No Attachments

By

Tiffany King

www.authortiffanyjking.blogspot.com

Cover created by Sarah Hansen at
Okay Creations

Edited by Hollie Westring

All rights reserved. Published by A.T. Publishing LLC

Copyright © 2013 by Tiffany King

License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity
to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.

First, I have to thank the three girls in my life that make my job easier by a million. Hollie Westring, for being the best damn editor/friend a writer could ask for. Without you, my books would be a mess. I'm forever thankful that you took a chance on an unknown indie author. Sarah Hansen, for always giving me covers that make me swoon and most times even a little teary eyed. Your diligence to detail and an eye for beauty make you the best cover artist ever. Thank you for putting up with not only me, but Karl as well, despite the times you want to hit him in the face. Kelly Simmon, for believing in me and showing me that patience is indeed a virtue.

No acknowledgments page would be complete without thanking my Pack. They know who they are. Without you guys my life wouldn't be quite as bright and not nearly as entertaining. Your support and friendships make me a better person. I love all of you with all my heart.

To my amazing author friends, Carol Kunz, Heather Self, Sarah Ross, Tara Sivec, J. Sterling, Megan Duncan, Melissa Brown, Charles Sheehan-Miles, Ashley Wilcox,
Airicka  Phoenix, Tammara Rose Blodgett, Chelsea Fine, Lisette Brodey, Fisher Amelie, Raine Thomas and Heather Hildenbrand for making me feel like I'm a part of something important. Your support and love make me feel like the luckiest girl ever. Thank you for taking the time to read my books and for always helping me spread the word.

To all my Facebook and Twitter friends.
All of you amaze me each and every day. Your unwavering support and friendship truly takes my breath away. I heart each and every one of you hard <3

To those that are the most important to me, my joy, my love, my family.
My son Ryan, for always being able to make me laugh and for having a kind heart that makes me so very proud. My Ash, for sharing my love of reading and for proving that moms and daughters can be friends despite those dreaded teenage years. My loving hubby that makes all of this possible, for not wringing my neck when I get irrational, for always putting my wants ahead of your own. You give me the only love story I will ever need each and every day. Not a day goes by that I'm not thankful to have you by my side.

Finally, to my readers.
Without all of you none of this craziness would work. Thank you so much for taking the time to read the words I write. Your love and support allow me to be able to do what I love the most; write the stories that live in my soul.

Ashton

"Come on, go," my friend, Tressa said, trying to push me out of my chair. "What good is a bucket list if you're too chicken to do any of it?"

"
Zip it," I said out of the corner of my mouth as I apprehensively eyed the situation in front of me. It seemed like a good idea on paper, but actually committing to it suddenly made me nauseous. I took a long pull from my beer, hoping that would help calm my nerves. "God, that's disgusting." I grimaced as the foul liquid poured down my throat. "I don't know how people drink this crap," I complained, slamming the bottle back down on the table a little harder than I should have.

"You're stalling, Ash. Besides, this was your idea. Pick up a
random stranger and bang his socks off," Tressa quipped. "You need to seize the opportunity before someone else does, otherwise you'll be SOL, and your only choice will be Old Man Jones over there," she added, making our friend Brittni snort loudly.

"Shush
," I said, elbowing her in the gut. Tressa had one volume level—loud. Her words traveled from our table to the many other patrons throughout the only bar in this sleepy little town. Joe's was the hotspot here in Woodfalls, and Friday was your only good chance to meet someone if you were single and on the prowl because Saturday was family karaoke night.

"Ow, bitch," Tressa said, rubbing her stomach.
"It's not like the grumpy old fart can hear us anyway," she said loudly in his direction.

"
Gahhhh, shush, Tressa. He's going to hear you," I said, sliding back down in my seat.

"
Chillax, drama queen. He doesn't even have his hearing aid in. Watch," she said, shooting me a mischievous grin. "Hey, Mr. Jones, I really want to blow you," she said loudly.

She managed to get the attention of about a dozen guys with that one, including Mr. Jones, who whirled around, studying
us with his beady black eyes. His grey bushy eyebrows came together in a unibrow that looked like a giant caterpillar on his forehead.

Brittni snorted again as she shook with
laughter. I squirmed uncomfortably on the hard wooden bench, fighting the urge to point at Tressa like we were in kindergarten and had gotten busted for throwing spitballs or something.

Tressa returned his stare head-on
, smiling sardonically until he turned back around.

"
Sheesh, girl, you're lucky he didn't take you up your offer," I said, stifling my own laughter.

"Hey, you never know what he's sportin' in those dusty old overalls."
Tressa winked.

"Gross," I shrieked.

Tressa just shrugged, unconcerned. I couldn't help admiring her self-assuredness. She didn't care what people thought about her. She was loud and seriously inappropriate, but hilarious as hell, despite the tight leash her boyfriend tried to keep her on. We'd only been friends for four months, but I had grown quite fond of her in the short period of time. Both she and Brittni had welcomed me into their friendship circle without a second thought. They acted like I belonged. Not because they felt sorry for me or pitied me like everyone else had done for so many years, but because they genuinely seemed to like me. Brittni wasn't as flamboyant or inappropriate as Tressa, but she had a wickedly dry sense of humor that kept people on their toes. And then there was me. I wasn't completely sure what I brought to the group, but that's why I was here. Somewhere over the last five years, I'd forgotten who I really was.

"Alright, time to stop stalling. G
et off your ass and pick up that tall, dark, he-can-have-my-panties-any-day seximist," Tressa said pointedly, looking at the stranger we'd been eyeing for the last fifteen minutes.

"
Maybe I should do something else on my list," I said, pulling a rumpled slip of paper out of my bag while desperately trying to ignore the butterflies that had suddenly decided to hang out in my stomach. I gently smoothed out the creases as I contemplated the items scrawled on the paper.

"
You're kidding, right? This town has a population of like negative ten, and he's the hottest thing to walk in here in forever. When are you going to have the opportunity to have one night of hot wild sex with a stranger like that again?"

"
That's my point. Don't you find it a little weird that we don't know this guy? This town is pretty much off the beaten path. He could be some mass murder. How do you know he wouldn't put my head in his freezer or something?"

"
Sweetheart, after a night with him, you'll want a freezer to cool you off," Tressa said, eyeing him with open admiration. "Besides, if you don't make your move, I'm totally claiming him," she added, adjusting her shirt so the tops of her ample breasts peaked out from the thin camisole she was wearing under her button-up see-through shirt.

"
So, you wouldn't mind that you don't know him and that he could very well chop up your body into a million pieces? Not to mention what Jackson would say if he found out," I said, reminding her of her boyfriend.

"
Wow, seriously, chill, Ash. She's just trying to give you a spark. Besides, you were a stranger here once too, and you didn't show your true crazy for a couple days," Brittni teased. "Now get up there and sex that possible serial killer up."

"Y
ou two are a riot," I said, choking down the last of my beer that tasted like elephant piss, or at least what I would assume elephant pee would taste like. "Alright, wish me luck," I added, finally sliding out of the booth. "If he chops me up into little pieces, neither of you get those boots of mine you want so bad," I threatened. I made my way up to the counter where the object of our interest was perched. Considering my shaky legs, I wasn't exactly as subtle as a prowling jungle cat. Tressa was right. Finding a perfect candidate for a one-night stand was slim to none in a town the size of Woodfalls. Strangers were far and few between. Couple that with the fact that he was drop-dead gorgeous and his sudden appearance was like a gift from god. Not that good-looking was a prerequisite. The only requirement I had set was that he know nothing about me or my past. I wanted one night where someone wanted me for me, not because they felt sorry for me.

"
Hey, Joe, can I get a shot?" I asked, sliding onto the barstool next to the tall-dark-panty-dropping-worthy hunk.

"
Sure thing, Ashton. How'd you like your beer?" Joe asked, drying a small shot glass with a cotton towel he had tucked into his apron.

"
It tasted like pee," I confessed.

Joe threw his head back as a loud roar of laugh
ter erupted out of him. "Drink a lot of pee, do you?" he asked.