Hot in Chicago Rookies

The first in a brand new series about rookie Chicago firefighters. Lives are on the line at Engine 6 ... and so are hearts. Running an engine crew in the Chicago Fire Department is my dream job, and between that, my awesome kid, and my nosey sister, I lead a pretty great life. Bruised and burned by my marriage, I don't have time for dating or drama, but I always have time for pie. And when I share a slice of cherry with a sweet redhead, followed by the hottest, dirtiest, most pulse-pounding kiss of my life, I start to rethink the possibilities. Until that woman walks into my firehouse and upends my well-ordered world. Abby Sullivan is now a rookie firefighter on my crew and a threat to my self-control more dangerous than a five-alarm blaze. My job is to watch her six when all I want is to watch her fall into my bed. Lust has no place in the firehouse, and a distraction like Abby with her electric blue eyes, waves of flame-red hair, and freckles I want to map with my tongue, is one I can ill afford. Because one wrong move ... and it could all go up in smoke. Up in Smoke is the first in the brand new Hot in Chicago Rookies series about firefighters navigating the trials of new jobs and sizzling romances as they find their place in the world and the love of a lifetime.

"I loved Jude and Hudson and their hard-won romance! Watching them fight their love, then fall in love was everything!" - #1 NYT Bestselling Lauren Blakely It was supposed to be a random hookup. At a crossroads, my life a hot mess, I swiped right on the guy with the washboard abs and the tree-trunk thighs. His handle was Holt (yeah, really) but as soon as he opened the door, I recognized him: Hudson Grey, the hottest prospect in pro-hockey and apparently, secretly playing for my team. Not mind-blowing enough? He needed someone to punch his V-card, and I was only too happy to volunteer as tribute . . . Then he ghosted me when it got to be too much. A year later, my life is back on track and I'm a candidate firefighter at legendary Engine 6. While I might be new to the Chicago Fire Department, I'm a veteran in the game of steamy hookups. My No. 1 rule? No newbies. Except now Hudson has been traded to my hometown team, the Chicago Rebels, and he's out, proud, and ready to date. And he wants my help introducing him to the local gay scene. My messy past means I'm the worst guy to be mentoring the shy, sexy jock. But neither can I stand by and watch while others touch the man who already feels like mine. I might have been his first, but I'm about to learn that the new guy has even more to teach me about hunger, hope, and falling hard . . . Includes: First times, hot firefighters, sexy hockey players, mini-golf shenanigans, meddling friends, and fighting like hell for the love of a lifetime.

I might be a rookie Chicago firefighter, but I'm on top of the world. I've just earned my spot on Rescue Squad at legendary Engine 6, can get all the action I want both in and out of the bedroom, and am possessed of an enviable sneaker collection. Nothing can harsh my vibe except her-Cassandra Ferguson, my brother's sister-in-law, or as I affectionately label her: the blister-in-law. Ever since I met her, she's looked down her perky little nose at me, never mind that I'm a good foot taller. Apparently, I offended her with a few risqué jokes and an offer for a fun, no-strings night-crimes that have relegated me to lower than dirt in St. Cassandra's eyes. These days we're at a stalemate. Don't get along, can't get along. Only when tragedy strikes, we have no choice but to put our animosity aside for the sake of our hurting niece and nephew, who need us now more than ever. As co-guardians, Cassie and I are enemy combatants in an uneasy truce, flailing around in a no-man's land of grief and lust, forced to work as a team. Thing is, when Cassie and I team up-when we really work together-the results are explosive. In a sexy way. In an amazing way. Maybe … in every way. But with stakes this high, we can't get it wrong. Even though it feels so, so right.