Free The Heat Is On (Boston Five Book 1) by Poppy J. Anderson Page A

from her house, barely refraining from fanning herself. The monstrous stone oven only added to the summer heat that gripped the entire city. Kayleigh now owed her one, Hayden mused, as she had been the one who was supposed to go get the pizza in the first place.
    But her friend had been held up at the hospital, so Hayden had walked here to procure something delicious to eat. She hadn’t eaten much at all recently. It wasn’t that she needed to lose weight, but her appetite was fickle and so intertwined with her emotions. Today, however, she’d finally felt truly hungry for a change, so she hadn’t wanted to wait much longer, in case the feeling passed.
    When someone tapped her shoulder, she flinched, afraid it would be a familiar face looking to talk about her life, but when she turned, she saw a face she couldn’t immediately place.
    “Hello …” she said hesitantly, as the wheels turned in her brain, taking in the blond with the wide smile. “Oh, Alec! Is that right?”
    “Yes, ma’am,” he answered nonchalantly, and then nodded at the pizza chef. “How are you, Hayden?”
    “I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” Cocking her head to the side, she studied him. “Are you on duty?”
    “No, I’m off.” He pointed to his outfit, which consisted of a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. “My next shift isn’t until the day after next.”
    “Ah, the luxury,” Hayden teased. She suddenly remembered with clarity how he’d first attempted to flirt with her and then abruptly left the house when Shane started to act all macho. Her gaze cast itself down to the floor.
    “It actually isn’t that luxurious,” Alec said playfully. “I need to repair a few things in my new apartment and put in new floors, so there won’t be much left of my time off when I’m done.”
    “I can imagine.” Looking up, she gave him a little smile. “Handyman stuff can really take the fun out of a day off. Do you still have a lot to get done today?”
    Alec rolled his eyes. “My skills are only mediocre, I’m afraid. That means I take a little longer to get things done. Once the kitchen is finished, I’ll be satisfied, though, because I’ve had enough fast food to last a lifetime.” The pizza chef snorted. Alec grinned at him. “No offense to you, Tony.”
    Hayden giggled, putting a hand over her mouth and shifting her weight from foot to foot. “Shane didn’t tell me how long you’ve been in Boston.”
    “My new partner is pretty taciturn, I’ve noticed.”
    “He’s a good guy,” she replied automatically, feeling the need to come to his defense. Loving Shane like a brother, she generously overlooked most of his quirks and hardly ever found fault with him. Until recently.
    His new partner, however, seemed like the stereotypical stubborn detective, because he gave her a surprised look and stated, “I didn’t mean to imply anything else. Shane and I are getting along great, even though we’ve only been working together a few weeks.”
    Hayden nodded and smiled softly. “Well, as soon as that vein on his temple starts throbbing, you should watch out. And take away his gun.”
    Alec guffawed at that. “I’ll make sure to remember that.”
    Shane had constantly been at loggerheads with his old partner, so Hayden hoped he would get along better with Alec. So far, the friendly blond man seemed much more affable than the older detective Shane had been partnered with for the last year and a half. He also seemed much more sympathetic to Shane’s Irish temper. She was still studying him with a smile on her face when she asked, with the polite curiosity of a true Bostonian, “You still haven’t told me where you’re from.”
    “I guess there wasn’t much time to properly introduce myself when we invaded your house and demolished your casserole and apple pie. I hope you weren’t too appalled by our intrusion.”
    “You must not know Shane that well then.” Hayden shrugged. “He comes to raid my fridge on a regular