Misadventures with a Firefighter Read online

  Misadventures with a Firefighter

  Julie Morgan

  This book is an original publication of Waterhouse Press.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.

  Copyright © 2020 Waterhouse Press, LLC

  Cover Design by Waterhouse Press

  Cover photographs: Shutterstock

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic format without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  To Meredith Wild… Thank you for believing in me and my story of Noah and Cara. You’ve completely changed my life. Thank you will never be enough.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Don’t miss any Misadventures!

  Excerpt from Misadventures in the Cage

  More Misadventures

  About Julie Morgan

  Chapter One

  Cara

  My red-bottomed Louboutin pumps struck the tiles of my condo with every step, and the pearlescent glimmer of the shoes sent shards of light dancing across the floor. They were my absolute favorite pair. I wore them with a flimsy red dress that haltered around my neck.

  It was the last week off before school started, and as a kindergarten teacher in New York City, I needed one last weekend of partying before grades, glue, and crayons became my life. I had sent a few texts out to friends, and the plan was to hit a new club that had recently opened.

  I put on the teacherly persona of a good woman with great morals—an upstanding citizen. And I was. But don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t that person. I didn’t wear Miss Librarian clothes by day and transform into a BDSM goddess at night. Not that I wouldn’t… I mean, I’d try anything once. But it would be awkward if I ever ran into one of my student’s parents. That was something I’d never want to experience. Also, I didn’t carry around a paddle to spank someone who was out of line. Although some men I had met surely deserved it.

  Like Jeremy Quill, my self-proclaimed first love who I’d thought I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Bastard. We had been living in Tennessee when we met, and soon after, he had accepted a job transfer to Manhattan. When he’d asked me to move here, I knew marriage would follow. Until I moved here and caught him with another woman.

  But that was eight years ago. I’d since settled down in Manhattan in my own apartment with the only man in my life I cared about: my cat, Luci, short for Lucifer. He was black, with a pink nose and hazel eyes, and had two small white spots on his head that were shaped like horns. He was sweet and affectionate toward me but hated everyone else. I kind of liked it that way.

  I couldn’t see myself settling down again. Not after what happened with Jeremy. My heart was locked, and I had thrown away the key.

  Being single meant no one to report to, no one to worry about, no one to nag because they didn’t pick up their clothes, or food, or plates, or anything. No one to judge me if I baked a batch of brownies at three a.m. and ate the entire pan.

  I was the center of my own world. Did it make me shallow? Probably. Was I happy? Absolutely.

  My phone buzzed on the kitchen counter, and my heels echoed in the silence of my home as I made my way toward it. Erin Malone’s name appeared on the screen.

  “Hey, Erin.”

  “Hey, yourself,” my friend and coworker replied. “Are you ready?”

  “Yep. Ready when you are.”

  “Okay, I’ll be there in five,” she said. “You know, I don’t feel like our summer was quite long enough.” I could almost hear a pout in her voice. “I’m not ready for a classroom full of new kids with snotty noses.”

  Erin and I taught kindergarten at the same elementary school.

  I rolled my eyes. “Erin, come on. They’re not so bad. They’re still babies. And our future. They’ll take care of us when they’re older. Get on their good side!”

  She laughed. “Getting on their good side means giving them a cookie when it should be nap time.”

  I grinned into the phone. “I live for nap time. Okay, enough of first-day blues. Get here and pick me up. I’m ready.”

  We hung up, and I placed my phone in my club purse. The small handbag was pearl in color and shimmered like my shoes. Cell, lip gloss, driver’s license, some cash, and a condom. All my needed essentials.

  The clock struck half past nine. The night was young, and soon I would be dancing in someone’s arms. If I were lucky, my drinks would be paid for tonight, and if he were lucky, I’d be getting laid later on.

  I was horny and single—a lethal combination. A predator on the prowl for her prey.

  Running my hand through my long, straightened auburn locks, I checked my face once more in the full-length mirror by my front door. My creamy porcelain skin was perfect in this light and framed my caramel eyes behind long, black lashes. Everything still in place, I was picking up my keys from the counter when my phone vibrated in my purse. Erin was here. I headed toward the door, ready to get this night started.

  The bass of the music flowed through my body as if it was a fluid. It surrounded me, consumed me, became a part of my soul. Lifting my glass of wine, I tapped the edge to my friends’ glasses.

  “Here’s to one of our final weekends before the school year begins.”

  “I should have been a teacher,” Misty, one of our non-teacher friends, said. “I could get used to having summers off.”

  “Yeah, but you’d hate the salary,” I reminded her.

  “Well, for a teacher’s salary, you wear designer clothes like you’re rich,” Erin added. “And I should know. We make the same fucking salary.”

  I laughed, then shrugged a single shoulder. “True, but my mom loves to buy me pretty things, and my family is rich.” And they were. My father was an investor and knew exactly when to buy and sell. My mother claimed to be a Stepford wife until Real Housewives of Whateverville hit the TV. She’d thought of contacting the network to start up a show in our neighborhood in Tennessee.

  “I hate you and love you at the same time,” Erin said.

  I smiled and took her chin between my index finger and thumb. “You love my money.”

  “I won’t lie. It’s nice, but it’s not everything,” Erin retorted.

  “I beg to differ.” I took a sip of wine. “My money makes me very happy. It’s always there for me when I need it, it never talks back, and if I ask for something, it never tells me no. We should be announcing our engagement soon.”

  Erin laughed, then shook her head. “You should hear yourself sometimes.”

  I winked at her. “You know I’m only teasing. I mean, I do love having money, but I understand it isn’t everything. After everything with Jeremy blew up, it was nice to know I was secure and didn�
��t have to scramble. I could afford to get my own place.”

  “One day you’ll meet someone who will make you second-guess having money as a first love,” Erin said.

  Maybe she was right, but in this moment, it was my cat and me, and I loved it. And my money didn’t cheat on me. Nothing and no one would stand between me and my happiness.

  Well, except for the man who just walked in wearing ass-hugging jeans and a white short-sleeved polo that revealed strong arms with a few tattoos. He was well-groomed, with sandy-blond hair. It wasn’t long on top, and the sides were clipped short. He had a bit of stubble on his cheeks and chin, and when he looked my way, the bluest eyes I’d ever had the pleasure to stare into took my breath away.

  He smiled, and a pulse surged through my body, like a light switch was flipped. Turn me on and watch me purr for you all night.

  “I see the fire department is here tonight,” Misty said. “Think they’re taking a night off?”

  “The fire department can’t take a night off,” Erin answered. “They’re on three hundred sixty-five days a year. They rotate shifts so people can get sleep, but otherwise, they’re never closed.”

  “I kind of want to set something on fire,” I said.

  Erin laughed. “The one there in a black polo.” She pointed toward the men. “He’s the chief. Hot, isn’t he?”

  I nodded. “Totally. What about the one in the white shirt?”

  “Damn, he’s fine,” she said with a slight growl.

  I had half a mind to slap her and stake claim on the man.

  “I’m sure they’re all together,” she added.

  “Good.” I shoved the stemmed glass into her hand. “Hold my wine.”

  “Famous last words!” Erin shouted.

  I stalked onto the dance floor, figuring if I moved toward the group of firefighters, they’d take notice of me, maybe talk, maybe dance…maybe more.

  Giving my hair a fresh toss, I made my way across the floor to the sound of cat calls from my girls. I couldn’t help but smile. Rather than tearing each other down, we cheered one another on. It was how friends should be—non-judgy of whatever life decisions we made.

  Have fun. Get laid. Sleep later.

  The tempo of the song changed, and I moved my body to the beat, letting my hands run down the sides of my breasts to my waist. Lifting my gaze, I found his baby blues glued on mine.

  Exactly where I wanted them.

  Giving my best seductive smile, I leaned over just enough for him to view the crest of my breasts, and then I turned into a spin. Swaying my hips one way and then the other, I tried to imagine my blue-eyed firefighter on top of me, claiming my body. He reminded me of the actor who played Tarzan in the most recent movie remake.

  An erotic visual came to me. Me, naked in his arms, as he slid his tongue up my neck and then nibbled across the sensitive area of my skin. His hands cupping my full breasts as he pressed my back to the wall. His leg would push between mine, and he’d lift me up, holding me against him.

  I was startled and brought from my thoughts when a set of hands landed on my hips. Fingers pressed into my waist, and strong hands pulled my backside against his front. The person behind me felt tall, thick with muscles.

  Before I turned to find out who the aggressor was, I glanced over to where my blue-eyed man once stood. He was nowhere in sight.

  A smirk played across my lips, and I pressed my ass back against his crotch. Two could play at this game.

  The heat of his breath warmed the nape of my neck. It sent a chill across my body, causing me to shiver.

  “Are you cold, baby? I can warm you right up.” My dancing partner’s lips grazed the side of my neck.

  I bit my bottom lip to keep myself from groaning in approval. When I turned around, it was him. The man’s eyes were the depths of the ocean in a deep blue sea. He was taller than I’d initially thought. He had thick arms and a strong chest that was outlined underneath his shirt. When he smiled, his teeth were straight and beautiful behind his luscious lips. He smelled of an amazing male cologne, but thankfully it wasn’t overwhelming.

  I rested my hands on his chest, and his muscles twitched under my palms. “Do you promise to keep me warm if I say I’m cold?”

  “All night, baby.” He chuckled, and his smile was sexy. This man had a devil-may-care persona about him, and it was refreshing.

  I grinned. I picked up on the slightest smell of soot that mixed with his cologne. Stepping closer into his space, I laced my fingers around his neck and pressed my breasts against his chest.

  “What’s a fine woman like you doing in a place like this?” he asked.

  I pressed my lips together in an effort to not laugh. I had heard many pick-up lines, but nothing quite like that. “Is that the best you’ve got?”

  He furrowed his brow. “Umm, what?”

  “‘What’s a fine woman like you doing in a place like this?’ Seriously? You have to have better lines than that.”

  He smirked and lifted a brow. “Oh, really? Do tell, mistress. I’m afraid I must be schooled in the art of pick-up lines.”

  Yes, I liked him. He knew how to tease and take it. “Are your legs tired?”

  “No, why?” he asked.

  “Because you’ve been running through my mind all night.”

  He chuckled. “Nice. Okay, how’s this? Damn, baby, are you an angel who fell from heaven?”

  Since we were becoming pick-up-line buddies, I decided to fuck with him on this one. “What the hell, Karen. Are you suggesting I’m a fucking demon?”

  His brows shot up in surprise. “I have no idea who Karen is, and no, I was suggesting you’re an angel on earth.”

  I snorted through the laugh I couldn’t hold back. “I may have to call you Karen from now on.”

  “Would you like to know my real name?”

  “Is it a name you’d like to hear me scream out later tonight?”

  A blaze erupted behind his eyes, and his lips pulled into a sinister grin.

  Game on.

  “‘Karen’ would not work for the things I would do to your body.”

  I slipped my finger over his lips, and he opened his mouth and lapped at the tip of my nail. “What is your name?”

  “Noah Hughes.”

  “Hi, Noah Hughes. My name is Cara Murphy, and it’s been a pleasure exchanging pick-up lines with you.”

  His grin was full of desire. His eyes dilated, and he wet his lips with his tongue. “I like a woman with spirit. I also like a woman who knows what she wants.”

  I raised my brow and leaned into him, my lips close to his. Close enough I could feel his breath fan across my mouth. “Do you know what I want, Noah Hughes?”

  “I can venture a guess, Cara Murphy. However, I think it would be more fun to explore your body and find out together.”

  Truer words had never been spoken.

  “Did you drive?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “No, did you?”

  “No, I didn’t, but let me call for a ride.” I pulled my phone from my purse, which was still strung across my body. “I have somewhere we can go that’s not too far from here. Maybe a ten-minute car ride.” I brought up the Uber app, ordered a ride, and then sent a text to Erin.

  Hey, I’m leaving. See you at school on

  Monday. Love you.

  I pressed Send and then brought the Uber app back up.

  We made our way toward the exit. Despite my horny-and-single status, it really wasn’t all that often I opted for a one-night stand, but for Noah, I was willing to make an exception. I didn’t give my phone number to random strangers, and I definitely did not give my address. But with this firefighter, I was willing to forgo that rule too. Tonight, Noah was coming home with me, and I couldn’t wait to get there.

  Chapter Two

  Noah

  The best thing to come out of technology was the phone-a-ride. If you didn’t drive or had too much to drink, it wasn’t a problem anymore. Then again, there were still
plenty of nights when we were called out to rip open a car that was mangled around a tree or power pole, sometimes with the worst-case scenario—dead on arrival. We always hoped no one else, like bystanders or other passengers, had been injured in the accident.

  Tonight, though, was not going to be that night. Tonight was going to be shared with this beautiful woman, Cara. And if her lips were any indication of the rest of her, I was going to be a lucky man. Maybe I shouldn’t have had the extra shot the chief dared me to do, but I wasn’t one to back down. But I could feel the effects of it as the whiskey burned in my stomach, like a warm simmer from the embers of an almost extinguished fire. Then again, that could have been the effect Cara was having on my body.

  The woman was sex in stilettos and a barely there red dress. Creamy skin and ginger hair, she was a goddess come to life.

  It had been a few months since my last night of bliss, but tonight shouldn’t be any different.

  When I raised my hand to wave down our ride that matched the description on her app, a four-door car pulled up and flashed their lights. The passenger window rolled down, and the man who matched the description of Nick, the driver, leaned over.

  “Cara?”

  “Yeah, that’s me,” she said.

  I opened the back door for Cara. She slipped inside, leaned toward the driver, and verified the address we were headed to. She then watched me as I tucked in next to her. I didn’t have much leg room, but I didn’t necessarily care. I turned toward her and cupped the back of her head. “You’re beautiful,” I whispered.