He stared at her for a moment while she settled her very well taken care of daughter on her shoulder.
“You did a great job, Master.” It was more than she thought she could hope for. “I didn’t think I could love you more, but I do.”
“Then marry me.”
He was tired and dirty and so beautiful in that moment that she was sure no woman on the planet had ever gotten a better offer. “All right.”
He suddenly looked way more awake. He nearly jumped out of the chair and stood with her. “Seriously? You’re saying yes?”
All she’d ever needed to know was that he could accept Emily. “Yes.”
He reached around, drawing her close, the baby between them. He made a little circle of their bodies. “I was being stubborn. I was afraid. You can forgive me?”
Oh, there was nothing to forgive. “You just needed a little time.”
“I needed you.” He kissed the top of Emily’s head. “And her. I want to adopt her. I can give her my name.”
He could give her a father, one who would love her and never leave her because that was who he was. “Yes. Yes. Yes. I know you like to hear that word, Master.”
“I think I like husband more.” He held her close, nestling the three of them together.
She kissed him. “Then yes, my almost husband. But, babe, you’re going to have to take a bath first.”
He grinned, looking younger than she’d ever seen him. “Then put her down to sleep. God knows she needs it. And I need you. Meet me in the shower. Just because we’re getting married doesn’t mean our contract is altered. You’re still mine.”
He strode away, his big body stretching.
Ashley hugged her baby close as she walked to her crib and settled her in. She watched her sleep but only for a moment.
She kissed her forehead and ran back to her room. The shower was already running.
She set the monitor on the sink, ditched her clothes and joined her Master, her husband, her love.
* * *
Thank you for reading UNCONDITIONAL! You can read the next book in the sexy Masters and Mercenaries series DUNGEON ROYALE now.
An agent broken
MI6 agent Damon Knight prided himself on always being in control. His missions were executed with cold, calculating precision. His club, The Garden, was run with an equally ordered and detached decadence. But his perfect world was shattered by one bullet, fired from the gun of his former partner. That betrayal almost cost him his life and ruined his career. His handlers want him to retire, threatening to revoke his license to kill if he doesn’t drop his obsession with a shadowy organization called The Collective. To earn their trust, he has to prove himself on a unique assignment with an equally unusual partner.
A woman tempted
Penelope Cash has spent her whole life wanting more. More passion. More adventure. But duty has forced her to live a quiet life. Her only excitement is watching the agents of MI6 as they save England and the world. Despite her training, she’s only an analyst. The closest she is allowed to danger and intrigue is in her dreams, which are often filled with one Damon Knight. But everything changes when the woman assigned to pose as Damon’s submissive on his latest mission is incapacitated. Penny is suddenly faced with a decision. Stay in her safe little world or risk her life, and her heart, for Queen and country.
An enemy revealed
With the McKay-Taggart team at their side, Damon and Penny hunt an international terrorist across the great cities of Northern Europe. Playing the part of her Master, Damon begins to learn that under Penny’s mousy exterior is a passionate submissive, one who just might lay claim to his cold heart. But when Damon’s true enemy is brought out of the shadows, it might be Penny who pays the ultimate price.
ONE CLICK DUNGEON ROYALE NOW >
Turn the page for the burning hot romance between a small town firefighter and his smart-mouthed employee in SLOW BURN by JH Croix.
Or if you’ve already read that one, skip ahead to the hilarious and emotional romance between two divorce attornies in THE PLAYER from Denise Grover Swank.
SLOW BURN
J.H. Croix
I put out fires for a living. I can take some heat. But Maisie drives me crazy. She’s smart-mouthed, sarcastic and argumentative.
This town’s too small for both of us. But she works for me. Unfortunately. It’s a big no-no for me to want her.
She’s brash and beautiful and tempts me beyond distraction. There are different kinds of fire, and this one will make her melt.
There’s only one problem: this fire might be too hot for both of us.
This is a full-length standalone romance with a guaranteed happily-ever-after.
Chapter One
Maisie
“Let me see if I understand you. Your cat got stuck in a tree, so you used your excavator to get him out?” I asked.
“Yes, that’s what I said,” Carrie Dodge explained, her tone exasperated.
I only knew Carrie’s name because that was the second order of business whenever I answered a call at Willow Brook Fire & Rescue. Sadly, I still wasn’t clear on what the nature of Carrie’s emergency was.
“So, is your cat okay?”
Carrie’s sigh came through the line. “Herman is fine. It’s my excavator that’s the problem.”
When I answered a minute ago, Carrie had spoken so quickly, all I’d been able to piece together was something to do with a tree, a cat, and an excavator.
“Tell me what happened to your excavator.”
I waited to hear the excavator had a name. Because this was Alaska and people named their tools and things like that here. I’d only lived here about two years, but I’d quickly come to learn some things were more important than others. Shiny cars—not so much. Excavators or fishing gear—worth their weight in gold.
“Oh, well, it was all fine at first. I got it right up by the tree, and Herman hopped in the bucket no problem. I lowered him to the ground and when I was turning it around, I forgot how close the ditch was and it fell in. I’m stuck inside,” Carrie explained.
Rather calmly, I might add. This was the first mention a human was involved in this emergency beyond the role of an observer.
I tapped the alarm button on my desk. That would alert the crew on duty while I kept Carrie on the line until they arrived at her location. I’d already linked her GPS coordinates to our system. With rapid fire typing, I filled in a summary for the crew to see.
“Are you injured?” I asked Carrie, thinking to myself as long as she was okay, it was almost funny she’d neglected to mention her predicament this far into our call. I’d started out worried about the cat, then the excavator, when lo and behold, she was trapped in an excavator that had fallen in a ditch.
“I think so,” Carrie said with a sigh. “Herman’s looking at me through the window. My shoulder hurts a little.”
“Do you mind if I get some basic info from you while the rescue crew’s headed your way?”
“I suppose not,” Carrie replied with another sigh.
I heard the garage doors opening on the back of Willow Brook’s Fire & Rescue building and the sirens blare. Within seconds, an ambulance was racing past the front windows with a fire truck in its wake.
Carrie was remarkably calm and gave me her information with a few huffs here and there. I sensed she was more annoyed with her situation than with me.
I heard one of the crewmembers radioing to report they were within three minutes. I was the sole dispatcher for Willow Brook Fire & Rescue. Though Willow Brook was a small town in Alaska, nestled in a valley in the foothills of the Alaska Range, its proximity to Anchorage and central location in the state had resulted in its Fire & Rescue crews being one of the hubs in the state. Two interagency hotshot crews ran out of Willow Brook, along with a local crew. All three crews were fully trained for hotshot firefighting, which required intensive training and grueling work. Hotshot teams were sent to the most dangerous, remote fires in the country.
Alaska’s sprawling geography lent itself to plenty of fires. The Willow Brook teams mostly served Alaska, however they went wherever they were called. When they weren’t deep in the wilderness fighting wildfires, they handled whatever came up here.
I chatted with Carrie until I heard the crew arrive. As soon as I ended my call with her, my other line beeped, indicating someone from the crew was calling in.
“Yes?”
“Hey Maze, what’s the emergency? The cat or the excavator?” Beck Steele asked.
The moment he spoke, I got annoyed. Beck invariably annoyed me. I could practically see him grinning. I gritted my teeth and told myself I’d stay calm and professional.
“Neither. Carrie, the woman calling, is stuck in the excavator. Aren’t you there?” I asked, proud of myself for keeping my voice perfectly level.
“Not yet. Crew says she’s fine by the way. Mind telling me what this has to do with a cat?”
“Her cat was in a tree. She used the excavator bucket to get him out, and then the excavator tipped into a ditch,” I explained.
“Of course. Because it makes perfect sense to use an excavator to get a cat out of a tree,” he said with a low chuckle, his tone dry.
No matter what, Beck managed to get under my skin. Next thing I knew, I was arguing the point.
“It’s not the worst idea. I mean, she got Herman out of the tree,” I countered.
“Herman?”
“The cat. His name is Herman,” I explained.
Another low chuckle from Beck sent my belly into a tailspin of flutters. I was hot and prickly all over and inanely arguing about the sensibility of using an excavator to get a cat out of a tree.
“Do you need anything else from me?” I snapped.
“Nah. Nice chatting, Maze,” he replied.
The line went dead in my ear. I swore he called me like this just to piss me off. I shook my thoughts off of him, adjusted my headset and quickly entered everything from the call in our data system. I was unusually curious to see how Carrie was. Carrie’s unflappable attitude got to me and made me want to know for certain she’d be okay.
I fielded a few more calls in the time the crew was out. They were still out when the top of the hour rolled around, and the call center in Anchorage took over duty for me to take a break. I still hadn’t heard back from the crew and hoped Carrie was okay. I’d learned it wasn’t the least bit helpful for crews to have me calling to check in, so I’d just have to wait. I powered down my computer and headed into the back area.
Two of our crews were out in the middle of freaking nowhere dealing with two different backcountry fires in Alaska. With the remaining crew out, the back of the station was deserted. I was feeling grubby after a morning changing the oil on the old truck Gram had left me. A side benefit to working at Fire & Rescue was access to the massive garage bays and tools galore. The crews handled all of their own maintenance. Amongst the three crews, there was a single female firefighter, Susannah Gilmore. She was also one of the few friends I had. Lately, she’d taught me how to change the oil in my truck, so I’d tried it this morning when no one was around. I kind of wished she wasn’t out in the field because I didn’t feel comfortable enough to ask any of the guys if I’d done it right.
Whether I’d changed the oil properly or not, I could use a shower. I’d been trying to figure out what to do about my broken hot water heater for over a week now. Cold showers sucked, so I’d been taking advantage of the showers here whenever I could. I preferred not to do so when anyone was around, so I planned to make it quick. The crew hadn’t radioed they were on their way back yet, so I figured I had a little time.
Inside of a few minutes, I was savoring the steaming hot water pouring over me. The industrial hot water pressure here was phenomenal. I wondered if I could find a way to get this kind of pressure at Gram’s house. My heart gave a little squeeze. It was technically my house because Gram had left it to me when she passed away, but I still couldn’t seem to think of it as mine. It felt too much like her. I gave my head a shake and grabbed the soap, quickly soaping myself all over. I was rinsing the shampoo from my hair when I heard a voice.
“What the…”
I opened my eyes to see Beck standing in the entryway to the showers. I might’ve forgotten to mention Beck was the sexiest, most handsome man I’d ever known in person. There he stood in all of his glory. He still had his gear half on, but he’d taken his shirt off. His black curls were a wild mess, and he had dirt streaked on his cheeks and arms. His chest was a work of art—all glistening muscle, every inch of it practically carved from stone. His heavy-duty coveralls were hanging at his waist, tempting my eyes to look further down.
I was so stupidly staring at him, I momentarily forgot I was completely naked. Beck’s eyes were wide, and his mouth hung open. He snapped it shut, and his eyes—those gorgeous, sinfully green eyes raked over me. If I didn’t know better, I might’ve thought his gaze darkened with desire. But that was crazy, and I was naked.
Chapter Two
Beck
Maisie Rogers stood in the showers—her delectable body bare for me to see. I couldn’t have kept my eyes from taking a detour along every curve if I’d wanted to. Soap bubbles ran down her skin. I wanted to be those bubbles, caressing every inch of her skin.
Holy smokes. I was stuck right where I was. Her dark brown curls were wet and fell down around her shoulders, the water almost straightening them, but they were so wild, they couldn’t be tamed. Her big brown eyes were like saucers. Oh, I’d have guessed Maisie had a body to die for, but she kept it hidden behind her t-shirts and jeans. Her breasts—oh my fucking God, her breasts. They were round and bouncy with dusky pink nipples. I was perhaps ten feet away from her, so I couldn’t be certain, but I was pretty sure her nipples got tight as I stood there and gaped at her.
Her waist curved in and then her hips flared out. My cock was hard inside of a second. I could instantly imagine gripping those hips, the soft flesh giving way, and sinking inside of her. Suddenly, she squeaked and spun around. If she thought that would help matters, nope. Her bottom was just as delectable as the rest of her. I’d never been one to love thin women. They were too, well, thin. I liked something to hold onto. Maisie had curves for days, plenty to hold onto.
“Do you mind?” she snapped, keeping her back to me.
Her voice was muffled by the water, but her snippy attitude came through loud and clear. Whenever she got like that with me, the urge to tease her was impossible to resist.
“I don’t mind at all. Not one bit,” I countered, letting my words drag out.
I was speaking the plain truth. I could stand there all day and stare at her. If my cock had anything to say about it, I’d been doing a lot more than staring.
“Oh my God,” she muttered. “Beck, please.”
Just now, she didn’t sound pissed. She sounded distressed, and it wasn’t funny anymore. It suddenly occurred to me the rest of the crew would be in here any second. I didn’t want anyone else to walk in on her like this. While I had always felt protective toward Maisie when she wasn’t busy driving me nuts, now I felt territorial. I didn’t want anyone else to see how fucking gorgeous she was.
“On my way out. I’ll hold the crew at bay,” I called as I forced my feet to move and walk out.
A while later, after I’d showered along with the rest of the crew, I made my way out front. I figured it would be best if Maisie and I went ahead and got the requisite awkward moment out of the way. I pushed through the swinging door out front to find her with her eyes studiously focused on her computer.
When she first started working here, she’d been pretty bitchy with the crews, but she was steady and professional on calls. So we kept her on, in part for that and in part out of loyalty to her grandmother. Carol Rogers had been our main admin person for decades. When she’d asked the police chief to hire Maisie, he’d immediately agreed. Maisie was an incredibly hard worker, and I respected her. I’d managed to keep the undercurre
nt of desire I felt for her at bay for a good two years now. Seeing her the way I just had wouldn’t help matters.
I leaned my elbows on the counter surrounding her desk. “So Carrie Dodge is doing okay,” I said, figuring if I started with something neutral and normal, perhaps it would just let us skip right past any awkwardness.
Maisie glanced up. “Oh good! You guys were there a while. What happened?”
I chuckled. “Most of the work was getting the excavator in a safe position so we could get Carrie out. She broke her collarbone and her elbow, so they transported her to the hospital. I’m still not sure how she pulled it off, but that damn excavator was on its side. If she hadn’t been inside, it would’ve been no biggie, but she was pinned in the corner of the cab, so we had to be careful. Took some finagling.”
Maisie grinned. “You shoulda heard her when she called. She didn’t even mention she was in the excavator until a few minutes in.”
“Doesn’t surprise me a bit. Carrie’s used to taking care of things herself. She was more pissed off she needed help than anything else.”
“Well, I’m glad she’s okay.”
After that, Maisie looked back at her computer and fiddled with a bracelet on her wrist. Her teeth caught her bottom lip, worrying it. Oh fuck. My grand plan to breeze past this went up in smoke. Two years of trying to ignore my body’s draw to Maisie and now I knew exactly how she looked—every glorious fucking inch of her.
“Didn’t mean to surprise you back there. What the hell do you need to shower here for anyway?” There my mouth went, stumbling into the one topic I preferred to avoid.
Her cheeks got pink, and she kept her eyes trained on her computer screen. “My hot water heater broke,” she mumbled.
Perfect. Something else to focus on other than Maisie naked and my hard cock.
“Well, why don’t you get it fixed?” I asked the rather obvious question.
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