Rapid Pulse: A Limited Edition Spicy Romance Collection

by Gina Kincade

  “You’re not a burden, and you know it,” I said. After all, what else could I say? It was only the truth. I’d do anything for him—anything. “I’ll welcome Travis with open arms. I mean, we do have that guest room no one is staying in. And I think it’ll be cool for you to have someone to hang with while I’m at work.”

  “So, you’re okay with him coming to live here?” he asked, his eyes lighting up at the idea.

  “Of course, just so long as he doesn’t eat me out of house and home. He’s a big dude.” Dylan chuckled at my joke as the muscles in his shoulders and face visibly relaxed.

  “Yeah, he’s a healthy guy, but he’ll be paying his way. No way can your salary and my disability support the three of us,” he said, finally loosening his grip on my hand.

  I continued to make our grilled cheeses in silence. Even though I had a million questions, I just didn’t care about getting answers right then. This would likely be one of the last dinners my brother and I would have alone and I was bound and determined to enjoy it—even if it wasn’t a gourmet meal.

  Enjoying the cheesy goodness was short-lived. As soon as we were done and the dirty dishes were thrown in the sink, I made my way to the guest room and let out an audible huff. The place was a mess. We hadn’t had guests in quite some time, so the room sort of became a catchall for anything we couldn’t immediately find a home for... or were just too lazy to put away.

  I looked at the weight bench, plates, and elliptical and hoped Travis wouldn’t mind the exercise equipment taking up space in his new room, because I’d be up shit creek if I had to move it all. Most of it hadn’t been used since before Dylan’s deployment, but it wasn’t like he’d want to get rid of it either. By the looks of Travis, he probably worked out on a regular basis, or the Army kept him in shape. Either way, he’d likely not care.

  Examining the rest of the room, I tried to think of an orderly way to get it cleaned up as soon as possible. First thing I had to do was pick up my crap and get it out of the way. Without another thought, I picked up one of the big bags of clothes and began carrying it out the door toward my room.

  “You don’t have to make things perfect, you know. He’s not going to care,” Dylan said from the doorway, now sitting in his wheelchair. He didn’t get in it often, but he had physical therapy earlier that day and it was pretty taxing on the rest of his body.

  “I have to at least get our shit out of his way. Plus, these clothes have been sitting in here for forever just waiting for my fat ass to lose some weight. Obviously, that isn’t happening, so I might as well get rid of them,” I said as I passed by him and walked the bag across the hall, dropping it with a thud on the floor in my room.

  “You’re not fat. And you’ve been doing great with that, Dani. Don’t give up on it.” He was still in the hall, using his arms to move backward and forward as he spoke.

  “I guess grilled cheese isn’t exactly the best choice of meal for me, huh?” I said with a laugh, knowing damn well I should be smarter about my eating choices.

  “Eh, you worked a twelve-hour shift today. There’s nothing wrong with a quick, easy dinner,” Dylan said while he sat and watched me move frantically between rooms.

  “Well, I definitely got my ten-thousand steps in today, and then some. We were busy. I think my Fitbit vibrated about halfway through my shift,” I said while stripping the sheets from the bed and tossing them in a pile on the floor.

  Without me having to ask, Dylan went to the linen closet and got a new set, our only other set that would fit the full-sized bed. Before I could thank him, a loud knock at the door made us both jump.

  We both knew who it was. I hurried to get the new sheets on the bed while Dylan got the door. I heard the guys bantering with each other as Travis stepped back into our home, and while I knew it would take some getting used to living with two men, I was also pleased with how happy Dylan sounded.

  “You don’t have to go through a fuss for me,” a voice boomed from the hallway, making me turn to look at him while I tucked a corner under the mattress.

  His broad shoulders took up the doorway, a sack over his arm making him look even larger. The light from the great room behind him made him seem dark, ominous, like a warning for me to be careful.

  “No fuss,” I said with a wave of my hand before putting pillowcases on the pillows. “We just haven’t used this room in a while. It needed freshening up. I hope you don’t mind the exercise equipment in here. We don’t have anywhere else to put it, and I don’t think Dylan wants to get rid of his weights,” I said, rattling on like I was talking to myself instead of to a strange man I barely knew.

  “Hell no, I don’t want to get rid of my weights. I’m going to need to buff up my arms,” a whiny voice said from the hallway just before Dylan came wheeling himself in, running into Travis’ ankles with his wheelchair.

  “Shit,” Travis cursed. “Careful with that contraption, Stevens!” He then sat his sack down on the floor and grabbed a box from Dylan’s lap, placing it on top of the dresser nearby. I couldn’t help but watch him, all while pretending to be busy. The way the gentle giant moved fascinated me.

  “Forgive me, but I’ll have to clean out the dresser to make room for you too. I seem to have an issue with keeping my clothes in my own room,” I explained with a nervous laugh, feeling silly that the entire place was filled with clothes I didn’t wear.

  “No worries. I’m used to living out of a bag. There’s no rush.” His eyes seemed to bore into me as he spoke, like he was searching for more information than I was giving him.

  With nothing else to say, I scurried from the room to go get a basket for my clothes, not realizing I was holding my breath and thankful I now had a chance for air.

  Chapter Two

  Travis

  I was almost kicking myself for opening my big mouth when I saw her bent over the bed, making it up nice and neat for me. The view was nice, and I had to go and ruin it by speaking.

  As soon as she could, she ran off, heading down the hall and leaving Dylan and me in the room alone.

  “You have any more stuff?” he asked. His arms still seemed strong—plenty strong enough to wheel his chair around. The stump that used to be his leg haunted me. I still couldn’t get the images out of my head from that day.

  I averted my gaze before he could pummel me for staring. “Yeah, just a few more bags and one box. My dad actually said he’d like me to come visit him and get the rest of my stuff from his house while I’m there.”

  “Cool. If you bring whatever you got to the door, I can help you wheel them in here,” he said with a cocky grin, always making the best of a bad situation.

  “I’m not in any hurry. We can just chill for a bit if you want.” I regretted the words as soon as they came out because the look on his face told me he didn’t appreciate being treated differently.

  “Don’t alter your actions because of me, Trav. If you’re just being a lazy son of a bitch, that’s one thing, but don’t dance around me,” Dylan said, making his point clear as crystal.

  “Don’t tell me you ninnies are bickering like a married couple already,” Danielle said as she entered the room with an empty basket.

  “Nah. I’m just telling Trav that he needs to stop being lazy and go get the rest of his stuff,” Dylan said with a smirk.

  Danielle kneeled down in front of the dresser and began unloading clothes. There really wasn’t much in the drawers, but I still felt like I should help in some way, so I opened the top drawer and carefully dug the clothes out.

  “Thanks. After this, I’ll go down to your car with you and help you bring in the rest of your stuff,” she said. The mysterious blush covering her face was adorable. It wasn’t until I looked down and saw what was in my hands that I understood. Here I was, trying to help, and ended up grabbing a handful of her panties.

  “These can stay here if you want,” I joked, faking the motion of putting them back in the drawer.

  “Hey, asshole,” Dylan said as
he pushed his wheelchair into my legs again. “That’s my sister.”

  “Shit, oww! Dude, that thing hurts,” I said as I dropped the undergarments into the basket and began to rub my ankles. I was going to have a bruise before the night was over.

  Danielle just giggled and continued to load up the basket. The sound of her laugh did something funny to my insides that I couldn’t quite explain. All I knew was I wanted to hear it again.

  “Here, Dani. Put the basket on me and I’ll wheel it into your room,” Dylan said, seeming excited to be of some help to his sister.

  She smiled, showing off her dimples, as she set it on his lap and followed him across the hall.

  I had to take a breath, get control of myself while they weren’t looking. For whatever reason, Dylan’s sister was getting under my skin, and not in a bad way. But trolling on your best bud’s sister wasn’t exactly Knight in Shining Armor material.

  Man, living here was going to be hard. I knew his invitation to move in was just too good to be true. Now I was going to have to behave myself around a goddess all the time.

  “You ready?” she asked, bouncing on her toes by the doorway of my new room.

  “Ready?” I had no clue what she was referring to, but I could definitely answer that I’d never be ready when it came to her.

  “To go get your stuff. Let’s get it now before it gets too late,” she said, throwing a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the front door.

  “Oh, okay. You really don’t have to help. I can get it all. It’s not much,” I blubbered. I just couldn’t admit to her or myself that I wanted her to come, wanted to spend more time with her—admitting that would be miles beyond the unseen lines of the bro code.

  “Nah, I don’t mind. Let’s go get the stuff, then I’ll give you a tour of the house and a key.” I couldn’t understand why she was being so nice to me. I mean, Dylan just sprang this on her at the last minute and I was pretty much a stranger invading her house. Yet, she was being more than hospitable. She definitely got the better end of the gene pool, in both looks and manners.

  While following Danielle out to my truck, I tried to think of something to talk to her about, so there wasn’t an awkward silence. Or maybe I should just keep my mouth shut and deal with the awkwardness that surrounded us. I usually wasn’t the type to get all tongue-tied around a girl, but she intimidated me. It was almost like I was worried of what she’d think of me... of what her first impression was.

  “So, you work in the medical field?” I asked as I opened the rear cab of my pickup.

  “Yeah, I’m a nurse at Clayton General,” she said, her small hands tugging at the hem of her scrubs like she was self-conscious about her attire. I wanted to tell her how cute she looked, but I knew it would be crossing boundaries, especially since I barely knew her. “What are you going to be doing now that you’re out of the military?”

  “I have a buddy who owns a motorcycle repair shop and offered me a job. The pay will suck, but I’m really looking forward to working in a more relaxing atmosphere after what I’ve been through the past several years.”

  “Motorcycles, huh? Do you have one?” she asked while holding her hand out to take one of my duffles.

  “Yeah. I need to get it at some point. I haven’t ridden it in so long. I really miss it.” Pulling another duffle out of the back and grabbing a box, I followed her to the front door, not wanting our time alone to end so quickly.

  “Is this everything?” she asked. She was carrying one rather large duffle that managed to dwarf her along with a box of junk, yet she made it all seem like it was lighter than a feather.

  “Yup. I really don’t have much. A few of my things, including the bike, are at my dad’s house, but he lives down in Georgia, so I’ll just need to make a trip to his place sometime soon,” I explained as she opened the door for me.

  “How far of a drive is it?” Just as soon as she asked the question, Dylan was on top of us, his eagerness to help causing me to hold back a laugh. Danielle didn’t hesitate to drop the box she was carrying in his lap, knowing he was excited to help.

  “About two hours. It’s not too bad, just long, boring roads,” I said in order to answer her question while we walked to my new room.

  Setting my stuff down, I immediately took the duffle from Danielle to help lighten her load.

  “We should take a road trip,” Dylan said while handing me the box he had in his lap. “I’m dying to get out of this house for something other than PT.”

  “We’ll have to do it soon. I start work next Monday.” As I spoke, I looked over at Danielle and wished she were the one to go with me instead. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to spend time with Dylan, but I suddenly found myself wanting to spend time with her. It was an odd feeling for me, especially since I’d only known her for a few minutes.

  “The sooner the better,” Dylan said with his face lighting up in excitement. The guy must’ve been going stir crazy being stuck in the house, unable to go anywhere without his sister’s help.

  “How about I show you around before you get settled in?” Danielle asked, tossing her thumb over her shoulder toward the hallway.

  “Sounds like a plan.” Anything to keep you talking to me.

  Chapter Three

  Danielle

  After showing him around the house and giving him a key, I retreated to my room and collapsed on the bed. My body was beyond tired, but my mind was going a mile a minute. On the one hand, I was a little annoyed my brother invited someone to live with us without discussing it with me first. On the other hand, I was kind of glad. At least I’d have something nice to look at with Travis here.

  I tried to push the thought of him out of my mind. I’d just end up torturing myself. There was no way he’d be interested in someone like me, and there was no way my brother would ever approve. He’d always been protective of me growing up. Now that we were adults, that shield of his hadn’t let up at all. I went on one date since he’d gotten back from his most recent tour, and I sure as hell didn’t get to walk out of the door without the third degree. Just the thought of what he’d say if I brought a guy home had me annoyed with him. Part of me hated how sheltering he was, but another part was pleased with the fact I had such a loving brother.

  If I ever showed interest in Travis, Dylan was likely going to shut it down in a heartbeat. So, there was no point in even trying. Then again, there was also no reason Travis would ever be interested in me anyway, so the idea was moot.

  Without moving much, I reached for my phone on my end table. Regardless of the outcome, I needed to talk to someone about my most recent situation... and there was only one person on this earth I’d ever want to spill my guts to.

  I opened the messenger app and clicked on Madison’s smiling face.

  Me: Dude

  Madison: Sweeeet!

  Me: DUDEEE!

  Madison: Okay, do I need to take that movie away from you?

  Me: Hellz naw! Thems fighting words!

  Madison: Ha! Now it’s on! So what’s up, chickie?

  Me: Dylan invited one of his old Army buddies to come live with us.

  Madison: Oh, really? Is he cute?

  Me: Well, uhh...

  Madison: That’s a yes! Okay, here’s what you need to do. You need to sneak a picture of him and send it to me. I need to see whether this guy is worthy.

  Me: You know it’s never going to be like that. I just wanted to tell you so you weren’t shocked next time you come over.

  Madison: Why can’t it be like that? If he’s cute, I say go for it! Turn on that Dani charm!

  Me: There’s no way he’d ever be interested in me. Plus, you know damn well Dylan would never go for it. Plus, he’s now my roommate. How messy would that be if it didn’t work out?

  Madison: Wait... why the fuck wouldn’t he be interested? Now you’re really talking nonsense.

  Me: You know... just, never mind. I just know a guy like him would never take a second glance at someone like me
. It’s not a mystery, and I don’t care much.

  Madison: Dani, shut up. You’re gorgeous and any man would be lucky to have you.

  Me: I didn’t want to turn this into a lecture of self-worth or a pity party. I just wanted to tell you about the hottie I’m being forced to live with, damn it!

  Madison: Oh, poor you! God, even when luck has dropped a damn shamrock at your doorstep, you step on it! You’re really no fun.

  Me: I know. Just call me Dani Downer. :)

  Madison: Bad joke.

  Me: I never claimed to be a comedian.

  Madison: Well, now I want to meet this guy. Can I come over?

  Me: Not tonight. I have another double shift tomorrow.

  Madison: You’re going to put yourself in an early grave with all this work.

  Me: Bills won’t pay themselves. Plus, I did it so I’d have the entire weekend off. I hate working the ER on weekends. Just two more days of doubles and I’ll be able to chill for a bit.

  Madison: Well, then we MUST do something this weekend! Movie? I’ll pay.

  Me: That sounds great. I’ll check out what’s playing and text you on Friday.

  Madison: Word. Now go kiss that hottie goodnight and make sure you’re wearing something sexy when you do!

  Me: You’re impossible.

  Madison: But you love me anyway!

  Me: That I do. G’night, Maddi. <3

  Madison: Night, lover girl!

  I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at my best friend. She was always so outspoken. Most of the time, it was rather comical, but sometimes, I had to be careful. If I brought her around Travis, she’d likely say something totally off the wall to embarrass the hell out of me. Yeah, it was best I kept her at a distance for now.

  I didn’t even bother putting jammies on. I was just too damn tired to worry about it. Instead, I stripped my scrubs off and climbed beneath the covers with my sports bra and panties still on.