Courageous Yearnings: A Protect & Rescue Firefighter Romance

Chapter 1

LANCE

“Now,wait just a minute. Why do I have to go first?” Lance blurted out, completely beside himself – especially when he was informed of who the winners were of the charity auction yesterday. Mrs. Kendall and two other women whom he didn’t know or recognize.

And they were taking photos?!

Now, he wasn’t exactly a ‘religious’ man, but the second he found out Mrs. Kendall was one of the winners – Lance hit his knees.

The team was cracking up laughing, but it wasn’t funny. That had been the scariest few moments of his life until he found out Colton was the one that had been ‘purchased’ by the old woman who had the grabbiest hands this side of the Mississippi River.

Lance could call an 800 number to talk dirty to him and come out more innocent than having listened to some of the things that old broad told him one afternoon, right after she’d mistakenly dumped water down the front of his trousers, insisting that he change – in front of her.

Yeah… no.

Hard pass.

When the chief told the team that they were doing the calendars this year for the orphanage, Lance was one of the few who thought it was a brilliant idea. Having grown up in the system, he knew what it was like and how welcomed the money would be. Maybe they could get the children new bicycles or skateboards, or perhaps instruments so they could develop some talents that would keep them out of trouble. He donated his tax refund last year to put in two basketball goals as an ‘Anonymous Benefactor.’ He didn’t want any praise or thanks. It was about paying it forward and giving to the community.

“Someone has to go first, Cortes,” the chief chuckled as the photographer walked up to him, smiling politely.

“Look, we’ll make this quick, and you don’t have to worry about a thing, okay? I just need to get a few shots in, and then most everything else can be done on the backside. I promise I won’t take up your entire day. By the way – I’m Delilah Fuller.”

“Yep,” he muttered grimly. “Nice to meet ya… and thanks. If we can move this along before I get a case of cold feet or something skitters out of those pallets stacked by the dumpster.”

Only to see the chief look down.

“What?!” Lance barked in alarm, jumping backward, and then glared at the chief. “Not funny, sir.”

“Sorry,” Reese grinned. “Just needed to distract you.”

Okay, it was funny… ish.

The big, heroic firefighter was scared of teeny, tiny rodents. So what? They were all having a good time at his expense lately, and if he caught the jerk that put the rubber mouse in his helmet— well, there would be pain inflicted upon someone.

“Well, thanks. It worked,” Lance muttered hotly and glanced over his shoulder again toward the ‘winners’. “Let’s get this started, okay?”

“Miss Monroe?” Delilah called out, waving over a woman.

He nearly groaned aloud. The woman was practically giddy with excitement, and it wasn’t hard to tell. She paid dearly for a photo with a firefighter from the ‘Flirt’s battalion’… and was expecting to be flirted with while the image was captured for all time on a pin-up calendar.

“Blythe,” Reese began smirking toward Lance before shaking the woman’s hand politely. “Thank you again for your generous donation to the orphanage. Sister Mary Hazel wanted to be here today, but she came down with the flu. I mentioned it would probably be safer for the entire town if she got plenty of rest and didn’t get half of the town’s firefighters sick.”

The woman, Blythe Monroe, was beaming and laughed softly at the corny dad joke from the chief and kept sliding a sideways glance toward him, which he was deftly avoiding.

“Cortes?”

“Yep,” he blurted out and extended his hand politely, shaking hers distractedly as he looked anywhere but at her starry gaze. “Miss Monroe, nice to meet you.”

“You as well, Mr. Cortes.”

Did she have to sound so breathless and giddy? He was just a normal guy volunteering for a very normal thing. If she won tickets to Disney World and had to run a two-mile obstacle course to get them, he could understand the breathless excitement, but this?

This was nothing.

“All right,” Delilah chimed in happily with a chipper voice. “Let’s get started, eh? This will look soooo good. I picked the side of this old building because of the brick wall. It’s a perfect backdrop to give me a little space to work some magic when I do the touch-ups.”

“Oh, mercy… thank you! I’m so glad,” Blythe said emphatically, causing him to glance toward the woman, and he did a double-take.

She was stunning.

Her short black hair had a slight curl to it, almost in wisps around her face and with her big brown eyes – she reminded him of Betty Boop from the cartoons that used to play on the big console television at the orphanage sometimes.

Why would she want touch-ups?

“Feel free to give me the ‘Victoria’s Secret’ makeover,” Blythe was teasing, nervously chatting with Delilah. “You know, lift everything? Shave a few pounds? Get rid of my double chin and make things look perky?”

“You’ll be fine,” Lance blurted out – and immediately shut his mouth as both sets of female eyes swung toward him in shock as he quickly looked away. “Right there on the green ‘X’ taped down?” he continued, trying to distract them from what he’d just said.

Moving to take his spot, he hesitated.

“You want the coat and hat, lady?” he asked bluntly, trying to distance himself from calling her ‘Blythe’ or ‘Miss Monroe’ because that was causing his brain to picture her in that infamous white dress over a grate blowing air upward. Yeah, he really didn’t need to focus on that or the breeze blowing across her skin.

“Let’s see,” Delilah hedged, moving closer and looking at the two of them. “If you could stand here – and Blythe, what kind of photo are you wanting? Do you want him rescuing you? Do you want to wear his helmet? Coat or no coat?”

“Oh, um, well…” she began – again with the breathless voice.

Lance stared up at the trees, trying to ignore her. I wonder if they’ll drop pecans this fall? He thought idly and swallowed as Blythe’s voice rolled over him. She had the softest, husky voice that did something wild to every nerve ending within him.

“Let’s have him rescuing me, I suppose. Perhaps like a damsel in distress, or something like one of those dreamy romance book covers?”

“Ooooh, what a great idea!” Delilah practically purred happily – and Lance nearly ran, only to see the chief looking at him in the distance. Chief Carpenter put up his finger, wagged it, and then pointed at the ground, silently saying, ‘stay right there’…

Dang it!

“All right, Mr. Cortes,” Delilah began and pushed Blythe close to him, grasping his hands and putting them on her lower back. “Loosen up so I can move your arms if I need to.”

“I’m l-loose,” he volunteered, his voice cracking.

“Hi,” Blythe said breathlessly and laid her hand on the back of his neck just above his t-shirt, prompting him to look at her… and time stood still.

Her eyes met his, and something turned over within his gut as he swallowed. Her dark eyes were lined with eyeliner, giving her a mysterious look that seemed almost timeless combined with her short haircut. She immediately brought to mind what a dark elf or mischievous pixie would look like, except she wasn’t tiny. No, this woman was curvaceous and built and incredibly soft in his arms.

Lucious.

Dang it. He mentally cursed as he realized that was indeed the word that he would use to describe her. Pixie seemed to fit; stunning also worked, but luscious was the icing on the cake. This woman, Blythe, was utterly luscious in a striking manner that was practically banging a gong in his head, his heart, and his pants.

“Hi,” he croaked quietly, not looking away from her gaze – only to hear Mrs. Kendall’s voice in the background, spurring them on.

“Aren’t firefighter calendars supposed to have naked buff chests, swinging a bunch of dangling hoses, or puppies running around them? What kind of photo shoot is this? I want what I paid for…”

“Something just isn’t right with the pose,” Delilah was saying and moving his hand again, backing away, before stepping forward and adjusting it again. “Can you take off your shirt, Lance?”

For a second, he almost said ‘No’ and sprinted down the block… but the flare of interest in Blythe’s eyes made him hesitate. When was the last time that someone looked at him like that? Oh, he’d dated – A LOT – but no one actually looked at him like this.

She was staring at him like he hung the moon and stars. Everything in her seemed to be keenly focused on him, as a person. She was hanging on every word, taking in every movement, and it was just incredibly attractive combined with her own reactions? Her clavicle was turning this faint shade of pink that was causing his blood pressure to soar as it slowly crept across her exposed breastbone where a delicate crucifix lay against her skin.

This stunning creature was interested in him?

… Not just a little, but a lot?

Ohhh, man, my shirt is soooo gone!He thought wildly, immediately stepping back from her and shucking his suspenders, before ripping off his shirt. It had been a long, long time since he’d been intimate with a woman, and he could see the naked interest written across her expressive face.

If she was interested, he wanted to not only tempt her – but wanted his little ‘Betty Boop’ to dive right in and take a ‘bite.’ He slipped the suspenders back over his bare shoulders so he didn’t lose his pants because that would have brought on a very interesting conversation best not had in polite company.

“BABY OIL!” Mrs. Kendall hollered – and Lance looked up in time to see Colton Fisher slap his forehead in dismay. Looking back at Blythe, he could see the intensity in her eyes ratchet up a notch as her breath caught…

Lance didn’t hesitate.

One greased-up, tanned, muscled, hunky firefighter coming right up, Miss Monroe, he thought numbly, hoping his hands weren’t shaking visibly as badly as they felt like they were. He was trying to play it cool, to be standoffish, and failing miserably as he slathered baby oil across his shoulders, arms, and chest.

Nope.

I want this woman like Adam wanted Eve. Heck, I’ll even supply the apples if she wants a taste of me.

Lance saw the yearning in Blythe’s eyes nearly matched his own as he stepped toward her again, pulling her aggressively to him. She let out this soft little gasp that ran shivers of awareness up his spine as he heard Delilah clicking her tongue nearby before picking up the firehose and wrapping it around them like a serpent.

“Welcome to the jungle, little temptress,” he murmured intimately while his eyes raked across Blythe’s face down to that pink breastbone that was exposed above the collar of her V-neck blouse – and was sincerely happy she couldn’t read his mind right now. “A little fun…”

“You’re toying with me,” she whispered in stilted hushed breaths.

“No, never…” he breathed and heard Mrs. Kendall barking again in the distance.

“This is for charity, remember? Put some ‘Oomph’ into it! Hug her to you, Cortes! Woman, make that blouse gape or splash some water on you. We need to know you can see down to her belly button, young man!”

Mrs. Kendall was yelling loudly, distracting and detracting from the moment. He was trying to put the moves on the woman he was going to have in his bed tonight and she was ruining it. He looked up and glared at the old woman while memorizing the way Blythe’s body felt against his, within the circle of his arms.

“C’mon, Cortes, I want this photo to look like the front of a romance book from the seventies. Let’s see some skin, young man. Woman, where’s your cleavage? Get right on in there, ya’ hot little Romeo. Pretend like you’ve just been roofied, and now she’s holding out on you. Young woman – pretend to faint, would ya – and let that hot piece of meat hold onto you, lady!”

Lance felt a knowing smile touch his lips, causing one side to lift in sheer masculine awareness as Blythe’s lips parted.

“Oh my…” she breathed faintly.

“You like that idea?” he murmured. “Want me to hold you close like we’re about to kiss?”

“Oh heavens…”

He nearly groaned aloud at the desire in the woman’s voice and couldn’t wait to do more behind closed doors. Yup. They weren’t crawling out of bed for three days straight if he had his way.

“That’s perfect, Cortes!” Delilah yelled from somewhere nearby, but Lance didn’t dare look away.

“I’ll do it, you know,” Lance whispered.

“Do what?”

No, his woman was in his arms, practically melting like hot molten lava. Her breathing was quick, her pupils were wide, and he could feel her bosom pressed against his chest, imagining that was her heart hammering and not his.

“Kiss you, touch you, heck woman… I’ll make you scream over and over again…”

“Excuse me?”

“You know you want me – and I sure as heck want you.”

“You want to go out with me?” she whispered hopefully, her eyes shining… and he chuckled intimately.

“Yeah, whatever. If you want to get a soda or something on the way to my place, we can – but I’d rather eat dinner right off your body and…”

“Wait a second,” she frowned, hesitating. “What?”

“Okay. We’re good,” Delilah exclaimed, waving her arm in his peripheral vision as he had the weirdest feeling that something was very wrong.

“Fischer!” Chief Carpenter called out. “You’re up.”

Blythe yanked herself out of Lance’s arms and looked at him in disbelief – and confusion? Why? Why on earth was she acting hurt and playing the shy maiden now when they both were acting like a couple of dogs in heat not two seconds ago.

“I’ve got to check in at the station when this is over with, but I can be at my place in a few hours if you want to get cleaned up, shave, or do whatever girls do before we get at it? I probably need to stretch because I really don’t want to get a cramp in my leg when I… Why are you lookin’ at me like that?”

Blythe’s mouth dropped open. She made a faint little squeak of alarm and was staring at him in horror.

“I think there’s been some m-mistake or misunderstanding,” she sputtered quietly in a hushed voice. Her face, throat, and breastbone were very pink now with obvious embarrassment – or she was still turned on and thinking about him.

“You want me… remember?”

“I want to get to know you, and I’m very interested… yes.”

“Well,” he chuckled, trying to pull her into his arms again. “I’m very ‘interested’, too.”

“In dating or a relationship?” she countered quickly, sliding out of his arms deftly and looking at him.

“Wait… what?”

Now, he was the one who was confused.

“Do you want to have dinner sometime?” she asked boldly.

“I’ll eat dinner tonight, yes,” Lance replied, only to see her roll her eyes and sigh heavily. “I eat dinner every night – sometimes twice if I’m starving or on duty.”

“No, no, no,” she began, putting a hand against her forehead. “You are misunderstanding me. I was thinking that maybe we could go on a date and start talking.”

“We are talking.”

“About dating.”

“We are talking – about dating – right now,” he said with infinite patience, trying not to get upset. If he could just get things moving, then there would be a whole lot less talking going on, yet she wasn’t playing along with him anymore.

“Maybe I misunderstood,” Blythe smiled nervously at him. “I thought you were implying that we were going back to your place to fool around, but if you want to grab dinner this evening… I’d love to go out with you.”

It was Lance’s turn to put his hand on his forehead – before rubbing the back of his neck.

“Hang on…” he began, feeling something change in the air between them. “You think I was implying sex… and you just want to go on a date? That’s it?”

“Yes.”

“And you would have a problem having lots and lots of fantastic, roof-shaking sex – without dating…?”

“Well, yes,” she replied, nodding. “Dating comes before a commitment like marriage, and that is so far in the future that I really didn’t think we needed to touch on something like that yet. I mean, we just met, and it’s intense, but…”

“Yet, huh?” he said quietly, feeling something wither inside him. “Yeah, we are misunderstanding each other.”

“Oh good,” she chuckled nervously. “I was really thinking that…”

“Yeah, I don’t really want a relationship,” he interrupted quietly.

Lance braced himself for the meltdown that was soon to come. This had happened before to him. He didn’t think that Blythe was one of ‘those’ girls, but if she wanted the whole ‘we’re dating,’‘we’re engaged,’ or ‘we just got married’ hoopla – and that wasn’t him.

“I just want to have a little fun, and I know that we’ll both enjoy ourselves…”

Lance saw Blythe draw in her breath, reeling, as he stopped speaking, his words fading before he could finish the sentence. There was something glistening in her eyes, and a look of angry pity.

She was pitying him? Really?

She smiled painfully and nodded before taking another step back from him. The look on her face practically made him feel like he was some leper or had a disease. It had been a long time since he had a little fun and blew off some steam – and he was ready.

“You know, I thought small-town life would be so different,” she said quietly and shook her head. “I was so wrong. Men are all the same everywhere you go, no matter what they do for a living or how they look. From a janitor-to-Junior CEO… you guys really don’t get to know women at all, do you?”

“Eh?”

Blythe let out a sharp bark of laughter as she suddenly had this ‘hard’ look to her expression, transforming that warm woman into someone who looked cool and formidable. Magnificent to Maleficent in record time – with no special effects needed.

“We’ve met… and I knew it wasn’t memorable for you back then either. I did the financing paperwork for you when you bought your truck, Mr. Cortes and I was hoping to see you again someday,” she explained. “But never expected any of this.”

“What’s… this?” he asked bluntly.

“That you are just like every other man – and I was so wrong. You are nothing special. I thought this auction might be my chance to finally create a blip on your radar only to realize that it’s broken. You will never notice me except for the three minutes it takes to finish in bed.”

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Hold up,” Lance interrupted pointedly, feeling his face redden as he looked around, lowering his voice and hissing at her. “It’s not three minutes, you know. It’s at least an hour, I swear. Who told you that I only last three minutes? That’s a bunch of vicious lies and gossip from ex-girlfriends, I promise.”

“Oh my gosh,” she chuckled in dismay. “Do you even hear yourself?”

Then, to his utter surprise,

Blythe tossed up her hands in the air, turned, and started to walk away.

“Have a great life, Mr. Cortes… and heaven help the woman that does fall for your disgusting pickup lines. You are certainly not what I hoped for nor imagined.”

“You neither, lady!” he hollered after her… and then cursed angrily under his breath, knowing deep down inside that he’d just told a whopper of a lie. He looked up at the sky and whispered ‘Sorry’.

He then watched the sexiest creature in the universe climb into a very aggressive-looking Jeep before driving off. The last ten minutes were going to stick with him painfully for a long time because he was interested. A lot. However, those demands to go on a bunch of dates?

He just wasn’t ready for a commitment.

She obviously was.

Nope. Not gonna happen,he groaned silently and slumped his shoulders.