Read Stoking the Embers (New Adult Romantic Suspense): The Complete Series for Free Online Page A

into her, pounding into her body. I imagine her wrists tied to my bedposts, ankles crossed behind my back.
    Shit… down boy.
    “Hi Stephanie, you look great.” I stand, not only to greet her, but to rearrange my growing cock. I’m glad I wore a shirt that hangs on the outside.
    “Thank you.” She blushes and looks at the floor. “No need to stand, this isn’t the 1950’s anymore.” She still hasn’t looked directly at me. What is this girl’s game?
    “I know, but my mother raised me to respect women. Some habits die hard.”
    When she sits down, I can’t help but notice her nipples through the material of the cloth. Like all Vegas spots, it’s cold in here and her body is responding. She crosses her arms, her hands warming her upper arms that have broken out in goose bumps.
    My summer beer arrives just as Stephanie sits down. It isn’t a bad beer, not quite as strong as I would like normally, but quite refreshing nonetheless.
    “Heya Steph. Want your usual?” her co-worker asks.
    “Not sure, I think I want something new.” She points at my beer. “What’s that?”
    As the hostess gives her the 411 on the beer and other selections available tonight, I watch her interact, the way she hides her smile behind her hand, the way she pushes a strand of hair behind an ear. How she bites her lip in indecision.
    “Do you mind if I try a little of yours?” she asks me, and I peel my eyes away from her mouth. Damn, for the life of me I can’t tell if she’s shy or flirtatious. The way her eyes lift to mine, then flicker away. Does she do it on purpose?
    “That’s cool. You don’t have any cooties do you?” She laughs at my pathetic attempt at humor and it’s a beautiful, musical one-note of sound. I push my glass toward her, just enough to make her lean forward. Yes, her breasts flatten against the tabletop, cleavage pushing up. Mmm. I’m already addicted to her tits.
    “This is great. Get me one of these, Robin. It’s perfect for a hot night.” Did she emphasize ‘hot’ or is it my imagination?
    Robin steps away to fill our order and silence settles between us like a wall. Why is it always the same? This first-date awkwardness? I can tell she’s feeling it too and doesn’t know how to break it.
    Thank God her beer arrives; I’m ready for a second. Maybe this would loosen us both up a bit.
    “Tell me about nursing…”
    “Tell me about being a fire ...”
    Our questions collide. We laugh and I give her the ‘you go’ signal to finish.
    Still smiling, she goes on, “You got me thinking about being a paramedic, but I want to know the reality of it all. It can’t be all glamour. Is it like being a cop? Hours of boredom interspersed with minutes of sheer panic?”
    The beer is taking effect and I’m finally starting to get my groove back. “No, it’s more like minutes of boredom followed by hours of panic. The cops usually get to stand around, controlling the environment after we show up, but not us.”
    Looking up to the ceiling for the right words, I glance back down to see Stephanie in deep contemplation.
    “It’s just that the accident really shook me up.” She rubs her arms again, hugging herself against the cold air. “I don’t really know if I can handle all the death and destruction every day. I have to admit though, the adrenaline rush was addicting.”
    “Stephanie.”
    “Please, call me Steph.”
    “Okay, Steph, the adrenaline, the way you felt it, goes away after a short time. Sure, you get excited, but very few things can make me feel like that first call. Training and experience kick in; along with your survival instinct. After a while, the adrenaline becomes fuel.”
    Her extraordinary eyes meet mine, lingering this time and her eyebrows come together in a silent question. “Seriously. It’s not like you become immune to the horror, you just start looking past it, focusing on what you can do instead of what you can’t.”
    She bit her lip again. “That happened to me.