Police, Pooch, and Smooch: A Single Dad, Police Officer Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 25) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  A Man Who Knows What He Wants Series

  Police, Pooch, & Smooch

  Sadie

  James

  Extended Epilogue – James

  Extended Epilogue – Sadie

  Fireman's Fake Fiancée

  POLICE, POOCH, & SMOOCH

  A SINGLE DAD, POLICE OFFICER ROMANCE

  _______________________

  A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS, 25

  FLORA FERRARI

  CONTENTS

  Copyright

  A Man Who Knows What He Wants Series

  Police, Pooch, & Smooch

  1. Sadie

  2. James

  3. Sadie

  4. James

  5. Sadie

  6. James

  7. Sadie

  8. Sadie

  9. James

  10. Sadie

  11. Sadie

  12. Sadie

  13. Sadie

  14. Sadie

  15. James

  16. Sadie

  17. Sadie

  18. James

  19. James

  20. James

  21. Sadie

  Epilogue. Sadie

  Epilogue. James

  Extended Epilogue – James

  Extended Epilogue – Sadie

  Fireman's Fake Fiancée

  COPYRIGHT

  Copyright © 2017 by Flora Ferrari.

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The following story contains mature themes, strong language and sexual situations. It is intended for mature readers.

  A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS

  Book 1: Baby Lust

  Book 2: Veteran

  Book 3: Built

  Book 4: Bambino

  Book 5: Rescued

  Book 6: Leader

  Book 7: Professor

  Book 8: Burned

  Book 9: Worldly

  Book 10: Pistol

  Book 11: Policed

  Book 12: Driven

  Book 13: Lucky 13

  Book 14: Lumberjacked

  Book 15: Protector

  Book 16: Carpenter

  Book 17: Italian Stallion

  Book 18: Gardener

  Book 19: Budapest Billionaire’s Virgin

  Book 20: Billionaire’s Babysitter

  Book 21: Cocky CFO

  Book 22: Fireman’s Filthy 4th

  Book 23: Mechanic

  Book 24: SEAL’s Secret

  Book 25: Police, Pooch, and Smooch

  Book 26: Fireman’s Fake Fiancée

  POLICE, POOCH, & SMOOCH

  Falling in love with the police officer next door was the last thing I ever expected…especially considering he was a single dad.

  Detective James “Smitty” Smith is the last person I expect to show up at my front door to adopt one of my puppies after I put up flyers around the neighborhood trying to find my pooches a good home.

  His too cute for words little son, “Smooch,” chooses a puppy, but little does James know I’ve made a choice of my own. Him.

  But how can I convince this dashing detective that I can be his perfect partner?

  *Police, Pooch, and Smooch is an insta-everything standalone romance with an HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger.

  CHAPTER 1

  Sadie

  “We’ll find you a good home. I promise.”

  I kneel down and take Max’s too cute for words face in my hands, scratching behind his big floppy ears with my fingers. He’s got his mouth open and his tongue hanging out to the side as he looks at me with those deep brown eyes of his that are so dark they’re almost black. He’s wagging his tail like he doesn’t have a care in the world. His expression tells me he’s completely oblivious to what he just did.

  Poor little guy. If he doesn’t turn around his destructive streak soon no one’s going to adopt him. I’d love to keep him for myself and watch him grown, but without a job and my dad breathing down my neck to find a home for the last puppy in the litter I’m left with little choice.

  I run my fingertips along his super soft yellow fur again. He’s so soft he’s actually fluffy. I just can’t resist his cuteness, and I pick him up and give him a little hug. He barks, but it’s more like a squeak.

  Thank god my dad’s not here right now. The barking’s been driving him crazy. He told me exactly thirty days ago that I have to find all the puppies homes in one month. Tomorrow’s the day.

  I spent the entire afternoon stapling more flyers to all the light poles in my neighborhood. I’m just praying someone will see one of them and come soon, but I also hope whoever does come is the right fit. This little guy’s a handful.

  I set Max down, and walk back into the living room. There are tissues everywhere, along with the stuffing from two couch cushions. Replacing those cushions isn’t going to come cheap. I do the math, thinking back to the last time he tore them up, and realize the cost is going to wipe out my savings. No savings, no job, and no home for Max. And worse yet, there are no prospects in sight for any of the three.

  What was I thinking pursuing a journalism degree? I had visions of traveling the world and uncovering breaking news. The only things that are breaking right now are my bank account and my heart.

  After graduation, my boyfriend took off for New York City. He said he needed to focus one hundred percent on his new career right now, and didn’t have time for any distractions. Distraction? I never realized that’s all I was to him, or should I say all that I wasn’t.

  I was even thinking I might be getting a ring soon, and the whole time he was just thinking we were a college fling. Now that he was in the “real world” it was time to move on. It hit me like a ton of bricks, and as much as I try and put on a happy face, I’m still heartbroken.

  I pick up the pieces of cotton, or whatever it is, from all corners of the room. What do they put in cushions these days, I wonder as I rub the stuffing between my thumb and forefinger. The texture is strange. This can’t be healthy.

  I continue making my way around the room, before checking under the couch.

  “What do we have here?” I say.

  “Oh no.” I pull the sole of a shoe out from underneath he couch. It’s a mangled mess and the size immediately tells me it’s my only pair of walking shoes.

  Could this day get any worse?

  Ding dong.

  I bury my face in my hands and take a big breath in and blow it out slowly, counting backwards from three.

  I get up and straighten my clothes as best I can. The material from the couch cushions has decided to cling to every inch of my black shirt. I look like an absolute wreck. I look up at the clock on the wall and know it’s going to be Nora, my best friend. She’s leaving for Ibiza in three days with her boyfriend Jack. I’m definitely happy for her, but listening to her enthusiasm is just going to remind me how are lives are going in completely opposite directions at the moment. I’ve got no Jack, and definitely no posh European holiday plans lined up. I’m
scraping together two pennies just to buy couch cushions.

  “Hey girl,” I say, as I open the door. “Ohhh.”

  Standing in front of me is the furthest thing from a girl. It’s well over six feet of pure man. He’s staring down at me with piercing blue eyes, as pristine as the blue waters I’ve seen in the pictures of Ibiza I saw online.

  His hair is a sandy blonde, perfectly complimenting his ocean blue eyes. I would say he looks like a surfer, but he seems more serious and professional, and he’s way too tall and muscular.

  He’s wearing a light blue V-neck, which accentuates his eyes even more. His shoulders are so wide. It’s easy to see why he was captain of the city football team in his earlier days. And as much as those days have long gone, he still looks no worse for the wear. The years have been more than kind to him. He’s aged like a fine wine, and the few wrinkles he does have tell the story of a man who’s living life to its fullest.

  But that’s the last thing he’s done over the course of the last year. I know it, and everyone in town knows it too.

  Ever since his wife was tragically killed in the line of duty, he’s boarded himself inside his house next door. He literally boarded himself in, if you count the ten-foot high wooden fence he erected outside, which runs the entire perimeter of his property.

  I heard he went off the deep end, but I haven’t seen him in so long that there was no way to really know for sure. I don’t think anyone’s seen him for a long time. The newspaper said he was being reassigned from the street to a desk job after the incident. He never patrolled anymore. He must have just buried himself behind a pile of work.

  I didn’t even see his car come or go anymore. My mom said she saw him leave really early a couple mornings when she woke up to get a glass of water. Five in the morning he was out and who knew what time he came back. It must have been well after dark when he managed to return undetected.

  My eyes wander down and I see he’s got two fingers extended, and his little son is grasping them with one hand. Oh my god. Seeing this man and his little boy is absolutely melting my heart.

  “I saw your sign.” His words cloak me, and I feel safe and protected, not concerned that he may be unpredictable and dangerous these days, as most people seem to want to think. It’s just that his voice is so deep, and so masculine, and so comforting. His tone may be deep, but his words are crystal clear, cutting right through the air. He has no accent, but for some reason I just picture steel toe boots striding across the desert plains. His tone and his five o’clock shadow tell me he’s rough and rugged, even though he’s dressed casually and he seems comforting.

  “About the puppy,” he says.

  “Puppy!” his little son says.

  I look at his little boy and can’t help but smile. His kid is absolutely adorable. I want to just pick him up and give him a hug.

  “I’m James. This is Simon, but everyone calls him Smooch.”

  I look back up at James. “I’m…Sadie,” I say in a hushed tone.

  Why is he introducing himself? It’s my first time seeing his son, but we’ve met before on a few occasions albeit briefly.

  His eyes narrow as his look pierces me. His eyes are so focused on mine. He’s so present, undistracted, so…perfectly attentive. Most guys I know can’t hold eye contact. He can’t seem to break it.

  “Pleasure to meet you, Sadie.”

  “My pleasure,” I say. “I mean the pleasure is all mine.”

  He’s throwing me off so bad I can barely even get the words out, let alone form a proper sentence.

  We stand in the doorway staring at each other. His expression is flat, giving away nothing. What is he thinking? What am I thinking? I’m supposed to be scared of this guy, but all I feel is safety.

  “Puppy!” Smooch yells, pointing back in towards the living room.

  I turn just in time to see Max bound across the carpet and leap through the air just as he arrives at Smooch, and that’s exactly what he give him…a big fat doggy tongue smooch right across his cheek.

  CHAPTER 2

  James

  “Down Max!” she says. “I’m so sorry.”

  She reaches for her dog, but I don’t take my eyes off her. I can’t. I can hear Smooch giggling uncontrollably, and in my peripheral I can see Max jumping up and down licking his face time and time again.

  There’s no better feeling in the world than to see my boy happy, and right now he’s on cloud nine.

  I watch as Sadie reaches for Max, but each time he jumps he comes down in a different position. It’s like she’s trying to catch a greased piglet. Not a chance. Max isn’t having it, and neither is Smooch.

  I feel his hand release from my fingers and he sticks out his arms and wraps them around Max. He’s hugging that dog like it’s his best friend in the world.

  “Is this one still looking for a home?”

  “He is,” she says, finally getting ahold of Max and getting him into a sitting position. Smooch reaches out and starts petting him on the head, as Max turns his head so he can lick his hand. “But I have to warn you, he’s a handful.”

  “Handful!” Smooch says as he grabs a handful of Max’s fur in his hand. “Soft.”

  “We’re a bit of a handful ourselves, so he should be a perfect fit.”

  “He just chewed up a couple couch cushions and ate a pair of my shoes,” she says. I like that she’s being honest about this dog’s temperament. Most people would just try and dump a potentially troublesome dog on someone else, but not her. She’s letting us know what we’re getting into right away. I can see she respects other people, and also Max. She must want him to have a home where the owners will be patient with him. That’s why she’s almost scaring us off from taking him, but I’m not deterred.

  “Sounds like he and Smooch will make the perfect terrible twosome,” I say.

  “Your son? He looks like the nicest boy.”

  “He has his moments, as we all do. He’s got a lot of energy, and it looks like Max here does too. I think they’ll make a perfect pair. If he’s still looking for a home, we’d be happy to welcome him into ours.”

  With Max under control, as much as he’s going to be, she looks back up at me with those brown eyes of hers. It’s hard to believe I haven’t seen her in an entire year. Then again I haven’t seen much of anyone this last year. It’s been tough.

  These days when I do see people, it’s often accompanied by stares and whispers. Everyone read the stories. They know. I don’t need their pity, and I especially don’t need them making things difficult on my boy, which is why he spends most of his time at his grandparents in the next town over.

  It’s tough waking him up so early to make the drive over there, but it’s better that way. At least for now. I’m still thinking about selling the house and starting over fresh, but not until Smooch is a little older. I don’t need to unsettle him anymore than he already is.

  “Are you sure?” she asks.

  “I am sure,” I say. I’m taking about the dog, but I realize I’m subconsciously telling myself that I sure can’t believe I let a whole year go by without seeing her. She was the nicest girl in the neighborhood. My wife and I loved her.

  But something’s changed about her. She went away for school a few years ago and she’s really different now. Wait. Most people I haven’t seen in a year, but it’s been much longer since I’ve seen her. I try and remember when she went away for college and do the quick math. Has it been five years? Maybe that’s why I introduced myself when she answered the doorbell. It’s like we’re meeting again for the first time.

  She seems more mature, more beautiful, more like a woman. She’s no longer that little girl who used to ride her pink bike with the training wheels down the sidewalk while her pigtails bounced every which way.

  Her hair is straighter now, and all that energy she had has been replaced by a certain calmness, a certain maturity.

  “Okay then,” she says. “I guess he’s all yours.”

  CHAPT
ER 3

  Sadie

  I told James that Max was “all yours” and he and Smooch left and took Max with him. That should have been the end of it, but now I can’t get that father and son dynamic duo out of my mind. James may have come over to choose a dog, but it seems like my subconscious is also choosing, and it’s choosing to think of nothing other than him.

  I never really looked at him that way before. I mean, he was always really nice and respected by everyone in the neighborhood, but he was married…and a lot older. He treated me with respect, even when I was a girl. He never talked down to me, and I really appreciated that.

  He’s known around town as a hardened detective, but he really showed his soft side today. He offered to give me some money for Max, but when I refused he insisted. He said he wasn’t buying Max and that he would never try and do that. He just wanted to help out with the cost of his food and shots since he was born.