A review by litagentsaritza
Heat by Tory Temple

4.0

Great, fast, smutty read that leads to a series! How can you go wrong with that?

Summary: Chance thinks he's got a pretty good life. He loves his job as a fireman, he's got an ocean view, and he has a great bunch of friends. He figured there's not much reason to change until he meets Tucker, a paramedic who works his shift. Tucker might even be worth breaking the don't ask, don't tell policy at work, might just be worth coming out for.

Trouble threatens to tear the two apart, though, when Chance is injured, which takes a toll on all of his relationships, most importantly the one he had developed with Tucker. In fact, it shatters everything they've worked so hard for. Can Chance and Tucker rebuild their lives, coming back together to be better than ever?

What I liked about this book: I'm on a firefighter kick and am so glad I decided to start out with this series to get my fill. While the attraction between Chance and Tucker is palpable from the get-go, their foreplay is as steamy as their job. Tucker's not afraid to go after what he wants and while Chance appears to be (at the beginning) the one most comfortable with his sexuality, he's the most clueless about relationships of the two. The conflict between the characters is one many couples go through -- dealing with a convalescing, ornery partner.

Excerpt: Finally, frustrated with himself and needing to blow off steam, he retreated to the workout room. He set a treadmill on high and ran for twenty minutes. It helped a little. The racked weights caught his eye and he figured he could lift for a while. If nothing else, he could at least exhaust himself so that maybe he wouldn't dream tonight and wake up at four a.m. with a raging hard-on.

Chance was lying on the bench, staring up at the barbell and wondering if he should go ask Alex to spot him or just give up on working out altogether, when the door opened. If he had been blind and deaf he would have known it was Tucker, because wouldn't that just be his goddamned luck?

A dark head appeared in his line of vision and Chance got
an excellent view of Tucker's t-shirt pulled tight across his
chest. "Want a spotter?"

No, Chance thought. "Yes."

"Gotcha. Go."

Thankfully, it took most of Chance's attention to focus on the weight, because he'd added eight more pounds than usual. His muscles were screaming and he could feel sweat standing out on his forehead when he was finished, Tucker helping him put the weights back on the bar above him.

Chance let himself lie there and breathe for a minute. He was about to get up with a mumbled "thanks," but before Chance could even sit up, Tucker had come around to the front of the bench and straddled Chance's legs. Tucker didn't sit; merely stood above him and gazed down with a serious expression. Once again, Chance found himself frozen by only a stare.

"I do my job, yeah?"

Chance blinked, not expecting the question. "Yeah."

"Then why the shitty attitude, man?" Tucker was as straight-faced as Chance had ever seen him, and it occurred to Chance that Tucker really wanted an answer.

Because I'd like to turn you around and nail you to the wall was probably not the answer Tucker was looking for. Chance opened his mouth and then closed it again, not willing to tell the truth and not wanting to lie. His eyes strayed to the front of Tucker's shorts and then back up to his face.

Tucker cocked a dark brow and slowly lowered himself until he was sitting astride Chance's hips. "This why?" he whispered, giving a slow, downward nudge. Chance felt Tucker's cock through his shorts, full and solid.

He darted a panicked look at the door. "The guys," he said, his voice sounding hoarse to his own ears.

"Watching a movie. Come on, Shanahan. You don't waste your breath talking to me if we're not on a call. I wanna know why not." Tucker leaned forward, placing both hands on Chance's chest and bringing their cocks into fuller contact.

"You afraid?"

"Fuck you," Chance growled, and grabbed a handful of Tucker's hair, bringing Tucker down to him for a vicious kiss.

Chance felt Tucker grinning against his mouth before Chance shoved his tongue inside, sweeping and claiming and growling. He fisted a hand in the back of Tucker's t-shirt and rocked up against him, trying like hell to release some of the pressure of the last few weeks. Tucker groaned into Chance's kiss, pushing back against him, and before Chance could get his bearings, they were humping each other like kids.

"Been starin' at your ass for weeks," Tucker was muttering. "So fuckin' cocky, the way you parade around here with your shirt off and your tan line peekin' out over your shorts. You fuckin' bastard, Chance."

"Shut up," Chance hissed, arching his neck so Tucker could bite at it. "Shut the fuck up or they'll hear us."