Burning for Trouble

Kaye:

That's beautiful.

Tori:

It's simple, but I love it. I like that it's light and super comfortable.

Mack:

Not to mention sexy. That slit with your long legs and that neckline.

He hums in appreciation.

Kaye:

You've seen it?

Tori:

I ordered it online. Bryce helped me pick it out, but he hasn't seen me wearing it.

Mack:

But I've imagined it.

Tori swats his arm.

Kaye:

Well, I think it's perfect for you, Tori.

Tori:

Thanks.

Kaye:

I hate to bring down the mood, but I just want to say that I'm sorry to hear about your Nana.

Mack puts his arm around Tori's shoulders.

Tori:

She sighs. It was tough, but this past year has been really difficult. Nana never regained speech after her stroke and she spent all of her time in bed. Truthfully, her quality of life had deteriorated and Nana wouldn't have wanted to live like that. As much as I miss her and as horrible as it knowing she's no longer with us, she's in a better place now.

Mack:

We got to be with her when she passed, so we were able to say goodbye, and she wasn't alone.

Kaye:

I know I speak for everyone when I say your nana was lucky to have you. You, too, Mack. It was beautiful watching your relationships with her throughout the book. But let's bring the mood back up a little bit. Last our readers heard, Tori, you'd just become a lieutenant at Ladder 64 with a few of the heroes from other books, Dylan Hogan, Jace Palmer, and Keith Hart. Tell us, how have your first few months been? 

Tori:

Fantastic, actually. I love the crew and I'm enjoying being an officer even more than I'd thought I would.

Mack:

And she's damn good at it, but that hasn't surprised me.

Kaye:

Do the two of you cross paths at work often?

Tori:

We try to work our schedules so we're on the same shifts as much as possible. Our companies go on runs together a few times a week.

Kaye:

Have you gotten any push back from other firefighters or superior officers now that you're engaged?

Mack:

No. We've been good about keeping our work and personal relationships separate.

Tori:

There was that one time, Bryce.

He groans.

Kaye:

Do tell.

Tori:

We responded to a fire in a restaurant that had all sorts of fire code violations, including blocking the fire exits. I was trying to get some of the employees out of the kitchen, but the back door was obstructed, so we ended up trapped.

Mack removes his arm from around Tori and squirms in his seat.

Kaye:

That's awful.

Tori:

When I relayed the message over our radios, Bryce, well, he lost it.

Mack:

I didn't lose it.

Tori:

What would you call it, then?

Mack:

I was...concerned.

Tori:

You shoved the Rapid Intervention Team out of the way and tried to steal the nozzle from your engine guy.

Mack: 

He runs his hand over his jaw.

You were trapped.

Tori:

Laughs. Which obviously means you should ignore protocol and not let other people do their jobs, right?

Mack:

I got you out, didn't I?

Tori:

Sighs. Yes, dear, you did.

Mack:

Then that's all I need to remember about that incident.

Tori:

She looks at me.

It's a losing battle. I'm marrying a man who might just be as stubborn as I am. This should get interesting.

Mack:

He pulls her against him.

Our life together will never be dull.

Tori:

Amen to that.

Kaye:

Other than saving Tori, Mack how have things been for you since your reinstatement to lieutenant?

Mack:

It's good to be back, I'll tell you that much. I'm studying to take the captain's test next year, so I'm trying to stay off the Chiefs' radar for any negative reasons.

Kaye:

That's exciting news.

Mack:

I've got to pass first, but I'm hopeful. Should be interesting since Kyle is planning to test, too, so our house might lose two lieutenants at the same time.

Kaye:

Well, from what I know, the two of you would make great captains.

Tori:

Don't stroke his ego too much. Please.

Mack tickles her side and she squeals.

Kaye:

All right, I have another question. Prior to your engagement, Mack you owned your house in Queens, and Tori, you owned a place in New Jersey. Is that still the case, or have you moved in together?

Mack:

Both, actually.

Tori:

After we got engaged, Mack unofficially moved in with me. AKA he slept over nearly every night.

Mack:

Since her place was closest to Nana, that made sense. But now, we're going to sell the condo in Jersey, and move into my place until we figure out where we really want to be.

Tori:

There's nothing for me in Jersey anymore, and I like being in Queens. It's closer to our friends--we hang out with Declan, Gwen, Jesse, Lana, Hunter, Ryan, Zoe, and Lauren quite a bit. Plus, it's closer to Bryce's family, which is nice, and also to our boat.

Kaye:

Makes sense. Speaking of your friends, Hunter's book is next.

Mack:

Yup, he's the only single guy left in our crew.

Kaye:

Any predictions?

Mack:

No idea. But, he's a stand up guy. Any woman would be lucky to end up with Hunt.

Kaye:

On that note, thank you both again and I wish you the best of luck on your wedding day and in your marriage.

Tori:

Appreciate it.

Mack:

Kisses the top of Tori's head.

No luck needed. We were made for each other.

Hunter and Lauren's story, Flirting with Forever will be available on Amazon on August 17, 2021. While this kicks off a new series, you will see some appearances made by some of your favorite characters from the Burning for the Bravest Series. There are at least two more stories planned for the Burning Series, so be sure to check my newsletter for those announcements. Happy reading!

Thank you for reading Burning for Trouble! If you loved Mack and Tori's story, please take a minute to write a review on Amazon and/or GoodReads. I rely on your reviews to help me continue to bring you stories that you'll love and other readers rely on them to discover new books, so your opinion truly makes a difference! Reviews increase the visibility of my books, which means the more I have, the less time I have to spend on marketing and the more time I have to write and bring you the next book!

Bonuses

This is the playlist I listened to while I wrote the Oktoberfest scene:

German Electro House Mix

This is where I got the idea for Mack's Proposal:

Flirting with the Finest follows the officers on the Special Investigations Task Force as they fight crime and fall in love.

Flirting with Forever

Hunter

When I'd met Lauren at a wedding, where she'd caught the bouquet and I'd caught the garter, there'd been definite sparks. Except, abstaining from dating was a part of her addiction recovery, so I'd moved on. t was probably for the best anyway because, as a detective on the Special Investigations Task Force, having a relationship was...difficult, to say the least.

But, as luck would have it, when I’d gone undercover to investigate the Sokolov crime family, Lauren had spotted me, and in an effort to keep my cover from being blown, I’d blurted out that she was my girlfriend.

Huge.

Epic.

Mistake.

Now, she’s been sucked into my investigation, and I’ve fallen for her. Forbidden or not, I’m determined to be with the woman who's insisting our fake relationship stays, well, fake.

I have to convince Lauren that we’re worth taking a chance on because we just might have a forever kind of love. But first, I have to keep her safe from the Russian mafia. No big deal, right? 



Wish me luck.

Get ready for Brix and Georgia! You'll recognize Corey "Brix" Brixton from Burning for Trouble. He's in Ladder 171 with Mack and Tori, before her promotion.

Burning for Secrets

Secrets have the power to bring people together or break them apart. Sometimes, they do both.

Georgia

Teenage me had spent countless hours fantasizing about marrying my older brother’s best friend. But not a single one of those fantasies had involved marrying my childhood crush simply to avoid sending my Greek Orthodox parents into an early grave because I'd accidentally gotten pregnant by my ex.

Yet, here we are. I'm about to be a mom, and the man I'm playing house with has no idea that the thirteen-year-old girl inside me is kinda in love with him. Oh, who am I kidding, I’m still totally in love with him. This has disaster written all over it… 

Brix

My best friend and I had been born days apart, had gone to school together, played sports together, and we’d even become FDNY firefighters together. He's the closest thing I've got to a brother. So, when his little sister returned to the city after veterinary school, pregnant and terrified of being on her own, I'd stepped up and married her. 

It isn’t a real marriage–well, I mean, legally, it is, but it’s not like we’re actually in a relationship. Except that as I spend more time with my "wife," I realize she’s not an annoying little girl anymore. Crossing that line could very well cost me my brother, but not crossing it could cost me my heart. Now I’m faced with an impossible decision, and life as we've known it will never be the same.