Burning Ambition

by Amy Knupp

  “Why don’t you put them in one of the common areas?” she asked. “I bet some of those tough guys would fall in love.”

  “Maybe when they get a little bigger. Not sure I trust a couple of the Neanderthals with them.”

  The black kitten who’d attacked Faith’s pants when she came in crawled up on her lap. Her tiny claws dug through the material into her flesh, eliciting a pained laugh.

  “You need attention, obviously,” Faith said, picking her up and holding her at eye level. “Are you getting the shaft from big, bad Joe?”

  “She’d like you to think she is,” he grumbled. He’d sat down on the low bed along the wall opposite the bookcase. The room wasn’t much longer than the bed and there was only about three feet between it and the bookcase. The wall was adorned with posters of old cars. Hot rods was the term that came to her mind.

  One of the two kittens Joe had picked up when Faith came in was now on his shoulder, nibbling at his ear. The other had decided his arm was the place to be and was drifting off to sleep, cradled like a baby. He gently put the ear-biter on the floor.

  “What are you doing here, Faith?” His voice was quiet, mostly businesslike, but a hint of gentleness, of the Joe she’d spent the night in the hospital with, slipped through.

  She put Cinder down beside the mother cat and moved up to the mattress next to him, since it was the only place besides the floor to sit. With one leg drawn under her, she faced him.

  “Checking on you. Have you heard anything more about your mom?”

  “Her temperature’s still high, but that’s to be expected, or so they keep telling me. In other words, no real news.”

  “She hasn’t gotten worse, though, right?”

  “Not that they’ve admitted to.” He ran a hand over his short hair. “It’s damn hard to be here, but sitting in that waiting room for another night…not sure I have it in me.”

  “It sucks to not be able to do something for her.”

  He nodded and ran his large hand over the tiny kitten’s back. “Yeah, it does. Work is at least keeping my mind occupied. Or it did until everything slowed down.”

  “You should try sleeping.”

  “So should you.”

  “Been there, done that,” she said. “How’d your interview go?”

  “Not too bad, I don’t think, when you take into account an all-nighter and a mother in intensive care.”

  At that, Faith reached out and put her hand on his thigh just above his knee. “Did you tell the committee what was going on?”

  He shook his head. “Your dad referred to it once, but if I can’t be at the top of my game after staying up all night, then I’m not doing my job.”

  “It wasn’t your standard up-fighting-fires night.”

  He ignored her statement and she self-consciously removed her hand from his leg.

  “I imagine you did well in spite of everything,” Faith said. “You don’t seem to let things get to you.”

  He turned slightly and met her gaze head-on. The kitten apparently didn’t like the motion and stumbled down his leg to the safety of its mama.

  “Some things I can’t prevent from getting to me, it seems.” His look intensified, became pointed.

  Faith’s pulse reacted by going triple time. “Like what?”

  “I think you know.” He took her hand in his, wove their fingers together. “You shouldn’t come to my room in the middle of the night, Faith.”

  She nodded, her voice momentarily caught in her throat. “I’ll go.”

  He nodded, too, but at the same time leaned closer and gently pulled her hand toward him. With his other palm, he cradled her chin. Caressed her lower lip with his rough thumb. His eyelids drooped heavily as he closed the space between them and touched his lips lightly to hers. His fingers wound around to the back of her neck, beneath the cascade of her hair, and the kiss became more urgent. Faith wasn’t sure she could pull herself away if the alarm did go off. Some things were worth getting busted for.

  Throwing what little caution she’d had to the wind, she wrapped her arms around his neck, wanting him closer still. He slid his tongue into her mouth, a sexy moan coming from his throat as they tasted each other, explored. His kiss was a reflection of the man—confident, uncompromising, yet tender. Thorough. His touch made her feel…treasured.

  Without breaking the contact of their lips, he leaned her back diagonally across his narrow bed. Faith’s knee came up beside him, and as Joe’s body covered hers, his hardness pressed between her legs, making her body ache for him. His fingers inched up beneath her tank. She ran her hands over his muscled back. The breadth of his shoulders made her feel delicate. Decidedly feminine.

  When his hand slid beneath the elastic and his warm palm covered her breast, a needy sound came from her. She arched into him.

  “You’re so damn sexy, Faith,” he said into her ear. “Tough and hard on the surface, but soft. Beautiful.”

  She’d never been so turned on by a voice before. Of course the words were doing their part, too…and his hands…and lips….

  Without warning, pain pricked at her thigh and she let out a gasp. Rising up on an elbow, she realized the culprit was the little black kitten, its claws sinking into her leg.

  Joe scooped up the tiny animal and held it in front of his face. “Bad cat!” A grin tugged at his lips, though, and Faith started laughing quietly.

  He set it on the floor and Faith sat up, her heart still racing, blood still humming. She pulled her tank down and ran a hand through her hair as the reality of their situation sank in.

  “Good thing the cat interrupted,” she said. She’d been on the verge of losing her mind and her judgment.

  She stood and again tried to straighten her hair.

  Joe rose as well and kissed her, then pressed his forehead to hers. “Your hair is fine. You look good.” His voice was gravelly. So damn alluring.

  He backed her slowly up until his body held hers against the door, and once again, he sought out her lips with his. Thirty seconds ago, she’d been thinking how stupid it was to come here, and now she was succumbing to him again. Loving his touch. Wanting more.

  “Joe,” she managed to gasp. “I need to get out of here.”

  He acknowledged that with a deep, sexy sound and kissed her again.

  “We’re at work,” she said. “What if we get an alarm?”

  That seemed to penetrate his brain, and he groaned in frustration. Drawing her to him, he kissed her temple and wrapped his arms around her. “Yeah. You need to take your gorgeous self back to your room and lock the door.”

  “Is that an order?” Faith asked, grinning, loving the feel of his rough skin on her cheek.

  He stepped back from her and straightened, looking mostly serious. “Yes. That’s your captain speaking.”

  Faith palmed his cheek briefly. “You’re kind of cute when you’re all in charge. Good night, sir.”

  She opened the door and slipped out before any kittens could escape.

  JOE LEANED HIS BACK against the door, still reeling.

  Damnation. What the hell had he just done?

  He closed his eyes. As his body revved down, his remorse went up proportionately.

  The gray kitten, who he’d started calling Smoky, had made a nest on his pillow. He picked up the little fuzz ball, stretched out on his back and set the cat on his chest. Unbothered, it closed its eyes and was sound asleep within seconds.

  “At least one of us has no worries,” he said, rubbing its front paw. Contented, the cat flexed its needlelike claws.

  Even with all his guilt and worry, he still wanted more of Faith. He could lie here and tell himself till he was blue in the face that he couldn’t touch her again, but he knew, if given another opportunity, he’d be hard-pressed to walk away.

  For the first time, he allowed himself to consider the possibility of seeing her in secret. Away from work. Just enough for them to get each other out of their systems. No one had to know. His job would
n’t suffer and his chances at the promotion wouldn’t be harmed. No one would be able to accuse Faith of getting special treatment from him.

  God, what was he thinking? That wouldn’t be fair to Faith. She wasn’t the type to sneak around and deserved so much more than that.

  Which brought him back to the same agonizing dilemma. He wanted her and he couldn’t goddamn have her.

  Faith’s scent still lingered in the air and he couldn’t get her face out of his mind. Holding the cat against his chest, he sat up, replaced her on his pillow and headed to his office. If work could take his mind off his mother, then maybe it could take his mind off the vexing brunette, as well.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  FAITH WAS PATHETIC.

  She’d fully acknowledged this when she’d casually convinced Nadia and Mercedes that this was a good spot to stake out on the beach. That it was just up from the fire station, where she could watch the trucks head out on alarms, was no coincidence. But she wasn’t admitting that to anyone but herself.

  She happened to know Joe was on duty today, because she’d overheard her dad on the phone yesterday. Joe had taken someone else’s shift, as he frequently did, workaholic that he was. His work ethic reminded her of her father. Unless Joe had traded shifts, he was also scheduled to work with her tomorrow. She wondered if he would break down and sleep tonight, and that question brought to mind his room, his bed, his kisses….

  She’d seen the engine return after a call about an hour ago, and caught a glimpse of him riding shotgun. That she was acting like a teenager with a crush disturbed her on some level, but she couldn’t help it, really. She’d made a mistake the other night by going to his room, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

  “What is it you’re not telling us, Faith?” Mercedes sipped her margarita and set the cup back in the sand next to her lounger. “Who are you stalking at the fire station?”

  Faith was lying on her front, the closest of the three to the station. She didn’t look at her friends. “I’m just admiring the trucks.”

  “You don’t lie very well,” Nadia said, grinning.

  To prove she wasn’t staring, Faith turned on her side and took the bag of corn chips from Nadia, helping herself to a handful. “Being involved with someone at work would not be a good idea.” Which, though possibly misleading, was one hundred percent true.

  “If it was Mr. Right, exceptions could be made.” Nadia pushed her sunglasses up over her gorgeous blond hair and squinted toward the station. “I could use a Mr. Right Firefighter with Big Beautiful Muscles myself. Maybe it’s time to hang out at the Shell Shack some more.”

  “I’ve been racking my brain for you,” Faith said. “None of them are bad-boy enough for your tastes.”

  “What? No bad boys in the fire department? I don’t believe that for a minute,” Nadia said.

  “There are a few rebels and troublemakers, but I wouldn’t really call them losers. Not your type.”

  “Maybe she’s turning over a new leaf,” Mercedes said, flipping through the latest issue of Cosmo. “Going for someone with a job this time.”

  “You two are evil,” Nadia said. “So I’ve made a couple bad decisions. I want to know more about who you’ve been watching for all afternoon, Faith.”

  “Yeah, spill it, girl. Does it have anything to do with the all-nighter last week?”

  Faith shoved a bunch of corn chip crumbs from the bottom of the bag into her mouth. As a stall? Maybe. “I told you about the captain. His mother was in intensive care. We spent the night in the waiting room.”

  “Is his mom okay?” Nadia asked.

  “She’s going to be. She finally turned a corner and they think she’ll go home in another week. Nice of you to ask,” Faith said drily.

  “So, the captain, huh?” Mercedes said. “The one who was watching you at the bar that night?”

  If she’d kissed anyone else, Faith would’ve fessed up to her friends in a heartbeat. But it was Joe. There was too much at stake. While Mercedes and Nadia would never outwardly accuse her of getting close to Joe for professional reasons, she couldn’t stand the possibility of anyone thinking that, even in passing.

  “I’m going to throw this in the trash before it blows away.” Faith crumpled the empty chip bag as she got up, ignoring her friends’ comments about running away from their questions.

  It was almost five o’clock and this part of the beach was clearing out. Most of the hard-core spring breakers were about a mile up, close to the bigger resorts and the frequent TV coverage. The trash cans were fifty feet or so away, placed out of reach of high tide. As Faith walked toward the nearest one, a man jogging down the beach in her direction caught her eye.

  She knew that gait. That large, muscled body.

  Her heart raced and she quietly called herself an idiot.

  He’s the fire captain, she coached herself. Not the man you’ve been dreaming about at night.

  “Pick up that pace,” she called. “You’re getting soft, Captain Mendoza.”

  He slowed to a walk and came over to her. “‘Captain Mendoza’?” he questioned, low enough that no one else could hear, and Faith couldn’t help noticing—and liking—the way his eyes roved up and down her bikini-clad body.

  She smiled easily, too happy to see him. “I call you soft and you take issue with the proper use of your title and name?”

  He didn’t smile. “Everyone calls me Joe. If you start acting different now…”

  Her grin was long gone. Something about his tone, his condescension, rubbed her wrong. “No one’s around who knows any differently, Joe.”

  “I don’t think you realize—”

  “I realize perfectly. I’m sorry I said anything at all, but then ignoring the captain as he runs by might raise a red flag, too.”

  He wiped his forehead with the bottom of his T-shirt. “You’re right. I didn’t expect to see you here. Like that.” Again, he allowed his gaze to wander downward.

  “My parka is back by my beach towel,” she said, pointing over her shoulder.

  Joe looked where she indicated.

  “Not really,” Faith said. “But we could go say hello to my beautiful friends. I could set you up with one of them. Then your problem would be solved.”

  “I’m sorry, Faith. I’m not handling…this well. I’ve never been in this situation before.” He was obviously talking about more than just seeing her in a bikini on the beach.

  “Considering I’m the first female in the department, I’m glad to hear that.”

  He still didn’t crack a grin.

  “Try to lighten up,” she said, wishing she could kiss his uptightness away. “Nobody knows, and it’s not going to happen again.”

  “What if I want it to happen again?”

  Faith’s breath caught and a weird lightness filled her chest.

  “Wait,” Joe said before she could respond. “Forget I said that.”

  Okay, then. Whiplash. She hardened her expression. It wouldn’t do for him to know how much his admission had stirred her.

  “I get it,” she said firmly.

  “I need to get back to the station. PT time’s over.”

  She nodded as awkwardness fell over them. “See you at work, Joe,” she said obediently.

  He jogged off with a vague nod.

  She watched him, unable to deny her appreciation of that body and the way he moved it. She had a hard time staying annoyed for more than fifteen seconds.

  No, he wasn’t handling this well, but it was pretty much impossible for her to figure out how to navigate this thing between them, either.

  His message was clear, though: there would never be a repeat of the other night.

  She supported that decision. In theory.

  So how to explain the tears that suddenly filled her eyes?

  “FAITH, CAN I TALK TO YOU in private?” Joe asked, coming up behind her and scaring the crap out of her as she rinsed the engine off with the hose the next morning.

&n
bsp; She turned to gauge the look on his face, but couldn’t tell if she was in trouble again or if this was work related. She secured the hose back on the wall and shook her hands dry as she followed him outside.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Have you talked to your father lately?”

  A sick feeling swirled through her gut. “Not since yesterday. I stayed over at Mercedes’s house last night.”

  “He hasn’t showed up for work yet today,” Joe said.

  “It’s almost noon.” Faith frowned and tried to remember if he’d told her of any plans. “He didn’t call in?”

  “No one’s heard from him.”

  She pulled the cell phone out of her pants pocket and checked for messages, but found none. Maybe he was still in bed. She pressed the speed dial for his cell phone.

  “I’ve tried both his numbers,” Joe said.

  Ignoring him, she paced toward the main courtyard, listening to the empty rings on the line. When her dad’s voice mail finally picked up, Faith swore and hit End. Then she dialed their home number, praying he’d answer and everything was fine. Trying to ignore the rising nausea and the weird, uneasy feeling that all was not right.

  The family voice mail started playing back in her ear. She let it finish, left her dad a message to phone her right away and ended the call. She leaned her elbows on the mural wall that curved around the courtyard, and tried to think of where her dad might be that he would ignore his phone.

  Joe came up next to her. “Did you try your mom?”

  She still held her phone, so she scrolled through her contacts to find her mom’s new number.

  “Mom, have you seen Dad today?” she asked.

  “Faith, I’ve been wanting to talk to you. I know you were upset by Craig—”

  “I’m fine, but Dad is missing. Did he call you?”

  “What do you mean, he’s missing?”

  Gritting her teeth, Faith briefly explained what she knew.

  “Faith, I have no idea.” To her mom’s credit, she sounded genuinely concerned. “I just saw him last night, but he didn’t mention anything.”

  “Where’d you see him?”

  “At the grocery store, across from the movie theater. Craig and I were picking up something for dinner, and your father was grabbing takeout from the Chinese counter.”