Emerging Temptation: A BWWM Romance Limited Edition Collection

by Peyton Banks

  “Good.” She patted my hand then went back to eating. “I saw the two of you dancing,” Grandma said, smiling in a way that told me it had definitely she’d requested the song from the DJ.

  “You requested that song,” it was a statement not a question.

  “Yup.” Grandma said proudly. “I bet you never thought I’d remember that’s your song. But you sang it half the night after you and Lukas went to the prom, I’d never forget it.” She paused. “Now that you’re back together…”

  “Grandma. Don’t get ahead of yourself,” I warned. “Lukas and me are just meeting to catch up on our lives. That’s all. So, don’t start planning our wedding. Besides, we were only ever friends.”

  “Best friends,” Grandma corrected me.

  “What does that have to do with anything?” I chastised.

  “It’s a foundation for more…”

  “We’re just friends,” I countered. “And all I want is a chance to reconnect with a man that I was friends with back in school. Nothing more.”

  “Give me a break,” Grandma spat. “You’re staying here in town for a while. What’s the harm in seeing if there’s something romantic between you two?”

  I pointed at her. “No playing matchmaker. Lukas and I are just going to have a cup of coffee while talking about work, and where we’ve been in the world.” I leaned forward. “And to be very clear, Lukas will not influence me one way or another whether I stay here.”

  “An old woman can hope,” Grandma said.

  I laughed, shaking my head. “You can hope all you want but don’t you dare fiddle around with my love life,” I said. “Now, give me his phone number. He mentioned you’d have it.”

  “I sure do.” Grandma got to her feet, making her way to the fridge. She plucked a thin, paperbound booklet from under a magnet. “You know…in my day we called it a coffee date,” Grandma said, handing it over to me before she sat back down.

  I rolled my eyes. “It isn’t a date.”

  Grandma chuckled, but said nothing.

  I yawned. “I’m done eating.” I arched a brow. “Do you need me to get you anything before I go back up?”

  Grandma shook her head. “I’m just going to finish this apple and put the leftovers in the fridge. I need to get myself off to bed before I turn into a pumpkin.”

  I chuckled—it was one of her favorite sayings, one I’d heard a hundred times. “I’ll put this back on the fridge in the morning,” I told her, waving the booklet with contacts for the firefighters and EMTs in it around a bit.

  When I rose to my feet, the scar on my leg twitched painfully. I’d overdone it a bit at the party. Sighing heavily, I decided that I’d earned a dose of Tramadol the doctors had given me for ‘as needed’ relief, along with a quick rubdown with Nurofen around my scar.

  Once inside my room, I took my dose of Tramadol, swallowing it down with my leftover water. Opening up my travel case, I snatched out a tube of Nurofen, then wiggled out of my sleep pants to get to my scar. Squeezing some gel out of the tube, I carefully rubbed it into my skin. My mind wandered back to the prom. We’d just been kids and had all the energy in the world. I’d asked him to go with me as a friend, because I knew he’d never ask me himself and neither of us had dates. I could still remember the way Lukas’s face flushed red when he told me about why he dated none of the girls in our class, even though he’d been the hottest boy in the school, even back then. Plenty of girls had been so jealous of me for being so close to him.

  “I can’t bring anyone home,” Lukas said.

  And that was true. I finished rubbing the Nurofen onto my leg and stood up to wash my hands. Even before his father had burned down the house, Lukas’s home was not a happy one—nowhere anyone in their right mind would want to bring a girlfriend, especially due to his fathers’ erratic, and often creepy behavior. I’d seen it firsthand, and Lukas had made me leave.

  Drying off my hands, I went back into my bedroom, glancing around. It was a perfect picture of who I’d been years ago, not the woman I’d become. Life had changed for both of us, I just didn’t know if the future included Lukas or not…

  5

  Lukas

  I checked the time on the fire station computer then turned on my ‘away’ message. Technically, I wasn’t on call, but there was always the chance that something big could go happen, and if they needed me to muster up and get to a site, all they had to do was contact me on my phone and I’d be available.

  I shoved my cell into my pocket. It was just coffee with Kendra, I shouldn’t be so nervous but I’d changed clothes a few times, looking for an outfit that was casual but good enough at the same time. I stared at my footwear options. I had several pairs of sneakers, boots, and an expensive pair of Italian dress shoes that I’d gotten made for me—given my large feet, it was easier than trying to find something in my size in any store. I wore my motorcycle boots. Once ready, I stormed out of the area, heading toward the exit.

  “Koch!” I turned around to see the Chief Mecklin coming out of his office. “You’re on your way out?”

  I replied without stopping. “Yeah, Chief. What’s up?”

  He hurried a bit to catch up with me. He was fit for a fifty-year-old, with a moustache that would look more in place on a seventies pornstar. “We need a photographer to do the calendar,” Chief said, matching my pace. “You said you’d look into it.”

  “I am,” I promised him. “I’m looking through the options.”

  Every year, the fire department did a calendar with one of the local shelters, both to promote the shelter and to raise money for programs we kept going. The calendar was always a big hit and sold like hotcakes. Women loved half-naked firefighters posing with cats and dogs. But our usual photographer had passed away over the winter, after battling pneumonia for a month and we’d put off finding a replacement. But to get the calendars printed in time, we’d have to do the photo shoots soon.

  “There can’t be that many options Lukas,” Chief pointed out. “This town isn’t that big.”

  “Stop worrying Chief. I’ll have some suggestions to you by the end of the week.”

  “Thanks,” Chief Mecklin clapped me on the back before heading back to his office.

  Exiting the building, I walked around to the parking lot at the back of the station and climbed onto my bike. It was one of maybe three parked by the station. Two guys drove trucks, one guy drove a sedan, but after years of armored transports, planes, and buses, I’d decided that if I could, I’d stick with something that gave me a little more airflow. So, my first big pay check after joining the fire rescue squad, I purchased a bike I’d gotten from a guy who’d known my brothers back in the day. He’d given me a decent price on the old girl and with a little elbow grease, I’d kept her running smooth ever since.

  Putting on my helmet, I took off, turning onto the main road through town and headed for Virgil’s, listening to the roar of my bike and the wind rushing past my ears through the helmet.

  As I rode up the street, I thought about the photographer issue. The Chief was counting on me to find someone. Kendra used to take pictures, didn’t she? I remembered that she’d won a few contests here and there, back when we were in high school. She’d even told me a few times that she wanted to go pro one day, but I guess that never happened. Maybe she’d be willing to do the calendar for us. I grinned when I pictured Kendra taking photos of my half-naked friends. It would be funny, that was for sure.

  Pulling into the parking lot that Virgil’s shared with a bait shop and a dry cleaner-tailor, I found a spot as close to the cafe as possible. It wasn’t the usual rush time, so it would be fairly quiet inside. I looked around and then realized I did not know what kind of car Kendra would drive—but I doubted she’d be hauling her grandmother’s jalopy around. I climbed off my bike, taking off my helmet and locking it to the bike. I headed around the front to Virgil’s. The cafe had stood in the town for longer than I’d been alive, maybe even as far back in my grandparents’ day. An
d even though Harlequin Bakery had some of the best cakes and pies in the town, Virgil’s had the best coffee cake probably in the entire state.

  I opened the door and the little bells attached to it jingled. Glancing around, I spotted Kendra seated in a corner, talking to Lucia. They’d been friends in high school, not as close as Kendra and me but close the way girls are. Taking off my jacket, I walked to where Kendra sat. Both women Lucia looked up as I approached.

  “Here he is…the gorgeous town hero,” Lucia yelled. “You want the usual, Lukas?” she asked, batting her eyelashes at me.

  “Sure thing,” I said, sitting down. “Double on the coffee cake. I’ve earned it this week.”

  Lucia licked her lips before responding with, “I’ll just bet you did.” She leaned forward to give me an obvious peek at her cleavage.

  With amusement shining in her eyes, Kendra glanced from me to Lucia then back at me.

  “Kendra. Did you already order?” I frowned, wondering if I’d been late.

  “No, I got here early and Lucia and I got to talking.” Kendra turned to eye Lucia. “Same thing Lukas’s having, but half the coffee cake.”

  “Got it,” Lucia said before walking away with too much sway in her hips.

  Kendra laughed. “God. She’s still crushing on you. It’s like I never left.”

  “Things stay the same a lot in sleepy old towns,” I agreed. When I’d came back to town, Lucia and a few other women had been very transparent with me, they wanted to fuck me. But I wasn’t interested. I’d done my fair of fucking around while I was in the military and the shit got real old fast. At this stage in my life, I was looking for more than a quick sex with a woman that I had no interest in seeing in the morning.

  “The perils of small towns,” Kendra chirped. “It must be hell keeping hook-ups secret around here.”

  “I wouldn’t know…” I said, settling into the old reupholstered chair. “I gave up that hit-and-run life years ago. Now I’m looking for a woman to keep.” I stared at her pointedly.

  “Hmmm…well…” Kendra’s lips parted then closed.

  “Oh, I meant to ask you, are you still doing photography? Or you don’t have time since becoming a detective?”

  Kendra blinked. “I still snap some photos from time to time. I can’t believe you remembered that.”

  “Didn’t you used to want to be the next Ansel Adams?” I asked.

  “Not so much the landscapes,” Kendra said. “More Annie Leibovitz.”

  “Right!” I said, nodding. “That was the one.”

  “Yes, I used to want to do that,” Kendra confirmed. “I mean…” She bit her bottom lip before letting it go. “I still do photography. But it’s kind of hard to get a leg up in that space. And it’s not any easier in New York. There’s lots of competition.”

  “Well, if you’re up for it, I’ve got a gig for you. We do an annual calendar, shirtless firefighters, cute puppies, kittens, and the occasional potbelly pig.”

  “You had me at shirtless firefighters.” Kendra laughed. “Wait a minute,” She snapped her fingers, “I think Grandma has a calendar like that in the kitchen. I didn’t know I should look for your month!”

  “I’m Mr. September. I posed with some adorable bunnies that we helped get adopted.”

  Kendra raised a brow. “With no shirt?”

  I nodded.

  “Well, I know what I’ll be looking at when I get back to Grandma’s house.”

  I grinned. “So, would you be interested in taking the job? I promised the Chief I’d get us a new photographer.”

  “What happened to the old one?” Kendra asked, frowning.

  “Passed away from Pneumonia,” I replied. “We’d be able to pay you for your work. Not a lot, but at least enough to justify spending the afternoon snapping photos of a bunch of shirtless dudes with dogs.”

  “I don’t know…it’s been a while since I’ve taken photos,” Kendra said.

  Before she could go on, Lucia bounced up to the table with our orders, coffee with double milk and no sugar and plenty of coffee cake.

  “I’ll leave the sugar for you, just in case,” Lucia said, winking at me.

  “The cake is plenty sweet,” I told her breaking off a piece with my fork and extending it to Kendra. “Try it.” She opened her mouth allowing me to feed her. “It’s good right?” She nodded while chewing and I dove into the cake.

  “Well…” Lucia’s eyes bounced from me to Kendra. “The two of you look thick as thieves.”

  “Just catching up,” Kendra said. “I needed to get all the news from Mr. September.”

  I nearly chocked on my mouthful of cake.

  Lucia asked, “Kendra. Have you seen his picture? Whew,” she said, fanning herself with a menu from the table. “Girl, the army did him good.”

  I rolled my eyes while swallowing coffee.

  “I can see that,” Kendra replied giving me a once over, “He’s all bulging muscles with a handsome face…” She batted her eyelashes. “I’m so proud of Thor the firefighter.” She gave me an impish grin.

  “Okay enough smartass.” I shoved another forkful of cake into her mouth. “Maybe if we get Kendra to do this year’s shoot, we can get some eye candy for the men of this town,” I suggested. “Like a second calendar with the ladies of Wampanoag.”

  “There aren’t all that many young ladies in this town,” Lucia pointed out.

  “True enough, but I guarantee it’ll sell,” I said. “Especially if we feature Kendra as ‘Ms. September’,” I finished with a waggle of my eyebrows.

  “Not happening Thor,” Kendra grumbled.

  “Ya’ll work out the logistics and get back to me,” Lucia said before heading back to the counter to take care of another customer.

  “You will not get me on the other side of the camera,” Kendra said. “Lucia might do it, though. Maybe she can rope in some other women looking for husbands.”

  “But it’s for charity.” I gave her my best smile.

  “Forget it.” She pinched off a piece of cake and chomped on it.

  “But I can handle your equipment,” I said. “And I’ll even let you wear a black swimsuit for the pic. We got to show some skin.”

  Kendra laughed. “No way. If I do this—and I haven’t fully decided yet—I am keeping my ass behind the camera.”

  “Fine, fine,” I said. “But you’ll do it, right?”

  Kendra sipped her coffee and sighed happily. “I’ll think about it,” she said. “And it’ll depend on when you need me to do it. I may not even be in town for that long.”

  My heart raced at the thought of her leaving town and me. “Did you have a set day to go back to New York?” I asked, keeping my voice as neutral as possible.

  “Not exactly,” Kendra said. “I’ve got some meetings I should go to, people to talk to...but nothing set in stone. They want to make sure I recover as much as possible before I decide.”

  I relaxed a little. “Sounds sensible,” I agreed. “You need to know what you’ll be working with, physically.”

  “Right,” Kendra agreed. “They want to do a psych evaluation and all that, too. Make sure I haven’t lost my mind.”

  “Well, in my unprofessional opinion, you’re doing fine,” I said, breaking off a chunk of the coffee cake and popped it into my mouth. “So, tell me all about your daring NYPD career.”

  Kendra chuckled and shook her head. “It’s not all that daring. They have a saying about daring cops…they die young.”

  “You’re a careful cop, then?”

  “I guess.”

  He quirked a brow. “That doesn’t seem like the Kendra Powell I knew.”

  “The Kendra Powell you knew was a kid,” she answered. “They drilled into us in the academy it’s better to know exactly what you’re doing before you do it—on all fronts. You might have noticed the NYPD has gotten a lot of bad press in recent years.”

  “I would not mention it,” I said. “But I know there’s got to be other good cops on
the force, too. There’s upright people in the PD here.”

  “I do my best,” Kendra said. “But in a city like New York, I do a lot of community outreach. I wouldn’t mind, at this point in my career, getting into the community part of things more.”

  “Slowing down in your old age?” I asked playfully.

  “Are you?” Kendra replied, raising an eyebrow.

  I popped another bite of the coffee cake in my mouth, chewed and swallowed before saying. “Eat your cake, Powell.”

  “Stop asking me so many questions and I will, Koch,” Kendra countered. “Now tell me about your Army heroics.”

  Leaning back in my chair, I eyed her. “Not so much on the heroics,” I said. “I was just happy to get out in one piece—physically and mentally.”

  She reached over, weaving her fingers with mine. “Tell me about it, anyway.”

  Tightening my hand around hers, I shifted in my chair and got ready to talk to the one person who understood me the most in the world.

  6

  Kendra

  The cafe had gotten busier after Lucia had brought our coffee and cake, so Lukas and me had plenty of time to ourselves. But after talking about the kids we went to school with and where they ended up and about Lukas’s time in the army, both of us had finished our food and drink.

  My eyes locked with Lukas. “You know, I think I like this new, in-command Lukas,” I said, sitting back a bit in my seat taking in his authoritative posture and powerful presence. Damn…he’s sexy.

  “Oh, do you?” Lukas asked. His rising eyebrow and questioning smirk frankly made me hot. “You sure that you don’t prefer to be in control of everything? That’d be more like the girl I knew back in the day.”

  I checked my coffee mug, but there wasn’t anything in it anymore. How long had we been at Virgil’s?