Live Wire: A Steamy Friends to Lovers Firefighter Romance

Lieutenant Matt Soto likes his life the way it is. After risking his life fighting fires every day, he reaps the rewards of his heroics with a new woman every night. He’s never denied himself the pleasure of any woman.

Except one – his friend Izzy Reyes.

But tonight, she's dressed like sin and whispers the words that may burn his world down.

"Please, give me a lesson in what I've been missing. Take me home tonight. . ."

Izzy’s next words brought Matt back to reality. Her skimpy outfit wasn’t for his eyes. It was a mathematical equation designed by the police department to attract horndogs to get arrested by the vice squad.

“Unfortunately, despite my very helpful push-up bra, my ratio of lining up leads has been pretty low. I’m not doing a good job getting invited out for the evening. I must be doing something wrong.”

“Well, I’ve never paid for my passion, but give me your sultriest ‘come-hither’ smolder,” Matt suggested to his friend, the only woman he’d kept his hands off.

She pursed her lips and gave him a grin that made the cranky Leslie McClunis seem cuddly. “How’s this?”

“Your sexy face is ‘I swallowed a lemon, and it’s pressing on my aorta.’”

“That’s anatomically impossible.”

“It must be if this is the best you’ve got.”

Izzy dropped it, rolling her eyes. “I’m hopeless at this. I don’t smolder. In fact, according to the ex-husband, I was a frigid bitch in bed.”

“Spoken like a man with no fucking clue how to please a woman. Here, try not to force it.” He set his cigarette down and leaned into her. “Imagine a man’s hands on you, touching you, savoring you.”

“I don’t think I can.”

He gently caressed her elbow up to her collarbone. His fingertips felt her heart race and her body soften. “Relax. Think about needing, wanting, enjoying.”

No doubt about it. He was crossing their line, here and now.

It didn’t count. It was for the good of the city. For science.

She closed her eyes at the touch of his hand and slowed her breathing. Under his careful ministrations, her lips lost their tense appearance, allowing them to plump and flush.

Those lips needed his mouth this second. Then her body needed to be stripped naked, pleasured, and . . .

Matt paused because the urge to kiss her was near overwhelming. Kissing her was out of the question. She hadn’t come into the bar for this, and he wasn’t going to lose a friendship over this temporary temptation.

Horny as he might be, he could grab a nurse to use for the night.

So he did the right thing and withdrew. “Much better. Go to that part of your brain and those Johns’ll get the right idea.”

Izzy opened her eyes and fixed them on his face. “If only someone else would get the right idea.”

“What?” He grabbed his beer and took a swig, trying not to choke. Here he’d been trying to behave himself, and she had a very different agenda.

“Yes, you, dummy.” She scooted closer to him, keeping her needy expression. “Can you stop thinking about your firehouse’s problems and which nurse you want to bang and focus on me?”

“Fuck.” His mind was spinning like she’d flipped his firetruck over. “Izzy, I’m flattered and all, but I can’t. You aren’t my type.”

“Why not? I’ve seen who you’ve dated. You don’t have a type unless your requirement is single, legal, and female,” Izzy pointed out.

“You weren’t single.”

“We were separated for three years, and I’ve been divorced for two.”

“You had family stuff. Your cousin’s funeral and then your aunt’s.” Her cousin Benicio had gotten mixed up in the Ñetas gang a few years back, and his grandmother—Izzy’s aunt—and family matriarch, had gone to her grave in grief over him last month.

“As we say on the force, shit happens. And it’s been so long since I’ve had a good orgasm, I’m not sure the parts work anymore.”

“I’m sure they work.” Matt was wavering now. He didn’t have female friends for exactly this reason; he kept sleeping with them. Izzy was the only one because he’d always kept her in the ‘unavailable’ category. Married, just divorced, or mourning was something he wouldn’t touch.

Liar. His traitorous mind whispered. He liked Izzy too much. A man who had her couldn’t simply walk away after a single night.

If he had her, he’d either keep her or lose her forever.

“I need is a lesson. Want to teach me?” She grinned like this is the sort of thing she suggested every day.

“Izzy. We’re friends. Friends don’t ask friends for bedroom lessons.”

She tilted her body, drawing attention to her off-limits curves of hers. “Maybe they should. You’re a firefighter. Think of it as your civic duty to help the police.”

“I can’t. . .” he forced the words out even though he’d consider the same thing moments earlier.

Sensing his indecision, she pressed her case. “You’re making excuses. If you do what I believe you can, I’ll have no problema faking desire, guapo.”

She couldn’t know it, but she was actually more attractive now that she was getting worked up. Her color was brighter and her accent came out between her Spanglish.

“Why today?” he had to ask. They could have gone down this road long ago, but never had. After her cousin’s funeral, she’d been wrecked, and that was when he’d decided to be the good guy for once.

“Because I’m tired of waiting. I’m tired of waiting for you to see me. I’m a rookie here. Teach me,” she panted into his ear.

He folded. Sometimes a man can’t say ‘no’ to temptation.
“I’ll teach you more than you can imagine.” He pressed his forehead into hers and sealed his fate. He hoped she was ready for what she unleashed because he wasn’t ready, either. “We’re leaving.”

“We are?”

“Si, quierida.” He kissed the side of her wrist, nipping at her pulse.

She stumbled to her feet. “Where are we going?”

“Your place. Just like I do with everyone else.”

She caught her breath and pulled her hand back. Her lips were flushed as if she finally comprehended the signals her own body sent her.

His groin went from half-hard to throbbing at the very idea of teaching her tonight. Carnal need was something he was familiar with, but this added a whole new dimension.

“Mateo . . . Matt. I don’t. . .” She sounded surprised like she’d never imagine he’d agree.

He forced himself to remember this was not his usual hookup. “Isadora, I’ll follow your lead. Nothing has to happen. We can stay friends.”

“Or maybe do this once. For the night,” she suggested tremulously.

He gritted his teeth. Of course, she expected it to be only tonight. His reputation proceeded him. She had no idea he never left with anyone he actually cared about.

“Sure. One night of lessons.” She could believe this was what friends did together. He was a guy who naturally imagined every woman he met naked, and what guy wouldn’t say ‘yes’ to her offer?

He watched her find some bravado, reclaiming the confidence she’d had before they’d entered this new game.

“My place sounds good. My kitchen is very nice. It was just remodeled with my alimony money.”

Matt allowed his eyes to take a long look down the length of her body, communicating his full interest and giving her one last chance to back away. “I’d love to see your . . . kitchen.”

“My place it is,” she decided after a long pause.

They closed their tab and caught a taxi outside the bar. The ride to her place on the West Side was quiet.
He took those moments to examine her lovely body with fresh eyes and open admiration. If they were only going to have one night together, he’d make it one she never forgot.

She noticed and shivered.

To calm her, he set his hand on her arm and walked his fingers down the inside of her wrist. The large calluses on his left hand carefully caressed the smaller ones on her right hand. Hers were probably from her cuffs and night stick. His were from gloves and hoses, drilling every day.

“Don’t worry. I won’t jump you in the backseat, even if you ask.” He kissed her cheek.

She draped her body on his and gave a throaty chuckle, sounding more like her usual self. “I’d have to arrest you.”

He fiddled with the strap of her tank top. “Oh, you might have to after what I’m going to do to you. Nothing but sin . . .”