There's Heat: A Friends to Lovers Romance Read online

  There’s Heat

  WHERE THERE’S SMOAK SERIES

  BOOK 3

  BY: NADINE HUDSON

  Copyright © 2021 Nadine Hudson

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

  Description

  Conner thinks it’s all in good fun. Playful banter. He thinks all his flirting and sexual innuendos are harmless...And that’s exactly what I want him to think. He can never know how much each smirk or touch twists me up inside.

  He’s been my best friend since we were kids. I could never jeopardize our friendship over some stupid childhood crush-even if that childhood crush has bloomed into something so much sexier as we’ve gotten older.

  Regardless, I can’t do it. I need to maintain our friendship and my heart unbroken above all else. Conner Smoak has more notches in his bedpost than I care to count and I can’t bear the thought of ending up as one of them. Not after everything we’ve been through together.

  As part of her special Blackbox Collection, Nadine Hudson cranks up the heat in this friends to lovers, slow burning romance that will leave you panting… clinging for more! HEA Guaranteed!

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  CLICK HERE to get access to the Surviving Love and War Prequel:

  The Love of a Lieutenant

  Table of Contents

  Description

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  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  What Happens Next?

  Follow Me!

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  OTHER BOOKS BY NADINE HUDSON

  About the Author

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  One

  Brooke

  I stretch and roll over into the coolness of the sheets. My eyes stay closed but I know exactly where I am. The scent of Ian’s cologne still lingers on his pillow and I press my face deep into it and inhale. Mmm...He smells so good. I smile as I reach out for him but my eyes bat open when my hand finds nothing but an empty bed. I sit up in place and reach my hands toward his ceiling, stretching out.

  Now that it’s daylight I can see his entire room and I take a minute to look around. You can tell a lot about a man by his bedroom. He has two large windows that flood in light from the morning. The room is a bit plain with just white walls and nothing hanging on them. No pictures. No shelves. Other than his bed, one night stand, a small chair, and his dresser he doesn’t have any furniture in here. It’s very clean and tidy. There are four brown boxes stacked in front of his closet door. I turn my head to the side to read the vertical writing on the box. Bedroom.

  It makes sense why his room is so bare. He only just moved in and clearly hasn’t had time to unpack everything. But what he has unpacked is either folded neatly in his chest of drawers or hanging perfectly in its place in his closet. This place could pass a military inspection. Rolling over to his side of the bed I slide open his nightstand drawer just to peek inside. Other than a few condoms pulled from the box, I smile to myself when I see them, all the other contents of the drawer seem to have their own place. Wow. He’s either a major neat freak or a major control freak. Or both.

  His bed sits so high off the ground that I have to slide off the edge. Though I can’t remember the last time I made my bed at home I make his as neat as I can. There’s a door beside his closet and I’m hoping it’s a bathroom. After my midnight binge-drinking session I can taste my breath. Eww. I find my to-go bag laying beside his bed. I bend down and start to dig through it. I pull out my change of clothes, jean shorts and a t-shirt, and find my toothbrush in a baggy at the bottom. As I pull everything out and start toward the bathroom I hear a thud like I dropped something. Turning around I see my phone laying in the middle of his floor. It must have been wrapped up in my clothes.

  I pick it up and glance at the screen. My heart starts pounding immediately. 6 Missed Calls-Conner

  I almost tap his name to call him back immediately but I fight the urge then notice there’s more. My messages icon has a number five in the top corner. I check that first. He never calls me like that. I hope everything’s okay. Ugh, I should have had my phone on me. My eyes scan the five texts, all from Conner.

  Where are you?

  I need to talk to you.

  It’s important, Brooke.

  Please answer me.

  Alright, well I’ll be home all night and all day tomorrow. Please come over when you can.

  I let out a sigh of relief that he’s okay. I wonder what is so important. It gives me an uneasy feeling but I push it off right away. No. This is my first morning with Ian and I’m not going to let Conner’s drama ruin it for me. I start toward the door beside Ian’s closet and open it up slowly. Yes! A bathroom. I look around and notice it’s just as tidy and organized as his bedroom. He has his toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, and mouthwash all set up strategically on his sleek gray bathroom vanity. I immediately brush my teeth and tongue. I need to get that taste out of my mouth. I splash some water over my face and scrub it with my hands before patting it dry with a towel hanging from a bar beside the sink. I slip on my clothes and throw my complete mess of frizzy curls up in a bun on top of my head.

  When I come back out into Ian’s bedroom I smell something delicious. He must be making breakfast. I pack up my things and take one more glance around the room to make sure I didn’t forget anything… or leave anything out of place. I make my way down the hallway that is now lit up from all the light flooding in from the living room. I look around and find that the rest of his house is exactly like his bedroom and bathroom. Sleak, clean, tidy...and empty. It has a very modern vibe to it. Or maybe it just seems that way due to the minimal furniture and no decorations or pictures on the walls. I turn the corner into the kitchen and find Ian standing at the stove over eggs and bacon. He’s wearing pj pants and no shirt. His hair looks even messier than usual and I can’t contain my smile. He looks so good.

  I walk up behind him and wrap my arms around his bare torso. I let my hands travel up and down his six pack as I rest my head on his back. He’s so warm. I breath in his scent. He smells even better than the food.

  “Hey, good morning. You sleep okay?”

  “I slept great. Thank you. Did you sleep alright?”

  “I did at first but then I woke up really early this morning and couldn’t fall back asleep. Then again I also didn’t drink half a bottle of wine by myself last night.” He eyes me curiously.

  I felt my face blush. Shit he noticed. Of course he noticed. “Yeah, I was having a hard time falling asleep. Maybe because my adrenaline was still pumping after all the action last night.” He turns to face me a smile spread across his lips.

  “Is that right?” he asks, his smile turning to a mischievous grin as he wraps his arms around me. He lets his hands rest on the small of my back.

  I nod. I feel him press me closer into his body.

  “Then maybe we should save the action for the mornings,” he murmurs then presses his lips firmly into mine. A small moan escapes my mouth and his hands travel to my ass. He gives it a quick, hard slap and pulls from the kiss. “But not right now. The food will burn.” He grins at me but I give him a pouty look. Ian shakes his head in amusement and turns back to the stove. “Insatiable.”

  After last night I really wanted to give him another chance. I was so focused o
n not thinking about Conner that I couldn’t focus on him. But after my revelation last night that I just needed time and I could learn to love Ian, I feel more confident. And what better way to learn than to practice.

  I gently trail soft kisses across his back as he continues cooking. This is nice. Not having to be the one to cook. Just being able to enjoy my view and sample him little by little. With my arms around him again I continue trailing kisses along his back. I let my fingers trace the outlines of his ab muscles until they find his happy trail. I lightly walk my middle and pointer fingers down his happy trail until they reach the waistband of his pj pants. I slip the tip of my middle finger inside his waistband and trace the line where his pants meet his waist. I hear him inhale sharply and his shoulders rise and fall under my cheek.

  I smile at his response to my touch. His touch does the same to me. I continue to tease and lightly touch him but when he doesn’t seem bothered by it anymore I step it up. I slip my fingers deeper into the front of his pants and reach down for his dick. I only make it to the bottom of his shaft which is already rock hard before I feel his grasp on my wrist. He rips my hand out of his pants. “Brooke,” he growls. Then spins around and grabs my thighs. He lifts me in the air and I wrap my legs tightly around him until he sits me on the countertop.

  His hands are firmly grasping my hips and I can tell by how hard he’s squeezing that he wants me too. He pulls my body toward the edge of the counter as he presses his erection against me. I wrap my arms around his neck and let my hands travel through his hair. He’s so sexy. He presses his forehead against my and whispers, “What are you doing to me?”

  His words send a tingle directly to my core and I press myself against him harder. His mouth finds mine and he kisses me hard pulling my body against his as he does. I let a hand fall and reach down to the front of his pants. I can feel his hard cock under my fingers. I want him right here. I reach my hand into his pants and this time he doesn’t stop me. I start to stroke the length of his dick and he groans into my neck sending goosebumps down my body.

  I feel his hands start searching for the buttons on my jean shorts and I lean back slightly to give him access. He gets them undone and I lift my hips allowing him to pull them off with my panties. He tosses them over his shoulder onto the floor. He pulls down his pants, freeing his cock. It’s rock hard and my vagina tingles with desire for him. He takes me in his arms once more and starts kissing and sucking down my neck. I tilt my head back and moan into the air.

  He rubs his hand up the length of my pussy and smiles with appreciation when he feels my wetness. His hands slide under my ass and he lifts me off the counter and slides me onto the length of his cock. “Ah!” I call out after his dick fills me the first time. His firm grasp on my ass holds me up and allows him to move my body up and down on him. He walks backward towards the table and sits on a chair allowing his full length to enter me. I reach the floor with my tip toes giving me traction to move against him on my own.

  I take in his full length and start to roll my hips back and forth. He lets out a loud groan, “Ahh, my God, Brooke! You fuck me so good!” His words send chills down my body and trigger it to start building. I can feel my orgasm getting close and I roll my hips faster pressing his cock deeper inside of me. I feel myself on the edge and I tilt my head back and close my eyes ready to let the pleasure wash over me.

  “Oh shit, Brooke!” Ian shouts as he stands quickly, pulling his dick out of me. No! I was so close! He sets me on my feet and rushes around me. I turn to see flames at least three feet high coming from the stove. Oh my God! Ian awkwardly makes his way to the sink, pants still around his ankles and pulls out a fire extinguisher from underneath. He pulls the pin, points it at the base of the fire, then squeezes the handle. I stand there watching still breathless from the sex.

  When he gets the fire out he turns to look at me, his breathing rapid. His dark eyes are narrowed and his lips are pressed together tightly forming a hard line. Is he mad at me? I feel like a child who is about to be in big trouble. But worse because I am standing here in front of him naked from the waist down. I immediately look around for my panties and shorts.

  “I’m so sorry, Ian,” I offer as I slip my clothing up my legs. “I didn’t mean to…”

  “What do you mean you didn’t mean to?” He growls, cutting me off and pulling his pants back up. “I fucking told you that this would happen, Brooke!” He gestures to the smoke damage on the wall behind the stove that trails all the way up to the ceiling.

  His loud voice booms through the kitchen and makes me jump. I didn’t expect him to yell and I’ve never heard him yell that loud. I feel my face burn red with embarrassment.My heart starts to pound in my chest. Was this my fault? But he…

  “You just couldn’t listen could you?” He turns from the room abruptly and storms back the hallway.

  I wrap my arms tightly around myself. I don’t know why but I have the sudden urge to burst into tears. How can he make me feel so vulnerable? Like a small child. I slowly sit down at the table and wait for him to come back. I tilt up my phone so the screen turns on. 9:12AM. Maybe I should go. I feel a lump start to form in my throat as I fight back tears. I don’t want him to see me cry. Am I really about to cry over this? How did this morning go so horribly wrong? It started out so well.

  I hear Ian rustling around in a room off the hallway. I follow the noise and open a door. It’s another bathroom and he is digging around in the closet, pulling out different rags and cleaners.

  “I really am sorry, Ian,” I tell him. My head facing the floor and my voice small. He doesn’t respond, but rather pushes by me through the doorway, cleaning supplies in his arms. As he passes his shoulder hits mine, almost knocking me off balance. Did he just shoulder-check me? On purpose? Shit. He’s really pissed. I feel so small. Did I ruin this before it could even start? The thought causes a sick feeling to stir in my stomach.

  I go back to his room and grab my to-go bag then turn and start back out to the kitchen to find him already scrubbing ferociously at the wall. “Can I help you with anything?” I ask quietly.

  “I think you’ve done enough. Don’t you?” he snaps without turning to look at me.

  I nod my head in agreement but he’s not looking at me.

  “Okay. I guess I’ll just go then.”

  I hear him sigh, “Brooke, wait.”

  He meets me at the front door and wraps his arms around me. “I’m sorry, baby.” He squeezes me tightly. I timidly put my arms around him not sure if I should hug him tightly or not. “It’s just that, I just moved into this place and I haven’t even been here two weeks… and now the kitchen…” he trails off.

  “I said I was sorry, Ian,” I say quietly against his chest.

  “ I know you did and I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

  I feel his chest rise and fall beneath my cheek as he inhales and exhales deeply. “ I have a bit of a temper if you haven’t noticed,” he says comically as if trying to lighten the mood. I’m happy to play along.

  “You scared me a bit,” I admit, laughing a little too as I finally look up at him. He puts his hands on my shoulders and looks me in the eyes.

  “I’m truly sorry, Brooke. The last thing in this world I would ever want is for you to be afraid of me. Can you ever forgive me?” He looks directly at me with his large, dark, pleading eyes and I feel my knees go weak beneath me.

  “Of course I can forgive you.” I wrap my arms around his neck and place a small kiss on his bottom lip, then his top, then both together. He smiles down at me, his arms now wrapped around my waist. His eyebrows drop and his eyes narrow, “Did we just have our first fight?”

  I laugh. “I think so but hopefully it was our last too.”

  He kisses me again softly before releasing me.

  “Do you want to stay? I can make something else for breakfast or we can go get something?”

  I pull out my phone and look at it.

  “Actually Conner has been trying to g
et a hold of me… all night apparently. Says he needs to talk to me about something,” I tell him casually rolling my eyes. I feel his body stiffen around me and I can tell he doesn’t like the idea of my spending time with Conner. I take his face in my hands and make him look at me.

  “I need you to understand. We are just friends, Ian. He just wants to talk. I’m sure it’s probably about how to get rid of his new girl that won’t stop calling him,” I joke. I could have lied and it probably would have been easier to just tell him I had something else to do but I don’t want to lie to him. I want this to work out and if it is going to work he will need to get used to Conner and I spending time together. I search Ian’s face for a reaction but his deep, dark eyes tell me nothing. His mouth tightens and he nods his head as if he understands but still doesn’t like it.

  “Okay,” he says cooly. “But I also need you to understand…” He tightens his grip on me. “I can be a very jealous man. I won’t share you with anyone. You. Are. Mine. Do you understand?” he lowers his face so that our foreheads are touching and he is looking into my eyes. I want to think his possessiveness is sexy, the way I used to think about Conner’s but after his tantrum over the fire in the kitchen I can’t help but feel a ping of fear mixed in too. I nod in agreement. “I’m yours.” I smile and he kisses me deeply before letting me go and returning back to the kitchen.

  ****

  I open the door to Conner’s house and walk it. It’s quiet except for Bruno thumping around excitedly as I enter the kitchen. “Hey, buddy!” I say, bending down and rubbing his head. I look around and notice all the lights are out. I make my way through the kitchen and into the living room. The smell of stale beer hits me in the face. Gross. I stop when I see Conner sprawled across his couch. He’s only wearing gym shorts so his well defined torse is completely exposed.