Feel the Heat

by Lorie O'Clare

  As he was doing now.

  The phone made her jump.

  “Yes,” she said into the receiver, turning back to her desk.

  “Mr. Mason’s on the line.”

  Hannah sighed. “Put him through.” Any other time, she would have enjoyed talking to Sterling. Their stormy high school romance had cooled to friendship after college. And in spite of his sometimes-annoying personality, their shared interests in politics and books usually offered entertaining discussions.

  Besides, hanging out with Sterling now and then meant she didn’t have to waste time fighting off the town’s eligible bachelors.

  The line clicked as Mattie transferred the call.

  “Hi, Sterling.”

  “Dinner?”

  “Not tonight.” She gripped the phone tighter, preparing to lie. Or at least stretch the truth. “I have a lot of work to do.”

  Silence suggested he wasn’t happy with her response.

  “Tomorrow, then,” he said. “I’ll pick you up at five.”

  Sterling tended to leave no room for refusal.

  “All right.”

  “Don’t work too hard. You don’t want to get bags under your eyes.”

  Before she could respond, he hung up.

  Lee paced the engine bay, waiting for the clock to cooperate.

  Charlie had been right; Hannah Hayward had been a surprise. She’d always been pretty, but she’d grown into a true beauty.

  He pictured her looking up at him from behind her desk, her chestnut hair pulled back from her gorgeous face, her silk blouse open low enough to show off a hint of cleavage, her lips full, red, and tempting. Damn! He’d been afraid she would notice just how interested he was.

  But what had really knocked him out was the one thing that hadn’t changed. She still had incredible green eyes that held the depths of oceans. Those eyes had always both drawn him to her and kept him at arm’s length. As a kid, he’d been afraid she could see right into his soul.

  Of course, now he knew better. Now he knew he could tease her and make her blush. Damned if that hadn’t turned him on even more. He’d been ready to drag her out from behind that desk and see if she tasted as good as she had so long ago.

  As he made another turn around the bay, he reminded himself that he needed to keep his hands to himself. He couldn’t afford to screw this up. This was his opportunity to do what he really wanted, to run a fire department. And not just any fire department but the fire department of his hometown. This was his chance to show Tillman exactly how much he’d changed, what he’d made of himself. It might also be his one chance to rid himself of his past.

  The front door opened and he squinted at the glare of unfiltered Colorado sunshine preceding her into the building. Hannah stepped through the light as an angelic vision producing the most devilish thoughts.

  2

  Hannah found Lee waiting just inside the door. He looked at home beside the shiny red fire engines filled with equipment she could only guess at the use for.

  “Glad you could make it,” he said, his voice much too sexy.

  “I certainly couldn’t turn down a tour.” She glanced around, reminding herself that she was here on business. “Looks nice. You’ve cleaned up the place.”

  “Yeah, it needed cleaning.” He turned and led the way around the older truck, slapping a fender as he passed it. “Unfortunately, cleaning won’t help this one.”

  “Why not?”

  He glanced back over his shoulder. “Doesn’t run.”

  “Oh.”

  Walking alongside the newer vehicle, he pointed. “Hoses are old, and the pumps need overhauls. Doesn’t do much good to race to a fire when you can’t perform once you get there.”

  She streaked the newly applied wax on the engine’s red exterior with one finger. “I guess it doesn’t matter how nice the equipment looks if it doesn’t work.”

  “Oh, how true,” he said.

  Heat rose to her face.

  At the far side of the garage, past two fire engines and a red pickup truck carrying a large tank and metal boxes, he stopped at a door, hand on the doorknob. “I haven’t even gotten to the back of this one yet.” Pushing open the door, he stepped aside.

  Careful not to touch the oily door frame, she peeked in at a disaster area. Rusty axes and other tools lay strewn around the room, along with overturned gas cans and tangled ropes. Only one side looked neat and orderly. “What happened?”

  “Except for the wall we’ve worked on, it was left this way,” he said.

  “Really?” Why would Chief Black have left everything such a mess?

  “Yep. And every firefighter knows taking care of his tool is just as important as knowing how to handle it.”

  Excitement wormed its way through her stomach. Was he purposely making his comments lewd, or was her mind just stuck in the gutter?

  “Let me show you the upstairs.”

  When he reached around her to turn off the light, heat from his arm warmed her back and her breath caught in her throat. How was she supposed to act professional under these circumstances?

  As he led the way across the garage, she found herself studying his backside again.

  They climbed a narrow stairway into a large, low-ceilinged room that held an old sofa, two ancient stuffed chairs, a television, several rows of weights beside a weight bench, and a wall-ful of stacked folding chairs. At the far side of the room, a large brass pole rose through an opening in the floor.

  “What’s all this?”

  He motioned toward the room. “Our first-class training facilities.” When he slapped the back of one of the stuffed chairs, a dust cloud rose. “Want to watch a training film?”

  The heat from her neck bubbled into her cheeks. “No, thank you. I don’t need training.”

  “Glad to hear that,” he said.

  She crossed the room under buzzing fluorescent lights, her heels thudding on the wooden floor, and stopped at the brass pole. “You really use this?”

  “Yep,” he said, from right behind her. “Needs polishing, though. You interested?”

  “In polishing your pole? I don’t think so.”

  He walked past her to circle the opening. “I guess I could polish my own pole, but it’s more fun when someone else does it.”

  Hannah shook her head. This was getting ridiculous. She couldn’t believe she was not only encouraging but also participating in such juvenile behavior. They had work to do.

  She turned to meet his teasing gaze. “Lee, we really need to work on your budget. There’s no way the city has the money you’re asking for.”

  His smile faded. “I know. Let me show you the rest of it.”

  She followed him back downstairs.

  “Building’s in pathetic shape,” he said, suddenly all business. “We need a new roof.”

  Glancing up, she was surprised to find brown blobs staining half the ceiling. Obviously, the roof problem wasn’t new.

  “Kitchen’s a hazard. We’ll make the news when the station blows up because of a leaking gas line.” He pushed open a door and stepped into a small, dimly lit office. “You can see here where the foundation’s giving way.”

  When he pulled a trash can away from the wall, she stared at a hole where the concrete floor had cracked and caved in. Wiping back her hair from her forehead, she studied the crack that continued halfway up the wall.

  “Great.” How could she have let Chief Black convince her that everything was all right? And how could the town possibly come up with enough money to address even half of these problems?

  She pictured the faces of the city council members as she explained the severity of the situation. They would think her incompetent, at best.

  Turning, she found Lee standing in front of her, watching. His dark eyes sparkled in the soft light from a single desk lamp. He swallowed hard as his gaze dropped to her mouth, and the bottom fell out of her belly.

  All her concerns, all the thoughts of budget shortfalls and the cit
y council, faded away. She was suddenly a seventeen-year-old girl standing in front of the best-looking boy in town on a dark street.

  He stepped forward and she leaned toward him.

  “Hell,” he whispered, reaching for her. He drew her up and kissed her.

  His mouth covered hers, devouring her, and she gripped the front of his shirt in her fists as she surrendered to undeniable desire. She met his tongue with her own, stroking, drawing, inviting him in.

  Her head bumped the wall as he pinned her against it.

  His hands slid across her shoulders, over her breasts, and down her sides. He gripped her butt and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his hips and clung to his shoulders.

  He tilted his head to get deeper, and she sucked hard, needing so much more. His musky scent snaked its way through her brain, swallowing what was left of rational thought.

  As he pressed her against the cool plaster with his immense, heated body, she felt his erection hardening against her crotch. Oh God, she remembered the thrill of that night, standing in his arms, feeling him hard against her.

  He tore his mouth from hers and moved it to her neck, groaning.

  Hannah gulped in air. She gripped the back of his neck and his rock-hard shoulders.

  He pulled her up the front of his jeans and eased her back down. She opened her legs wider.

  As he stroked her with his movements, he sucked a tender spot on her neck. His right hand slid up to her breast and he rubbed his thumb across her hardened nipple as if he knew exactly what she needed.

  She gasped.

  He groaned again as he rubbed her along the length of his erection. Her clit swelled from the friction and the hunger.

  If she could have reached down between them, she would have ripped open his jeans. Her body tightened with need.

  His mouth found hers again.

  She drew in his breath.

  He squeezed her butt, stimulating nerves that arched her back with delight.

  “Oh God,” she whispered.

  Her pussy tightened, wanting more, needing him, and he moved her faster.

  Deep waves of pleasure rolled through her body, drawing her hips forward.

  Her pussy clenched, probably soaking him through layers of fabric.

  And then she came, hard, all at once, crying out into his mouth.

  Clutching, holding, grinding—spasms shot through her. Pleasure wracked her torso until it bordered on pain.

  And then, just as suddenly, it released her.

  She collapsed against him, her head on his chest where she heard his heart pounding to match the speed of her own.

  He held her, still swollen and hard against her crotch, and his quick, shallow breaths fanned the hairs on the back of her neck.

  “Chief?”

  “Son of a bitch,” he whispered. He glanced at the door and stepped away, lowering her quickly to her feet.

  If he’d let go of her arms, she might have fallen.

  Instead, he eased her into a chair, sat in the one next to her, and rolled it into place at the desk. “You can see why I’m having a hard time prioritizing the work.”

  “Chief, I—” A young man stopped halfway into the office. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you were busy.”

  “It’s okay, Tommy. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Why don’t you make some coffee?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  As soon as Tommy disappeared, Hannah looked up from the budget form to find Lee studying her. His mouth curled into a wicked grin.

  She was tempted to slug him and tell him it wasn’t funny that they’d almost been caught humping against the wall, but she really wanted to straddle him and comb her fingers through his hair instead.

  She rose on shaky legs. “I should go.”

  “You’ll forgive me if I don’t follow you out,” he said quietly, one eyebrow arched, as he leaned back in his chair and winced.

  “I’ll, uh, get back to you,” she said, straightening her blouse, stumbling, and catching herself on the office door frame.

  His voice dropped a notch. “I sure hope so.”

  She shot a glare back at him and found him laughing quietly.

  Lee rearranged the front of his jeans and grunted in relief.

  He really hadn’t meant to get carried away in his office. It was just that standing so damn close to Hannah, looking down into her beautiful eyes, feeling her leaning toward him had been too much. If Tommy hadn’t come in, he might have carried her up to his bed.

  Christ. What was he thinking?

  He sighed. He was thinking about the woman who had been his fantasy girl since he was twelve, that’s what.

  The one night he’d gotten close to living that fantasy had caught him off guard. He remembered it like it was yesterday. While searching for Charlie at the old Abrams place he’d run into Hannah upstairs. Actually, she’d run into him, and she was crying. At first he’d thought he was imagining things. No big surprise, since every dark-haired girl he saw was her at first glance. But at second glance, it was still Hannah, and she was clearly terrified. He’d wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her.

  He could still remember the smell of fireplaces spicing the cool night air as he stood beside his truck, waiting to watch her cross the street to her house. Instead, she’d stopped to thank him for helping her and kissed him.

  She couldn’t possibly have known that he’d wanted to kiss her since sixth grade.

  He’d wanted so damn bad to ask her out after that night, but he’d never been able to work up the nerve. She was the prettiest girl in town, the daughter of the town doctor, and he was the son of the town drunk. Accepting a ride home after being stranded at a party in the middle of nowhere was one thing; no way would she want to be seen with him in public.

  But that was then. They’d been kids. She sure as hell wasn’t a kid anymore, and his old man was long gone. Now he was fire chief, and she was city manager. There was no good reason they couldn’t share a bed, if she agreed. And, judging by her response, chances were good she’d agree.

  Only thing he had to be careful of was letting her close enough to realize just how different their worlds were. Once she knew, she wouldn’t want to have anything to do with him.

  That thought helped rid him of his hard-on. Lee headed for the smell of fresh coffee.

  “Sorry to interrupt, Chief.” Tommy poured a cup and handed it to him.

  “No problem. Just working on the budget.” He watched for a reaction to his statement as he sipped but didn’t see one.

  “What do you want me to do now?” the young man asked.

  “Help me get another load of tools out of the storage room and we’ll clean them up. We need enough for training on Saturday.”

  The boy looked hopeful. “Can I train, too?”

  Although he was too young to qualify as a full-fledged firefighter, Tommy had brought in his father, who had given permission for him to volunteer after school. That suited Lee, since the fire department couldn’t afford to pay anyone else and he needed help. Besides, Tommy would be a good firefighter when he was old enough to sign up. Too bad Tillman didn’t have a junior firefighter program like some departments. Of course, nothing said Lee couldn’t start one.

  Something about Tommy’s old man reminded Lee of his own father. He hoped like hell they weren’t too much alike.

  “Depends,” Lee said.

  “Sir?”

  “I need an assistant to keep records for some of the training. Think you can do that?”

  The young man beamed. “Yes, sir!”

  “Good. You can join in for the rest.”

  Hannah strolled alongside the empty street, enjoying the way twinkling stars and a quarter moon gave the clear night sky a velvety look. Somewhere in the distance, a truck downshifted and a dog barked. The sounds of small-town peace.

  Her thoughts, however, were anything but peaceful.

  A week ago, she’d been content to play along with Sterling as he put together his cam
paign for the state senate. He liked having her on his arm; her father’s name helped open doors for him in the rural areas around Tillman.

  Now, suddenly, she had no patience for playing along.

  More than anything, she wanted to walk downtown to the firehouse, slip inside while the town slept, and continue where she and Lee had left off. Charlie said he was living there. What would he do if she just showed up?

  Don’t be stupid.

  She couldn’t throw herself at Lee. She was a mature adult, an important member of the community, not a teenager who could just do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted.

  And what if they got caught together? She’d lose her status as an impartial manager and likely forfeit the town’s respect. Tillman was much more conservative than Seattle or even Boston, where she’d spent her college years.

  At the high school, she turned a corner and continued on until she reached the football field. Empty bleachers loomed as shadowy monuments to the distant past. Meandering, she ran across a dusty white line glowing in moonlight and followed it along the edge of the field.

  “Hey.”

  Barely biting back a scream, Hannah spun toward the bleachers, where a shadow of a man sat watching her. As he rose, she realized who it was.

  “Come here often?” he asked.

  She took a deep breath and patted her chest. “You scared me half to death.”

  Lee stepped toward her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to.” He stopped in front of her with moonlight illuminating his smile.

  Her first impulse was to leap into his arms.

  Fortunately, she’d never been a particularly impulsive person, the one exception being earlier that day.

  Excitement rushed through her at the memory.

  She swallowed hard and looked away, focusing on swaying trees beyond the empty field. “Why are you here?”

  “Couldn’t sleep. You?”

  She shrugged and dared to look up at his face again. “I thought a walk might help me relax.”

  “Is it working?”

  “Not very well.”

  He laughed softly, moved closer, and lifted his hand to her face. He pressed his warm palm to her jaw and stroked her cheek with his thumb as his eyes studied hers. “Not helping me relax much, either.”