How Do Firemen Make Love (Flame On) (4 page)

Upside down and staring at a pair of big, nondescript fire-retardant pants, she had no idea who had captured her. Reaching into the oversized pants, she grabbed the waistband of what felt like basketball shorts and began to yank the material up.

The hulking kidnapper stopped midstride and warned.

“You give me a wedgie, I will dump your ass in the nearest fountain.”

“You can try.”

“Excuse me?”

“What the shit is with you Nevadans…damn everyone is freaking deaf today. I said you can try. But, I promise you, you won’t dump me in any fountain. The moment you attempt to do me any harm, my sisters are going to tear the entire state of Nevada up, and then you will come up missing. And yes, I realize what I just said, and no, I am not concerned about the ramifications.”

Dréa harrumphed as her nose bounced into the back of hunky.

“Dude, I hate to tell you, but if you don’t let me up I am going to do worse than give you a wedgie, I am totally about to puke in your pants.”

That got the hulking fireman’s attention.
 
He came to an abrupt stop and flipped Dréa over his shoulder, though he didn’t set her free.

After a moment her head stopped swimming, and she noticed they were standing near Laura and the Fire Marshal.

“Dréa, are you okay? Are you sick?” Laura asked in a soft voice. She looked as if she were about to reach up and feel Dréa’s forehead; however, she would have needed a stepstool, as hunky still held her friend cradled in his arms.

Dréa rested her head on the hunky twin’s shoulder and let out a little sigh.

A small smile graced her cherubic face, and any onlooker would be hard pressed to believe she was anything other than a complete angel.

“Laura, if they let us go home soon, I know what my challenge fantasy is going to be.”

Laura narrowed her eyes at her best friend and crossed her arms before turning back to the sulking Fire Marshal.

“Listen, Mr. Harveston….”

“So you did hear me when I said my name?” Official Hunk stated, interrupting Laura.

“Actually, yes, I am sure Dréa and I have heard everything you’ve said, as you people have a real tendency to repeat yourselves and ask us to do so as well.
 
Dréa is obviously tired—this has been a long day for us, as I’m sure you are well aware.
 
Everyone else has left to go to their new hotel rooms, so if you have no more questions for Dréa or me, we’d like to be on our way home as well.”

“Home? Miss Guevara, you told me that you two live in Texas—you must understand that I can’t allow you to travel home at this very moment.”

“Listen, Bill, wasn’t it?” Dréa said, never lifting her head from his twin’s shoulder. “Like I was telling your womb-mate here, Laura and I have a house here in Vegas.
 
I am sure you and the rest of your suits will have a million more questions, and you can ask me anything you want tomorrow. If you’d kindly just shut up today and let me go home so I can eat and take a freaking bath, I’ll be glad to tell you again that I didn’t do anything to start the fire.”

Finally lifting her head and maneuvering herself to the ground to stand on her own two feet, Dréa squared her shoulders and looked up into two sets of emerald green eyes.

“Unless I am under arrest, which I know I am not, we are going home.”

She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a card with her name and address clearly embossed in purple ink.

“We have a house on the end of that cul de sac—you can’t miss it”

The hunky fireman glanced at the card.

“Hey, you guys live in that big house with the Texas flag painted on the back?” he questioned, a glint of excitement lighting up his eyes.

“Yeah, why?” Laura asked as she and Dréa moved toward the curb to signal a taxi.

The girls turned back to see identical looks of shock emanate from the faces of the Fire Marshal and his brother.

Fire Marshal Bill looked as if someone had just pulled the rug from under him and he was carrying his first birthday cake.

“You two live in the house with the big Dodge Rams with monster truck tires out front and the mini go-cart track in the back?” he asked as the ladies were climbing into a waiting cab.

“Dude,” his twin crowed, “we live down the street,” he yelled as the cab pulled from the curb.

As the cab made its way down the street, Dréa slumped down and stretched her legs in from of them.

“I swear that fool just said they live down the street from us. Lord, now we’ll never get any peace.”

“
Estupida, tonta Dréa,
There is never any peace with you to begin with. Besides, what fun would that be?”

“Yeah, what fun would that be? Hey, when we get home I want pizza, then I’m locking myself in my room. I know just what I want my fantasy to be about”

“Good, we’ve had enough adventures for today. And I’m with you—I’ve been piecing my story together in my head, too.”

“Oh, does it have anything to do with twin green-eyed hunks?”

“As a matter of fact, it might, but I am not telling you anything right now. We can swap stories via email. After we eat, I don’t want to see you for a while—I need to relax.”

“Oh yeah, well, I don’t want to see you either. I need to relax, too. Besides, my feet hurt. I gotta get online and see if I can replace my boots.”

*****

Relaxing on her big comfy sofa, Laura opened up her instant messenger to send Dréa her story.
  
Even though they lived in the same house, their rooms were on opposite sides, and after the whole fire debacle, she didn’t want to go in search of her.
 
She could be by the pool, in her rooms or the kitchen.
 
It was so much easier to just send her an IM.

LauraG:
 
hey are you there?

Dréa Riley: No, actually I am out here. You are in there. But whatever, zup?

LauraG:
 
dumbass :P
 
Ok here is my challenge story—read it and tell me what u think.

Dréa Riley: Actually, like my brain, my ass is very smart. Oh and sexy and round and booty-ful

LauraG: since you have time to mouth, I am going to guess you are done with your story as well. Send it over so I can read it before we have to take off.

Dréa Riley: Awww, you can have a smart sexy booty, too; I mean not that I would know cuz I don’t look. Anyway I already emailed you my fantasy like an hour ago. You were too busy daydreaming about the twins to notice.
 
Now leave me alone so I can read what smut you’ve created this time.

Sighing and reaching in the cooler next to her lounge chair, Dréa pulled out another juice box and intentionally turned off her wireless connection. She knew if she didn’t, she’d be tempted to message Laura after every paragraph. Adjusting the brim of her cowboy hat and taking a deep swig of frosty juice, she let herself slide into the fantasy world that Laura had created.

Find
’
Em Hot
Laura Guevara

Weaving in and around the people milling outside the hotel, Rosie came to an abrupt halt as she collided with a wall of steel.
 
She would have landed flat on her ass, but the wall came with arms that saved her from a bruised butt and ego.

“Ma’am, are you okay?”

She was trying to focus, but she must have rattled something upstairs during the collision, because her vision was a little off and she felt disoriented.
 
Steel wall must have noticed that too, because suddenly she felt her world give as he lifted her and began walking.
 
Rosie quickly wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Hey, where are you taking me?” she finally managed to get out.

“You looked like you were ready to faint, so I am taking you over to the paramedics so they can take a look at you.”

“Oh, it’s all your fault, you know.
 
If you hadn’t gotten in my way, I wouldn’t have bumped into you, and I wouldn’t need to see the paramedics.”

He looked down at her and she almost did faint.
 
His eyes were a dark green fire shooting down at her and his jaw was clenched, a little vein pulsing on the side of his forehead.

Then she noticed they had come to a complete stop, and there were no paramedics around.

“Hey, why are we stopped?
 
Am I too heavy for you?
 
See, this is what you get for picking up women at random.
 
Put me down so you won’t strain anything.”

He just stood there, motionless, looking daggers down at her.

“Look, mister, I don’t mean any offense.
 
So if you can just put me down, I will be on my way to find my friends, and you can go do whatever it is you were doing before you bumped into me.”

“I did not bump into you.
 
It was the other way around.”

Wow, she didn’t think the vein on the side of his forehead could pop out any further, but it sure did.
 
She reached out to massage his temples, but he flinched back; hurt, she quickly pulled back.

“Sorry, I just wanted to massage your temples.
 
It’s not good to be all stressed out like that.
 
I’m a massage therapist, you know.
 
If you put me down I can totally get rid of your headache.”

“Listen, lady—”

“Rosie,” she interrupted.

“Rosie, I am in the middle of an investigation trying to figure out what started this fire, so I’m going to get you to the paramedics and then be on my way.”

“I don’t need to be seen by the paramedics, just put me down and I’ll get out of your way.”

“Harveston,” someone called out behind them.
  
He stopped midstride to turn back at the voice calling out to him.
 
She felt him tense up before he began to put her down.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes!
 
But here, before you leave, give me a call if you ever need a massage,” she said as she handed him her business card.
 
She always carried some in her pockets at the ready.
 
And it would be an absolute treat to have her hands all over his muscular body.

Seeing him walk away, she let out a deep sigh.
 
Well, at least he had taken the card and put it into his pocket, so there was a small chance he would call.
  
Giving his butt one last glance, she turned around and went back to looking for her friends.

*****

William “Bill” Harveston was in serious need of some TLC.
 
Rubbing his neck, he tried to relieve the tension that had built up all day long.
 
Investigating a fire was hard enough.
  
But investigating a high-profile one down on the Strip and dealing with crazy women was more than he could bear.

He thought back to the encounter with the massage therapist.
 
Rosie was her name.
 
He could totally go for a deep tissue massage right now.
 
He had been walking back toward the other investigators when this ball of energy had plowed into him.
 
He had immediately wrapped his arms around her so she wouldn’t fall back and hurt herself and then gone to pick her up when she seemed a little disoriented.
 
She’d fit just right into his body when he’d cradled her against him.
 
She was soft and giving in all the right places.

His hand went into his pants pocket in search of her card.
 
He should call her to make sure she’d found her friends and was doing okay.
 
He had been admonishing himself all day long for not staying and making sure she was checked out, but his boss had been calling him back.
 
He
should
call her just to see how she was doing.
 
And if she offered her services again, he would take her up on her offer.

Pulling out his cell phone, he quickly punched in the numbers.
 
He was about to hang up after the fifth ring when she finally answered.

“Rosie speaking, how may I help you?”

“This is William Harveston.
 
We bumped into each other earlier today,” he said diplomatically.

“For the last time, it was you bumping into me, okay?
 
How is your headache?
 
Do you need me after all?”

“My damn headache is fine.” He couldn’t help but be aggravated.
 
He was six foot six and two hundred sixty-five pounds of pure muscle, yet she made him seem like he needed a wet nurse!
 
First, telling him he couldn’t possibly carry her without hurting himself, and now asking about a headache.

“Well, you don’t have to be so grouchy about it.
 
I just wanted to know how you were doing.”

“That’s why I’m calling you.
 
To make sure you’re okay and found your friends in all that chaos.”

“Oh yes, I did find them.
 
And I told you I was fine, not even a bruise.”

He picked up on her teasing and smiled.

“So, is that all you called about, or did you decide you want a massage after all?”

He saw her hands running all over his body, touching him everywhere, and he almost groaned.

“Yes, I decided I want a massage after all.”

“I will be done with my next client in about an hour.
 
You want to swing by after?”

She proceeded to give him directions to her studio before they hung up.
 
That would give him plenty of time to finish up the paperwork, go home to shower and change.
 
He couldn’t think of a better way to end this hellish day than getting a massage from a sexy woman.

*****

Rosie was ecstatic that William had called her.
 
She had been waiting for her client to get undressed and onto the table when he phoned.
 
She hadn’t recognized the number, but that was not unusual on her business phone—and she’d instantly recognized his deep, smooth voice.

She had been thinking about him so much since they’d ‘bumped into each other,’ as he put it, that she had been a little distracted when she’d finally met up with her friends.
 
Hearing about the fire on her car radio on her way to her house to have lunch, she’d quickly turned around and made her way to the hotel.

She had been in such a hurry that she totally hadn’t seen him until she was pressed up against him. She had been so close she’d been able to feel nearly every inch of him.
 
He was all business and hard muscle.
 
She could tell the investigation was giving him a tension headache by the way the vein on his forehead was pulsating and by the tension in his shoulders.
 
She knew the human form and could spot trouble spots instantly, which was why she was in high demand.
 
From top casino owners to the people working the casinos, she treated everyone the same and helped them relax and feel better.

Rosie Cantu had made good for herself; she was able to afford anything she could possible want or need.
 
And what she wanted now was hunky William Harveston.
 
Although their encounter had been harried and brief, she’d noticed he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring; she just hoped he wasn’t taken.

After giving her client ten minutes to get undressed and settled onto the table, she knocked on the door before she made her way inside to begin her massage.
 
Forty-five minutes later, she was done.
 
Directing her client to the receptionist up front to pay first, then set up and appointment, she noticed that she had about fifteen minutes before William stopped by.

“Melissa, I am expecting another client, William Harveston, in about fifteen minutes.”

“I don’t have him down in my calendar,” her receptionist said as she looked at her computer screen.

“He just called before I started working on Mrs. Walker, and I didn’t get a chance to tell you.
 
Please buzz me when he gets in.”

Making her way back to her office, Rosie didn’t give Melissa a chance to ask more questions.
 
She needed to freshen up and flex her hands.
 
She usually didn’t schedule a client so soon after another, but her hands were itching to get on his big, broad shoulders and tight butt.
 
Okay, well, maybe not his butt because she was a professional, but she could still fantasize.

Melissa’s voice pulled her out of her daydream.

“Rosie, your next appointment is here.”

Pressing the button, she let her know she would be out in a minute.
 
Giving herself one last look in the mirror, she went out the door.

“William,” she said as she stuck out her hand in greeting.

“Rosie,” he responded, taking her hand in his much bigger one.

“As you can see, I am okay, just like I told you.”

Wow—the man looked even sexier in jeans and blue a t-shirt.
 
Leading him to one of the back rooms, she instructed him to remove his clothing.

“There are hangers and a table where you can put your things.
 
You will also find a towel to wrap around your waist.”
 
She looked down his body and added, “It’s an extra large towel, so you shouldn’t have any trouble staying covered.”
 
The man was so massive, she hoped it covered everything.

As she looked back up at his face, he just quirked an eyebrow at her before heading towards the screen.