Cover reveals: Shannon Stacey's Boston Fire series

Shannon Stacey joins HEA to unveil all three covers of her Boston Fire series, which kicks off in July with Heat Exchange. Controlled Burn is book two, and Fully Ignited is No. 3. Can you say hot times three? She's also sharing an excerpt from Heat Exchange. (To see a larger version of the cover of Heat Exchange, click on the blue arrow in the lower right corner of the image. We wish we could show you larger versions of all the covers, but we don't think HEA could handle the heat — and, sadly, our format doesn't support that. So sorry!)

Shannon: I'm so excited to be sharing the covers for my new Boston Fire trilogy, which launches with Heat Exchange in July! When my editor and I talked about sexy firefighters in Boston, we also talked about cover possibilities. Waiting to see these covers was so hard and I freely admit I got my hopes up. The Carina Press art department exceeded even my high expectations and I've been dying for them to be revealed. The day is finally here!

I'm excited to be bringing readers a new series, as well. I love delving into the relationships between men and I've written men who are family and friends, but now I'm enjoying exploring the special bond between firefighters. It's truly a brotherhood, and trying to find the balance between serving their community and finding love and being with their families is something they all face together.

The Boston Fire series almost marks a move to the city for me. I've done small towns in New Hampshire (my home) and Maine (formerly home and a frequent stomping ground), so it was time to head to Massachusetts, which is my home state. The love for and importance of community aren't lessened any by the city setting, and I think my longtime readers will like spending time in Boston.

I hope you enjoy the excerpt from Heat Exchange, and let me know how you feel about my Boston Fire covers!

EXCERPT

He set the bottle on one of the tables she hadn't wiped yet and alarm bells went off in her mind. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

He walked slowly toward her as he said it, his voice low. She could almost feel the energy crackling between them, and she tried desperately to remember this was Aidan Hunt. He was Scotty's best friend. He was a firefighter. He could be an annoying pain in the ass. That was three strikes and he was out.

"What is it you want to talk about?" she asked, surprised her voice sounded as steady as it did.

"You keep calling me kid."

She tried to ignore the way he moved into her personal space, but it wasn't easy. He smelled too good and she was eye level with that hollow at the base of his throat.

"I'm not a kid anymore," he continued when she didn't say anything.

Oh, she knew that. But calling him kid was her way of reminding herself he was her younger brother's best friend. Or attempting to, anyway. It didn't seem to be working.

"You're younger than I am," she said, with a new tone in her voice that bordered on husky.

Touching him would be a mistake. She pressed her hands to the wall behind her, the old brick coarse under her palms.

When Aidan braced his hands against the wall, too—one on either side of her head—Lydia's breath caught in her chest. He was close enough so she could smell his shampoo and the slight tang of his aftershave. And he was close enough to kiss her.

She was not going to touch him.

"Not by enough years to even count," he said, "unless you're scraping the bottom of the barrel looking for reasons why I shouldn't kiss you."

"There are so many reasons you shouldn't kiss me, I don't need to scrape the bottom of the barrel."

With his hands still braced against the wall, he dipped his head low, so his mouth was close to her ear. "Trust me, I know. But it's all I think about so unless you tell me you don't want it, I'm going to kiss you anyway."

His breath was hot on her neck, making the soft wisps of her hair tickle her skin. Lydia knew she should tell him she didn't want him to kiss her, but she couldn't make herself say the words. "It would be a lie."

Aidan's cheek grazed hers and she sighed at the contact. His lips pressed lightly against the corner of her mouth and then she had a brief moment of staring into his pretty blue eyes before his mouth was on hers.

Her fingers curled against the wall, the brick rasping her nail tips like an emery board. Their breaths mingled and the desire that had been building in her since he walked into the bar her first night back solidified into a needy ache. He kissed her until she made a hungry sound deep in her throat, and then lifted his right hand from the wall to cup the side of her face.

"Why do I want you so much?" he whispered against her lips.

"It doesn't make any sense."

"It doesn't." He brushed his thumb over her cheekbone, looking into her eyes. "I don't care."

Find out more about Shannon and her books at shannonstacey.com.