Page 2 of Her Fire Master (Master Me #5)

But her presence here is going to be the biggest pain in my ass ever.

She’s also hot . Her smooth caramel skin looks downright lickable, and the big green eyes are set off by long, curling lashes. Not the fake kind that are so popular these days. Natural lashes—no mascara or anything, not that I’m an expert on these things.

And she has junk in the trunk. I’m definitely an ass man and this girl? She has the best posterior I’ve ever had the pleasure of walking behind. Not that I do that on purpose.

Not unless I want to sprout wood in front of my crew.

I can’t stand the other guys ogling her. I mean, I seriously can’t stand it.

They are not exactly PC. It’s locker room talk around here twenty-four seven. I swear I’m going to have a sexual harassment claim on my hands in less than a month.

Even though she’s trying to prove she’s cool with whatever they throw her way.

Yeah, the little spitfire is going to turn this firehouse on its head.

But what troubles me even more is I know something about this girl.

I started at the Staten Island station—Ladder 153. There was a three-alarm fire that destroyed a cop’s place ten years ago. The cop’s oldest son was friends with our captain—my buddy who is now a battalion chief. When Lia got hired, he reminded me of a fire we put out.

We tried so hard to save the house, but it was too late—the entire thing was made of sticks and went up fast. I remember the Puerto Rican wife crying in Spanish while the cop and his kids tried to be heroes and help. We had to order back the four boys and one girl a number of times.

The fire had been ruled accidental, originating in the girl’s bedroom. That girl was Lia Burke.

And for some reason, knowing her history makes me even more protective of her.

She’s fighting demons. She became a firefighter to try reverse her past.

As if that ever works. We can’t make up for our past mistakes. I should know.

A prickle on the back of my neck tells me I’m being watched and I look up. Here she is—one hip propped against my doorway, her slender but buff arms folded across her chest.

She’s so small we had to order her a child’s size t-shirt for her to wear, but damn, the spunk in her is anything but petite. Her dark curls are pulled up in a high ponytail, dark-lashed green eyes are bright against her flushed skin.

“Yes, Burke?” I have to work hard not to think about the way her nipples got hard when I was going off on the crew.

Damn.

I work even harder not to wonder what that means.

Her jaw muscles tighten, then release, then tighten again.

Little girl is trying to hold her tongue and, if I’m interpreting correctly, not blow up at me. I really have to work to force back all the fantasies that crowd my brain about punishing her for sass. Or forcing her to speak her mind. It could easily go either way.

Another beat passes and she pushes her hip off the door frame. “Nevermind.” She turns and walks away, the sway of her perky ass making my cock twitch in my pants.

“No, come back. Let’s talk this out. You pissed at me?” I may be a hardass, but I’m actually all about communication amongst the team.

When she turns, her expression’s softened, relief flickering over it. She leans a hand against the doorframe, staying outside it. “Kinda. Were you implying I was trying to?—”

I hold my hands up. “I wasn’t implying anything.” I stand up from the chair. I’m a big guy, and she’s freakin’ tiny, but she doesn’t draw back. If anything, she leans forward, eyes dilating. “Strip poker isn’t allowed in this firehouse under my watch, that’s it. End of story.”

Her mouth turns down at the corners.

“Listen, you’re trying to find your place here—getting to know the guys. I get it.” I shove my hands in my pockets to seem less threatening. “I’m sure you would’ve had them all in their boxer shorts by the time you were done.”

A smile quirks before she hides it again, her body posture relaxing even more. I like putting her at ease. Almost as much as I liked seeing her reaction—physical, anyway—to my dominance back there.

“The thing is—we haven’t had a woman on the team before. It’s going to be an adjustment for all of us. And I don’t want anyone thinking…”

I stop because, what am I going to say? I don’t want them thinking the same thing I am about her? How much they’d love to feel that tight little body squirming underneath theirs? How they’d love to give her a little personal training?

“I don’t want anyone to fuck with you, that’s all. Because then I’d have to pound their faces in.”

This time I succeed in wringing a real grin from her—one that stays on her face and makes her big eyes crinkle.

She’s unbelievably pretty, with flawless skin and a pair of dimples.

It takes all my willpower not to drop my gaze to her breasts, because I’m dying to see if I made those little nipples hard again.

She rolls her eyes. “So you’re playing big brother, not boss? I already have four of those, so it’s not really a role I need filled.”

Oh, sugar, my thoughts are anything but brotherly.

“Yeah—I’m Big Brother with the capital Bs.

Always watching.” I do the two fingers at my eyes, two fingers at her eyes gesture and she laughs.

Something that buckled down across my chest when I walked in on the guys’ shenanigans releases.

“I see you can take care of yourself, Sparks. Just don’t make me sorry you got placed here. ”

“Okay, there it is.” She’s fully in my office now, hands on her hips. “I knew there was something you were trying to say to me. So what is it?”

Her show of defiance makes my cock ache. I want to take this girl in hand so badly my palm twitches. I can’t stop myself from advancing on her until we’re toe to toe. Nose to chest.

I’m dying to wrap my fist in her hair, tip that saucy head back to keep her eyes on my face. Fortunately for her, she lifts them of her own accord.

“Enough, little dragon.” I tower over her, hands on my hips. “You don’t march into my office breathing fire and throwing out attitude. You have something to say to me, you show some respect.”

She swallows and takes a step back. “I’m sorry, sir.”

Christ, yes. The nipples are hard. Even through a sports bra and t-shirt. Her eyes are dilated, too, and the way she rubs her lips together makes my cock chubby.

“That’s better.” I pin her with an authoritative stare and let the silence stretch between us before I go on. “I didn’t say anything to you I wouldn’t have said if you were a man.”

She rolls her tongue around in her cheek. “You call the other guys little dragon ?”

I fight a smile. “Did that offend you?”

She cocks a hip, her posture turned seductive. “Nah.”

“Good. Are we okay?” I automatically reach out to thump her shoulder the way I would one of the guys after a talk in the office.

At the last second, I pull the thump part back and just touch her.

It’s just a shoulder—it’s not like I have hands on her face, or her waist, or anywhere intimate—and yet it’s like time freezes the moment I touch her.

Our eyes lock, heat races through my limbs.

I have to force myself to drop my hand but when I do, my gaze falls on those full, pouty lips.

Damn.

“Yeah, we’re good.” She’s lost most of her tough girl attitude, her expression more wondering now. It’s amazing how badly I want to see her stripped bare to me—the facade gone. I want to know the real Lia—what makes her tick.

But that won’t be happening. No stripping—of clothes or otherwise. Not for me or any other asshole in this station.