Arson & Ache: A MFM Firefighter Romance (Surrender to Them Book 8) Read online

  “Yes, she was.” I nodded quickly.

  Hot enough to make want to start a fire and put it out.

  I knew there was a very real possibility that I would end up going out with Veronica Stone if I agreed to appear in the Heated Hunks calendar. It was for a good cause, but she was a straight up ice queen. The guys that had the misfortune of being chosen as her date at the auction never had good things to say. They described it as punishment, torture, and the worst evening of their life. My only hope was that with two of us, it wouldn’t be quite as bad. I had no idea why she decided that she needed two faces on her company website to prove that they gave back to the community, but her motives were always pretty damn confusing. There were plenty of charities in New York City that she could throw her money at, but the fire department seemed to be her favorite—especially if she had her representative lay down so much money for Kincaid. That crazy bitch definitely didn’t like losing.

  “Okay, let’s get changed.” I sighed and picked up my tuxedo.

  “We don’t have a choice, do we?” Kincaid growled under his breath and grabbed his tuxedo.

  I knew Kincaid just wanted to get the evening over with, so he could get back to work. The serial arsonist that had been plaguing New York was turning into an obsession for him. He was my best friend, so I tried to help when I could, but I wasn’t an investigator. My part usually ended when the hoses were dry. The arsonist made things worse by writing letters to the local newspapers after every fire and he thrived on the fact that he hadn’t been caught. He even gave himself a name—Fireball. Based on the tone of his letters, he seemed to think he was some sort of villain straight out of a comic book, but we didn’t have any superheroes that could track him down. We just had Kincaid—and while he was more than competent, it was his first real case. I knew Kincaid wanted to crack the case on his own, but I was starting to think that it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the FBI to take a personal interest in Fireball. It would definitely take some of the strain off of my best friend.

  “I guess we should go get this shitshow over with.” I adjusted my bow-tie and grunted.

  “Yeah, the faster we pose for a million photographs, the faster we can get back to the station.” He sighed and picked up his jacket.

  “I was actually looking forward to a nice evening with someone. I should have known I wasn’t going to be that lucky.” I slid on my jacket and shrugged.

  “Same here.” Kincaid nodded. “I figured I could at least show my date a good time, even if I wasn’t that enthused about taking time away from the case.”

  Even though most of the guys didn’t talk about it, we all knew that some of the women who bid at the auction expected more than just a little hand-holding on their date. It was why none of the married firefighters ever agreed to pose for Heated Hunks. None of us were obligated to actually sleep with our dates, but it happened—probably more than people realized. That definitely wasn’t going to happen on our date though. I wasn’t even sure Veronica Stone had a pussy between her legs—I wouldn’t have been surprised to find out she had a dick bigger than mine. I knew more about her than anyone else at the station because my little sister used to work at Livingston Capital. She needed therapy after she quit and was officially diagnosed with PTSD—from a fucking office job. I couldn’t imagine what kind of hell she went through before she finally walked away—but I was probably going to get a taste of it firsthand before the night was over.

  And I have to bite my tongue—no matter how much I’d like to give that woman a piece of my mind.

  “Hello.” The woman who bid on us smiled as we walked into the lobby. “My name is Marissa.”

  “Hi Marissa, I’m Donovan.” I extended my hand. “Or just call me Mr. February if that’s easier.”

  “I’ll stick with Donovan.” Her smile got a little wider as she shook my hand.

  “I’m Kincaid.” He extended his hand. “Where’s your boss?”

  “Well…” Marissa bit down on her bottom lip. “She’s not coming.”

  “Wait, what?” I blinked in surprise.

  “Yeah.” Marissa sighed and looked down at the floor. “It looks like I’m your date for the evening.”

  “This is a rather—interesting turn of events.” Kincaid narrowed his eyes. “Does that mean we don’t have to pose for a million photographs tonight?”

  “You’re not completely off the hook.” Marissa laughed and pulled out her phone. “We have a schedule.”

  “Oh, great.” I rolled my eyes and grunted. “Okay, let’s follow the schedule.”

  I was actually okay with posing for photographs if I didn’t have to be berated by Veronica Stone in the process. I doubted that Marissa was going to make us retake every single one of them if the lighting was exactly perfect. Plus, staring at Marissa all night was not going to be torturous. She was hot-as-fuck, and every curve that pressed against the fabric on her dress was practically calling my name. It was too bad that I didn’t have her all to myself, because I would have definitely started putting the moves on her immediately. I would have had no problem helping her turn that dress into a heap on the floor at the end of the night either—she was no ice queen—that was for damn sure. Her dress could have been on fire and it still wouldn’t have been hotter than she was.

  “What’s first on this schedule?” Kincaid walked beside Marissa and tried to look as her phone as we headed towards the limousines.

  “Pictures in the park—before it gets dark.” Marissa looked up at the sky. “So I guess we need to hurry.”

  “Yeah, we don’t have much daylight left.” I nodded and grabbed the door to open it before the limousine driver had a chance.

  We talked a little bit on the ride to the park. I was curious to know more about Marissa—and rather surprised to learn that she was Veronica Stone’s secretary. That was the same job my sister had before she lost a piece of her soul. Marissa seemed to be unaffected by whatever horrors she had witnessed at work. She smiled, laughed, and as the miles passed beneath the tires—I found myself drawn into her infectious laughter. Even Kincaid couldn’t fully suppress a few smiles along the way. It was nice to see him with something besides a scowl on his face. The investigation he was working on seemed to make it permanent—not that he was very happy before that. He hadn’t really smiled at all since his last relationship ended.

  If she’s making him smile, then I might have a little competition if I decide to turn up the heat before the end of the night.

  My bed was rarely cold, but I had never been in a serious relationship before. I chased my desires, satisfied them, and moved on. Some of the women I dated accused me of having commitment issues, and that was partially true. My sister and I were raised by our Dad, and he didn’t exactly set the best example for us when it came to relationships. He already had three ex-wives and was working on a fourth because he had no idea how to keep his dick where it belonged. It seemed easier to just avoid marriage completely, which is why my relationships ended as soon as I started to get attached. I didn’t have to find out if I could be loyal to just one woman if I never let them get close enough to have that expectation.

  “Okay, so we’re supposed to—well…” Marissa stared at her phone.

  “What’s wrong?” Kincaid raised his eyebrows and looked at her.

  “The photographers are set up, but they’re expecting us to be on a double date.” She sighed and looked out the window. “I guess I’ll just walk around with the two of you individually and then get a few shots of the three of us to be safe.”

  “Oh, so this was supposed to be a double date?” I tilted my head to the side.

  “Yeah.” Marissa nodded and turned towards the door when the limousine driver opened it.

  I wonder which one of us would have ended up with the ice queen—and which one of us would have been lucky enough to end up with Marissa?

  The three of us walked over the spot near the fountain where the photographers were waiting, and Marissa told them how she want
ed to do the photo shoot. It was meant to be casual and look like we were having the time of our lives. The whole concept seemed silly to me. Livingston Capital could have just put up a headline on their website detailing how much money they donated to fire department—it didn’t need to be accompanied by a bunch of staged pictures. I went through the motions because we were obligated to do so, but I wasn’t happy about it. The date wasn’t going to last that long and I wanted to know more about Marissa. She was a lot more interesting than any of the other women I had dated—even if it was just a publicity stunt for her company.

  Marissa

  The date was starting to feel like a business transaction. I kind of expected that, but I didn’t expect to have to entertain two men in the process. After we wrapped up at the park, we headed downtown to get some shots of us walking in the crowd near the movie theater. We were giving the illusion that we were going to be going to a movie, but there wasn’t enough time to actually go to one. Kincaid and Donovan asked me a lot of questions, and I practically had to tell my life story just to answer them all. It wasn’t very interesting. My parents were college sweethearts that got married right after graduation. We moved from to New York after my Dad got a job offer that he couldn’t turn down. My Mom stayed at home after the move, which was good, since she got pregnant with my little brother less than a month after we settled into a nice suburban home. I grew up with good role models who instilled the importance of school and a strong work ethic in me from the beginning.

  “You know there are better places to work, right?” Donovan lifted an eyebrow after I finished telling them how I ended up at Livingston Capital.

  “What do you mean? Livingston Capital is one of the top investment firms in New York.” I tilted my head to the side with a perplexed look on my face.

  “He means you don’t have to work for Veronica Stone.” Kincaid turned his head towards the window. “Trust me, we’ve heard the stories.”

  “Ms. Stone is demanding, but that’s the atmosphere at Livingston Capital.” I shrugged and smiled. “It’s really not that bad.”

  Once again, probably best to bite my tongue around strangers.

  “If you say so.” Donovan eyed me as if he didn’t believe the words that were coming out of my mouth.

  “Okay, enough about me—how long have you guys been firefighters?” I looked back and forth between them.

  “Next month will be six years for me.” Donovan nodded quickly.

  “I just finished my eighth.” Kincaid shrugged. “It feels like a lot more than that sometime.”

  Donovan was the first one to really open up to me. He was from a small town in upstate New York and moved to the city right after high school because he was looking for a job. After figuring out that minimum wage wasn’t going to get him anywhere, he used the money he had saved up to enroll in the New York Fire Academy. Firefighting gave him a purpose and he didn’t realize how much solace he would find in helping other people until he was already on the job. I could tell that he enjoyed what he did, even though it was dangerous work. Kincaid was his mentor in the beginning, but the job created a bond that made them best friends. I could tell that they were friends just by the way they interacted, but they were a lot closer than I realized.

  “The movie theater should be right up there…” I looked down at the app on my phone.

  “You’ve never been?” Donovan raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Not even on a date?”

  “I don’t really date that much.” I shrugged and sighed.

  “Who would have time to date when you work for Veronica Stone?” Kincaid chuckled and leaned forward. “Considering how bad traffic is, we’ll get there quicker if we just walk.”

  “The photographers should already be in place.” I nodded and reached for the door. “Okay, let’s walk.”

  We darted over to the sidewalk and then quickly made our way to the movie theater. We were halfway done with the photo shoot before the limousine parked next to the curb. We didn’t have to take as many photographs there as we did at the park, but we were supposed to hold hands. I didn’t mind holding hands with two extremely hot firefighters, but it was a little awkward when I posed for romantic photos with Donovan and immediately had to strike the same poses with Kincaid. We wrapped up and headed back to the limousine. Our next stop was dinner, and thankfully, we were actually going to get to eat. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the itinerary called for us to get our food, pose with it, and immediately head to the next destination for another round of photos.

  “Have either of you ever eaten at The Remington?” I looked down at my phone. “They don’t have a menu online.”

  “No.” Donovan snorted and started to laugh. “The Remington is far too expensive for two guys on government salaries.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think it’s the type of place that posts a menu on the Internet.” Kincaid started laughing as well.

  Well now I feel a little foolish—I definitely need to change the subject.

  “Donovan told me all about himself, so what’s your story, Mr. December?” I leaned over and nudged Kincaid.

  “There’s not much to tell.” Kincaid shrugged and looked towards me. “I’ve lived in New York my whole life. My Dad was a firefighter, and I followed in his footsteps. The end.”

  “He’s being humble.” Donovan leaned back against his seat. “He’s the best damn firefighter to ever put on a suit—that’s why they made him an arson investigator.”

  “Oh wow!” I blinked in surprise. “So, you’re not a firefighter anymore?”

  “I still go out with the team, but I don’t run into burning buildings very often these days.” Kincaid shook his head back and forth. “I wait until they put out the fire and investigate what’s left.”

  “He’s still being humble.” Donovan started to chuckle. “He’s working on a big case right now. I’m sure you’ve seen the news stories about the serial arsonist, Fireball.”

  “That’s the guy who writes those cheesy letters?” I raised my eyebrows and nodded. “Yeah, they talk about him at the office every time a new one gets published.”

  “Kincaid’s going to be the guy who figures out who the hell he is—then that bastard can write all the letters he wants from a jail cell.” Donovan pointed at Kincaid and smiled.

  I really hadn’t been following the Fireball story, but I knew it was big news since people at the office frequently mentioned the serial arsonist. He started off setting fires in abandoned buildings, and those didn’t get much attention until he started writing letters to the press, bragging about what he did. After he got a little notoriety, he started getting bolder, and the latest fire he set was at an apartment complex. There were no casualties, but several people did go to the hospital for smoke inhalation. It definitely could have been a lot worse, and I hoped they were able to catch him before he did end up killing someone. Kincaid seemed to think it was only a matter of time and Donovan concurred.

  “Wow, this place is impressive.” I leaned over and looked out the window as we approached The Remington.

  “It won’t be that impressive with all those damn photographers in our face while we try to eat.” Donovan chuckled as he exited the limousine and extend his hand to me.

  “You know what…” I looked at him and nodded as I got out of the car. “You have a good point. I’ll be right back.”

  We should be able to enjoy our meal in peace—every single moment doesn’t have to be captured in vivid detail for the Livingston Capital website.

  I walked over to the group of photographers and told them that they could take pictures of us walking into the restaurant, but I wanted them to leave us alone until we were done. They protested, but after I threatened to call Ms. Stone, they immediately fell in line. That was an idle threat. Ms. Stone would have probably yelled at me for disturbing her—and then yelled at me for deviating from the itinerary. I just wasn’t feeling it anymore. I was on a date with two incredible firefighters—literal heroes—and I was t
reating them like they were nothing more than propaganda to make the company look good. They deserved to be treated better than that considering they weren’t really getting anything out of the date except for a free meal. It wasn’t like they were personally pocketing any of the money I spent at the auction.

  “The photographers will leave us alone while we eat.” I walked back to Kincaid and Donovan with a smile on my face.

  “Wow, impressive.” Kincaid chuckled. “Okay, let’s enjoy the only peace and quiet we’re going to get tonight.”

  “Those photographers look like they’ve been scolded.” Donovan laughed and walked beside me towards the restaurant.

  Kincaid and Donovan seemed to open up a little more once we were alone in the restaurant and weren’t rushed to get to our next destination. I knew it wasn’t a real date, but for a little while, it certainly felt like it—as real as a date with two guys at the same time could be. I was getting used to actually looking at them without blushing and holding a conversation without choosing every word carefully—the wine we had with our meal probably helped with that. I didn’t drink very much, but I wasn’t going to waste an opportunity to drink wine that cost more than I made in a month. It was actually quite tasty, and that led to a second glass, even though I was feeling the first one before the last drop was gone. Midway through the second glass, I began to realize that wine and extremely gorgeous firefighters with panty-melting stares mixed quite nicely—enough to make me forget that I was a timid virgin with zero experience in the panty-melting department.

  “What’s next on the agenda? Do we have time for dessert?” Donovan tilted his head to the side and reached for his wine.

  “I’m definitely skipping dessert.” Kincaid chuckled under his breath. “But we can’t let them take this wine away before we finish it.”

  “Finish it?” My eyes nearly bulged out of my heads.