Table of Contents
Ready for Trouble by Tina Donahue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Epilogue
About the Author
Always Ready by Kimberly Nee
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Acknowledgments
About the Author
The Navy Seal’s Secret Baby by Kat Baxter
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
About the Author
Call Me Crazy by Rebecca Royce
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Two for the Road by Bisou deVie
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
About the Author
View from the Top by Carmen Falcone
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Precious Cargo by Nicole Morgan
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Coming in Hot by Kate Meader
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Along Came a Spider by Delilah Devlin
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
About the Author
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READY FOR TROUBLE
TINA DONAHUE
Chapter One
Jake Brennan envisioned his vacation from the force as pure R&R: racy and raw sex with soft, sweet-smelling women who liked fun without strings, regrets, or uncomfortable breakups.
Instead, he got water spraying like a freaking fountain from an exposed pipe near his garage ceiling. Already, the flood immersed his feet to his ankles.
He stared at it, disbelieving, then dropped his dirty laundry on the washing machine and jerked the water valve to the “off” position. The flow slowed but didn’t stop, dribbling onto his naked shoulders, torso, and groin. Good thing he hadn’t bothered getting dressed before coming out here to wash his stuff.
After grabbing his boxer briefs from the clothes pile, he stood on tiptoes and tied the underwear around the leak then called Manny, his partner on the force.
Manny answered immediately.
“Yo, Brennan. I thought you had four days left on your time off.” Slurping and chewing sounds came from his end. “What’s the matter? You not having fun? You miss me that much?”
Jake rubbed his forehead. “I’m having a blast—or at least I was. I sprung a damn leak.”
Manny’s sipping noises stopped. “Your rubber broke?”
Male voices sounded in the background. The guys they worked with. Manny shouted that Jake’s condom had done the ultimate no-no. A few of the men groaned. Some laughed.
Manny came back on. “Sorry, but there’s nothing I can do for you except pray you’re shooting blanks.”
Jake paced through water. “Will you listen? A pipe broke in my garage.”
“Oh. Why are you calling me?”
This was like discussing politics with a toddler. “You’re married. You have kids. You know about junk like this.”
“Says who? My wife and boys have never asked me to fix a busted pipe.”
“But you can recommend a plumber, right? Who do you use?”
“No one. My plumbing’s good. Let me ask.” He shouted his question to the guys.
Several answered at the same time, the responses garbled, except for one word. Jake made a face. “There’s a plumber named four?”
“No. Here for you. The guys said Sarge has mentioned them.” Manny belched. “The spelling is weird. There’s ‘here,’ then the number four, then the letter u.”
Uh-huh. The guys, including him, liked to play with each other’s heads. “Is this for real?”
“You want to ask Sarge? I can put him on.”
Jake would rather face a prostate exam from Jack the Ripper. Their sergeant was grim, by the book, and didn’t suffer an officer challenging anything he said or asking stupid questions. “Thanks. See you next week.”
He googled Here 4 U, surprised the company actually existed, and had them on the line within seconds, stating his emergency.
The young woman who took his call promised to have someone out ASAP.
Hoping that wouldn’t mean an hours-long wait, he pulled on his jeans and opened his garage door.
Water gushed out, racing toward his car. With any luck, his plumbing problem would be over before long and he could make plans with one of the ladies he dated who didn’t mind a last-minute invite.
Broom in hand, he hurried water from the garage to the drive and his scant front yard. Birds drank and played in the puddles. Already the summer day was Florida steamy, the humidity brutal. Smeared clouds doused the sun but didn’t reduce the oppressive temperature.
His elderly neighbors drove past. Cora craned her neck to look at him. Walter lifted his hand in greeting.
Jake offered a smile then swept and mopped as best he could. So far, his sodden underwear held tight around the leak, but water dripped steadily from the cotton. He carried boxes onto his front walk, the cardboard drenched.
Sun broke through and beat down. He would have killed for several cold beers but kept at his task, losing track of time. An eternity seemed to pass.
Cars drove by. A noisy motorcycle tooled down the street.
Another, less annoying motor sounded, neared, and slowed.
He glanced over.
The Here 4 U truck stopped behind his car, sun glaring on the front window, obscuring everything inside.
The door popped open. A shapely tan leg appeared.
Surprised, he leaned over to see more.
A tallish woman in her mid- to late twenties exited the
truck.
Her black tee hugged her nicely, and she wore beige shorts that were beyond sweet and showed off her long legs. Her hips were outstanding, her rack goddamn amazing.
She couldn’t be the plumber.
Clipboard in hand, she met his gaze.
His mouth went dry.
She had an angel’s face, sweet and feminine, her bottom lip pouty, eyes dark, possibly brown. They complemented her strawberry-blond hair. Several tendrils danced in the breeze, freed from her ponytail.
He would have bet his life those tresses were silky and softer than kitten fur. If he had to guess, he’d say they smelled like floral shampoo, the kind that made a guy’s pulse race.
His cock thickened.
Her gaze caressed the tat on his left biceps and pec before trickling down to the ridge behind his fly, an erection he couldn’t hide.
If his balls got any tighter, he’d be in serious pain.
Exactly what his fellow officers wanted when they’d set this up, delaying a resolution to his problem. Even so, he had to hand it to them. They’d outdone themselves with this newest prank.
She approached and smiled. The smoldering kind, hot enough to singe the hairs on his nuts.
After several more steps, she stopped close enough for him to catch her fragrance. Something light and feminine bearing an intoxicating undertone, like a woman’s sweet embrace that promised serious action on a sultry night.
He warned himself not to drool but couldn’t kill his indecent grin. “Manny put you up to this, didn’t he?”
Confusion raced across her features. “Manny?”
“My partner on the force. That’s why you’re here.”
She looked at the mess in his garage.
He took her in. Damn, even her work boots were epic. Not clunky like a guy’s, but dainty, flowers carved into the leather. She didn’t wear a wedding or engagement ring. As soon as the plumber arrived and took over this mess, Jake intended to find out as much as he could about her. “Where is he?”
“Manny?”
“The plumber.”
“That would be me. Krista.” She pointed at the name embroidered on her shirt.
He warned himself not to stare at her tight nipples pressing against the cotton.
“And you’re Officer Brennan.”
Only because his buddies at the station had told her so. “How would you know that unless you spoke to the guys?”
“It says so right here.” She tapped her clipboard but eyed his tat. “You reported a leak, said cost was no object, you were in a hurry since you’re on vacation from the Coral Vale force, and that as law enforcement you’d appreciate a quick response—like what you and the guys do when you’re called in on an incident, which might happen even on your days off.”
He didn’t recall talking so much, saying anything about zipping to incidents or being pulled from his vacation time. By his recollection, he’d simply begged for someone to get here fast. Given how she struggled not to smile, she had to be toying with him.
Toy away. He enjoyed her teasing. “That’s not how I remember it. I’d like to see that.” He reached for her clipboard.
She held it behind herself and gave him a look mothers offer their wayward sons before smacking them in the head.
“I take it that’s the burst pipe?” She jabbed her thumb in its direction.
Her gaze drifted back to his pecs.
He resisted the urge to flex them, not wanting to act like a douche. Apparently, she was the plumber and didn’t know Manny or the guys. Her being here was legit. Was this country great or what?
“Yep, that’s it. I turned off the water.”
She regarded the new puddle forming beneath his dripping underwear. “On the main valve?”
“No. Should I have done so?”
“I’ll get it. While I do, turn on the faucets in the house and flush the toilets…if you don’t mind.”
He wasn’t certain if she was pulling his leg or not. Her playful look said she might be. “Because?”
“To drain the remaining water from the pipes so I can fix the broken one and be on my way.”
Suddenly, he didn’t want her leaving. She was something. Certainly nothing he’d imagined. “Sure.” Not budging, he gestured in appeasement. “Sorry about not thinking…uh, believing…that is, knowing you’re the plumber.”
“Not a prob. Happens all the time.” She winked.
His knees sagged.
She pointed. “Did you turn off the water heater?”
“Is it leaking, too?”
“No way to tell given the wet floor. However, with the main line shut off, you don’t want excessive heat buildup. I’ll get it, too. Be back in a sec.” She rounded the house.
He followed.
She stopped and looked over. “The faucets and toilets?”
Right. He had to stop acting like a rutting animal chasing a female in heat. “On it.”
After racing through the house and doing what she asked, he combed his hair, brushed his teeth, and returned to the garage.
She fingered his soggy underwear.
“Here, let me.” He untied them from the pipe and tossed the soaking wad on the washer. It skidded across the surface then fell to the floor.
She ignored them, regarding him instead, her cheeks pinked up beneath her tawny complexion. Her eyes proved as dark as chocolate, her lashes long, mouth plush.
His scalp tingled.
She pointed behind herself. “I’ll get my tools.”
“I’ll help.”
She stopped midpivot and glanced at his combed hair. A smile tugged her lips. “I’m capable.”
“Absolutely, but I’m still willing to carry your stuff…if you don’t mind.”
She lifted her eyebrows.
He hoped parroting her earlier words hadn’t pissed her off.
Approval sparked in her eyes. “I appreciate the help. Makes things go faster.”
Not what he wanted her to say. “I’m not trying to rush you out of here.”
“No?” Looking pleased, she gestured him to follow her.
Once she had her stuff near the pipe, she selected her tools and climbed the ladder he’d set up.
“I’ll hold it steady.” He hurried around to the opposite side and lifted his face.
She looked down at him, a stray tress caressing her cheek, interest sparkling in her eyes. “Thanks.”
He nodded, his throat too tight to speak.
Her hands trembled slightly.
He hoped because she was as turned on as he was, desire battering him.
She calmed first, grabbing a tool he couldn’t identify. Her wrist was inked, the design three small pink roses. Feminine as hell.
He wanted to suck her tats. “Can I ask you something?”
“This is a tubing cutter.” She showed him the tool. “I’m going to cut out the bad pipe and put in a new one.”
“Cool. What made you become a plumber?”
Surprise then appreciation showed on her face. “Several things.” She talked as she worked. “For one, it pays way better than an admin or customer service position. Second, I didn’t have to shell out thousands for a degree and a job that might be outsourced or automated. No way will that ever happen with plumbing. But most importantly, I’m going to own several plumbing franchises someday. Forget about McDonald’s and Domino’s. This is where the money is.”
He’d never met a more surprising woman. The women he dated were into clothes shopping, frequenting spas, lazing at the beach, and working only because the jobs supported their lifestyles. Hell, Krista had a better head on her shoulders than most guys her age.
“Good for you.”
“Thanks.” Beaming, she stroked the ruined pipe, touching a sizable hole on the side. Her mood grew serious. “You know what caused this, right?”
He lifted his hands. “I swear I didn’t shoot it.”
She laughed, the sound rich and throaty.
Heat burst in his c
hest then sped to his groin. He puffed up, pleased she liked his joke. Even though they didn’t know each other, her approval already meant something to him.
“So you’re not a bad boy, Officer Brennan?”
He could be a wild man if they were between the sheets, playing no end of carnal games.
“Jake. And only when the situation calls for it, Ms.…” He leaned against the ladder, edging closer to her. “I didn’t catch your last name.”
Mischief shone in her eyes. “I didn’t offer it.”
“If you do, I swear I’ll finish the job while you relax and supervise.”
Suppressed laughter shook her shoulders. “That would be something, but there’s no need. I’m Krista Kallagar.”
His smile hung on for a moment before the name killed his desire. Fuck, no. It can’t be. Except the surname was too unusual to dismiss. The only other person he knew who owned it was Patrick Kallagar, his SOB sergeant. A man who shared nothing about his personal life and didn’t take prisoners. If an officer did anything to get on Patrick’s bad side—and there were many things he didn’t like—he ground the poor bastard under his heel and never let up.
Jake didn’t want to ask but couldn’t avoid the truth. “You wouldn’t happen to know a Patrick Kallagar, would you?”
Men In Uniform Anthology Page 1