Boston Fire: Heat Exchange Part 1

Heat Exchange.

By Shannon Stacey.

Lydia Kincaid's s.h.i.+pping back to Boston, but she's not happy about it. She left to get away from the firefighting community-her father was a firefighter, her brother's a firefighter and, more importantly, her ex is a firefighter. But family is number one and her father needs her help running the pub he bought when he retired. Soon, Lydia finds it hard to resist the familiar comfort and routine, and even harder to resist her brother's handsome friend Aidan.

Aidan Hunt is a firefighter because of the Kincaid family. He's had the hots for Lydia for years, but if ever a woman was off-limits to him it's her. Aside from being his mentor's daughter, she's his best friend's sister. The ex-wife of a fellow firefighter. But his plan to play it cool until she leaves town again fails, and soon he and Lydia have crossed a line they can't un-cross.

As Aidan and Lydia's flirtation turns into something more serious, Lydia knows she should be planning her escape. Being a firefighter's wife was the hardest thing she's ever done and she doesn't know if she has the strength to do it again. Aidan can't imagine walking away from Boston Fire-even for Lydia. The job and the brotherhood are his life; but if he wants Lydia in it, he'll have to decide who's first in his heart.

Book one of Boston Fire.

73,910 words.

Dear Reader, I don't know about you, but I need more hours in my day just so I can get more books read. No matter how much I read, I always feel like the next great book is right around the corner waiting for me, and that there just aren't enough hours in the day to get to everything I want to read. I love my job, but sometimes I wish I'd win the lottery so I could just spend my days reading.

This month's Carina Press releases will have you wis.h.i.+ng you could just spend days reading, because it's an incredible lineup of books from Marie Force, Shannon Stacey, Lisa Marie Rice and so many other talented authors. You won't want to take a pa.s.s on any of them!

Sam and Nick are back in Marie Force's romantic suspense Fatal Frenzy. With Inauguration Day fast approaching, Sam's loyalties are divided between a heartbreaking case at work and her need to support Nick as he takes the oath of office as vice president. You won't be able to turn the pages fast enough to find out what happens next! Don't forget, the first seven books in the Fatal series are now available in print, starting with Fatal Affair!

Shannon Stacey launches a brand-new trilogy this month, and it's available in print, digital and audio. What do you get when you mix the s.e.xiness of Boston firefighters with Shannon's trademark humor and romance? In Heat Exchange, the first book in this hot new contemporary romance trilogy, meet Aidan Hunt, one of the men of Boston Fire, and the woman he just can't stay away from, bro code or no, Lydia Kincaid. Look for Controlled Burn, Rick's story, in December 2015.

Love the Men of Midnight series by Lisa Marie Rice? Never picked one up before? Don't miss this s.e.xy, s.e.xy installment of her cracktastic romantic suspense series. The boy Summer Redding loved and thought dead is back-now he's a hardened warrior, a man out for revenge, and he'll fight to the death to protect what is his, and that includes her. Midnight Fire can easily stand alone, but you'll want to pick up the other books in this series as soon as you turn the last page.

In another cracktastic read, Caitlin Dufresne swears she doesn't regret any of the sacrifices she's made in her ruthless quest to be the best lawyer at her elite Chicago firm, but a one-night stand with the s.e.xy, stubborn IT guy makes her realize she may have been missing out on more than she knew... In Her Defense by Julianna Keyes is a s.e.xy contemporary romance that will hit all the right b.u.t.tons.

Also in the s.e.xy contemporary romance category this month is author Jill Sorenson with Shooting Dirty. Seasoned stripper Janelle Parker gets tied up in a dangerously s.e.xy affair with Ace Clemmons, the tattooed criminal who shot her ex. Now she has to deal with both him and his motorcycle club.

A.M. Arthur's popular Restoration Series wraps up with another great male/male romance, Taking a Chance. The last thing Ell wants is a broken heart, but that doesn't stop him l.u.s.ting after the s.e.xy carpenter working on his kitchen. Auggie can't stay away from Ell, but intense attraction may not be enough to overcome a secret from their shared past.

If you read Caitlyn McFarland's debut dragons.h.i.+fter romance, Soul of Smoke, you'll be anxious to get your hands on Shadow of Flame, the second book in her Dragonsworn series. To end a war that has raged for a thousand years, Kai Monahan and Rhys ap Ayen, her shapes.h.i.+fting dragon mate, must navigate a labyrinthine network of spies, prejudice and divided loyalties-but if they can't stop denying how much they need each other first, they'll lose everything to an enemy they never saw coming.

Maybe mystery is what you're craving this month? In Cover Story, another intriguing mystery by Brenda Buchanan, Maine newspaper reporter Joe Gale's vigorous coverage of a murder trial involving a member of a high-profile political family leads to a relentless campaign of intimidation by a shadowy force determined to keep the truth buried.

Also this month, Dee Carney starts a new paranormal romance series, Fire Creek s.h.i.+fters. All s.h.i.+fters live with their beasts, but in Taming Her Wolf Chris "Brick" Preston's is dangerously close to the surface. And it wants Kim Sharpe. s.e.x keeps the beast sated for now, but unless Kim can help him find a more permanent solution, Brick risks becoming a feral, doomed to be banished-or put down-by his pack.

With all of these to choose from, you might want to call in sick to work one day. (I'll write you an editor's note. I'm sure your boss will accept that, right?) Until next month, here's wis.h.i.+ng you a wonderful month of books you love, remember and recommend.

Happy reading!.

~Angela James.

Executive Editor, Carina Press.

Author Note.

It was announced toward the end of 2014 that the Boston Fire Department would be doing a yearlong test run of the 24-hour s.h.i.+fts worked by many of the larger fire departments in the country, rather than morning and night tours. This announcement came too late in the writing of Heat Exchange to reflect that change. The processes and organizational structures of large city fire departments are incredibly complex, and I took minor creative liberties in order to maintain readability.

To first responders everywhere, thank you.

Dedication.

For Angela James and everybody who's been a part of the Carina Press team. We've had quite an adventure over the past five years, and I'm thrilled to be continuing this journey with you.

Chapter One.

LYDIA KINCAID COULD pull a pint of Guinness so perfect her Irish ancestors would weep tears of appreciation, but fine dining? Forget about it.

"The customer is disappointed in the sear on these scallops," she told the sous-chef, setting the plate down.

"In what way?"

"h.e.l.l if I know. They look like all the other scallops." Lydia had a hairpin sticking into her scalp, and it took every bit of her willpower not to poke at it. Her dark hair was too long, thick and wavy to be confined into a chic little bun, but it was part of the dress code. And going home with a headache every night was just part of the job. "Ten bucks says if I wait three minutes, then pop that same plate in the microwave for fifteen seconds and take it out to her, she'll gush over how the sear is so perfect now."

"If I see you microwaving scallops, I'll make sure the only food you ever get to touch in this city again is fast food."

Lydia rolled her eyes, having heard that threat many times before, and accepted a fresh plate of scallops from the line cook. The sous-chef just sniffed loudly and dumped the unacceptable batch in the garbage, plate and all. She was pretty sure the guy spent all his off time watching reality television chefs throw tantrums.

Three hours later, Lydia was in her car and letting her hair down. She dropped the bobby pins and elastic bands into her cup holder to fish out before her next s.h.i.+ft and then used both hands to shake her hair out and ma.s.sage her scalp.

She hated her job. Maybe some of it stemmed from the disparity between the cold formality of this restaurant and the warm and loud world she'd come from, but she also flat-out wasn't very good at it. The foods perplexed her and, according to the kitchen manager, her tableside manner lacked polish. Two years hadn't yet managed to put a s.h.i.+ne on her. The tips were usually good, though, and living in Concord, New Hamps.h.i.+re, cost less than living in Boston, but it still wasn't cheap.

She'd just put her car in gear when she heard the siren in the distance. With her foot still on the brake, she watched as the fire engine came into view-red lights flas.h.i.+ng through the dark night-and sped past.

With a sigh, she s.h.i.+fted her foot to the gas pedal. She didn't need to hold her breath anymore. Didn't need to find the closest scanner. n.o.body she loved was on that truck so, while she said a quick prayer for their safety, they were faceless strangers and life wasn't temporarily suspended.

And that was why she'd keep trying to please people who wouldn't know a good scallop sear if it bit them on the a.s.s and taking s.h.i.+t from the sous-chef. That job financed her new life here in New Hamps.h.i.+re, including a decent apartment she shared with a roommate, and it was a nice enough life that she wasn't tempted to go home.

Her life wasn't perfect. It had certainly been lacking in s.e.x and friends.h.i.+p lately, but she wasn't going backward just because the road was longer or harder than she'd thought. She wanted something different and she was going to keep working toward it.

Thanks to the miracle of an apartment building with an off-street parking lot, Lydia had a dedicated parking spot waiting for her. It was another reason she put up with customers who nitpicked their entrees just because they were paying so much for them.

Her roommate worked at a sports bar and wouldn't be home for another couple of hours, so Lydia took a quick shower and put on her sweats. She'd just curled up on the sofa with the remote and a couple of the cookies her blessed-with-a-great-metabolism roommate had freshly baked when her cell phone rang.

She knew before looking at the caller ID it would be her sister. Not many people called her, and none late at night. "Hey, Ashley. What's up?"

"My marriage is over."

Lydia couldn't wrap her mind around the words at first. Had something happened to Danny? But she hadn't said that. She said it was over. "What do you mean it's over?"

"I told him I wasn't sure I wanted to be married to him anymore and that I needed some s.p.a.ce. He didn't even say anything. He just packed up a couple of bags and left."

"Oh my G.o.d, Ashley." Lydia sank onto the edge of her bed, stunned. "Where did this even come from?"

"I've been unhappy for a while. I just didn't tell anybody." Her sister sighed, the sound hollow and discouraged over the phone. "Like a moron, I thought I could talk to him about it. Instead, he left."

"Why have you been unhappy? Dammit, Ashley, what is going on? Did he cheat? I swear to G.o.d if he stepped out-"

"No. He didn't cheat. And it's too much for me talk about now."

"If you had been talking to me all along, it wouldn't be too much now. You can't call me and tell me your marriage is over and then tell me you don't want to talk about it."

"I know, but it's...it's too much. I called to talk to you about the bar."

Uh-oh. Alarm bells went off in Lydia's mind, but there was no way she could extricate herself from the conversation without being a s.h.i.+tty sister.

"I need you to come back and help Dad," Ashley said, and Lydia dropped her head back against the sofa cus.h.i.+on, stifling a groan. "I need some time off."

"I have a job, Ashley. And an apartment."

"You've told me a bunch of times that you hate your job."

She couldn't deny that since a conversation rarely pa.s.sed between them without mention of that fact.

"And it's waiting tables," Ashley continued. "It's not like I'm asking you to take a hiatus from some fancy career path."

That was b.i.t.c.hy, even for Ashley, but Lydia decided to give her a pa.s.s. She didn't know what had gone wrong in their marriage, but she did know Ashley loved Danny Walsh with every fiber of her being, so she had to be a wreck.

"I can't leave Sh.e.l.ly high and dry," Lydia said in a calm, reasonable tone. "This is a great apartment and I'm lucky to have it. It has off-street parking and my s.p.a.ce has my apartment number in it. It's literally only mine."

"I can't be at the bar, Lydia. You know how it is there. Everybody's got a comment or some advice to give, and I have to hear every five minutes what a great guy Danny is and why can't I just give him another chance?"

Danny really was a great guy, but she could understand her sister not wanting to be reminded of it constantly while they were in the process of separating. But going back to Boston and working at Kincaid's was a step in the wrong direction for Lydia.

"I don't know, Ash."

"Please. You don't know-" To Lydia's dismay, her sister's voice was choked off by a sob. "I can't do it, Lydia. I really, really need you."

s.h.i.+t. "I'll be home tomorrow."

"WE GOT SMOKE showing on three and at least one possible on the floor," Rick Gullotti said. "Meet you at the top, boys."

Aidan Hunt threw a mock salute in the direction of the ladder company's lieutenant and tossed the ax to Grant Cutter before grabbing the Halligan tool for himself. With a fork at one end and a hook and adze head on the other end, it was essentially a long crowbar on steroids and they never went anywhere without it. After confirmation Scotty Kincaid had the line, and a thumbs-up from Danny Walsh at the truck, he and the other guys from Engine 59 headed for the front door of the three-decker.

Some bunch of geniuses, generations before, had decided the best way to house a s.h.i.+tload of people in a small amount of s.p.a.ce was to build three-story houses-each floor a separate unit-and cram them close together. It was great if you needed a place to live and didn't mind living in a goldfish bowl. It was less great if it was your job to make sure an out-of-control kitchen fire didn't burn down the entire block.

They made their way up the stairs, not finding trouble until they reached the top floor. The door to the apartment stood open, with smoke pouring out. Aidan listened to the crackle of the radio over the sound of his own breathing in the mask. The guys from Ladder 37 had gained access by way of the window and had a woman descending, but her kid was still inside.

"s.h.i.+t." Aidan confirmed Walsh knew they were going into the apartment and was standing by to charge the line if they needed water, and then looked for nods from Kincaid and Cutter.

He went in, making his way through the smoke. It was bad enough so the child would be coughing-hopefully-but there was chaos in the front of the apartment as another company that had shown up tried to knock down the flames from the front.

Making his way to the kid's bedroom, he signaled for Cutter to look under the bed while he went to the closet. If the kid was scared and hiding from them, odds were he or she was in one of those two spots.

"Bingo," he heard Cutter say into his ear.

The updates were growing more urgent and he heard Kincaid call for water, which meant the fire was heading their way. "No time to be nice. Grab the kid and let's go."

It was a little girl and she screamed as Cutter pulled her out from under the bed. She was fighting him and, because his hold was awkward, once she was free of the bed, Cutter almost lost her. Aidan swore under his breath. If she bolted, they could all be in trouble.

He leaned the Halligan against the wall and picked up the little girl. By holding her slightly slanted, he was able to hold her arms and legs still without running the risk of smacking her head on the way down.

"Grab the Halligan and let's go."

"More guys are coming up," Walsh radioed in. "Get out of there now."

The smoke was dense now and the little girl was doing more coughing and gasping than crying. "My dog!"

Aidan went past Kincaid, slapping him on the shoulder. Once Cutter went by, Kincaid could retreat-they all stayed together-and let another company deal with the flames.

"I see her dog," Aidan heard Cutter say, and he turned just in time to see the guy disappear back into the bedroom.

"Jesus Christ," Scotty yelled. "Cutter, get your a.s.s down those stairs. Hunt, just go."

He didn't want to leave them, and he wouldn't have except the fight was going out of the child in his arms. Holding her tight, he started back down the stairs they'd come up. At the second floor he met another company coming up, but he kept going.

Once he cleared the building, he headed for the ambulance and pa.s.sed the girl over to the waiting medics. It was less than two minutes before Cutter and Kincaid emerged from the building, but it felt like forever.

They yanked their masks off as Cutter walked over to the little girl and-after getting a nod from EMS-put an obviously terrified little dog on the girl's lap. They all smiled as the girl wrapped her arms around her pet and then her mom put her arms around both. Aidan put his hand on Cutter's shoulder and the news cameras got their tired, happy smiles for the evening news.

Once they were back on the other side of the engine and out of view of the cameras, Kincaid grabbed the front of Cutter's coat and shoved him against the truck. "You want to save puppies, that's great. If there's time. Once you're told to get the f.u.c.k out, you don't go back for pets. And if you ever risk my life again, or any other guy's, for a G.o.dd.a.m.n dog, I'll make sure you can't even get a job emptying the garbage at Waste Reduction."

Once Cutter nodded, Kincaid released him and they looked to Danny for a status update. They had it pretty well knocked down and, though the third floor was a loss and the lower floors wouldn't be pretty, the people who lived in the neighboring houses weren't going to have a bad day.

Two hours later, Aidan sat on the bench in the shower room and tied his shoes. Danny was stowing his shower stuff, a towel wrapped around his waist. He'd been quiet since they got back, other than having a talk with Cutter, since he was the officer of the bunch. But he was always quiet, so it was hard to tell what was going on with him.

"Got any plans tonight?" Aidan finally asked, just to break the silence.

"Nope. Probably see if there's a game on."