I checked my watch again, not knowing what else to do with myself. Back and forth I paced in front of the fire station, hoping Ethan would hurry up and come out to meet me. He’d told me to show up at five, and here I was. Sure, I could’ve knocked on the front door and maybe been let in, but there was no way I was going to hang out with those horndog firemen while I waited for Ethan to, I don’t know, finish his workout or whatever was causing him to run late.

And just like that, I was thinking of Ethan in the middle of a gym session, his face tight and sweaty as he did some arm curls, his big biceps flexed and tense—oh, mama. I had to scold myself to stay focused. I sure as hell didn’t want to spend this entire ride-along ogling Ethan with my tongue hanging out.

Finally, the red steel door opened up and out stepped Ethan. He was dressed in a dark pair of jeans and a tight black T-shirt with the fire station logo on the right side of his chest. And just like yesterday, he looked like he was one muscle flex away from ripping apart that shirt in a shower of shredded fabric.

“There she is,” he said, squaring up in front of where I stood and giving me a long once-over. “You’re, uh, looking extra rugged today.”

After class I’d run home and changed into a pair of black jeans and a loose flannel shirt, a pair of sneakers finishing the look. I’d figured I’d need to dress somewhat practically for the ride-along.

“What?” I asked. “You think I should’ve shown up in heels or something?”

“No,” he said, his gorgeous blue eyes locked onto mine. “Just very Brooklyn-tough-girl. Works for you.”

“I would’ve thought you’d wait at least an hour before giving me shit.”

“Sorry,” he said with a smile. “I’m used to hanging out with other firefighters. We talk in ballbusting pretty much exclusively.”

“Maybe you ought to come into the twenty-first century and hire some women, then?” I suggested.

“Hey, when we find a girl who can carry a two-hundred-and-fifty-pound guy up a flight of stairs, I’ll be the first to hire her.”

“Anyway,” I said, not really interested in discussing gender politics, “we going to start this ride-along or what?”

“We sure are,” he said. “Come right this way, Miss Parker.”

I couldn’t help but think he was being a little condescending toward me with the whole “Miss Parker,” thing, but something about it really, really turned me on. It had to have been his low, purring voice, deep and bassy. I could easily imagine him speaking some very naughty things in that tone right next to my ear as we—

“Here’s the truck,” he said, interrupting my straying thoughts. “Though I believe you might’ve already gotten acquainted with her yesterday.”

“Hell of a machine,” I said, looking over the huge, imposing vehicle.

“You don’t know the half of it,” he said, his eyes fixed on the truck as he made a slow loop around it. “We’ve got the other one too, but I have a sweet spot for this beast. We’ll be taking her for a little spin here in a minute.”

“The kids are gonna love this thing,” I said, a small smile forming on my lips as I thought about the eyes of my students going wide when I brought them here in a few days.

“Come on,” said Ethan. “Let me introduce you to the boys.”

I gulped, not really wanting to deal with the hungry eyes of the other firemen. When Ethan brought me to them, however, they stood neatly in a line with the discipline of troops, their hands clasped behind their backs as Ethan introduced me to them one by one, and they shook my hand, each of them respectful and gentlemanly. Even the station dog, a healthy-looking Dalmatian named Mitch, was well behaved.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Parker,” said Stone, a fireman as big and beefy as Ethan, but with jet-black, shoulder-length hair instead of Ethan’s closely cropped blond.

He took my hand and gave it a respectful shake.

“Nice to meet you all,” I said.

“Now,” said Ethan. “Let me show you around the rest of the joint.”

“Those guys,” I said once we were out of earshot. “Did you say something to them?”

“Like what?” asked Ethan.

“You know, like don’t ogle the teacher.”

“What, you think they can’t behave themselves when they need to?”

“Just noting how respectful they were today, and how much of a contrast that was with yesterday when it seemed like they were on the verge of beating the crap out of each other just to get a look at my ass.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said with a smile.

Ethan led me around the station, showing me the barracks, the supply room, and the lounge. The place reminded me of a big dorm, a home where guys could hang out and cut loose when they weren’t out saving the city. And as we headed back downstairs to the garage, a tall, big-chested middle-aged man with silver hair and a matching beard stopped us in the hallway. I could tell instantly by his bearing that he was the man in charge.

“So,” he said, looking me over in a cool, appraising way. “This is the teacher who’s going to be filling our station with the pitter-patter of small feet.”

“Assuming I get the OK from Ethan here,” I said.

“Final call goes through me,” he said, “but if you’re good with Ethan, you’re good with me. I’m Chief Swift, by the way.”

“Chloe Parker,” I said, taking his extended hand.

The chief gave me a good vibe right away. He projected confidence, gravitas, and calm—the exact kind of man you want in charge of an operation like this.

“You planning on taking her out in the truck?” asked the chief.

“That’s where we’re headed now,” said Ethan.

“Well, then I won’t keep you.”

The chief gave us both a nod and was off.

“You ready to do this thing?” asked Ethan, an excited, almost boyish half-smile spreading across his face.

“More than ready,” I said.

“Then let’s go.”

Five minutes later, Ethan and I were both in the massive cabin of the truck. He started the engine and the vehicle growled to life, the vibrations from the engine causing my body to shake and bounce in the seat.

“Whoa!” I said, instinctively grabbing onto the overhead handle for support.

“You all right over there?” asked Ethan.

“I think so,” I said. “Riding in anything besides the subway makes me a little jumpy, I guess.”

The garage door opened before us, and Ethan slowly pulled us out onto the streets of Williamsburg. Though I wasn’t driving, being behind the wheel of the truck was like nothing else I’d experienced. I felt like a giant stomping through the streets, the eyes of everyone around locked onto us.

“What do you think?” asked Ethan, briefly turning his eyes from the road.

“It’s awesome!” I said, my hands pressed to the window. “Kind of makes me want to consider a career change!”

“Sounds good,” said Ethan. “We can swap—you drive the truck for a week, and I’ll try not to get eaten alive by the kids.”

“They’re not so bad,” I said. “They’d probably love you. I mean, that’s what I’m counting on when they come here. You have kids of your own?”

“Nope,” he said. “You?”

I paused for a moment, the subject a sensitive one for me to discuss. Not for any overly serious reasons, but because I was getting to that age when the idea of kids had shifted to something outlandish to something…very appealing. But Ethan didn’t need to know any of that.

“Me neither,” I said. “Just me.”

A silence hung in the cabin for a moment, the rumbling of the engine the only sound.

“Any chance we’ll get to see some action?” I asked. “Like, saving a cat from a tree or something?”

“Not unless you know how to use the ladder,” Ethan said.

“I’m sure I could figure it out. How hard could it be?” I followed this up with a sly smirk, letting Ethan know that I wasn’t being entirely serious. He looked humorously relieved.

“I’m thinking just a little drive through the neighborhood should be enough,” he said. “One fireman and one observer isn’t exactly enough crew to be effective if anything were to come up.”

“Fair enough,” I said. “Then I’ll just take in the lovely scenery of Williamsburg.”

However, the city streets that I walked every day weren’t exactly the scenery I was interested in observing. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Ethan as he expertly steered the huge truck through the narrow roads, the sinewy muscles of his forearms flexing and tensing each time he shifted gears. A look of steely concentration hung on his face. There was something very hot about watching him work. I could’ve sat in that truck all day while he did his thing.

“So,” he asked as he turned the car around and began to head back to the station. “Thoughts?”

“It’s all very impressive,” I said. “You guys look like a hell of a crew. Like a well oiled machine.”

“That’s the idea,” he said. “Job like this, you don’t get regular shifts. You gotta be ready to act at a moment’s notice.”

“Only wish I could’ve seen you guys in action,” I said.

“You know, there’s a reason ‘be careful what you wish for’ is a common expression,” he said as the truck slowly curled around a narrow turn.

“I know, I know,” I said. “Still, you can’t blame a girl.”

Right at that moment, the radio in the car crackled to life.

“Yo, Ethan,” came the voice on the other end. “You there?”

An alarm blared in the background, causing my heart to instantly begin to race.

Ethan quickly snatched up the receiver and brought it to his mouth.

“What’s up?”

“We got a call,” the voice said. “You nearby?”

“About two minutes away.”

“Then get back here now—we gotta move out.”

“On my way.”

Ethan replaced the receiver.

“That means—” I asked.

“Yep,” he said. “You got your wish. Now hold on.”

Ethan reached up and flicked a few small metal switches, the blaring sirens of the fire truck coming to life. The sound was absolutely deafening. I’d walked the streets of the city enough to know just how loud the engines on passing emergency cars could be, but it was nothing like being inside the thing in action.

We soon pulled into the station where the rest of the crew was already waiting.

“Listen!” shouted Ethan to me as the crew piled onto and into the truck. “Just stay put. You can watch, but don’t get in the way. Got it?”

I nodded, my heart thudding rapidly in my chest in anticipation. Seconds later, I was squeezed in the truck among a few other crewmen, the scent of sweat and testosterone flooding my senses. I felt overwhelmed by masculinity in the best way possible. And it didn’t hurt that I was now pressed up against Ethan, his solid, thick arm touching mine. I had to use all the restraint I had not to break out into a big smile.

“What’s the sitch?” shouted Ethan as he pulled back out onto the streets.

“We got a fire down on Hope Street,” shouted the crewman. “Some local shop went up.”

“Any more details?”

“Not so far. Just gotta get down there and do the job.”

I couldn’t believe it—we were going to a real fire. Excitement rushed through me. I tried to temper it, though, when I realized that there very well could be real people at risk.

The truck raced down the streets of Williamsburg with sirens blaring and cars moving out of the way as we passed. After a few more minutes of white-knuckled driving, we pulled onto Hope Street where the fire was well under way. Orange flames shot out of a storefront’s windows. It was on the right-hand side of one of those three-to-four-story brick buildings so common in Brooklyn, with a business on the bottom and apartments on top.

Ethan pulled the truck to a stop, and the men poured out. I watched them, clad in their heavy yellow and black gear, as they rushed up to the building and assessed the situation. Ethan stood tall among them, pointing to one man after another as he gave them their orders. One of the other firemen handed Ethan his gear, and he soon had it on.

I watched, totally enthralled. Heavy plumes of gray smoke rose into the brilliant blue sky, dissipating high above. The wild flames of the blaze flicked out of the windows. Civilians had gathered around to watch the inferno, but the firemen went quickly to work getting them back to a safe distance.

After they’d cordoned off the area, the crew set up and connected the high black hose. When the men were in position, they turned the hose on, spraying a powerful torrent of water into the open windows of the shop.

The whole thing was beyond exhilarating to watch. I sat in rapt silence, my mouth opened slightly and my hands pressed against the windshield in front of me as I watched them work, Ethan leading them all.

Then, as the crew continued to spray down the building, a figure stepped out of one of the apartment windows onto a fire escape. It was a girl, no older than fifteen, a look of sheer panic on her face as she waved down to the firemen. I watched as Ethan took notice of her, gesturing to the girl to stay put. Flames were licking the bottom of the fire escape, presumably making it too dangerous for her to run down on her own. I couldn’t hear anything they were saying, but I surmised from Ethan’s hand movements that he was telling the men to keep on the fire, and that he’d take care of the girl.

I couldn’t handle it any longer—I needed to get a closer look. I yanked on the truck door handle and stepped out onto the street into the air warm from the fire, bits of wispy gray smoking curling here and there. I didn’t want Ethan or any of the other men to see me, so I took cover behind one of the cars on the other side of the street and watched, my heart racing, my eyes open wide.

Ethan directed the men on the ladder to wheel it around toward the building. But it moved so slowly, and the flames were quickly rising up to where the girl stood on the fire escape. I didn’t know much about fires, but I knew if she wasn’t rescued soon, the smoke might get to her.

I watched as Ethan took notice of just how slowly the ladder was moving, and that he didn’t have time to wait. He shucked off his jacket, exposing his brawny, toned T-shirt-clad body, his thick muscles glistening with sweat. Then, he ran to the building next door and, with an impressive jump, pulled himself onto the awning. With grace and speed I never would’ve guessed a man like him was capable of, he scaled up the fire escape and made it to the same level as the girl trapped in the burning building. By now dozens of people were gathered around the barricades, watching with the same thrill as me as Ethan made his way to the girl.

Ethan climbed onto the railing of the fire escape and, with a push, leaped over the distance onto the fire escape of the building next door, landing on the same platform as the girl. A gasp sounded from the crowd as Ethan took the jump. Relief washed over me as he landed safely.

But he wasn’t done yet. He gestured to the girl to come with him. She seemed nervous at first—understandably so—but soon rushed over to Ethan and wrapped her skinny arms around his tree trunk of a body. Then, Ethan ran back over to the side of the fire escape and said something to the girl. Below, the crew continued to hose down the blaze.

My eyes flicked back to Ethan, and I realized that, holy shit, he was going to jump with the girl. My sweaty palms closed into tight fists, and my breath was short and quick. The smell of burning and smoke filled the air. I watched with wide eyes, tension taking hold of me.

Then, the girl in his arms, Ethan leaped the distance. I could barely watch.

But then, to my relief—along with the relief of everyone else watching—he landed on the metal surface of the adjacent escape, squatting down with the impact. A cheer sounded out from the crowd, and I couldn’t help but leap to my feet and applaud along with the rest of them. Ethan and the girl scaled down the fire escape and were soon safe. The sense of relief was that intense that I had to lean against a mailbox behind me.

The girl ran into the crowd and to a couple who appeared to be her parents, and they embraced. I couldn’t believe that Ethan had likely saved her life.

But he wasn’t done yet. Ethan took control as soon as he was back on the ground, directing the crew where to spray. Soon, the fire diminished, and after ten or so minutes of soaking, it was out. Over the next fifteen minutes, I watched as Ethan and the rest of the men finished putting out the last bits of the blaze, the acrid smoke wafting into the air soon the only sign that the fire had even been there. Well, that and the ruined store.

I couldn’t deny just how fucking hot it had been to watch Ethan work. He was brave, he was skilled, and he was daring. The fact that he pulled off all his heroics while wearing a T-shirt that clung like spandex to his sculpted body only made him more enticing. I wanted to throw myself at him in a way that I could hardly understand. Instead, I rushed out from my vantage point behind the car and up to Ethan the moment it looked like he had a break.

“That was…amazing!” I shouted out breathlessly. “You were incredible out there!”

Ethan regarded me with a quizzical expression. Up close I could see that his beyond-handsome face was slicked with sweat, and his biceps glistened.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked. “Didn’t I tell you to stay in the truck?”

“Are you kidding?” I exclaimed back. “You really think I could just watch this hidden away?”

He shook his head. “That was stupid as hell of you. Stupid and dangerous.”

“It’s over now, though,” I said. “And I’m fine.”

He gave me one last look of admonishment and then appeared to realize that yes, while I’d disobeyed him, I wasn’t hurt or anything.

“Well,” he said. “You got your action.”

“I sure as hell did,” I said, looking over the ruined building. “No one was hurt, right?”

He shook his head. “Nope—thank God. The store employees got out as fast as possible, and no one was home in the apartments. Other than the girl, that is.”

“Oh, you mean the girl you saved like a freaking superhero?”

“It was nothing,” he said. “Just had to get her out before the smoke got to her.”

“‘Nothing’?” I asked. “You call leaping from building to building ‘nothing’?”

He waved his hand through the air and looked away. It figured that Ethan would be humble in addition to being brave as hell.

“Listen,” he said. “We’ve got a little more work before we can head back, and I don’t know about you but I sure as shit use a beer after a day like today. What do you say to meeting up later?” He looks at his watch, “How about 8 o’clock?”

I nodded so eagerly that I worried my head might fall from my neck. He didn’t need to ask me twice.