Hot As Blazes. Dani Jace

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СКАЧАТЬ dad.

      She ached to be a part of the family again.

      Ray returned sweaty and grimy, but looking totally edible. His navy T-shirt bulged in all the right places. How could any man look so hot in bulky turnout pants?

      Before returning home, she hadn’t thought of sex in months. Now every time he was near, her body tightened with desire.

      “Come on. I’ll get your truck off the bike.” His hulky form slid behind the wheel.

      The sound of the Broncosaurus mangling the rest of the bike beneath its rear wheels set Jo’s teeth on edge. Another firefighter tossed the twisted heap to the wrecker driver.

      Ray hopped from her truck and held the driver’s door open. She shrugged off his coat and immediately missed his essence. How many women had been so lucky? A firefighter’s gear was sacred. “Thanks again.”

      His gaze wandered to her chest. “Didn’t want everyone to see you could win a wet T-shirt contest, Dahlin’.”

      Adrenaline and cold water had her nipples at attention beneath her clinging tank top. Heat scorched her cheeks. “Shit.”

      “You’ve been saying that a lot today.” He smiled in his easy way. “Can you drive?”

      “No problem.” She’d sounded stronger than she felt.

      “You did a good job, Jo. Kept your head.” With a large, steady finger, he lifted her chin. His soft gaze held compassion.

      It would’ve been so easy to melt against him. For shelter. For comfort. Hope for total fulfillment of all of her fantasies. He pressed a tender kiss to her cheek. The scratch of his stubble shot a jolt of sensual need low in her belly.

      “Have a beer when you get home.”

      She straightened, donned a tough expression and climbed into the seat. “Jack Daniels.”

      “Good man.” He shut the door. “But he’ll kick your ass if you’re not careful.”

      “Yeah, like a lot of men.” She winked and yanked her SUV into drive.

      As soon as she walked into the house, Bobby handed her a whiskey on the rocks. The glass smoked with cold vapor.

      “Ray?”

      He nodded. “Rough day?”

      Terror followed by ecstasy. “Practicing first responder skills.”

      While she held the frosty drink to her forehead, her shorts beeped. She drew her phone from her pocket and read Ray’s text.

      Cheers Dahlin’ H2CUS! Text code for hope to see you soon. After a swig of her cocktail, she touched her cheek where his lips had been.

      She could do with more of the ecstasy.

      Chapter 3

      Ray waded through the crowded ground floor of The Casino and around the stage where a band was setting up. The popular ocean-side nightclub was named after a legendary fifties beach club and boasted wooden floors and multi-levels like the original structure. With the flocking summer tourists, the place had become his friend Tommy’s place to scout for strange since his divorce.

      Ray would love to run into Jo, but for some reason he didn’t get the feeling she was into the social scene these days. Hell, she’d been putting off meeting him for a beer.

      He climbed the stairs and found his tall, lanky ladder truck driver slouched at a table overlooking the stage. His blond hair always needed a cut. At least he’d ditched the flowery Hawaiian shirt tonight for a regular collared shirt. After being in the National Guard, Ray had a thing for tidiness and it continued into his current career. His only slip was skipping a shave when he wasn’t on duty at the fire station.

      With a little over a year of firefighting under his belt, he’d acclimated to twenty-four shifts with rotating days off. Today started his first day off in four and he hoped to hear from Jo and ride some waves.

      “Is Bobby coming?” Tommy asked, raising his brew.

      He passed Tommy an are you kidding eye roll.

      “Pussy tied by the new flavor of the month, Sarah?”

      “Apparently. Found anything appetizing yet?” Ray scanned the crowd of bodies, some more dressed than others. From bikini tops to skintight dresses he couldn’t find Jo in the mix.

      “Too early. The honeys need to soak up a few before they’re ready to party serious.” Tommy lifted his chin.

      Ray preferred Papagayos, a small oceanfront bar catering to locals. But tonight he’d play wingman to his brother. Before he sat, a petite brunette bumped into his elbow.

      She turned, and smiled.

      Not his type.

      None were these days. Only a certain sexy surfer held his attention, but California seemed to have made her wary. Surely, it hadn’t only been because she’d been kicked over the surfing circuit.

      After giving him a once over, she said, “Oops, sorry. Didn’t spill your drink, did I?”

      “I didn’t have one.” He smiled. “How about I get us one?” He gestured, offering a seat at the table where his friend sat. “What’ll you have?”

      “Piña Colada.”

      “I’ll be right back.” He lingered at the bar, while Tommy spun firefighter tales. Upon his return, he sat her glass on the table.

      She barely acknowledged him.

      “You guys look cozy, and I saw an old buddy. Be back in a few.” He wandered through the expansive nightclub until he found a table of firefighters from Kitty Hawk. He grabbed an empty chair. “Expecting company?”

      “All swinging dicks welcome. It’s guys night out, but then that’s every night for you isn’t it, Ray?” Mark, a stocky engine operator grinned.

      “The perks of being single.” He replied with a sarcastic half-smile. And it gets old.

      “Heard you guys had a real burner the other day.” Bart, the skinny rookie asked wide-eyed.

      A waitress bent close and he asked for another scotch.

      Mark eyed her cleavage and shook his head after she left. “That was a sweet view. So how’s the hot little redhead I saw you with at the Black Raven last winter?”

      Ray shrugged. “In Jersey, I suppose.” They would swallow their tongues if they knew he hadn’t been with a woman since the ER doctor left without a word. A couple of weeks later, Jo had lost her scholarship and place on the surfing team. He’d called and offered his help, but she’d seemed determined to fix things on her own. His hope of her return had finally been answered.

      “Oh, God, you should’ve seen the blonde I hooked up with a couple of weeks back.” Bart wheezed. The young gun wiggled his brows. СКАЧАТЬ