Seducing the Fireman (Risky Business) by Jennifer Bonds Page A

the flames never could. When he’d pulled up to her building, he’d told himself the odds of finding her in the car were slim. When he’d heard her voice floating through the door, his heart had nearly stopped. In that moment, he’d realized just how much she meant to him. Becca was… everything . Everythinghe’d secretly wanted and never had. Everything he’d never allowed himself to consider. And even though he knew she was perfectly safe in that car, he was anxious, his heart slamming against his rib cage with fury. He wiped his palms on his navy slacks. As far as he was concerned, this call couldn’t be done fast enough. But rules were rules, and no way was he going to cut corners.
    If anything,he’d play it even tighter.
    No matter what he was feeling on the inside, the job required complete composure. The people he helped needed to see that he was in control. Just another day at the office.
    “How you doing in there, Becca?” He dropped to a crouch before the door, ensuring she’d be able to see his face when Anderson popped the safety latch.
    “Just peachy,” came the dryresponse. “Please, take all the time you need.”
    A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “All right, we’re going to open the inner doors now. Go ahead and step toward to the rear wall of the car.”
    Anderson released the lock and pushed the door open. He jammed a chock in the base to ensure they didn’t close again.
    Becca stood against the rear wall, gripping the safety rail.Under different circumstances, he might’ve enjoyed that flush in her cheeks, but as it was, it was a far cry from the normal fight response he seemed to draw out of her.
    “You know, if you wanted to see me, you could’ve just called. No need to jam up the elevator like this.”
    “You’re an ass,” she said, releasing the railing and drawing herself up to her full height. And was it a trickof the light, or was that a little spark in her eye?
    That’s my girl.
    “I think you mean I have a nice ass.” He winked at her for good measure. Pissed off Becca trumped frightened Becca any day of the week, even if she was staring him down like he was solely responsible for her current predicament.
    “Just my freaking luck.” She crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her hip,making it impossible not to notice the way those fitted jeans hugged her curves, accentuating the perfect legs he knew lay beneath the soft fabric. “Ten thousand firemen in New York City and I get the one who’d rather stare at my ass than save it.”
    “I’d like to think I can do both.” He flashed her a cocky grin. “We are New York’s Bravest, after all.”
    “I’ll just be over here, pretendingI didn’t hear any of that,” Anderson interjected.
    Becca’s cheeks turned a deeper shade of crimson. “That’s it. I’m leaving town the next time Mercury is in retrograde. This is re- damn -diculous.” She threw up her hands, seeming to forget her earlier terror. “I hate it when Quinn is right.”
    He didn’t know jack about Mercury in retrograde, but that was a conversation for another day.He had a job to do, and the priority was keeping her calm and lucid for what would come next. “Becca, I need you to focus on me now. I’m going to drop into the elevator with you and then I’m going to lift you out. My partner, Anderson, is going to pull you up.”
    “You’re going to climb in here with me?” she asked, looking doubtful. He wasn’t surprised. In his line of work, he got that questiona lot. For many people, it was difficult to comprehend someone willfully entering a dangerous situation others were desperate to escape.
    “All in a day’s work,” he replied with a shrug. Only today the job was hitting a little close to home. Lying on his stomach, he slipped his legs through the three-foot opening and lowered himself into the car, extending his arms to their full length. Hedropped the last few inches to the floor, doing his best to avoid shaking the