Rapid Pulse: A Limited Edition Spicy Romance Collection

by Gina Kincade

  I didn’t even remember my head hitting the pillow before screaming coming from down the hall woke me up from a dead sleep.

  “Dylan!” I yelled, bolting up from my bed and running out into the hall.

  I couldn’t help it, I screamed too as soon as I hit a wall of muscle as soon as I entered the dark hallway.

  “Mother of fuck!” I cursed as I hit the floor. I’m sure I looked oh-so-graceful in nothing but my sports bra and panties as my fat hit the wood.

  “Damn it, Dani!” he whispered, his voice forceful as he picked me up from under my arms, steading me on my feet before I could react.

  My mind was so twisted with sleep, so groggy and frantic, that it took me a few seconds to realize it was Travis holding me upright and then another few seconds to realize he was seeing me in my skivvies.

  Another wail came from down the hall, causing me to flinch at the sound of how terrified Dylan sounded.

  “Don’t worry. I know what he’s going through. I’ll handle it. Just go get your rest,” Travis said before he practically sprinted down the hall to the master bedroom where Dylan was.

  I was hesitant to move from my spot in the hallway. I was so used to taking care of my brother’s night terrors since he’d come home. To go back to sleep without making sure he was okay tugged at my heart. There was no way I was going to get back to sleep after being awoken by his screams. Even though I knew I could never understand what he went through over there, his screams alone would give me nightmares of my own—never failed.

  Hearing another whimper from his room, I bolted to mine and grabbed my robe. I needed to make sure Travis knew how to handle this. Hell, sometimes I didn’t know how to handle it. But I knew I needed to make sure Dylan was okay.

  Wrapping the scrap of fabric around my body, I cinched the knot at my waist and tiptoed to Dylan’s room. Now that his screaming had subsided, things were quieter, but that didn’t mean it was over.

  Peeking into the dark room, I saw both men lying flat on Dylan’s bed, their heads propped up by their hands. They were both staring at the ceiling and talking—Dylan was actually talking instead of screaming or punching.

  “I was back in that village, the one where we walked into that trap after some bad intel. It plagues me that those kids were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” I heard Dylan say. I knew I shouldn’t be eavesdropping... I should’ve walked away right then and there. But I couldn’t help it. Instead, I leaned against the doorway and opened my ears.

  “Dani,” Dylan said, his voice a bit curious and a lot menacing. I’d been caught.

  Creeping into the room, I tiptoed to the side of his bed.

  “You really don’t have to stay up,” my brother told me, his hand reaching out to grab mine. “I’m okay. I know you have a long day again tomorrow so go get some sleep.”

  “I just needed to make sure you were all right,” I admitted. My voice came out a bit more sheepish than I intended, but it seemed fitting.

  “Thanks, but I’m good.”

  “Yeah, don’t worry. I got this,” Travis said. His tone seemed so gentle, so sympathetic to our situation. It definitely put me at ease, and I knew my brother was in good hands.

  Their voices faded as I walked away. I was a bit stunned that I had someone else to help me with these situations, and I immediately felt the adrenaline fade and my body begin to whimper with exhaustion.

  Again, I didn’t even remember lying flat on the bed until I woke up the next morning. My alarm blaring made my head pound, and I couldn’t help but curse the man who invented fucking alarm clocks. His name must’ve been Lucifer—the devil himself. There was no other way to explain the evil that blasted through my room at that moment.

  Still tangled up in my robe, I wiped the sleep from my eyes and hobbled out of bed. I was doing rather well making time to work out before my shifts at the hospital, but today, I was severely tempted to say fuck it and go back to sleep for another hour.

  Determined to keep my schedule, I forced myself to get moving. I knew that once I got my body going, I was going to be okay. I just had to force myself through the grogginess.

  At least I was awake enough to remember that we had a new houseguest and I shouldn’t be traipsing around in my underwear. Sleepily, I grabbed the first pair of yoga pants I could find and quickly tossed a tank top over my head before heading to the bathroom. I was going to have to start sleeping clothed if I didn’t want to make myself decent before every trip out of my room.

  Teeth brushed and work clothes packed, I headed to the kitchen to grab a fiber bar before leaving for the gym.

  Of course, there was Travis in all his glory, sitting at the breakfast bar with his head down. I couldn’t quite tell what he was doing, but I also didn’t have time to really figure him out.

  “Morning,” I said while reaching in the cabinet for my breakfast of champions.

  “Morning to you too. You headed to work?” he asked, popping his head up for a minute to look at me. He was writing something, and I was almost nosey enough to peek over at him and figure out what it was.

  “Gym first, than work,” I explained. Reaching into the fridge, I grabbed a bottle of water and began sucking it down. If I didn’t drink much before my workout, I’d feel it later. “What are you doing up so early? I thought for sure you’d sleep in after your little rendezvous with Dylan last night.”

  “Couldn’t sleep any more. My body is used to getting up early.”

  “Ahh, that makes sense,” I said with a nod. “Well, I gotta get going if I’m going to make it to my class on time.”

  “What class?”

  “It’s kind of a weight lifting and cardio class in one. I’d say that it’s enjoyable if the teacher didn’t like kicking my ass.”

  He chuckled, his smile doing funny things to me that I couldn’t quite explain. I felt nervous and excited all in one. “Sounds like it’s a good class then. I’m going to head to the grocery store today. You need anything?”

  So that was what he was writing—a shopping list.

  “Actually, yes. I have a list started and hanging on the fridge. But I don’t have any cash to give you right now.”

  “No worries. I got it handled. You two are saving me a ton in first/last/security, so it’s the least I can do.”

  “Well, I can give you cash later, or pick up the tab the next time we get groceries,” I said while picking up my things to head out the door. “Oh, can you grab me more of these things?” I asked, holding up my fiber bar so he could see.

  “Will do.” With a nod, he jotted it down on his list and gave me a salute type of wave.

  Chapter Four

  Travis

  “Hey, Dylan? When does your sister get home from work?” I asked my buddy while we both sat in the living room watching TV.

  “She writes her schedule down on the dry erase board on the fridge. I think she gets home around eight today. Why?” He didn’t even bother looking at me as he spoke, which was just fine. I didn’t need him to read my face as I talked about his sister—he’d likely see right through my eagerness to see her again.

  “Just thinking we should have some dinner ready for her. I want to pull my weight around here and if she doesn’t have to worry about dinner after a long shift, I think that’ll help.” It was a good enough excuse as any.

  “Can you cook?” he asked, finally looking at me with slight shock on his face.

  “A little. I used to do all the cooking when I was a teen. My dad wasn’t exactly the best in the kitchen,” I admitted. “Plus, what I don’t know how to do, I can always learn.”

  “Well, I’ll help with whatever I can, though keep in mind, I’m defunct in the kitchen. What do you want to make?” he asked as he turned his attention back to the TV and took a sip of his soda.

  “I bought some pork chops at the store and can cook up some cinnamon apples to go with them. Don’t laugh, but I found a recipe on Google I think will be good.” A self-conscious chuckle left my lips a
t the thought of me turning into Martha-fucking-Stewart.

  “Said like a pro,” he commented, still never looking at me or making fun of this obvious feminine side I had. Then again, it was probably barbaric of me to think cooking was feminine, but I wouldn’t put it past my Army buds to poke fun at me for it.

  It didn’t take me long to get settled, especially since I didn’t have much, and Dylan really wasn’t that much work. However, I could definitely see where he was coming from when he said he felt like he was burdening his sister. With the hours she worked, I’m sure it was difficult to keep up the task of helping her brother once she got home.

  Dylan was a bit embarrassed about the idea of me helping him in and out of the shower, but he made the comment that it was a hell of a lot better than his sister having to help. One thing they should really look into is a standup shower for him instead of the tub. It’d make it much easier for him to get in and out without assistance.

  But, for now, I was happy to help.

  I was also really looking forward to doing something nice for Danielle. I just hoped she’d enjoy it.

  “HI, GUYS. WHAT’S ALL this?” Danielle asked as she rounded the corner of the kitchen.

  “Travis is some master chef or some shit,” Dylan said with a laugh. Using his crutches, he made his way over to a stool and sat down.

  “I just thought you’d enjoy a cooked dinner after your long day,” I said sheepishly, unsure of how she’d react with me messing around in her kitchen.

  Her eyes scanned the breakfast bar, which was made up with three plates, utensils, and a glass of wine in front of her plate. Just before she opened her mouth to say something, the timer on the oven went off and I was thankful for the interruption.

  “I can’t believe you did this. Thank you!” she exclaimed while I pulled the chops from the oven. “Is this for me too?” she asked pointing to the glass of wine.

  “Yup. Trav got us some fancy shit,” Dylan said. A large pop echoed through the kitchen as Danielle hit him on the back of the head, causing him to audibly wince.

  “Shut it, Dilly. I think it’s super nice,” Danielle said. “Need any help?” she asked while taking a sip of the red wine I bought for her.

  “Nah, everything is done.” Taking the apples off the stove, I poured them into a large bowl and set them next to the pork chops before pulling the asparagus off the stove.

  “Man, this is a good way to spoil me. I don’t think I’ve had a meal cooked this good since high school,” Danielle said.

  “Yeah, Mom was a pretty damn good cook,” Dylan piped up, and I suddenly felt awkward with their display of emotions. “You still do a great job though, Dani.”

  From the little Dylan has told me, they lost both their parents early on right before he entered the service. He wasn’t very verbose on how, and I didn’t bother to ask. Those kinds of shitty stories put a huge hole in my heart every time I heard them, so I didn’t push for info.

  “Well, this sure as hell blows me out of the water,” she said with a laugh. “Travis doesn’t realize what he’s done.”

  “What’d I do?” I asked as I sat down next to her and gestured for her to start serving herself up with whatever she wanted.

  “You just designated yourself to being our resident cook.” The crinkle in the corner of her eye told me she was only partly joking. She didn’t waste any time putting food on Dylan’s plate first, than hers, leaving more than enough for me. It was obvious she was used to taking care of him, almost babying him in a way. I honestly didn’t blame her. After the scare he gave and losing her parents, she’d likely want to keep him close for quite some time.

  Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Danielle to open up. She started talking about her day and the stresses of working as an ER nurse. Some of the stories she had were pretty comical though. The stupid things people did to land in the hospital amazed me.

  “Thank Christ I’ll have this weekend off though. I think my feet are broken. Another day on these babies and they’ll likely fall off from exhaustion,” she joked while picking up her plate and carrying it to the sink.

  “I’ll clean up,” I said, wanting to help even more now that I knew her feet were hurting her.

  “You cooked, I’ll clean. It’s only fair,” she said, adamancy in her voice. “Plus, I’m not broken yet.”

  Without taking no for an answer, she scooped up my empty plate and discarded it in the sink.

  “So, what are your plans this weekend?” She busied herself at the sink while she talked. It was only Thursday, but I already knew what I had planned.

  “Heading down to my dad’s house to get the rest of my stuff.”

  “Yeah, and I’m going with him. Can’t wait to get out of this house,” Dylan added, his words slurred around the food in his mouth.

  “Sounds like fun,” she said, her eyes glowing—maybe with respect for me, for making her brother happy—or maybe just because she knew it would be a break for her. Maybe it was a bit of both?

  FRIDAY WAS A ROUGH night, and Dylan’s night terrors were keeping us all awake. While I had them too, and they were totally shitty, his were way more severe than any of my buddies. Either that, or they never talked about it and I was just seeing it firsthand with Dylan.

  Regardless, none of us got much sleep. But I was thankful that Danielle took care of things, insisting I get my sleep since I was going to be driving down to Georgia the next day.

  Come Saturday morning, I wasn’t surprised when Dylan admitted to us that he wasn’t up for going. The excitement left his eyes so quickly, and the expression on his face was filled with defeat at the fact he was likely never going to be normal again. At that moment, all he wanted to do was take some meds and sleep the day away. I had to say, I couldn’t blame him one little bit. Sometimes burying yourself under the covers was the only way to muddle through the mess in your head.

  “I’m worried about him,” Danielle said. She looked rather cute in jeans and a tank, her scrubs long forgotten for the weekend. Her dark brown hair was like a curtain between my eyes and her face as she bent down in the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.

  “He’ll be okay. We just have to remember how new his emotional wounds are. Several months might seem like a long time to you, but to him, it’s like it all went down yesterday,” I explained, unable to make eye contact with her as I spoke. Admitting how raw his emotions were was like confessing just how messed up in the head I still was, and I knew she was smart enough to pick up on the fact I was speaking from experience.

  Thankfully, she didn’t push me. Most people would poke and prod me with question after question until I’d be forced to walk away. But my guess was that she’d had enough experience with her brother to know just how unhelpful that would be.

  “Part of me wants to force him to go with you, to get out of the house and get his mind off things for once,” she said, pausing just before taking a sip of her water and looking me straight in the eye, her face obviously riddled with compassion for her brother. “But I know that wouldn’t help things. He’s never going to do what he doesn’t want to do... and I know that part of him has nothing to do with recent events.”

  “Yeah, he’s a stubborn asshole,” I said with a smile. “But I wouldn’t want him any other way.”

  Silence fell between us like a lead balloon. I tried to keep from staring at her, but my effort was in vain. My attraction to her was something new to me... I couldn’t quite explain it though. It wasn’t that I didn’t find her physically attractive, but sex wasn’t exactly in the forefront of my mind. Instead, I wanted to know her. Just talking to her made me happy.

  A plan began to form into my mind.

  “What?” she blurted out, catching me staring as I thought.

  “What are you doing today?” I asked. Infuriatingly, my voice cracked as I asked the question, showing just how nervous she made me.

  “Umm, well, I was going to take it easy, maybe go to the library. Not that I’ve had time to rea
d lately, but I’ve been itching to find a new author to obsess about,” she explained, her cheeks reddening in the most adorable way. “Why?”

  “I don’t want to make this trip by myself. My dad and I kinda have a strained relationship. It’d be nice if I had someone with me as my buffer of sorts,” I admitted, shrugging to make light of my discomfort. “But your relaxing day sounds so much better than sitting in my truck for hours.”

  “Yes.” With the single word coming from her lips, she leaned forward and gripped the edge of the counter. “I mean, if you want the company, I’d like to go.”

  “You sure?” I couldn’t believe she wanted to spend her day with me instead of on her own relaxing.

  “Well, I’ll have to make sure Dylan will be okay without us, but considering he wants to pout in bed all day, it’ll probably be fine,” she said as she rounded the corner of the kitchen and headed to her brother’s room.

  My stomach leapt at the idea of spending all day with her. I was acting like a fucking teenager who hadn’t even talked to a girl before. I wasn’t exactly sure what had gotten into me, but the feeling of excitement was nearly euphoric.

  Chapter Five

  Danielle

  Even though Travis’ truck was friggin huge, it still seemed too small for him. His size was almost comical as I watched him navigate the mountainous roads with ease. He hadn’t said a word since we left the house about twenty minutes ago, and I couldn’t help but wonder why he wanted me to tag along anyway. I mean, a guy like him would never be interested in someone like me.

  I usually wasn’t self-conscious about myself on a day-to-day basis, but when it came to men and how they’d treated me in the past, I couldn’t help but feel inadequate. It was a definite fault of mine—self-worth wasn’t an easy trait to obtain.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked, breaking the silence and making me jump a little at the sudden sound of his deep voice.

  “Isn’t that a girl question?” I said with a laugh. Crossing my arms over my chest, I turned in my seat a bit, putting an ankle under my leg so I could face him and get comfortable.