Zane

zane the bad boys of saddle creek book one Kat Baxter contents Zane Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Epilogue 2nd Epilogue Thank you for reading! Excerpt from Lone Star Best Friend About the author zane A Friends With Benefits/Curvy Girl Romance Emmy I am a walking nerdy girl cliche. Smart? Check! On the spectrum? Check! Awkward? Check! Virgin? Check! The only nerdy-girl box I don’t check is “friendless.” That’s because I have the coolest best friend ever—Zane. Everyone in town thinks Zane is just a hot, bad boy inkslinger, but I know better. With me, he’s kind, sensitive and thoughtful. I know he doesn’t see me as anything more than a friend, but when I decide it’s time to lose my virginity so I can finally date and find love, he’s the only man I can imagine asking for help. Zane Emmy thinks we’re just friends, but I know better. I’ve been in love with her for damn near half my life. Until now, I could be satisfied being just her best friend. But now that I know she’s ready for a physical relationship with a man, all bets are off. She wants help losing her virginity so she‘ll be comfortable dating some super geek she works with? Fine. I will take her V-card, but I plan on ruining her for other men. Zane Kat Baxter Copyright 2023 by Kat Baxter This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the author or publisher, except where permitted by law. Edited by: Emily Beierle-McKaskle Copyeditor: BookReadingJenn Book cover: Cormar Covers With regard to digital publication, be advised that any alteration of font size or spacing by the reader could change the author’s original format. Created with Vellum chapter one Emmaline Once a week, I have lunch with the most handsome man in town. I’m sure that seems like an exaggeration, since I’m an awkward, weirdo, nerdy girl who makes everyone uncomfortable. But it’s the honest truth. I’m not even talking about eating lunch at home with my cat, who is admittedly a very handsome boy. I eat most of my meals at home alone, with Miles Standoffish, said cat, or with Miles and my sister, Lily. Generally speaking, I don’t like eating in public; I never seem to get the eating to talking ratio right. I never know when it’s the right time to talk and when it’s the right time to listen. And that’s true even when there isn’t food involved. Besides, other people’s mouths are gross and I don’t like hearing people chew. Which, I know, seems more about other people eating, but it still makes me uncomfortable. Because what if other people feel that way about me and my mouth? And don’t even get me started with the noises in restaurants. My point is, generally speaking, it’s better for me to just eat at home with Miles. But once a week, I make an exception and eat lunch with my best friend, Zane, who just happens to also be the most handsome man in town. Today, we’re at the diner, which is where we normally eat. I’m watching him from across the table while he tells me a story about the most recent tattoo he gave to one of the old ladies in the town’s “blue-haired group.” They’re a collection of relatively hip old grannies who meddle in plenty of the lives in this town. When I say “relatively hip” I really mean, way cooler than I am, but also much older. Thankfully, they mostly leave me alone. They probably think I’m a lost cause. Or they simply don’t know what to do with me. Either way, I’m always grateful when people don’t notice me. Zane’s blue eyes flare as he gets to the climax of the story. “A scorpion. Can you believe that?” I laugh until I snort trying to imagine Mrs. Hollis with a scorpion marring her weathered skin. “It’s pretty badass looking, too.” “If you did it, that’s not surprising. All your ink is amazing.” His lips quirk up in a lopsided grin. The brow with the tiny ring in it slides up. “Thanks, Starfish. You’re good for my ego.” With him looking at me like that, it makes me completely understand why women always go bonkers over him. He’s a perfect specimen of male attractiveness. I don’t say that just because he’s my best friend. It’s an objective fact. He has sculpted muscles without looking like he took drugs to get them. He has an easy, genuine grin that hints at dimples. Dimples you can’t exactly see because he always has a perfect amount of scruff to hide them. The same dark shade as the hair on his head. The hair he keeps just this side of long, a bit too long to be considered tidy, but not long enough that he rocks a man bun. Combined with how bright and vivid his blue eyes are, he’s shockingly handsome. But I’ve known from the moment Zane and I first became friends that I was destined to be that and nothing more. So, while I can objectively see that he is hot, as my twin sister, Lily, would say, I don’t look at him that way. The truth is, I don’t look at any man that way. It’s just not something I’m comfortable thinking about. But especially not Zane. I couldn’t. Else I’d be setting myself up for a