Dallas Fire & Rescue: Affinity (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Soulful Hearts Book 1)

by Tigris Eden

  I pull back, panting, and grab his left hand, bringing it up to my face. I’m eyeing him, then I’m eyeing the ring. I’m pissed off because Nicklaus is an excellent kisser, he had me revved and ready to discard all my clothes, skipping over the foreplay and heading straight for ecstasy. I was willing, primed, but the man standing in front of me is fucking married. Married! How I wish Long Duck Dong were here to clarify that this is not really true and instead just a language barrier, and that my Jake—who is actually Nicklaus—is in fact not married. And, somehow, someway, Molly Ringwald—although I’m way taller, and darker of skin, though I have a flawless pair of lips just like her—is in fact inside the church, trying to grab my bitch of a sister’s train. And Nicklaus is waiting for me, not in his cherry-red Porsche, but on his Dyna Low Rider, helmet-head and all. Wait, Long Duck Dong said I’d be the married one. Only I’m not. He is. Fuckity fuck, fuck!

  “You kissed me on the mouth!” I screech.

  He takes a step back and looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.

  “I let you, a married man, kiss me on the mouth,” I say again. “The fuck is wrong with you?” I yell, pointing towards the door. “Out. Get out, right now!”

  I normally get flustered during confrontations. But I’m hyped on alcohol. I know it because I can still feel the slight buzz, which is now a whaling roar inside my skull.

  “Jada, please, let me explain.” He’s pleading, and he looks so remorseful, but I can’t be bothered with that. Oh, hell no, I’m not going to listen to the excuses of a married man. No way, no how. NO. CAN. DO.

  “Klaus, you need to leave, or I’ll make you leave, and you won’t like how that goes down.” I go to stand in front of my nightstand because if he doesn’t move, I’m creating my first official Internal Affairs investigation ‘cause I’m going to grab my gun and pump two into his body. One in his hand, and the other in the appendage I was just about to let pound into me.

  Damn it.

  I really wanted him to work out all my kinks.

  “If you’ll let me explain…”

  “Nope.” I shake my head dramatically and go for my gun in the drawer.”

  He must know what’s about to happen because his eyes get wide, and he starts to back up towards the door. “I’m sorry, Jada, truly sorry.”

  “Yeah, you better be sorry. Now get the fuck out.”

  He opens the door, and the sound of it clicking shut after he leaves deflates me. I’m done. So mad and hurt. I was really hoping he was going to be a good guy. Someone I could really get into, even if just for one night. He’s just like my ex-boyfriend. Fake ass motherfuckers. That’s what men are.

  Chapter 2

  Three Years later.

  “Agent Alexander?” I hear my name being called and sigh. I really don’t have time for this. Dali is in top form, and every time an officer or one of the firemen comes over, I lose sight of my dog. It doesn’t make me feel any better. Dali’s not on a leash, but I don’t want her wandering too far, I know it’s her job, I get it. But if my dog gets hurt, I’m going to lose my mind. Up in here. Up in here. Gah. I geek out at the worst possible times, but who can blame me. The guys over at Station 58, Dallas Fire and Rescue—D.F.A.R.—do a brilliant job getting everyone out. Truth be told, I crushed on the guys that responded to the initial call for about five seconds. Then, I was all business. There are no casualties; only a few victims suffering from smoke inhalation. And one lady lost her purse in the fire. I was called in; rather, Dali was called in, because this was no accident. My girl’s won a shit-ton of medals since we’ve been on the job, and there’s talk about sending us overseas to help our brothers and sisters in arms over in the desert.

  Dali and I had this conversation already, and Poe even backed us up when we said, “Hell, no!” It’s not that I don’t love my country, I do. But sending Dali and me thousands of miles away from Poe, my black cat, is a straight-up deal breaker. Some people think I’m weird because of my love for my animals. But at the end of the day, humans are out, and fur babies are in.

  “Yes?” I turn to see one of the men from Station 58 looking over at me. It’s Kole Brandt—brown eyes, black hair, and he screams ex-military. Did I forget to mention he’s oh so sexy? And he’s coming my way. I can see the end of Dali’s tail as she searches through what’s left of the building.

  “You keep showing up at our sites, I’m gonna start thinking you’re stalking me, little lady.” This comes from one of the other men who responded to the call. I can’t remember his name.

  “In your dreams. I’m way too much woman for you to handle. Besides, Dali and Poe wouldn’t give you their seal of approval,” I joke back.

  It’s true, too, and the weirdest thing. I tried bringing guys home, maybe once or twice since I got to Dallas, and each time, my fur babies went bonkers. It’s like some huge cosmic joke from the god of animals that I’m not to have the pleasure of a man. Not unless I take my pleasure outside my home. Because trust me, this girl is on the prowl. Okay, not really, I don’t trust men. I’ve had my share of epic fuckups and don’t need a repeat. Now…I’m all about the hookup. Well, if you count my five-date rule, then an additional two dates to get to third base. Unfortunately, they usually don’t stick around that long, but I digress. Kole is talking to me, and I need to pay attention.

  “We have the chili cook-off this weekend, you should come by the station and bring your best chili.”

  “Yeah, that sounds like something I can get into. Can Dali come?”

  “Yeah, it’s no problem at all. The kids will love her, and Skye is making some kickass pastries.”

  “Pastries?” I ask, about to make fun of him because big, tall Kole Brandt just used the word “pastries” in the same sentence as kickass. How does he still make it look cool? He’s got black soot all over his brow and cheek, and his suit reeks of smoke, yet he still manages to pull off major swag. Too bad I look at him like an older brother. All the guys I’ve met so far while on the job are like older brothers, and they all keep trying to get me to come down to the damn station.

  “Bring your appetite, kid.”

  “We done here? I have to finish checking the building out.”

  “Yeah, you find anything, let the captain know, there’s been a series of fires like this in and around the city lately, and we can’t put our finger on it.”

  “Agent Alexander at your service.” I salute him and walk off. It’s good D.F.A.R. and the ATF are collaborating because Kole isn’t wrong. This isn’t a series of coincidences; it’s something more. Even Dali knows it; she hasn’t stopped sniffing around, but if there is something here, my baby girl will find it.

  I have music playing as I make sure my chili is nice and spicy. The boys at the station can eat a person out of house and home. I grab my Carolina Cooker cast iron crockpot and grin. It looks like a witch’s cauldron and holds more than five pounds of chili. It’s heavy as hell, and I am lucky my ranch hand, Thomas, is there to help me load it in the truck.

  “Thanks, Thomas.”

  “No problem, Jada.” He gives me a quick grin before he runs back into his yard. He left his front window open, and I can hear the game on in the living room. Boys and their sports. I’ll never get used to it. I’m only about a half hour outside of Dallas in Van Alstyne. I stay in what equates to a farm on more than two hundred acres of land off a small lake, complete with trees, a creek, many ponds, and a view to die for. I scrimped and saved until I was able to afford the house and got it on a steal. I don’t have any animals on my farm that I lovingly call Alexander Hills—outside of Dali and Poe, of course—but I plan to very soon. Right now, it’s just the fur babies and me. Thomas stays in the cottage house that sits adjacent to my garage, and he’s been more than helpful when it comes to the ins and outs of keeping the place running.

  Dali is in the front seat, strapped into her doggy seat belt because let’s face it, dogs and chili don’t get along. Not even on the coldest of days. Or rather, they get along too well. I want
to have some food left for the guys.

  “All right, girl, you’re going to play with the kids while Momma eats some chili and chops it up with the local firemen. If I so happen to find a man, promise you’ll behave?” I say to Dali. Her head is currently out the window, taking in the air, but it’s like she can hear me and actually understands what I’m talking about because she pulls her head in, looks at me, and I swear she gives me an exaggerated eye roll.

  “Aah, come on, Dali girl. Momma needs to have a good time. I’m not talking about forever. I’m just talking about right now.”

  Nothing.

  My dog is ignoring me.

  If Poe were here, he’d probably do the same thing. Those two are an unlikely but loveable pair. There is something about today; I don’t know what it is. And I kid you not, I have butterflies in my stomach; like today could be the day I run into Mr. Right Now. As I make the left-hand turn into the station and see the cars all parked in a row, my eyes don’t miss the Dyna sitting in the driveway.

  Oh, my wheezy, grapes, and peanuts! A Dyna.

  Motorcycles are my thing.

  Like.

  My.

  Thang.

  Go on, throw the southern twang on the end there. You can do it. Now say it with me. “Motorcycles are my thang.”

  But I’m not gonna lie, the other thought ghosting through my mind is Klaus von married man. That was one guy that left a lasting impression. Not only on me but my mind, my body; hell, he’d even shown up in my dreams a few times. And seeing the Dyna just brings it all back.

  I park the car, right next to the two-wheel hottie, and pray to the gearhead gods that the body attached to the seat of that hotrod belongs to a warrior. A warrior of old, a warrior of new, hell, give me Karl Urban in Pathfinder, and I’m your gal. Because only a beast of a man would roll up on a Dyna, and all the men of Dallas Fire and Rescue are beasts. Rawr.

  I open the car door just as Kole steps out into the hot Texas sun. He’s on his phone chatting with someone, and when he sees me, he gives me a chin lift. I reciprocate and walk around to the passenger side to let Dali out. She won’t leave my side until I give her the all clear. But I can tell she sees someone she wants to say hi to. Her tail is wagging frantically, and if she could jump up and down and scream, “Mommy, can I?” repeatedly, she would.

  I walk to the back of my car and open the trunk, about to yell out to Kole for some much-needed assistance, when a blast, no, a chill from my past skates right up the back of my spine and into my ear.

  “Can I help you with that?” The smooth, caramelized sound of his voice could melt ice on the coldest of days.

  Holy fuck on a fried cheese stick. It’s Nicklaus.

  I want to turn around and scream the house down. Ever since that night three years ago, I’ve had nothing but bad luck when it comes to men. I’ve compared them all to the one intense kiss Klaus and I shared back in my motel room, and dammit, I’m ruined…completely ruined. There is a small voice in the back of my mind that says, fuck it, throw caution to the wind and jump his bones already. But I can’t. He’s married. Fucking married.

  I won’t ever be that girl.

  Nope.

  Not.

  Me.

  Ever.

  His arms reach out and enclose me as he reaches for the pot of chili, and I know he does it on purpose. Freaking douche nozzle. He’s trying to get me riled up. Or does he even know it’s me? I wonder.

  “It’s good to see you again, Jada.” Well, that answers that question. His body is so close that I can feel the heat of his words. Dali, the traitor, is sitting there, tail wagging, big eyes hopeful. What does she expect? I can’t. He’s married.

  “Klaus, baby,” a female voice says over the roar in my head. “Baby, who’s your friend?”

  Great. His wife. I don’t want to turn around and look. I can’t. My limbs are locked in place, and a quiet rage takes over as I think of that night back in my room. He followed me home with every intention of cheating on his wife.

  “Tammy, this is a good friend of mine, Jada. I met her three years ago in Sulphur, Louisiana.”

  You did a hell of a lot more than meet me.

  I’m seething, and right when I’m about to turn around, his arm goes around my waist, and he turns me to him.

  “What the hell?” I say.

  At the same time, Tammy, who I can’t see because Klaus’s big-ass broad shoulders are blocking my view says, “What in the world is going on here?”

  I try with Herculean effort to get out of his arms, but he squeezes me tighter and says against my forehead—yes, my forehead, “You are not getting away this time, gorgeous.”

  “Who you calling gorgeous?”

  “You,” he says as he steps back and releases me somewhat. Dali nudges me forward, and I almost fall back into his arms.

  “Dali, calm down.”

  What the hell is she doing? Dali never, and I mean never acts this way with men. Especially men I’m attracted to. Apparently, if they’ve already put a ring on someone else’s finger, they are fair game to my traitorous dog.

  “She’s all right. She knows good people when she sees them.”

  I grunt.

  “Tammy, Jada,” he says to the woman, who I can now see clearly. She’s tall, svelte, not an ounce of fat on her, and she’s decked out in denim cut-offs, a Harley tank top, and cowboy boots. Damn, I can’t fault his wife one bit. She’s definitely a looker. If I swung both ways, I’d invite her into my bed. What? Don’t act like you haven’t checked out a pretty woman before. We all have, we’re all offenders. There’s no hate here. I know beautiful when I see it, and she’s it. I totally feel like Boof in Teen Wolf because, let’s face it, Nicklaus is a wolf, and I’m the friend with the unreciprocated crush.

  My mind starts to wander into movie land, and I do a mass comparison of all the situations I could relate to at this very moment. Like when Molly Ringwald is being sized up by Seth’s douchebag girlfriend in Pretty in Pink, even though she’s the one being all whorish. Or when Taylor pours her drink down Laney’s dress on purpose. Yup, that would be me, only I can’t say anything bad about his wife because she’s like awesomely beautiful. Freakishly, if you really want my opinion, and everything on her is natural, from the size of her perky breasts, right down to her toned stomach and long-ass legs.

  My brain hasn’t caught up to what’s happening around me because now Kole is standing there with a strange look on his face.

  “You okay, Jada?”

  “Huh?”

  “I asked if you were all right?”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m good. Just got caught up in the moment.”

  “You’re having a moment with our mechanic, Klaus?” Kole asks, confused.

  “Yeah, and um, his wife, Tammy.”

  “Wife?” Nicklaus and Kole say at the same time.

  Kole looks between the three of us, and now I’m the one truly confused. I hate when I check out, it only happens when I’m really uncomfortable, or when I’m overly excited. I’m totally screwed. I know it.

  Tammy doesn’t correct me, so I’m not sure why both men are stuck on stupid.

  “She’s not my wife.”

  “I thought Tammy was with your friend, Hector?” Kole asks.

  “Yeah, she is, but Jada here thinks I’m married.”

  I turn in his arms then and look up—way up—into his eyes. They’re lighter than I remember, arctic, but not cold, just fathomless.

  “You’re not married?” I ask. I’m praying again to the gods of old and new, because if dude is not attached, I swear to all that is holy, I’m dropping off the chili and taking him home. Whoa. Slow your roll. Slow your roll. You are not taking him home. Right.

  Be calm.

  Play it cool.

  He could be with someone.

  Please don’t be attached. Pretty please. Someone give me a break. Just this once, I want to get what I want.

  “No, and if you’d let me explain the last time we met, you
would have known that.”

  “I would have?” I whisper.

  “Yeah, gorgeous, you would have.”

  There he goes with the name again. Why is he calling me that?

  “Well, if you two are done with the reunion, I’d like to eat some chili. Tammy, call Hector out here to help with the pot. You two, take your time getting reacquainted,” Kole says. But neither of us are listening. We’re both staring at one another, and it’s already hotter than black asphalt in California.

  Klaus is the mechanic for Dallas Fire and Rescue. He’s like the head mechanic, and everyone here loves him. How I’d never run into him until now is a mystery.

  “You look really nice, Jada.”

  I look like my normal self. I’m in a pair of boyfriend jeans and a Suicide Squad shirt. My hair is shorter. I cut it about six months ago.

  Geez. The way he says my name incinerates me. I want to be mad at him, but I can’t be. He’s not freaking married. At least, not now he isn’t. But he was wearing a wedding band during our last encounter.

  “I need you to explain to me how you were not married the first time we met, when you clearly had on a wedding band. Don’t tell me you were separated, because that would mean you were still married,” I say sternly with a tilt of my head and an arch of my brow.

  His piercing blue gaze is haunting for a minute. Clearly, there is a story, but it doesn’t look like he’s willing to get into it right this minute.

  “Can we wait until after. I’d like to talk to you alone, when everyone isn’t around.”

  Can I wait?

  Do I even want to wait?

  Just hear him out, Jada, my mind admonishes.

  “Fine. Whatever you want to talk about can wait until after. But I do expect us to talk.”

  “We will.” Nicklaus grabs my hand and leads me over to the others, where they all sit and chat around a table. Dali is following closely behind. The guys at the station all love her, and she seems to like them, as long as none of them get fresh with me. Dali’s definition of fresh is anyone who gives me a hug. So when the captain walks over to me and pulls me in for a quick squeeze, Dali is there, voicing her opinion rather excitedly.