Into the Flames

by Multi-Author

  She needn’t have been concerned with her appearance. Daniela returned to the room in minutes, her expression crestfallen. “They’re gone. I found out they made a toy delivery to the pediatric floor before they stopped here. Then they left.”

  Gone.

  But first they made a delivery to the children’s ward. Knox really was a nice guy.

  Daniela studied Lexi. “Looks like the next move is yours, mi amiga. He tried, but nurse dragon Sharon guarded the gate.”

  Lexi sighed. “I’m sure she’s just following the rules to keep her job. Teachers have to do the same.”

  Daniela made a face, clearly unconvinced. “Hmm…whatever. When you’re healed, you’ll have to find a way to see him again without looking obvious.”

  Lexi yawned and relaxed into her pillow, suddenly exhausted after her burst of adrenaline. Her eyelids fluttered.

  Daniela made sympathetic noises and gave Lexi’s arm a gentle squeeze. “I’ll visit again later. Sleep. Get better.”

  Lexi drifted off, with images of Knox floating inside her brain. It was reassuring to know she hadn’t imagined his good looks or his kiss.

  He’d come back for her. Whether for professional or personal reasons, he cared.

  * * *

  Two days later…

  Knox rapped on the frame of Captain Gallagher’s open door.

  The older man looked up from his paperwork, unhooked his reading glasses, and laid them on his desk. “Come in, Townsend. What’s up?”

  “This’ll only take a minute, sir. I need your help with something.” He told the captain about his failed attempt to gain information on the health and well-being of Lexi Wentworth. He was frustrated and angry, and concerned about her, if he didn’t get some answers soon he was going to explode.

  The captain sat back in his chair and gave Knox a benevolent smile. “Our after-action meetings are usually enough to keep our team informed. This seems to be a special case.”

  “It is, sir.” Knox didn’t say more. He wasn’t giving up on Lexi. He’d never asked his captain to intervene on his behalf about anything, until now.

  The captain nodded. “I see.”

  “If you met her, you’d know why, sir.”

  “Ahh. So you want me to circumvent the rules to get an update on her condition.”

  “Circumvent. Yes, sir.”

  The captain smiled again. “I’ll call the hospital administrator. I’m sure Brenda Morton can give me general information about Ms. Wentworth without breaking patient privacy rules.” He picked up his phone and put a call through.

  After a few minutes, his call was transferred from the administrative assistant to Ms. Morton. The captain’s conversation with her was brief, but cordial. After a bit of banter, the captain asked his questions, and then hung up.

  He stared up at Knox. “She’ll be okay. No broken anything. She’s being released from the hospital tomorrow.”

  Knox must have breathed one hell of a big sigh of relief, because the captain came out of his chair and walked around his desk to pat him on the shoulder.

  Chapter Six

  Three weeks later…

  Lexi’s classroom emptied after the dismissal bell. She watched twenty noisy students collect book bags and lunchboxes and head out the door to lineup for their buses, bumping and jostling and laughing all the while. “Bye, Ms. Wentworth!” some called out. Thin arms waved. “See you Monday!” another shouted.

  Minutes later, Daniela popped by, her low heels tapping over the tile floor. Lexi was still wearing flats to reduce the stress on her leg, and couldn’t imagine going back to anything higher.

  She no longer needed a leg brace, or crutches, but kept her knee wrapped with a supportive bandage under her slacks. In another week or two, the doctor said she’d be good as new, inside and out. Her body had almost healed itself, and the anti-anxiety medication he’d prescribed was working. She felt almost ready to take the next big step that might enhance her life: dating.

  “How about a casual dinner and a movie at my place?” Daniela asked. “First, though, I have to make a bakery run. I promised to drop off goodies at my parents’ house for their poker party.” Her friend grinned. “It’s my way of getting out of their invitation to play. They’re ruthless card sharks. Worse than their friends.”

  Lexi laughed, trying to imagine the plump, middle-aged couple as cutthroat card players at a penny a hand. “Sure. But you’ve given me an idea. There’s something I also need to do first.”

  Daniela nodded. “Go for it.”

  “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  * * *

  Captain Gallagher stuck his head into the firehouse kitchen, where the crew had thrown an impromptu celebration for the FBI capture of the teen arsonists who’d torched homes the month before. Knox opened bottles of root beer and passed them around, Marcus poured pretzels into a bowl, and Chang whipped up homemade dip for chips. The other guys milled around or played poker at the card table. “Townsend! Someone here to see you.”

  Knox looked up when his name was called.

  The captain’s bushy eyebrows rose and fell with the announcement and a smile lifted a corner of his mouth. The look gave the others tacit permission to check out Knox’s visitor.

  Chairs pushed back from the tables, and a handful of guys, including Marcus, stood to watch from the doorway as Knox made his way into the oversized garage where the trucks were kept. A woman stood just inside the open bays, spotlighted by rays of June sunshine.

  Though he tried to control it, a spring lifted his step, and he hurried forward when he spied Lexi Wentworth waiting for him. She looked sexy as ever in jeans and a pullover that clung to her curves. He hadn’t seen her since the day of her rescue, but he’d thought about her a million times.

  He wanted to tell her how much he’d hoped she’d seek him out, and how happy he was that she had, but he smiled instead, and said, “Hey.”

  The open smile she returned said she didn’t consider him a molester or a stalker. The gold flecks in her eyes sparkled in his presence, and the fresh scent of lavender on her skin made him wonder if she’d worn it especially for him. Her honey-colored hair was drawn up in a high ponytail that drew his gaze to the creamy skin of her neck and the curve of her shoulder. Delicate curls skimmed her back, and he longed to wrap them in his fingers.

  She lifted a plate of cupcakes he’d barely noticed. “I brought these for you—to thank you.” She glanced over at the kitchen doorway where his buddies lingered, making no bones about staring. “And the others, of course.”

  Her gaze flickered back to him. “Your captain said it was okay to stop by. He told me you liked cupcakes when I called and asked to visit.”

  “You did? He did?” That was the best news he’d heard in a long time.

  “Sure. My nurse at the hospital told me you asked about me. And my friend Daniela saw you at the nurses’ station. I asked her to invite you to my room, but by then you were gone. Coming here seemed like the best way to connect.”

  “I’m glad to see you.” Really, really glad. Lexi was more beautiful than he remembered, even in his dreams, and she looked at him like he was a superhero or something. How the hell did he get so lucky?

  Knox glanced back at the guys leaning against the doorjambs or the walls outside the kitchen like tomcats on a fence, and resisted the urge to shoot them the bird, knowing it would be a waste of energy. Nothing he’d do or say would get them to move. Lexi was hot and they were curious.

  “I guess they heard about my purple nightie,” she whispered.

  “Not from me.”

  She handed over the plate she carried. “Maybe the cupcakes will give us some privacy.”

  “Good thinking. We were in the middle of celebrating an arrest. The crew can get back to their party.”

  “Arrest?” Her brow furrowed.

  Knox explained about the arson fires and the teen offenders responsible for destroying bloc
ks of homes. The community would sleep easier with those boys off the streets. “Be right back.”

  He delivered the baked goods to knowing grins and slaps on the back. “Hey, guys. Eat. Behave.”

  Except for his brother, he hadn’t had many visitors to the station. He rarely socialized with his crew mates these days, though their softball league would be starting again soon, and he’d be expected to play. He’d begged off while the others went boating or fishing, hosted backyard barbeques, or arranged game or movie nights. They clearly understood something significant was happening with Lexi in the house.

  Knox returned to her and led her outside to a patch of lawn with a picnic table where they could be alone. He stood close, noting she didn’t step back.

  He eyed her shapely legs and mentioned what he’d noticed right off. “No crutches.”

  “I only needed them for a couple of weeks. I was lucky.”

  “I’m glad it wasn’t worse.”

  The sparkle in her eyes dimmed. “I thought you might call me to find out.”

  The hitch in her voice when she said the words confirmed that his attraction hadn’t been one-sided. The last thing the department needed was a…misunderstanding. Mistakes like that ended up in the news and on social media and ruined lives.

  “Regulations. Believe me, I wanted to call you. Better yet, to show up at your door or at your school. But we’re not authorized to pursue someone socially who’s been in jeopardy. Besides that, I hardly wanted to seem like a stalker.”

  He cleared his throat. “I was worried I’d freaked you out when I…uh…kissed you and…”

  When he tried to say more about the connection he’d felt when he held her in his arms, Lexi pressed a finger to his mouth.

  “Shh.” She lowered her hand. “That’s not how it happened.”

  “I clearly remember kissing you.” He’d kissed her a thousand more times in his head.

  “No.” She moved so close he could feel her breath on his neck. “I kissed you.”

  If that was true, it changed everything.

  He met her eyes and wrapped his hands around her waist. “You feel it too? That spark? Something that says this thing between us is real?”

  She eased into him and nodded. “I’ve never been drawn to anyone the way I am to you.”

  He ran his thumbs over the curves of her hips. “Same here.” His conscience cleared.

  His gut told him Lexi had come into his life for a reason. He hadn’t been wrong that something had started between them. Something good. Something right.

  Lexi draped her arms over his shoulders and leaned into the kiss he pressed to her mouth. This time, there was no mistaking that he kissed her.

  Boom. Rocket fire.

  Her lips tasted supple and warm and sweet and nearly knocked him off balance. Though the first kiss they’d shared had been seared into his memory, this kiss was so much better. When she opened her mouth to deepen the kiss, he pictured her bare breasts, and the gold belly-button ring he wanted to poke with his tongue, and almost lost his mind.

  The next thing he knew, he’d pressed her back against the side of the firehouse and picked her up by the seat of her pants.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist while he squeezed her bottom, remembering how perfect it had looked in a thong. His erection sought the sweet spot between her legs while she dug her fingers into his hair.

  He kissed her until her pretty lips became flushed and swollen. Then, reluctantly, he put her down and took a step back before he broke every decency law in the book.

  Knox brushed stray hairs off her forehead. “I take it this means you don’t have a boyfriend.”

  Lexi laughed and then ran her fingers down the length of his arm until her smile faded. “We broke up before I moved here for my teaching job.”

  “Good to know.” He took her hand and led her to the picnic table. They sat side by side on the top with their feet perched on the seat. “I’m not seeing anyone, either. Haven’t for quite a while.”

  That seemed to please her.

  “I haven’t dated in a long time.” She bit her lip and looked away. “You’re the first since Ohio.”

  “I’m surprised,” he said. “A beautiful woman like you could have any man she wanted.”

  Lexi turned back to him slowly, and the look she gave him was filled with dread. “My looks didn’t matter one way or the other…to him.” She said the words like they tasted bad.

  Knox’s internal radar crackled. “Want to tell me what happened?”

  Lexi made a face. “You want to unpack my baggage so soon?”

  “Might as well know what I’m getting into.” He grinned, though his heart thundered and his temper flared at thoughts of someone hurting her.

  “I’ll go first; then you.”

  “That’s fair.”

  She took a giant breath, blew it out, and said, “He left me inside a wrecked car with a serious concussion after a crash. He fled the scene while I was unconscious.”

  Knox thought he’d heard wrong. “He ran away from an accident scene? He deserted you?” The concept was unfathomable.

  Lexi’s mouth tightened. “Who knew he was such a coward? And a rat? He liked to drive my car because he liked my SUV better than his sedan, and we were headed to a cookout at his friend’s house in the country. I guess it made him feel manly to drive my vehicle.”

  Manly. Knox winced.

  “Anyway, I had no idea he was driving with a suspended license. He lost control on a curve, crashed into a tree, and took off on foot. He left me there and walked the rest of the way to his friend’s place to evade the police. Good thing I had a cell phone and was able to get help when I came to.”

  “Did the cops catch up with him? Was he punished?”

  “He was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and fined.”

  “That’s it?” Knox wanted to drive to Ohio, find the idiot, and knock some sense into him. How could he have deserted Lexi?

  “Turns out that since I gave him permission to drive my car, and legally should have known whether he was licensed to drive, I was held partially liable. The insurance company was unsympathetic and I ended up with mountainous debt.”

  Knox’s fists clenched and released. He bit into his anger and swallowed it down. Remembering a coping mechanism he’d been taught, he cited positive outcomes to Lexi’s experience to help him decompress. “Good things also came of that collision.”

  She gave him a questioning look. “Like what?”

  He counted off on his fingers. “You saw him for who he was—and never had to see him again. You moved to Pennsylvania. And you met me.” He grinned with that last part, feeling better than he’d felt in a long time when he said the words.

  She smiled back. “It’s ironic that I met you as the result of an accident.”

  The smile on her pretty face faded and her expression turned solemn. “I learned a lot from that incident in the apple tree. Weird as it might sound, I’m almost glad it happened.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “I’d been afraid. After the car accident, I developed fears that held me back. At first, they weren’t irrational—I was simply afraid of another collision—as anyone might be. But before I realized what’d happened, I’d become afraid of driving, of riding in someone else’s car, of dating, or going out with friends. Little by little, I became isolated.”

  “Yet you drove hundreds of miles to take a new job in a strange town. That took courage.”

  Lexi shrugged. “It might have been a flight response to my fear, though it took all the strength I could muster. I was a wreck for a while, but knew a fresh start would be the best thing for me.”

  She stared up into his face with her mesmerizing eyes and his belly tightened. “I was afraid of getting hurt again, both physically and emotionally. When I got to West Arbor, I thought I was free, until old fears began to resurface.”

  “No one woul
d blame you.” The scars on his skin and his soul ran deep.

  She touched his hand. “When I got hurt this time around, I got rescued in style instead of abandoned. I’ll always be grateful for that.” Her fingers slid over his, and the intimate gesture made him want to kiss her again.

  “You know what else I realized?” she said. “I love my life in this town and I won’t run away again. In my hospital bed, I decided the time had come to fight my fears and not let them win.”

  She wrapped her hand inside his. “Meeting you reminded me that not everyone runs from trouble. I wanted to stop running, too.”

  Her admission made his head reel as if she’d sucker punched him with a boxing glove.

  Knox turned away and took a series of slow breaths, sorting through his epiphany. Hadn’t he been running from life since Chelsea’s death? He went to work every day and did his job; but apart from his anger, he’d been numb inside. He’d avoided social situations and shunned intimacy. Except for his brother Ben’s house, he hadn’t been anywhere outside the fire station or his apartment since the funeral.

  Therapy had helped him control his rage, but it hadn’t eased his loneliness.

  After a moment, Lexi tried to restore eye contact. “Everything okay? Did I say something wrong?”

  Knox turned back to her and shook his head. “You said everything exactly right. Turns out I’m not much different than you.”

  Her eyes widened. “How so?”

  Knox smoothed her ponytail, reveling in the silky feel of the strands against his palm. His body came alive at the sensual contact, but more important, his emotions did too. He let his hand drift over her back and then pulled her close to kiss her again. The kiss was slow and deep this time, filled with hope they might have a future together.

  It was time for him to embrace life.

  When they broke the kiss, he held on to Lexi’s hand. “Will you meet me and the crew Saturday night for our monthly beer bash? We go to Kelly’s Pub to play pool, shoot darts, and dance a little. Every month the owner contributes a percentage of the profits to our firehouse expansion project.” He gave her a look he hoped was convincing. And seductive. “I haven’t been there in a while, and I’m not much of a dancer, but you might change that.”