Flirting with Danger: A Firefighters of Adelaide Novel

By Claire Baxter

Flirting with Danger by Claire Baxter:

To be together is dangerous. To stay apart is impossible.Firefighter Jasmine Mackinnon has always just been one of the guys. So no one's more shocked than she is to find herself kissing fellow firefighter and all-around sinfully handsome playboy Aaron Parkes after a friend's wedding. Jasmine knows she can't risk an emotional connection with a colleague—a potentially dangerous entanglement when fighting fires together—and nothing's more important to her than her job.

Aaron never noticed how beautiful Jasmine was until he saw her out of her firefighter duds, but there's something about the fiery woman that tempts him. Though he knows pursuing a real relationship is out of the question for a serial dater like him, when their casual flirtation builds into something more serious, it's not just their jobs or their safety on the line. It's their hearts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Sep 9, 2013
• ISBN: 9781622661435

Claire Baxter

Claire Baxter tried several careers before finding the one she really wanted. After working in many varied roles she finally took the plunge and wrote a romance novel. Now she can't stop! When she's not writing, she's either swimming in her backyard pool—another childhood dream—or even reading in the pool. She hasn't tried writing in the pool yet but it could happen! Claire lives in Australia. You can visit her website at: www.clairebaxter.com

Book preview

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Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2013 by Claire Baxter. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.

Entangled Publishing, LLC

2614 South Timberline Road

Suite 109

Fort Collins, CO 80525

Visit our website at www.entangledpublishing.com.

Edited by Stacy Abrams and Guillian Helm

Cover design by Jessica Cantor

Ebook ISBN 978-1-62266-143-5

Manufactured in the United States of America

First Edition September 2013

The author acknowledges the copyrighted or trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: Lycra, SeaWorld, Ugg boots, Botox, Manchester United, The Lone Ranger, Tonto, Frisbee, Google.

Chapter One

In a bedroom of a sprawling sandstone house in South Australia, Jasmine Mackinnon looked at the reflection of her friend and fellow bridesmaid, who was peering over her shoulder.

Sasha said, You should wear that smoky eye shadow more often. It makes your eyes look enormous.

I get plenty of smoke on my face when I’m on a call-out. I don’t need to add more.

"No, not when you’re at work, obviously, Sasha said as she straightened. But you could make an effort when we go out."

Jasmine winced. "I do make an effort."

Oh, I know. I didn’t mean it like that. Sasha pulled an apologetic face. Okay, maybe I did, but I was trying to be helpful. You’re so pretty, but you don’t make the most of what you have. Look, what I mean is that you might find your Mr. Right if you went for a more feminine look.

Marrying a man she loved, having babies, watching them grow up, staying together forever…that was the fairy tale for most women, her friends included. But how often did it actually happen? The staying together forever bit, anyway.

Not very often, in Jasmine’s experience. She hoped Leanne and Michael, today’s bride and groom, would make it, but it wasn’t a risk she was prepared to take for herself. Not unless she found a man she could trust completely, and they were few and far between.

Sighing, she said, If I find a man to love me as I am, then great. But I’m not going to pretend to be something I’m not.

Jasmine studied her reflection as the makeup artist blended blush beneath her cheekbones. Which made her look as if she actually had cheekbones. She’d bet that, given a choice between muscles and makeup on their women, most men would not choose muscles. But messing around with all those brushes and jars—it just wasn’t her style. Any man she allowed into her life would have to want the real her no matter what she did or didn’t slap on her face.

Sasha was on a roll now. "Okay, I can see your point, but first impressions are important, aren’t they? You need to get past the first hurdle before you can really get to know someone. All I’m saying is, you might meet more men if you looked as if you cared what they thought of you. And you could be a bit more encouraging when men do try to talk to you. You could give them a chance. Like that poor man in the pub last week."

Jasmine swiveled the chair. What man?

The one with the Johnny Depp jaw.

She screwed up her eyes. Can’t say I remember him.

He came over to talk to us. To you, anyway.

Oh! You mean when we were watching the game on the big screen?

Yes.

I didn’t notice his jaw; I was too busy paying attention to the football.

Trust me, he was cute. And he tried to start a conversation with you.

Jasmine frowned. Did he?

He asked you what you did for a living.

She nodded. That’s right. I remember.

And what did you say?

Er…female impersonator.

My point exactly. No wonder he took off like he’d been spat out.

The scores were level. It was a crucial point.

The door of the en-suite bathroom opened and Leanne, the bride, emerged, wrapped in a toweling robe, and, like Jasmine and Sasha, sporting large rollers in her hair. What did I miss?

I was just telling Jasmine that she frightens men off when they try to talk to her.

Nodding, Leanne pulled up a chair. Well, it’s not really her fault that she intimidates them, is it? She’s so…

Capable, Sasha supplied.

Hello. I’m still in the room. Jasmine frowned. And since when was being capable a bad thing?

"It’s not, generally, but you don’t give men a chance to be men around you."

Oh, that’s rubbish.

No, it’s true, Leanne said. You’re good at most things they’d consider men’s stuff. Heck, you can probably bench press more than some of them. You even do a job that a lot of men wouldn’t have the guts to do. You make them feel inadequate.

And we love you for it, Sasha added. You know that, don’t you?

Jasmine nodded. Her friendship with Leanne and Sasha went back as long as she could remember, and she’d never doubt their motives for a moment.

We’re just saying that it’s going to be tough for you to find a man who’s secure enough in his own masculinity to cope with all that.

Unless you’re smart, like me, and marry a firefighter, Leanne said with a smile.

She’s right, Sasha said. And there are some good-looking guys in your station. What about Kane? He’s cute.

Cute like a puppy. He’s younger than me.

Not by much. All right, how about Aaron, then? Ooh, Aaron. Sasha fanned herself. He has all the right credentials. Tall, dark, and—

Dangerous, Leanne interrupted. Tall, dark, and dangerous. Strictly no strings, that’s Aaron Parkes. He could charm the skin off a rice pudding, but he thinks having breakfast with a woman the morning after is long-term.

Isn’t that what makes him irresistible? Sasha said. You know, the thrill of being the one to hook him? Maybe he just hasn’t found the right woman yet?

He’s not looking, Jasmine said. Trust me, he’s happy the way he is. I should know; I have to listen to him bragging about his conquests at work. They’re all the same, and they don’t seem to care that he’s only interested in one thing.

Leanne shook her head. Forget about him. I wouldn’t want to see Jasmine dating Aaron. It could only end in tears, and then we’d have to kill him

I have no intention of dating him, Jasmine said. She wouldn’t dream of becoming a notch on Aaron’s bedpost—if there was even any bedpost left to carve a notch in. Anyway, there’s no way I’d go out with a colleague at all. Not Aaron, not anybody. Workplace romances get messy, and in a job like ours, messy is the last thing we need. We have to be able to rely on each other in life-threatening situations—would you trust a colleague to save your life if his girlfriend was in danger as well? She shook her head. Of course you wouldn’t. Plus, dating’s not allowed. Not between people who work in the same team like Aaron and I do.

The makeup artist tapped her acrylic nails on the marble top of Leanne’s dressing table. Excuse me? I just need to do your lips, and then we’re finished.

Oh, right. Sorry, Jasmine said, turning the chair back to the mirror. She wouldn’t let anyone else talk to her the way Sasha and Leanne did, but it was impossible to take offence when she knew that everything they said was with her best interests at heart. Besides, she’d been just as frank with both of them in the past for different reasons. She wouldn’t expect anything less than brutal honesty from her closest friends. The young woman drew a red line outside her lips. I take it you don’t wear much makeup?

I don’t bother with any of this. Jasmine waved at the products littering the dressing table. She was only submitting to all this girlie stuff because it was what Leanne wanted. After a tough time Leanne was finally happy and Jasmine wouldn’t do anything to spoil her day. "Well, I’m going to fill inside the line with color to make your lips appear even fuller. This is what your friend means about making the most of what you have. You have good lips already, but when I’m done with them they’ll look so sexy." She selected a fine brush from the range in her case.

Jasmine rolled her eyes toward Sasha.

It’s a lovely color, Sasha nodded with enthusiasm. Really suits you.

Yes, Leanne agreed. It will look great with the dress. Now, listen, there is someone out there for you; I’m sure of it. The perfect men are waiting for both of you. I know it’s hard to believe it sometimes. She smiled at Sasha, then turned back to look at Jasmine in the mirror. I found my Mike when I’d given up looking.

We know, Sasha said. We were there, remember? And we couldn’t be happier for you.

Leanne’s eyes shone with tears.

Don’t! Sasha passed her a tissue. Mascara!

The thing is, Leanne went on after dabbing her eyes with a corner of the tissue, I know you had a very bad experience with Craig, Jasmine, and you have to learn to trust all over again, but you’ll only do that by taking a risk. It won’t happen if you don’t.

Maybe that’s part of the problem, Jasmine thought. She was trained not to take risks. To weigh up the potential for getting hurt and choose the safest option, for herself and for others.

She appreciated her friends’ concern, she really did. She didn’t know what she would have done without them after Craig’s betrayal, but she wasn’t ready to take that risk. She preferred to stay safe—and that meant staying right away from dating men for the foreseeable future.

My work here is done, the makeup artist said, packing away the tools of her trade. She glanced at the hairdresser, who’d returned to the room while they were talking. They’re all yours.

Jasmine stood in front of the full-length mirror in the corner of the room, stunned by the image she saw there. After helping Leanne into her ivory wedding gown, she and Sasha had finally climbed into their own dresses. The strapless crimson satin was close-fitting till it reached her knees, where it flared into a fishtail. She just hoped she’d be able to do it justice when she walked down the aisle. Between the dress and the high heels, she was well out of her comfort zone.

Sasha joined her at the mirror. Gotta love designer lingerie. It works wonders, doesn’t it? She fiddled with her own bodice, then smiled. You look fabulous. Your hair…if I didn’t know better, I’d think you’d had red highlights put in. They don’t show when you scrape it back into a ponytail like you usually do.

Jasmine smiled back at Sasha. She’s a good hairdresser. You look fantastic too.

Thanks. Not as good as you, though. You look beautiful. Sasha flapped a hand. Not that you look ugly normally, just…different.

Jasmine’s eyes flicked back to the mirror. She did look very different from normal, and she knew most people would consider it a change for the better, but it gave her a sickly feeling in the pit of her stomach. Trouble was, she looked just like her mother.

She’d always denied the resemblance, which was easy to do because her mother had dressed like a movie star and worn more makeup than a model, while Jasmine had looked like a boy from choice. Even now, as an adult, she preferred her genderless firefighter’s uniform to dressing up in the feminine clothes that Sasha and Leanne wore.

She might look like her mother’s daughter when she was dressed like this, with her hair styled and face made up, but she’d made a conscious decision to be a different person. It was just the shock of seeing her mother’s image looking back at her from the mirror that had shaken her. She would be fine as long as she didn’t catch sight of her own reflection again throughout the day. She straightened her shoulders and joined her friends as they gathered their flowers.

As she made her way down the wide stone steps of Leanne’s parents’ house to its terraced garden, Jasmine had a 180-degree view of the Adelaide Hills. She could also see the gazebo at one end of the lawn where the marriage celebrant waited, along with the groom, Mike. Leading to them, a red carpet bisected dozens of white chairs to form an aisle.

Reminding herself to walk slowly and trying not to crush the stems of the white roses she carried in front of her, she made her way there alongside Sasha, while Leanne followed with her father. Jasmine spotted several of her crew among the faces that turned toward them. They’d be shocked to see her like this. She would talk to them later. For now, she focused on making it from one end of the aisle to the other without incident.

…

Aaron Parkes stood with some of the guys from his crew—the ones who also hadn’t brought a date to the wedding—watching the flamboyant photographer organize the bride and her two bridesmaids into what looked like an uncomfortable pose.

Blimey, Mac scrubs up well, doesn’t she? Dave tilted his champagne flute in the direction of Jasmine Mackinnon and the rest of the wedding party.

Kane gave a short laugh. "That doesn’t come close, Dave. She’s hot."

Behave yourself, Dave said. That’s your colleague you’re talking about.

Come on, I’m only saying what we’re all thinking. Right, Aaron?

Aaron swallowed a mouthful of champagne. Leave me out of it, he said. But he didn’t disagree with Kane. Who’d have thought Mac would look this good in civvies?

It wasn’t just the clothes, though, it was the whole eye-popping package. She’d transformed herself into a woman. Obviously, he’d always known she was female, but now, she was a woman. One with more curves than a racetrack.

He’d only ever seen her in uniform or work-out gear—and not the figure-hugging leggings and tops that most girls wore in public gyms. Baggy T-shirts and shorts were her standard. Still, it was a good thing she didn’t dress like this at work or she’d start more fires than they could put out.

So, yeah, even hot was an understatement in his opinion, but he had no intention of speaking his thoughts out loud. He trusted Kane and Dave with his life, but he didn’t trust them not to pass on his words to Mac, and he wasn’t about to give her an advantage in their verbal sparring matches by letting her know she’d knocked his socks

Reviews for Flirting with Danger

[msromanticreads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a really cute story by new to me author, Claire Baxter. The hero and heroine were like oil and water, until she underwent a mini makeover for a friend's wedding. Gone was the tomboy and out came a woman with movie star looks. Of course all her male colleagues took notice, one in particular. I'm not altogether sure how I felt about the catalyst, that seeing her “all dolled-up” was stunning enough to make her turn heads all of a sudden, whereas in her turn out gear, she was just another one of the guys. I wouldn't know whether to feel pleased or insulted. However, their unfurling pasts and their hidden depths were enough to make me overlook that slight.

Jasmine was one of those head-strong characters who preferred to do things on her own and never ask for help. She was independent, self-sufficient, capable, and (not) surprisingly, lonely. Her being somewhat of a tomboy seemed to have roots in her relationship with her mother. Her mother had always been beautifully coiffed and attracted attention. That attention seeking eventually led to an affair and her death in a car accident. Since then, Jasmine had denied all compliments of the mother-daughter resemblance. When she found out her boyfriend had been cheating on her, it led her to swear off men and relationships.

Aaron had a reputation for being a playboy. He liked them hot and dumb, or at least that's how Jasmine saw it. The wedding was a real eye-opener and suddenly Mac became Jasmine, a gorgeous woman with a body to die for. He not only surprised Jasmine but himself too when he decided to kiss her. Suddenly she wasn't the colleague he'd been trading snarky remarks and comebacks with, but a woman he desired. Before long, he was seeking excuses to spend time with her outside of work, he wanted to get to know her. Just like Jasmine, Aaron also had his own personal demons preventing him from wanting a relationship.

I really liked this couple because at first it seemed like the standard “opposites attract” situation until we learned more about backgrounds only to find they had common ground. The best thing about this story was the dialogue. The jokes, the snark, the veiled jealousy on either side was quite cute. I also liked that Aaron recognized that he had something to prove to her if he wanted a chance with her. I think that applied not just to her, but to any woman. Who'd want to really take a chance on a player? So yes, I enjoyed seeing him make some decisions about his life and take action. Of course not everything was smooth sailing, but I liked the anticipation. The drama near the end was a little predictable and perhaps a little cliché, but it helped this stubborn couple come to a decision. The full-circle ending was the icing on the cake.

Note: There was implied sex, but only for one scene. Anyone who is familiar with the Entangled Bliss line already knows to expect sexual tension, but otherwise these are “clean” stories.

Favorite Lines:

“As if you'd know. Nobody would want to take your photo.”
“Hey, it has happened.” He grinned. “And all I had to do was lie there. But you're right, it was really hard.”

~*~

“You make my software turn to hardware.”
Her eyes widened.
Laughing at her expression, he said, “Some women appreciate my wit.”
“Never heard it called that before.”

~*~
Jasmine finds a hot pink stiletto in his car.

She examined it from all sides. “Strange. I thought it would have TGIF printed on it somewhere.”
“Thank God It's Friday?”
“No. Toes Go In First. That's about the level of intelligence I expect from someone who'd leave her shoe behind. The pair, I could understand, but not one shoe.”

~*~

Rating: 3.5 rounded up to 4

Disclaimer: I received a review copy from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

[beckymmoe_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Firefighters. Set in Australia. Throw in that awesome cover (yeah, yeah, I know. But we all do judge, and you know it!), and seriously, what’s not to love here?Flirting with Danger is the first book I’ve read by Claire Baxter, but it definitely won’t be my last. I just couldn’t put this one down! I was completely drawn into Jasmine and Aaron’s lives and was in no way ready to leave them when the book was over.I really enjoyed their progression from coworkers to friends to something more. Even though the novel takes place in a relatively short time frame, it never felt as if their relationship was rushed. I could clearly see why certain things were happening along the way in developing the plot, yet the events never felt contrived–very skillfully done.Both the hero and heroine had a considerable amount of baggage going into their we’re-not-dating relationship, and for the most part it was believable. I thought Jasmine was perhaps a little quick to forgive her mother after so many years, but on the other hand I was glad that she finally did, so am willing to overlook the abruptness. I liked how Ms. Baxter gradually showed us–and Jasmine–just how different the reality of Aaron was as compared to the public image.All in all, I am definitely looking forward to seeing more from this series. There’s quite a few firefighters left, so I’d love to see them all get their HEAs! (Out of fairness, naturally. Not just because I want to read about hot firefighters. Honest.)A- for a highly entertaining read.received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[sarah_hearts_books · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's been some time since I've had the pleasure of reading a book with sexy firefighting men and women battling dangerous situations and falling in love. I'm so glad I ended my drought with FLIRTING WITH DANGER. It's a little bit cliche and a lot of fun. Grab a glass of wine, put your tired feet up, and prepare to have your fire quenched by one Tall, Dark and Delicious man, and a woman who finally realizes she has sex appeal, and how much she likes it. FLIRTING WITH DANGER is a story about two people whose pasts—and job—keep them from love and happiness. Both Jasmine and Aaron have had bad luck in the luck department, so in order to prevent themselves from pain, they wall themselves off from emotional heartbreak in completely opposite ways. For Jasmine, she uses baggy clothing and her tomboy nature to keep men in the friend zone, and to prove she's not like her tramp of a mother, who used her beauty to manipulate the men in her life and made her husband miserable. Jasmine has hidden the womanly side of her so well, she doesn't even realize how much she liked dressing up and looking pretty until Aaron shows her how to let loose and live a little. Although Jasmine for the most part was a very interesting character, she was "teenage-esque" in her initial attraction for Aaron. Anytime there was a woman within two feet of him, the claws would come out and I wanted to smack her around a bit. Not too much, just to get the point across (I'm not usually the violent type, I swear!) Some jealousy is expected, but jeez lady, take a Xanax. She did seem to mellow out as the novel progressed, so I was content to continue reading. Plus, the story was just too good for some petty jealousy to keep me from enjoying it!Aaron took a completely opposite route when it comes to keep others at arm's length. He serial dated what seemed like a different lady every night, and only the kind of lady that knew the score—a night or two, but no relationships and no commitment. Since the author lets it known (to the reader) his reason for "serial dating," I couldn't fault him for acting the way he did. He never made promises, and he never lied. This story was hugely entertaining for me, and oddly steamy for a story without sex! It's a good thing Aaron and Jasmine are trained to put out fires, because they did a great job of heating up the electronic pages of this book! (So I'm cheesy, deal with it.) I would recommend this book to just about any romance reader. It's humorous, hot, and written very well. I'll be reading more from Claire Baxter in the future, that's for sure.Read more reviews and recommendations @ No Book Left Behind Book Blog Many thanks to The Romance Reviews for allowing me the opportunity to read and review.

[mybookaddiction_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Flirting with Danger by Claire Baxter is a must-read. Jasmine (Mac) and Aaron are two of the best drawn characters in recent memory. This is a sweet read with sexual tension, but only steamy kisses and near misses. Where the book excels, and earns its very high marks, are in the exchanges between Mac and Aaron. Both push the other to re-evaluate their lives, their preconceptions, and their goals. Through taking a good look at themselves, they both grow and fall in love. It is a rare book that really pushes the envelope in an introspective direction, and the characters are so much stronger for it.The interactions with the secondary characters only enhances the interactions between Mac and Aaron and bring them more shape and substance. It is easy to see those secondary characters get books of their own and their voices were unique to them, which is always a good thing to see. Plotting, pacing, eureka moments: they all felt natural and organic to the story.You won't want to miss this one. Let's hope it is the start of a wonderful series.RATING: 4.5Heat Rating: SweetREVIEWED BY: Monique Neaves,Review courtesy of My Book Addiction and More