Jules staggered down the sidewalk, leaning on Kelly, her lips – and the rest of her body – still tingling from the kiss.

“What exactly was that about?”

“I have no idea,” Jules answered, still reeling from the physical impact. If she hadn’t broken the kiss, she’d have jumped Tyler right there in the bar in front of everyone. That was so unlike her. She always, always, always stayed in control.

Her middle name was control.

“First you start a stupid drinking game with that random guy and then you kiss him like you mean it?”

“I know. It probably wasn’t the brightest thing to do…” her liquor and lust fogged brain didn’t quite work as it should, and she stopped talking. She’d have one hell of a hangover tomorrow morning.

“Was it good? I mean the kiss?”

“Hmmm…fuckingamaztacular!” Aftershocks of heated desire still ran through Jules’ body.

“Wow. That sounds like I want to have one too. Do you think I should go back?”

Jules knew that Kelly was only teasing her, but still her neck hair stood on end and she wanted to bare her claws like a cat. “Don’t you dare.”

“I wouldn’t,” Kelly said after taking a long look at her friend. “He’s all yours. And let me say this, you’re already in way over your head.”

“I’m not. It was nothing.” It was a lie. Initially she’d just wanted to show him how tired she was of being hit on, wrestle him into defeat downing the shots. When he didn’t succumb, her anger about the incident with the dumbass drunks grew with a vengeance and she wanted to lash out. Punish Tyler as a stand in for every single man on earth who’d ever harassed a woman, by teasing him and then leaving him high and dry.

But that plan had backfired, because the very moment her lips had crushed over his with fury, she’d lost control. Control over her actions, her reactions and the powerful sensations of passion blazing through her body.

She should have known better than to kiss the very man who’d turned her insides to mush with nothing more than a glance from his deep blue eyes and a few words uttered in his deep, sexy voice.

“Damn it, I don’t need complications like Tyler right now,” she mumbled out as they continued down the street.

“Who says he’s a complication? To me he looked like a nice guy.”

“Relationships are always complicated.” The walk back to the base and the fresh night air helped to clear some of the fog in her head.

“They don’t have to be that way,” Kelly said.

“Since when are you an expert? When was the last non-complicated relationship you had?”

Kelly kept silent. She’d just broken up with yet another guy who couldn’t understand why she wanted to spend her summers chasing fires in the wilderness.

Jules scoffed. “See? And it’s not only you. I’ve been watching my mother’s chaotic love life unfold since I was a little girl. You know what advice she gave me regarding relationships?”

“Take what you can from the rich bastards and be prepared for when they inevitably leave you for a younger woman,” Kelly said on a long sigh. She knew everything about Jules’ mother and her resignation where true love was concerned.

“I never believed in true love. It just doesn’t happen. And if it does, something or someone comes along and rips it apart. Story over. No, thank you very much. I have a great job, great friends, good sex in winter seasons. What more could I want?”

“Someone to return home to every night,” Kelly said with a wistful expression on her face.

“Not gonna happen. Not in this lifetime.” They had reached the base camp where the hotshots worked, slept, and ate during fire season. “Thanks for bringing me home.”

As she arrived at her quarters she was still feeling drowsy from the alcohol, but at the same time oversensitive. Her swollen lips reminded her of the kiss and whether she wanted it or not, the memories sent hot shivers of lust between her legs. A roaring fire that threatened to burn anything and anyone.

She stripped down, stepping into the shower and allowing the cold water to rush over her skin. It helped to wash some of her stupor away and replace it with a resolve to forget Tyler and that this night ever happened. Minutes later the roaring fire of passion succumbed to the icy water and she stepped out of the shower with a satisfied smile on her face. See how easy it was to forget him?

Jules stepped into a pair of sleeping shorts and a long t-shirt. Choosing to forgo combing or blow drying her tousled hair, she simply fluffed it out with her fingertips and flopped onto her bunk. Now, to get a good six hours of shut-eye before she’d have to face the beast of hangover she knew would be waiting for her.

* * *

Jules awakened just before sunrise, groaning as she rolled over and cursed whatever had possessed her to slam four shots in a row with sexy Tyler. After brushing her teeth, twice, she combed her hair out and dressed for the day in loose cut-off shorts and a pale blue t-shirt that matched the color of her eyes.

On base she didn’t give much thought to her clothing, practical was the most important necessity. Usually she started her day with a three-mile run, since running fast could make the difference between death and life, when a wildfire turned on her.

Not today. Every step reminded her painfully of the alcohol excess the night before. The sun broke the horizon as she stepped out of the building and once again her heart warmed as she admired the sheer beauty of nature out here in the mountains.

It was such a change to the crowded, smoggy and dirty L.A. The city made her feel like a prisoner, but out here she was free like a bird. A smile passed across her face and she set out for a leisurely walk and some easy stretching. Birds chattered away in the trees and she inhaled the fresh scent of damp earth and foliage. What a great way to start the day!

She walked along the dirty path circling the base camp, at peace with herself and the world, humming a popular tune, when she almost bumped into a man squatted down tying his shoes behind a curve. She skidded to a halt, feeling her head exploding at the abrupt change in movement.

“Hey, move to the side of the road next time,” she called out, before a sudden and unexpected heat flushed her body.