Protected By Fire (Alpha Colorado Firefighters Book 3)

by Anna Heskin

  A sly, slight smile crossed my lips. “A call from who?”

  Rachel cocked her head to the side. It almost seemed as if she knew I knew. “The superintendent at my old school, offering me a huge promotion.”

  Wow, Johnson came through in a big way. It better pay off.

  “That’s amazing,” I said. “Did you take it?”

  “No, I told him I’m moving to Seattle.”

  “You’re allowed to change your mind.” I grabbed her hands and looked her in the eyes.

  “It’s already made up.”

  I raised my voice louder than I intended. “Why are you so stubborn? I know you have feelings for me. You’re going to throw that aside, and a fat new promotion, to start over in Seattle? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “I’ve been told stubbornness is my best quality,” Rachel said.

  “You’re being young and naïve.”

  “Don’t bring my age into this, just because you have your shit together.”

  “Is it because of what happened at the school?”

  “No,” Rachel said. “I’d already decided before any of that.”

  I rubbed my hands on her shoulders, careful to not aggravate her injury. “Rachel—I saw it in your eyes from the time we met. You and I have a connection you can’t deny.”

  Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “It would be foolish to throw away my plans for someone I just met.”

  “On paper, maybe. An outsider might say that. But I know you feel it inside. I’m your man, I want to be everything for you.”

  The doorbell interrupted the frustrating conversation. Who the fuck could that be?

  “I’ll get the door,” I said. “Hard telling what kind of nut job might be out there.”

  A furniture delivery truck sat in the driveway. They were a day early. I signed the paperwork as Rachel peered into the room behind me. “Who’s out there?” she asked.

  “Furniture guys,” I said, handing the tablet back to the driver.

  “What?” Rachel said, entering the living room.

  “I bought you a couch.”

  “Why? Now I’m gonna have to move it.”

  “I also took the liberty to order supplies to rebuild your deck. They’ll deliver everything tomorrow.”

  “You won’t make me stay by doing all this,” Rachel said.

  “I can see that.”

  The delivery men brought the couch inside and began screwing the legs on. “I’ve got this, guys.”

  “Are you sure, boss?” the driver said.

  “Yes.” I signed their form, saying they assembled everything, and it was satisfactory. With them out of the house, I continued my discussion with Rachel.

  “That couch had to be expensive,” Rachel said as I finished putting on the legs.

  “Money isn’t an issue to me. Only the best for my woman.”

  Rachel sat on the couch the instant I had the last leg completed. She shook her hands up and down. “This is all too much.” She put her face in her hands.

  Maybe I’m putting too much pressure on her. Everything is obvious to me but I need to see things from her angle.

  “Okay,” I said. “I’ll stop pressuring you. You know how I feel. I want to give you everything, Rachel.”

  Silence. She continued to hide her face.

  “What time can I come over tomorrow to start on the deck?” I asked.

  Rachel raised her face, covered with fresh tears. “You can start at ten. I called my realtor, had her come sooner than planned. She’ll be here at nine.”

  Time is ticking away faster than I thought.

  I grabbed my tools and headed out the door. “See you at ten tomorrow.”

  9

  Rachel

  That evening, I slept on the couch Justin bought. As I stepped onto the floor the next morning, my foot crunched an empty tissue box. I had fallen asleep watching sappy love movies. I missed Justin terribly all hours of the night. The situation was scary—not because of my near death at the hands of a deranged arsonist—but not knowing whether I was making the right decision about Justin.

  After my sister moved out, I never felt lonely. I had girlfriends, nights out, hiking in the mountains—many hobbies kept me busy. Being in my home was a refuge from the world. Now, the minutes seemed lonely without Justin.

  Ninety-nine percent of me wanted to stay in Denver, take the new job, and let Justin take care of the things I can’t do by myself. I wanted to feel him every night.

  The one percent of me was the stubborn piece. The part that nagged at me to not change course. After months of planning, I decided to move to Washington. I didn’t take the decision lightly. I resigned my teaching position where I had fallen in love with my second graders.

  Before I fell deeper into thought, the doorbell rang. I had slept in later than intended. “Shit,” I muttered, realizing the realtor was already on my front step.

  I knew the realtor through my sister, so we had a pleasant conversation for a half hour before she started taking pictures. She went on and on about how cute of a place it was and how it wouldn’t take long to sell.

  “How long before you can have it listed?” I asked.

  “Oh honey, I’ve already got the sign in the front yard. Later this afternoon, I can have the listing online.”

  “That’s it?” I asked.

  “I’ll need you to sign the paperwork before I leave. But yeah, you need little staging because you don’t have much in here to begin with and you keep it clean.”

  “Wow, so that’s it.” The process was almost too easy. Part of me wanted to drag things out longer.

  I glanced at the clock. It was already ten o’clock and Justin had not arrived, which was unlike him.

  “I’m supposed to have another visitor any minute. Can we wrap this up?” I asked the realtor.

  “Sure, sweetie.” I signed the paperwork, and she left with the same smile that never faded the entire visit.

  A lumber company delivered wood for the deck around noon. I began to worry about Justin.

  When 1:00 rolled around without a word from him, I called his cell. I hope he’s not mad at me. Nobody picked up. I went for a brisk three-mile run to clear my head.

  When I returned from my jog, I took a quick shower. My shoulder felt much better so I could dress myself. Under any other circumstances, I would’ve played with myself in the shower to the memories Justin and I made in there, but my worry overshadowed my horniness.

  I dialed his number again. To my surprise, a woman answered.

  “Hello?” I said. “Is this Justin’s number?”

  “Yes.”

  Who is this woman answering his phone? I’ll cut a bitch. My jealousy came as a surprise.

  “Who am I speaking to?”

  “His daughter, Alyssa.” He mentioned a daughter to me before.

  “Is Justin available? He was supposed to come over at ten and I’m worried.”

  “He had an accident at work early this morning. I’m at the hospital with him.”

  My breathing became shallow and loud. “Which hospital?”

  “UC. He’ll be fine. Are you a girlfriend?”

  I wasn’t sure how to answer that. “Something like that?” I said. “I’ll be right there.”

  When I ran out to my driveway, I realized nobody had arranged to get my car from the school parking lot. I called a lift service, and they had me at the hospital in twenty minutes.

  After inquiring at the front desk, I found out which room I could find my hunk firefighter in. Several firefighters were leaving the room as I entered. The only other person remaining was younger than me.

  “Hi, are you Alyssa?” I asked. Justin appeared to asleep. I didn’t see any visible signs of injury.

  “Yeah,” she said.

  “I’m Rachel.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Alyssa said. Her beauty was striking. She had silky, shiny blond hair with a black hairband, a purple streak in her hair, a nose ring, and curves to
die for.

  “Likewise,” I said.

  “He never mentioned you to me,” Alyssa said.

  “We only met this week.”

  “Oh my God. Are you the woman he saved at the school?”

  “How’d you know?” I asked. “The media didn’t mention names.”

  “Yeah, my Dad asked them not to. He never wants to be called a hero or take the spotlight.”

  “What happened to him? And why was he at work? I thought he took a week off.”

  “Their chief said he canceled his time off last night, that his plans changed.”

  A twinge of guilt struck my midsection. I caused him to change his plans.

  “Anyhow,” Alyssa continued, “they were called out to the Zientek shack at the edge of the mountains at six this morning.”

  “I thought they were both in jail?”

  “Trevor was released on bail. Anyway, the guys arrived and saw black smoke pouring from the house. As they got the hoses ready or whatever they do at the truck when they first arrive, they saw a deer run across the front lawn. The poor animal tripped a wire, causing an explosion in the enclosed porch. The place was booby-trapped. Cops think it was aimed at the first responders.”

  My eyes grew wide. “How did Justin get hurt?”

  “A piece of rock,” Alyssa said. “The blast sent debris at the firefighters. A big piece hit my father in the helmet. It knocked him out. The doctors said he only has a concussion. They said this deep sleep he’s in right now is okay.”

  “I thought you can’t let someone with a concussion fall asleep?”

  “They said it’s all right as long as they don’t have other symptoms like dilated pupils or trouble walking. They already did some scans, and he’s okay.”

  “I can’t believe this.” It’s my fault he returned to work.

  “Yeah, if that mule deer didn’t trip the wire, the firefighters would have. They found small bits of the deer scattered around the yard.”

  “What about Trevor?” I asked.

  “After they got the fire under control from a safe distance, they sent a robot outfitted with a camera into the house, just in case there were more traps. They found Trevor’s body in there. Despite the fire, they could tell he had a gunshot wound in the head.”

  “Thank God. He’s gone, and the other brother will be in prison a long time,” I said. “And I’m so glad your father is okay.” I gave her a big squeeze as tears trickled down my face.

  Two nurses walked in the room. “We need to take him for a follow-up scan.”

  “Any idea when he’ll be released?” I asked.

  “Later this evening if no issues pop up,” a nurse said.

  “Are you going to take him home?” I asked Alyssa.

  “Yep.”

  “Can you call me and let me know as soon as you know when?”

  “Of course.”

  “Thank you, sweetheart.”

  I left the hospital with a clear picture of what’s important in my life. I needed to stop the “what if” game and accept what stood in front of me that day.

  10

  Justin

  My ears were ringing when I woke up in the hospital bed. The memory of what put me there eluded my grasp.

  “Alyssa, dear, what happened?” My sweet daughter sat in the chair next to my bed.

  “Dad, thank God you’re okay. You had an accident at work this morning. The doctor said you only have a concussion.”

  “What kind of accident?” I remembered canceling my vacation time but remembered nothing about the fire call.

  “Trevor Zientek rigged his house to explode. You got hit in the helmet with a rock but nobody else was hurt. Trevor is dead.”

  I felt no remorse for the bastard. His brother tried to kill Rachel, and he tried to kill my crew.

  “It’s so good to see you,” I said. Alyssa bent down and kissed my cheek.

  “When can I get out of here?” I asked. I remembered everything from the day before, including telling Rachel I’d help with her deck.

  “Soon,” Alyssa said. “I’ll drive you home.”

  “Have any of my crew been here? How long did I sleep?”

  “You’ve slept all day. I freaked out because of the concussion, but the doctors said that’s cool. Oh, and yeah there were a lot of firefighters in and out of here earlier. A few cops too. You’re loved around here by more than just me.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Everyone’s declared me a hero this week, but I don’t care for the attention.”

  Alyssa chuckled. “Dad, another person who loves you stopped by.”

  “Who?”

  “Rachel. Why didn’t you tell me about her?”

  A longing filled my chest. “Rachel was here?”

  “Yes, Dad. She was worried sick.”

  “I told you about her,” I said. “On the phone yesterday when I told you the story from the school.”

  “You didn’t tell me you two were in love.”

  “She said that?”

  “No. She didn’t have to say it. I can read people. It’s like a sixth sense.”

  “Did she just leave?”

  “No, it’s been a while. You were asleep the entire time.”

  I frowned. “She’s moving to Seattle. Soon.”

  Alyssa rubbed my hand. “Don’t let her.”

  “I’ve tried hard all week to convince her we belong together. She’s stubborn.”

  “Do you remember how stubborn I was in my teens?” Alyssa asked.

  “Yeah. I persisted anyhow, and you turned out amazing. I’m proud of you, baby girl.”

  “Well, don’t give up on Rachel yet.”

  I wanted to make Rachel mine. It melted my heart that she tracked me down at the hospital.

  My nausea had subsided by the time the hospital released me and Alyssa drove me home. “Let’s stop off at dinner,” I said.

  “You need to get home first,” Alyssa said.

  “Why? I’m starved. Let’s get food then take it to my house.”

  “I have things for school,” Alyssa said.

  “You’re not taking summer classes right now.”

  “I’m busy.”

  “C’mon, don’t let your father spend the evening alone after almost being blasted off the earth.”

  “Trust me, Dad. You want to go straight home.”

  Why was my daughter being so damn cryptic with me?

  Alyssa pulled into my driveway and I noticed something amiss with my porch. I had a keen eye for things that looked different.

  “I love you, Dad. Call me tomorrow, let me know you’re still feeling okay.”

  “Will do. Love you too.”

  I climbed out of Alyssa’s car and headed to the porch. Something rested against the side wall, under the window. As I got closer, I saw it was a yard sign for a real estate company that said “for sale”. Dirt crusted the legs, as if someone had pulled it from the ground.

  Why the hell is there a for sale sign propped against my wall? Did a confused realtor leave it here?

  I laid the sign flat on the porch, intending to call the company the next day to have them pick up the sign. When I went to turn my key in the door, the knob was already unlocked.

  That’s strange. I never leave it unlocked.

  I opened the door a few inches and prepared to fight. Instead of a perpetrator, the smell of vanilla met me. My twitching cock knew what was up before my brain did. The air smelled like Rachel.

  Inside my living room, I found an occupant on the couch. My sweet goddess, Rachel. Wearing nothing but a smile.

  11

  Rachel

  The couch smelled like Justin, the earthy scent making every nerve in my skin dance on edge. I needed stimulated in the worse way. Rather than play with myself on his furniture, I waited for him to arrive.

  When Alyssa found out what time her father was getting released from the hospital, she came and picked me up from my house and let me into his door. We talked about love and relations
hips. She seemed onboard with me dating Justin.

  I didn’t have to wait long for the delivery of my badass firefighter. When I heard the front door open, I sat up straight and covered my hard nipples. Might as well make him work a little for it.

  For a moment, I thought he might faint when he saw me. With wide eyes, he said, “Rachel? How’d you get in here?”

  “Your sweet daughter helped me arrange the surprise.”

  “So that’s why she was so unwilling to do anything with her father tonight.”

  “Get over here,” I said, patting the cushion next to me.

  “Not if you’ll pull away in ten seconds.”

  “Justin, that’s over. When I found out you could’ve been killed this morning, it made me realize what’s important in life.”

  “Kiss me,” Justin said as he put his palm on my face.

  “Not yet, let me get this out. I understand now it’s not the ‘what ifs’ that matter but what’s right in front of me. I’m done fighting my feelings for you.”

  “So you’re staying in Denver?”

  “Yes. This afternoon, I called the school in Seattle and told them I changed my mind. I then spoke with Superintendent Johnson about the promotion here.”

  “Was it too late? You rejected it before.”

  “The board meeting is still several days away. He hadn’t spoken a word about it to anyone. He’ll recommend me to the board and he always gets his way.”

  “And the sign on my porch—that came from your yard?”

  “Yep. I’m here, and I’m yours. Now kiss me, you big stud.”

  “First—I need to match your nakedness.”

  “Yes, please.”

  Justin peeled off his clothes faster than he could ever put on firefighter gear. His weight crushed me as he pressed his body on top of mine.

  My soul had waited an eternity to be claimed by Justin’s hot, fiery lips. Breathing deeply, I allowed my energy to melt with his as our hearts and tongues connected.

  I gently bit his lip then pulled away. “Did you have applesauce at the hospital?”

  Justin nodded.

  “I thought so.” The heat radiating between our legs threatened to melt his leather couch.

  “I missed you,” Justin said between ragged breaths.