I’d guess was the course they’d just run, when Bowe’s eyes lifted and found mine.
I waved, and he grinned, full out.
His beard and sweat slickened hair made him look rough and delicious, and I wanted to freakin’ throw myself at him.
I had a little bit of decorum, though, and managed to give him a small peck on the cheek the moment he arrived at my side.
“When did you get here?” he asked, slightly out of breath.
I started to lean back when he started to lean forward, and his eyes started to dance as he moved with me.
“About two minutes ago,” I giggled when he captured me around the waist and hauled me against him.
“My wife doesn’t kiss me like that when I’m sweaty,” a man from my side whined.
Yes, a grown man with six foot two inches of solid muscle, whined.
I gave him a look, which clearly, he read, causing him to grin.
“The name’s Luke.” He offered me his hand. “And I’m the SWAT team leader.”
I shook his offered hand and dropped it after two pumps, trying in vain to disentangle my body from Bowe’s.
“The problem, old man, is that you give her a choice,” another, a redhead this time, called from somewhere behind me.
“Miller,” someone said. “Mercy would kick your ass if she thought you were not letting her have her way.”
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING…
“As always an amazing story from Lani Lynn Vale. Her writing always draws me in so that I am fully immersed into her stories.” – 5 Star Review from KinkyGirlsBookObsessions
“It kept me on my toes and had some hot and steamy scenes in too. Loved it!” – 5 Star Review from Hellbenders Book Blog
Seriously!!! This series keeps getting better and better, so much so that it remains one of my all time favorites, and my absolute fav from Lani Lynn Vale.
Bowe we have met long ago at the beginning of the series and he has been a standing feature all throughout it, making small cameos where it’s been pointed out more than once by the previous heroines what a delicious catch he is with his smoking hot looks and his irresistible deep voice.
Angie we meet on the previous book, Controlled Burn, were she played the mysterious not-so-effective assistant to July on her renovation business. Her hinted personality there couldn’t have been more different than the one that is revealed to us in this book, and I was beyond pleasant surprise. She is a fighter in every way Bowe came across her there, and was forever captivated. From that moment on he pursued her relentless, since something told she was the one for him. She made him feel things he needs felt before, and he wasn’t ashamed to acknowledge them.
“It…you make me…I swear I feel things when I’m around you that are completely irrational. A paramedic should be able to put those feelings on hold, but I can’t. Something about you makes my heart beat faster.”
The problem was that Angie’s life was a complicated one. Besides an huge abandonment issue cause by her father, her personal past love was the thing nightmares were made of, and to top it of, impossible to shut down forever. So, it’s no wander that when Bowe showed interess she ran for the hills, and rejected every single one of his advances for months.
Bowe was NEARLY the perfect hero, and his sensible side and his lovable nature coupled with that sexy as hell package made it so, but I so wanted he hadn’t been detained by Angie’s pushing away – yes, she did it for far too much and too long, no doubt – and hadn’t giving up on pursuing her, and then the revelation and scene at 5%!!!! I wanted to scream!!! Really, If that scene/part wasn’t there I would have given the book the five stars it deserved, but that one page was enough for him to let me down ( smh at you Lani, you meanie! ) and take him some points down from the perfect man and best book boyfriend he could have conquered, because really he was up there with Tai, from Shock Advised – my LLV best book boyfriend and male main character perfection – , for all the rest of the book he was absolutely swoon worthy! If I could just let that one scene go… I really, really wish it wasn’t there. 🙁
Anyway, don’t let me in any way spoil your Bowe high, because believe that piece of hot deliciousness is going to make you sigh and swoon! He’s just THAT good!!! So much so that Angie tried with all her might resist, but really even she knew she couldn’t resist THAT forever!!! LOL
“If we do this,” I said, pressing a kiss to her lips. “I’m not leaving. I’m staying. Forever. You literally won’t be able to get rid of me. I’ll move in here permanently. Let my lease go. Set up shop. Seriously…I’m yours.”
Oh, and did I forget to mention his scorchingly HOT bedroom skills???!!! Honestly, be prepared because Lani come up with all the guns for this man! Bowe should probably come with a warning! It really is the quiet ones we need to look out for! WOW *cue fanning myself*
The man had fucking superpowers or something.
He’d gone from timid rabbit to voracious bear in three seconds flat, and I couldn’t find one single complaint about it.“They’re freakin’ beautiful, because they are a part of you.” He stared into my eyes. “The story behind them is ugly, but that’s a part of life. You have to sometimes go through ugly to get beautiful.”
Not only that, but his hidden sensibility and bit of fragility made him impossible not to love as Angie soon found out, but it was seeing him with her baby girl Elise, to whom he instantly gave a part of his heart, that really sealed the deal. How could she not? Big sexy men with babies, who can resist them?! Specially one so in touch with his feelings and emotions!
“I fucking love you. Every once in a while, I’m going to screw up. I’m going to piss you off and make you cry. I don’t mean to. I don’t want you to cry. But I will, because I’m a fucking human being. I’m not a machine. I have feelings.
Put Out really was a fantastic and unforgettable story, and Angie, Bowe and Elise made go through all the feels! Of course we also had the usual deliciously thrilling and enticing Lani Lynn Vale moments, filled with suspense, romance, humor and plenty of steam! It gets you hooked from the start and keeps you begging for more! Yes, as you know I’m that greedy and can’t wait to see what comes next – yes, I’m looking at you Fatbaby, come to mommy!!!
“Jesus, Bowe,” I gasped, my hands going up under his arms to clutch his strong shoulders. “What are you doing to me?” He pulled back and looked me dead in the eyes, the only light shining was the full moon from outside. But it was enough. It was enough to see everything in his eyes all at once.
“Loving you, Ang. Loving you.”I love you. I love you. I love you.
I can’t say it enough that I love you. I love you more and more every day. I miss you when you’re not there. I miss you when you’re in the other freakin’ room.
ARC kindly provided by the author via Enticing Book Journey Promotions in exchange for an honest review
I’m a married mother of three. My kids are all under 5, so I can assure you that they are a handful. I’ve been with my paramedic husband now for ten years, and we’ve produced three offspring that are nothing like us. I live in the greatest state in the world, Texas.
