Grumpy As Hell

By Marika Ray

The town's hottest firefighter just put out the fire in my pants. Literally.

Ace Hellman. Star quarterback. Grumpy-as-hell firefighter. Chief pain in my ass.

He's beyond arrogant, inducing women to fake emergencies just to see his sexy swagger as he comes to save them. Not me though. That fire was a total accident. I swear. He and I actually have a long history of hating each other, starting with him ruining my live performance of the Nutcracker in kindergarten and ending with me being the only woman in town under forty whom he hasn't dated. I wear that title with pride.

Now that we've been roped into teaching a first aid class together, things can't get more awkward. He's determined to prove me wrong at every turn, and I'm determined to stop picturing him without his coveralls. I refuse to hide who I am, and Ace stands for everything I'm against.

He's so wrong for me the whole town knows it. So why do I feel like we start a fire every time we're together?