New Recruit (9 page)

Besides being awesome in bed, he was handy outside of it. Hell, he’d fixed the loose cable wire that had been driving her batty for a month.

Her muscles trembled from exertion, but she was getting to the freaking top of this wall if it killed her. She hoisted herself up and swung her foot to the next hold. At the bottom, her spotter called a bit of praise. Hanna bit down on her lower lip and moved across the wall.

Why couldn’t she shake Jagger? The fireman was constantly in her mind. After a weekend with him, she was far too close. Distance—she needed distance.

Can’t get much higher than this.
She stole a peek at the top about six feet away. Two more holds and she’d reach it.

Her spotter called for her to try a route to her left. Great—she wasn’t as agile moving left. The left side of her body didn’t have as much strength, and it was harder for her to navigate that way. Still, if he said she should go left, she would.

She released her hold and reached. With her fingertips grazing the protrusion she needed to grasp, she fought to control her breathing. More sweat poured into her eye, and she growled in annoyance.

Don’t lose focus. You’ve got this.

She did. She clamped her fingers around the hold and moved her foot.

The world fell out from under her. She gasped, suddenly swinging in the air. She threw her head back and roared with frustration as her spotter slowly lowered her to the ground. Her feet touched down and she bent over to catch her breath.

“I was so close!”

“It’s okay.” When she straightened, he settled his hands on her shoulders. “You did great for your first time, Hanna! Congratulations!”

“I didn’t reach the top.” Her muscles hummed, and she was certain she could reach the top if she tried a second time. “I’m going again.”

He tightened his hold on her, chuckling. “You’re too tired to try again today. Why don’t you come with me and we’ll get you a drink?”

“Why don’t you take your hands off her?” The slowly spoke words made every cell in Hanna’s body freeze. She didn’t need to look around to know whose voice that was. He’d been whispering dirty things into her ear all night.

She glanced over and sure enough, her fireman was standing there.

The spotter’s hands fell away and he stepped back. “Look, buddy, I wasn’t trying to steal your girl—”

“I’m not his girl,” she said through clenched teeth, turning to face Jagger. His arms were loose at his sides, which looked normal enough if they didn’t end in fists. His long brows were drawn like swords across his handsome face.

He didn’t even blink at the angry retort. He just stared at her until her body responded with tight nipples and a wet pussy. Damn him to hell.

Pushing by him, she started toward the locker room.

He followed her right inside. She whirled. “This is the women’s locker room!”

“Yeah, and you’re not walking away from me until you tell me why you’re angry with me.”

Settling a hand on her hip, she glared at him even as her body quaked at his nearness. “Maybe because you intimidated my spotter, who was just being supportive after I fell off the wall?”

Jagger’s lips tightened. “You fell off?”

“It doesn’t matter. You can’t show up here and act as if you own me. Nobody owns me. We aren’t even dating.”

“Like hell,” he grated out, eyes flashing with that danger that thrilled her to the core. Damn him times two. He stepped toward her just as a woman in a towel came out of the shower. Her eyes widened, but as soon as she saw the gorgeous Jagger, she gave a teasing smile and swung her hips all the way to the next space.

“Ugh.” Hanna shook her head. “Look, Jagger, we’ve had some fun, but—”

“Don’t even say it, beautiful.” He caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her head back. As he dipped his mouth to hers, her traitorous lips responded. The scents of fresh soap and man flooded her head.

Twisting away, she set a hand on his broad chest right over his heart. It drummed heavily and a bit too fast. Was he as affected by her as she was him?

She shook her head to clear it. “I’ve told you that I don’t want a boyfriend. At all.”

“Good, because boyfriend’s a word for a fifteen-year-old boy. I’m not that.” He grabbed her hand and placed it right over the bulge in his jeans. Beneath her fingers, his cock stirred like a warm beast.

Definitely a man.

“Jagger…”

“Hanna.” His mouth turned up at the corner, and his eyes burned.

“You can’t intimidate every man I come in contact with. The spotter, the delivery kid. Just stop acting as if they’re out to steal me away.”

His mouth twitched higher. “So you admit you belong to me?”

Caught in a web of her own creation, she cried, “No!”

He cupped her ass and drew her against his erection. “Let’s go home.”

“Wait—it’s my place. You don’t live there with me. In fact, you aren’t even welcome.”

Placing his mouth to her ear, he whispered, “Not even if I zigzag my tongue through your wet folds and pinch your nipples until you beg me to let you come?”

“No.” The word came out as a croak, and her knees were jelly. “Especially not that.” Getting hold of herself, she pushed back to gain control of her rampant brain and body again. “Jagger, I’m serious about this.”

His expression sobered and he gazed down at her. “At least have dinner with me. I know you came straight here after work.”

“Are you stalking me now?” He must be. How else had he found out her whereabouts?

“No, but I stopped at Tricky Dick’s and Joey told me where to find you.”

“Son of a bitch…”

Jagger chuckled. “That’s no way to talk about a friend. Okay, I’ll let you get cleaned up. I’ll be standing right outside this door.”

“And you won’t try to twist any guy who comes near me into a pretzel?”

His rumbling laugh turned her inside out. “I can’t make promises, beautiful. I know what’s mine even if you won’t admit it yet.”

A groan left her and she stomped into the shower room. After stripping and lathering, she was wishing for Jagger to come back in and take care of her pebbled nipples and soaking wet pussy. God, she was a total mess. She liked his attention. Hadn’t this been what she’d been craving from Dominic?

But she did need to impress on him that he couldn’t threaten every human with a Y chromosome who came near her.

A few short minutes later she was dressed with her bag slung over her shoulder. As she emerged from the locker room, she found Jagger shifting from foot to foot, tension lines bracketing his mouth.

“What is it? You broke my spotter’s legs, didn’t you?”

He almost smiled. Almost. “No, I got a call. What we think is another arson fire. I’m sorry I can’t take you to dinner. But I’ll come by after—”

She pushed a controlled breath through her nose. He’d gotten under her skin, despite her walls, and she’d finally reconciled going to dinner with him. And now he was walking away to go to work.

Guiding a shower-damp tendril of hair behind her ear, she said, “That’s fine.”

He looked more strained by her cool tone. “You know I can’t ignore this call, Hanna.”

She did know. People relied on the fire department, and he couldn’t let down his team. It didn’t make her feel better, though. Not when her mind was automatically back in that place Dominic had put her. She was mad at herself for letting things with Jagger go so far. She wasn’t going to allow him to fuck up all the mental work she’d done on herself these past two years.

“I know you have to go. Please be safe, Jagger.”

His big hand curled around her nape, and he pulled her onto tiptoe and angled for her lips. Their kiss was too soft and filled with farewell for her liking. Suddenly, she couldn’t let him walk away to do a dangerous job believing she was angry with him. She kissed him back and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight.

When they parted, he shot her that crooked bad-boy grin that melted her panties every single time.

“Go,” she said.
Before I do terrible things to you.

“Get home safe, okay? Take a cab. It’s getting dark.”

She shouldn’t love that he was concerned for her safety, but it felt so good. She nodded.

“See you tonight,” he said.

She opened her mouth to say no, he needed to go to his own place, but he was gone, his impossibly long strides carrying him away. The minute he vanished from her sight, she was left with that sinking sensation of years ago. Hopes elevated only to be dashed once again.

»»•««

In sixty seconds Jagger could be in full gear. Stepping into boots, pulling up pants and hooking suspenders over his shoulders. Zipping his jacket and attaching his SCBA took longest, but he was still running for the truck within seconds.

“C’mon, boy!” Corey urged him with a wave from the passenger’s seat.

The truck started to pull out, and Jagger leaped into the moving vehicle. Gabriel grabbed his hand and launched him inside.

A voice projected through the radio. “Captain Harrison’s on the scene. The fire’s burning faster than expected.”

“Accelerant,” Jagger and Gabriel said at the same time.

“Fire reported to have started in the kitchen. No victims inside the home reported at this time.”

“But the fire’s three blocks from the last ones.” Gabriel’s face was grim.

“Keep your eyes out, team,” Corey called to everyone in the truck.

Jagger tugged at his gloves and swayed as the ladder truck barreled around a corner at a high rate of speed.

“Second fire reported. 95553 19
th
Street.”

Jagger snapped his head up. “It’s only a block west of this fire.”

A glance at his fellow firefighters revealed they didn’t look as grave as he felt. To them, this was a job. Sure, they loved it, but for Jagger it was different. His need to save, rescue, protect overwhelmed all other emotions.

He nearly heard his therapist’s voice.
You didn’t cause those deaths in the fire, Jagger. You tried your hardest but you can’t save everybody.

“Like hell,” he muttered.

Seconds later they were in front of the house. Smoke billowed into the sky, and the side of the house was already burned to the framework. The charred beams and posts stood out against the backdrop of the city.

“Three-man teams. Gabriel, Jagger, with me. The rest of you go together. Get the hose.”

For a second Jagger wished like hell he hadn’t left Hanna the way he had. The disappointment on her beautiful face would haunt him if he didn’t carefully lock it away. He had to get his head on straight before doing his job. Grabbing the hose, he started walking back to his crew.

A man pushed past, cigarette in hand. He bumped Jagger with a quick, “Sorry.”

Ignoring him, Jagger fell in right behind Corey, the hose hooked over his shoulder as he entered the burning structure. As he moved through the smoke-clogged rooms, he reported his findings. “Incendiary devices here. Cigarette and matches found near some paper.”

“Fire trail,” Gabriel said at his back.

Sure enough toilet paper had been unrolled through the front room, where extra papers had been scattered as fuel. The living room was completely destroyed.

“Kitchen fire is low to the floor. This is not a cooking fire.” Jagger positioned the spray onto the flames licking up the walls.

As the water doused the fire and the smoke cleared, Gabriel pointed at the base cabinet. The finish seemed to be more crackled and peeling than everyplace else—a sure sign that the fire had been set here.

“Suspected arson,” Corey said to the chief through his mouthpiece. “East Street is kicking this fire’s ass.”

A whoop from each man on their team. Jagger didn’t add a joy he didn’t feel. Something was off in here—he could feel it. His mind worked over every detail from the ringtone on his cell to the ride in the truck to bumping into that man—

“Fuck.”

Gabriel’s hand came down on his shoulder. Jagger stared into his friend’s eyes, obscured by smoke and protective gear. “What is it?” Gabriel asked.

“That guy outside. He was smoking a cigarette.”

Corey whirled, barking commands. “Find that guy. Describe him, Jagger.”

He racked his brain for details. “Wearing jeans and a red shirt. His head was down so I didn’t get a look at his face, but he wore a ring on his…” fighting the dark channels of his memory, “right hand. Brown hair, five-foot-nine.”

“You fucking walked right by the arsonist, Rookie. Good job,” someone said, and Jagger bit off a roar of anger directed solely at himself.

He’d fucked up bad. Number one rule of arson investigation was noting the people leaving the scene. And the one time he needed to keep his wits about him, he’d been distracted.

By thoughts of Hanna.

It wasn’t her fault, but he was seething with himself by the time the fire was out and only thin tendrils of smoke rose from the ashes. The minute Jagger escaped the structure, he tore off his mask. “Get me any security cam footage on this block. I’m gonna find that son of a bitch.”

Oh yeah. Now it really was personal. He needed to be the man to find this asshole to save face among his group. No matter that none of them had noticed the man either. Jagger had been the one the fucker had bumped into, though.

Jagger ground his molars. Mind made up, he stomped into the home next door that had been evacuated and started searching for a camera. He found what he was looking for quickly and pulled the memory card.

Then he moved to the next building and the next. With a handful of cards and tapes in hand, he walked up to a police officer who was questioning witnesses and dumped everything into his palm. “Find that fucker who’s doing this.”

He tipped his head back and looked at the sky. When had it begun to lighten? It was nearing dawn and he’d lost all track of time and sense of self. Hanna crash-landed in his brain, and his heart skidded.

All he wanted right now was to go over there and crawl into bed with her. Tug her into his arms and just breathe in her scent.

He ran his fingers through his hair and thought about texting her. But no, she’d be asleep. At the memory of her meeting him at the door with rumpled hair wearing that slip of a robe, his balls clenched.