Nate

by Kali Hart

  Chapter 1

  EMBER

  I burned a pizza. On purpose.

  But how else do you get the fire department to show up without causing serious property damage? I’m in grad school with student loans up to my eyeballs. The last thing I need is to be sued by our landlord.

  But tell that to the sexy firefighter with the scathing glare in my apartment now.

  I didn’t do it for me. I did it so my best friend and the dishy firefighter of her dreams had a chance to work through a misunderstanding. They’re destined to be together, but destiny needed a little help in the form of a charcoal-black Digionro.

  I’m still mourning the loss of my favorite frozen dinner, but it was well worth the cost. Chase and Leah are in her bedroom now, sorting things out. That leaves me alone in the kitchen with his partner.

  “What did you say your name was again?” He didn’t tell me his name, but I’m desperate to divert his attention away from the crime scene he seems so intent on investigating. Plus, I’m actually curious. I’m not exactly the kind of girl that’ll snag a hot firefighter, but I’d sure like a name to call my fantasies later.

  He closes the oven door and stands up. “Nate.”

  Later, I’ll have to deal with cleaning out the mess I created. Leah and I won’t be able to use the oven for days without it stinking up the entire apartment. But I suspect she’ll be too preoccupied to care.

  “Nate. That’s a good name. Simple. And—” I stop myself before I speak any adjectives out loud that might make things awkward. Like hot or yummy.

  “You sure you didn’t fall asleep?” Nate crosses his arms. His broad shoulders fill our dinky kitchen. The fire is out, and a window is open to vent the smoke. He’s not impressed with my tactics. Too bad even a scowl makes him look sexy as hell.

  “Nope.”

  “Maybe you were watching TV and forgot to set a timer?”

  I shake my head. At least he’s not asking about the oven temperature. Because no sane person bakes a frozen pizza at five hundred degrees.

  “Were you in the shower?”

  I almost say with Leah? But I refrain. Somehow I don’t think that’ll help my cause. “Nope.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  I could lie and tell him I was simply forgetful, but something about the intensity in his gaze warns me lying is a terrible idea. “We needed you guys to show up.” I nod toward the hallway where Chase and Leah disappeared.

  Nate folds his arms across that chest of steel. He’s wearing that heavy jacket, but it’s open. I can see the carved lines of his muscles. There’s an entirely different kind of fire happening low in my belly. “You know, you can get in trouble for something like that.”

  Shit, he’s right. I hadn’t thought about that. “You won’t tell, will you?”

  “Depends.”

  He lifts a radio to his lips—oh man those lips—and reports back to his squad that the fire is contained. His intense eyes never leave me. It makes me feel naked. It makes me want to be naked. I loosen my shirt collar with my fingers, but it doesn’t do much to help my erratic breathing.

  “Depends on what?”

  “First, you have to promise never to start a fire on purpose again.”

  “Done.”

  Nate struts across the small area, backing me up against the counter. My nipples harden at his deliberate approach. “Second, you’ll have dinner with me.”

  I blurt out a laugh, because surely he’s joking. I mean, look at him. He’s six foot three or four of perfection. And I’m … well, I certainly don’t look like him. “You don’t want to have dinner with me.”

  “Oh no? Why not?” He’s mere inches from me. Heat circles us, and it’s not from the oven. There’s a charge in the air. If someone lit a match between us, the whole building might burst into flames.

  I’ll admit, I’ve been a little jealous of my best friend landing a firefighter. I’ve been having fantasies ever since about snagging one for myself. But I never expected that to be reality, and I’m not convinced it is right now. My grandma always told me if something seemed too good to be true, it probably was. Not the most optimistic outlook on life I’ll admit, but realistic.

  “C’mon,” I say to him. “You’re not going to make me say it out loud.” I’m an annoying mixture of irritated and turned on. Like the chicken that can’t quite decide whether or not to cross the road. Nate wants me to cross the road, or at least that fire in his eyes suggests he does. But I’m not prepared to get nailed by oncoming traffic.

  “What’s so surprising that I want to take a sexy woman out for dinner?”

  Did he just call me sexy? He called someone sexy. Stupidly, I look over both my shoulders like there might be someone else in the room he’s talking to. But of course, there are only kitchen cabinets behind me. “You. You’re surprising.”

  My skepticism doesn’t deter him. He takes another step forward, pressing his chest against my breasts. “I go after what I want, sweetheart.”

  Our lips are so close, and I can’t keep my eyes off his. He’s torturing me. Possibly for me wasting his time with the burned pizza. No matter how badly I want to undress Nate and run my fingers over every inch of his chiseled body, I restrain my urges. If I tried that, I’d surely get arrested.

  Or maybe…

  “I want you.” He lifts my chin with his fingers and before I can object, his lips are on mine. My hands scramble for anything to hold onto, knocking random things from the countertop. But I don’t care. I’m completely lost in the dizzying pleasure this heated kiss delivers. His lips—and his hands—are hungry, greedy, dominating.

  * * *

  NATE

  Ember had my full attention the moment the door opened. Those fiery red curls, her luscious lips, that perfectly curvy body in those high-waisted jeans… My dick has been at a constant state of semi-hard ever since.

  Of course, add in this fucking hot kiss, and I’m completely hard.

  My hands slide up and down her body, unwilling and unable to break the contact. Her lips part, inviting my tongue inside. We shuffle until she’s backed up against the fridge. I press myself completely against her. I wish I could shed this bulky gear, but with the rest of the team just outside in the parking lot, I can’t risk it. I am still on duty.

  My irritation with this woman for deliberately starting a fire is subsiding. I’m only upset because it’s irresponsible. Most people don’t have a healthy respect for what a fire is capable of until it’s too late.

  I tug at one side of her shirt until it’s free of those jeans. The feel of her silky skin against my rough hand makes my dick twitch. If it weren’t for the Nomex pants, my desire wouldn’t be a secret at all.

  My fingers are brushing against the bottom edge of her bra when the radio buzzes again. I want to ignore it, but if I do, the crew will come up to investigate. Reluctantly, I retract my hand and pull back.

  Seconds later, I hear the door down the hall open. Chase heard the call, too.

  “About that dinner?” I pin Ember with my eyes, refusing to let up until she gives me an answer. Her hair is fluffy and slightly tangled from my eager hands. The shirt that was tucked into her high-waisted jeans has half-escaped. I didn’t have enough time to finish what I started. But I hope to rectify that tomorrow.

  Finally, I get a nod. “Okay.”

  “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at seven.”

  “Ready?” My brother, Chase, claps me hard on the shoulder. A warning that we need to leave. Maybe I should’ve given the situation a little more thought. Ember is my brother’s girlfriend’s roommate. With my reputation, well, let’s just say I can’t blame Chase for the warning glare he sends my way.

  “Take it easy on the pizza next time?” The words sound dumb coming out of my mouth, but they still eli
cit a wicked smile from Ember. And that’s all that really matters.

  Chapter 2

  EMBER

  Holy ice buckets I have a date with a freaking firefighter. This isn’t real life. Can’t be real life. “Pinch me again,” I say to my best friend Leah.

  She rolls her eyes at me before she drops the charred pizza in the trash. “I’m not pinching you.”

  The passionate kiss in the kitchen still has my nerves tingling with desire. No one has ever kissed me like that—like he was suffocating and I was the oxygen. I wish I didn’t have to hurry off to class, because what I really want is some alone time under my covers. “Do you know much about him?”

  “Nate?” Leah shakes her head as she reaches for an empty Tupperware container on the floor. She arches an eyebrow at me. There’re more random things on the floor than I realized. At least nothing broke. “Just that he’s Chase’s brother.”

  Once the mess is picked up, I perch on a stool on the opposite side of the kitchen island and really study my friend. There’s a glow of happiness not just on her face, but over her entire body. She really loves Chase. Truly loves him.

  I’ve never been in love. I want to ask her what it’s like. “I guess you two worked things out?”

  Leah’s cheeks redden. “You could say that.”

  My question about love lingers on the tip of my tongue. But I can’t get the words out. Somehow it feels too risky to put my deepest desire out in the open like that. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted to experience true love. But it’s always eluded me.

  The clock warns me I have to stop loitering in my own kitchen. Unable to delay the inevitable any longer, I gather up my books and laptop to head to class. I give my bestie a squeeze. “I’m so happy for you, Leah. Truly.” I mean the words, with all my heart. Leah is one of the kindest, most genuine people I know.

  I’m still skeptical about this date with Nate. I don’t know why, but the whole thing just feels too good to be true. I guess that expression is displayed across my face, because Leah doesn’t miss a beat.

  “You deserve to be happy, too, Ember.”

  “I’ll see you in the morning.” By the time I make it back from my study session in the library after my night class, Leah will have been asleep for a couple of hours. “Pancakes?”

  “Actually, I’ll be out for a couple of days.”

  “Ah, your firefighter awaits.”

  I’m halfway out the door when she says, “You better tell me all about your hot date!”

  If the little make-out session in the kitchen is any indication of what’s to come, it’ll be hot indeed. I push away all my worries, forcing out the nagging voice in my head that warns me this’ll all blow up in my face. I focus on the only thing that matters: I’m going out with a panty-melting, hot firefighter tomorrow night.

  * * *

  NATE

  I’m nervous.

  Fuck, this is uncomfortable.

  I’ve never been nervous about a date before. Ever.

  “You’re sweating, man. And you haven’t even picked up any weights yet.” My best friend and fellow firefighter Dameon bumps me with his shoulder before he moves around me to the squat rack. He’s already run the crew through one grueling workout today, but like me, he’s back for another round. “What’s the deal?”

  I haven’t told anyone about my date with Ember. I usually brag about my hot dates, but something has come over me. And it’s making me fucking anxious. “I’m fine.” I pick up a couple of dumbbells and start my first rep of bicep curls.

  “A new bar and grill on Third Street, just opened up,” Dameon says when he’s finished his squat reps. “Want to try it out tonight?”

  I was planning to try it out. With Ember. “Can’t tonight.”

  “What’s tonight? If you had a hot date, we’d already know about it.”

  I don’t let him see me cringe. The truth has never bothered me before, but it does now. I’ve never been serious about a woman. Everything up till now has been casual. Simply for fun. But Ember… she doesn’t strike me as the kind of girl who would settle for fun. I know hardly anything about her, but I’m good at reading people. She’s not the kind of woman who does casual.

  “Got something to do tonight, that’s all.” Guess I’ll have to figure out a different place to take her. The last thing I need is Dameon, or any other of the crew, showing up at the same restaurant and scarring her off.

  “Like what?”

  I rack my dumbbells. I didn’t get much of my workout accomplished, but I can’t sit here and let Dameon drill me until I break. “Let’s try it for lunch tomorrow?” I say as I grab my towel and head for the door.

  “Where you going?”

  I’m gone before I can answer. Eager to burn off this nervous energy, I head back home and put on my running shoes. At least in my neighborhood, no one will harass me about my plans tonight.

  With each block I run, the thoughts of Ember only intensify. That kiss has left me all kinds of sideways. It was more than a kiss. I can’t lie to myself. Something happened in her kitchen. Something between us. I’m terrified and thrilled at what it all means.

  Tonight, I’m going to get to the bottom of it.

  Chapter 3

  EMBER

  I’m wound up tighter than a rubber band.

  I’ve gone through ten different outfits, three colors of eye shadows, and at least a dozen pairs of shoes. I really wish my best friend was here to help me decide on the perfect first date outfit. She’s so much better at these things than I am. But she’s with the man of her dreams, and I wouldn’t disturb her for the world.

  After several rounds of deliberation, I settle for a sexy but comfortable black dress. It shows more cleavage than I would normally allow for a first date, but since Nate and I already got up close and personal, I think it’ll be fine. In fact, I’m counting on it.

  I keep checking my phone, which is just ridiculous since Nate and I never exchanged numbers. There’s still a nagging feeling that something is bound to go wrong. “Knock it off, Ember,” I say to myself in the mirror. “Just go enjoy your night with your smokin’ hot firefighter.”

  To emphasize my determination, I shed my panties and go without. Slickness immediately builds between my thighs imagining where this night might lead. I’m not the kind of girl who sleeps with some guy on the first date. But Nate doesn’t feel like some guy. There’s no amount of logic or rationale that’ll explain why I feel that way, but I do just the same.

  Nate’s not only on time, he’s ten minutes early. Brownie points. I can’t count the number of dates who were late to pick me up.

  In normal clothes, he looks more attractive than I expected he could. I mean, that uniform was definitely the highlight of last night’s fantasy. But now that I see him in civilian clothes, holy shit. And that cologne… it’s intoxicating. He’s like a yummy dessert I want to taste one savory bite at a time. The heat builds between my legs, enough to scorch my thighs.

  “Ember, you look amazing.” He opens the truck door for me and offers me a hand. It’s all very chivalrous and so unexpected. Especially when all I want to do is pull him into my arms, feel him up, and kiss him until we both can’t breathe.

  The heels were obviously a bad decision, because on my first step up, I stumble.

  Nate catches me with ease, wrapping his protective arms around me. My back against his steel chest allows me to keep my embarrassed, reddened cheeks hidden from him. “You okay there sweetheart?” He says the words low against my ear. Everything this man does turns me on. I’m at risk for having an orgasm on the spot.

  He helps me into the truck and—much to my disappointment—doesn’t even try to cop a feel. I mentally slap my hand. It’s a first date. Down girl.

  “Started any more fires?”

  My nervous tension eases at his jest. “No, not lately.”

  “Lately?”

  The light banter continues until we arrive at the restaurant. I wouldn’t have pe
gged Nate for such an easy-going guy considering how strong he came on to me yesterday. And if I’m not mistaken, the guy might actually be a little nervous.

  “Ready?”

  He’s at my door to help me down, and this time I’m not at all shy about sliding myself against him. I let my breast brush against his chest, and even throw a little momentum into my descent, causing our bodies to press up against each other.

  “Ember,” Nate growls against my ear. There’s warning in his tone, but it doesn’t stop me from wanting to press my luck. I’m never like this. With anyone.

  “Yes?”

  “You’re making this very hard for me.”

  I’m almost daring enough to wriggle my crotch against him, but a couple walks by and shatters my previous confidence. I’m reminded we’re in public. We’re close enough to campus that I might actually know some of the people inside the restaurant. The last thing I want is a reputation.

  I step away, despite how badly I want a kiss. But who am I kidding? That kiss would lead to more. Like tossing gasoline on a fire. “Let’s get inside.”

  * * *

  NATE

  I suspected there was some fiery personality to Ember the moment I first laid eyes on her, but damn she is giving me a run for my money. I’m always the one in control of the situation. The smooth-talker, as the guys at the station call me.

  But with Ember, my tongue is tangled and my senses are clouded in a sea of lust.

  I’ve never been drawn to another woman like this before. It makes me suddenly aware of all the other men in the restaurant. Several sets of eyes lift from their tables and lock on Ember in her black dress that perfectly accentuates her amazing curves. A burning sensation boils in my chest. I’m jealous.

  When the waiter leads us to a table in the middle, I can’t help my objection. “Do you have anything more private?” Maybe it makes me sound like an overprotective jerk, but I don’t want all these other guys ogling my date.