Tyler somehow managed to return to base camp, despite the utter shock in his bones. Back in his quarters, he took a long shower, taking care of his arousal. But instead of the relief he so yearned for, jerking off only augmented his frustration.

He wanted her. Only her.

Jules. This woman had shaken the very foundations of his being and he wanted, no he needed, to hold her in his arms to feel whole again. Turning the water to icy he stood under the shower, the water pattering down on his skin like needle pricks. The spreading pain, followed by numbness was a welcome distraction from his inner turmoil.

His mind though, wouldn’t stop reliving Jules’ kiss and the taste of her lips on his tongue. Sweet, pungent, earth-shattering. Never had any woman created such fervor in his blood. He turned off the water and grabbed a towel, rubbing himself dry. With a sigh he downed an aspirin and three glasses of water to mitigate the hangover that otherwise would attack him in the morning.

He sure as hell didn’t want to fail the fitness test, because he’d become distracted by a pretty set of eyes. Annoyed by his own stupidity in jeopardizing his first season as a hotshot by drinking too much, he shook his head and hung the wet towel on a hook. Then he walked into his room and flopped naked onto the bed. Despite being tired he couldn’t fall asleep. Thoughts of Jules weaseled their way into his overworked brain, and within seconds he was hard all over again.

That woman was strong. Incredibly so, but beneath that harsh layer he’d seen the softness in her eyes. Eyes that made him go all mushy inside.

Tyler had always been an early riser, enjoying the early mornings, when the rest of the world still slept. It was his sacred time, and a night of heavy drinking wasn’t enough to shatter this habit. So, he woke even before his alarm rang, and decided to go for a run.

Running always helped him to get centered and relax his mind. He definitely needed any help he could get for the upcoming fitness test later in the day. Tyler spent a few minutes stretching his calves before he set out on a light jog up the dirt road. They day before, he’d taken a long walk with Gunner, Florence and Steven to get acquainted with the surrounding of the base camp.

The dirt path circled the base and would be perfect for his light run. For all he knew, everyone else was still asleep and he put on his earplugs to hear his favorite running app, Zombies, run!

He’d gone a quarter of a mile when the first zombie attack happened, and he sped up his pace. Just as he’d escaped the vicious monsters, his left foot lost its grip in the shoe. He glanced down and spied his shoelace untied. At least it happened after I got rid of the zombies. He grinned at himself. It would have been a shame to lose his winning streak in the game.

He stopped and squatted down in the middle of the path to lace his shoes. The next moment he heard a gasp and a not so nice greeting, as a pair of firm and gorgeous female legs skidded to a stop.

“Sorry,” he said before looking up into Jules’ pale blue eyes. His heart leapt with joy, identifying her even before his eyes did.

“Hey, move to the side of the road next time,” she scolded him, before recognition hit her and her eyes went wide as saucers. “You?”

“Good morning to you too,” he said, squinting into the rising sun. Despite the dark circles under her reddish eyes, she still looked incredibly sexy, stirring his desire for her.

“I should have known it.” She put a hand on her forehead. “Cocky, bigheaded, thinking you’re something else. Must be a rookie.”

“Seems like you have plenty of experience,” he chuckled and rose to his feet, dusting his hands off on his running shorts. He could kick himself. He should have guessed she and her friends were hotshots. Usually he wasn’t such a fool, but apparently the blood needed to oxygenate his brain cells had pooled in other parts of his anatomy last night.

She raised an eyebrow at him. “I do, wannabe hotshot. We’ll see how well you hold up in the fitness test later.”

“Not a problem for me,” Tyler boasted.

“Well then, I might just add a few extra requirements for you.”

“Doesn’t worry me.” She couldn’t faze him. He’d do whatever she or any other of the experienced hotshots required him to do to prove he was apt for the job. And knowing that she was a hotshot only made him fall harder for her. Wasn’t it a special stroke of destiny to find out that the woman he desired was one of the rare examples that not only tried to understand his profession, but also actually loved it?

“Then you might as well get out of my way and continue your training.” Jules took a step back and lifted one ankle behind her butt, stretching her muscles out by pulling the foot against the back of her leg.

“Hmmm…I guess I’d rather to some stretching.” He mimicked her movements, slow and determined. Looking at her while she stretched those fantastic limbs of hers, caused a slow burn to move along his spine, spreading from head to toe.

“You’re gawking,” she said after doing three dozen sit-ups.

“I wouldn’t call it gawking, but who can blame me for watching the hottest woman on earth while she’s doing sit-ups without even breaking a sweat. I never knew exercise could be so sexy.”

“Hitting on me again?”

“Caught red-handed,” he quipped, grinning.

“Well I have to give you credit for being honest,” she said, moving to do prisoner squats with her hands behind her head.

God, that woman knew how to drain the blood from one head, and send it rushing straight to the other one. Tyler’s gaze locked on her firm breasts molded by the t-shirt stretched across her chest, before he tore his eyes upwards until he reached her eyes. Smirking eyes.

“Done with your appreciation of my breasts?”

“They are gorgeous, and if I had my way I would do much more than stare at them.”

“You wish, rookie.” She blew a strand of her unruly hair from her forehead and it took all his self-control not to use his fingers to tuck it behind her ear.

“You’re right, I wish. That kiss was spectacular. Nothing like I’ve ever experienced before, and I’d love to repeat it. And more…”

For a moment she looked wistful, but then her expression hardened, and she said, “I told you yesterday and I’m gonna say it again. I’m not interested.”

“Your kiss didn’t say anything close to not interested.”

Jules shook her head. “It doesn’t matter what happened yesterday, rookie. Today fire season starts. And since it looks like we will be colleagues, you and I are off limits. Off, off, off.”

“Rules. Rules. Rules,” he retorted, giving her the smile that had been known to melt panties far and wide. “Sometimes rules need to be broken.”

Jules rolled her eyes and straightened her back. “Your charms don’t work on me. That policy has served me well over the years and I’m not going to violate it.”

“There’s a first time for everything,”

“Not for this. Although I do admit the kiss was kinda good.”

“Kinda good only?” Tyler said with mock indignation.

“Okay. Really, really good. But it doesn’t matter. Off limits, remember?”

Heat flushed his body at her confession. So she was interested. Not that he hadn’t already known that, but it helped to hear it from her own lips. Tyler couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. “I’m going to make you break your…rules.”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” she said, and spun around to veer off the dirt road and into the trees.

Tyler chuckled mumbling, “Oh, but I can be very patient when I see something worth the wait. And you’re definitely worth the wait.” He fell into pace again and jogged back to the camp, thinking about the lovely Jules and the challenge she’d unknowingly issued. He wasn’t exactly known to back off a challenge…

As he returned to the camp, he joined his friends for breakfast in the canteen. He’d worked up quite a hunger and wolfed down a stack of pancakes with maple syrup.

“You’re late. Much of a headache?” Jeb asked him, looking overfatigued himself.

“Nah. Just came back for a run and an encounter with the most gorgeous woman on earth.”

“What? At this ungodly hour?” the hopeless morning grump Kevin said.

“A woman? Tell,” that was Gunner, helping himself to a second serving of pancakes.

“I don’t kiss and tell,” Tyler emptied a glass of orange juice and went for more pancakes.

“Wow. Your kiss with the brunette last night. I sure would want to be kissed like that,” Florence, the girl they called Blondie said with a dreamy expression on her face.

“Help yourself, Blondie” Nick bent over to her, pursing his lips.

“Eek. Get shaved first.” Florence laughed and swatted his hand. “And if you haven’t noticed by now, I don’t do firefighters. Real-life hero image and all, but your job is too damn dangerous.”

“Such a shame. My wife Sheila used to say the same, but she got used to having her very own hero around.” Steven joined the good-natured teasing.

Tyler though, scanned the room for Jules, but couldn’t see her. The sense of loss hit him like a cannonball. He hadn’t even known her for twenty-four hours and already missed her? He, Tyler Armstrong, biggest womanizer on earth, who always had one or more women salivating to get her hands on his ripped body?

Tyler liked women. And sex. Relationships he didn’t need.

All this had changed in a moment. And now he was the one salivating to get his hands on the one woman who had declared herself off limits.

It confused the heck out of him, but it also felt so right. So perfect.

Now he just had to convince Jules to take a chance with him.

* * *

Jules rushed back to base, where she headed straight for the canteen, and loaded a plate with pancakes and fruits.

“Hey Jules? Gonna sit with us?” Denis waved at her.

“Sorry, no. I have some work to do,” she answered and escaped from the room where she knew Tyler would appear soon. Stumbling upon him had sent her off-kilter and she needed to work through her conflicting emotions.

“Catch up later. You’re not gonna miss the rookie test?” Denis called after her, but she didn’t bother to answer. Watching the newcomers do their final fitness test was fun the returning hotshots never missed.

Jules usually enjoyed the opportunity to check them out and loved to form a first opinion about their strengths and weaknesses. It helped to best assign them during an emergency.

Now that she was a team leader, she intended to study the newcomers very closely to get a feeling of what she was up against when someone ended up on her team during the next fire.

So much for forgetting Tyler. She’d be working closely together with him day after day throughout the fire season. That thought exhilarated and saddened her at the same time. Her rule of no relationships during fire season was only topped by the number one rule of never sleeping with a co-worker. Ever. No ifs. Ands. Or buts.

What had started out years ago as a simple measure to gain the respect of her all-male colleagues had proved the right decision time and again when she’d seen the odd female starting something with another firefighter. It had never ended well. Awkwardness for those involved and the entire team was the least of the consequences.

No, she wouldn’t go there.