Page 7 of Her Fire Master (Master Me #5)

B laze

By Monday, I’m supercharged. I’ve worked two more shifts with my little pyro, and I can’t wait to get my hands on her again.

I may have told Lia not to touch herself, but I didn’t hold myself to the same standard. And believe me, it was for everyone’s highest good. The team does not need a blue-balled captain running the show. I figure I’m doing the city a favor by jerking off twice a day to relieve the pressure.

Every time I even think about what’s going to happen Tuesday I get a boner the size of Lady Liberty. I’m also putting most of my mental energy into planning the date. Yeah, I’m calling it a date.

It’s the best kind of fantasy date I can imagine.

I guess that makes me the kinky motherfucker my ex-fiancée Samantha always accused me of being.

I have some weird dominance kink. Sure, I’m an alpha male in all aspects of my life. And I’m definitely protective—over-protective is what Samantha called me. But I’m also... kinked. Not sadistic. Not really. But spanking a girl gets me harder than a rock.

And I fucking love the idea of spanking her for real. Not just a couple slaps as foreplay, but a full-on punishment. The kind that leaves her begging for mercy and wide-eyed with submission.

Don’t try to get me to explain why.

There is no why.

It’s just the way I’m wired.

And before I saw the way Lia lit up over the idea of punishment, I thought it made me a sick bastard. That’s why she’s almost too good to be true. That’s why I can’t leave the girl alone, despite the risk to my career.

Because it’s like the moment I recognized the twin flame in her, the ember of mine flared to life. I’d been smothering it. Starving it for oxygen.

But suddenly it seemed acceptable. Not just acceptable—actually welcomed. A thing to be enjoyed. A thing that could give Lia pleasure.

And that gave me the headiest power rush I’ve ever had.

Possibly even more than saving lives or putting out fires.

I’m tempted to get her alone today, whisper all the dirty things I want to do to her, but I can’t risk it. It’s bad enough it’s my night to cook and she’s hanging around like she wants to help.

I chose ribs. It’s my favorite and can’t be ruined easily by the inevitable call because it’s a slow bake in the oven. The worst for ruined dinner is steak. Or pasta. If a call comes in while you’re in the middle of cooking those, you can just kiss your meal goodbye.

I unwrap the first package of meat, rinse it and slap it down on a huge sheet of tinfoil.

“Captain’s going all out tonight,” Rocket observes, stripping the husk off the two dozen ears of corn we bought. The guys like to give me shit because ribs are expensive and we all split the cost of food, but I know they love it.

Lia hovers a few feet away. I register her presence viscerally, as I’m sure every male in the station does.

It’s like I come alive around her, the alpha male in me eager to show off, stake my claim, throw down the competition.

I haven’t felt this way in a long time. After Samantha, and the heartbreak of losing my little ready-made family unit, complete with a kid, I guess I wrote off women.

Which is pretty lame considering I’m only thirty-six.

“So you gonna graduate me from dish duty tonight or what?” she demands. Her voice is sultry, like honeyed iced tea on a hot day.

I turn and frown, only because I sense an actual smile wanting to appear. Lord knows it would break my face.

“No rookies in the kitchen,” Rocket says flatly.

Our official rule is that newbies aren’t allowed to cook. They’re given dish duty. Cooking for the team is something they work up to as the trust builds. It strikes me as an idiotic rule at the moment.

“If you want to help me, you can,” I find myself saying.

“Wouldn’t be showing a gender bias, would you, Captain?” This from the damn peanut gallery, otherwise known as James.

I toss a scowl his way.

Lia ignores us both and steps up to my side, unwrapping another package of ribs.

“I love cooking,” she breezes, pretending there’s no tension over her presence here.

“My mom is Puerto Rican. Cooking is an expression of love for her.” She’s already slapping down ribs like she’s a butcher’s wife.

She tips her head up to look at me. “You have a special recipe, Captain?”

I stare down at her big green eyes, fascinated with the gold flecks, the long, naturally dark lashes. For a moment, I can’t think of anything but how much I’d like her cooking special meals just for me, serving them up with her as dessert. I pull another scowl to cover. “Just barbecue sauce.”

“Mmm.” She makes a non-committal sound and starts opening cabinets. Pretty soon she’s rubbing the meat with some kind of olive oil and spice concoction before she folds the foil up into neat little packages.

“Little hint, Sparks,” Rocket says to Lia. “You’re not supposed to make the captain look bad. Haven’t you wondered why we call him Blaze?”

“Temper?” She steals a look at me.

“Yep.”

Her nipples bead up under her t-shirt. I almost growl out loud, thinking that the other guys might notice.

“I’m not afraid of him,” she says lightly, inciting a chorus of “oohs” from the guys.

“Oh you should be, little gi?—”

Damn. I cannot call her little girl around here.

I clear my throat. “I mean, uh, Sparks.”

James snorts. “You’re so worried about us getting the department slapped with a harassment suit.”

Lia pops the ribs in the oven and starts washing the lettuce for the salad.

“Are you telling me strip poker was a good idea?”

He shrugs. He’s the one who bitched the loudest when I told him they hired a female for the vacant position.

It’s his cousin J.J. who Lia replaced after J.J.

fell off the ladder and broke his back. He survived.

He may even walk again. But it will be a long slow recovery and he won’t ever join us or any other crew again.

We’re all sorry as hell he was hurt on the job.

“I don’t think any of this is a good idea. ”

Lia turns slowly. “Any of what, exactly?” Her chin lifts, green eyes pin him.

James scowls and stands up like he’s disgusted with her and the whole conversation. “You have no idea what this job is about, do you?” he snarls.

The certainty slips from her expression for a moment, and I’m relieved she realizes there’s more to this than sexism. She glances at me and I give my head a small shake.

Her gaze slips back to James. “I’m hoping to learn,” she says simply.

James snorts and leaves the room.

I’m dying to wrap Lia up in my arms, but, of course, I can’t. Rocket’s up behind her, dropping a hand on her shoulder. I should be grateful the rest of the crew has some sympathy, but the sight of him touching her makes my fingers curl into fists.

And of course, that’s when the alarm sounds, ending any chance for explanations or discussion.

Lia

I call my cousin Talia on the way to Blaze’s.

“Hey, girl. How’s the new job?”

I close my eyes, grateful for her enthusiasm.

As the only girl in a male-dominated family, I latched onto my older cousin like we were sisters.

She spent a couple summers with us when she was a teen and I stayed with her for a few months after I graduated high school—when I was trying to figure out what to do with my life.

She pretty much got me on the track that led me here.

I sometimes joke that she’s my life coach.

“Hey. It’s good. Hard, but good.”

“Yeah? Have you made any friends yet? Are your co-workers hot? Or is it wrong to perv on firemen when you’re one of them?”

I laugh. “Actually…” I drag the last syllable out.

“Ooh. This sounds interesting. Did you make a special friend?”

“Okay, wow. You read into this situation way too fast. Um, yeah. I have a date tonight with the captain.”

“A date? Is that allowed?”

I get off the subway and walk up the street with the phone glued to my ear. “No! It’s totally not allowed. But we had this kind of incredible magnetic attraction. We both agreed not to tell anyone. Do you think I’m crazy?”

“I think you should be careful,” she hedges. “You worked really hard to get this job. But if anything happens to affect your job, we’ll find you a good lawyer and sue the FDNY for sexual harassment.”

“Yeah, and he pretty much admitted he was opening himself up for that, so I think I’m safe. We both know what we’re messing with.”

“You sound good.”

I smile, even though she can’t see it. “I do? Thanks. I’m excited. And nervous.”

“So what are you doing for the date?”

“Um.” I don’t want to tell her this part. I mean how do you say, it’s not really a date, it’s kinky spank play that I can’t even begin to understand my attraction to? “ I don’t know yet—he’s in charge.” Not a lie. “I’m almost there, just wanted to say hey in person. Thanks for listening.”

“My pleasure. Have fun on the date. Text me to let me know you got home okay later.”

“I will—thanks!” I end the call just as I reach Blaze’s building. He texted me his address along with the instructions to wear panties like the ones I had on for my last spanking. The ones he kept.

Has he been thinking about that scene as much as I have?

I ring the bell. He buzzes me in and I climb the stairs to his apartment and stand in front of his door.

I’m wearing a pair of leggings and a t-shirt. I went for easy removal—hope I made the right choice! My knees are knocking even more than they did my first day on the job. The day I showed up to a very grouchy captain and a crew who didn’t want me.

This is a totally different kind of nervous, though. It’s the exciting kind, with the butterflies dancing around and heat thrumming between my legs. I knock.

He answers, looking sexy as hell in a worn pair of jeans and a tight, fitted t-shirt that shows off every line of his sculpted torso.

I lick my lips and his gaze tracks the movement. “Hey.”

He pulls me inside and shuts the door. “Hey, yourself. I’m glad you came.”