All Fired Up (2 page)

“You’ll be on day roster for two weeks, until you get the hang of the way we do things here at Hillwood. Once you start on the roster, you’ll be working two twenty-four hour shifts, then have four days off. You’ll have to use one of the bunks for napping in between call-outs. We don’t have designated women’s quarters here, I’m afraid.” He paused, watching her face for any reaction. “Although we have female firefighters at other departments, you’re our first. There is, however, a separate toilet and shower and I’ve had it signed as ‘female.’ Think you can handle that?”

She nodded. “Of course.” Female firefighters were still in the minority and she didn’t expect any special treatment. Being the only girl in a family of five brothers had taught her how to handle pretty much any situation.

“OK then. So long as you are clear that there’s no one here to hold your hand if the work gets dirty. You’ll be treated as just another member of the team.” He put his glasses back on, then picked up another sheet of paper and held it out to her.

“This is the list for the fire-proof turnout gear you’ll need. The storeroom is just across the hall. When you go in, lock the door behind you so you can try stuff on for size. Go through this list and take everything. When you’ve finished, sign the form and give it back.” She took the sheet he held out. “After that, how about I take you on a grand tour of the station?”

“Sounds good. Thanks, sir.”

“Dave.” He looked back down at the keyboard and began one-finger typing.

“Dave.”

Chapter Two

She raced up the stairs to level two of her apartment block, keen to get home. She let herself in, dropped her backpack on the sofa, and made straight for the kitchen. She stood in front of the calendar and, with shaking hands, reached up and removed it from the hook. A good-looking, buff firefighter gazed out at her, black streaks of supposed soot daubed across his cheeks and chest. Her heart began beating quickly as she flicked the page over. Yes, it was him! Those green eyes seemed to bore right into hers, taking her breath away. She hung the calendar back up. It wouldn’t be long, she thought, before Mr. April—Dave—brightened up her little kitchen.

“Oh boy! Be still my beating heart!” A laugh spilled from her lips, making her little tabby meow loudly as he jumped up onto the benchtop. She scooped the cat up and cuddled it. “Guess what, Joey? Momma’s got the hots for her boss!”

* * *

After parking her car, she walked across the paved parking lot of the fire station with a spring in her step, swinging her shiny new coffee mug by the handle. Entering the day room, she was surprised to see it was squeaky clean. The benchtops—even the floors—shone, and there was not one dirty cup to be seen. The magazines from the lunch table were neatly piled up on a low coffee table in one corner, and there were no old, out of date newspapers to be seen anywhere. For a split second, she wondered if the fireman calendar had been thrown out, or if it was lurking somewhere in the pile of old magazines.

She entered the locker area off the kitchen and opened her locker, removing the yellow trousers and coat, and her yellow helmet. There would be drills today, both high ladder and ground exercises. As she began to pull her protective uniform over her other gear, she heard voices coming up the corridor. The door to the day room flung open, and the talking stopped. She turned to greet her colleagues, but her friendly smile was met by two stony-faced men—one of them the red-haired Warner. She pulled on her trousers and walked into the day room, but his eyes avoided hers as he brushed past her without a word, and began to make a coffee. She took a deep breath and walked over to the bench, placing her new cup down with a loud thud, close to his on the tiled top.

“Hi, Warner. How’re things?”

Silence filled the room as the other man cleared his throat and opened the refrigerator. There’s no way I’m gonna let this go, she thought.

“The kitchen looks great. The cleaners must have come through here like a tornado.”

Still no response. Bottles rattled as the fridge door banged shut, and the other man came over and held out his hand.

“Hi, Cindy. I’m Jerry. Nice to have you on the team.”

She took his hand and nodded. “Nice to meet you, Jerry.” He looked awkward, but she appreciated his gesture. A loud bang sounded behind her, and she turned to see Warner’s back as he stomped out the back door.

Jerry sighed. “Sorry. He’s not always like this.” He looked around the clean and tidy kitchen. “Dave made him clean this room up yesterday after his shift.”

She realized now why her comments about the clean kitchen would have irked Warner. “Oh, I didn’t know that.”

Jerry shrugged and smiled. “You weren’t to know. Come on, we don’t want to be late for the tower drill.” He led the way outside to the training area.

* * *

The morning went quickly. Cindy knew she was being watched by the other firemen. Dave was there too, observing everything. The training was rigorous, but nothing she hadn’t done before. She was fit and strong; she cut it with the best of them as far as strength, ability, and attitude. In fact, she’d topped the class at the academy, and had been rewarded by offers of postings to some of the most prestigious fire departments in the country. It was she who chose Hillwood, not the other way around. She wanted to be in a small station with the reputation of being busy. She didn’t want to spend her days and nights on a bunk or playing cards, waiting for the fire alarm to ring. Hillwood’s high call-out rate was due to several factors, but mostly the proliferation of factories that produce highly flammable materials.

Her hair under the helmet was soaking wet from perspiration, and her breath came in heaving pants as she climbed the last of the extended attic ladders, hauling a heavy hose with a large long-range nozzle to the top. Once there, she called out to the men below to turn the hose on. Holding it with two hands, she waited for the rush of water. In an instant it came, bucking the hose like a rifle shooting a round of ammo. Training had taught her to brace herself on the ladder, using her knees and thighs, and to use her strong arm muscles to manage the pressure of the jet. After a minute, the ground crew turned off the water, and she began the descent, her legs shaking as she neared ground level. The arduous climb was hard work, but the adrenaline coursing through her veins felt great.

“Good work, crew.” Dave’s voice made her heart kick a little. “Those who climbed the ladders in this session will do ground duties this afternoon.” A horn sounded, signaling the end of the shift, and the men all filed into the day room to have a break.

“Reece.” She jumped when she heard her name. She hoped she hadn’t fallen short in her drill that morning. “Have you got a minute?”

She removed her helmet and wiped the wet strands of stray hair from her face. Her forehead was coated in beads of sweat, and her breathing hadn’t fully recovered from the strenuous activity. Dave lowered his eyes to her heaving yellow-clad chest, then leisurely looked up until he was peering into her eyes in that unnerving way he had.

“You did really well. Just wanted you to know.”

“Thank you, Dave.” Relief swept through her, and she smiled. Quite apart from the physical exertion she’d just undertaken, she felt her heart rate suddenly increase. He smiled back at her, and she took an involuntary inward breath, making her sound like she was choking. Her face flushed.

“Well, I can see you need a break.” He turned and strode back into the fire station, leaving her rooted to the spot, feeling like a starstruck teenager who’d just met their favorite celebrity pinup boy in the flesh.

* * *

The afternoon training session was hard, physical work, but the mental side of it—working out the various tactics for a real situation—fascinated her. As a team, they devised plans, processes and routines, then practiced with hypothetical situations. By the end of the day, she was sore and tired, but elated.

The steaming shower pelted down, massaging her overworked muscles. She let the water flow over her as she looked back over the events of the day. Throughout the drills, she’d been conscious of Dave standing off to one side, observing her. She kept telling herself that he probably did this all the time, and that he was more than likely watching all of the team, but on the occasions when she dared to sneak a look in his direction, she found him staring at her, never flinching. A niggling doubt crept into her thoughts. Perhaps he questioned her ability to keep up with the men? Maybe he too didn’t like to see female firefighters. But somehow she didn’t think he was like that.

After the shower, she dressed in her gym clothes, a skimpy black leotard with bicycle shorts and a midriff, off-the-shoulder T-shirt. Her hair was still wet, so she let it hang loose. She looked forward to her zumba classes. It was a great workout, but also lots of fun. It was quiet as she grabbed her bag and walked through the darkened corridors of the station, heading for the exit and the parking lot. All the day shift guys must have gone home. There would just be the four night shift men, and at this time of the night, they’d be working out in the station gym. The place seemed deserted.

Bang! She bumped right into Dave.

“Whoa! You OK?” His voice was filled with concern. He had his hands on each of her shoulders, holding her at arm’s length. The feel of his fingers on her bare skin sent a tingle running through her. She looked into his eyes—they appeared to be luminous in the half-light of the darkened corridor. She tried to pull her gaze away from his, but it seemed held there.

“Sorry, Dave. I was miles away. Hope I didn’t hurt you.”

“It was my fault. I came out of my office and didn’t look where I was going.” Still he kept hold of her.

Her skin seared with heat under the touch of his fingers. Her heart raced. The close proximity of his face was unnerving.

He was the first to break the spell, letting go of her shoulders, and raising one hand to brush a wet tendril from her forehead, his gaze holding hers, never blinking. An involuntary shudder swept through her at his touch.

“Your hair’s wet. Are you cold?” His voice was barely a whisper.

His powerful body, so close to her in the dimly lit corridor, rendered her speechless. Instead, she shook her head. Again his hands rested on her shoulders, then gently ran down the length of her bare arms until they reached her hands, their feather-light touch on her skin making her shiver slightly, and her heart begin to beat wildly. Still, she couldn’t form any words.

“Yes. Even your hands are cold. Come out of this drafty corridor.” He gently tugged her by both hands into his office, then turned to face her. “You need something to keep you warm.” Suddenly he smiled, his even, white teeth gleaming in his tanned face. “Maybe I should go grab the calendar from the day room for you?”

She held her breath for a split second, not sure how to respond, the picture of him as the April pinup filling her mind.

He laughed softly. “Sorry, I was just trying to be funny. You don’t have to answer that. I shouldn’t have…” He dropped her hands and moved back. “Got a jacket in your bag?”

“Um, no.” She barely recognized her own voice. “I’ll be fine. Ten minutes after I get started I’m hot as hell.”

Heat spread up her face the second she realized what she’d said. She was glad he wouldn’t notice in the half-light of the dim office.

“Zumba. After I start zumba.”

“I see.”

Suddenly the conversation had become awkward. She dragged her gaze away from his mouth, fighting off the desperate urge to kiss it. His nose, fine and straight…those beautiful eyes, like none she had ever seen before. He regarded her intently, delving deeply as though trying to read her mind.

He tilted his head to one side and narrowed his eyes, peering at her carefully. “You know, I feel we’ve met before. There’s something familiar about you.”

Oh boy, she’d remember if they had, she thought. “Don’t think so.” Then it hit her. Hm, maybe I’ve been caught out. She resisted the impulse to glance over at the female firefighter calendar hanging on the wall.

Still he seemed to be racking his brain, trying to place where he knew her from.

“So, what time does your class start? It’s just that I wonder if…” He blinked and gave his head a slight shake, as though clearing his thoughts.

“You wonder…what?”

He cleared his throat, and brought his eyes back to hers. “I wonder if you have time for a drink?”

She didn’t believe she heard him right. Her racing heart and inability to breathe normally, sapped her of her usual confidence and command of the moment. She hoped he’d said what she thought he’d said. A sharp involuntary intake of breath rasped in her throat.

“Yes, I think I could manage to squeeze one in.”

His grip on her hands tightened. “Yes?”

A smile lit up his face, making him look even more attractive. Without a word, he moved over to the door and closed it. He went to a metal filing cabinet in the corner and pulled open the top drawer. Seconds later, he placed two glasses and a half-full bottle of bourbon on his desk and began removing the lid. He quickly poured out two shots and handed her one. Her fingers curled around his as he held the glass. She took a step closer, until her face was close to his. She smelled his aroma, the faded aftershave, that sexy man-smell. The telltale signs of desire fluttered deep inside her. Suddenly, she didn’t want to bother with zumba. She allowed his fingers to slide out from between hers and the glass. Lifting it to her lips, she took a long, slow sip.

“Maybe I could skip class…” Her voice sounded smoky, hot.

His eyes never left hers as he also raised his glass and took a mouthful.

He moved even closer. She caught a whiff of bourbon on his breath. “Don’t let me get in the way of your exercise regime.”

She reached up and traced her index finger down the side of his cheek, then across his bottom lip.

“Oh, I have no intention of letting you stop me from getting some exercise.” Their lips were only an inch apart. If she put her tongue out, she thought, she would be able to taste that luscious mouth.