by Lynn LaFleur
More Erotic Romances by Lynn LaFleur
Nightshift
(with Kate Douglas and Crystal Jordan)
In a Cowboy’s Bed
(with Cat Johnson and Vonna Harper)
Hot Shots
(with Anne Marsh and Stacey Kennedy)
Smokin’ Hot
Published by Kensington Publishing Corp.
Flaming Hot
LYNN LAFLEUR
KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
Table of Contents
More Erotic Romances by Lynn LaFleur
Title Page
Fiery
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Flare
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Flash
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Copyright Page
Fiery
1
Eve Van Den Bergh smiled as she ran her hands over the bolt of white satin. A new shipment of fabric had arrived today at Cozy Crafts Cottage. She loved unwrapping the new bolts, touching the soft cloth. The owner, Rhea Hathaway, always let Eve stock the fabric since Rhea knew Eve enjoyed it so much.
“Wouldn’t this make a gorgeous wedding dress?” Eve asked her boss as Rhea cut the tape on a box of scrapbook paper.
Rhea glanced in Eve’s direction and smiled. “It certainly would.” Her eyebrows disappeared into her wispy bangs. “Is there something you need to tell me?”
“What?” It took a moment for Eve to realize what Rhea had asked her. “Oh, no! Marriage plans are not anywhere in my future.”
“They could be, if you met the right guy.”
“I thought I’d met the right guy. Twice. I suck at relationships.”
“You don’t suck.” Rhea took out several stacks of plastic-wrapped paper and laid them on her worktable. “You just haven’t met the right guy.” She peeked at Eve over the edge of the glasses perched on her nose. “Or you won’t admit you’ve met the right guy. I don’t understand why you won’t go out with Quade. That man is a walking sex object. If he looked at me the way he looks at you, I’d spread my legs in a second.”
Eve chuckled at Rhea’s bluntness, but she agreed with her friend. Tall, buff, copper-skinned, with long straight black hair and incredible sapphire eyes, Quade Easton had to be one of the most attractive men Eve had ever seen. She’d been tempted several times to say yes when he’d invited her out for coffee. Calling on every ounce of willpower she possessed, she managed to say no.
Going out with someone who affected her so strongly would be a huge mistake.
“No comment?” Rhea asked.
“I know it’s only October twelfth, but we should think about putting some of the nicer fabric up front in a special display for the holidays.”
“You’re changing the subject.”
“Yes, and I’ll continue to do so.”
Chuckling, Rhea shook her head. “Sometimes I wonder why we’ve been friends for so long.”
Sometimes Eve wondered the same thing. She’d met Rhea in Paris their sophomore year of college twelve years ago. Rhea had gone to Paris for Christmas with two cousins. Eve had taken a few days by herself while on break from college in the Netherlands, her father’s home country and where she attended school. They’d literally run into each other in a bookstore and clicked immediately.
Rhea had been there during the darkest times of Eve’s life—the loss of her mother, the end of her first engagement, the end of her second engagement. She’d offered Eve a new life here in Lanville, Texas, two years ago when Eve had broken off her second engagement. Eve had gladly accepted the chance to start over.
A chime jingled through the store, indicating someone had come in the front door. Eve automatically turned her head in that direction to offer a greeting. The words died on her tongue when she saw Quade.
“Speak of the devil,” Rhea muttered. “Hi, Quade,” she called out to him.
“Hey, Rhea.” His gaze swung to Eve, and she thought his eyes narrowed a bit. “Eve.”
Eve nodded to acknowledge his greeting. She didn’t think her tongue would work well enough now to speak.
“What can I do for you?” Rhea asked. “Interested in some flannel for new jammies?”
Quade chuckled. The sound tickled every one of Eve’s nerve endings. “Not this time. I’m here to check your fire extinguishers.”
“Oh, sure. Eve, will you show Quade where they are, please?”
They’d been friends for twelve years, yet Rhea was also her boss. Even if being around Quade left Eve tongue-tied, she wouldn’t go against her boss’s wishes. “I’ll be happy to.”
Two ladies walked into the store. Rhea hurried up front to help them, leaving Eve alone with Quade. She stopped herself before she wiped her damp palms on her thighs. “We have four.”
Quade lifted the clipboard he held. “That’s what’s on my list.” He glanced at the top piece of paper. “I also have that there’s one upstairs in the residence.”
“Yes, there is.”
“I’ll need to check it, too.”
“Of course.”
Eve’s heart beat a bit faster. She lived upstairs in the residence, which meant she would have to take Quade into her private sanctuary. She understood the importance of the fire extinguishers being current, but the thought of having Quade so close to her bed made her palms sweat.
Dylan Westfield had checked the extinguishers last year. Having him in her apartment hadn’t affected her one bit.
Quade flashed a dazzling smile, which didn’t help her heartbeat at all. “I won’t take up too much of your time.”
Eve led the way to the fire extinguishers located throughout the store. She stood by while Quade checked the dates on the tags to verify the monthly inspections Rhea performed. He removed the extinguishers from the walls, turned them in his hands, checked the gauges and nozzles.
He wore one of the volunteer fire department’s dark blue Tshirts, giving her an unobstructed view of his muscled forearms. His biceps bulged every time he lifted one of the large tanks and shook it.
She easily imagined those strong arms wrapped around her while he kissed her senseless.
He had his hair pulled back in a ponytail and secured with a leather strap. As long as she let her imagination run wild, she pictured herself untying that strap, tunneling her fingers into the soft strands, letting it fall around her face while they reclined on a soft bed of grass beneath a large tree, naked bodies pressed together… .
“They all look good.”
His words made her fantasy disappear like a wisp of fog. “Great.”
He punched the month, date, and year on the attached tag. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen such clean fire extinguishers.”
She smiled at the humor in his eyes. “Rhea’s a neat nut. She hates dust.”
“Her hating dust makes my job easier.” He noted something on the paper on his clipboard. “One more and we’re done.”
Eve’s smile faded. I have to stop being such a wuss. It isn’t as if Quade is going to grab me the moment we step into my apartment.
She wouldn’t acknowledge the thrill that raced through her when she realized his grabbing her might not be a bad idea.
“Let me get my keys. I’ll meet you by the ba
ck door.”
Eve stepped into the small employee lounge. Kathy Nantz sat in one of the cushy armchairs, eating an apple while she flipped through a fashion magazine. “I have to step out for a bit and Rhea has customers.”
“No problem. My break’s over anyway.” Kathy tossed her apple core into the trash can. A frown drew her eyebrows together as her gaze passed over Eve’s face. “You okay? You seem … anxious.”
“I’m fine. Quade Easton is here to check the fire extinguishers. He has to look at the one in my apartment.”
A dreamy look filled Kathy’s eyes. “That man is so gorgeous. I love to watch him drive by on that big black motorcycle.” She playfully shivered. “Makes me hot all over.”
Eve knew the feeling.
Kathy playfully nudged Eve’s ribs. “I’ll cover for you if you want to take an … extended break with Quade.”
She bobbed her eyebrows, which made Eve laugh. At twenty-three, Kathy still conjured up a lot of romantic fantasies. “No extended break. Strictly business.”
“That’s no fun.”
No, but necessary for her peace of mind. She couldn’t allow herself to dream of what might be when she knew it would never happen. She’d tried twice for happily ever after and both times had bombed. Her heart couldn’t survive failing a third time.
Something about Eve Van Den Bergh pushed all of Quade’s buttons. He couldn’t help but notice her beauty—the oval face, ivory skin, shamrock-green eyes, long straight light blond hair, tall, shapely body with breasts the perfect size to fit in his palms. He loved the slight hint of a Dutch accent that colored her voice.
In the two years she’d been in Lanville, he’d barely spoken to her more than ten minutes at a time. He sensed a nervousness in her, something that kept her from completely letting go and enjoying a man’s company. Nothing serious. His training as a counselor told him she’d never been attacked. But something kept her from dating, from getting close to a man. A lot of his friends had asked her out. She’d always refused.
She’d refused him, too, which frustrated him big time.
He followed her up the outside stairs to the apartment over the store, admiring the gentle swing of her hips in the dark red pants. They fit over her ass the way a man’s hands would during lovemaking.
Knowing thoughts like that would only get him in trouble, Quade concentrated on his feet as he finished climbing the stairs to the small balcony outside the door. He watched her insert a key into the doorknob and deadbolt, push the door open. He followed her into a well-lit kitchen/dining room combination that he would describe as cheery with its white appliances and pale yellow walls.
“I keep the fire extinguisher in the hall closet,” Eve said once he closed the door behind them. “I thought that would be the best place since it’s in the center of the apartment.”
She led him into a wide hall. He could see the living room to his right. Large windows gave a magnificent view of the town square. A door to his left led into the bathroom. He assumed the door at the end of the hall opened into Eve’s bedroom.
She opened the closet door and stepped back to give him room. Quade slowly examined the extinguisher, taking longer than necessary so he could have more time with Eve. Whatever perfume she wore made him think of flowers during springtime.
“It looks good.” He replaced it in the holding bracket on the wall, punched the tag to show when it had been inspected, and made the necessary notation on his checklist. “You’re good for another year. Just keep up the monthly inspections.”
“Rhea does those.” Eve closed the closet door. “With all the flammable items in her store, she wants to be sure her fire extinguishers and sprinkler system are in perfect working order.”
“I can understand that.” He glanced into the living room again. “You have a great view.”
She smiled. “Yes, I love that about this apartment. I can sit on the window seat for hours and watch people.”
Quade stepped into the room, took in the furniture, bookshelves, television. “Your apartment doesn’t seem as big as Rhea’s store. That’s about five thousand square feet, isn’t it?”
“Forty-eight hundred. The apartment takes up about a fifth of the upstairs. The rest is for storage. Rhea loves to decorate for the holidays. She has all the decorations plus other seasonal stuff in plastic tubs through that door.”
Quade followed her pointing finger to see a door in the wall next to the bookshelves. “There are steps up to the storage area from the store, and that door opens into the apartment. That’s the way I usually come up here.”
“Handy during bad weather.”
She smiled again. “Very. Although it’s cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Rhea doesn’t turn on the heat or air conditioning in that room unless she plans to work in there for a while.”
“Makes sense not to pay for the electricity when it isn’t needed.”
Quade had no reason to stay any longer, yet he didn’t want to leave. Something about this woman drew him. He wanted to spend more time with her, get to know her better.
She’d turned him down every time he’d asked her out, yet he decided to try again.
“The new Chinese restaurant is having its grand opening Friday night. A bunch of our friends are going. Do you want to join us?”
He thought he saw yearning in her eyes before disappointment replaced it. “I can’t. I have to be here for the Friday-night workshop. But thank you for inviting me.”
“Sure. Maybe another time.”
He headed for the exit, but stopped halfway across the kitchen floor and turned back to face Eve. He didn’t want to sound like a spoiled child not getting his way, but he had to know why she kept avoiding him. “Is there something about me you don’t like? Is that why you keep turning me down when I ask you out?”
Her eyes widened in mortification. “No! I apologize if I gave you the impression that I think something is wrong with you. You’re a very nice man, Quade.”
“Then why won’t you go out with me?”
She crossed her arms over her stomach, gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I don’t go out with anyone, Quade. It has nothing to do with you. I just … I’m not interested in getting involved with anyone.”
“Going out to eat with a bunch of friends isn’t getting involved, Eve.”
“I know, and I’m sure I’d enjoy it, but I do have to work Friday night. Rhea has workshops until nine every Friday night. Then there’s telling everyone good-bye, and the cleanup. I don’t get out of the store until around ten-thirty.”
Quade understood the obligation of a job, yet he couldn’t help feeling disappointed again. “If something comes up and you don’t have to work, we plan to get there around seven and close the place down at midnight.”
Her lips turned up in a small smile. “I’ll remember.”
He turned the doorknob, opened the door. “See you around.”
She nodded to acknowledge his statement. Quade stepped out into the pleasant October morning. It would climb into the mid-seventies this afternoon, a bit below the normal temperature of low eighties for this time of year, but he thought it perfect. He’d be happy with mid-fifties at night and mid-seventies during the day year-round.
He wondered if the weather here corresponded with the weather in the Netherlands.
Quade knew next to nothing about the small country sandwiched between Belgium and Germany. He knew from conversations with friends that Eve had spent the majority of her life here in the States, but she visited her father often and had completed college in Amsterdam.
Perhaps he should do a little research on the country of her ancestors. It might help him understand Eve Van Den Bergh better.
2
“I don’t know the sex of the baby,” Grace Simpson told Eve as she perused the bins of yarn, “so I need a neutral color that would work for either a boy or girl. But I don’t want yellow. That’s too blah.”
Eve smiled at the older woman. She’d turned eighty last we
ek, but no one would ever believe Ms. Grace’s age, even with the perfectly styled, short white hair. Slim and always impeccably dressed, Ms. Grace never looked unkempt or frumpy. Her granddaughter, Rayna Holt, possessed the same bone structure as Ms. Grace. Eve suspected Rayna would continue to be a stunning woman well into her older years.
But now, Rayna and her husband, Marcus, were expecting a baby in April and Ms. Grace told Eve she wanted to knit an afghan for her great-grandchild. “Green would work for either sex. Or lilac or lavender. You could mix ivory and brown together, or even use gray. With the right design, it would be beautiful in a baby afghan.”
Ms. Grace fingered a skein the color of smoke. “I never thought of gray. That might work. Rayna loves that color.”
“Or …” Eve moved down the row of skeins, plucked one from its bin, and returned to Ms. Grace. “What about a variegated yarn? This one has several pastel shades mixed together.”
Ms. Grace patted her lips with one finger. “I like the idea of doing something a little different. Mattie,” she called out to the young woman studying the different shades of cardstock. “What do you think of this for the baby afghan?”
Mattie hurried over to look at what her employer held. A bright smile curled her lips. “I like that. I never would’ve thought of gray, but it’ll be perfect.”
Ms. Grace beamed, making her smoky blue eyes sparkle. “Sold! Give me five skeins. No, make it six. I don’t want to run out in the middle of my knitting.”
“If you don’t use that sixth skein, you can bring it back for a refund or store credit.”
“In that case, give me seven. I might decide to knit a cap and booties, too.”
Smiling at Ms. Grace’s enthusiasm, Eve gathered up the skeins and took them to the checkout station. “Do you have the right size needles?”
“I have every size of knitting needles and crochet hooks that are available.” She clapped her hands in delight. “Oh, I can’t wait to get started. It’ll be so nice to have a baby in the family again. I wasn’t sure if Rayna and Marcus would want more children, not after they lost Derek.” She leaned closer to Eve, as if about to tell her a secret. “I think the pregnancy was an accident.”