Page 2 of Fierce Family

The fire engines slow down and roll to a halt. Josh jumps from the driver’s cabin of the first engine, his helmet in his hand and his jacket open.

“Let me guess, another false alarm?” he sighs and nods towards the guests heading back to the building.

“I’m really sorry—”

“Steve, radio the control room to stand down the volunteers,” he cuts me off, giving instructions to the driver who had also climbed from the engine. “Fiona, Aaron, check out the location—"

“I can show you,” Juri interrupts and waves the two firefighters to follow him.

“That’s really not necessary. It was Mr Wilkinson again,” I try to stop them.

“Tsk tsk,Sheila…,” as always when he says my name, he over emphasises it, “by now you should know that we have to check it ourselves. For the report.” I know he’s right but there is a mischievous look in his eyes that makes me think that there’s something else going on.

“Yes, but you should also know by now that we can spot the difference between a raging fire and an old gentleman smoking in his bedroom.” I put my hands on my hips and glare at him. We will already have a barrage of complaints as long as my arm because of the alarm. The last thing we need is extra drama of firefighters roaming the halls.

“We have our protocols,” he grins and waves off his two colleagues and Juri, who had been watching us like it was the latest episode of a soap opera. “Now,Sheila, what are you going to do about all of these false alarms?” He takes his jacket off and throws it through the open passenger door onto his seat. His muscles flex when he leans against the engine and crosses the strong arms that conjure up all sorts of fantasies. I mean, this right here is a calendar-worthy shot—Mr August, makes you feel hot and gets you sweating.

Josh raises an eyebrow at me and for a second I wonder if he’s been reading my thoughts.

“I’ll tell you what I’ll do about them. Nothing. Because I can’t. We have already told Mr Wilkinson multiple times that he can’t smoke in the room. We’ve charged him a penalty for the extra cleaning. We can’t have someone in his room all day.”

“When is he checking out?” Josh asks, his eyes locked on mine. I swear they should be illegal. His eyes are a darkchocolate brown with golden flecks, surrounded by lush dark lashes. When he smiles the thin laughter lines are accentuated making him look even more handsome.Fucking hell. I’m a forty-two-year-old, divorced mother of two teenage sons and I’m here drooling over the local firefighter heartthrob like I’m a teenager myself.

“He’s not checking out.” I finally find my voice again.

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean is that he has a permanent room here. His is an old contract we have to honour.” I shrug.

“Well then you have to do something, because I will start charging you for coming out.”

“You can’t!” I protest.

“Try me,” he replies with another smirk.

“Tell me what I can do?”

“It’s your hotel,” he counters looking a bit less sure of himself.

“Well, yes, but short of disabling the fire detector in his room, which is illegal, I might add, what can I do?”

“We can change it to a detector like we have in the kitchens. One that reacts to heat rather than smoke,” Juri, who has returned with the fire crew, suggests.

“You should put him in charge,” Josh laughs causing me to gasp.That cocky bastard!

“How dare—” Before I can finish my sentence, he steps closer. He is so close that I can feel the heat coming from his body. His scent, manly and musky, surrounds me. For a second I forget where we are and how complicated my life is, and I just wonder what it would feel like for him to kiss me.

“I was just joking.Sheila.” I swear his eyes have just gone a shade darker.Okay, wow, fuck, thishas to stop.

“We’ll get the detector changed. Thanks for coming out, and sorry,” I whisper flustered, turn on my heels and walk to the hotel entrance. I can feel his eyes on me every step of the way.Yes, we will change the sensor, even if I have to do it myself, because I can’t have another moment like this.

Chapter 2

Josh

When we get tothe fire station I head to the office to prepare the report. I can hear Harry, the station manager, already. He’s going to push me to start charging the Greenview Manor Hotel. I’ve managed to dissuade him from it so far. I know the fiery redhead can’t control it, even if I give her shit for it. People are selfish and ignorant, and the fire system is in place for a reason.

Officially, I'm backing the Greenview Manor Hotel because of its owner, Tommy, during my arguments with Harry. Tommy heads up one of the Fellside Mountain Rescue Team units, so we've crossed paths many times – as tends to happen with all the emergency services round here. We often meet during call-outs that involve FMR, not to mention the legendary blue night – our monthly get-together, hosted at different fire stations across the area. Tommy's a top bloke who's put in the hard yards for the hotel. The last thing we want is to start billing him for incidents caused by irresponsible guests. But defending the place isn't just about Tommy. There's Sheila, too. She's almost as devoted to the hotel as Tommy himself, and if I can make her life a bit easier, I'mall for it. And not just because she's the first woman in ages who's caught my interest

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