Chapter One
“How much do we need?”
“A lot. Well over fifty thousand dollars.”
“Wow. It’s expensive to survive a community disaster, these days.” Mimi Fletcher bit her lip as she ran over their options in her head. “Are you absolutely certain the insurance won’t pay?”
“Yes. We’ve claimed and been knocked back. We’ve appealed their rejection, too. They say our policy didn’t cover arson, since we knew the person starting the fire.”
“That little shit,” Mimi muttered under her breath. “Who the hell sets fire to the hall they spend half their time in?”
Alyssa sighed, “These kids have a difficult time. When he was banned for those few days, he saw it as another rejection in his life.” She got up to open the office door. “I can’t even say I blame him.”
“Well, I blame h—” a large body appeared in the doorway, stopping her sentence mid-thought.
Dark features, three day-old stubble, and perfect, white teeth smiled a huge, cocky grin. “Hi there, ladies.” He inclined his head, “Mimi.”
She sighed at the sight of that smart-ass grin levelled at her and waved her arms toward the door. “Jasper, Alyssa. Alyssa, meet Jasper.”
He stepped into the room and clasped Alyssa’s hand before she could speak. “Well, hello. I’m one of the firies who helped put out the blaze and I’m here to do a walk-through with my crew. Do you have any problems with us accessing the site?” He flashed them his magnificent smile again.
“Uhh… no, that’s fine,” Alyssa stuttered. “Give me a second and I’ll be right with you.”
He nodded at Mimi again and backed out the door. Alyssa banged it shut and leaned against it. “That man is a god. Did you see those teeth?” she hissed.
Mimi giggled, “I did not miss the thing of beauty that just left this office. He is divine.”
“How do you know him?”
“We went to the same high school.”
“I wonder what’s under those yellow overalls.”
As Mimi laughed, her eyes widened. “What did you say?”
“I want to know if he has bulging biceps under his clothes!” Alyssa squealed.
Mimi stood and walked toward her. She grabbed her shoulders as she grinned at her friend. “I think you might have just solved our money problems.”
“Uhh… how?”
“If we can talk Jasper and his crew into stripping down for a calendar, we can sell them to make the money we need.”
“Will anyone buy that? There’s already a firemen calendar.”
“There is, but this will be a calendar featuring our firemen—our heroes who put out our fire and saved our community hall from total annihilation.” She stepped to the window where the firemen were piling out of the truck. “We just need some of the crew to be hot enough for the calendar—they don’t all have to be sexy. Locals will enjoy seeing people they know embarrassing themselves, too.” She watched as the group in yellow went in the direction of the half-burned hall. She then spun around to face Alyssa. “This is a great idea. I know it will work.”
“Well, you’ll have to ask them, first. Fingers crossed that they say yes.”
“Oh, Jasper will say yes. He loves himself more than anyone I’ve ever met. I also haven’t seen him in any of the other calendars, and I bet he’s dying to be in one. Come on, let’s get out there and schmooze. All we need to do is be friendly; once they’re on our side, they won’t be able to say no.”
***
“Hey, Collins,” Jasper turned his head at the sound of his last name. “What are you looking at?”
He didn’t answer as his eyes followed the two women walking across the carpark toward the hall. Alyssa was cute, but Mimi Fletcher caught his eye—she always had. He’d watched her like this in high school, too, always from a distance and never daring to make a move, since she was oblivious to him.
She hadn’t been one of those girls who chased after boys. Instead, she’d concentrated on her studies and graduated at the top of their class. She was the same once she’d left, always achieving and never giving him the time of day the few times they’d run into each other at a nightclub or in the supermarket.
Living and working in the same neighbourhood you grew up in had some advantages, but Mimi was not one of them, it turned out. He watched her now, clad in tight, denim jeans, ankle boots, and an oversized, knitted jumper. Her unruly hair tumbled down her back and blew around her face as the wind picked up the long strands.
What I wouldn’t give to run my fingers—
“Hey, dude.” Fingers snapped in front of his eyes. “Earth to Jasper, we have work to do.” Ruben slapped him on the back and grabbed his chin as he tore his eyes away from her. “Man, you’ve got it bad for her. I thought you were cooler than that.”
Jasper slapped his hand away and turned back to the hall. “Piss off. I do not have a thing for her. I was watching those kids playing basketball.” He inclined his head in the direction of the courts as Ruben smiled knowingly.
“Sure, sure. Anyway, lover boy, where do you want to start?”
“I want you to take Jason and Frankie through the site. They haven’t seen this kind of fire before, so make sure you show them where it started and how we came to that conclusion. They’ve already read the report on it, but I want them to see it.”
“Will do.” Ruben stepped away and stage-whispered over his shoulder, “Here she comes! Look uninterested.”
Jasper rolled his eyes and fiddled with the hose fitting on the side of the truck.
What the hell am I doing? We’re not even taking the hoses out today. Get a grip, man!
He turned just as the women arrived behind him. “Ah, you’re here. We’re going to run a short training session for our two new guys and then we’ll make sure the site is still safe. You have a lot of kids coming here every day; I’m sure they’ve been tempted to poke through the remains.”
Alyssa smiled at him, “You’re right: we’ve chased kids out of here several times in the last week.”
“You should get a fence put up, so you don’t have to worry so much. They’ll probably still get in, though. Any idea when you’ll start the repairs, or are you just going to knock it down?”
“Well, we have several problems.” Mimi held up her hand, and he noticed her perfectly manicured nails. “One, our insurance won’t pay—they’re getting out on a technicality. Two, because of that, we have to find a way to raise fifty grand. Three, we need the hall by the end of the year, because we had a huge concert planned and we don’t want to disappoint the kids.”
“Phew. That’s a lot of problems.” He turned back to the truck to close the panel he’d been fiddling with. Looking into those green eyes as she spoke was doing something to his insides. “Let us know if there’s anything we can help with. I could probably get the boys here for a working bee or something.”
“Well, actually,” she bit her lip, unsure of whether to go on. Jasper was hot, but was he really so shallow that he’d want to be in a calendar on display for the entire neighbourhood? Maybe this was a terrible idea.
Think of the kids.
“We think we have a way you can help us raise the money,” she blurted out before she could change her mind.
“Oh? How?” He turned that brilliant smile on them and both women felt their knees turn to jelly.
“We want to make a community firemen calendar.” She rushed on before he could protest, “Just the crew from your station—a celebration of the team who saved the hall from having to be demolished.”
Jasper’s mouth fell open, as though he’d expected any suggestion but this. When he looked from Alyssa’s pleading smile to Mimi’s confident grin, he felt his original answer die on his lips. He still had an easy way to get out of this, though. “Fifty grand is a lot of calendars. You’ll never sell enough.”
“We will—we totally will.” Mimi’s eyes pleaded.
“How many calendars do you need to sell to make your target?”
“I haven’t worked that out, yet. I just had the idea ten minutes ago.”
His eyes brightened and his smile turned wicked as he said, “About the same time I appeared in your doorway?”
She blushed and wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Of course not.”
Alyssa chimed in to save her, “We were already discussing it when you showed up.”
“Sure you were.” He grinned at them both, his usual confidence returning.
She’s about to fall right into my hands.
“Let’s say you can keep expenses down and talk the boys into getting their gear off. If you make five dollars per calendar, you have to sell ten thousand to this small community. Can you do that?”
“Ten thousand,” Mimi considered that number for a moment. “Yes, I think we can do it. If we can make even more per item, we can get away with selling less. I know a photographer—I’ll ask her to donate her time.”
“That’s a good start.” He was still grinning at them both.
“I have a friend who works for a printer. We might be able to get mate’s rates on the printing.” Alyssa started to flick through her phone contacts as she spoke.
“Even better,” Mimi said, watching as he licked his lips.
What is he up to?
“I wonder if the boys will agree.”
“You can talk them into it, Jasper. That’s what you do.” Mimi wasn’t above building him up a little to get him on her side.
“Do I?”
“Yes,” she stammered, wanting to take a step back as his gaze ran all over her.
Before she could say anything else, though, he turned to Alyssa. “Could you excuse us for a minute?”
“Um, of course.” Her brow creased and she glanced at her friend before she slipped away to join the firemen sifting through the blackened remains of the hall.
Mimi glanced at Jasper, worried about why he would want her alone. She’d avoided him throughout high school and barely acknowledged him when she saw him in their neighbourhood. She’d also avoided staring at him whenever they found themselves socialising in the same place. There was nothing private he could have to say to her.
Don’t say no to this plan, now that there’s no one here to think you’re the bad guy.
Instead, Jasper reached out to take her arm and guided her closer to the fire truck until her back was pressed against it and no one could see them. As he placed his hands on either side of her head and leaned in close, she noticed his breath smelled of mint. His eyes twinkled as he took in her discomfort. “So, you want me to take my clothes off for you?”
“Not for me,” she gasped, “for the calendar… as a fundraiser.”
“Oh, I heard that part. I’m just wondering what excuse you would have used to get me to strip if your hall hadn’t burned down.” He grinned as she turned scarlet. “You didn’t burn the hall down, did you, Mimi—you know, as the perfect cover?”
She pushed against his chest to put some space between them and immediately realised her mistake. He captured both her hands in one of his and leaned closer. His breath tickled her nose, and her insides clenched into a tight knot. If he got much closer, she’d forget how to speak!
“I’m not even going to answer that,” she whispered, trying to catch her breath.
His grin stretched even wider and her insides dropped to her toes at his next words. “I’ll take my clothes off for you, sweet Mimi, with three conditions.”
“What conditions?” she gulped out the words.
He took a strand of her curly hair and ran it through his fingers. “First, you have to be present for all the photo shoots.” He wasn’t looking her in the eye, which made it easier for her to answer. She had no trouble being at the photo shoots, so she nodded her agreement. Satisfied, he continued with his list of demands, “Second, my photo shoot has to be first.”
His finger was still wrapped in her hair, but it moved to trace a line smoothly down her cheek. She gasped and looked up into his eyes, his touch almost burning her skin. “Why?” she breathed.
“Oh, you’ll find out.”
She gulped again and closed her eyes for a second, trying to restore her equilibrium. He was so close to her—closer than he’d ever been—and she could barely focus. He stood straighter and moved so his body was just touching hers.
She tried to shrink against the fire truck, but it was no use: his bulging chest brushed her hands where he held them tight, and she couldn’t even let her mind consider what else was touching her, now. All these years she’d ignored him, only for it to come to this pathetic display of the effect he had on her.
“What’s the third condition?” she managed to squeeze out, hoping it wouldn’t be the thing that undid her.
“Well,” he paused and moved an inch closer—enough to make the heat from his skin engulf all of her senses. Her legs wobbled as he held her upright between him and the truck. “You need to agree to five dates with me.”
Her gasp drew his eyes to her lips as she watched him lick his own. “Why five?”
“Five is just the right amount.” He tilted his head as he heard his name being called from the hall. “I need to get back to work. So, decide: are you in or out?” She looked uncertain, so he went in for the kill, knowing she couldn’t resist. “Think of the children, Mimi.”
The way her name rolled off his lips made her mouth water. Before today, she’d never heard him say it—especially not in the way he was saying it now, with those eyes boring into hers and their mouths just inches apart.
“I’ll say yes, but I want one condition of my own.” Her eyes narrowed just a fraction as his widened at her sudden bravado. “You know, to be fair.”
He let go of the single strand of hair and tucked his hand behind her head to grasp a handful of the auburn mess. When his fingers touched the skin on the back of her neck, she shivered. “Okay, tell me your condition. I’m sure I’ll agree.” He grinned at her again, his cockiness restored.
“Kiss me,” she whispered.
The look on his face would have made her laugh if she wasn’t poised, ready for him to ravage her. Lust, need, and surprise all crossed his features at once. When they settled on one expression, he looked shocked, but pleased. His hand was already in her hair; it was only another inch or two and his lips would be on hers. Her high school fantasy would suddenly become a reality—one she’d only dared imagine in her dreams.
“Can’t wait for the first date, eh?” His fingers tightened in her hair. “Don’t you think we should abstain until at least then?”
“No.” She was breathless. He needed to do it now—she might not ever be brave enough to kiss him again. “Maybe we aren’t compatible for a date. It’s best to check.” She kept her sentences short, in case she started gushing to him about all the times she’d imagined him kissing her.
“Hmm,” he leaned in and his lips lightly grazed her left cheek, “you don’t think we’ll be compatible?”
Her heart took off in a hammering crescendo. “I didn’t say that. I said we should check.”
She felt him smile against her skin, and just when she expected him to pull away and deny her brazen request, his lips slid sideways and pressed lightly against hers.
Fireworks went off in her brain, and he let go of her hands and hooked his finger in the loop of her jeans. As her hips pressed tightly against him, she wrapped her arms around his neck. His tongue slipped between her lips without a second of hesitation; his mouth was warm, and he tasted as sweet as his breath had smelled.
Her eyes closed, and she sighed as she kissed him with all the fervour he was bestowing on her. Someone was moaning softly, and Mimi was shocked to realise it was him. The sound shocked her back to reality, and she pulled away.
Laughing, she tried to catch her breath, and he looked hurt for a moment. She hadn’t expected him to want a date, much less agree to kiss her, and her mouth let the words out before she could stop them. “That was not what I expected!”
“Why not? What did you expect?”
“I have no idea, but not that.” She laughed again, and relief swept through her as he stepped away, scratching the back of his head and looking uncertain for the first time she could remember.
“I guess we should join the others.” His tone showed his annoyance, and she felt bad for laughing. It was her defence mechanism, though; when she was embarrassed or uncertain, she laughed.
“Okay. Will you ask them about the calendar idea?”
He frowned as they fell into step beside each other. “I think I’ll wait until later.”
“Fine. I’ll get to know them in the meantime.” Silence stretched out between them as she made small talk to distract herself from the memory of his lips on hers. “Why five dates?”
Wrong choice of topic for distraction!
“I thought you’d negotiate down to two or three. Ten sounded like a ridiculous starting bid.”
“I might have agreed to ten.” Again, the words were out before she had time to consider their effect.
Jasper’s reaction was immediate as she watched the familiar cockiness return to his features. She veered toward Alyssa and he swaggered toward his group of firemen and threw over his shoulder, “I’d have been thrilled with one.”
***
Watching Mimi get friendly with his crew for the next hour annoyed Jasper to no end. The sound of her laughter carried to him more than once as he ran through the site specifics with Frankie and Jason. Just one month into their full-time employment, there was a lot they still needed to learn. Unlike most other careers, on-the-job training as a fireman could get you killed.
He watched as Ruben explained what to look for to determine the cause of a fire. The investigation for this one was already complete, so it was easier to show the clues and say exactly what they meant. The new recruits watched with interest, and Jasper chuckled as he saw Frankie’s fingers tapping on his leg.
“Impatient to get past the tutorial?” he asked, slapping him on the shoulder.
“No, it’s not that. I just really like to take notes; I want to write all of this down and review it later.”
“School was the time for note taking, but we’re on the job now—hands on.” He grinned as Frankie frowned. “Relax, I’m teasing you. You’ll have plenty of time to take notes. Next time, slip a notepad into the truck and grab it whenever you need it. Don’t put it in your pocket and forget about it, though.” He tapped the yellow coat Frankie wore. “You don’t want a mini fire inside your suit!”
Shrieks of laughter floated across the remains of the building, and he turned again to see Mimi laughing at something Shawn was telling her.
Keep that up and you won’t be in the calendar, mate!
Gritting his teeth, he turned back to see Ruben smirking at him. “Don’t say a damn word,” he growled before storming back to the truck.
***
It was nearly four o’clock before they were ready to leave the site and Jasper hadn’t managed to pin Mimi down to organise their date. As his crew pulled themselves into the truck, he made a final effort to get her alone. He found her giggling at the back of the vehicle at Shawn’s latest joke.
Jealousy flared in his stomach, but he reminded himself he had no claim on her.
Claim or not, this has to stop.
“Shawn, are you ready?”
The man patted her shoulder and gathered the tools at his feet. “Sure am, Boss. Give me a minute and I’ll be there.”
“Great. Mimi, can I speak to you before I go, please?”
Wide eyes turned on him, and he knew with certainty she had been avoiding him all afternoon. He hadn’t just imagined her moving away each time he almost had her alone. He hadn’t imagined her being overly friendly with the crew and following them to avoid standing with him, either. He’d never seen her behave this way; she was usually reserved and kept to herself.
“I see you can schmooze with the best of them.”
She laughed and immediately confessed. “I figured I’d get in their good books, so when you float the idea of the photo shoot, they’ll want to do me a favour.”
“As long as that’s all it was about.”
“Are you jealous, Jasper?” Her direct question startled him.
“Maybe. I didn’t want your dance card full before we had a chance to make our plans.”
“Ahh… the famed five dates. Okay, when do you want the first round to take place?”
“How about tonight?”
“You’re keen, huh?” It was Mimi’s turn to be cocky. She stuck out her hip and lifted her hand to blow on her nails while she waited for a reply.
The nonchalant gesture sent an instant reaction down his spine, and it hit straight between his legs. Watching her tease him sent a flush through him—a sensation he was unfamiliar with. Usually he was the one who controlled the banter, but here she was, taking him on at his own game. A tiny part of him liked it, and he licked his lips at the thought of their upcoming date. When he’d asked her out, he’d thought she was the reserved, sensible girl he remembered from high school. Her antics today proved she was so much more than that. So much more of a challenge.
Reminding himself that he held the power whenever she was close, he pulled her toward him. Her hand dropped, and she looked up in surprise. Confident he was about to take control of their sexy tug-of-war, he moved to whisper in her ear, “I know what you’re doing and it won’t work. We’re doing the five date thing.”
“What do you mean?” she breathed. “What am I doing?”
“You’re tempting me, for one, and I suspect you tried to make me jealous today, laughing and fawning over everyone but me. I’m not immune, you know.”
“I hope not.” She pushed a stray lock of hair off his forehead and wondered how much teasing he’d endure once he joined the men in the truck. “I wasn’t teasing you on purpose—that was just an added benefit. I really was trying to network with the boys. We need the calendar.”
“I know you do, and I said I’d help. That’s not at the top of my agenda right now, though. Can I pick you up tonight? Chris’s café has an awesome menu on Thursday nights I’ve been dying to try.”
“The café on the corner in the junction? I can meet you there, if you’d like.”
“Are you insisting, or do I have a choice?” It was his turn to push her hair out of her eyes as a breeze kicked up. He resisted the urge to smile as she jumped.
“Give me your phone.” He handed it over, and as her fingers moved over the screen, he could have sworn he heard a cheer from the direction of the truck. “There you go. Get me at six thirty—that should give me time to get home and shower.”
“I could come early,” promise glittered in his eyes, “and help you wash your back, or something.”
She leaned forward to brush her lips lightly against his. “Play your cards right and I just might let you do that one day.”
Heat burst through him again, but it was quickly extinguished as she pulled away and let the cold air rush into her place. Before he could say another word, she’d set off across the bitumen toward the tiny office, leaving him standing there with his mouth hanging open.
At that exact moment, Ruben leaned out of the truck and called, “Hey, lover boy, we’ve had enough of the show. Let’s go!”