Beautiful Heat Read online

  Men of Iron Horse 2

  Beautiful Heat

  Zerina Duket despises pretty people. So when mouthwateringly sexy fireman Jeremy Lawrence begins repairing the fire-damaged area of the bar she works at, she’s more than pissed off.

  Jeremy can’t stop the attraction burning him alive each time he looks at Zerina. She’s different—tattoos, piercings, and purple-tipped hair. He likes it. A lot. Her rebel side has him craving more than just a working relationship. The only trouble is, she can’t stand to be in the same room with him.

  Unable to avoid their attraction, sexual heat sparks between them. Jeremy offers her an opportunity she can’t resist. But stepping out of her comfort zone proves to be a challenge when the demons from her past come back to haunt her.

  Can Jeremy help Zerina see past her fears and give him the chance to prove just what kind of man he is or will her pride stop her from living her dream and finally finding love?

  Genre: Contemporary

  Length: 28,391 words

  BEAUTIFUL HEAT

  Men of Iron Horse 2

  Morgan Fox

  EROTIC ROMANCE

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Erotic Romance

  BEAUTIFUL HEAT

  Copyright © 2015 by Morgan Fox

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-63259-367-2

  First E-book Publication: May 2015

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2015 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

  If you have purchased this copy of Beautiful Heat by Morgan Fox from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

  Regarding E-book Piracy

  This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

  The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

  This is Morgan Fox’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Morgan Fox’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  To Lydia and Louise, who helped me get this series off the ground and worked so quickly to give me feedback. Thank you for all of your brilliance, encouragement, support and friendship. I simply adore you.

  And to my husband for his undying support. Thanks for all the re-posts and shares. I love you.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  About the Author

  BEAUTIFUL HEAT

  Men of Iron Horse 2

  MORGAN FOX

  Copyright © 2015

  Chapter One

  Zerina DuKet hated pretty people. They annoyed her, like a bad rash with no relief. And now that Iron Horse Saloon was being remodeled, thanks to a fire that had destroyed the back storeroom, she was forced to be around a pretty person. Every day she came into work, she was greeted by him. His blond hair, crystal blue eyes, and pearly white teeth he couldn’t help but flash around like some supermodel, and his irritatingly toned body that stretched higher than six feet.

  She gritted her teeth.

  Fucking annoying.

  Worse still, he was a do-gooder, a fireman, one that helped put the fire out at the bar, a damn golden boy. God, she hated him and they hadn’t even said more than a few words to each other. But she could sense him watching her, feel his eyes scanning over her body like the rise of warm sunlight. Maybe he was disgusted by her lack of prettiness. Unlike his temple like body, hers was covered in tattoos and piercings. She loved body art and dug the ring in her nose, the tiny ring hoops that chased up her earlobes, and the amethyst studs in each of her eyebrows. For an added bonus, she colored her hair black with purple tips. Sometimes she’d switch things up a bit and made the tips red, but that was only when she was feeling extra bitchy. Sort of like a fuck-off warning sign to those she preferred not to be bothered by.

  Perhaps it was time to change to red again.

  She rolled her eyes at Pretty Boy as she stalked back up to the counter. He’d been on the phone, doing God knew what. She hoped he’d get his shit together and finish up so he would leave her alone. At least then she’d be able to work without being eyeballed.

  “Hey,” he said, and the buttery smoothness of his voice only added to her dislike of him. He probably smelled good, too.

  She groaned, sounding like a bear coming out of hibernation too early. “Do you need something?” Wow, did she sound excessively bitchy. If he hung around, it was only because he liked abuse, and if that were the case, she would be instantly sweet to him.

  “No,” he told her, a grin exploding on his face. “I was just saying hey.”

  Damn, he was too cute. A guttural growl rolled in her throat and she returned to stocking up the front bar.

  “I never had a chance to introduce myself. I’m Jeremy Lawrence.” He reached his hand out, but she scrunched up her face as if it smelled bad.

  You’ve gotta be kidding me. Perfect-looking with a boy-next-door name, seriously?

  She snubbed him. “Look, Jer, I’m a bit busy here. Do you need something or are you just wasting my time and my boss’s money?”

  He eyed her, his brow furrowing as he registered just how much she disliked him.

  Good. He needed a clue. She could make a hard-edged man cry. He didn’t stand a chance.

  “You must be the main attraction when this bar’s open.”

  What the hell
did that mean?

  His voice lowered to just above a whisper as he continued, “Not only are you sexy as hell, but your hard-ass attitude can make a man forget himself.”

  She frowned. Had she just heard him right? Had he referred to her as sexy?

  She opened her mouth to speak, but not a single word popped out. Had he actually stunned her into silence?

  “Well, I better get back to work. We’re almost done. Might only take a few more days and we’ll be out of your hair.” He stepped around the bar, but stopped, catching her eyes as he shared, “Not that I’m looking forward to that or anything.”

  For a moment that felt like minutes, they stared at each other. She heard every word he said, but she still couldn’t shake the fact that he’d called her sexy. Was he being a total douche and messing around with her? That wouldn’t be the first time that had happened to her.

  “I’ll have to come back up to visit. Maybe even buy you a drink.” He winked, slipping past her and into the backroom.

  A cotton ball held more moisture than her mouth. She popped the top off a beer, chugged it, and slammed the empty bottle down onto the bar.

  “You gonna pay for that?” Jason asked, slipping up beside her to grab one for himself.

  “No, you are, so thanks.”

  He chuckled. “Good thing I like you, Z, or I’d have fired your smart ass a long damn time ago.”

  “You love me and you know it.”

  “True.” He sipped his beer. “Everything okay?”

  She leaned her elbow on the bar and stared in the direction Jeremy had gone. “What’s his story?”

  “The young fireman that has you rattled?” There was humor in his tone.

  She scoffed. “He doesn’t have me rattled,” she argued. “I find him… annoying.”

  Jason laughed. “Right,” he said, dragging out the word. “That’s what that was.” She curled her lips, preparing to protest, but he cut her off. “Well, I hope you don’t dislike him too much. He’s going to be here a bit longer. I’ve decided to make some other changes to the bar. It’s time we cleaned up our little watering hole and drew in some new business.”

  Her heart pounded. Why was knowing that Jeremy would be around longer not as upsetting as it should be? “And does Pretty Boy already know this? He told me that he’s wrapping things up.”

  Jason’s smile grew. “I was just about to let him know.” He finished his beer. “Unless you’d like to tell him for me.”

  She bit the inside of her cheek and gave her head a solid shake. “Nope. Not interested. I’ve got enough to do besides talking to Pretty Boy.”

  “Suit yourself,” he said from over his shoulder, making his way toward the back storeroom.

  When Jason was out of earshot, she let go of the breath she’d been holding. Her stomach knotted as realization hit her. She was attracted to Pretty Boy.

  Ah, fuck…

  * * * *

  Jeremy Lawrence was trying his best not to sound overly excited about the opportunity to continue his construction gig at Iron Horse. Not only was it going to help him and his crew financially, but he’d get to see Zerina a helluva lot more.

  “That sounds great. I’ll let the guys know,” Jeremy said, shaking Jason’s hand. “Once we finish up here, I’ll swing by your office to discuss your ideas on the renovations.”

  “Perfect. No pressure or anything, but the sooner they’re done the sooner we can reopen the bar.”

  “Gotcha.” Jeremy could sense just how limited their time would be on the new project. He’d have to pull long hours with his crew to knock it all out quickly. “We’ll get it done, don’t worry.”

  “I’m not worried, just impatient.” Jason smacked him on the shoulder in a brotherly gesture.

  He nodded, understanding fully. “I better get back to work.”

  Jason smiled. “That sounds like a good idea.”

  As Jason headed to his office, Jeremy caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye. As he glanced toward the doorway, he saw Zerina watching him. He smiled at her, and she darted away. He chuckled. He liked how she tried to fend him off with her wicked tongue, but all it made him was curious about her.

  What made a girl so beautiful, so confrontational? For whatever reason, she seemed eager to keep him at a distance. Women didn’t normally treat him like Zerina did. He’d been called attractive. Had been asked to pose for the firemen calendar this year, a request made by a few anonymous citizens.

  She obviously didn’t feel the same way about him. But even with her abruptness, he found her intriguing. There was something sexy and teasing about the way she snipped at him and then eyed him like he was a succulent morsel she couldn’t wait to feast on. Those looks really did it for him.

  Since meeting her, he hadn’t done much more than fantasize about every tattoo and piercing that went hidden beneath her clothing. The one thing that fired his blood most was the idea of a gold stud that most likely graced her clit.

  His cock stirred. Damn, he liked her. Really liked her. If given the chance, he’d drag his tongue and fingers over every tattoo on her body. And if she did have a stud in her clit, God help him. He’d tongue fuck her so good she’d need help walking.

  “You lost?” a woman’s voice called out, startling him.

  He quickly covered his groin region with his tool belt and turned to face Sam, the head bartender and, for all intents and purposes, manager. “Y—yes. I mean, no. I’m good.”

  “Good to know,” she said, eyes wide. “Did you need something?”

  Did he? Yes. Zerina. But he didn’t think he’d ever get her.

  Sam’s curious stare was like a bucket of ice water and deflated his erection in seconds. He cleared his throat. “I was just deep in thought. Jason wants to do more remodeling work in the bar.”

  Her brow furrowed. “He does?”

  Nodding, he added, “I’m supposed to meet with him shortly to discuss the plans.”

  She folded her arms over her chest. “I guess I should plan to join in.”

  “Yeah. Okay. Great,” he said, unable to ignore the look of irritation in her eyes. “I better get back to work.”

  He hurried back to the storeroom, glancing over his shoulder, half expecting her to be trailing after him.

  “Where the hell have you been,” barked McGuire, his shift lieutenant and crew member.

  “I’ve got good news and bad news to report.”

  “What’s the good news?” asked James, another fellow firefighter and crewman.

  “It seems our services are needed for bit longer. Mr. Whitmore wants to meet with me later to discuss more remodeling work at the bar.”

  “That’s great,” James cheered.

  “What’s the bad news?” McGuire questioned, with a deeply etched groove between his eyes. “You know how much I hate bad news.”

  He chuckled and then got serious. “Whitmore needs the work done fast. He’s ready to reopen the bar and the only thing stopping him is us.”

  Both men groaned and mumbled incoherently.

  “Oh, get your panties out of twist. It’s work and extra money.” He arched a brow. “But I can always get someone else to do it, if you guys are worried about the timeline.” He pulled his cell phone out of his pants pocket as if to call on others. “Maybe my mother’s available.”

  A rag was tossed at him, smacking him right in the chest. “Not funny,” McGuire said, a smirk on his face. “We’ll get it done. When are you meeting with Whitmore?”

  “After we finish up today.”

  “Why don’t you finish up with Whitmore and we’ll finish up here. We’ll need to get supplies ordered quickly if we’re to finish…” he crooked a brow in question.

  “A week,” Jeremy added, knowing it would be a difficult task since they had to work at the fire station, too.

  James patted him on the back. “In that case, you better get to your meeting. We’ll need every second.”

  * * * *

  “Ze
rina, would you mind helping me for a minute. I could use your advice with something,” Jason asked, beckoning her into his office with the crook of his finger.

  When she stepped inside, she saw Sam and Pretty Boy hovering over his desk. She swallowed the sudden ball of nerves in her throat.

  Great…

  She dug her hands into her hips. “What do you need?” she asked, her voice clipped.

  He waved his hand at her to coax her closer to his desk. He rounded it, so that he stood between Sam and Jeremy, leaving the only open space on the other side of Pretty Boy.

  Great…

  “I had some plans drawn up of some remodeling ideas I’ve got for the bar. Now with a limited timeframe, I tried to keep things simple. I want to give Iron Horse a fresh look, but I don’t want to take away from its natural atmosphere.”

  She snickered. “You mean the dark, dank, holy-shit-bikers-are-here atmosphere?”

  Jason glared at her, and suddenly she wished that her filter worked. As it was, the damn thing had been broken since she was a teenager. That was part of the reason she didn’t have many friends. No one seemed to appreciate her honesty and directness. She slanted a look to Jeremy, who was grinning crookedly at her.

  Perhaps no one, but him…

  Then her gaze fell to Jason, who didn’t seem at all impressed. “Yes,” he hissed. “But without the dank part.”

  She pressed her lips together, hoping that would keep her from rattling off things she shouldn’t, like telling Pretty Boy that his sweat smelled like buttercream cupcakes and lemonade. She was either hungry, thirsty, or dimwitted for having thoughts like that. She dug her teeth into her lower lip and only breathed when necessary.