Key West Wild (The Florida Keys Series) by Cyndi Raye

bottom, a long leopard looking creature clung to the moving material.
    Scarlett! She must have crawled out of her tank! How did she get out here so fast!
    Josh raised himself up, drying dripping water off of warmed, relaxed muscles and then slung the towel around his neck. He had to get to Scarlett before Sara realized what was happening. Josh raced up the path and almost made it through the French doors when he heard a loud screech. He ran through the kitchen, his feet flying across the hardwood floor and found Sara at the front door, holding part of a tail in one hand. The other covered her mouth.
    “I wanted to tell you about Scarlett.” He looked around, afraid she killed Sophie’s pet. What was he going to do now? She pulled the poor creature apart with her bare hands. He glanced over the floor but didn’t see the gecko. “Where is she?” he asked. He reached out to retrieve the tail from Sara’s hand, which was dangling from her finger tips.
    “It was on my robe and I reached down when I saw something hanging on the bottom,” she tried to explain, her voice shaking. “It moved when I tried to push the thing off. I had a hold of its tail and the thing twisted and jumped and here I am, left holding that thing!”
    “That’s Scarlet. I’m pet sitting my sister’s gecko.”
    She shuddered. “I’m sorry, but it may be dead and no longer has a tail. I don’t know where it ran off to.”
    “She’ll kill me.” He got down on his hands and knees, looking around under the furniture, clicking his tongue as if the silly thing would hear him. He held the tail in his hand, moving it back and forth as if the creature would come out and claim its body part. Josh knew how much his sister loved the stupid lizard.
    Sara dropped to her knees and began to search. He stopped for a moment, gazing at her, amazed at how she jumped right in. Then he saw the monster, hiding under the arm of a chair. He grabbed her before she moved again. “Got it!” Scarlett looked at him with bulging eyes and he pet the top of her head. “I don’t believe I’m doing this,” he grumbled.
    “She doesn’t seem to be any worse for her tail missing,” Josh told Sara. “Can we re-attach it?”
    “A tail? I don’t know. Do you have some first aid tape.”
    Josh laughed. “I doubt this lizard would keep it attached. I’ll call the vet, see if I need to take her in. My sister will not be happy with me over this.”
    “Don’t worry, we’ll get a new one if we have to,” Sara reassured him. “For now, bring the tank to the kitchen. I think we should put that tape to good use.”
    It didn’t take long for Sara to tighten the lid with silver duct tape she found under the cabinet. The prior owner left a little tool box with everything needed to do some quick fixes, including a hammer, nails and even three different kinds of tape.
    “I just talked to the vet. You’re not gonna believe this,” Josh told her.
    “What is it?”
    He smirked. “According to the vet, a gecko’s tail comes off when they sense danger. Because the tail is the first thing a predator grabs, its bones are fragile and come apart.”
    Sara seemed surprised. “So basically, the lizard gave me her tail?”
    He nodded. “The good thing from this whole situation is the tail grows back. Can you believe it?”
    She flung her head back and laughed and all Josh wanted to do was bury his mouth in her neck. He could see the tiny pulse beating as he stared at her creamy flesh.
    “Josh?”
    He shook himself. She kept taking him by surprise. Every move made him want her more. He inhaled, then let it out slow, knowing it wasn’t the right time. A few guests were mingling in the front parlor.
    “Guess it’s time to host our guests,” Josh told her. “Although I’m not even sure I know what to do.”
    She put her hand up. “I do, just follow along. According to the former owner, meet and greet is between three and five. It’s almost like happy hour. We just have to