Hearts On Fire: Park City Firefighter Romance

by Christine Kersey

  Was there any hope for them?

  Afraid that the answer was no—after all, he’d stated he didn’t want a relationship—she knew she had to take a step back.

  Unwinding her arms from around his neck, she gathered her resolve, then gently pushed him away. He released her, his eyes slowly opening, and as she watched him she saw conflicting emotions chase each other across his face.

  If he didn’t want anything more than to make-out with her, then she needed to put a halt to things right now.

  “I think it’s time for me to go home,” she said, pushing aside the regret she felt. She would have preferred to spend hours with him, but if he refused to share his feelings and instead just wanted to kiss her, she had to draw the line. Not that she minded the kissing, but she didn’t want to get her heart wrapped up in him only to have him break it.

  “Okay,” he said, obviously surprised that she wanted to leave.

  “I, uh, I think I’ll go back to Pineapple’s and see if my friends are still there.”

  He nodded. “I’ll walk you back.”

  “Thanks.”

  When they reached the sidewalk and began walking to Pineapple’s, Arwen was sharply disappointed when Tyler didn’t take her hand.

  “Since I’m fired as your trainer,” he said, “are you going to work out on your own, or do you want me to recommend one of the other trainers?”

  Her head swiveled in his direction. This was really over, wasn’t it? Before it had even had a chance to begin. Resigned to her reality, she said, “I, uh, I think I’ll just do it on my own.” Somehow having someone else train her would feel wrong.

  “All right.” He was quiet for a moment. “Maybe I can give you pointers now and then. You know, unofficially.”

  Did that mean there was a chance for them? However small? Hope blossomed inside her. “If you have time.”

  “Yeah. If I have time.” He paused a beat. “I’ll be at the firehouse tomorrow and Monday, but I’ll be at the gym on Tuesday.”

  That’s right. He was a firefighter, which she found super attractive. Being around him at the gym was not going to be easy.

  They reached Pineapple’s and he held the door for her. As they entered, she saw her friends sitting at the table where they’d been before they’d stopped to shoot pool. Lauren spotted her and waved. Waving back, Arwen turned to Tyler. “See you later.” Then she walked toward her friends without a backwards glance.

  Tyler watched her walk away. What was he doing? His attraction to her was almost overwhelming, but he was pushing her away.

  He was just protecting himself. Nothing wrong with that. Even so, in the back of his mind he feared he was making a mistake in not pursuing her.

  Not able to be around her any longer without wanting to drag her into his arms and kiss her senseless, he turned around and left.

  It was going to be a challenge to be around her at the gym.

  “Where have you been?” Lauren asked when Arwen slid into an empty chair.

  Not sure how much to divulge, she paused a moment. “Tyler took me to a dance club up the street.”

  “What?”

  “Hold on,” Paisley said. “What’s going on between you and Tyler?”

  Arwen looked at her friend. “What do you mean?”

  Paisley’s eyebrows rose. “Don’t play dumb. We can all see there’s something going on between you and your…” She lifted her fingers to do air quotes. “Personal trainer.”

  “He is my personal trainer.” At least he used to be. “That’s where I met him. At the gym.”

  Paisley pursed her lips. “Uh-huh.”

  Arwen could see she wouldn’t be able to hide the truth from her friends. Plus, she could use some advice. “It’s complicated.”

  Paisley looked at Lauren and Sarah and made a face that said Told ya.

  Arwen looked at the three of them. “What?”

  “When you disappeared at the same time Tyler did,” Sarah said, “we knew something was up. Something more than exercise.”

  Everyone but Arwen laughed. Instead, she softly sighed.

  “Tell us,” Lauren said.

  So she did. The hike, the kiss, the conversation at the dance club. Not to mention the kissing at the dance club. All of it.

  “Oh my,” Sarah said.

  Arwen nodded. “Yep.”

  “What are you gonna do?” Paisley asked.

  “I’m going to show up Tuesday night and do my workout.” What else could she do? If Tyler wasn’t willing to go beyond that, then Arwen would have to accept it.

  She enjoyed the rest of the evening with her friends, but as she went to sleep that night and thought about seeing Tyler on Tuesday, dread and excitement mingled inside her.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Looks like you actually did have some plans with Arwen last night,” Tommy said to Tyler the next day at the firehouse. Their crew had completed all of their tasks for the morning and were taking a break, sitting around the kitchen table drinking coffee.

  Tyler had struggled to get Arwen out of his mind the entire night, so having Tommy bring her up was less than helpful.

  “Yeah,” he said. “So?”

  Tommy laughed. “Just found it interesting.”

  Wanting to turn Tommy’s attention in another direction, Tyler asked how the game of pool had gone with Arwen’s friends.

  “It was fun, but none of them left with me the way Arwen left with you.” He grinned. “So I wouldn’t call it a success.”

  “We just went to the dance club up the street.”

  Tommy’s grin turned to a smirk. “I guess dancing can make for a decent workout.”

  Kissing could too. But Tyler wasn’t going to tell him about that. Although he couldn’t get it out of his head.

  The tones went off and they all jumped up and ran toward the apparatus bay.

  “Car fire,” Cap said as they climbed aboard their respective rigs.

  Tyler and Jake jumped into their turnouts and climbed into the ambulance, then pulled out.

  When Tuesday evening rolled around, Arwen’s nerves were stretched tight. For the last two days Tyler had been on her mind, and though she was eager to see him, she was also on edge. What if he decided they shouldn’t have any more contact? Then again, what if he went in the completely opposite direction and decided he was ready to get in a relationship after all? Giddy at the thought, as she drove to the gym she couldn’t stop smiling.

  After changing into her workout clothes she went directly into the workout area, on the lookout for Tyler. It was as if there was a magnet between them because her gaze zeroed right in on him. Who could miss him? With that face, and that body, and the confident way he moved.

  Memories of their kisses—all initiated by him—flooded her mind. After glancing his way again, Arwen went on the treadmill for a few minutes to warm up, then she went to an open area and began stretching.

  Had he noticed she’d arrived? Would he have time to unofficially help her?

  Not liking that thoughts of him were taking over her mind, she turned her back to him and focused on stretching out. Several minutes later she felt him standing beside her. Pretending like she hadn’t noticed, she continued her stretches.

  “Hi, Arwen.”

  She straightened and faced him. “Hey.”

  “I have a few minutes,” he said. “Need help getting started?” He smiled, and she suppressed the urge to step into his arms and kiss him.

  She needed to get a hold of herself because it didn’t look like he’d changed his mind. He would help her at the gym, but nothing more. Pushing down her disappointment, she shook her head. “I’m going to start on the elliptical, so I’m fine on my own.”

  “Okay. Just remember that for a maximum cardio workout, you’ll want to keep your heart rate…”

  She cut him off. “I know. Above a hundred and thirty.”

  He laughed. “Right.” Then he gazed at her a moment.

  Desperate to know what he was t
hinking, she asked, “What?”

  His lips lifted in a brief smile. “Nothing. I’ll check back with you later.” Then he turned and walked away.

  She watched him go, then after punching a program into the elliptical, she put her earbuds in her ears and began.

  Why did he have to be so attracted to her? It was really messing with his head.

  Tyler tried to focus on other tasks, but his gaze kept drifting in Arwen’s direction. He didn’t have a client to work with just then, so he had nothing keeping him away from Arwen, and though he’d purposely gone to a part of the room where he couldn’t see her face, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. Ten minutes after he’d walked away from her he gave up and went over to her. He wanted to see if she’d gotten her heart rate to the right range anyway. Glad to have a semi-legitimate excuse, he strode over to her. “How’s it going?”

  She turned, and when their eyes met, she smiled. “Good.”

  Even though her face was flushed from working out—maybe because she was flushed—he found her more alluring than ever. Focus on the workout. “Grab the paddles and let’s see your heart rate.”

  She did as he asked and a moment later he could see that she was right where she was supposed to be.

  “You’re looking good.” Did he just say that? Was there a double meaning? Uh, yeah, but not on purpose. That was his subconscious jumping ahead of his conscious brain.

  One side of her mouth turned up in a smile. “Thanks.”

  “I’ll try to come back when you’re done.” Yeah, like that was in question.

  Was that a Freudian slip when he said she was looking good? She hoped so.

  She finished on the elliptical, and after stepping down, she turned to see where Tyler was. That’s when she saw Ben.

  Forehead furrowing, she watched as he stepped onto a treadmill. He didn’t look her way. Had he noticed she was there? Why was he there? Then again, it was a free country. He could work out there just like she did. It had to be a coincidence that he was there at the same time she was.

  Moments later Tyler approached her. “Do you want to hit the weight machine today?” He chuckled. “Since I’m not your trainer anymore, you should decide what to do next.”

  She smiled. “I don’t love the weight machine, but I’m willing to spend a little time there.” Besides, it was farther from Ben than the elliptical was.

  “Great.” He led the way to a weight machine, then turned to her. “What do you want to work on?”

  Though she didn’t like to be told what to do in general, it turned out she kind of liked when he guided her workout. He was the expert, after all. “What do you suggest?”

  One side of his mouth turned up, like he saw what she was doing. “I’d suggest working on your arms.”

  Bicep curls. Knowing it wouldn’t be reasonable to ask Tyler to demonstrate again, she held back a grin, then she grabbed the bar and pulled it upward.

  “I’d suggest three sets of ten reps,” Tyler said with a smirk.

  She shook her head as she laughed, but she began lifting the bar.

  “You’re doing awesome,” he said.

  Even though she knew he was just trying to encourage her, those words coming from him were powerful and it boosted her energy. And even though he wasn’t her official trainer, this felt familiar. She liked it.

  “Rest for sixty,” he said after she’d finished the first set.

  “How was it at the fire station?” she asked as they waited for the sixty seconds to pass. “Any interesting calls?”

  He chuckled. “They’re always interesting. We had a car fire, a heart attack, and a car accident.” His eyebrows rose. “Not fatal, thankfully. Plus a few other calls.” Smiling, he added, “We never know what we’re gonna get, so it’s definitely never boring.”

  Talking about work reminded Arwen that Ben was there. Her gaze slid in his direction and she saw him staring at her. After a brief hesitation, she lifted her hand in greeting. He waved back, but he didn’t smile.

  Tyler looked at Ben. “Who’s that?”

  She couldn’t tell him he was a patient, so she settled for, “Someone from work.”

  Tyler nodded. “Let’s do another set.”

  She laughed. “Let’s? Don’t you mean me?”

  “Of course I mean you. I was trying to make you feel less alone.”

  “Oh, I see.” She grabbed the bar and pulled it upward. “Good try, but it didn’t work because I’m the one doing all the heavy lifting.”

  He laughed. “Which is how it should be.”

  Somehow, with Tyler there brightening her day, she didn’t mind the work quite so much.

  Tyler watched Arwen do her last set of bicep curls. With her standing so close to him, he had the urge to lean toward her and kiss her. Every other time he’d kissed her she’d liked it just fine, so the temptation was strong. Except now their relationship was strictly platonic. Thanks to him. He knew he could change that if he wanted to, but his fear of opening his heart kept him from taking that step.

  He would have to settle for being with her on the nights she came to the gym. If he even had time. Sooner or later the time slot she came would be taken by a client and he wouldn’t get to spend time with her at all. And eventually she would stop coming completely as most people did. The thought of not seeing her at all sent a stab of regret to his gut.

  He couldn’t worry about that just then. He would cross that bridge when he came to it. He had plenty of time to figure things out.

  “Now what do you suggest?” she said after she’d completed the set.

  He smiled. “Triceps extensions.” He had to enjoy these moments with her while they lasted. “I’ll show you what to do.” He moved the pin to add more weight, then he sat on the bench and grabbed the handles attached to the pulley. “You’ll want to keep your elbows close to the sides of your head as you pull them forward like this.” He demonstrated the movement. “Okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  He stood up and she took his place.

  Arwen pulled the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. Embarrassed to be so weak, she said, “How much weight do you have on here?”

  He glanced at the placement of the pin behind her and laughed. “Sorry. I guess it’s a little high.” Then he reached behind her, which put his face right next to hers.

  On impulse, she turned her head and brushed her lips across his cheek. He pulled away enough to look her in the eye, and she could have sworn a spark of electricity arced between them.

  “Sorry,” she whispered.

  He didn’t look like he was sorry she had done it, but he didn’t say anything as he stood.

  If they hadn’t been in the middle of the gym there was no way he would have stepped back from that little teasing kiss. No way.

  Tyler inhaled deeply to get himself under control. “Start with a set of ten reps.”

  She didn’t move for a moment as she watched him, but then she began.

  They got through the rest of her workout without incident.

  “Are you coming back tomorrow night?” he asked as she stood in front of him.

  She gazed at him a moment as if she was giving him a chance to offer something more, but he kept quiet. “Yeah,” she finally said. “I think so.”

  He watched her walk toward the women’s locker room.

  He didn’t know how much more of this he could take.

  Disappointed that Tyler hadn’t shown any indication that he wanted more, Arwen showered and got dressed, then left the locker room and headed for the exit. She had just reached her car when she heard Tyler call her name. Turning, she saw him jogging toward her.

  Hope surged inside her, and she smiled. “Hey.”

  He held up her iPod as he stopped in front of her. “You left this on the elliptical.”

  “Oh.” She took it from his outstretched hand. “Thanks.”

  “Arwen,” he said, then he stopped.

  “Yeah?” Her voice was tinged with fresh hope.

/>   His gaze dipped to her mouth before going back to her eyes. “I just…I need to…” Then he closed the distance between them, his gaze never wavering from her face.

  Arwen’s heart pounded, and as his head dipped toward hers, she lifted her chin. Seconds later his mouth claimed hers. Her arms wound around his neck and his went around her waist. Clinging to him, she reveled in their kiss and her heart soared with happiness.

  All too soon he released her and took a step back, his pupils dilated as he stared at her.

  Not sure what this meant, Arwen waited for him to say something. Anything.

  After several moments of silence he rubbed the back of his neck, then with a half-smile/half-grimace, he said, “I’ll see you later.”

  Stunned, Arwen watched as he turned and jogged back inside the gym without a backward glance.

  On the drive home she didn’t even try to come up with an explanation for Tyler’s behavior. She would never figure him out, so why bother trying? But the more she thought about the way he’d kissed her with so much passion before walking away, the more upset she became, and as she climbed into her bed that night she made a decision. The next morning she would go to the gym before work. She was confident he wouldn’t be there that early, and if he wanted to see her, he could track her down. The ball was completely in his court now.

  After he’d finished with his clients that night, Tyler worked out hard. Sweat poured off of him and it felt good. By the time he’d finished he’d almost gotten Arwen out of his system. Almost.

  Why had he kissed her after he’d made it through the entire workout keeping his hands to himself? He couldn’t figure out why he hadn’t been able to hold back a little longer. Was he so weak that he couldn’t be around her without losing his mind?

  He threw his gym bag over his shoulder and walked out to his Jeep.

  He didn’t know how he was going to face her the next night. But the next night he didn’t have to face her because she never showed. Worried that something had happened to her, he sent her a text: Are you coming to the gym?