Simmering Heat

by Leora Gonzales

  His alpha tendencies turned her on instead of doing the opposite. He made her feel as if he could pick her up and take charge in almost any situation, and that wasn’t something she was used to. Normally, she was surrounded by men who asked before they held your hand, which was nice it its own way but that wasn’t what Jasmine wanted.

  No, she wanted a man who would kiss her when he felt like it, grab her ass like he couldn’t help himself and lay his claim like only he could.

  “Good luck man, I think Nix had some high hopes tacked onto that little lady.” Justin nodded his head toward Jasmine as if she didn’t have a mind of her own.

  “I highly doubt that considering he hasn’t said more than ten words to me in the entire time I’ve known him,” Jasmine butted in, her patience wearing thin the longer they stood chatting about her as if she weren’t there.

  Leo pulled her away, obviously catching on to the change in her voice. “Sugar, there isn’t a whole lot a man has to say when he knows what he wants. I have a feeling Nix finally dragged his head out of his ass after last night and realized he had overlooked a gem right under his nose.”

  “Pfft.” Jasmine blew out a raspberry, completely unconcerned with the entire situation. “I have some cookies to deliver; where are the rest of the guys?”

  Leo held her hand firmly as he pulled her farther into the station. “I bet the guys are back in the rec room shooting the shit.”

  Having no choice except to follow Leo or lose an arm, Jasmine allowed herself to be tugged behind him at a leisurely pace.

  At the doorway to the rec room, Leo paused for a moment taking in the view in front of him. Most of the guys were on a large leather sectional while a few of the men were taking advantage of the weight machines in the corner of the large space.

  “Hey, Leo,” Al greeted Leo as they walked into the room, not catching sight of Jasmine until she cleared the doorway. “Jazz!”

  At his words, almost all action stopped in the room for the men to yell out greetings.

  “What brings you by, man?” Al stood up to give Jazz a quick fatherly hug. “Your next shift isn’t until Tuesday.”

  “I know but Jazz made some cookies that she wanted to drop off so I thought we would stop by on the way to my place.” Leo’s words rang through the large space, his meaning obvious.

  A couple of the men nodded at Leo as if giving him the proverbial high five, while others simply raised their eyebrows in question.

  “Cookies?” The men crowded around Al after Jasmine handed off the cooler.

  “These were the practice run for Winter’s bachelorette party,” Jasmine warned, trying not to laugh when the men got a look at what the container held.

  “Those are dicks, man,” Al observed, looking at Leo, as if he had anything to do with it.

  “Not my doing, Al.” Leo held up his hands with a laugh.

  “I don’t know if I can eat a dick,” one man said before another laughed and volleyed back, “You do it all the time!”

  Jasmine tried to control her giggles when Al picked it up and sniffed it as if it would smell different from a regular sugar cookie. “They are just shaped like a penis, not scented like one.”

  “Ohhh man, Jazz is feisty today,” one of the guys teased before biting into the offering. “These are pretty good. Just close your eyes and take a bite, Al.”

  Al did indeed close his eyes to eat the cookie and managed it in only three bites. As he chomped and chewed, the men around him watched.

  “Fuck it, I’m not going to let cookies go uneaten,” Russo declared as he reached in and grabbed two of the treats.

  After Russo caved, most of the guys dug into the cooler. A couple of them laughed over the detail that Jasmine had fussed over when icing them.

  Jasmine was getting ready to ask if they tasted okay just as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Pulling it out she noticed the caller was her mom. Not wanting to be rude, Jasmine held up the phone and turned to Leo. “I’m going to step outside for a minute to take this.”

  Leo nodded. “Everything ok?”

  “Yeah, she’s probably just calling to ask if I’m coming to visit this weekend or not.” Jasmine hit the button to answer the call as she cleared the doorway to the hall.

  “Mother, give me a second so I can find someplace quiet.” Jasmine walked out the front of the station and sat down on the bench that one of the guys had built at the beginning of the summer. “What are you up to?”

  “I was wanting to know if we should expect you for dinner tonight?” Victoria Kingsford’s voice came over the phone loud and clear despite the small amount of traffic driving in front of the station.

  “I was just planning to stay in Larryville tonight since I drove in yesterday for the ceremony. Is that okay?” Jasmine asked out of politeness since she had absolutely no plan to drive almost two hours just so she could sit at a cold dinner table with her parents.

  “Of course, dear,” her mom replied, sounding as if she didn’t care one way or the other. “By the way, your father wanted me to let you know that he would like your input on your graduation present.”

  Jasmine rolled her eyes, annoyed that this conversation had come around again. “Can you please help him understand that I don’t need a new car right now?”

  “Jasmine Jane, your father wants to reward your hard work with a car that is fit for a Kingsford and you are sounding extremely ungrateful. There are people out there who would love to have what your father is trying to give you.”

  Jasmine took in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds. “I know that I sound like a brat and that is the last thing I want. Of course I am grateful for you guys. I appreciate every single thing that you and dad have done for me. It’s just that my car is fine and it has great gas mileage. I don’t want to have to change all my insurance stuff and I don’t even want to go into how much car tags would run me for what Dad is wanting to buy.”

  “We could cover all of that for you,” her mom argued.

  “I know that you hate that I drive an older car but it seriously does its job perfectly for me. I don’t want to worry about an expensive car being parked at my apartment. The students who live around me don’t care if they ding doors and last summer there was a bunch of break-ins. My little car is perfect for where I live and what I need. If Dad is really set on getting me a gift then maybe instead of a car we could talk about an account for a down payment on a little house here.”

  Jasmine stayed silent while her words were processed by her mom. She was over the moon that her parents wanted to give her a seventy-five-thousand-dollar car; she just wanted the money to be put toward something that she needed instead of something flashy that would probably have a window smashed within two months.

  “Fine. I’ll talk to him and we can go over a couple properties that might work—”

  “In Larryville,” Jasmine interrupted.

  “Jasmine,” her mother protested.

  “Mother, I want to stay here in Larryville,” Jasmine reiterated, her voice firm. “I love it here. It’s big enough that I have everything I need, but small enough that I don’t have to worry about the problems of living in the city. I love Kansas City, but there are things I don’t like and Larryville is close enough for me to drive in for the things that I need that we don’t have here.”

  “We can discuss this later,” her mother said swiftly, most likely wanting to hold off on this particular conversation until Jasmine’s father could back her up. “I will let you get back to whatever you were doing. Just give me a call tomorrow sometime and we can plan dinner for some time next week.”

  Jasmine rubbed the bridge of her nose, already knowing that the dinner her mom was suggesting was probably going to be a blitz attack on her and what she wanted. “Okay, Mother. Have a good day and I’ll call you later.”

  Just as she was getting ready
to say, “I love you,” Jasmine heard the click indicating her mother had already hung up on her end.

  “Cocksucker motherfucker,” Jasmine grumbled using one of her favorite phrases from one of her favorite people.

  “Excuse me?” Nix’s voice came from behind her.

  Turning to look at him, Jasmine was quiet for a moment as she studied him. Phoenix “Nix” Jones was built like a Viking but had a more polished edge to him. Jasmine hadn’t necessarily talked to him very much, mostly because his presence always put her on edge.

  She would be lying if she said she wasn’t attracted to him but that wasn’t what made her wary of him. No, Nix had a commanding way about him that she knew she couldn’t handle when it came right down to it. The best way to explain it was that Nix not only gave off the alpha vibe but his presence screamed dominant to the core.

  And if there was one thing that Jasmine knew, it was that she was nowhere near submissive enough to even try to take on a man like Nix.

  “Hi, Nix.” Jasmine licked her lips, noting that he watched the action as if he were memorizing every second of it. “Do you mind if we talk for a minute?”

  Chapter 11

  “Where did Jazz go?” Russo asked, finishing up the last sip of milk he had poured to go with the cookies he had devoured.

  “She had a phone call and stepped out to take it. I think it was her mom,” Leo answered, his gaze focused on the preliminary reports that the captain was working on. “So, the investigators think it was lightning that started it?”

  Russo nodded, wiping crumbs off his mouth with the back of his hand. “Yeah, man. With the building being so old and all that crap inside piled like tinder it just went up like crazy.”

  “Interesting,” Leo said offhandedly still going through the paperwork.

  “So, you and Jazz?” Russo probed.

  “Yep,” Leo chirped. Looking up he noticed a couple of the guys staring at him. “What?”

  “Nothing, man. Just that it’s interesting that you’re back for a couple weeks and then suddenly Jazz is with you. Didn’t you two just meet the other day at the party?”

  “You guys are like a bunch of old ladies wanting to gossip.” Leo looked at everyone waiting for him to spill the beans. “Okay, you guys want to really know what’s going on?”

  He barely waited for the chorus of yeahs and hell yeses to stop before he leaned back against the wall and folded his arms over his chest. “Listen up because I’m only going to say this once. I’ve known Jasmine since we were little. In fact, we were pretty much raised together. I hadn’t seen her in years but when I spotted her last night it all just clicked into place.”

  A couple of the guys nodded while some of them still seemed confused.

  “The only thing you guys need to know is that she’s mine and that’s that,” Leo added, waiting for someone to contradict him.

  Timbo walked into the rec room, one of the newer recruits at the station. The man had obviously gotten done with a workout because he was dripping sweat and gripping a water bottle like his life depended on it.

  “Hey man, looks like Nix is finally making his move,” Timbo remarked, slinging a small towel over his neck to catch some of the moisture dripping from his hair.

  “What does that mean?” The words came out sounding angrier than Leo intended, but Timbo hadn’t been clued in on Jazz’s dating status yet so he tried to keep calm.

  “Just saw Nix getting cozy with Jazz when I was finishing up my miles, man,” Timbo said wiping his face. “What? What did I say?”

  The words coming from the newbie were ignored as Leo stomped to the door, looking out the small window to see Nix brush a piece of hair back from his woman’s face.

  “You gotta be fucking kidding me,” Leo whispered, the sight of Nix so close to Jazz making his stomach clench in anger.

  Before anyone could stop him or tell him to calm down, Leo was moving out the door and into the front of the station. Jasmine was unaware of his approach since she was facing away, but Nix could see him coming the minute he stepped outside.

  Leo kept his gaze locked firmly on the man making moves on Jasmine, and narrowed his eyes when he finally caught his gaze. Leo could tell when Nix understood his intention…especially when the fucker reached forward to push back her hair again just to taunt him. Nix loved to fuck with people, and Leo hoped that was all he was doing with the obvious jab at Leo as he got closer.

  It was at that moment that Leo figured the odds for what the outcome would be if Nix decided to start something. Nix was definitely a bigger guy with more muscle, but Leo was sure, if Nix started something then Leo was sure as hell going to finish it.

  Everything in his gut told him that Jasmine Jane Kingsford was worth fighting for, even if he still had to convince her of that.

  Without batting an eye, Leo walked up behind Jasmine and pulled her back and into his chest with one possessive arm around her stomach to hold her. Hearing the adorable squeak of surprise made him smile, knowing that he had caught her off guard.

  “Hey, sugar. Are you ready to head to my place yet?” The question was aimed at Jasmine, but Leo kept his gaze locked on Nix as he spoke.

  “Dear lord.” Jasmine dropped her head into her hands and whispered a plea to the heavens.

  Leo smiled knowing that he was trying her patience but unable to help himself. For some reason, whenever she was flustered it made her even more appealing. Leo was amused as he watched Jasmine try to figure out what she was going to say. It was almost as if he could see her working different scenarios out in her head, and honestly, it was something he wasn’t used to. Normal pole bunnies had their pick-up routines down to a science. Lines were delivered with practiced looks in hopes of achieving their goals, and he had to admit that in the past those performances had worked.

  Then there was Jasmine.

  She was the exact opposite of everything he had dealt with in the past and he knew now just how precious that was. Which brought him back to Nix, the other man who had noticed how genuine and sweet Jazz was.

  “Leo.” The gruff greeting was short but Leo could tell that Nix had gotten the message by the look in the other man’s eyes. “Too late?”

  “Yep, I would say I’m sorry but I’m not,” Leo answered the question honestly, keeping a firm grip on the feminine bundle in his arms that was wiggling to be let loose.

  “I don’t blame you.” Nix nodded, looking at Jasmine with a heat in his eyes that made Leo want to snarl. “I don’t blame you one bit.”

  “If you guys are done, I would really like to go home now,” Jazz snapped, looking over her shoulder to shoot him a glare.

  “We have plans at my place, sugar. And seeing as how those plans will run through the night and into tomorrow, the only thing we are going to be going to your place for would be if you wanted to pack a bag.” Leo kept a firm grip on her hand as he tugged her away from Nix without so much as a word goodbye. “I would say that we can skip the bag though. You’re not going to need any clothes and I have a washer and dryer at my place if you want to wash what you’re wearing.”

  Leo wanted to laugh at the look on Jazz’s face, but knew that if he did she would most likely take a swing at him. That idea made him want to laugh even harder the more he thought about it.

  Without waiting for her to say anything, Leo tucked her up and into his big blue truck. Walking around to climb into the seat, he tossed up a thanks to whatever higher power that had managed to put them into each other’s paths after all these years. There was no way that this shit wasn’t destiny playing out no matter how much you looked at it.

  Jasmine had always been on his radar, even when he was just a snot-nosed little punk at eight years old. Back then he had not liked the prissy girl who was always wearing pastel dresses and had matching ribbons in her braids. It wasn’t until his mom had sat him down and explained that Jazz’s
parents didn’t have time to pay attention to their little girl like his mom did for him.

  A couple of years had gone by with him still being bitter about sharing his mom, but eventually he was able to see the truth beyond his own childish mind. Her older brother had been MIA and Jasmine’s parents had made sure she had anything and everything money could buy…but the tradeoff was that she didn’t have them present for the majority of her childhood. He had trouble understanding how the girl who lived in the big house and never had to clean her room could be sad but that’s exactly what she was.

  Jasmine had been sad.

  Not only had she been sad, but it was something that made his stomach hurt every time he had thought about it. By the time he was thirteen, Leo had made sure to be nice to her whenever his mom happened to bring them together. Usually, it was at school functions where his mom would take pictures for the Kingsfords so they could see her performing or accepting awards.

  Leo had been telling the truth earlier when he said that she could have turned out differently. There had been a couple of their classmates that rebelled to get the attention of their absentee parents. Some even managing to get pregnant or arrested before they garnered the guidance that they desperately needed.

  Jazz had been different. Even when she had been younger, she never showed anger at being ignored by Reginald or Victoria. No, it was almost as if she had expected it and didn’t let it bother her. He could tell that she was upset though. She never lashed out at either himself or his mother, but Leo could see the anger and utter disappointment in her eyes when they didn’t show up. Instead, she would hug and thank his mother and then quickly change the subject to something neutral to avoid talking about the elephant in the room.

  His mom had caught on pretty quickly to the fact that Leo was enamored with Jazz and didn’t discourage his interest. She had, however, given him a very strict warning. It was as if he could hear her voice right in front of him when he recalled the words she had said when he turned fifteen.