Page 10 of Hearts on Fire

Scotti had short blond hair and blue eyes. Her arms were well-muscled, and Naomi knew that Scotti had easily lifted her up with those arms. Naomi couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to have Scotti lift her up onto a counter surface and kiss her until she was dizzy.

She wondered if Scotti would be open to the idea. Naomi knew Scotti had been flirting with her, there had been some fairly interesting chat up lines, but Naomi wasn’t sure whether that was just how she was. Naomi had worked her way into a position in life where she was used to getting what she wanted, and right now, she wanted Scotti.

That was when she had put a hand on Scotti’s thigh as she drove and she felt Scotti’s muscles tense under her hand and her breathing quicken. That was when she knew for sure that Scotti was into her.

They arrived at Naomi’s house and Scotti walked Naomi to the door. Fortunately, the reporters all seemed to have been at the hospital, and they made it to the door without having to fight their way there.

“Do you want to come in?” Naomi’s question was loaded.

“Sure, that would be great.” Scotti easily replied.

Naomi practically skipped inside, delighted that Scotti had accepted her offer. She didn’t usually relate well to other people and was surprised by how at ease she felt with this firefighter when they were clearly so very different.

It was probably just because Scotti had saved her life—such bonds were quite natural to form under such extreme circumstances—but Naomi still enjoyed being able to feel like this with someone. She admired Scotti’s bravery and her clear compassion for the people she saved.

“What would you like to drink?”

“Whatever you’re having will be fine.”

“I don’t know if firefighters drink wine, but I’m having wine.”

Naomi got out one of her fancier bottles of wine and poured them each a glass. Scotti took a sip and murmured her appreciation.

“Oh, I’m easy. I’ll drink anything. I needed this. Not being able to work sucks.” Scotti’s strong hands made the wine glass look small and delicate. Naomi couldn’t help but imagine what else Scotti’s strong hands could do.

Mmmm, those fingers.

“Yeah, I know the feeling. I’ve got a fairly robust immune system from working in a hospital, but every now and then, I catch something from a patient and can’t go into surgery until I’m completely better. It drives me crazy.”

“I see we share an addiction to our jobs. And perhaps an addiction to saving people.” Scotti grinned. Her teeth were neat and white and her smile was charming. Scotti was so very handsome, some kind of beautiful blend of masculine with a feminine twist. “How long are you on time out for?” she asked.

“Well, given my research facility burned down, it would have been quite a while, but I’m trying to sort out something with the chief of surgery so that I can come back to the hospital earlier than I had originally planned when I took time away from surgery for research.”

“Do you think that’ll work?” Scotti looked up at her. Her eyes were dark blue under a floppy blonde fringe. Her face was tanned and heavily freckled across her nose.

Naomi wanted her in a way she hadn’t wanted anyone in a long time. Naomi was quite sure that someone who looked like Scotti and with her effortless charm, probably had this affect on most women, but she didn’t resist it.

“I think so. They can always use my help; it’ll just take a bit of admin work to get it approved.”

They chatted for a few minutes about work before the conversation turned to interests.

“No way. You own a Ferrari? Why aren’t you driving it? That’s practically criminal wastage!” Scotti’s face was outraged.

“I can’t drive it around as a normal car! It is anything but a normal car! I drive it on weekends or off days. I’ll go for long drives out on the roads that no one uses where you can see for miles.”

“Including cops,” Scotti commented shrewdly.

Naomi shrugged. “You got me. What’s the point in owning a car like that if you can’t put its speed to the test?” Driving fast in her beautiful car was one vice that Naomi did enjoy.

“You have to show me!”

“Now?”

“Fuck, yeah.”

Naomi put down her wine and got up, delighted that Scotti seemed to share her interest in cars. She led Scotti through to the garage and flicked on the light.

Scotti moaned softly as she saw the Ferrari, making Naomi wonder how her moans would sound in an entirely different context.

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