Torched: A Rough Firefighter Romance Read online

  Genevieve crawled directly into the middle, easing onto her back. She was covered in goosebumps, her long hair fanning her face and head like a halo. From this stance, she looked like an angel, but I knew better. I knew exactly what she was capable of.

  I studied her beautiful face as I lifted her legs, placing them over my shoulders. My cock slid in so easy, finding the intense heat, her pussy clamping. “Fuck, girl. You’re hotter than before.”

  “You make me wet,” she whispered, palming my chest.

  My arms were locked as I fucked her, but I couldn’t resist bending down, taking the chain between my teeth. She jerked up the second I tugged, creating biting tension. Her soft whimpers were sweet music filtering into my ears, the hard thumping sounds like the boom of a drum. I was in my rhythm, driving deep and hard, skin slapping against skin.

  She toyed with my nipples, her whimpers turning into jagged wails. Her body was rocked in a savage manner from my hard thrusts, but I didn’t care and neither did she. This was primal. My muscles became stiff, my entire body shaking and damn if the woman didn’t clench then release over and over again. “Fuck. Me.” The chain was dropped from my mouth. She knew exactly what my body desired, how to control my orgasm. “Damn, woman.”

  Giggling, she wrapped her hands around my neck, clinging to me. Her face was contorted, her mouth pursed and still she purred like a wild cat, hungering for its prey.

  I could take no more, my balls ready to explode. “Come... with me. Come...”

  Her fingers wrapping around my hair, she lifted her shoulders, her mouth open in a silent scream. Her pussy quivered, pulsing in wild, frenetic movements and seconds later, I shot my entire load, filling her completely.

  “Fuck!” My muscles spasmed and I gasped for air, shocked how strong her pussy muscles really were. Using the last amount of strength, I released the clamps, immediately placing my wet mouth over her bruised nipples.

  “Oh, God.” Genevieve kicked out her legs, her hand slapping over her eyes. She wore an expression of pure ecstasy.

  I fell beside her, catching my breath, my arm firmly wrapped around her. I had no idea where this was going from here, but I’d vanquish the life of any man who tried to put a stop to what we shared.

  Any man.

  When we were safely inside the truck, I heard her phone buzz. She acted as if the call didn’t matter until she pulled the screen closer to her face. I didn’t need to see her changing expression given the chilly air suddenly filling the cab. “Who is it?”

  “Nothing. Just a reminder about a meeting.” She shoved the phone back into her purse and I knew then she’d just received another threat.

  * * *

  You bet I was whistling as I rolled the Ram into the station. It was almost eleven the next morning and I’d forbidden her to go to work early. Maybe I was trying to throw our relationship in the mayor’s face in some small manner, but she’d been working twelve-hour days. She deserved a few hours off. I inhaled, catching the slightest hint of her perfume. Thank God I had a change of clothes. Spending time at her house had been natural, easy. Waking up with her in my arms? Well, I’d forgotten just how damn good it felt.

  It also seemed natural talking about firefighting in general; the various personalities, strengths and weaknesses. She wanted to learn everything about the business. And God knows, I could talk for days about fighting fires. My smile faded as I thought about the mom and her little girl. But that’s the very reason I became a firefighter—to save lives.

  I heard the sound of the television and headed straight for the locker room.

  “Hey, you’re here. Good. Whoa.” Jake’s tone of voice shifted mid-sentence.

  “What?” I finished unbuttoning the shirt, lifting my eyebrow given the shit-eating grin he was wearing.

  “All dolled up and no place to go? Or did you have one hot, sexy date last night?”

  “Very funny.”

  Jake swaggered closer, his back hitting the locker. “You really like this girl. I mean really like her, don’t you?”

  I yanked a tee shirt from the shelf, huffing as I tugged it over my head. “Leave it alone, dude. Lots going on.”

  He tossed a look over his shoulder. “Tell me about it. Captain’s at a specially called meeting regarding the budget. All the captains are.”

  “Wait. Today?”

  “Yeah, today. The mayor has to submit the final draft to the city council by Monday.”

  I remembered what Genevieve had said. “That can’t be. There are reports coming, recommendations.”

  “Why, ‘cause the girlfriend told you there were?” Jake took a step back, holding up his hands. “Hey, dude. I’m really sorry. Heard a lot of shit about her position. What if she was hired as a cover, you know, cross your ‘t’s’ kind of thing.”

  I yanked the work pants onto the bench, kicking off my shoes. “What the hell does that mean?”

  “Oh, come on. You’ve heard all the garbage about the mayor being dirty. She’s here to look like he’s trying to hire someone in order to check off a box. He hired a woman to make certain that the press paid close attention, but he’s controlling her, maybe even paying her from whatever the hell he’s doing with the city funds. You know, there are actual bets he’s funneling the money to some offshore account. Might even have a ‘C’ note on one of those bets.”

  I finally laughed. “Bubba, I think you’re out that money. There’s no way that can happen. There are too many protections in place. She’s not the kind of woman who would allow a pig like that to use her in any method. Truth be told, she can’t stand him.”

  “Then the sexy broad has come up in my world several notches,” Jake said, laughing. I laughed along with him, but Jake’s theory wasn’t entirely that far off mine.

  “Anyway, I think you have your timing wrong about the meeting today. They’re probably going over what the various captains need to do to finalize their budgets. Genevieve is an integral part of the entire situation. I know that for certain.”

  “So, you trust her.”

  “With my life.”

  Jake nodded several times before shrugging. “Well, then it’s good enough for me. Besides, you seem happy.” The goofy grin had returned, but I will admit, something didn’t smell right about all of this shit.

  “I am happy.” The truth was easy to say. I was happier than I’d ever been in my life. The other aspect of spending quality time with Genevieve was that I was ready to tell her about my past, share my own personal tragedy. I knew now that she’d understand, perhaps better than most. “Very happy.”

  Jake slapped me on the back. “At least you listened to my advice for once.” Winking, he backed away.

  “You already said that!”

  The morning turned into the afternoon and with no fires, I was able to catch up on various reports. What I’d found interesting was that Captain Waters’ office was now locked, something he never did. He’d been more than just pissed that I’d been snooping. I didn’t blame him. The poor guy probably had no idea who he could trust at this point.

  A few minutes later, I headed for the kitchen to grab a Coke. The captain stormed into the firehouse, heading straight for his office, quickly unlocking the door. He said nothing to anyone else before moving inside and slamming the door.

  “What in the hell is that about?” I asked of no one in particular.

  “I told you that meeting was going to be explosive,” Jake said as he shook his head.

  The rest of the team ignored what was going on, obviously not wanting to get into the middle of anything. There was too much at stake to let this go. I walked straight to his office, hesitating for a solid ten seconds before knocking on the door.

  Another ten seconds passed before the captain answered. “Yeah, what is it?”

  Turning the knob, I walked inside. “I heard you had a meeting with the mayor.”

  “The entire world knows my business,” he said gruffly.

  There was no doubt he was angry, fu
rious in fact. “What the hell is going on?”

  “You really want to know, Lieutenant? Do you want to know just how undermining Investigator Gregory is?”

  “I’m sorry?”

  He laughed and tossed a file across his desk. “I was told our firehouse passed with flying colors and that our equipment needs would be pushed forward. And instead?”

  I inched closer to his desk, picking up the file. Inside was a formal report and I had to read the recommendations twice, including the signature before understanding. “This can’t be true.”

  “Well, I’m afraid it is, son. Not only were we given a failing grade, which means an automatic shutdown of all requested equipment, but at least one of our personnel have to go. And on top of it? They’ve asked me to accept early retirement. So much for everything I’ve worked for.”

  I stared back down at Genevieve’s signature.

  Everything had been a complete lie.

  Chapter Eleven

  Genevieve

  I’d stood outside the mayor’s office for almost thirty minutes while he finished up a meeting. The call wasn’t necessarily unexpected but seeing the various SUVs in the parking lot and all with Ladder company emblems, I knew everything Blaise and I talked about, surmised was true. The mayor was playing a game and I was the pawn. I paced back and forth and when the door was finally opened, the various men and women piling out, I stood studying face after face. Several of the captains had grim faces. Others were dazed. What in the fuck had just occurred?

  As they filed past me, several giving me a death stare, I refused to shrink back. I would get to the bottom of this. The door was promptly shut by Mayor Zane’s assistant, the thudding echo pounding into my ears. The sickening sixth sense was in overdrive. When the room was cleared, I paced the floor again, thinking about the names I’d seen the paper Blaise had given me. I’d hidden the piece in a special hiding place I’d created at the house, along with everything else I’d found. Tonight, I was going to delve into making connections one way or another. Blaise was working a double, so this would be the perfect opportunity. Then I could run what I’d found past him tomorrow.

  Get through this, glean as much additional information as possible, then get ready to strike. I clenched my fist, allowing my nails to dig into my palm.

  “The mayor will see you now.”

  Her voice was far too perky. Why did I have the feeling she’d just been given a raise? “Thank you.” Grabbing my briefcase, I headed inside, waiting until Perky Girl had closed the door. “What just happened?”

  Mayor Zane didn’t bother looking up from his computer for a full minute. He’d heard me. He was simply biding his time, keeping me on the edge.

  “I repeat. What was that meeting about?”

  “I don’t like that tone, Genny. You know that very well.”

  “My name is Genevieve and I don’t frankly care if you like my tone. I’m part of the firefighter family and I demand to know.”

  “Oh, you demand now? I didn’t hire you to be the dominating factor. In fact, completely the opposite.”

  I felt like a hand was crawling down my skirt, sliding into my panties. The creepy crawlies refused to leave. “What. The. Fuck?”

  “If you continue to use that tone with me, there will be significant punishment.” His eyes were penetrating, his gaze languishing all over my body. “Now, I did call you here to let you know that everything has been handled for the budget meeting. I’ve taken your preliminary reports and used them. I needed a jumpstart given the various departments. You did a very good job.”

  “What? My preliminary reports weren’t reports at all. There are no recommendations. In fact, I wasn’t entirely finished with visiting the firehouses. Two I wanted to return to and discuss certain things with the captains.”

  “Did you read the information I supplied?”

  “Yes, and I don’t buy a single word, plus the accuracy needs to be checked.”

  He smiled. “Then that’s been taken off your plate. Some difficult decisions had to be made, including the loss of some additional personnel, but of course, you anticipated that. Now, I’m certain you’re going to want to get back to investigating the various recent fires.” He moved around his desk, sitting on the edge. “Although, I feel confident that you’ll find nothing suspicious about them.”

  “Are you kidding me?” The man had to be delusional. “My investigation indicates otherwise.” The loss of additional personnel? What the hell was he trying to do?

  Exhaling, he folded his hands, the smile turning into a leer. “Genny, let’s be frank with each other. Shall we? I’ve always been happy that we could talk together, you and I.”

  The bastard wanted me to drop this as well. Oh. My. God. What had I allowed myself to get into? “What do you want, Joseph?”

  “And you know you’re not allowed to call me that, Genny.”

  I refused to back down. Not ever again.

  “I can tell you’re having difficulty with authority. I thought we were past this stage. So, allow me to be frank with you. I do know you appreciate that. I’m well aware of your relationship with Lieutenant Tompkins.”

  The gauntlet was thrown. “He and I are friends.”

  Mayor Zane didn’t blink, his eyes boring into mine. “I value the truth, Genny. Would you like for me to show you the pictures of your illicit affair?”

  “How. Fucking. Dare. You.” My legs were trembling, my heart skipping several beats.

  “Language, young lady. Not only are you in breach of your contract, but you have no idea what kind of man you’re sleeping with. I tried to let you know, but you seem to refuse the evidence.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Well, did you ever ask him why he transferred from Dallas? I mean all the way across the country.”

  When I hesitated, the gleam in his eyes made me want to rip them out with my fingers. “What are you getting at?”

  “A young woman died on his watch. I won’t go into gory details, but let’s just say he’s lucky he wasn’t charged with murder. Fortunately, he convinced someone to leave his record clean. No one knows what happened, including his captain or even his best friend. He’s been living a complete lie for three years.”

  The words bounced in my ears, my mind unable to fathom what the hell he was getting at.

  “I can see how distraught you are,” he said as he beckoned for me, his expression the one I’d always loathed.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  He nodded several times before reaching down, yanking a file and holding it out in my direction. “You’re very predictable, at least in certain ways, Genny. The details are all right here. Sad to say that the poor girl was his sister. I didn’t want to have to do this, but you give me no choice.”

  My throat closed, a chill running down my spine. The words Karen had said to me floated into the back of my mind. A tragedy that he refused to talk about. I tried to regroup, to find something to say, but I was thrown.

  “I know this hurts. I really do understand. The best thing for you to do is break it off with him. If you do, I’ll certainly forget about the breach of contract, but you and I will need to work more closely together. I’ll also turn a blind eye to what I found out about the lieutenant.”

  “And if I don’t?” I asked through clenched teeth, my rage returning.

  “If you don’t, well, I’ll be forced to expose him for the criminal that he is, of course firing him in the process.” He moved off the desk, walking closer with the file in his hand. “You’ve turned out to be more intelligent that I’d gathered, tenacious in a way I hadn’t expected. You’ve caused me to make several changes in my plans. However, not to worry. I’ll work with you to correct your behavior.”

  I swallowed bitter bile, nausea creating a wave of panic. I snatched the file from his hand, vowing to ruin this man. But, I could never allow Blaise to be hurt. Never. “You bastard.”

  Mayor Zane stood towering over me, breathing down
against my face. “I made certain you found a wonderful job after losing your friend and that poor little girl. Such a shame. I know you honestly thought you did your best.”

  I stared him in the eyes, rising to my full height before turning sharply and walking out his door. At that very moment, I knew what power the asshole wielded and exactly why he’d hired me.

  I also knew what I had to do, at least until I found a method of destruction.

  * * *

  I hadn’t anticipated Blaise’s call. In truth, I wasn’t ready to see him. I couldn’t. But he’d insisted. I’d found it difficult to stomach looking at whatever damning information the asshole had given me, but I’d glanced, soon after rushing to the toilet. There was no way Blaise was guilty for anything. The mayor had a way of spinning the truth, but I couldn’t take the chance. I was sick, sick at mind and heart, sick of body and I drove past the small coffee shop three times before finding the courage to park.

  My legs were wobbly, my entire being ready to shut down, but that’s what Joseph wanted. As I crossed the street, I could see him sitting alone, the little store almost completely empty. I stood just outside the glass for a few seconds, admiring him, the man I’d fallen hard for. What we’d shared meant everything to me. He seemed pensive, his head down and his hands folded together. No doubt he’d already heard about the budgetary decisions. What I’d read so far was disgusting, and absolutely unwarranted. I would go to city council myself with a formal complaint.

  I rubbed my hands down my skirt before going inside. He heard the little bell over the door and tipped his head. For the first time, I couldn’t read his expression. Then again, I couldn’t muster a single smile. Nothing was all right about this in any manner. I walked toward the table feeling stiff, unsure of how I was going to even make this believable. “Hi.”