Burning Ambition

by Amy Knupp

  “And you, what, didn’t believe her?”

  Her dad shrugged. It struck Faith how beaten down he looked and how that contrasted with his tall frame, his wide shoulders, his usual proud stature.

  “I blew it.”

  “So you knew she could leave you at any time, and you still kept on working long hours? Going to fires in the middle of the night just because? Allowing the mayor to call a meeting at dinnertime?”

  “It’s hard to break some habits, Faith.”

  Something snapped inside her. She popped up from the chair and spun around. The weeks of trying to figure out what to do for him, of babying him, giving him tough love—through all of it, she’d been blind. “Cry me a damn river, Dad. You’ve made your bed. She gave you every opportunity and you didn’t even try to keep your marriage together. As far as I’m concerned, you let the family down. Knowingly.”

  “Faith, I—”

  “I don’t want to hear it.” Beyond exhausted from a near sleepless night and twenty-four hours of worry, she stormed to her bedroom and threw some clean clothes into a large duffel bag. Grabbed the dirty uniform off the floor and stuffed it into a plastic grocery sack. Made a quick stop in her bathroom to get any essentials she could fit into the duffel. Headed through the kitchen toward the back door.

  “Where are you going, Faith?” Her dad hadn’t moved from his spot at the counter.

  “Away. I’m staying somewhere else for a while. You can go ahead and finish self-destructing. Put your job first. You obviously couldn’t care less about the family or anyone in it.”

  Fire blazed in his eyes suddenly and he straightened. Advanced slowly, step by intense step. “I may have made mistakes, but don’t you ever, ever say that this family doesn’t matter to me. My family means more than you can ever know. And you…you’ve always been a daddy’s girl. I love you so much, Faith…it scares the living hell out of me to have you out there fighting fires. If anything happened to you again, it would kill me. Kill me. I have my best captain looking out for you, for God’s sake. So don’t tell me I don’t care about you…or your brothers or your—”

  “You have your best captain what?” Faith clutched the strap of the bag on her shoulder so hard her fingernails dug into the palm of her hand. Her insides sank to the bottom of her stomach.

  Her dad’s eyes widened briefly, as if he realized he’d said the wrong thing. “The point is that I’d do anything for my family, but I’m only human—”

  “You asked Joe to look after me? Are you paying him an extra babysitting fee, too?”

  “Calm down, Faith. It’s not that I don’t think you can do the job—”

  “That’s interesting, because from here, that’s exactly what it looks like.” Tears burned her eyes. She sounded semihysterical. And maybe she goddamn was.

  “You know better than that, princess. You’re good at the job. Damn good. But bad things can happen to anyone in our world. You know that firsthand.”

  She shook her head, blinded by her tears. “You were the one person who was behind me all the way, Dad, and now…now you’ve let me down in so many ways I can’t even count them.”

  Faith swung the screen door open and walked out of the house she’d grown up in.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  LUCKY FOR JOE, his address wasn’t in the San Amaro phonebook, which meant it took Faith a while to track it down. The station was nearly empty when she arrived, since the truck and ambulance had both been called out, and that gave her plenty of opportunity to poke around and find where he lived.

  By the time she reached the door of his place—a modest, narrow, two-story condo in the center of town—the tempest in her had weakened slightly. His 4Runner was in the carport beneath his unit, reassuring her she was at the right address. She knocked and waited.

  When he answered, she nearly swallowed her anger.

  He wore only a pair of jeans, the button undone, the worn, soft material hugging his thighs. His body was…perfect. Chest and abs sculpted as if a famous artist had chiseled the ideal male specimen. Corded biceps, wide shoulders. She managed to work her gaze upward, and realized by the drowsy look in his eyes and slightly mussed hair that he’d been sleeping.

  “Faith? What’s wrong?” He blinked sleepily, still distracting her from the reason she’d come here.

  “Can I come in?” she asked, fully aware of how visible his front door was from the street, should anyone they knew drive by.

  He opened the door wider and allowed her to enter, then closed it behind her.

  “Is your dad okay?”

  The mention was all it took to snap her back to her pissed off place. “So he ordered you to look out for me, huh?” She fought to keep her voice from slipping back into hysterical mode.

  He closed his eyes and dropped his head. Scratched behind his ear. Studied her. “What happened?”

  “He told me he asked you to watch out for me. Is that what everything is all about? The kisses, the being nice to me? You were stuck babysitting me anyway, so you might as well make the most of it?”

  “Whoa. Calm down, Faith.” He took her by the elbow and led her toward the big denim-blue couch in the living room.

  She shook her arm away and spun to face him. “Are you going to answer me?”

  “I thought we’d sit and have a civilized discussion, but I see that’s out of the question. Kissing you has nothing to do with your dad.”

  “You must think it’s amusing to have the chief’s little girl in your charge. What better way to butter him up for that promotion.”

  Joe started laughing then. Howling so hard he threw his head back. Faith narrowed her eyes and shook with the need to conk him over the head with a heavy object.

  “Really?” she said through clenched teeth. “You’re laughing?”

  He sobered, his dark eyes intense. Disbelieving? “Think about that for a minute, Faith. Butter up the chief by getting involved with his daughter? If you believe that, you don’t know a thing about men.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” She knew plenty about how stupid and proud and clueless they were.

  “Cardinal unspoken rule. You don’t screw the boss’s daughter.”

  “Who said anything about screwing?”

  “You know what I mean.” Joe stepped closer, his eyes taking on a different mood altogether. “Besides, correct me if I’m wrong, but I’d say we were about two steps from crossing that line in my room the other night.”

  She couldn’t correct him. He wasn’t wrong. And the way his dark, smoldering eyes bored into hers right now with such heat…

  “I’ve kissed you because I wanted to, Faith. Because there are times I can’t not kiss you. Because something about you, about your stubborn determination, the heart you put into everything you do…those damn kissable lips…” His gaze lowered and Faith involuntarily moistened her lips. “When I kiss you, it’s in spite of your father. In direct opposition to my career aspirations. It’s begging for trouble. Not paving any damn road.”

  Her annoyance leaked out like water from a barrel with a hole in the bottom.

  “I get it,” she said, lowering her gaze. “That accusation was one of the dumber things I’ve said.”

  “I wasn’t going to be so blunt, but yeah.”

  “I’m still pissed.” She crossed her arms emphatically. “Just not at you.”

  Joe grinned and took her elbow again, leading her to the couch. He pulled her down inches away from him. “You know as well as I do that you don’t need anyone watching over you.”

  Faith drew her knees up to her chest, hugged them to her, saying nothing. She felt Joe’s eyes burning into her and avoided meeting his gaze.

  “Right? Faith?”

  She swallowed hard, unable to choke out an agreement.

  He extended his hand and wove their fingers together. “Where’s the kick-ass Faith with Texas-size confidence?”

  She drew in a shaky breath. “She got crushed in a building collapse.”
/>   He squeezed her hand gently and shook his head. “She’s still in there somewhere.”

  Before she could process what was happening, Joe slid one arm under her leg, the other behind her back, and scooped her onto his lap.

  “What the…? What’s that for?”

  “To get your attention.” He settled into the corner of the couch with her.

  Faith sat stiffly, unsure how to act with Joe being so openly affectionate. His caresses up and down her thigh gradually relaxed her. Convinced her there was nothing to fight here.

  “After what happened to you,” he said, “it’s okay to take a while to get back up to speed.”

  Surprised, she turned, stretching her legs out across the couch so she could see his face.

  “You think?”

  “You don’t think?”

  She reached down and took off her work shoes, dropping them on the floor as she considered his question. “Maybe a little while, I guess. But you’re not supposed to tell me that.”

  “What am I supposed to tell you?”

  “Captain stuff. ‘No excuses. Get over it and do the job.’”

  “When have I ever given you the impression that’s how I work?”

  Of the three captains in the department, Joe was the most compassionate. Probably the most respected and best liked, too. He was one of those rare people who could lead without condescending. Teach without talking down.

  But she didn’t need to tell him that and give him a big head.

  “You’re the meanest. Strict, unbending. All the guys detest you.”

  He chuckled. “I don’t care what all the guys think of me. Only the girls.”

  “The jury’s still out. You’re welcome to campaign, though.”

  “I’ll definitely keep that in mind.” He lightly grasped her forearm, becoming serious. “What it comes down to, Faith, is that you need to trust yourself. The rest of us already do.”

  “My dad doesn’t.”

  “Faith.” Joe stared at her until she looked at him. “Is your dad in his right mind now? Does your dad normally go out and drink himself unconscious? Does the real guy miss even a day of work?”

  She shook her head reluctantly.

  “He’s got serious problems, but I don’t need to tell you that. You know better than anyone.”

  “I guess so.”

  “Okay, then. Let it go. In his eyes, you’re still his little girl.”

  Faith fought a grin. “Which makes it twice as twisted that I’m on your lap.”

  “I said in his eyes. There’s nothing little girl about what I’m seeing.” Joe’s voice lowered and went sexy, making Faith’s heart skip a beat.

  “It’s the uniform,” she said, grimacing. She hadn’t had a chance to change after finishing her shift this morning.

  “It’s more than the uniform.”

  He pulled her toward him and kissed her. The warm softness of his lips drew her in. He was thorough, gentle. Too damn gentle. Faith needed more.

  She turned to face him fully, her knees falling on either side of his thighs, and deepened the kiss. Her tongue pushed inside his mouth greedily. She craved this man, burned for the sensations she knew he could give her. The escape.

  Running her hands up his solid, sculpted chest, she kissed her inhibitions goodbye and let out a low moan of appreciation.

  Joe needed no encouragement. He met her urgency, his hands on her butt, pulling her body into his hardness.

  He kissed her hungrily, his tongue playing with hers, swirling, exploring…taking what he seemed to need. Giving exactly what she wanted.

  He untucked her uniform shirt and slid his hands up her torso. The size of them dwarfed her body. Made her feel sexy. Feminine. On fire. While he took his time working his way upward, she whipped her T-shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor.

  He stopped kissing her long enough to lean back and take in her lacy zebra-print bra. “Do you always wear hot little numbers like that under your uniform?”

  Faith laughed. “Numbers? I don’t think there’s anything mathematical about it.”

  Joe growled, running his thumbs over the tips of her breasts, covered by the thin material. “I don’t know…there’s the possibility for a study of proportions. Symmetry.”

  “Nice intellectual touch.” Her breath was uneven, shallow. “As for hot, not always. Sometimes I go with a demure yellow mesh, a simple, light pink heart motif. Depends on my mood.”

  “You’re killing me,” he said huskily into her ear. “I don’t think I can work with you again. Not without trying to figure out your ‘mood.’”

  “It’s important to know a woman’s mood.”

  “Right now I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on it.”

  Their lips came together again. He reached behind her and unfastened her “hot little number” with one hand. Faith arched toward him, aching to feel the heat of his skin on hers.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said, cupping both her breasts, molding them with his palms.

  She rose on her knees so he could draw her into his mouth. His tongue swirled around her nipple, teased it, shot a tight ache deep inside her. Faith ran her fingers through his coarse, dark hair, cradling his head to her.

  Without warning, he pushed to the edge of the couch and then to his feet, still holding on to her. Faith threw her arms and legs around him to avoid falling.

  “I’ve got you,” he said in a low voice.

  “That you do.”

  He kissed her the entire way up the stairs, down a short hall, to his bedroom. She slid down him when he stopped in the middle of the room, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her, making her feel safe. Desired.

  He walked her slowly backward until her legs hit his bed. As he strode across the room and closed the blinds on the back side of the condo, she slid onto the king-size mattress and crept up till she reached his pillows. The blankets were twisted and she could smell his scent on the sheets.

  She watched him hungrily as he crossed back to her. Before joining her, he unzipped his pants and drew his jeans down his legs. Either he peeled two layers at once or he’d been commando, because now he was naked and, oh yeah, the rest of his body was just as impressive as his upper half. And then some.

  Joe joined her on the bed and brushed her cheek with his knuckles. He pressed a tender kiss to her lips.

  “Do you want this?” he asked, then trailed his lips along her jaw.

  She wound her arms around him and ran her hands over his back, shoulders, ass. “I thought we weren’t supposed to do this.” She couldn’t help smiling wickedly.

  “Do you want to stop?”

  “Does this feel like I want to stop?” she asked as she grasped the hardest part of him.

  He moaned and undid her pants. Slid them down her legs and dropped them over the side of the bed. Then he took intense interest in her matching zebra bikini panties, tracing the design before peeling them off as well.

  Faith playfully propped herself up on one elbow, breaking all contact and smirking. “What about you? Do you want to stop?”

  In an instant, he was on top of her, covering her with his wide, solid body. “Not for a few hours, minimum.”

  “If you think you can last that long,” she taunted.

  Joe quieted her by kissing her and doing deliciously naughty things with his hands.

  Faith surrendered willingly. Enthusiastically. “I love it when you get all prove-a-pointish,” she murmured when he trailed his lips down to the hollow of her neck and lower.

  “I may have exaggerated on the time thing. You have this way of making me lose control.”

  “Yeah?” She slid her knees up, opening herself to him, and rubbed her body against his. “Maybe it’s your age. They say a man reaches his prime at eighteen—”

  Again, he cut off her words by slipping his tongue inside her mouth, making her laugh.

  “That was the wrong saying,” she finally said, breathlessly. “What I meant was with age comes
expertise.”

  He drew his fingers downward from her breasts, inching lower, until he touched the part of her that throbbed for him. “That’s not even the saying.”

  “Maybe not.” Her breath caught. “But it feels right on about now.”

  When he rolled away from her, she wanted to cry, but he didn’t go far. He opened the nightstand drawer and withdrew a condom. Faith held her hand out and he looked at her questioningly. She took the packet from him, ripped it open impatiently. Tried to slide it on him but her hand was shaking too much.

  Joe took the condom from her and sheathed himself quickly. “Experience,” he said. “With age comes experience.”

  She laughed and then sucked in her breath as he pressed into her, filling her, stretching her.

  He was tender and patient as her body adjusted. “You okay?” he said into her ear, in barely more than a whisper.

  Faith melted a little at his concern. “Very okay.” She matched his rhythm, then increased their tempo, thrusting her hips up to meet him.

  Their tongues mirrored their bodies with a mating dance. Her need ignited. There was nothing gentle or gradual about it—it was like having a match thrown on a propane tank. An explosion of sensation that burned, consumed her, making her cling to him for all she was worth as she climbed toward release.

  Just like his kisses, his lovemaking was somehow tender and yet urgent at the same time. He was an unselfish lover, as concerned about her pleasure as his own. He made her feel more than just what he was doing to her body, made her chest feel light, as if it was filled with helium and he was the only thing keeping her from floating away.

  Joe said her name several times as she nearly lost her mind, as her body began to tingle, and then she slipped over the edge to ecstasy. He followed her, then looked down at her with sated, drowsy eyes. He kissed the tip of her nose, her lips, her chin and back to her lips, where his mouth lingered. The urgency was gone from his touch and it was all gentle adoration, making Faith melt a little bit more. He rolled to his side, taking her with him.

  She smiled, her breath shaky. “Wow.”

  “Yeah,” Joe said into her ear, wrapping his arms tightly around her. “Wow.”