Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 33213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
He shuts the door halfway, leaving only a sliver of light.
“You want to tell me what that performance was?” he asks.
“I didn’t perform anything.”
He steps closer.
Close enough my back hits a shelf.
Close enough I can smell smoke—clean, fresh, like cedar and adrenaline.
“Sweets,” he says softly, dangerously, “you pulled a full alarm on your first day. Fire crews thought children were burning.”
I swallow. “I said I was sorry.”
“You said a lot more than that.”
His stare pins me in place.
“You sassed the hell out of me in front of my team.”
I bristle. “Well you—”
“And now,” he interrupts, leaning one palm on the shelf beside my head, “you’re cornered in a small space with a man who’s been pissed off since he heard your voice.”
I gasp.
He smirks.
Slow. Sinful.
His gaze drags down my body, lingering, unapologetic. “You always talk like that when you’re nervous?”
“I’m not nervous.”
Another step.
I feel the heat of him through his gear.
“Sweetheart,” he murmurs, “your pulse has been jumping since I walked in that hallway.”
My cheeks burn. “It’s loud because you startled me.”
“Did I?”
His body stays inches from mine, tension coiled between us.
“Yes,” I lie.
He chuckles. Low. Rough.
It vibrates through the tiny dark space.
“You want to play with fire?” he asks.
My breath shudders.
He leans in—mouth at my ear, voice molten.
“Try me.”
Everything inside me goes molten.
My knees weaken.
Heat erupts low in my stomach.
This man is dangerous.
Deadly.
And not even a little sorry.
His hand lifts like he might touch me—
but he doesn’t.
He stops just shy of my hip.
Hovering.
Teasing.
A whisper from contact.
I hold my breath.
He drops his voice even lower.
“So here’s how this is gonna go. Next time you pull an alarm? It better be real. Or I’ll come back in here and finish what I’m starting.”
My entire body tightens.
“What…what are you starting?” I manage.
His eyes darken.
“You tell me.”
I choke on air. “I’m not— I don’t—”
He presses his other hand on the shelf above me, caging me in.
The closet shrinks.
The world shrinks.
There is only him.
“Relax, sweetheart.” His voice is a caress.
“If I wanted to touch you, I already would’ve.”
My thighs clench.
“And if you wanted me to…”
He pauses long enough my heart stops beating.
“You would’ve asked.”
I can’t speak.
He leans back slowly, dragging his gaze over me like a brand. “Thought so.”
He steps away, opens the closet door, and lets sunlight burn away the darkness.
Before he leaves, he glances over his shoulder, eyes blazing.
“You’re trouble,” he says. “And I don’t have time for trouble.”
But he looks at me like he wants to make time.
Then he walks away, bootsteps echoing down the hall.
I sag against the shelf, breath shaking, heart in my throat.
Something just happened.
Something big.
Something I should definitely run from.
But when I step out of the closet, the first thing I do is search the hallway for him.
And the second thing I notice is the way his crew watches him—teasing, knowing, whispering like their captain hasn’t acted like this in years.
I smooth my hair and try to gather myself.
My first day was supposed to be simple.
Instead?
I accidentally set off a fire alarm…got cornered by the hottest man alive…and apparently ignited something I can’t put out.
Great.
Perfect.
Welcome to Devil’s Peak.
Chapter Two
Saxon
Iknow she’s coming before I see her.
The guys have been buzzing about it all morning—like a pack of bored wolves who just scented something fun. I’ve ignored them, buried myself in reports, pretended I’m unaffected.
I’m not.
I hear the bell on the bay door, and every head snaps toward the entrance.
Then she steps in.
Briar Tate.
Sunshine in a dress.
Soft curls, soft mouth, wide curious eyes taking in every inch of the station like it’s an amusement park.
A kid that looks just like her skips beside her, pigtails bouncing.
Every man in the room straightens.
I grit my teeth.
Of course my crew moves first, descending on her like vultures who forgot their manners.
“Miss Tate!” Rowan calls out, propping himself against the engine, showing off a stupid grin. “Welcome to Devil’s Peak Fire and Rescue. Otherwise known as firehouse 19.”
Briar laughs. Light. Musical. It hits somewhere deep.
I stay where I am, arms crossed, leaning against the wall like I’m immune.
I’m not.
She spots me.
And her whole body reacts—stiffens, lights up, does this subtle startled thing like she remembers being pressed into that closet with my mouth inches from her throat.
Good.
She should remember.
“Captain Cole,” she says, too bright, too polite, like she’s trying to pretend I didn’t have her trembling just two days ago. “We’re here for the field trip.”
Ash snorts. “Field trip? Pretty sure the captain forgot to put that on the schedule.”
“Pretty sure the captain forgot how to smile too,” Axel adds.
Laughter erupts.
I glare at all of them. “We run a station here, not a comedy club.”
“Lighten up, Cap,” Ash says under his breath. “Your girl’s here. Look alive.”
Not my girl.
Not anything.
But the word still hits.
I push off the wall, moving toward her before the crew eats her alive.
“Okay,” I bark, “you know the rules for visitors.”