STORY EXCERPT

“Holy moly.” Vivian’s softly spoken words rang with sheer female appreciation as two firefighters cuddling Lesley’s cats came toward them. “Girl, I think we’ve just found all the inspiration you need for your next book and it’s going to shoot straight to number one on the bestseller’s list.”

Lesley’s attention zeroed in on the taller one holding Isis and walking a few steps ahead of the one carrying Boo. All her girly parts went haywire as her gaze locked with the firefighter’s truly potent grayish-green eyes. Thick, dark brown eyebrows gave her a clue that she would likely find short dark brown hair beneath his fire helmet. Some kind of breathing mask dangled from a strap in front of his ear and brushed against the strong line of his deliciously looking masculine jaw. Lines etched his handsomely tanned face around and beneath his eyes and the corners of his mouth. She bet those lines deepened when he smiled. Too bad for her he wasn’t smiling now. If anything, he looked thoroughly pissed. Surely, not at her.

She pulled her focus from his face and let it slide down his body. Holy moly was right! Even in the bulky firefighter uniform, the man had her blood turning to a flaming flow of wicked need. Powerful legs brought his narrow hips and broad shoulders closer and closer. Her creative mind instantly kicked into high imaginative gear as she mentally peeled off the heavy coat he wore to reveal what she could easily guess had to be one fine exhibit of corrugated abs and a chest so hard it would make her head spin. Hell, her head was already spinning and the only part of his bare flesh she could see was his face.

“Here’s your cat.” His voice was hoarse, rusty, and sent tremors down her spine.

Lesley licked her lips, her mind tripping and stumbling as she struggled to come up with something to say to him. She was normally pretty good with opening lines, but damned if she could scrape two coherent thoughts together at the moment.

“Thank you so much, firefighter…”

Lesley blinked as Vivian said the words she should’ve, leaving the last hanging for Mr. Too-Hot-For-Turnouts to fill in the blank with his name.

“It’s lieutenant.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw as he stared at Lesley with an animal awareness that was very primitive and alluring. It was clear he was attracted to her. She could feel the stark intensity of his gaze. Was that what was making him seem as if he were angry?

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” Lesley managed to find her voice and even a smile as her gaze dropped to Isis. A breathless half-laugh escaped her. “She likes you. I’ve never seen her so content in anyone’s arms. Not even mine.”

“She’s probably never had a brush with death either. That’ll make anything cling to whatever is close.” He’d splayed a large, gloved hand on Isis’s back and Lesley wondered if he realized he was petting the cat, offering the cat even more comfort than merely being encased in his arms.

A silly wave of acute jealousy washed through Lesley. Why did her cat get to be embraced by no doubt the strongest pair of arms Lesley had only gotten to write about in her life?

Because Isis was lucky enough to get stuck in a burning building while you were out having coffee.

It was a ludicrous thought, but it sure didn’t help to tamp down her envy one iota.

“There’s a vet about four streets over. You might want to take both of these girls and have them checked for smoke inhalation.”

Lesley slid her gaze from Lieutenant Too-Hot-For-Turnouts at the sound of the new very male, very sexy voice, and felt her appetite for coffee return with a vengeance. Christ on a pogo stick! Firefighter number two had eyes the color of coffee with a splash of cream and a rich voice to go along with them. He’d pulled off his helmet, giving her a perfect view of wavy brown hair that was longer on the top than the sides and sexily tousled. High cheekbones, a perfect nose, and way-too-kissable lips gave him a cover model look despite the streaks of grime or soot or whatever he’d smeared over his tanned flesh.

“I assumed by their names that they’re both girls.”

Lesley blinked. “Yes. They are.” Relief collided with the yearning in her system when her voice came out steady and normal rather than trembling and breathy, which was exactly how she felt.

“I’m Blaine Ellis, firefighter with Rescue Squad 16.” He jerked his head toward the lieutenant. “Lieutenant snarly’s name is Ryder Cox. He’s also with Rescue Squad.”

“I’m Lesley Davenport and this my friend, Vivian Hall.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Lesley’s heart kicked into double-time as his hands moved back to the waistband of his pants and he pushed them, along with what looked like a pair of black briefs, down his powerful legs. He shifted his weight from foot to foot as he pulled off his boots and kicked the jeans and briefs from his feet before he straightened and stood tall and confidently in front of her.

“Now you can see everything.”

The combination of his hoarse voice and the sight of him completely naked sent every thought in her head scrambling. The only thing she could manage to say was, “Wow,” as she let her gaze follow that happy trail she’d been admiring until it met with the thick patch of pubic hair on his groin. His cock was huge and hard and standing between them like a come-get-me exclamation point. She started to reach for it to do just that when his long fingers closed around her tiny wrist.

“Uh-uh, sugar. You touch my dick right now and I’m liable to embarrass myself. It’s been a long time since I’ve had sex.”

Since Marsha had left him. Yes, she remembered. She lowered her hand to her side, anticipation making her shiver as he reached for her again. He didn’t waste a second in getting her shorts and panties off. She helped by kicking off her shoes. Then they stood there face-to-face, both of them naked and breathing hard.

A little less confident about her own body than he was about his, Lesley felt her cheeks heat.

He must have noticed because he lifted a hand to her cheek, the first sign of real amusement she’d seen in him dancing with the heat in his eyes. “Why are you blushing?”

“Because you’re looking at me that way again.” It was more disconcerting and arousing than it had been the other times he’d looked at her this way, though. The amusement hadn’t been there before. The heat had been, but it was headier now, more overwhelming and consuming. It was thickening the air between them, making it harder to breathe, and turning the fire he’d already ignited with his touch to an inferno of blazing need.

“You mean the fireman’s carry thing you said before?” He shook his head as he pulled her against him. “We’re not going to make it to a bed this time. Right here will have to do.”

Lesley had absolutely no argument for that. Especially when his lips touched hers again, his tongue laying claim to hers as his hands roamed her naked flesh. One hand dropped to mold the cheek of her ass while the other pushed between their lower bodies, turning to cover her snatch.

Lesley moaned into his mouth, taking the hint to spread her legs wider when he inched his large hand between them. A single wide finger pushed between her sodden folds, the pad grazing over her engorged clit before flattening over her flaming entrance. She wiggled her hips, giving him a silent hint that she wanted that finger inside her, and heard him chuckle even as he continued to make love to her mouth with his tongue.

He blessedly gave her what she wanted, his hand on her ass gripping her cheek more firmly as he eased the long, thick digit inside her aching pussy. The dense muscles of his bicep flexed under her hand as he pumped the finger slowly in and out of her drenched hole. She rocked her hips, meeting his finger thrust for thrust, and feeling the pressure build in her womb. The heel of his hand flattened on her clit and rotated as he added a second finger side-by-side to the one in her pussy and drove her straight to near madness.

“Come for me,” he growled as he licked his way out of her mouth to nip her jaw. “Let me feel you come apart in my arms, Lesley.”

She couldn’t have denied his request if she’d tried. His fingers picked up tempo, the heel of his hand matching the rhythm, working her pussy and clit until the orgasm building inside her grew claws. Her pussy lips contracted, sucking his fingers deeper as the release took over every muscle in her body. She came, loud moans and unintelligible words escaping her lips as the pleasure spilled from her, coating his fingers and leaving her trembling in his embrace.

Her breath ragged and mind lost in an erotic world of his creation, she slowly opened eyes she hadn’t realized she’d closed to find him staring down at her. He held her gaze as he eased his fingers from her pussy and brought them to his mouth to clean her juices from them with his lips and tongue.

“Damn, you taste delicious.” His voice was hoarser and rustier than ever and his arousal had caused the gray to overtake the green in his eyes. “I’ll want more of that sometime, but right now, I need to be inside you.”