Book excerpt: 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 nosy 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. Firefighters; firemen; firefighter romance; hot in chicago; workplace romance; forbidden romance; boss-employee romance; single dad; single father