817 Fireman Ln. (Cherry Falls)

Lost in thought, I realize that Ava is still looking at me. Her lashes flutter on her cheeks when I look at her, as if she doesn’t want me to know she was watching me. I need to nip this in the bud. Yes, she’s attractive. Yes, I’ve not felt an attraction like this in a long time, but there’s no way I’m going to act on it. “And you... did you really think this is the best way to spend your first day on the job? Get to work.”

She looks stunned for a minute, and I almost take back my stern order. Almost. Until she juts out her chin and purses her lips. “Yeah, it was nice to meet you too.”

She walks off, and I tilt my head to the side as I watch her ass shake side to side. I watch her the whole way until she disappears through the big open doors of the firehouse. I fist my hands at my sides, instantly mad at the world. This is not going to fuckin’ work.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I storm inside and go straight toward the chief’s office. I knock under the plaque that says Chief Miles Malone. The chief barely gets out the words come in and I’m barreling through the door and shutting it behind me.

“Hey Kent.” He watches me as I sit in the chair on the other side of his desk. “What’s wrong?”

The fact he knows something is wrong is sort of messed up. I’m not a smiling, happy-go-lucky kind of guy. I’m firm, reserved, and don’t say a lot. So how he knows there’s something wrong is beyond me. “Are you trying to get us all killed?”

He leans back in his chair with his hands on the armrests. “Explain yourself.”

“Ava Catlett,” I say, as if just her name is explanation enough.

The chief flutters his hand as if he wants me to go on and he doesn’t understand. “Have you seen her? She’s small. We need to be able to trust the people we work with, especially in this line of work.”

“She’s small compared to you and some of the other guys here, but she’s passed all the training required. Perfect score, actually.”

I shake my head, disgusted. “You know those tests don’t prepare you for the real thing. You need real life experience.”

The chief interrupts me. “And she has it. Her grandfather was a fireman. Her father is the fire chief in Syn City. Her brothers are firemen. She passed top of her class, she worked the largest division in the city. She’s proven herself. You need to give her a chance. Just like you did for Porter and Andrew when they first came.”

“If her whole damn family is on the force in Syn City, then why isn’t she there? What is she doing in Cherry Falls? That should be a red flag right there.”

The chief leans forward, tilts his head, and stares at me. I can feel his stare and start to get uncomfortable. I stand up and start pacing the room. Neither one of us says anything until the chief breaks the silence. “I don’t think you’re worried about Ava’s capabilities. I think it’s something else.”

I deny it. I don’t look at him, but I deny what he’s suggesting. “No, that’s not it at all.”

“You just met her, Kent, and already you’re feeling this strongly about her. What’s really going on?”

I keep pacing. Fuck, what do I say? I can’t tell him that my dick came to life today for the first time in three years. I’ve felt nothing for a woman in all that time, and one look from Ava’s blue eyes has me acting like a fuckin’ crazy man with a hard dick that I can’t control. “Nothing,” I mutter.

“It’s okay to move on, Kent. It’s time... it’s okay.”

My heart is racing, my palms are sweaty, and I suddenly feel sick to my stomach. “I have to get to work,” I tell him right before I slam out of his office. Fuck this, I’m going to the gym upstairs, take out my frustrations there.

2

Ava

I catch up with Porter. “What’s his problem?” I ask with a nod toward Kent. The man is big and bossy, and even though he’s an ass, I can admit he’s hot. I try to avoid that thought as I tear my gaze from the big Neanderthal.

“Who, Kent?” he asks.

When I nod as Kent walks past us toward the chief’s office, Porter shrugs. “He’s always like that.”

I look at him and wait for him to continue, but he doesn’t. I start stripping off my gear and shoving things into my locker. Andrew is on the opposite site of the station, but I can hear the guys ribbing him as Porter walks over to rub it in a little more. Maybe beating the station stud wasn’t the best move for my first day on the job, but I’m not the type of woman to just let a man win. I wasn’t raised that way, and I’m definitely not going to start now.