TONY: Slow Burn (Raging Fire Book 1) Read online

  As much as she hated to admit it, he had sinfully sexy lips. And his two-day stubble gave him an even more devil-may-care look than normal. As a firefighter, Tony had to keep most of his face clean-shaven so it wouldn’t interfere with his breathing gear. Without a doubt, that scratchy stubble would play hell with her tender skin in places only one guy’s whiskers had gone before. And that had been a long time ago.

  Knowing Tony, he’d put the garter as high on her thigh as Marc had had to reach to remove it from Angelina’s. The man had a penchant for tormenting her without even trying, ever since he’d shown up at the café nearby thinking Angelina needed rescuing from Carmella’s brother. Heat from a touch of anger flooded her face. If she’d known catching Angelina’s bouquet would put her in such a predicament, she’d have remained seated at her table. But Mama had encouraged her to participate and have a little fun now that the party was coming to a close.

  You owe me one, Mama.

  Would her flushed cheeks make him think she was blushing? With three older brothers, Carm had never let anyone embarrass her and certainly wasn’t going to let Tony be the first. Unwelcome emotions warred inside her right now as she continued to hesitate. He seemed no more thrilled about this than she was.

  “Tony, come on! Be a sport!” Angelina goaded. “You too, Carmella, especially after you worked so hard on this reception.”

  Seemingly emboldened by his sister’s taunt, Tony squared his shoulders and took a few steps toward Carm, stretching out his hand toward her. Uncomfortable at his intense gaze, she shifted her focus to the garter he’d placed over his upper sleeve. The stretched elastic accentuated the size of his biceps, where he’d proudly displayed his prize. Had he expected to lose the scrap of satin and lace so soon?

  Doubtful he’d imagined losing it to her. But if she had to go through with this foolishness, she intended to keep the damned thing as her own trophy.

  Carm glanced down at the bouquet she’d caught minutes ago, wondering if she could hand it off to someone else and let them take her place in the hot seat. The literal hot seat.

  She always strove to stay in the background quietly and efficiently running things, but never felt comfortable making herself the center of attention. But the longer she prolonged the inevitable, the more scrutiny she was going to receive.

  Suck it up, buttercup. You’re going to bring more attention to yourself if you balk.

  With a sigh, Carm handed her bouquet to Cassie, asking her to hold it until this was over, and accepted Tony’s proffered hand. It was warm compared to hers, probably because she was in the beginning stages of fight-or-flight mode. He grinned as if he’d won some kind of victory as he guided her to the chair Angelina had recently vacated.

  Didn’t this silly wedding tradition merely state that the woman who caught the bouquet and the man who caught the garter would be the next to marry? She’d never been to a reception where this reversal had taken place. Where had Marc and Angelina found this emcee?

  “Same rules apply, Tony!” Matteo yelled. “No hands on the garter!”

  Just what she was afraid of. Not that she was a prude by any stretch, but the thought of Tony Giardano’s scruffy cheek, chin, and mouth rasping up her leg to place the garter high on her thigh made her stomach curl into knots.

  Carm bit back a groan, refusing to acknowledge that tingle she felt between her legs. She wasn’t remotely attracted to Tony, the most irrepressible man she’d ever met. Perhaps she was just used to being able to handle the men in her life a little more easily—or at least know what behaviors to expect from them.

  Why did Tony make her so nervous? He wasn’t predictable, for one reason. Would he do something outrageous in order to gain a laugh at her expense? Their disdain for one another was mutual, judging by the countless times they’d clashed over the past eight months while helping to negotiate between the families for this wedding. They might have become in-laws today, but that didn’t mean they had to like one another. But she grudgingly admired how loyal he was to his sister and family.

  Taking a deep breath, Carm sat down as the image of Tony’s mouth on her leg made her face grow even hotter, if that were possible. Her tea-length bridesmaid dress didn’t cover nearly enough of her leg at the moment. And all too soon, Tony’s head would be under that skirt. Taking fate into her own hands, she hiked the dress up above her knees. At least she could control that much of this fiasco.

  “Let’s get this over with, T.G.”

  What the…? She loved giving nicknames to people she liked, but that one just popped out of nowhere. How did she expect to bring Tony’s enormous ego down a peg or two if she encouraged him in any way? She wanted this over with as quickly as he did.

  “A little anticipation is good for you, bella.”

  Where had she heard that before? Marc, that’s where. Her older brother chuckled nearby, but Carm kept her focus on the man in front of her instead. Maybe Tony was enjoying this more than she’d expected him to.

  Don’t let him see you sweat.

  Squaring her shoulders, she asked, “What’s the matter? Afraid of something, T.G.?”

  Great. Throw down the gauntlet in front of this macho Italian male, Carm.

  Grinning, Tony inched the garter down his sleeve to his wrist, never breaking eye contact with her. He knelt in front of her chair. Instead of going right to work, he supported her calf as he slipped the high-heeled sandal off her foot.

  “Don’t want your heel getting in my way, principessa.”

  Princess?

  Was he tossing about endearments as payback for her giving him a nickname? Before she could make a determination, Tony’s thumbs rubbed the ball of her foot until a moan escaped her.

  Those shoes had been killing her for hours as she fulfilled her bridesmaid duties on top of making sure everything ran smoothly here at the reception. Between wedding crashers and the incessant one-upmanship between factions from both families, she was happy to be off her feet.

  But she couldn’t believe Tony had made her moan. Out loud! Sandro wasn’t going to let her live that down for the next year. Carmella needed to keep her guard up if she was going to get this over without further embarrassment.

  “Hurry up, T.G.,” she hissed under her breath.

  Holding her calf in the palm of his warm hand, Tony placed the garter between his teeth and lowered his head to slip it past her toes. The lace tickled her instep, and she jerked, but he didn’t stop. Above ankle level, he lowered her foot to the floor causing the garter to slip from his teeth. He nipped at her ankle in an effort to retrieve it again. Had he dropped the garter intentionally?

  I wouldn’t put it past him.

  The garter made its way ever so slowly up her calf, while Tony’s warm breath and stubble raised goosebumps along its journey. He lost his grasp on the lace again at her knee.

  Enough already.

  Tony clearly had no intention of getting this over quickly. The garter was far enough up her leg. Carm leaned forward to stand up in an attempt to put an end to this ridiculous display.

  “Sit,” Tony commanded. “I’m not finished yet.” The forceful words coming from a jokester like Tony caught her by surprise. She’d never taken him seriously before. He’d always reminded her too much of her fun-loving brother Sandro; she had to admit she looked to date men who were more serious in nature.

  And yet Carm settled back into the seat as commanded for reasons she didn’t fathom.

  Tony took the garter again between his teeth along with a little nip of skin. Carm jumped at the intimate contact. So then why did she inexplicably spread her legs wider to accommodate him?

  Tony chuckled and nudged the elasticized lace above her knee until the top of his head pushed the hem of her skirt a little higher. Her girly bits took notice at the close proximity of his mouth to her…

  “Okay, T.G., that’s far enough.” Carm took him by the shoulders and pushed him back on his heels, nearly toppling him on his ass. Not that he didn’t deserve it
.

  She stood, rearranging the skirt of her dress to hide the garter, and announced, “Don’t expect the garter back, either. I earned it.”

  Laughter broke out around them, but Tony didn’t join in. Standing, Carm felt a little ashamed of her immature behavior, so she took on the persona of gracious hostess again, holding out her hand to help him up. He seemed momentarily taken aback by the conciliatory gesture, but the playful light had left his eyes.

  He accepted the offered hand, although he apparently didn’t need her help as he effortlessly sprang to his feet, staring down at her in silence. His enigmatic expression confused her. She wasn’t used to Tony having a serious side, but had no intention of exploring the many sides of the man, either.

  Without another word, Carm made her way back to her table, hoping Marc and Angelina would make their exit soon so this long week would come to an end. She had a four-day corporate-bonding adventure trek starting with seminars at the resort tomorrow evening and would need to be up by five in the morning to have everything ready by the time they began registering in the afternoon.

  Carm spent the rest of the reception avoiding Tony, which wasn’t as hard as she’d expected because he left soon after the bride and groom. Shortly after midnight, Carm was the last person to leave the ballroom and found herself hours later lying in her bed as the memory of Tony’s whiskers brushing against her thigh reverberated through her mind and body. Rolling onto her side, Carm punched the pillow in frustration, momentarily envisioning it as being Tony’s smug face.

  ‘Sit.’

  Indeed! He’d commanded her like he might a dog.

  So why had she obediently followed his command without question?

  Ugh. Go away, Tony!

  Carm reached for the drawer of her nightstand to retrieve her vibrator, but her hand touched the garter first. Images of how his whiskers had scraped the inside of her knee while placing it on her thigh brought heat into her face again. Trying to ignore the blasted garter, she pushed it to the back of the drawer and retrieved her bullet vibe before slamming the drawer shut on the memories that scrap of lace and elastic evoked.

  She needed some relief, but when Tony’s laughing face invaded her thoughts moments later, she groaned in frustration. She would not pleasure herself to that man’s face. He would have no part in her fantasy life!

  Now if she could only convince her subconscious of that.

  Chapter Two

  Tony opened his eyes, his head pounding from too much vino at last night’s reception. He glanced over at the other bed and saw that Matt was up and gone, probably headed to Luke Denton’s ranch where he boarded his horses while saving up to buy his own place. Unlike Tony, his next older brother was an early riser. Maybe he hadn’t had as much to drink last night, either. But Tony sure had hit the bottle hard after Angelina and Marc left, perhaps to get the taste of Carmella’s silky skin out of his mouth.

  Just the thought of her made his cock stir again. A quick glance at the bedside alarm clock told him checkout was only thirty minutes away. Tony tossed back the sheet and padded on bare feet into the bathroom. After a brief but much-needed cold shower, he bagged up his tux and the rented dress shoes before tossing his dress shirt and cufflinks into his duffel bag. Then he pulled on his favorite worn jeans, an Aspen Corners Fire Department T-shirt from a charity event held last year, and his socks and running shoes. Not that he intended to take a run today, even though the Bella Montagna resort might offer some of the most beautiful scenery for one.

  On the other hand, running might be the perfect prescription for what he needed today. But not here in Aspen where he might run into the Italian beauty who had left him with half a night of lying in bed with a hard-on while visions of the fiery-eyed Carmella floated around in his wine-addled brain.

  Yeah, Tony was on the run all right.

  What the heck for? He wasn’t one to get all moon-eyed over a girl, especially one who couldn’t stand the sight—or touch—of him. He could have any available woman he wanted—and had been propositioned by quite a few who were already attached, although they were off-limits for him. Why was he lusting after one who detested him, for whatever reason?

  He needed a distraction.

  While he wouldn’t officially be on duty again until Tuesday, he could stop by his station. While his intention was to hang out with other crew members, maybe cooking them their meal would be the distraction he needed. So as soon as he checked out of the resort, he planned to hightail it back home to shave his face and gel back his hair to meet his department’s requirements for respirator masks, because he’d definitely go out on a call if one came in, and head to the ACFD.

  After a quick glance around the room to make sure neither he nor Matt had left anything behind, he exited the room. Getting off the elevator in the lobby, a quick survey of the area told him the coast was clear. He started toward the front desk.

  Man, you’re such a chickenshit.

  No, Tony just didn’t intend to make an ass of himself in front of his ice princess.

  Great. Now he was even claiming her as his principessa.

  “Tony! What a surprise!”

  So much for a clean escape. Tony stopped in his tracks and turned to face Carmella who looked as gorgeous and untouchable as ever. She glanced away, then back at him. Interesting. Perhaps she was affected by him too.

  “I mean, I didn’t know you were still…um… Didn’t I see Matteo leaving hours ago?”

  “Yeah. He had to get back to his horses.” Belatedly, he noticed that Carmella carried a medium-sized box. Shifting his duffel to his back, he reached out for it. “Here, let me carry that for you.”

  “No, thanks. It’s not heavy.” As she moved to maneuver the box—and her body—away from him, the box slipped from her hands and name badges and brochures with images of climbers spilled onto the marble floor.

  Carmella immediately knelt down and started picking them up. Feeling responsible, Tony laid down his bag and knelt beside her and went to work. “Sorry about this.” He couldn’t help noticing that her blouse was open at the neck giving him a clear view of her cleavage.

  Stop staring!

  “Totally my doing. Thanks for helping me pick them up.” After they finished and stood up, she added, “I hope you had an enjoyable stay at Bella Montagna.” She might as well have been speaking to any other guest at her resort.

  “Absolutely. You and your family run a beautiful place.”

  When she smiled this time, her eyes twinkled. Was that the first time he’d seen a genuine Carmella smile directed at him? Or was it merely offered in her professional capacity as co-owner of the resort? He shouldn’t read anything more into it.

  And truth be told, he didn’t remember much about his room or what the rest of the resort looked like other than the ballroom last night—and the scent of Carmella’s thigh.

  Be civil. Mama’s many admonitions to him and his brothers echoed through his head.

  Tony handed her the last of the neck wallets. “Thanks for making Angelina’s dreams come true with the perfect wedding reception.”

  And just like that, her smile faded away.

  “That’s what we do here, although we might have pulled out a few extra stops for Marc and Angelina’s reception. It’s what families do.”

  Damn. He’d left Marc’s name out when he’d mentioned the reception. Carmella sure was touchy about any slight to her brother, so Tony had better learn to include him with only good comments from now on.

  Carmella picked up the box again and glanced at his duffel bag while avoiding eye contact with him. “Well, um, don’t let me keep you. Safe trip home.”

  She definitely wanted him gone. “Thanks. I’m actually headed to the station first.” As if she cared.

  She met his gaze again. “On your day off?”

  She must keep up with Marc’s schedule, which she already knew was the same as Tony’s, at least when her brother wasn’t on his honeymoon. He shrugged. “I like to go in and
cook for the crew sometimes.”

  “Must run in the family. Angelina’s pasta last night was fabulous.”

  “I don’t make homemade pasta, but I make a red sauce to die for.” He shrugged. “It’s filling at least.”

  Her smile faltered, and she glanced down at the jumbled badges as if unsure what else to talk about. Then her professional smile and gaze returned. “I hope you’ll come back and visit us again—but book soon if you or your friends want to get in some skiing this season. It gets busy Thanksgiving weekend. Definitely let me know ahead of time, though, and I’ll throw in some free lift tickets, since we’re family now.”

  Family. Was Carmella now his sister-in-law, too, or only Angelina’s? Not that it mattered. It wasn’t like he had any plans to have sex with her.

  Not on your life, Brother.

  And yet he already dreaded upcoming family gatherings and having to be this close to her without touching her again.

  “Thanks, but I’m more partial to cross-country skiing.” He could hear Mama chastising him for being less than gracious, but didn’t elaborate.

  Carmella’s eyes lit up. “I love trekking through the woods on my skis, too.”

  The image crossed his mind of her hiking ahead of him, giving him a great view of her ass in skintight pants. Not where his mind needed to be right now. And yet he couldn’t resist saying, “Maybe we can find the time to hit the backcountry this winter.”

  He didn’t miss the shuttering of her eyes that told him that would never happen. “Sure. Sounds like fun.” Sounded like torture from her voice.

  “Well, I guess I’d better get checked out.”

  “Oh, before you go, I ran into your mama at breakfast this morning. I guess she hasn’t had enough celebrating.” Carmella gave a lopsided grin. “She wants to host a small gathering here to surprise Angelina for her birthday in August.”