Arson & Ache: A MFM Firefighter Romance (Surrender to Them Book 8)

by Kelli Callahan

  Yeah, that word too…

  My lips keep bopping along with the words and then I heard an audible pop that was louder than the radio. A second later my car was jerking to the left, and the shaking was barely within my control. “What the…”

  I had kept the gas pedal on fifty-five since I wandered into the thirty-five mile per hour speed zone. It was a long stretch of road that connected the interstate to Granite Falls and I hadn’t seen anything but trees for miles. As soon as I heard the grind of metal and pavement, I realized I had a blowout. My car rolled into the left lane and I pulled it back to the right before letting it slowly decelerate towards the side of the road. I quickly unfastened my seatbelt and got out of my car. The tire was blown and the pavement had chewed up a good bit of the rubber along with the edges of my rim. It didn’t look good but my situation looked worse. I dug through my purse and found that I didn’t have any bars on my cell phone. Even the radio had went to static as if it gave up on me as well. I certainly didn’t like the idea of dragging my jack out of the trunk to get my two-thousand-pound automobile off the ground so I could change the tire, but it looked like that was my only option.

  Change a tire. I’ve seen this done before. How hard can it be?

  I hit the button to release my trunk and sat my suitcase on the ground beside the bumper. I pulled back the carpet to reveal the secret compartment underneath it with my jack and my spare tire—which was nothing more than a donut. It wasn’t going to get me home, but it would get to me to Granite Falls, which was all I cared about at the moment. I went through the painful process of removing the jack without breaking a nail and then started messing with the screw holding the donut in place. I started trying to twist it and found it was stuck. I gave it several turns, but all I managed to do was tear a bit of skin off my finger. My frustration grew and I grabbed the tire iron, trying to finagle it as a lever. Another attempt was made and then I felt the nail on my index finger snap. It broke at the tip of my finger in a jagged pattern, causing me to recoil and shake my finger. As I gritted my teeth to give it another try, I heard a roaring motor behind me. I turned to see a motorcycle approaching and as it got closer, it seemed to be slowing down.

  Well, I’m either going to get murdered or helped—let’s hope it’s the latter.

  The large black motorcycle came to a stop several yards behind my car. The engine roared for a moment and then went quiet as the rider hit the kickstand with his boot. I turned to face the motorcycle as the rider stepped off and started removing his helmet. The helmet came off to reveal shoulder length blond hair and a thick beard of matching color. He put his helmet on his motorcycle and started walking towards me, holding his hand against his forehead to keep the sun out of his eyes. He was dressed in a white t-shirt, a black leather vest, and a pair of blue jeans that sat on top of black motorcycle boots. The first thing I noticed were the tattoos which ran up both arms creating a full sleeve—the second thing I noticed was the insanely large biceps that the ink was decorating.

  “What’s the problem?” His tone had a bit of a southern edge to it and sort of reminded me of the way my father would drag out some of his words.

  “The tire went flat.” I grimaced and pointed. “I’m trying to change it.”

  “Your hand is bleeding.” He pointed and I lifted my hand, noticing that the spot where the nail had broken was splattered in crimson.

  “Well, like I said. I’m trying.” I sighed and shook my head.

  “Move out of the way, I’ll take care of it.” He walked to my car and removed the screw holding the donut with one quick twist of his hand.

  I need muscles.

  “I’m Axe, by the way.” He leaned back from my trunk with the donut in one hand and the jack in the other.

  “I’m Samantha. Thank you so much.” My face turned to an expression of pure gratitude as he walked towards my blown-out tire. “Are you from Granite Falls?”

  “Born and raised.” He nodded as he knelt and started examining the tire. “Where are you from? If you were from Granite Falls, I’d already know you—small town.”

  “I grew up in Atlanta. My father is from Granite Falls though—and my grandmother.” I leaned against the car and he started jacking up the car.

  “Who’s your father?” He finished jacking up the car and pushed the tire iron onto one of the lug nuts. With a quick push, it was spinning free from the bolt.

  “Randy Grant.” I doubted Axe would know him. My father left town when he was sixteen and Axe appeared to be around my age.

  “Grant…” He nodded. “Must be Mrs. Grant’s son. I saw the obituary in the paper last week.”

  “Did you know my grandmother?” I raised my eyebrows.

  “Not really. I saw her around town a few times, but that is about it. I just got back into town recently myself.” He finished the second lug nut and moved to the third.

  “I’m here to tend to her estate. My father is too sick to do it himself.” I watched his muscles flex as he continued removing lug nuts.

  “So you’re not sticking around?” Axe looked up at me and his deep blue eyes sparkled in the sun.

  “No.” I shook my head back and forth. “I’m just here to deal with her estate.”

  “We should get a drink while you’re here.” He looked back to the tire and started shuffling it off of the bolts.

  Is he asking me out a date?

  “I don’t know.” I let out a sigh. “I’m just here for a couple of days.”

  “Then maybe we should get a couple of drinks.” He looked up at me and smiled.

  What do I have to lose? This guy is hotter than the pavement I’m standing on.

  “Okay, sure.” I shrugged.

  Axe got the donut on the car and started replacing the lug nuts. He gave each of them a twist that made his muscles flex before he started lowering the jack. Axe wasn’t the type of guy I would normally go out with—not that I really had a type. I thought I was in love once when I was in college and met a guy online. After spending a year on a long-distance text-only relationship, I found out the supposed man of my dreams was nothing more than a guy I had previously turned down for a date trying to catfish me. After that, my trust in men got a little shattered. There were a few dates, but nothing that ended with romance. I was probably the only virgin in my graduation class. I had lived with my father since graduation, completely dateless and working a dead-end job in an office where everyone was much older than me. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had a drink.

  “Okay, I think you’re all set.” Axe stood up and wiped sweat off of his brow.

  As Axe put my jack and tire iron in my trunk along with my tattered tire, I heard a car approaching from the opposite direction. I looked over my shoulder to see the familiar outline of a Ford Crown Victoria with red and blue lights on the top. Axe slammed the trunk shut and watched as the police car approached. It was probably a good sign that he didn’t immediately run to his motorcycle and speed away—if he was a bad boy, he wasn’t on the wrong side of the law—or he was just brazen as hell. The car came to a stop and I saw the words Granite City Sheriff’s Department painted on the side. The door opened and a man stepped out. He looked like a typical television sheriff—but a hunky version with a brown shirt, brown pants, and a badge on his chest. He was well built, with large hulking muscles underneath his shirt. He slammed the door and walked over to us, looking at my donut, and then to Axe.

  “This guy bothering you?” He turned his attention to me and his steel colored eyes almost seemed to be staring straight into my soul.

  “N…No.” I shook my head back and forth. “He was helping me change my tire. I had a blowout on my way to Granite Falls.”

  “I was just leaving.” Axe nodded and turned to me. “Seven o’clock tonight at The Water Barn. It’s the only bar in town.”

  “Okay.” I smiled as he walked towards his motorcycle.

  “Figures.” The sheriff sighed and watched as Axe started up the engine on h
is bike. “Pretty girl headed to Granite Falls and Axe gets a date with her before she even makes it to town.”

  “Does that happen often?” I raised my eyebrows in concern.

  “No.” The sheriff shook his head. “There aren’t many eligible girls in Granite Falls. I’m Sheriff James—you can call me Jesse.”

  “Jesse?” I stifled a laugh. “Jesse James?”

  “That joke is older than you are.” He narrowed his eyes at me.

  “Sorry.” I looked down at the ground and sighed.

  “You’re going to need to get your tire fixed. You won’t go far on that donut. My brother Steve owns a repair shop in town. He’ll take care of you.” He put his hands on his hips. “What business do you have in Granite Falls anyway?”

  “I’m here to tend to my grandmother’s estate—Gertrude Grant.” I figured he would know her, if anyone did.

  “She was a sweet old lady—she made some killer pies.” He nodded and smiled. “Randy wasn’t able to come himself?”

  “You know my father?” I tilted my head inquisitively.

  “Not really. He took off a long time ago. I knew your grandmother though. I hope you like cats.” He turned and started back towards his car. “See you around.”

  Cats? I’m deathly allergic to cats.

  I got back in my car once Jesse was gone. The donut seemed to hold up well once I started moving, but I knew I couldn’t get very far on it. Luckily, Granite Falls wasn’t too far away. I rolled into the tiny town that had only one stoplight in the middle of town. From that location, I could see the repair shop Jesse mentioned and The Water Barn. There wasn’t much else to see except for a grocery store and a gas station. I could see the courthouse further downtown and while I wanted to head straight to my grandmother’s lawyer, I really wanted to make sure I could leave once everything was done. I pulled my car into the parking lot of Steve’s Auto Body, assuming it was Jesse’s brother’s place based on the name and the fact it was the only repair shop I could see. There wasn’t much going on at the repair shop. There was a car lifted off the ground in one of the repair bays and some parts scattered along the ground. The slim line of grass on the edge of the shop had a couple of broken down cars that looked beyond repair. A couple of cars were parked in the parking area, but I didn’t see anyone actually working.

  “Hello?” I called out as I stepped out my car and slammed the door.

  About the Author

  Kelli writes billionaires, bad boys, and alpha protectors that are hot-as-sin and filthy to the core. If you want to stay up to date with all things Kelli, sign up to her mailings list here.