Taming Fire
Braving the Heat Book 2
by Leora GonzalesGenre: Contemporary Romance
Steam
Yoga instructor Louise Pine is the ultimate caretaker. Everyone around her seems to have an emergency, but Lou hasn’t met a fire she couldn’t put out—until she’s faced with the hunky, bossy firefighter who crashes into her own backyard—and her life. No one tells Lou what to do, yet somehow the guy’s take-charge style makes her tingle . . .
Simmer
Phoenix “Nix” Jones is used to calling the shots, whether he’s dealing with his younger siblings or taking on a dangerous blaze. Luckily, the fire at Lou’s is a false alarm. But the heat the fit and feisty woman ignites is far from dying out . . .
Afterglow
As the sparks turn into 5-alarm passion, can two strong-willed people end up engulfed by love—or will they crash and burn?
Simmering Heat
Braving the Heat Book 1
Where there’s smoke . . .
Spark
Growing up as the privileged daughter of two doctors, Jasmine Kingford always thought the housekeeper’s son was hot—and the feeling was mutual. But back then there were lines they couldn’t cross. Good thing they’re all grown up now—and in the same wedding party . . .
Blaze
As best man for a fellow firefighter, Leo Trask is floored to discover the maid-of-honor is a blast from his past. One that ignites fireworks that have been brewing for years. Soon enough, he and Jasmine are having a very private, all-night-long celebration of their own—and it’s clear neither wants it to end there . . .
Jasmine’s all too happy to finally shed her pampered princess demeanor with Leo. What she finds is a connection—and a complication—she didn’t expect. Leo’s the opposite of the nine-to-five guy she planned on. She wants a nursing career, kids, and a man who’s home by dinnertime. Leo’s an irresistible bad boy with a dangerous, unpredictable job. And he’s everything she never knew she wanted, and more . . .
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Melting Snow
Braving the Heat Book .5
Hot
Broke college student Winter Snow wants Christmas to be over. Thanks to her annoying name, this time of year always leaves her feeling Scrooged. The only cheer she wants is cold hard cash from her mall cleaning job—until a surprise offer from a hunky firefighter sparks one sizzling midnight temptation . . .
Hotter
William Holiday needs a replacement elf for his fire station’s fund-raiser. Convincing Winter she's perfect for the part—and giving her some one-on-one training—is a task he’s happy to take on. Because her irrepressible smarts and luscious curves are making this seductive Saint Nick want to deliver all night long . . .
Burn
Winter isn't betting on more than an X-rated Xmas fling. But Will plans to show her they have more in common than their quirky last names—enough to keep their wildest holiday wishes
coming true . . .
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Chapter 1
“Lou, I think you may have bitten off more than you can chew
with this one…” Louise said to herself as she stared into the flames starting
to catch fire in her small fire pit.
Louise reached for the bag of chocolates on the chair next
to her. While unwrapping a morsel, she took in the backyard that had become her
oasis these last two weeks. Now that Junior was living with her, she couldn’t
catch up on her shows in the evening. She was afraid of him walking in and
getting an eyeful of zombies. The poor kid had enough on his plate without
adding flesh-eating walkers to his bedtime worries. That meant that she had
been sneaking into the backyard after his bedtime and lighting a small fire as
she sipped, or gulped if she had to be honest, a bottle of wine.
Swirling her sweet red wine in her glass, Louise leaned back
in her patio chair. The familiar squeak of the old metal base was comforting as
she tried to shake off the day’s stresses.
Her yard was the perfect size for the house. A small wooden
deck came off the backdoor with a staircase that flowed down into the yard
where her fire pit was centered. Mismatched patio chairs, aka garage sale
finds, circled the pavers surrounding the pit, and a tall wooden privacy fence
surrounded the entire yard.
It was cozy and perfect and all hers.
Louise washed the chocolate down with the rest of her wine,
smacking her lips at the deliciousness of the combination. Using her fireplace
poker, she stoked the fire a bit before propping her feet up at the edge of the
stones to absorb the warmth. Even though it was early October, they had already
had a few cold days in Larryville this year. The fire, combined with the leaves
rustling from the crisp breeze, made her wish for spiced cider and Halloween
movies.
It was perfect…until she heard the sirens. Sirens that
sounded like they were getting closer and closer to her house at the end of her
block. Was there a fire next door?
Louise tried to turn a bit in her chair to peer over the
fence, but she couldn’t see anything besides darkness. The neighborhood had
only one streetlight, and most of the other houses on the block were unlit. Her
neighbors
usually weren’t outside much once it cooled down in autumn, which meant quiet
nights for Lou by the fire.
Louise worried for a moment that Harold, her elderly
neighbor, may have hurt himself and made a 911 call. Relaxing, she remembered
that Harold’s daughter had picked him up for a trip to an out-of-town family
reunion
for the weekend.
Sending up a silent prayer that the sirens wouldn’t wake
Junior, Louise refilled her wine glass, pouring all the way to the rim.
Carefully holding the glass as steadily as possible, she was
just getting ready to sip the excess off the top when a huge crash knocked down
her back gate. The large wooden door fell haphazardly onto her mismatched
potted plants that edged the walkway into the backyard.
Startled by the noise, she jerked her hand, sloshing over
half of the red wine out of the glass and down the front of her white robe.
“Mother—” Louise yelped as she tried to figure out what was
going on.
Firefighters streamed into her yard, stumbling over the now
broken and knocked down wooden gate. Hauling gear that she had no idea the
purpose of, they stopped and stared at her as she sat next to her cozy little fire
pit.
“What the he—” One of the firefighters scratched his chin
under the fastening on his helmet strap as he looked around the backyard.
Louise stood up, somewhat unsteadily, clutching her wet robe
closed. “What’s going on? Why did you break down my gate? Can you turn off that
siren?” she demanded, rapidly firing her questions at the group of
men
still standing around staring at her. When no answers were given, she snapped
her fingers to get their attention and raised her voice. “What’s going on?”
Louise held out the hand still holding her glass and pointed at the gate, “I
sure as hell hope you guys plan on fixing that!” The big guy in front jerked
his head toward another fireman. The action must have been some unspoken
command since the other fireman immediately spoke into his walkie-talkie, “Cut
the siren.”
“Ma’am.” The man who
had been leading the charge on her poor defenseless gate stepped forward and
pointed at her fire. “We received a call from this residence saying there was a
fire at the back of the house.”
Louise gestured to the pit as if she were explaining it to a
person hard of hearing. “Of course there is. I have a fire pit.”
“We can see that—” He moved closer to her. “Is that blood? Are
you injured?”
Not waiting for her to answer, the man walked right up to
her and opened the front of her robe. A robe that was covering her pajamas. Pajamas
that consisted of a thin tight tank top and some booty shorts that
had
seen better days.
Whipping open the front of her robe, he looked for a reason
the entire front of her body would be covered in red. Using large but gentle hands,
the mystery man probed her chest, his hands sweeping over her
now
hard nipples.
“You’re not hurt.” His voice husky, the firefighter pulled
her robe closed, making sure not to let the men behind him see what he had
uncovered.
“Wait, did you say that you received a call from this
residence?” Louise asked in a hushed whisper now that her small street was once
again quiet.
“Yes, ma’am.” The man nodded before taking off his helmet and
sending her a crooked smile.
Louise felt her mouth go dry at the sight of the gorgeous
man in front of her. Damn. Firefighters were apparently the stuff that
calendars were made of if this guy was anything to go by. The sight of his dark
wavy hair and twinkling eyes was almost enough to distract her from what he had
said.
Almost, but not enough.
“Junior,” Louise said quickly, before rushing up the deck
stairs and through the back door.
Leora Gonzales is an original Kansas girl who misses the Sunflower State every day. She spends time reading, writing . . . and making sure her two kids don’t kill themselves or each other. She's addicted to tattoos, good food, good company—and finding lots of reasons to laugh or smile every day.
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