Up in Flames: Steamy Firefighter/Single Mom Romance

by Mari Carr

  “Which you are,” she interjected.

  “I’ve had a kid, for God’s sake.”

  “You had very bad, very quick sex once. And then a C-section. Trust me, angel, you are as close to a virgin as they come.”

  Hope sighed, blinking back tears. “You’re not helping. You’re my best friend. You’re supposed to be on my side, not his.”

  “I am on your side. Tell me what happened next.”

  “He said I needed to trust him. Then he raced out of the bedroom like there was a bomb in the bed. I followed him to the bathroom because I wanted to finish the argument. I could hear…it sounded like he was jerking off. When I tried to turn the knob, the door was locked. He doesn’t want me, Ada. He just made an excuse to get out of the bed because he doesn’t want to be with me.”

  “Oh, honey. Will you believe me if I say that is one hundred percent wrong?”

  “What other reason could there be?” Hope asked, the first tear sliding down her cheek.

  Ada answered Hope’s question with one of her own. “Do you know why everyone calls him Big Hose?”

  Hope rolled her eyes at the stupid nickname. “Because he’s a firefighter.”

  “Damn,” Ada murmured. “I thought you got it.”

  She didn’t know what to make of that. “Got what?”

  “That nickname doesn’t have a damn thing to do with his job. He’s well endowed.”

  “What?”

  “Hung like a horse. Measured with a yardstick rather than a ruler. Jake’s popularity with women has more to do with the size of his dick than it does his playboy ways. Truth is he’s pursued more than he pursues. There are a lot of women who view a night with him as a badge of honor.”

  Hope’s tears evaporated as she tried to wrap her head around what Ada was saying. There was too much to take in—maybe literally.

  “Women actually sleep with him just because of his dick?”

  “The slutty ones, yeah.”

  “What about the nice ones?”

  Ada was quiet again. Given that Hope had left her at a loss for words twice tonight, she’d say this conversation was throwing her friend for a loop too.

  Finally, Ada said, “He’s never gone out with anyone as nice as you. I think when he was in high school, he enjoyed the reputation and the rumors and he was pretty vocal about never getting married. Considering the fact his dad changes wives like some people change underwear, I believed him. We all did, all figured the fruit didn’t fall far from the tree.”

  Hope had no idea what to say to that. Jake hadn’t told her he didn’t want to get married. His exact words were something along the lines of he wasn’t getting married until he was sure he’d met the right one.

  “You know how guys are,” Ada continued. “He got a kick out of all the talk. Swaggered around like a big shot. Guys were always slapping him on the back and buying him drinks. A lot of women were throwing themselves at him. After a while…I think the respectable women stayed away. The stories about how big he was paired with the womanizer history didn’t make him a great bet. I mean…who would sign up for something like that?”

  Hope had. Or…almost had.

  None of what Ada was saying matched the Jake she’d come to know. Which meant Hope was still a shitty judge of character or Jake had changed. Hell, maybe he’d always been this guy, but once the people in town labeled him a bad boy, that was all they could see.

  “I don’t know what to do,” Hope admitted, more confused now than she’d been before she called Ada.

  “I’ll be honest with you, Hope. I’m not sure what to tell you either. I can’t follow this pattern. Jake’s always been pretty transparent. He hooks up with a woman for a week or two and then he moves on. The dates and the picnic, the holding back from sex? This is uncharted territory. I mean…given what you told me about tonight, I’d say he’s trying to be a gentleman. That he cares about you and he’s trying to protect you.”

  “But I don’t need that,” she insisted.

  “Maybe you should check out his package and then make that decision.”

  Hope rolled her eyes, aware that Ada couldn’t see her reaction. It couldn’t be that freaking big. Ada made it sound like he was walking around with the Washington Monument in his pants.

  “Maybe I should.”

  “Wait. What’s that mean?” Ada asked.

  “I’m going back to his place.”

  “Tonight? Don’t you want to take some time and think about it. I can tell your emotions are running pretty close to the surface. Why not sleep on it?”

  “Nope,” Hope said. “I’m going to sleep with it, er, him.”

  “Okay. Call me in the morning?”

  “I will.” And just like that, she felt lighter, happier, more determined.

  Hope hopped into her car, running over exactly what she’d say when she knocked on his door. She wasn’t sure if he’d be relieved to see her or angry that she had run out in the first place. Or God, worse, annoyed that she’d come back.

  None of that mattered. Hope was getting back inside. She had a practiced response for every reaction.

  All she had to do was…

  Her car sputtered and she knew in an instant what was wrong.

  “Fuck.”

  She pulled over to the curb, managing to get it into a parking spot two seconds before the damn thing cut off completely. Glancing down, the gas light blinked at her accusingly. It had come on when she was driving to Jake’s the first time, but she’d been too excited and anxious to stop—she hated pumping gas.

  Plus, it was common knowledge that even with the light on, there were still a few miles’ worth of gas left. Things only got serious when the light started blinking. Which hers had done when she’d left Jake’s in a tizzy half an hour earlier. And, because she was an idiot, she hadn’t stopped that time either—too pissed off to think straight.

  At least she was in town. The streets were well-lit and there were a few shops and bars open, several people milling around. It wasn’t like Bootlick was a dangerous place, even at night. She would bet at least fifty percent of the town’s population still went to sleep at night with their houses and cars unlocked.

  She was only about six blocks from the fire station. She’d walk there and deal with the gas situation in the morning. Unfortunately, the dark night sky hid the storm clouds that had formed overhead.

  She wasn’t a block away from her car when the first rain drop splashed down. Two blocks later, the heavens opened up and threw down a deluge of water. Hope ran the last three blocks, but it was too late. By the time she stood at the foot of the stairs in the fire station that led up to Jake’s apartment, she looked like she’d showered with her clothes on.

  A drowned rat would have looked more appealing.

  Hope gave a soggy wave to the two volunteers who were manning the station tonight. There was a bunk room at the back of the building. They laughed when they saw her, but she didn’t take the time to explain about the car and running out of gas.

  She climbed the stairs, then took a few moments to catch her breath. She clearly needed to hit a gym. It was only a six-block jog, but she was gasping for air like a fish out of water.

  Once she felt relatively able to speak, she knocked on the door.

  Jake opened it. He’d changed out of his jeans and was now wearing cotton lounge pants, held up with a drawstring. He was still shirtless.

  “You came back,” he said, his gaze taking her in from head to toe. “Wet.”

  “I ran out of gas.”

  He nodded.

  Hope was used to his friendly smile and easy charm. Neither was present at the moment. “You need me to give you a lift?”

  She shook her head. “No. I’d already gotten home. I was actually headed back here.”

  He stepped aside, letting her in. “You shouldn’t stand around in those wet clothes. You’ll get sick. Let me get you a towel and a T-shirt.”

  “Just a towel is fine,” she said, stiffening
her spine. “You said I wouldn’t need pajamas.”

  His eyes narrowed briefly.

  Yep.

  He was pissed off that she’d run.

  “Hope,” he started.

  “I know. About your big hose.”

  He froze. “You always knew?”

  Hope shook her head. “No. God, no. Not at all. I thought that was some silly nickname associated with your job. I called Ada.”

  He grimaced and sighed. “Great. So now you know.”

  “I don’t care…about that. I want to be with you.”

  She read the doubt in his eyes and it bothered her. Ada had mentioned women pursuing him, using him. Hope tried not to think about the fact that she was doing the same thing. This felt different. It felt more like friends with benefits than meaningless sex.

  “I like you, Jake. I think we’d be really good together.” If their last two sexual encounters were any indication, she figured it was a good thing they were doing it in the fire station. They were definitely going to set the sheets on fire.

  For the first time since she’d returned, he smiled. A real, genuine Jake grin. Hope went mushy inside at the sight of it.

  “We’re going to be amazing together,” he said, and that was when she felt her first twinge of doubt. Because it didn’t feel like they were talking about the same thing.

  She brushed that unease away. Jake didn’t do relationships. Of course, he was just talking about sex.

  But maybe it was her who wasn’t on the right page. Because hearing her own words said back to her made her realize she was the one who wanted all of this to be more.

  She pushed that idiocy deep down inside. She only had to get through tonight. Grab the sex, the fantasy, the pleasure, then find a way to walk away tomorrow without losing her heart in the process. And while she knew Jake didn’t stick around for more than a few tumbles in the hay, there was a small part of her that hoped they’d find a way to remain friends afterwards.

  George was crazy about Jake, and she hated that by grabbing this night, she was stealing Jake away from her son.

  “Come on.” He offered her his hand. “Let’s get you out of those wet clothes.”

  Now that they’d cleared that hurdle, she felt almost giddy. Her stomach was fluttery with butterflies, not because of fear or nervousness, but due to sheer anticipation and excitement. Jake had already proven he was going to be the best lover of her life, bar none.

  Not that she was setting any records when it came to the number of lovers she’d taken to bed.

  Once they were in his bedroom, he took his time peeling her wet clothes from her, kissing and licking each bit of skin as it was bared. He grabbed a towel from the bathroom, rubbing it all over her body in a way that did precious little to stop her from being wet—at least in one area.

  “Get back in that bed,” he murmured, his lips pressed to her neck. She loved it when he kissed her there. There was this tiny bit of skin just underneath her ear and every time he kissed or licked there, her whole body tingled.

  “And if you get out of it again tonight, I’m turning you over my knee and spanking that cute little ass of yours.”

  “Or you could just spank me for the hell of it.”

  “God. You’re killing me, Hope.”

  She crawled back in his bed, sitting up with her back against the headboard.

  Moment of truth.

  “Your turn,” she said, as he approached the bed.

  He hesitated long enough that her nerves were tweaked.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I’m debating whether or not to cuff you to the bed before I say what I’m going to say.”

  She frowned. “It wouldn’t matter if you did. You showed me how to get out of them.”

  “Bad call on my part.” He glanced around the room. “Pretty sure I can lay my hands on some rope in that storage area outside my apartment.”

  She laughed, but it came out a little bit shaky. “Why are you tying me up?”

  “Because I’m still not having sex with you tonight.”

  Hope started to push up from the bed, the anger she’d thought gone was back in a flash. Before she could give Jake Garrett a piece of her mind, he untied the drawstring and dropped his pants.

  Whatever furious retort she’d been prepared to give vanished.

  “Jesus H. Christ,” she exclaimed loudly, her eyes glued to his very large, very erect cock.

  Then she realized he’d frozen in place, and Hope knew, knew all the way to the depths of her soul, that her reaction right now mattered to him.

  Really mattered.

  “Yeah. That’s what I thought,” he said quietly.

  She looked back up at his very dear face and smiled. Her sudden cheerfulness caught him off guard, his brows furrowed in confusion.

  “I’m kidding, Jake,” she said. “I mean that is slightly horrifying, but I’m not running.”

  “You should be.”

  Hope shook her head. “No. I shouldn’t. I’m exactly where I want to be. Or…I will be once you get in the bed too.”

  She didn’t realize how tense Jake had been. All night, now that she thought back on it. It wasn’t until his anxiety melted away and he relaxed that she saw how worried he’d been about revealing himself to her.

  He reached for her ankle, tugging until she was lying on her back. Then he crawled into bed, caging her under him. His thick cock rested on her stomach. Rather than scare her, her arousal grew hotter, hornier.

  Then he kissed her. “You’re adorable.”

  “I know,” she said, pretending to be offended that he was stating the obvious.

  He laughed loudly. Hope loved the sound of it. Loved being able to make him feel so happy and silly. God knew that was how she felt at the moment.

  It was like, for once, everything had clicked into the right place. She’d spent too many years—most of her adult life—just trying to get her shit together. To raise a baby, earn a degree, find a job, stand on her own two feet while still living with her parents.

  Every single day, she felt like she was barely managing, barely holding on.

  Tonight, she was exactly where she was supposed to be.

  With the perfect person.

  At the perfect time.

  Jake continued to kiss her. She loved the feeling of his lips on hers, the playful way he touched her tongue with his. She shivered as his mouth drifted along the side of her face to her neck.

  She’d missed kissing.

  Missed touching and closeness.

  It was silly to feel that way about something she’d experienced precious little of, but it was there. That feeling of deprivation being satisfied in a wonderful way.

  Her hands wrapped around his neck, but that wasn’t enough, and after a few minutes, she started stroking his shoulders and his chest, desperate to touch every part of him.

  Jake pulled away an inch or two, his gaze focused solely on her face when she reached lower and wrapped her hand around his cock. It was thick and long and hard.

  Jake’s face appeared to be etched in stone, devoid of expression as she stroked him the first few times. He was awaiting her reaction. Perhaps he was still expecting her to run.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered, tightening her grip on the next pass, then adding a second hand, increasing the pressure, the speed.

  Her reassurance partnered with her touch worked its magic. He closed his eyes and released a low groan that let her know he liked what she was doing. Feeling more confident, she doubled her efforts, stroking even faster, shifting until she could touch him from root to tip, both hands moving together to increase the sensation.

  Hope licked her lips, trying to figure out how she could move him away from her enough that she could take him into her mouth.

  Jake must have noticed her desire. He shook his head, but she couldn’t tell if it was refusal or disbelief.

  “You’re an amazing woman, Hope Connor.”

  She lifted her
head enough that she could kiss his jaw. He’d obviously shaved before their date, but there was still a sandpaper texture to his masculine face that was the counterbalance to her softer skin. She loved that difference. It turned her on even more.

  “Roll over,” he said.

  Hope was getting used to the way he gave orders in bed, so she obeyed without question.

  Because why the fuck wouldn’t she?

  The man was the king of orgasms and she was excited to see what he’d do next.

  She flipped to her stomach, but apparently, that wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. Jake lay down next to her, reaching over her waist to twist her until he was spooning her from behind. His hard dick lay flat against her ass. She wiggled against it until he gripped her hip.

  “Hold still,” he murmured.

  She recalled his threat to spank her. That was a fantasy she’d had countless times, so she decided to go for broke.

  She wriggled again.

  “Hope,” Jake said, his deep voice, laced with warning.

  She ignored him, pressing back more firmly against him.

  This time, she struck pay dirt as he swatted her ass a couple of times.

  “Mmmm,” she hummed.

  Jake chuckled. “Bad girl.”

  She liked the sound of that. She’d been the eternal good girl her entire life, towing the line drawn by her strict parents. Losing her virginity to Alan was her lone act of rebellion.

  And look how that had turned out.

  She shifted again.

  Jake spanked her a couple more times, not particularly hard. She suspected he could do much better if he had a mind to, but that didn’t seem to be on his agenda for tonight.

  More’s the pity.

  Tonight was all she had. One night in Jake’s bed, to scratch an itch, to experience all the pleasure she’d missed, and then tomorrow, she’d walk away.

  Become the responsible…she sighed…good girl again.

  Hope glanced over her shoulder when Jake’s hand moved from her hip, his arm wrapping around her waist so that he could tuck her closer.

  He was simply lying there, and she recalled what he’d said earlier. Jake really didn’t intend to have sex with her.

  She stifled the anger that was threatening to reappear, deciding it might work better to take a different approach.