Brother's Fireman Friend (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 106) Read online

  BROTHER’S FIREMAN FRIEND

  AN OLDER MAN YOUNGER WOMAN ROMANCE

  _______________________

  A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS, 106

  FLORA FERRARI

  CONTENTS

  Copyright

  A Man Who Knows What He Wants Series

  Brother's Fireman Friend

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Epilogue

  Extended Epilogue

  Extended Epilogue

  Series

  Newsletter

  COPYRIGHT

  Copyright © 2019 by Flora Ferrari.

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The following story contains mature themes, strong language and sexual situations. It is intended for mature readers.

  A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS

  Book 1: Baby Lust

  Book 2: Veteran

  Book 3: Built

  Book 4: Bambino

  Book 5: Rescued

  Book 6: Leader

  Book 7: Professor

  Book 8: Burned

  Book 9: Worldly

  Book 10: Pistol

  Book 11: Policed

  Book 12: Driven

  Book 13: Lucky 13

  Book 14: Lumberjacked

  Book 15: Protector

  Book 16: Carpenter

  Book 17: Italian Stallion

  Book 18: Gardener

  Book 19: Budapest Billionaire’s Virgin

  Book 20: Billionaire’s Babysitter

  Book 21: Cocky CFO

  Book 22: Fireman’s Filthy 4th

  Book 23: Mechanic

  Book 24: SEAL’s Secret

  Book 25: Police, Pooch, and Smooch

  Book 26: Fireman’s Fake Fiancée

  Book 27: Billionaire’s Virgin Ballerina

  Book 28: Bitcoin Billionaire’s Babysitter

  Book 29: Veterans Day Daddy

  Book 30: Cowboy’s Christmas Carol

  Book 31: Police Officer’s Princess

  Book 32: Statham

  Book 33: Bodyguard

  Book 34: Greek God

  Book 35: Billionaire Single Dad's Babysitter

  Book 36: Mountain Man

  Book 37: SEAL’s Justice

  Book 38: Royal Romance

  Book 39: Doctor Mountain Man’s Special Delivery

  Book 40: Crocodile Dan D

  Book 41: Mountain Man’s Secret Baby

  Book 42: Doctor Bad Boy’s Secret Baby

  Book 43: Cop’s Babysitter

  Book 44: Nanny for the Cop Next Door

  Book 45: Small Town SEAL’s Saving Grace

  Book 46: Cop’s Fake Fiancée

  Book 47: Billionaire’s Nanny

  Book 48: Cowboy’s Babysitter

  Book 49: Steamy

  Book 50: Brother’s Best Friend

  Book 51: Possessive Professor

  Book 52: Firefighter’s Babysitter

  Book 53: Soldier’s Secret Baby

  Book 54: Ward’s Independence Day

  Book 55: Doctor Next Door

  Book 56: Possessive Policeman

  Book 57: Coached by the MMA Fighter

  Book 58: Boss’s Babysitter

  Book 59: Virgin in New York

  Book 60: Rock Star’s Baby

  Book 61: Possessive Protector

  Book 62: Possessive Australian

  Book 63: Best Friend’s Brother

  Book 64: Possessive Cowboy

  Book 65: Summer Romanced

  Book 66: Possessive Prince

  Book 67: Lovers’s Enemy

  Book 68: Cop’s Best Friend

  Book 69: Possessive Firefighter

  Book 70: Football Next Door

  Book 71: Doctor December

  Book 72: Possessive Canadian

  Book 73: Blue Collar Billionaire

  Book 74: Possessive K-9 Cop

  Book 75: Possessive Brazilian

  Book 76: Hockey Obsession

  Book 77: Possessive Boston Irish American MMA Fighter

  Book 78: Halloween Next Door

  Book 79: Possessive Russian

  Book 80: Baseball Mine

  Book 81: Cop’s Caribbean Captive

  Book 82: Instalove Island

  Book 83: Dad’s Best Friend

  Book 84: Thanksgiving with Dad’s Boss

  Book 85: Possessive Italian Neighbor

  Book 86: Possessive Portuguese

  Book 87: Possessive Christmas Cop

  Book 88: Russian’s Obsession

  Book 89: Possessive Doctor’s Christmas

  Book 90: Possessive Parisian Pilot

  Book 91: U.K. Boxing Day

  Book 92: Jealous Russian Stalker

  Book 93: Italian Mountain Man

  Book 94: Aggressive Russian

  Book 95: Possessive Valentine

  Book 96: Possessive Hunter

  Book 97: Dad’s Russian Mafia Friend

  Book 98: Russian Teacher

  Book 99: Australian Obsession

  Book 100: Russian Next Door

  Book 101: Dad’s Irish Friend

  Book 102: Nanny for the Russian Mafia

  Book 103: Best Friend’s Dad

  Book 104: Basketball Babymaker

  Book 105: Possessive Veterinarian

  Book 106: Brother’s Fireman Friend

  BROTHER’S FIREMAN FRIEND

  My brother’s best friend is one hot fireman, and the hottest older man this younger woman has ever seen.

  It’s the first time I’ve ever felt this way about anyone, but just as things heat up and I’m truly ready to give my first time to him, trouble from my past finds me, and this isn’t the first time either…and if I don’t keep running it won’t be the last.

  With trouble on my tail, and thoughts that my brother is growing more suspicious of what’s really going on between my brother’s best friend and I by the day, is it better to give up hope that true love, and peace, exit for me in this small town?

  Or to my surprise, will my older man firefighter show me that despite his own troubled past, and the many daring rescues he’s made before, this fireman isn’t about to let what we have go up in flames, as he saves his greatest moment of courage just for me, making me his…forever?

  *Brother’s Fireman Friend is an insta-everything standalone instalove romance with an HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger.

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  CHAPTER 1

  Jonah

  “That one,” I say, pointing to a practically generic bottle I’ve seen at CVS that sells for five dollars a fifth.

  The bartender raises an awkward eyebrow as his head twists sideways. “You sure? That one’s like drinking death warmed up.”

  “Just what I’m after.” And exactly how I feel.

  I stare straight ahead into the mirror behind the bar, but my eyes aren’t focusing on what’s going on behind me…they’re glossed over.

  For the last four years of my life this was the worst night of my life and I want it to be over as quickly as possible, but that’s not about to happen considering The Ladder, the name of the place, is packed with well over one hundred current and retired firefighters and at least another fifty that have spilled outside onto the street. Not that the cops are gonna write any public intox tickets tonight. Not when we’re here to celebrate the life of a man who dedicated his life to public service. The only difference is we don’t carry a gun and a badge. We carry hoses, extinguishers, Jaws of Life, and brass balls.

  Tonight is the yearly reminder of the burden I carry and I deserve to feel pain. I want to feel pain. I need to feel pain…just the way former Captain Callahan’s widow now does.

  Every single day for the rest of her life.

  The sound of the shot glass finding the worn out wooden bar top is like a bell and I’m Pavlov’s dog, ready for my punishment.

  I tip back the poison and am immediately reminded of the bartender’s too accurate description.

  “Another.”

  He exhales hard and this time both eyebrows come up as he pivots on his toes and refills the same shot glass, and a second later he’s staring down the same result.

  And I’m still staring at the wall.

  “Again.”

  When your bar is called The Ladder, and runs on the support of men and women in uniform, whether fire, police, military, first responders or other, you don’t often ask questions or question the judgment of your patrons. At least I’ve got that going in my favor tonight.

  He fills the glass but this time I do nothing, much to his relief. He pauses before turning to place the bottle back on the lowest rack and going back about his business of serving other customers.

  I’m a big man but I only drink this one night a year. Despite my size the buzz is already setting in. I should feel more relaxed, but instead I only feel my anger multiply at myself.

  “My kitty’s stuck and I was hoping you could…rescue her.”

  My eyes don’t come into focus even though I’m looking ahead straight into the mirror. I don’t need to. I heard her words and my sight doesn’t have to be perfect to make out a blurry red dress, platinum blond hair that’s been bleached so many times it’s the color of snow, or to smell the scent of vodka, cigarettes, and cheap perfume.

  Not to mention hear her heels, as she takes turns lightly moving her feet up and down as if she’s some sort of female reincarnation of Sammy Davis, Jr.

  A badge bunny. If you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all. They chase policeman mostly, but sometimes they go slumming for a fireman, or vice versa depending on what their fix is. The only fix I need is to fix this situation…permanently.

  I tip back the final shot and shove my hand into my pants, digging for the crumpled up bills I’d hastily pulled from my locker at the station and stuffed inside my pocket as I rushed over right after my forty-eight hour shift ended.

  “Want me to help check your other pocket? Maybe I can find something in there you can use to rescue my…pussy…cat.”

  She leans in, her rock hard oversized breast implants grinding into my shoulder. I can feel her nipples cutting through that cheap rayon dress and my own long sleeve shirt.

  “No,” I say, not feeling the need to elaborate. Everybody in this place knows I’m not interested in that kind of woman, except apparently her. Not to mention I’ve been buried in my job since the moment I started at age twenty-two, which somehow has been an entire decade now.

  I look down and see a crinkled Ulysses S. Grant. I jerk it out of my pocket and slap the fifty down on the bar as I turn and make my way to the door.

  I can’t blame the lady for coming here to meet a man in uniform. All the best predators in the world know you hunt where you’re prey is, whether it’s a small town bar like this or the plains of Africa, depending on where you sit on the predator hierarchy.

  But at a memorial for a fire captain who died in the line of duty four years ago? Get a clue, lady.

  “Hey Jonah,” I hear my best friend, and fellow fireman, Daniel call out, but I don’t turn to acknowledge him.

  I need to get outta here before I down another three straight shots, or more, or anything else that will lead me deeper into the abyss tonight.

  Thank god there’s a cab sitting right out front. I lift the handle and am inside immediately. “Lewis and Main.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  My nose twitches suddenly and it’s not from the alcohol. I thought alcohol dulls the senses. Then why are mine on such high alert?

  My head jerks to the right as the cab pulls from the curb. With the window completely down, minus that child safety part, my nose immediately picks up that sweet smell yet again. But this time it’s even more potent.

  Through the swarm of bodies outside my eyes focus in on one woman. One tiny woman in a flannel shirt standing by the entrance of the bar taking a picture of…the help wanted sign?

  “Hey!” I call out as she levels up her phone to take the picture, her body suddenly freezing. “Yeah you!”

  She doesn’t move.

  “Stop the cab!”

  “I’m sorry, buddy, we can’t. We’re already in traffic and about to merge onto the highway.”

  My body swings around as I stick my head out the window watching her as we pick up speed, the distance between us increasing rapidly and becoming immediately unbearable.

  “Sir, you need to put on your seat belt.”

  I growl, my nostrils flaring, as I don’t even turn to acknowledge him.

  “I can turn around if you want, but the next turn off is not for a couple miles though, but I’m guessing you know that already seeing that you got picked up from this bar. You uniformed people know the streets better than I do.”

  But what I don’t know is her name.

  I just keep staring until she’s nothing more than a dot, and then she’s gone.

  “Sir? Did you want me to turn around up here? It’s just one more mile.”

  Was I staring at her for an entire mile? How is that even possible at night. Sure there are street lights out front of the bar, but they’re not that strong, although I swear my eyes stayed latched onto the reds hues in her shirt and her faded denim blue jeans this entire distance.

  “Nah,” I say, slowly swinging back around and sitting down in my seat. “Just take me home.”

  Here I was thinking all these thoughts about some badge bunny at the bar and low and behold not ten seconds after I walk out the same bar I catch a whiff of the sweetest scent ever.

  And it wasn’t just her scent. It was her innocence. The way she held that camera in a bit of a clumsy attempt to take that picture. The way she was dressed so simply, yet so perfect. She’s the exact contrast to everything that woman inside the bar was.

  She’s perfect…and I didn’t even see her face.

  Just my luck. I never meet women and when I do I have no interest.

  Now, on what is annually the worst night of the year I don’t meet her and I’m more interested in doing just that than I ever have before in my life.

  Just chalk it up to another reason I hate this night. I can’t win.

  Who am I fooling?

  I’m a fireman. My job is my wife. I told myself I’d never get involved with a woman as long as I wore the uniform. It’s too hard not only for me, but for them. Seein
g Captain Callahan’s wife tonight was a prime example of that.

  No woman deserves that and I don’t deserve that woman I partially took in for just a fleeting moment in time.

  Not now. Not ever.

  I’m more angsty than an Anton Chekhov short story right now. And the further we get from her the more certain I won’t be reading a book before bed like I usually do.

  That woman has filled me with energy, sobered me up even.

  But I can’t go back. I need to remind myself I’m married to my job.

  It would never work. And it’s not fair to her or anyone else, not that there ever was even the slightest thought of anyone else.

  Ten minutes later I walk through my door, knowing exactly what needs to be done.

  CHAPTER 2

  Daphne

  As he pulled away, I watched his reflection in the glass case that held the help wanted sign.

  He wasn’t like other men. That much was clear. He was big, very big, and strong, yet there was something in those eyes of his that felt like a part of him was broken. I know, because I’m the same.