Too Hot

Too Hot

Lauren Fraser When it comes to her career, Josie Sharp sees things with perfect clarity, but her love life? Well, that’s completely out of focus. Coming off a rough breakup, she’s insecure and hesitant about men, especially ones as sexy as firefighter Marco Patelli. Although she may be wary of his intentions, she’d have to be a fool to pass up the chance to be with a man like him. And foolishness is not in her genes. Josie is nothing like the women Marco normally goes for, but something about the shy photographer’s vulnerability calls to his dominant side. As he helps Josie explore her sexuality, Marco realizes there is so much more to Josie than meets the eye. But when lies and insecurities collide, Marco is going to have to fight to prove to Josie that what they have goes so much deeper than sex.

Ellora’s Cave Publishing

www.ellorascave.com

Too Hot ISBN 9781419935695 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Too Hot Copyright © 2011 Lauren Fraser Edited by Grace Bradley Cover art by Syneca Photos by Ramzi Hachicho, Michael Macsuga, CURAphotography and Aleksandr Petrunovsky, from Shutterstock.com. Electronic book publication August 2011 The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. The publisher and author(s) acknowledge the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned in this book. The publisher does not have any control over, and does not assume any responsibility for, author or third-party Web sites or their content.

TOO HOT Lauren Fraser

Dedication To my family, thanks for all your support.

Lauren Fraser

Chapter One Some days she really hated her job. Today was not one of those days. Josie Sharp watched the men making their way into the abandoned warehouse and shivered in anticipation. Taking the photos for the firefighter fundraising calendar was like a dream come true. This was the biggest shoot of her career and nailing this job would finally put her on the map. She couldn’t screw this up. She’d been offered the job because of her family connections and there was no way she was going to make anyone regret their choice. She took a deep breath and silently chanted her mantra. You can do this. You have talent and a good eye. By the fifth runthrough she felt as if maybe she was starting to believe herself. Time to get to work. She pulled a clip out of her bag and grabbed a handful of her long, red hair and pinned it up. Being around all these gorgeous men, she’d be nervously fiddling with it all day if she didn’t get her hair out of the way. Not quite the look she was going for but it would have to do. She rubbed her damp palms on her jeans and scanned the interior of the building. Throughout the old warehouse she’d created several makeshift scenes. She glanced at the fake fire hydrant prop she had set up. She could picture muscles bulging as a fireman screwed on the hose. It would look amazing on film. A large, red fire engine sat outside the building to be used for various shots. Fire hoses lay coiled in the corner to be pulled out for use, several axes rested against the wall, and she had a bucket of soot to dirty the guys up. She was all set. She glanced over at the twelve men. Some watched her with arrogant mockery while others acted as if this were the last place they wanted to be. She eyed one guy already blushing to the roots of his ginger hair. He glanced at his watch and cringed. 6

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Poor guy looked like this day couldn’t end soon enough for him. Thank god she wasn’t the only one battling a case of nerves today. A shy model she could work with. She looked forward to the challenge of making them all enjoy getting their pictures taken so she could get some fabulous shots. She took a deep breath and strolled over to the group. Thankfully she knew a few of the guys already through her uncle. She grinned at her uncle and two of his firefighters, James and Scott, as she walked up to the group. She knew there were a couple of others from his station, but she’d never met them before since they’d transferred over from other firehouses recently. Seeing the familiar faces eased some of her nerves about the job, making things a little easier. She had no doubt a couple of the guys would ham it up for the camera. Her gaze landed on an unfamiliar face. And holy crap what a face it was. Dark hair framed chocolate-brown eyes. Mmm. His olive complexion highlighted a chiseled jaw and the most sensuous lips she’d ever seen. No wonder the Greeks and Romans had so many carvings of the male form. This guy looked like some kind of Mediterranean sex god. Not good. She hadn’t even started photographing people yet and already this man had turned her brain to mush. She took a deep breath and forced herself to look away from Mr. Sexy. When she saw her uncle hovering in the background, the lust zipping around her body was immediately extinguished. Well that would sure make it easier to work around sexy men. Having ol’ Hawkeye standing guard would keep her libido in check. She grinned at him. Under the guise of doing his job as captain, he’d hang around all day to “supervise”, while in reality he stayed to offer her moral support. He flashed her a little chin-up sign and she grimaced. Guess she wasn’t doing such a great job of looking as confident as she’d hoped. Pasting on a smile, she dug deep, praying for a little bravado to shine through. “Hi, guys, thanks for getting here so early. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Josie, 7

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and I’m the lucky lady who gets to take your pictures today.” She smiled at the men. “So, what I’d like to do is start off with a couple of group shots this morning, so umm…we’ll maybe start with all of you geared up with your jackets and helmets then we’ll kind of work back from there.” “You going to heat things up a little in here for us, Josie?” James joked and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. She rolled her eyes. Typical James, all talk. If she ever actually took him up on his joking he’d probably swallow his tongue trying to backtrack. “I don’t think you need any help from me, James,” she told the buff blond. He grinned. “All right, guys, so suit up and let’s get going.” Josie looked around the group, mentally deciding how to pose each model. Her eyes were drawn to the sexy Mediterranean. Mmm, mmm, mmm, now that’s what people paid to see when they bought a calendar of firefighters. A slow, sexy smile spread across his face as he looked back at her. She shivered beneath his stare. If she could capture that look on film that guy alone would sell every calendar printed. The guy beside him nudged him and their connection was broken. Josie laughed. Here she was a big puddle of hormones and he probably didn’t even realize. Who was she kidding? Guys who looked like him were used to women swooning at their feet as they melted into those deep, chocolate eyes. He probably looked at every woman that way. Hell, that was probably his normal look and he hadn’t even turned the heat on yet and she was a big pile of goo. Two years and thirty pounds ago, she would have known he was interested and reeled him in. But not now. She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder. When she glanced up, her sexy Mediterranean fireman and two of his friends had come over. “Do you need any help?” Mr. Sexy asked.

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She stared back at him, her mouth gaping. Wow, that voice should be illegal. She was such a sucker for that gravelly timbre. How many hours had she watched Sam Elliot movies over the years just to hear him talk? And now standing in front of her was a man that made Sam Elliot’s voice sound like crap. At her blatant stare, he winked, his sensual mouth curled up in a panty-searing grin. “So did you need help?” “Umm…yeah, sure.” Desperate to gain some composure, she scanned the room. Her gaze landed on her uncle. And she was back, lust gone. “Can one of you grab that screen over there?” She pointed to the screen she needed to control the glare for her shots. With the sun coming up she was counting on it creating a fantastic shadow but if the angle was wrong she could fix it with her equipment and create the look she was going for. Mr. Sexy nodded to the other two guys to go grab the screen. “Anything else?” His eyes lingered on her face, his nostrils flared as he scanned her body. And it’s back. Lust zinged through her. Man, she needed to get more sleep because she seriously thought he looked interested. Get a grip, Sharp. Heat raced across her breasts and up her face, making her painfully aware she was blushing. She laughed to herself. Real cool. “What’s so funny?” he asked. His white teeth peeked through when he smiled. Geez, even his teeth were perfect. How was it possible for one person to be so well put together? Tamping down her physical reaction to him, she shook her head. “Nothing, just my warped sense of humor. If you want to grab that bag there then I can get the rest.” “Sure thing.” He picked up the heavy bag and slung it over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing. And man if she didn’t sigh just a little at the display. Yep, she definitely needed to get more sleep. Desperate to gain control of her hormones and put things back on normal ground, she asked, “So what station do you work out of?” 9

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“The sixth.” “Sixth? Really? I’ve never seen you there.” And lord knows she would have remembered. He grinned. “I just transferred from downtown at the beginning of the month.” The other two men fell in line with them as they walked outside for the first part of the shoot. The man beside Mr. Sexy slapped him on the shoulder. “Yep, our boy moved on to greener pastures.” He rolled his eyes. “You save some bigwig and suddenly the powers that be think you should be promoted,” the guy joked. Everyone knew it took more than that to be promoted. Mr. Sexy must be one hell of a fireman. She glanced back at him and he shrugged as if the promotion was no big deal. Damn, gorgeous and modest. Oh hell yeah, she’d be fantasizing about him later tonight with her favorite toy. His eyes darkened as his gaze ran across her body. Her breath hitched and it was all she could do not to clamp her legs together to ease the ache. He was looking at her as if he knew exactly what she was thinking and wanted to watch. “So what’s the game plan for the group shot?” the blond on her right asked, pulling her attention from the sex god. She flicked a glance at him. God, these men were fantastic. They were going to photograph like a dream. She itched to get her camera in her hands and start taking some shots. This was the part of her job she loved, finding just the right angle and lighting that would take a decent picture and make it utterly amazing. She’d spent the entire weekend thinking about this shoot. When she’d walked in this morning, she’d had all kinds of ideas, but now that she was looking at the group of muscular men with the sun rising in the background, that plan went out the window. “Change of plans, guys,” she called out. “Lose the jackets and line up facing the sun with your backs to me.”

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She needed to hurry or she would lose this amazing light. “Hurry please,” she yelled. The men lined up in a row, their muscular backs displayed, some with tattoos, some bare. All absolutely fabulous. She looked through the viewfinder and grinned as she started rapidly taking shots. Perfection. “That’ll do it for the group shot, guys.” Twelve men spun around, mouths in various gaping displays of amazement. “Seriously?” the guy on the end voiced. “Yep, I got what I need for the group shot and it is fabulous.” She looked around at the men. “So who’s up first for their solo run? James, you want to go and show them how it’s done?” She grabbed his arm as she spoke. James grinned. “I knew you were anxious to get your hands on me, Josie,” he joked. “Gunderson, knock it off,” Josie’s Uncle Jack told the younger man. She looked at her uncle and smiled. Jack Sharp had practically raised her after her dad left when she was ten. He’d used his power and influence at the station to help land her this job, but man, it was going to be a long day if he was going to get in the way every time a guy pretended to hit on her. She’d been around enough firemen over the years to know that telling them they couldn’t do something just made them want to do it that much more. Which meant the more her uncle told them to stop flirting with her, the more they’d do it. A smirk kicked up the corners of James’ mouth. “So, Josie, where do you want me?” He widened his stance, putting his body on full display while he pretended to leer at her. The mischievous twinkle in his eyes kind of ruined the effect and she snickered in amusement. Uncle Jack snarled, making every other man in the building burst out laughing. Josie sighed and walked over to her uncle. “Uncle Jack, seriously, you need to lighten up a little. Better yet, take off and I’ll call you when we’re done.”

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He watched her with that protective papa-bear look of his and shook his head. “Not happening, kiddo.” She rolled her eyes. “Fine then, can you at least watch from a distance and keep the commentary to a minimum? I’m a big girl. I can handle these guys, so let me just do my job, please.” “Okay, I’ll try to shut up. But if any of these yahoos hit on you, they’ll answer to me.” Josie couldn’t help the snort that slipped out of her. “I don’t think you need to worry,” she said and patted him on the shoulder. God bless him, somehow her uncle looked at her and seemed to see the woman she wished she was rather than the one she saw every day when she looked in the mirror. Being around all these buff men made her painfully aware of the extra weight she was still packing. Two years ago, she’d barely been a size two. Thirty pounds later, she hardly recognized herself when she looked in the mirror most mornings. She cursed her ex-boyfriend. Putting on the weight was bad enough, but being made to feel disgusting because of it had destroyed her selfconfidence when it came to men. The very idea of allowing a man to see her naked made her cringe. Not that it mattered. She couldn’t remember the last time a man wanted to see her naked anyway. She adjusted the edge of her sweater to make sure it was hanging properly then picked up her to-do list. “All right, James, let’s get you on the ladder. I need you about halfway up.” She eyed the ladder leaning against the building and the open warehouse window. That was going to work perfectly. Josie looked at the other men. “The rest of you can watch TV or just kick it until I’m ready.” She turned back to James who was still standing in the same spot. She clapped her hands. “Up you go, James. Let’s get ’er done.”

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He shook his head. “You know, Jos, I kind of liked you better when you were all shy and sweet, bringing your uncle cookies. Gotta say, not a fan of this new, bossy you.” She swatted at him. He laughed and jumped out of reach and started up the ladder. “Well, get used to it,” she told him. Josie grabbed her camera, the weight comfortable in her palm. She relaxed her shoulders and let the calm she always felt when she was taking pictures settle over her. James was right, when it came to her work, she was boss.

***** Reaching over her head, Josie stretched out her back. The group shot this morning had been so easy, she’d stupidly expected the rest of the day to be just as smooth. Now here she was several hours in and only halfway done with the shoot. “Where do you want me?” Josie turned around at the sound of that rich, gravelly voice. Mmm, Mr. Sexy. Her camera shook visibly in her hand. So much for that relaxed feeling she had going. She’d been in the zone with the other men, a couple of minutes of wow, but overall completely professional. But just looking at the man in front of her made her feel like a twelve-year-old girl meeting Justin Bieber. She clamped her palm down on the camera to stop her nerves and took a deep breath. Be cool, Jos. “Marco, right?” Josie asked the gorgeous man in front of her. He nodded and grinned. “That’s me.” He ran his hands through his thick, darkbrown hair and pushed it off his forehead. “I have to admit, I’m a little out of my element here.” Yeah right. The camera was going to eat him up. “No problem, that’s what I’m here for, to help make things easier for you.”

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“So you going to hold my hand and walk me through all this?” he asked, a slight smile curved the corners of his mouth, drawing her eye to his full bottom lip. A lip she wanted to sink her teeth into. Okay, so in theory working around sexy men all day was fantastic but in reality she felt as if she was all hands and the man in front of her was sexier than most. To say he was potent was like saying bees didn’t mind honey, just a little bit of an understatement. “I don’t think you have anything to be nervous about,” she told him. “No?” He flashed that sexy smile again. Crap, could she be any more obvious about her attraction to him? She could do this. He was a client, she could be professional. Her gaze landed on the patch of skin peeking through his jacket. Okay maybe she couldn’t be professional but she could fake it. “So how do you want me?” Umm, naked in my bed. Heat rushed across her cheeks at the errant thought. So much for being professional. She grimaced. “You any good with the hose?” He snorted in laughter. Mortified, she closed her eyes. “Damn, that did not come out at all like I had intended. What I meant was, are you comfortable holding the hose?” He sputtered as he held in a laugh. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. Perfect, the first guy she’d been really attracted to in months and she had to go and act like a bumbling idiot. “I-I meant…” she stammered. “Don’t worry about it. I know what you meant. You just look so cute all flustered like that I couldn’t help teasing you a little, Red.”

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She’d been called Red before but hearing it said in that deep, husky voice made her melt. Heat dipped across her chest, but this time it wasn’t from being embarrassed. She tucked her hair behind her ear and peeked up at him. He stared back, watching. “Right. Okay.” She fiddled with her hair again then took a breath to steady her nerves. She was not going to blow this shoot by lusting after one of the models. “So lose the jacket and grab that hose,” she said, indicating the coiled white hose on the floor. Marco dropped his jacket, the muscles in his chest and biceps flexed as he hoisted the fire hose and threw it over his left shoulder. Shaking the lust from her eyes, Josie chewed on her inner cheek, trying to focus on the task at hand and getting the best possible picture for this calendar. She took a few steps past Marco to assess him from a different angle. Josie picked up her camera and looked at him through the lens. There was no question the guy was photogenic. “Can you pull your pants down?” “Pardon?” he replied, his eyebrow rising as he stared at her. Why was it around this man everything that fell out of her mouth sounded so sexual? “Sorry, can you just lower your pants a little bit so I can see your hipbones?” He raised his brow. “My hipbones?” She nodded. “Yeah, you don’t need to lower them tons, we aren’t going for that yo’ homie look, but just low enough that your hipbones stick out.” He shifted the hose so it rested on his shoulder without being held then gripped his pants with both hands and shifted the waist. “How’s that?” he asked. Day-um. Josie nibbled on her lower lip as she stared at the sexy display in front of her. “Perfect,” she sighed. He laughed and shook his head. “I can honestly say I will never understand exactly what it is women find sexy… My hipbones? Really?” She nodded. “Really.” Marco shifted his pants a bit farther. “All right then.”

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Josie looked through her camera and wrinkled her nose. The shot wasn’t right. Marco looked sexy, there was no way he couldn’t, but somehow it just wasn’t what she’d hoped for. She glanced around the warehouse and her eyes were drawn to the engine out front. Natural light, that’s what she needed. “Let’s head outside,” she told him and scooped her bag up. “Leave the jacket and bring the hose?” he asked. “Yes, please.” Marco fell in beside her as they walked across the huge warehouse. “So, Red, I don’t see a ring on your finger. Does that mean you’re unattached?” She was so far from attached it wasn’t even funny. “Definitely unattached,” she scoffed. “Good.” She looked over at him to make sure she’d heard him right, he flashed that killer smile of his, and her damn stomach flipped again. The thing had a mind of its own around this guy. “So what are you picturing besides my hipbones?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he looked at her. “I’m not sure.” She stopped beside the engine and looked around. “I want to try a couple of different positions with you and see which one works best.” “Honey, I’m willing to try any position you want.” She titled her head to look at him and his stare roamed over her body and lingered on her breasts. Her nipples beaded so tightly she was sure they were visible even through her bra. When he raised his eyes to her face, his tongue brushed his lower lip before a cocky smile curved the edges of his mouth. “You got a preference for which position you want to try first?” he asked. Laced with innuendo, his voice dipped even lower and melted over her, turning her insides 16

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mushy. God, she could close her eyes and listen to him talk all day but then she wouldn’t get to look at him and that would be a crime. Meeting his heated stare, Josie’s chest tightened and she inhaled deeply. There wasn’t a position she didn’t want to try. They continued to stare at each other until Josie heard a throat clearing behind her. Marco scowled at the person behind her. Josie breathed a sigh of relief at the interruption. She was not nearly experienced enough to play games with a man as potent as Marco. “Hey, Scott, what’s up?” she asked the newcomer. Scott grinned at Josie then nodded toward Marco. “You want me to take the fire hose to him, Jos? It might make a great shot. I hear the ladies like a half-naked, wet man.” Josie groaned at the mental picture that conjured. She didn’t think her libido could handle seeing Marco wet, she was hanging on by a thread as it was. But Scott was right, it would make a damn good shot, just not with Marco. It would not be the least bit professional to have the photographer swimming in a pool of drool. “Good idea, Scott, but we’ll save that for your turn.” She flashed him a sassy smile and picked up her camera. Before she took the shot she flicked a glance over her shoulder at Scott. “Don’t go anywhere since you’re up next.” She turned back and Marco met her eyes and gave her an amused smile. Okay, she was a big chicken, so shoot her. Josie shrugged. With Scott as a guardian, maybe she could keep her hormones in check and actually get some work done.

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Chapter Two Thursday morning, Josie picked up her cell phone. One missed call. She punched the button to listen to her voicemail. “Josie, hey, it’s Marco.” His rough, husky voice slid through the phone and her body instantly went on alert. Her nipples beaded as a shiver raced through her core. “A bunch of us are going to check out this band tonight at The Underground and I thought you might be interested in coming. We’ll have dinner, listen to some music. It should be fun. Give me a call.” She could feel the huge grin that was splitting her mouth. She couldn’t believe he’d called her. How had he gotten her number? Did it really matter? He’d called. She danced on the spot and squealed. She hit replay on her phone so she could hear that delicious voice again. Her excitement dampened as she listened to it for a second time. He wasn’t actually asking her out, he just wanted her to tag along on a group activity. That really wasn’t the same thing at all. What should she do? If she went and he was thinking of her as a buddy she’d feel like an idiot, but what if he was interested in more? If he wanted to even just hook up for the night she’d be an idiot to pass that up. This might be the only opportunity she’d ever get to be with a guy as gorgeous as Marco. Her phone vibrated in her palm. Glancing at the caller ID, Uncle Jack’s name popped up on the display. “Hey, Uncle Jack, what’s up?” “Just wanted to see if you could swing by the station and give me a little sneak peek at the pictures. The boys are a bit anxious and keep asking me if I’ve seen anything. A few of them are a little nervous.” He laughed. “Sure, I’ll stop by. I was just about to head out and grab a bite to eat, why don’t I pick you up something and bring the pictures by?” 18

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“Sounds great. Make sure you bring me something good, not that healthy crap.”

***** Half an hour later, Josie wandered into the firehouse with a bag of takeout Thai. She knocked on her uncle’s office door and waited for him to wave her in. “Hey, stranger,” she said as she set the bag on his desk. She handed him a memory stick to view the photos on the computer. He pulled up the first photo and smiled. “That’s perfect,” he said, shifting his glance toward her. “You were right about the group shot, Josie, this is fantastic.” He clicked the next photo of James on the ladder and nodded. When he got to Marco’s photo, Josie couldn’t help the sigh that slipped past her lips. That was one sexy picture. Her uncle flashed her a look then flipped to the next photo from the shoot. When he’d made it through them all he turned to her. “You have a real gift, Josie. I don’t think we could have found a better photographer than you. I always knew you were good but these pictures are better than I could have imagined.” Heat raced across her cheeks and her uncle laughed. “You never were very good at taking a compliment,” he told her. Damn fair skin, she couldn’t hide a bloody thing with it. “Thank you,” she told him. “So you don’t think the guys will be upset about the way they look?” “Not at all. They are going to eat this shit up.” He shook his head. “Damn, and I thought these guys had egos before. They’re going to be unbearable once this thing gets printed and women start fawning all over them.” Josie slid around behind her uncle and looked over his shoulder at the pictures. A sense of pride flowed through her as he scrolled through each shot. She’d done a good job. It helped that she’d had photogenic subjects, but screw it, she was taking full credit for how well the shots turned out. 19

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Swinging back around to the other side of the oak desk, she picked up her takeout container, flipped the lid off the pad Thai and inhaled deeply. She shoveled the first mouthful in. Damn that was good. Her eyes popped open at the sound of her uncle’s laughter. “Been one of those days, hey? Guess I know better than to ask you to save me some,” he joked. Heat raced across her skin again. “Don’t be silly, I can share if you want some.” He raised his palms. “Nope, I’m smarter than that. You’re too much like your aunt and your mother, and I learned the hard way not to get between a woman and her drug of choice. Besides, I know you, kiddo, some women go for chocolate, you always went for Thai food when you were in a mood.” She glanced down at her hips and sighed. “Too bad I couldn’t convince my body that an apple would do the trick.” Uncle Jack’s eyebrows knit together in a frown. “What are you talking about?” “Come on, Uncle Jack, look at me. It’s not as if I couldn’t afford to miss a meal or two.” He rolled his eyes. “Josie, you have always had a warped view of your body. You look fine. You seem to think you’d look better if you were skin and bones, like you used to be, and you just wouldn’t.” He scowled. “Hell, I nearly had to pound on a couple of my best guys at the shoot for ogling you, which let me tell you, I was none too happy about.” She snorted. “I’m pretty sure they were just doing that to get a rise out of you.” He glanced at her and shook his head sadly. “Honey, do you really believe that?” “I know that,” she replied. She took a deep breath. “Can we not have this discussion please?” Her uncle continued to stare at her. “Fine, but on one condition, you finish your lunch.”

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She glanced up at her uncle and the knowing smile on his face. He knew her too well. She’d had no intention of eating her meal and he knew it. He continued to stare her down until she dug her fork into her food. “Fine,” she mumbled and shoved the bite into her mouth. As they finished their lunch, they talked about the upcoming fundraiser evening for the fire department. The calendars needed to be finished by then since that night always garnered them huge sales, and they didn’t want to miss the opportunity. A knock sounded on the office door and her uncle waved his hand to indicate they should come in. Josie smiled at James as he poked his head into the office. “Hey, Jos. I heard you were here today. Any chance you brought the pictures?” James asked, his blue eyes twinkling with excitement. He looked like a little kid in a candy shop. “I sure did,” she told him. “Awesome.” He stuck his head out into the hallway. “Scott, get in here,” he yelled. A few seconds later, Scott popped his head into the captain’s office. When he saw Josie, a grin slid across his face. “Any chance you brought the pictures?” he asked. She shook her head and laughed. Pointing at the desk, she said, “See for yourself.” Uncle Jack stood and rounded his desk to allow the other two men to slide into his spot. He glanced at James and Scott then back to Josie. “I’ll be right back.” “No problem, take your time,” she said. She bit her lip as she watched the guys scrolling through the photos. What if they didn’t like them? James glanced up from the screen, his face looked a little dazed. “Holy shit, Jos. These are good. I mean really good.” Scott grinned at her. “Woowee, I am going to have to beat the women off with a stick when they see this.” He winked at her. “Not that I didn’t already.” She rolled her eyes. 21

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“So, Jos, did Marco manage to get a hold of you about tonight?” James asked. Her stomach flipped. “He left a message, but I haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet.” Her uncle walked in the room just as she was finished talking. “He’s in the gym. I told him you’d stop by on your way out.” What the hell? Her uncle was actually encouraging her to stop by and organize hanging out with these guys. She watched him warily. He was up to something. She just didn’t have a clue what. “So you two done admiring yourselves?” she asked, flicking her head to indicate the computer screen. “Yeah, for now,” James said with a grin. “We get copies of the shots though, right?” She laughed. “Yeah, I can make a copy of your picture.” “Nice,” he said. He slapped her shoulder like one of the guys as he walked past. “Great job, Jos. Honestly those pictures are way above what I was expecting.” At the compliment, she beamed back at him. “Thanks.” Scott and James left the office, leaving her alone with her uncle. He passed her the memory stick. After she slid the stick in her bag, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into a hug. “I’m really proud of you, Josie. You did an amazing job, but then I never had any doubt you would,” he told her gruffly. She hugged him back and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, Uncle Jack, for everything.” He nodded. “All right, now get out of here so I can get some work done.” Josie shook her head and laughed. “Fine.” She scooped up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. “I’ll talk to you later,” she told him. Josie made her way toward the gym. The sound of old-school, AC/DC’s Thunderstruck, carried down the hallway. At the doorway she stopped and looked inside. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head as she saw Marco running on the 22

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treadmill. Alone in the gym, he ran at a grueling pace. Sweat ran down his bare chest. She followed the path of one droplet as it snaked between the ridges of his abs, through the dark hair under his bellybutton and into the waistband of his shorts. She tried to swallow but her throat seemed to have closed tightly, forcing her to gulp for air. Holy mother of god, she wanted to lick every inch of his body. His eyes met hers, heat flared between them. He must have seen the raw lust on her face because a slow, carnal smile spread across his face. “Hey, Josie, give me one sec.” He flicked off the treadmill, grabbed his t-shirt from the handle and wiped it across his face. “Did you get my message?” he asked. Unable to drag her eyes from his chest, she nodded. “So, what’s your answer?” “My what?” Raising her head, she sighed. Oh the man was beautiful. Around him somehow her mind shut off and she became a bumbling idiot. His eyes twinkled with amusement and he winked. “Are you up for coming out with us tonight?” he asked again. She blinked, trying to clear the fog. God, he must think she was such a loser. She couldn’t even have a normal conversation. “Umm…sure,” she stammered. Marco stepped toward her. Josie’s nipples beaded tightly, pressing against the lace of her bra. A sexy smile curved the corner of his lips. “Do I make you nervous, Red?” She squared her shoulders. “Of course not,” she said, forcing herself to stand her ground and not move away. He grinned and moved closer. She could feel the heat from his body and the scent of his sweat turned her on better than any cologne ever could. He tucked her bangs behind her ear and trailed his hand along the back of her neck, cupping her head with his palm to hold her in place. 23

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“Then how come you’re shivering now?” he whispered against her ear. His hot breath sent another shiver through her body. “Josie, clearly you’re as attracted to me as I am to you so why are you fighting it?” he asked. “I’m not fighting anything.” Damn, the breathless sigh in her voice didn’t exactly add much validity to her statement. “Liar,” he said and nipped her earlobe between his teeth. The touch sent an arrow of heat straight from her ear to her pussy and she clamped her knees together. Marco ran a teasing path along the shell of her ear. It felt amazing. She closed her eyes and tilted her head to allow him better access. “Don’t make me prove you wrong, Josie.” Her eyes flashed open, meeting his. The heat burning in his eyes was almost enough to melt her on the spot. Trying to hold onto some semblance of control, she said, “Guys like you aren’t attracted to women like me.” He wrapped his muscular arm around her waist and pulled her hips against his. The hard length of his cock pressed against her stomach. “Clearly my body is telling you otherwise.” Holy cow, he really wanted her. She grinned to herself. Without thought, she shifted her body and rubbed against him, loving the way she could feel his cock thicken through his gym shorts. He hissed in a breath. “Damn, Red.” She leaned back, putting a little space between them and trailed her finger down the length of his chest, stopping at the waistband of his shorts. His breathing increased as he watched her finger. “So you seriously want to have dinner with me?” His cock twitched beneath the fabric of his shorts. He gripped her hips firmly with his hands and rubbed against her. “What I’d like is to have you for dinner but we can

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start with grabbing a bite to eat. You seemed a bit umm…unsure the other day so I thought you’d be more comfortable with a group thing.” Unsure. That was one word for it. Terrified of making an ass of herself was more like it. “So what do you say, Josie? You free tonight?” She’d be a complete idiot to pass up the chance to spend some time with him. “Sure, why not?” A huge grin spread across Marco’s face. “Great, so I’ll pick you up, say seven?” “Sounds good.” “You okay with pizza? We’re all meeting at Carlos Pizzeria before we hit the club.” He watched her as he spoke. “Or we can get something else to eat if pizza’s no good.” She shook her head. “No, pizza’s great.” The last thing she wanted was to seem like some high-maintenance chick. He grabbed his phone from the bench and handed it to her. “Why don’t you program in your address and phone number for me?” Her mouth dropped open and she looked at him. “What?” “You want to program me into your phone?” “Sure, why not?” She shrugged. She only programmed people into her phone when she planned on needing them repeatedly. A little flutter of excitement zipped through her. Maybe he was hoping this would lead to something. She grinned at him and took the phone from his hand. She programmed in her info and handed it back to him. Marco pressed a couple of buttons then grinned. “Thanks. So seven?” She nodded. He stepped in closer to her again. “So you gonna dance with me tonight, Red?” 25

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“Su…” she squeaked. “I mean sure, if you want to.” “Ah, Red, you know I can’t wait to get my arms around you.” Loud chatter sounded from the hall. Josie stepped back just as two other firefighters walked into the gym. The men glanced at her then at Marco then back at her and grinned. She cleared her throat. “All right then, I’ll see you later.” “Count on it,” Marco replied. His eyes roamed across her body like a caress that left her feeling touched. Damn, the man was too potent for his own good. Josie hitched her bag up on her shoulder and fled the gym.

***** Josie looked at herself in the mirror and groaned. She must have changed her outfit ten times already and she still wasn’t happy with the result. At the knock on her front door, she took one last look at herself in the mirror and sighed. Guess this was as good as it was going to get. She slipped on her knee-length, brown leather boots and zipped them up over dark-brown knit leggings. She adjusted the hem of the long, cream v-neck sweater she’d paired it with and double-checked to make sure it hung low enough to cover her butt and stomach. Hopefully the outfit looked casual yet still sexy. With her hand on the doorknob, she paused to take a deep, calming breath. She pulled open the door and the air whooshed out of her lungs. Clearly she hadn’t taken a deep enough breath because she had not been prepared for that. Marco looked unbelievable. His worn jeans hugged muscular thighs, and he’d paired them with a white t-shirt and leather jacket. He looked like every bad-boy fantasy she’d ever had. She may as well drop her panties now for all the willpower she’d have around him. Marco ran his tongue along the front of his teeth as his gaze roamed down her body. “Damn, Red, you clean up good.” “You too.” 26

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“Ready?” Marco asked. Josie grabbed her purse off the hallway table with one hand and her keys with the other. “Ready,” she replied. Marco placed his hand at the small of her back and led her down the hall. As they waited for the elevator he leaned in close. “Damn, Josie, you even smell good.” Thank god she’d chosen that perfume. “Glad you like it,” she murmured. The elevator door pinged open and Marco waited for her to enter first. She nervously fidgeted with the strap of her purse. Marco placed his hand on hers and held it in place. “Relax, Josie.” She looked at his face, took a deep breath and exhaled. “Right.” She laughed. “Sorry, it’s been a while since I went on a date.” “Then just relax and let me drive. I guarantee you’ll have a good time.” “Done.” “’Atta girl.” When the elevator pinged, Marco once again placed his hand in the small of her back and escorted her out of the building. The feel of his palm made her immensely aware of him, but it also made her feel safe and cared for, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Marco opened the truck door for her and she slid inside the black cab. As they drove to the restaurant, Marco regaled her with stories about the other firefighters and the crazy pranks they liked to play on each other at the station. From the easy affection in his voice she could tell the men he worked with were as close as brothers. In front of Carlos Pizzeria he pulled the truck to a stop. Josie opened her door and hopped out, meeting Marco on the curb. He shook his head at her. “What?”

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“Nothing.” He laughed. He grabbed the door to the restaurant and opened it. “After you.” From the back of the pizzeria she could hear bad karaoke and she grinned. She eyed Marco. “Any chance I’ll be able to convince you to take a turn with the mic?” “Depends what’s in it for me,” he said and waggled his eyebrows.

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Chapter Three After dinner they all walked from the pizzeria to the nearby nightclub. Josie turned to Marco. “I can’t believe you got up on stage and sang.” “Impressed?” “Little bit, yep,” she replied with a smile. “Then it was worth making an ass of myself.” Josie’s smile grew. Linking his hand with hers, he continued to lead her down the street and stopped outside the bar. Marco paid their cover charge then placed his hand at the small of Josie’s back and guided her inside. Smoke filled the club, leaving a haze he expertly navigated to a couple of open tables. Claiming them for their group, Marco shed his leather jacket and hung it on the back of one chair. He pulled out the seat beside him and indicated Josie should sit then eased into his own chair. Moments later the rest of their group wove their way through the club and claimed the rest of the chairs. When the waitress arrived at his shoulder, she leaned in close, putting her cleavage on full display. Because he was a guy, he did sneak a quick little peek, registered it for what it was, a nice chest, and ordered a beer for himself and a Singapore sling for Josie. As the busty blonde walked away, the two guys beside him, James and Sam, started talking about the woman’s rack. Marco elbowed James and glared at him to knock it off. James grimaced then leaned forward toward Josie. “Sorry, Jos, you’re like one of the guys. I kind of forgot you were even here.” Marco groaned. God, could his friend be a bigger idiot? Talk about insulting a woman. Josie rolled her eyes at James. “Don’t worry, big guy. I’m kind of used to you.”

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The band started tuning up and the first chords of the rock song pounded through the speakers, making it virtually impossible to continue conversation. Leaning over to Josie, Marco said, “So you promised me a dance.” Josie pointed to the speakers. “To this?” He shrugged. “Sure, why not?” Marco stood and reached out his hand and taking hers, pulled her up and onto the dance floor. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her close. “This is a fast song, Marco.” Josie giggled. “I don’t care. I can move quickly like this, can’t you?” he teased, enjoying the way her eyes sparkled with amusement. “I can if you can.” “Sorry about James.” She laughed. “Don’t worry about it. James is James. I’ve known him for years, and I don’t think he’s ever been any different.” She rested her arms around his shoulders. “Besides, you’d have to be blind not to notice a rack like that.” Holy shit, she did not just say that. Marco burst out laughing. “What? It’s true.” Rather than answer, he just coughed and pretended to clear his throat. The song segued into a slow, sexy rhythm and Marco grinned. Now this was more like it. He pulled Josie tighter against his body and she leaned her head on his shoulder. Damn, she felt good in his arms. Her breasts pressed against his chest. He ran his hands up her back then rested them on her hips. It was all he could do not to slide his palms down and cup her ass as she moved sensually to the music. His cock throbbed in anticipation, encouraging him to speed things up. He tamped down his arousal. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off. She was attracted to him for sure, but

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beneath the attraction in her eyes was a vulnerability that made him want to tread slowly. If he came on as hard as he wanted to she’d turn tail and run. When the song ended he let go of her but didn’t let her off the dance floor. Tonight’s band was raw and gritty, sexy. There was no way Josie would be able to dance to the music and not feel something. Hell, he was banking on it. He pushed his hair off his forehead and winked at Josie. The girl could move. He was mesmerized by the sway of her hips and the way her breasts bounced when the beat picked up. He groaned. The end of the night couldn’t come soon enough. He gripped her hips and swayed to the music. Just because he had to go slow didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy himself. An hour later, he groaned. This was torture. God, the woman could dance all night. If he didn’t get his hands on her properly, and soon, he was going to drill a hole through his jeans. His dick had been hard as a rock since the moment he’d gotten his hands on her. The slow, sensual grind they’d been doing for the past hour had him completely on edge. Shit, he just needed a taste of her to take the edge off. He’d been trying to rein it in all night because she seemed so wary and unsure. Like a scared lamb and he was the big, bad wolf and every possessive, domineering fiber of his being wanted to protect her and wipe that look from her eyes. And damn if he could understand why. She wasn’t the least bit like the women he normally went for. She was curvier, shyer, vulnerable. The women he normally took home were outgoing and boisterous, with confidence to burn. Women who knew the score—fun, fucking and no strings whatsoever. But Josie, man, everything about her screamed relationship. There wasn’t a casual bone in her body and for the first time in a long time that was fine by him. Holding her hips tightly, he allowed her to feel his erection. Her full, pouty lips parted and her green eyes widened as sensual awareness burst between them. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “You want to get some air?”

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She nodded. Taking her hand, he led her through the club to the back hallway and out a side door that led to the alley.

He backed her against the wall, his breath hot against her neck. “You have been driving me nuts all night.” He trailed his finger down the length of her arm and she shivered beneath his touch. His hot, wet tongue licked a path up her neck and he took her earlobe between his teeth. “I want to take you home and lick every inch of your body,” he whispered, then ran his tongue along the sensitive spot behind her ear. She dropped her head back against the wall, her eyes drifted shut. “Would you like that, Josie?” His hand slowly dragged across her swollen nipple. The fleeting touch tormented her. God, she wanted more. She wanted to feel his mouth there. “Mmm,” she moaned. He bent his knees, tilted his head lower and ran his tongue along the vee of her shirt. Pushing the fabric with his nose, he licked closer and closer to her nipple, never quite touching her where she needed. She arched her back, desperately trying to guide his touch. Marco continued to tease her, never dipping low enough to satisfy her craving. “So, you going to let me come home with you?” he murmured. Was he serious? She’d fuck him right here if he wanted. He leaned back and looked at her, his nostrils flared as a look of pure carnal knowledge spread across his face. She gripped the edge of the doorframe with her right hand and held on as her knees threatened to give out from sheer lust. Heat tore through her body and she could feel moisture pooling in her panties. She was so hot, if he so much as blew anywhere near her clit she’d go off like a rocket.

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“Let’s go,” he said. Grabbing her hand, he led her back into the main area of the bar. With a quick nod to his friends, he grabbed the jackets from the back of their chairs and handed Josie hers. She didn’t even have time to slip it on before his hand was pressing at her back, urging her to move through the club. She stepped onto the running board of his truck and eased herself into the passenger seat. The leather pressing against her sensitized flesh made her grit her teeth to stop from squirming. Marco hopped into the driver’s seat and fired the hemi engine up, the growl of power rumbled through the truck and she clamped her thighs together. Josie licked her lips and glanced over at Marco. His jaw clenched tightly as he stared straight ahead. He didn’t even flick a glance her way. She swallowed audibly. Nerves began to take hold, dissolving the sensual fog she’d been floating in only moments before. What was she doing? This guy was like a walking poster for health and fitness and she was lucky to hit the gym once every couple of weeks. She wrapped her arms around her waist and winced when she could feel the extra weight she hadn’t lost yet. God, how was she going to get naked with him? If he’d just taken her in the club she wouldn’t even have had time to think, but as the truck ate up the miles to her apartment she couldn’t shut her mind up. She exhaled deeply and Marco glanced over at her. His eyes narrowed. “Stop thinking,” he told her. She snorted. Yeah easier said than done. He pulled up outside her apartment, turned off the vehicle and hopped out. Trying to steady her nerves, Josie didn’t move until Marco opened the passenger door and took her hand. She slid out of the truck and stood in front of him. “Looks like that drive gave you too long to think.” He bent down and pressed his lips against hers softly. “Guess I’ve got my work cut out for me to get you back to that mindless place where anything goes.” His husky voice glided through her like smooth whiskey, heating everything it touched. 33

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He’d have to be a sexual guru to make her lose her inhibitions. She looked into his rich, chocolate-brown eyes and sighed. If anyone could do it, Marco could. He smiled. “Let’s get you inside.” Heat from his palm seared through the fabric of her shirt where he’d slid his hand beneath her coat as he guided her into the building. Inside the elevator, he caged her in, resting his hands on either side of the brass railing. “So, anything off limits?” How did he expect her to talk when he was looking at her as if she were an all-youcan-eat buffet and he wanted to taste everything offered. He leaned in close and sucked her earlobe into his mouth. “Speak up, Red. If there’s anything you aren’t in to, it’s better to let me know now.” Goose bumps pooled on her skin. She’d never been with a guy who wanted to talk about what she liked and didn’t like. God, he could just talk to her in that gravelly voice and she’d come. Unable to even think of anything, she shook her head. “Really?” He licked his full bottom lip and a slow, sexual smile spread across his face. “This is going to be fun.” Oh shit, what had she just committed to? He chuckled. “Don’t worry, Red. I’m not going to do anything you won’t like.” She didn’t even realize she was frowning until he ran his finger between her brows. “Stop worrying, we’re going to burn up the sheets.” Getting enough oxygen into her lungs seemed to elude her as she stared back at him. She gulped in a deep breath, forcing in air. Her heart thundered in her chest as nerves and arousal battled for supremacy. The elevator door pinged and opened. Marco’s hand pressed at the small of her back as he followed her down the hallway.

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She unlocked her apartment, stepped inside and shed her shoes. Nerves had her looking for something to do with her hands as she watched Marco kicking off his Timberlands. Clad in his sock feet, he grinned at her and shook his head. “Ahh, Red, you’re looking at me like I’m the big bad wolf.” He threaded his hand through her hair and cupped the back of her head. He leaned in close, his lips a breath away from hers, and growled. “Maybe that’s apt, because Jesus, I want to fucking devour you.” His mouth came down on hers, hungry, consuming her with his passion. Her knees weakened and she sank against him as her arms wrapped around his neck to hold on. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and nipped at it. He broke the kiss. “Bedroom?” he gritted out and claimed her mouth again before she had time to answer. He grabbed her hips and hoisted her up, encouraging her to wrap her legs around his waist as he continued to kiss her. She squirmed to get down and broke the kiss. “I can walk,” she told him. He kneaded the flesh of her ass and smiled. “I know, but I like the way you feel in my hands.” Somehow seeing how much he enjoyed her ass made her less self-conscious about its size. She grinned back at him. “Bedroom’s at the end of the hall.” He began walking down the hall, his head buried in her neck as he licked and sucked at the sensitive flesh. Wrapping her fingers farther into his hair, she held on and enjoyed the sensations running through her body. Moments later she felt herself being lowered onto her bed, then strong hands reached for the waistband of her leggings. Oh crap, the moment of truth. Opportunities like this didn’t come along all that often so she could suck it up. She gulped and took a deep breath. Marco eased her pants down her legs and tossed them on the floor, leaving her boycut panties in place. He stood back, staring at her. Not saying a word, he just continued to look. She bit her lip. What if he didn’t like what he saw? Nerves raced through her. 35

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“Lose the sweater,” he demanded. She eyed him warily. He smiled. “You want me to do it for you, honey?” She shook her head and gripped the bottom of her sweater. Taking a deep breath, she pulled it over her head and set it on the edge of the bed. Feeling self-conscious, she wrapped her arms around her waist. “Drop your hands so I can see you,” he ordered. Oh god. This would be so much easier if he’d stop watching and join her on the bed. She raised her head and looked at him. Marco widened his stance, his nostrils flared, and he rubbed his hands against the crotch of his jeans. Wow, that was a pretty impressive bulge. Guess he liked what he saw. Feeling more confident, she lowered her hands. Marco ripped his shirt over his head. His muscled flexed. God, the man was perfectly made. “Now the bra, Red.” She eyed him warily. What was wrong with him? Didn’t guys usually like to do this for the girl? He stood still, watching her, not taking a step closer. “The bra?” At his demanding tone moisture pooled in her core, soaking her panties. How was it possible for her to be so turned-on and so nervous at the same time? She reached behind her and unhooked the bra, but she held it in front of herself, not able to let it drop. “Take it off,” he demanded. The controlling command made her nipples bead tighter, and she could feel them pressing against her palms through the lace. She let the bra drop to her lap. When Marco didn’t make a move toward her, her arms involuntarily raised to cover her naked breasts.

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“Josie, drop your hands so I can see you, or I’ll tie them to the bed so you can’t keep doing that.” A picture of herself spread out on the bed, her arms tied to the headboard, flashed through her mind, and she moaned as a wave of lust shot through her. Marco grinned and lust filled his eyes as he watched her. “I see you like that idea. All right, Red. You want me to take control to make this a little easier on you?” he asked. “I’m more than game.” He strolled over to the hanger on the back of the door and pulled a multicolored silk scarf off the hook. He ran the material between his hands as he stalked toward the bed like a predator and she was his prey. And damn if that didn’t send a little shiver through her. So much for being the little prude her ex thought she was. Maybe she just needed the right man. Marco ran his hand lightly up the length of her right arm and raised it above her head and tied it to the headboard. “I want to be able to see every inch of your body, be able to touch any place I want.” He looped the scarf through the headboard and wrapped the other end around her left wrist. He trailed his hand between her breasts, across her stomach. She sucked in trying to make her stomach flatter, and he narrowed his eyes and looked at her. “Jos, you have no reason to be self-conscious about your body.” Busted. He knew exactly what she was doing. She pulled on her wrist to try to get free. He grinned. “Not going to work, honey. I told you I was going to get my fill of this luscious body of yours, so I’m not letting you free until I’ve licked every last inch of you.”

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He knelt on the bed and cupped her breasts in his hands. He kneaded the flesh. “Damn, Red, you have got fucking fantastic breasts.” He bent and ran his tongue across her right nipple. She arched and dropped her head back. He swirled his tongue around it then sucked the tip firmly inside and pressed it against the roof of his mouth. The pain made it feel as if her nipple was attached to her clit and she squirmed from the contact. He grinned. “You like that, do you?” He licked a path to her other nipple and gave it the same treatment. Her clit throbbed, aching for him to give it the same attention. He teasingly ran his tongue along the curve of her hip and down her leg. Marco placed her leg on his shoulder and licked a path up from her ankle to her knee and she squirmed. God, she wanted him to touch her pussy already. She widened her legs, silently pleading with him to touch her. But the bastard just laughed and picked up her other foot. “Patience, Red,” he murmured and swirled his tongue behind her knee. She groaned. That felt amazing. He placed her leg on the bed and shucked his jeans. His erection tented his black knit boxers. She licked her lips. Mmm, she couldn’t wait to feel that buried inside her. He grabbed a condom from his jeans pocket and set it on the edge of the bed beside her hip. “Finally,” she groaned. “I’m not even close to being done with you yet. We’ve got plenty of time before I’m using that.” She stared at him. The look of heat and passion in his eyes made her moan. He was determined to make this a night she’d never forget. Marco eased his body between her legs and lay down on the bed. Hooking her ankles over his shoulders, he placed a kiss at the top of her thigh. “If you taste half as good as you smell, I’m never going to want to stop,” he said a moment before he

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dragged his tongue along her slit. “Mmm, even better,” he groaned, making her pussy throb with need. He swirled his tongue around her clit and flicked it. Josie moved her hips in rhythm with his movements. The man had a magical tongue. He was right, she wasn’t thinking about what her body looked like. All she was thinking of was the orgasm that was hovering, begging to come if he would let it. But he sucked and licked her clit until she just about exploded then he changed tactics and did something else. She wanted to wrap her hands into his hair and hold him in place so she could come already, and he knew it. He kept shooting little sly smiles at her every time she groaned. Marco sucked her clit into his mouth and inserted his finger inside her. “Yes,” she hissed and closed her eyes. That was exactly what she needed. He read her body better than anyone ever had. “You want me to let you come?” “God, yes,” she groaned. “I don’t know if I’m ready to stop what I’m doing down here,” he teased. She clamped her thighs around his ears and held him in place. “All right, all right.” He laughed. He inserted a second finger inside her and curled it forward, hitting her exactly where she needed. “Oh god,” she moaned. He swirled his tongue around her clit while he stroked her G-spot with his fingers. Her head thrashed from side to side. He’d built her up so high the power of the orgasm building inside her scared her with its intensity. She wrapped her hands around the silk scarf and held on as he slurped her clit into his mouth and dragged his teeth across it, sending her skyrocketing toward the biggest orgasm of her life. Completely done, her legs bonelessly dropped to the bed. She gasped, trying to catch her breath. “I think you killed me,” she mumbled.

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“Glad you enjoyed it.” He sat up and she peeked at him as he sucked his fingers into his mouth, licking off her juices. The sight made her pussy throb with need. She would have thought after an orgasm like that she’d want to sleep for a week, but apparently her body had other ideas. “I want you inside me, Marco.” His eyes ran down the length of her body. “Believe me, baby, there’s nowhere I’d rather be.” He grabbed the condom and ripped the package open with his teeth. His eyes met hers as he slid it into place. She bit her lip, wishing it was her touching that hard-as-steel cock. He eased between her legs and pushed himself up on one hand. With the other, he wrapped his fist around his cock and placed it at her entrance. “Yes,” she hissed. Marco grinned and instead of plunging forward, he dragged his cock through her slit and rubbed it against her clit. She arched. Wrapping her legs around his hips, she tried to pull him forward. He laughed. “I want you to burn for it, so when I come inside you all you can think about is this.” “God, Marco, that is all I can think about.” She pulled at her wrists. Unable to move, she growled. “Just fuck me already.” He sucked her nipple into his mouth and her pussy contracted hungrily. She dug her heels into his ass and bucked her hips forward. He laughed. “So impatient.” He gripped his cock and dragged along her slit again. Timing it perfectly, she lifted her hips up at just the right moment and he slid inside. He groaned. “You’re a bad girl, Red.” She arched up, driving him deeper inside her. “Jesus,” he grunted. “You win.”

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He eased back and thrust forward slowly, sinking in deep. She groaned. He filled her completely. She wanted more, she wanted all of him. She wanted him as out of control as she felt. “Harder,” she panted. He lifted her hips and held her ass firmly in his hands. “Damn, Red, you’re fucking perfect,” he groaned as he pounded into her. He held her with his strong arms as he drove for his own orgasm. His face contorted in ecstasy, he threw his head back and picked up her hips higher as he thrust into her. The new position hit her G-spot perfectly. “Right there,” she moaned. He grunted and fucked her hard, driving them both toward orgasm. Josie arched her hips as a second orgasm ripped through her, pulling Marco along in its wake. He collapsed against her, his chest rising and falling as rapidly as hers as they both gasped for breath. He raised his head and placed a kiss against her lips. Marco sat up, disposed of his condom in a tissue and chucked it in the bedside garbage. Reaching up, he untied her left wrist and rubbed it between his fingers then brought it to his lips to kiss the redness then did the same with the right. Marco lay down behind her and pulled her into his arms to spoon her. Josie’s heart fluttered at the way he took care of her. Not only had he completely shattered her, but he wasn’t just some jerk who got what he wanted and walked away. Marco’s palm wrapped around her waist and she gasped and sucked in her stomach. “Jesus, Red, don’t start that again. I’m too tired to show you again how much I like your body just as it is.” She giggled at the exasperated tone of his voice.

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“There is not a damn thing wrong with your body, Josie, and if you give me a few minutes I’ll leave you with no doubts about how much it turns me on.” She smiled, the knot in her chest easing for the first time in months.

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Chapter Four Marco flexed his hips as wet heat slid up the length of his cock. He widened his legs and his knee hit skin, pulling him fully from sleep. He opened his eyes and looked down at Josie kneeling at his side with her tongue roving over his erection. She glanced up at him and smiled. “Hey,” she said. He laughed. “Hey, morning. Hungry?” She nodded and ran her tongue along his shaft again. “I was dying to taste you last night but I was a little tied up.” He grinned. And what a fucking hot sight that had been. Her wild, red hair splayed out across the pillow, her pale skin flushed with arousal as he sucked on her berry-ripe nipples. Fuck, just thinking about it almost made him want to come. Josie wrapped her lips around his cock and slowly slid back up his shaft. His eyes drifted shut as he enjoyed the feel of her hot, velvety mouth. He eased his arm over her hip and she tensed. Marco opened his eyes to look at her. She was still focused on what she was doing but there was a little edge of unease about her shoulders now that hadn’t been there before. Her body was amazing, curvy and soft in the all the right places, but she didn’t seem to see it. If he had to bet money, he’d say some asshole made her selfconscious about her body, probably her asshole ex if how much her uncle disliked the guy was anything to go by. Well fuck that. Sex was best when all inhibitions were gone, and he was going to do whatever was necessary to make this as good for both of them as possible. By the time he left for work today he wanted her barely able to walk and so well loved she didn’t have an inhibition left. He wrapped his arm around her inner thigh and pulled. She glanced up at him. “Come here,” he told her. Her brow wrinkled and she withdrew her mouth from his cock. 43

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“I didn’t say stop what you were doing, I just said come here.” She tilted her head and looked at him. Confusion drew her face up tight. What the hell kind of idiots had she dated in the past? “I want you to sit on my face.” She gasped and a blush ran across her chest and up her face, making him laugh at her innocence. He pulled her thigh again. “Come here. I promise you’ll like it.” She didn’t move. “Did you enjoy when I sucked on your clit and fucked you with my tongue?” he asked. Her skin flushed deeper but this time it wasn’t with embarrassment. Her nipples beaded like rocks and her green eyes darkened with arousal. “I want to taste you.” He ran his finger through her slit and moisture coated the digit. Yeah, she wanted it just as badly as he did. He brought his finger to his lips and sucked on it, and she swallowed audibly. “Damn, you taste good, Red.” He cocked his head. “Come on up here and let me get a real taste.” She wrapped her hand around the slightly rounded part of her lower stomach. He growled and spanked her ass. “I thought I told you not to hide your body.” Her breath hitched and she dropped her hand. Damn, she really liked that. He grinned. Being with her was even better than he’d imagined. Regular vanilla sex with her would be fucking hot but the fact she liked a little something extra as much as he did sent it out of the stratosphere. He swatted her ass again and her legs widened as she groaned. He ran his finger through her pussy and it drenched his fingers. “Fuck,” he groaned. “You’re so wet.” He tugged on her thigh. “Get up here and let me taste it.” 44

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She moaned and swung her legs around to straddle his face. He could see how wet she was. Moisture coated her lips. He inhaled deeply, the fragrance of her arousal engulfed his senses and his dick twitched with need. Josie moaned and ran her tongue along his shaft. “Fuck,” he growled as she sucked him deep. He gripped her hips with both hands and without preamble buried his tongue in her pussy. Instead of pulling back as he’d expected she sank back on him, grinding on his face. Josie cupped his balls between her hands and ran her tongue along his sac, sucking one testicle into her mouth, then the other. She flicked her tongue along the little spot behind his balls and he groaned. Flattening her tongue, she continued to lave attention on that spot. When he started moving his hips, she flipped and licked the head of his cock like an ice cream. She teased him but no matter how he tormented her back or arched his hips she wouldn’t put the head in her mouth. Little tease. He swatted her ass and the minx wiggled her hips and kept teasing him. Marco drove his tongue into her pussy and smacked her ass at the same time, loving the way her pussy clamped on his tongue. Finally he couldn’t take it anymore, he needed to come and the only way Josie was going to let him was if he made her orgasm as well. He slurped her clit and she bucked against him. He fucked her with his tongue and she sank down, riding his face as she drove toward her own release. The closer she got the deeper she sucked his cock. He gripped her hips and lapped at her pussy as if it were his last meal, loving the way she ate at his dick with the same enthusiasm. She swallowed him deep and his balls drew up tight. Heat dragged across his spine as his orgasm exploded through his cock and down her throat. He groaned and she ground against his face. He sucked deeply on her clit and she screamed as her body pulsed out its release. Josie collapsed against him, her face on his thigh, her ass up in the air, right in front of his face. 45

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Marco grinned. She certainly didn’t seem so self-conscious now. They lay like that for several minutes before Marco swatted her on the ass again. Her legs widened and he could see moisture on her pussy lips. Damn, she really liked getting spanked. He ran his hand along her ass. “Fuck, you have a great ass, Red.” She giggled. The sound so free and easy it brought a smile to his face. Nothing selfconscious about the way she was wiggling her ass at him. He laughed. “As much as I’d like to go again right now, I need to rest, so get over here so I can get some sleep.” He grabbed her hand and pulled so she spun around and lay in the crook of his arm. Josie curled into his shoulder and he tangled his hand in her hair, enjoying the way the long, silky strands slid between his fingers. Josie trailed her fingertip along the ridges of his abs. “So how much do you have to work out to have abs like these?” He shrugged. “I don’t know. There’s not much to do at the station some days so we work out.” “Well, I for one am very glad you’re putting all that downtime to good use.” He snorted. “I thought it was my hipbones you liked.” “Mmm, I like those too.” She trailed her fingertip through the hair on his lower stomach then over to his hips and followed the line of his hipbones. “Let’s be real, the whole package is pretty fantastic.” He grinned and kissed the top of her head. “Glad you think so because I think your package is pretty amazing too.” She pushed herself up on his chest and looked at him. “You aren’t kidding are you?” Her eyes widened and she said it as if the very idea was completely shocking. He kissed her lips softly. “No, honey, I’m not kidding. And if you let me get some sleep, I’ll show you again.” She grinned and dropped down onto his chest in a flash that made him burst out laughing. He squeezed her hip. “Go to sleep.”

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“Yes sir,” she replied. And as tired as he was, he felt his dick stir against his stomach.

***** The following week, Marco strolled into the station with a smile on his face. He’d spent the last four days in Josie’s bed, and he couldn’t think of a better way to spend his days off. Too bad he was starting his rotation of four on and wouldn’t see her for a few days. He rounded the corner to the locker room and Scott nodded to him. “You’re on dinner tonight, Patelli.” “Ah crap,” he groaned. “Is there anything in the fridge?” “Fuck if I know. I’m not cooking so I didn’t bother to look.” “Great,” he muttered. He dropped his gear off in his locker then wandered into the kitchen to scope out supplies. He pulled open the fridge and cursed. Shit, he was going to get stuck on grocery duty. Poking his head out into the hallway, Marco yelled, “Yo, Lieu.” Lieutenant Saunders walked out of his office and into the hallway. “What are you yelling about, Patelli?” “Who’s on groceries this week?” he asked, already dreading the answer. The other man shrugged. “I don’t know, what does the schedule say?” Crap. “It doesn’t.” “Then I guess you’re up, Patelli.” Lieu grinned. “Beautiful,” he muttered. He’d left the comfort of Josie’s bed to come to this? He snatched the grocery list off the fridge and headed out. Jesus, the thing was three pages long. This was going to take forever.

*****

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An hour later, loaded down with shopping bags, he strolled back into the firehouse and stopped at the edge of the couch. “You lazy sacks, go grab some groceries from my truck.” At the mention of food four sets of eyes perked up. “What you making?” Gunderson asked. “Chili.” “Good, put your purse away, get your apron on and start cooking, I’m starving.” Marco rolled his eyes. They each had to take a shift in the kitchen, but because they all knew how much he hated to cook, on his night the jokes always started flying. Just because he could, he was going to make chili so hot it burned their asses, after he set aside a bowl for himself. He grinned. A guy had to get some enjoyment out of kitchen duty. The chili had just started to boil when the fire alarm sounded. Good thing it would keep.

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Chapter Five With the fire mostly contained and the second string of fighters entering the building, Marco pushed his mask off his face and dropped down onto the sidewalk. Fuck. His chest tightened painfully. He placed his head in his palm and breathed deeply. Saving lives, saving people’s homes was incredibly rewarding, but losing someone always felt as if it ripped his heart out. Some of his coworkers were able to take it in stride. Unfortunately he wasn’t one of them. When he’d heard the faint voice, he’d fought his way through the fire and wreckage. The elderly woman had barely been breathing when he’d hoisted her up, but by the time he’d been able to get back outside the woman was dead. He took several more deep breaths then slid his mask and helmet back on his head, pushed himself up from the curb and made his way back into the building. When he finally reemerged from the rubble, the apartment complex had nearly burned to the ground. The accelerant that had been used to light the fire had ripped through the building as if it were nothing, destroying everything in its wake. The fact they’d managed to save twelve people who’d been trapped inside seemed insignificant in the face of the two people they’d lost. Filthy and broken, Marco climbed onto the fire truck and slid into his seat. They made their way back to the station in virtual silence, each man feeling the loss of the lives they weren’t able to save. Back at the house, Marco eased beneath the shower spray, watching the water run off his body, washing away the night’s dirt and grime. He toweled off, threw on his jeans and sweatshirt and wandered out into the main sitting area. He nodded grimly to James and Scott who sat in chairs, the TV off, not saying a word to each other. 49

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Marco ran his hand through his hair. Man, he was glad his shift was over. “See you guys tomorrow,” he said to the other men. He wandered out to the back parking lot and eased his tired body into the driver’s seat. The last thing he wanted to do was go home. Somehow he found himself parked outside Josie’s apartment. The dashboard clock glowed green announcing the time. 2:34 a.m. She’d be sleeping and if he was smart he’d turn around and go home, but he couldn’t. They’d only been dating a short time, but he needed her. He didn’t understand why the very idea of seeing her soothed the ache in his gut, but she’d had that effect on him since the moment he’d laid eyes on her. The innocence in the depths of her emerald eyes had called to him. Pulled by a force he couldn’t explain, he rapped on her apartment door. Finally, several minutes later he heard the chain on the door being unhooked and the door opened. Josie stood there, eyes worried, her red hair tangled in a mess on top of her head, her baggy Winnie the Pooh pajamas hanging loosely from her voluptuous frame. “Marco, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?” Her voice was soft and husky from the residual effects of being woken from sleep. He shook his head, took two steps toward her and wrapped her up in his arms. She instinctively returned the hug. Not saying a word, she stroked his hair and made soft cooing sounds to him as she backed them farther into the apartment. Somehow she managed to walk them into her living room and the next thing he knew, he was sitting on the couch and pulling her onto his lap. Absorbing all her warmth and compassion, he just sat surrounded by her, allowing the feel of her, the soft curves of her body to make him forget about everything else that had happened. He wanted to lose himself in her. Pulling back slightly, he pressed his lips to hers. He wanted to be gentle, had planned on it. But at the first touch of her mouth on his, need raged through him like a rabid dog. His tongue flicked out, pressing for entrance into her mouth.

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At first, she seemed almost surprised by the touch but as he continued deepening the kiss, she surrendered. Matching him stroke for stroke, she wound her hands through his hair, pulling him tighter against her body. He nipped a line along her jaw as he made his way to her ear. Marco sucked her earlobe into his mouth. His dick twitched when she moaned at the contact. He couldn’t get close enough to her. Pressing his hips against her, he ground his erection against her core. His jeans stretched tightly against his cock, restricting him painfully. With a groan, he lowered his hand to his jeans and flicked open the button. “Let me,” she murmured. Josie pushed against his shoulders so he was lying on his back on the couch. She eased his jeans and underwear down his legs. He sighed when his cock slipped free of its confines. Josie eyed his erection and licked her lips a moment before her tongue swept out and licked the bead of moisture on the tip. He clenched his jaw at the contact. Damn, her tongue felt good. Heat engulfed the head as she wrapped her lips around his cock and sucked it deeply into her mouth. Marco threaded his hands through her hair, guiding the movements as his hips thrust up, fucking her mouth. His head dropped back and he closed his eyes, giving in to the sensual feel of her tongue curling around the underside of his cock. His balls started to pull tightly and he groaned. As amazing as her mouth felt, when he came, he wanted to be buried in her hot pussy. “I want to fuck you, Red.” He groaned when she swallowed his length. Damn. He gripped her hair to ease her head back. Her eyes opened, twinkling with a mischievous gleam and she sucked him back deeply. “Seriously, Josie. I want to be buried in your hot pussy, fucking you, making you scream beneath me.” She clamped her thighs together and he grinned. She might not admit it, but she loved when he talked dirty. 51

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“I want to feel you milking my cock as you come, Jos. The way it clamps on my dick like a vise.” She moaned. The vibrations ran up the length of his cock, drawing his balls up tight. Damn it, he didn’t want to lose it in her mouth. He pulled on her head again and she eased her mouth off his shaft. She stood, looked at him and bit her lip. She looked as if she knew what she was doing. Josie lowered her pants and stepped out of them. Her pajama top hung just low enough to almost cover her pussy, giving him a teasing glimpse of the patch of red hair at the juncture of her thighs. He groaned. Fuck, he wanted to bury himself in her hot pussy. “Condom?” she asked. “In my jeans.” Josie picked up his pants and pulled out his wallet. “You gonna let me go through your wallet?” she asked sassily. “You can do whatever you want after you fuck me.” She grinned, pulled the condom out and dropped his wallet on the floor. “Is this what you’re after?” she taunted and waved the condom in front of him. With a growl, he grabbed it out of her hand. He tore open the wrapper and sheathed himself. Josie watched him hungrily. He reached out his hand and grasped hers, pulling her toward him. She eased one knee on either side of his and straddled his legs. Her wet pussy rubbed against his stomach as she moved and he groaned. He cupped the back of her neck and kissed her. His tongue tangled with hers and she reached between them. The feel of her hot hand on his cock made him ache. “Ride me, Josie.” “I plan to,” she whispered.

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She placed his cock at the entrance and sat poised, not moving. Fuck that. He gripped her hips and buried himself deep in her pussy. They both groaned. “Mmm, Marco that feels so good,” she sighed and her head dropped back, exposing the line of her throat and he ran his tongue up her neck. She shivered and her pussy squeezed him tightly. Josie rose up on her knees and he almost slipped free before she eased back down slowly. Up and down she set a slow, torturous pace that had him gritting his teeth in arousal. “You’re killing me, Red.” “Now you know how I felt when you were teasing me,” she murmured. He was amazed at the transformation in her. Gone was the shy, insecure woman and in her place was this teasing, seductive vixen. And fuck, he liked the change in her. She pressed her hips forward, tormenting him with her movements. His balls pulled up. He was close, but he’d be damned if he’d go alone. Reaching between them, he rolled her clit between his fingers and she bucked toward him. “Play with your nipples,” he gritted out. Her eyes popped open wide in shock and her cheeks flushed. Okay, maybe the shy girl wasn’t quite gone. “It’d be so fucking hot to watch you touch yourself,” he told her. She licked her lips and eyed him warily, then slowly her hands eased up her body and cupped her breasts. Holy hell, that was sexy. Damn, yeah, that might have been a bad idea. He wasn’t going to last long watching that. He leaned in and captured her lips with his and pressed his tongue inside. His tongue tangled with hers and he thrust in and out, matching the rhythm of his hips. Josie’s breathing hitched and she started making these amazing little keening sounds that made his balls pull up tightly. He flicked her clit once, twice and she lit up like a firecracker as she screamed out her release. He gripped her hips roughly and thrust into her as her pussy milked his dick and he grunted as he came.

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Resting his chin on her head, he bit back a curse. What the hell was wrong with him just showing up and fucking her as if she were at his beck and call? “Sorry about that,” he said. Josie pulled back and looked at him. “Sorry for what?” “Just barging in here and having my way with you.” She giggled. “I’m pretty sure I had your cock in my mouth, so if anyone had their way with someone it was me.” He laughed. “Fair enough.” She stared at him. “You want to tell me what’s up?” He ran a hand through his hair. “It was just a bitch of a night.” “You want to talk about it?” Did he? Normally he’d say no. The last thing he wanted to do was relive it but seeing the compassion in her eyes, he realized he did want to talk about it. She pushed the hair from his forehead and smiled. Taking a deep breath, Marco sighed. “I lost someone tonight.” “Oh, Marco,” she whispered and wrapped her arms around him. It was weird to be having this conversation when he was still buried inside her but somehow it seemed almost fitting. “I could hear her crying, but I couldn’t get to her. Beams kept caving in and I had to find a different route.” He exhaled a hard breath, trying to expel the pain in his chest. He sniffed. “By the time I got to her she was barely breathing.” He shook his head. “Hmph,” he grunted. “The smoke was so thick I could barely see. By the time I was able to make it outside with her she was gone.” Emotion clogged his throat and he ran his hands roughly through his hair again. Unable to talk, he clamped his jaw tight. He met Josie’s tear-filled eyes and the understanding in them almost broke him. “You did all you could, Marco.”

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“Did I? I felt her die, Jos. I could see the doorway that would get me outside and I felt her die. She only had to hold on a few more steps.” His voice broke. His eyes burned with unshed tears. He wished he was the kind of guy who could allow himself to cry, but he couldn’t. It just wasn’t in him. He’d been raised to believe real men didn’t cry, but damn, they sure as shit could feel. Tears rolled down Josie’s face. “Marco, it’s not your fault.” He rubbed his hand across his jaw. “If I’d been faster. I could hear her, if I’d skipped protocol I could have made it to her.” “Marco you did everything you could. You can’t save anyone if you get hurt. You know that.” Anger wrapped its fist around his gut and he clenched his jaw so tightly it was amazing he didn’t crack his teeth. Warm hands cupped his face and drew his head back up. Josie’s eyes were red, tears streaked her cheeks but she looked fierce. “Marco, listen to me. You did everything you could. It wasn’t your fault.” He forced his head back down and she pushed it back up, making him continue to look at her. “How many people did you guys save tonight?” “Twelve.” “Twelve,” she repeated. “And how many of those twelve did you personally pull out?” she asked. “Four,” he whispered. Her eyes filled again. “Oh, Marco.” She wrapped him up tightly in a hug and pressed kisses against his head, his cheeks, his eyes and finally his lips. She pulled back. “You are amazing. You saved four people tonight, focus on that.” His chest tightened. He knew he should but somehow it didn’t matter. Feeling that woman die in his arms tonight had destroyed him. He didn’t know why, maybe it was

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the bright flash of red hair mixed in with the gray or the fact this was the first time he’d felt anyone actually die in his arms, but damn it cut deep. He rubbed the back of his neck then dropped his head on the back of the couch as exhaustion took over. “I’m glad you came over,” Josie whispered. “Me too,” he mumbled. In a haze, he felt her remove the condom and adjust his pants. She took his hand and pulled him to his feet so he could stumble down the hall and onto the bed. He was dimly aware of Josie adjusting the blankets around him but he couldn’t seem to find the energy to help her. He did feel her slide in beside him, her naked body rubbed against his and he wrapped himself around her, holding her tight. The last thing he remembered hearing was Josie whisper, “You’re a good man, Marco.”

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Chapter Six Marco ran a hand along his neck. He could feel the bruise Josie had left behind the night before. Even now, the memory of how wild she’d been when she’d bit him made him hard. There was no way he wasn’t going over to her house tonight when he got off shift. He couldn’t wait to bury himself in her hot pussy again. He’d never met a woman who affected him like she did. Around her, he lived in a constant state of arousal. Honestly he didn’t understand it, she was so different from the women he normally dated and maybe that was the reason. He loved the feel of her curves beneath him, the way her full breasts overflowed from the palms of his hands, the way her soft thighs felt wrapped around his ears when he went down on her. He shifted, trying to ease the tightness in his pants. He needed to stop thinking about her, otherwise he’d drill a hole through his pants by the time this shift was over. Bypassing the main room, he headed for his locker to change. He may as well get his workout in now. At least the physical activity might drain some of the tension fueling his cock. Clad in shorts and a t-shirt, Marco strolled into the firehouse weight room. Both treadmills were being utilized and one of the benches. Looked as if he wasn’t the only one who thought a workout was a good way to start his shift. “Hey, Sutherland, is that all you can bench, ya pussy?” Marco asked, smirking as Paul pushed the weight above his chest. “Fuck you, Patelli,” Paul called back. The weight dropped onto the stand with a clang. Paul stood and wiped the sweat from his face. “You want a shot?” he asked Marco. “Yeah, why not?” Marco eyed the weight bar. It would do for a warm-up. “Let me do ten to loosen up then add another plate.” “Showoff,” Paul joked. 57

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Marco shrugged. “What can I say?” He flexed his muscles and laughed when Paul scowled. It was a huge bone of contention for the other man that he wasn’t as strong as Marco. Paul drank protein shakes and took his handful of supplements religiously. The guy was cut, but he was never going to have the bulk he wanted. Marco lay down on the bench and gripped the bar. He was four reps in when he heard Paul laugh. He glanced up at the other man. “You dating a vampire?” Paul asked. Fuck, the hickey. Marco fought the urge to clamp his hand on his neck. Ignoring Paul, he continued his reps. “Nice, dude, you must have given it to her good if she clamped onto your neck like that.” “Shut the fuck up and add another plate.” The last thing he wanted to do was discuss Josie with these guys. It was one thing to talk it up about a one-night stand, it was a whole other thing when it was a girl you really liked. Paul added another plate to the bar. Marco had barely pressed it the first time when Paul continued. “So seriously, dude, who gave you the hickey?” Marco ignored him and continued to lift. Why had he never realized what a complete douche Paul was before today? “You still tapping that photographer, Josie?” Tony asked from across the gym. “No shit, that’s who you’re hitting? Day-um, I wouldn’t have thought she’d be into it all nasty and rough.” Marco dropped the bar onto the stand with a clang and stood. His fist clenched tightly as he stepped toward Paul. Shit, he just wanted to smash it into the other man’s face. The primal need to protect his woman flowed through him, making him want to flatten his former friend. “Paul, you seriously need to shut the fuck up.”

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Paul’s eyes widened. “Dude, relax. I’m just messing with you.” Paul smacked him on the shoulder then walked across the room, putting several feet between them. “I can see it though. She’s got that juicy ass that you just want to squeeze. Fuck, I can just imagine how sexy that looks up in the air,” Paul said loudly. Marco spun, ready to tear the other man apart. “Marco,” an angry voice called from the doorway. Fuck. Marco turned and looked at his captain. This wasn’t going to be good. “In my office, now,” Captain Sharp told him then turned on his heel and walked away. Marco watched the other man leave then walked over to Paul and leaned in close. “You ever talk about Josie like that again, and coworker or not, I’ll rip you apart. You got me?” Paul must have seen how serious he was because he looked down at the ground and nodded. “Sorry, man, I didn’t realize you were that into her. Won’t happen again.” “It better not.” Marco continued to stare at the other man, itching for him to raise his head with the slightest look of challenge in his eyes. When Paul continued to stare at his feet for several more seconds, Marco nodded with satisfaction and left the room. Between the arousal that had been humming through him earlier and the testosterone that burst forth in the gym, Marco felt completely amped up. Ready to either fight or fuck to take things down a notch. At this point he didn’t care which. Outside the captain’s door, he took a deep breath and knocked. “Come in,” Captain Sharp called. “Sir,” Marco said and stepped into the room. “Patelli, what the hell was that about?” “What do you mean, sir?”

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“Don’t be cute with me. You know damn well what I’m talking about. Why the fuck did I hear you and your buddies talking about my niece like some locker-room exploit?” “I wasn’t talking badly about Josie.” “Really? You call talking about sleeping with her in good taste?” Marco gritted his teeth. “I didn’t say anything about having sex with Josie.” “No? Well your buddy Sutherland certainly had a few things to say.” “Yeah, well, we aren’t exactly buddies,” Marco replied. The captain ran his fingers through his silver-streaked hair then turned and walked over to the window. With his back to Marco, he continued. “When I asked you to take my niece out I never thought she’d turn into some locker-room joke.” “What the hell did you think would happen when you coerced me into dating her?” A harsh gasp sounded from the doorway. Marco spun in his chair. “Josie, shit,” he said and jumped up from his seat. She stuck her hand out toward his chest, halting his progress. “Save it,” she snarled. Her eyes burned with anger, but beneath he could see the hurt and it cut through him like a knife. “Red, let me explain.” “Don’t call me that.” She scowled. “Better yet, don’t call me at all.” She spun on her heel and stormed away. Marco turned and glared at his boss then gave chase after her. Hoping to cut her off, he jumped onto the pole and launched down. He jogged across the garage and stopped at the stairway just as Josie hit the bottom step. “Get out of my way, Marco.” Tears filled her eyes as she glared at him. The sight of her in so much pain nearly ripped his heart from his chest. He reached for her. “Jos, just let me explain.” 60

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She swung her arms wide. “Please, by all means, paint what I heard in a better light. Give it that Patelli spin you’re so good at.” Okay he deserved that. “It’s not how it sounds,” he started. “Really? So you didn’t ask me out because of my uncle?” “Well, sort of.” She pushed against his shoulder to try to squeeze past him but he stood his ground. “Move.” “No, not until you hear me out.” A lone tear slid down her cheek and she angrily swiped it away. God, he wanted to wrap her in his arms and take away the pain. What he wouldn’t do to go back in time and have that conversation again. “Look, Josie,” he began. A siren wailed through the station. Perfect timing. He glanced at the truck and the guys already running through the firehouse to get into their gear. He looked at her then back at the truck. “Shit,” he grumbled. “I’m sorry, Jos, I have to go, but we’re not done.” She looked at him sadly. “Did we ever really even get started?” His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. What the hell did that mean? Did she honestly think what happened between them wasn’t real? “Patelli,” a voice called from the truck. “Get your ass in gear.” He rubbed his hand over his face. He was so screwed. “I’ll come by later.” “Don’t bother.” “That wasn’t a question, Josie. I’m coming by, and you’ll damn well hear me out,” he growled. She had every right to be pissed but there was no fucking way he was going to let her shut him out. He took one last look at her then raced over to his gear, slipped into his pants and boots and jumped onto the truck as it started to pull out of the garage. 61

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Josie stood on the step watching them drive away. She looked so alone and lost. Damn it, he felt as if he’d kicked a puppy, and he didn’t even know how the hell it had happened. This morning he’d been anxious to get back into her bed, now here he was, a couple hours later, down a friend, his boss ready to kill him and he might have just lost the woman he was crazy about. Great fucking morning.

Josie stood on the stair watching as the engine pulled out of the garage, followed by the truck and the ambulance. Damn, it must be a big fire if everything was going out including her uncle. Even as angry and hurt as she was, fear gripped her chest. Firefighting was such a dangerous job. She slowly made her way out of the station and to her car. She wanted to climb back into bed, pull the covers up and forget this day ever happened.

***** After showering off the dirt and grime from the day, Marco threw on his jeans and hoodie and made his way out of the locker room. “Patelli, hold up.” Marco turned around and groaned. Damn, the last thing he wanted to do right now was talk to Sutherland. Paul stopped in front of him and stuck his hands in his pockets. “Look, about earlier. I just wanted to say I’m sorry for being an ass.” Marco’s head snapped back. That was about the last thing he’d expected to come out of Paul’s mouth. Here he’d been all primed for a fight and he got this instead. “Forget about it,” Marco replied. Paul raised his head and looked at him. “So, we cool?” “Yeah, sure.” No point in letting things fester between them. They had to work together and when he needed a guy to cover his back he didn’t want to wonder if he

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was going to be there. Paul was a good firefighter. Apparently he was just a bit of a dick where women were concerned but… Lesson learned. Paul stuck out his hand and Marco accepted the gesture. “That shift was a bitch, hey?” Paul asked. “A few of us are heading out to grab a beer now, you want to come?” “Nah, but thanks.” “Going to see Josie?” “I’m going to try.” The second he stepped outside, Marco took a deep breath, filling his nose with the smell of fresh air. After dealing with a fire like the one they did tonight it always took him quite a while to get the smell of smoke out of his nose. Even with all of his gear on somehow the smell lingered. No one else noticed it, but he always did. It was as if the smell held to him, not wanting to be forgotten. Needing to get his head on straight, he opted for walking the half-dozen blocks to Josie’s apartment. Hell, he’d be lucky if she even let him in the door. He looked up at the building and took a deep breath. If he was smart he’d go up the fire escape. Doing that was at least comfortable to him, groveling wasn’t. With intention in his steps, Marco climbed the four flights of stairs and knocked on Josie’s door. And waited. And waited some more. He glanced at his watch. Seven o’clock. She should be home. He leaned closer to the door. He could hear her moving around inside the apartment so he knocked again. From through the door she called, “Go away, Marco. I have nothing to say to you.” He breathed deeply. Women. With guys you just punched each other or at least knew you were willing to go to the mats with the other guy and it was done. Like with Paul earlier, but women, jeez, they seemed to want to stew. He banged a little harder. “Go away.” “Not happening,” he yelled back.

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“I told you earlier there was nothing to talk about.” He gritted his teeth to keep his anger in check. What the hell? After everything, she wasn’t even going to give him a chance to explain? Fuck that. “Open the goddamn door, Josie, or I’ll bust it down.” He glanced down the hallway, his eyes homing in on the fire extinguisher and axe on the wall. Perfect. Prepared to take matters into his own hands, he turned just as the lock unsnicked and Josie opened her door. “Fine, talk,” she said and placed her hands on her hips. Pure, unadulterated pissedoff female stared back at him. Well screw that. He was pissed too. She walked in on part of a conversation and passed judgment on him? Sure it sounded bad but it wasn’t that bad, at least he didn’t think it was. “We going to do this out here?” he asked. Josie rolled her eyes and stepped back, allowing him to come inside. He walked past her and went straight into the living room with Josie following behind. She sat down on the couch, tucked her knees underneath her and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked so small and unsure as she sat there. He ran his hand over the back of his neck, trying to ease the knot that was growing exponentially by the second. “Look, about what you heard.” Her chest rose as she took a deep breath and held it. “It wasn’t what it sounded like,” he went on. “No? That’s good because it sounded like you went out with me because my uncle forced you into doing it.” He grimaced at the acid in her tone. She wasn’t just pissed off. She was hurt and the look of betrayal in her eyes cut through him. “Look, the thing is, yes, I did ask you out because your uncle asked me to. But…” 64

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Josie’s face turned beet red and her eyes welled up with tears. “God, how pathetic am I that my uncle needs to force his employees to date his fat niece?” “You aren’t fat,” he growled. He hated how every woman he knew thought she was fat. Who the hell were they comparing themselves to? Sticks? Sure Josie had a little more meat on her bones than most of the women he dated, but damn if he didn’t like the extra curves. He certainly didn’t want her to lose any. Josie snorted. “Right, just pathetic then?” He gritted his teeth. “You aren’t pathetic. Look, your uncle said you’d come off a rough breakup and he thought it would be nice if I took you out to dinner.” “Oh my god,” she groaned. “And he had to threaten you to get you to be willing to take me?” “What? No.” “Right, so he suggested it and you jumped at the offer, I’m sure.” “Well no…not exactly.” She covered her face with her hands. “This just gets better and better.” He dropped down into the chair opposite her and rested his elbows on his knees. “It’s just that I thought it would be weird to date my boss’s niece, you know?” She laughed, but the sound held no humor, just bitter hurt. “Of course. So he had to browbeat you to get you to go?” He laughed as he remembered the conversation with the wily bastard. “Not in the way you’re thinking. He told me if I didn’t go out with you he’d ask Phillips to take you out instead.” Her eyes widened. “God, could this get worse? So what? He planned to go down the line until he found someone willing to take pity on me?” He shrugged. “I don’t really know what his plan was. I didn’t give him the chance to put it into play.”

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“Well, I guess I should be thankful you saved me from looking completely ridiculous,” she mumbled. “Jos, come on. I might have asked you out because of your uncle, but the rest had nothing to do with him. I sure as hell wouldn’t have had sex with you because of him.” “Thank god for small favors.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she spoke. She rubbed her palm along her arms as if to warm herself up. “We done here?” “What?” “We done? You explained yourself. I get it. You took pity on poor, pathetic Josie. The girl whose boyfriend cheated on her because she let herself go.” “Excuse me?” She snorted. “Oh didn’t I tell you why Dave and I broke up? He didn’t find me attractive anymore.” “Asshole,” Marco mumbled. He looked at her, his eyes lingered on her full breasts. “The guy was an idiot. There is not a damn thing wrong with your body.” His cock pressed firmly against his jeans as his erection grew. “Maybe, but I can’t say it’s all that much of an ego boost to know my uncle had to force you to date me.” “Jesus, Josie. He didn’t have to force me.” He lifted the front of his t-shirt to show her how hard he was. “Does this look like I don’t find you attractive? God, woman, just the thought of you makes me hard. I can’t fake this.” “You’re a guy, Marco, you can get hard about pretty much anything. Hell, guys wouldn’t be able to have Troll contests if they needed to be attracted to the woman to get hard. What’s the saying? A couple of beers and a paper bag?” “So that’s what you think of me? That I’m some asshole who would just fuck anything that moved? Nice, Jos, real nice. Glad you have such a high opinion of me, or maybe it’s just that you have such a low opinion of yourself.” “Fuck you.”

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“You already did that.” He rubbed his hand over his face. This conversation was rapidly going nowhere. He was pissed and hurt and so was she. If he was smart he’d fucking leave. “Look, Josie. I don’t know how to convince you about what happened. Your uncle asked me to take you out. I felt bad about him doing something like that, thought you deserved better but I was attracted to you, and I didn’t like the idea of one of the other guys at the house taking my place, so yeah, I asked you out. Would I have asked you anyway? Maybe, I don’t know. You weren’t overly receptive at the shoot so I probably would have thought you weren’t interested. So yeah, maybe your uncle gave me a little nudge but that was for dinner, Josie, nothing else.” He paused and stared at her. “You got into my bed because you wanted to be there, nobody forced you.” “I know that.” “Do you? Because you sure as shit aren’t acting like it.” She stared back at him, not speaking at all, and he didn’t have a clue what was going through her mind. He’d always been good at reading women, but Josie was different, he couldn’t ever seem to get a full bead on her and he kind of liked it, except at this particular moment. A huge part of the attraction was that she wasn’t typical. Josie took a deep breath. “I think you should go. I need to think.” He nodded and stood. “I’m not your asshole ex, Josie.” “I know.” “Good, then you should also know this thing between us isn’t all that common. It sure as hell hasn’t happened to me before and no matter what brought us together we work.” She stood from the couch. “I’ll call you.” He shook his head. Damn stubborn woman. “You do that. But remember this…” Without giving her a chance to move away, he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her against him. Crushing his lips against her mouth, he devoured

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her, fucking her mouth with his tongue, leaving no questions about how much he wanted her. When he pulled back they were both breathing hard. Let her think about that. He strolled to the front door with Josie right behind him. He pulled the door open and stepped outside then turned to look at her. “Don’t throw what we have away over some stupid misunderstanding, Jos.” With that he turned and walked away.

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Chapter Seven Josie closed the door and leaned against it. What was she going to do? She could still feel the lingering effects of Marco’s soul-shattering kiss. He was certainly right about that. Heat like they had was rare. She’d certainly never had anything like that with her ex. Even when they’d been in the new phases of lust she hadn’t felt like that about Dave. His kisses never consumed her, just the thought of his touch never made her wet like Marco did. Even now, as hurt and angry as she was she could feel the moisture in her panties, the side effect of Marco’s kiss. She sagged against the wall and sat on the floor. Her mind raced in every direction. Was she being an idiot to let this bother her? Was she kidding herself that she’d be able to hold onto someone as sexy as him? Hell, once his picture was splattered over the cover of the firefighters’ calendar every woman in the tri-state area would be all over him and then what? Maybe that was part of her problem. As much as she knew Marco wasn’t like Dave, a small part of her worried about whether she’d be able to hold onto him. She hadn’t been able to keep her ex and he wasn’t anywhere close to as sexy as Marco. She was in Dave’s league. She wasn’t even close to being in Marco’s. Was that what she was really afraid of? She pushed herself off the floor. She needed to talk to her uncle and hear his side of things. Josie grabbed her purse and keys off the counter and slipped her jacket on as she left her apartment. Twenty minutes later, she stood outside her uncle’s apartment waiting for him to buzz her in. When she got up the stairs her Uncle Jack stood with the door open, waiting for her, his expression reserved and unsure. “Hey,” she said. 69

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“Hi, kiddo. Guess I don’t have to ask why you’re here.” She looked at him and shook her head. “Nope.” Her uncle took a deep breath. “All right then, let’s hash this out.” He stepped back from the doorway to let her in. “You want tea or anything before we sit down?” “No, I’m good, thanks.” Leading the way into the living room, Josie sat down in her favorite chair. The big, cushy brown suede wrapped around her. She always felt safe and comforted in that spot. It didn’t really make sense since it was just a piece of furniture but for some reason it always worked. He uncle smiled at her as she snuggled in deeper into the seat. “Josie, I’m sorry about today. I never meant for you to hear that.” “You’re sorry about what I heard?” “Of course.” He raised his eyebrow at her questioningly. “Shouldn’t you be sorry that you bribed someone to date me? Not sorry that you got busted doing it?” “Oh, Josie, you always were a stickler for semantics,” he said and shook his head. “I’m sorry you got hurt, but I’m not sorry I asked Marco to ask you out.” Her eyes bugged out at his audacity. “How can you not be sorry that you bribed one of your employees to ask me out?” “It was for your own good.” “Right, because I’m so pathetic I can’t get a date on my own.” Pain lanced through her as she spoke the words out loud. It hurt having her uncle think she was so needy. “What are you talking about, girl? Of course I don’t think you’re pathetic.” “Then why would you have forced Marco to date me?” Her uncle’s head tipped back with laughter. “Force him? I didn’t force him to do anything.” “He said you coerced him.” “I kind of did.” He grinned. His eyes twinkled as if he were proud of himself. 70

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Josie narrowed her eyes as she looked at the glee on her uncle’s face. Clearly she was missing something here. “’Kay, you forced Marco to date me and you don’t feel bad about that?” “Hell no. Although I am a little pissed that he sweet-talked you into his bed.” His face turned red and he looked down and shook his head. “I’d kind of hoped all those talks about premarital sex we had when you were younger would have stuck.” Even talking about sex now seemed to embarrass her uncle. Josie laughed. Unfortunately by the time he’d started having those uncomfortable conversations with her in high school, that ship had already sailed. They hadn’t stuck then and they sure hadn’t lingered on in her mind at this late date. “How can you not feel bad?” “What do you mean? Why would I feel bad? You’re a great girl and Marco’s a good guy. I thought you’d make a nice couple.” Josie shook her head, trying to clear out her ears because there’s no way she’d heard that correctly. “Excuse me?” “Oh come on, Josie. I saw the way you looked at him at the shoot. You were interested and after that asshole Dave I thought you deserved a good guy for a change.” He grinned. “I happened to overhear him talking to Scott about you and how, umm…” He cleared his throat. “How attractive he found you so I thought I’d play matchmaker a little. Shoot me.” “Matchmaker?” “Yeah. When I started talking to him about you it became clear he didn’t plan to ask you out because of me, so I took matters into my own hands. I wasn’t about to let your relationship with me be the reason you missed out on a good guy, so I helped things along a little.” “Helped them along. You made me sound like a pathetic loser who couldn’t get her own date.” His eyebrows wrinkled. “No, I didn’t. I just told him if he didn’t ask you out I’d see if Rick wanted to take you out.” He laughed. “Rick has a bit of a reputation with the 71

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ladies, so I knew there was no way Marco was going to risk Rick asking you out. I never had any intention of talking to Rick. Hell, what kind of uncle would I be if I set you up with someone like that?” He snorted. “Marco should have known better than that.” He shook his head. “So you see, it wasn’t really a bribe when it’s what Marco wanted to have happen all along, now is it? This way works so much better than a blind date because you’d both already seen each other.” How had she never seen what a crafty old romantic her uncle was? It was convoluted, but hearing him say it, somehow it made perfect sense. She shook her head. “Uncle Jack, you are an odd duck.” He crouched down in front of her chair. “I’m sorry you got hurt by my matchmaking. That was not my intention.” He tilted his head sadly. “You should know better than that. You’re like a daughter to me, Josie. I’d never do anything to hurt you and somehow that’s exactly what I ended up doing.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “I’m sorry, Josie.” “I know.” She held onto him tightly. What if she’d blown her chance with Marco? She hadn’t exactly been nice to him tonight. Who was she kidding? She’d been a bitch, implying he was no better than a dog in heat, fucking anything that moved. She dropped her head onto her uncle’s shoulder and held on. He pulled back and looked at her. “Did you talk to Marco?” “Sort of.” “Josie? What did you say?” She wrinkled her nose. “Let’s just say I didn’t make things better.” “Josie, Josie, Josie. What am I going to do with you, girl? Did you let that redheaded temper of yours get the best of you again?” Heat ran across her cheeks. “I might have.”

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He laughed. “Well, girl, I guess you’re going to have to do something to make it up to him.”

***** Josie eyed the bottle of forty-year-old Glenfiddich in her hand. She’d been given it as thank-you gift from a neighbor for taking wedding photos for them. And not being a scotch drinker, she’d never cracked the bottle. Marco had taken one look at the scotch and nearly had a coronary. She’d practically had to wipe the drool off his chin. She hadn’t even realized it was such a good bottle until she’d seen his face. Hopefully giving it to him would be the peace offering she needed to sway Marco. She took a deep breath and knocked on his apartment door. Nothing. Damn it, he wasn’t home. She glanced at her watch. Where the hell could he be? Oh god, what if he was out picking up someone else? Pain lanced through her at the thought. Okay, nope, she wasn’t going to think like that. Marco wasn’t Dave. He wouldn’t have moved on that fast. He said he wanted to make it work, and he wouldn’t have given up that easily. She sat down and leaned her back against the door and set the bottle on the floor beside her. Popping in her ear buds, she flicked through her iPhone for the right song. Sometimes a girl just needed to listen to a little Heart. Growing up, she’d listened to it a lot. Her mom was a huge Heart fan and said they had a song to cure anything. God, she hoped her mom was right. Plugging in the song, she leaned her head back against the door and closed her eyes. The song slowly spread through her, and she hit replay. She was humming along when she felt as if she were no longer alone. Josie opened her eyes and found Marco leaning against wall, watching her. Heat ran across her face. So much for being cool when she saw him. An amused smile spread across his face as he watched her stumble to stand up. She ripped her ear buds out and shoved them in her pocket. “Hey.”

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“Hey.” She picked up the bottle from the floor and stuck it out toward him. “A peace offering.” Continuing to lean against the wall, he didn’t take the scotch from her. “Why would you need a peace offering?” “Umm…well…” she stammered. “Because I was a bitch.” He shook his head. “You weren’t a bitch, Jos, you were hurt. I get that.” She chewed the inside of her cheek as she watched him. His words said it was no problem but his body language spoke differently. If she was going to have a hope in hell of saving this relationship she needed to put on her big-girl panties and grovel if necessary. She stepped toward him. His eyes lingered on her breasts and his nostrils flared before he raised his eyes to hers. Heat lurked in the depths. A thread of hope spread through her. He definitely wasn’t immune to her. She nodded toward his door. “Any chance we can go inside and talk?” Marco shrugged, moved past her and opened the door. “After you,” he said gesturing for her to go first. She purposefully brushed against him as she walked by and grinned when she heard his sharp intake of breath. Josie kicked off her shoes and walked into the living room. She sat down on the edge of the brown leather couch and ran her hands along the soft grain. Marco sat down in the recliner across from her and rested his elbows on his knees. “I’m sorry about earlier,” she said. “Yeah, what was that about? I get what you thought you heard. I just don’t understand why it wasn’t enough after I told you what it really was.” She sighed. “You know how my uncle said I was coming off a tough breakup?” He nodded. 74

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“Well…umm… God this is embarrassing.” She blew out a deep breath. “My ex umm… He cheated on me, and when I caught him he said it was my fault because I’d let myself go and I disgusted him.” “Fuck.” Marco pushed to his feet. “And you believed him?” She rubbed her hands together. “When I met him I was really slim and I put on quite a bit of weight over the past two years.” “So? Why should that matter?” He shook his head and paced the room. “Don’t answer that. That explains why you were so self-conscious.” He stopped in front of her. “That explains the body image, but that doesn’t explain why you thought I would sleep with you when I wasn’t really interested.” She groaned. “Come on, Marco, look at you and look at me.” Marco flicked his hands up. “I have no idea what that means,” he said. Josie rolled her eyes. “Marco. You are model gorgeous and I’m well…not.” He grabbed her hand, pulled her up and pushed her in front of the fireplace, forcing her to look in the mirror over the mantle. “Look at yourself,” he demanded. “’Cause you sure as shit don’t see the same person in the mirror that I do. Do you know what I see when I look at you?” Unable to speak, she shook her head. “I see a woman with hair that has more colors of orange and red than I’ve ever seen in any fire. With eyes so green and pure I forget how shitty people can be to each other.” He pressed up against her back and she could feel his erection against her spine. His hand cupped her hip. “I see a woman with curves so soft and sexy that I want to bury myself so deep inside her I don’t know where I end and she begins because when I’m in you nothing else matters.” She met his eyes in the mirror and the passion she saw there made her knees weak. He pressed his erection against her and shifted his hips. She dropped her head back on his shoulder.

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“You feel that, Red? I can’t fake that. The second I get near you I’m hard. That sure as hell isn’t pity.” She turned in his arms and looked at him. Arousal and compassion shone from the depths of his chocolate eyes. “I’m crazy about you, Red, no two ways around it.” She licked her lips. His eyes tracked the movement of her tongue and she grinned. “I’m crazy about you too, Marco.” Going up on tiptoe, she dragged his head down to hers and kissed him. He groaned and sank into the kiss. His lips were soft at first, growing hungrier with each sweep of her tongue in his mouth. He pressed his tongue inside and she sucked it into her mouth, making Marco groan. “Take me to bed,” she whispered. He gripped her hips and hoisted her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. The first time he’d done this she’d been worried it would turn him off to feel how heavy she was, now she just relaxed into him, and simply enjoyed being with a man who could handle her. She ran her tongue along the length of his neck and he moaned. “Don’t think you are out of trouble yet, Red. You’ve got a spanking coming for putting me through all that today.” She shivered and rubbed her pussy against his hard cock. Even through two layers of jeans it felt amazing. He swatted her ass. “You’re playing with fire, Red.” She nipped his earlobe and whispered, “Mmm, I knew there was a perk to dating a fireman. You know exactly how to put out the fire.” “Fucking right.” Marco carried her down the hallway and set her feet on the floor at the foot of the bed. He sat down on the edge and smiled. “Take off your clothes.”

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At the commanding tone, her nipples beaded tightly. She slowly unbuttoned her shirt and spread it open. Her nipples were barely contained in the coral demi-cup lace bra. Marco hissed in a breath and beckoned her closer. She shed the shirt, dropped it on the floor and stepped between his legs. He pushed the cups beneath her breasts. The underwire hoisted them up, putting them on full display. He ran his tongue around one nipple and sucked it inside his mouth. Josie threaded her hands through his thick, dark hair and held on. Marco pulled back and shook his head. “Naughty girl, trying to distract me. You still have a punishment coming.” If possible her nipples pulled even tighter. His eyes darkened until they were almost black. “We’re going to have to buy some clamps for those,” he said and flicked her nipple. The touch sent an arrow of heat directly to her pussy, making her panties even damper than they already were. “You like that idea, do you?” he murmured. Josie nodded. A slow, sensual smile curled the corners of Marco’s full lips. “Good. Now lose the jeans and panties.” Josie pulled down her pants and underwear and let them pool at her feet. Marco groaned. “Damn, Jos, you are so fucking sexy.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her across his lap so her ass was up in the air. The rough fabric of his jeans rubbed against her nipples, making them more sensitive, and she squirmed on his lap. His hand landed on her right cheek and she yelped in surprise. “I wasn’t ready for that,” she giggled. “You weren’t supposed to be,” he said and smacked her left cheek a bit more firmly. The smacks felt as if somehow they were sending a shock of arousal directly to her clit. She widened her legs.

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Marco swatted her again. “Quit grinding my leg; you’re not getting off until I say you do.” He smacked her again, then his palm caressed her burning ass. She moaned at the contrast from pain to pleasure. Marco trailed his finger through her slit. “Damn, Red, you’re so wet, you’re going to soak my jeans.” She should be embarrassed about that, but with Marco it didn’t matter. He seemed to love the fact that spankings turned her on. His next smack landed on the edge of her pussy and a small orgasm rippled through her. “Damn,” Marco chuckled. “What happened to not coming until I told you?” Breathing rapidly, she laughed. “Sorry, that one kind of snuck up on me.” He pushed his finger inside her pussy and she groaned. “Yeah, me too.” With his fingers still buried inside her, he smacked her ass again. The combination made her erupt again, this orgasm bigger than the last. Marco laughed. “So much for this being a punishment, you seem to like it a little too much.” He lifted her off his lap. He stood and dropped his jeans and boxers in one swoop. His cock stood proudly erect. “Maybe I should make you suck my dick as a punishment instead.” Josie groaned and squeezed her legs together. “Fuck this,” Marco said a moment before he grabbed her, tossed her on the bed, and followed her down. “I need to be inside you.” She giggled at his loss of control. Whatever this thing between them was, thank god it was mutual. She didn’t understand why he wanted her like he did, but holy mother she was happy he did. “Condom,” she reminded him. “Fuck,” he groaned and rolled off her to reach into the bedside table drawer. Sheathed, he moved back between her legs. He positioned his erection at her entrance 78

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and paused. Looking her in the eye, he grinned then leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. He eased inside her and she sighed as he filled her completely. Marco broke the kiss and met her stare again. Maintaining eye contact, he slowly eased back and buried himself balls-deep inside her. “Holy hell,” she moaned. Wrapping her arms around his back, she arched her hips, meeting him as he thrust forward. Marco reached between them and flicked her clit and her eyes drifted shut. “Look at me, Red,” he demanded. Josie opened her eyes. A quiver ran down her spine to her clit at the intensity of his stare. How was it possible for her feelings to be so strong in such a short period of time? “I feel it too,” he murmured and bent to kiss her lips. His tongue tangled with hers and she dug her nails into his back as an orgasm built slowly inside her. She clenched her inner muscles and Marco groaned. “Do that again.” She flexed her muscles again, and he picked up the speed. Pounding into her, his finesse was gone. In its place was a wild, hungry need. He wasn’t kidding about not wanting to know where he ended and she began. He pushed her legs up and leaned on her thighs, spreading her open wide. When he thrust forward again, she gasped. God, he was so deep. Marco swiveled his hips and hit her G-spot, and Josie closed her eyes as the world exploded around her. The orgasm that tore through her felt as if it blew clear through the soles of her feet. As Marco continued to thrust, he kept hitting her G-spot, dragging the orgasm along until it felt like one long, continuous explosion. She dimly registered him grunting above her a moment before he collapsed against her. “Holy cow,” she murmured. Her throat hurt and her voice sounded oddly rough. “You sound like me now.” Marco laughed. “I think you need to rest your voice after all that screaming.”

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“I was screaming?” He snorted. “Honey, I’d be surprised if the neighbors didn’t call the cops.” She giggled. “I guess it’s a good thing you know most of them then.” He laughed. “Yeah, right. ‘Cause I wouldn’t hear about that at work.” Josie could just picture all the guys teasing him at work and she winced. Marco flexed his shoulders then raked his teeth down her neck. “On second thought, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.” “What? You actually want them to know you made a woman scream down the roof?” “Umm, hello? I’m a guy. Of course I want everyone to think I made a woman scream herself raw.” He glanced down at her and his eyes heated again. “Especially when the woman looks like you. Every guy at the station would be jealous.” Josie’s stomach fluttered at the compliment. How had she ever gotten so lucky? Marco grinned at her with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “I’ll bet if I tied you up again I could make you burn so hot you’d be begging me to put out the fire.” The image of Marco using her as he wanted flashed through her mind. She licked her lips and stared back at him. “I dare you.” He groaned then hopped out of bed and ran to his closet. When he turned around he had a silk tie in his hand and a smile on his face. “Oh, Red, you should know better than to issue a fireman a dare.” She’d grown up around fireman and alpha males. She knew exactly what she was doing when she’d issued that dare. Josie grinned. “Bring it on.”

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About the Author Lauren Fraser resides in British Columbia, Canada, with her husband and two children. When she’s not busy writing, Lauren loves to spend time with her family outside—camping, hiking and kayaking. Lauren writes about love and relationships in many different forms, but in the end she’s a sucker for a happy ending. She is multi-published and loves to hear from her readers. For the latest updates, visit her website.

Lauren welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Tell Us What You Think We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at [email protected].

Also by Lauren Fraser Dani’s Duo Longing for Kayla Sex, Sin and Surf

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