Jules stopped chopping the tree she’d been working on for the last twenty minutes and wiped her brow with the already soaked cloth. The past days had been filled with a variety of training drills, checking and re-checking equipment and gear, practicing alarm drills, digging firelines, and improving their skills with the lightweight chainsaws they all carried as part of their standard gear.

She glanced over at the other side of the clearing to see Jeb and Kevin struggling with the Pulaski tool, a combination axe and a heavy hoe blade. A giggle escaped her as she remembered her first experiences with the tool designed to allow the firefighter to chop down brush, small trees, or dig a trench. At first, she’d hated the Pulaski, but she’d soon come to consider it her best friend.

Pure pleasure coursed through her watching Tyler. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that he’d shed his soaked shirt. With his Pulaski in hand, he looked like one of the poster boys from a firefighter calendar. Her heart skipped a beat, and heat pooled deep in her stomach.

Not that she was especially keen on those calendars, but watching his ripped muscles dancing beneath the skin glimmering with a sheen of sweat was…eye-opening. Thrilling. Devastatingly sexy.

He caught her staring at him and held her glance, before he shouldered the Pulaski and sauntered over, sending shivers down her spine. Never once looking away, he came to a stand in front of her, feet hip wide apart. Unfortunately, it would appear rude to scrutinize his chest muscles and abs from this short a distance and she made an effort to keep her eyes on his face.

But her entire body hummed with arousal. Tyler was standing much too near for her raging hormones. Wasn’t it bad enough that she hyperventilated just from watching his gorgeous body? No, she also had to sense the heat radiating off of him, and smell his unique masculine fragrance, mixed with fresh sweat.

“Getting hot?” Tyler’s soft as velvet voice flowed over her, threatening to crush her self-control. He stretched out, holding the Pulaski high over his head with both arms, which made her swallow. Hard. She couldn’t help but let her eyes trail down his chiseled chest covered with dark hair. The path of hair guided her eyes downward, across his six-pack and still lower to the waistband of his khakis. She involuntarily licked her lips and cursed herself the same moment for that lapse.

“Like what you see?”

“I’ve seen better.”

“Not likely.” He sent her that special smile that turned her insides to mush. Hot, blubbering mush. “You can touch, if you like. You’ll find it even better than just looking.”

“Gimme a break. That’s so not happening.” She rolled her eyes and turned to go, before she gave in to temptation and said, “For safety reasons, you better put on your protective gear.”

“I’m taking a break, but afterwards I’ll gladly follow your orders, boss.”

It infuriated her that she couldn’t faze him in the least. Based on the knowing look in Tyler’s eyes, he knew how much he lit her fuse and shamelessly used that to his advantage. I guess everyone with two eyes in their heads can see it. At least her colleagues had politely refrained from making crude jokes about her crush on this specific hotshot.

Jules hoped, no prayed, for the alarm to sound. It was about time the idle waiting ended and they all got to work. A nice, brutal fire would keep her from fantasizing about Tyler’s big hands roaming her body. Kissing him had been the biggest mistake of the century.

She sighed – just a bit – as the earth-shattering sensation of his possessive mouth on hers assaulted her senses. OMG I wish I never knew just how fantastic kissing him is. Blocking out all erotic thoughts she cleaned her tools and strolled inside to organize gear in the ready room.

“Waiting for me?” She shot around to see Tyler strolling inside, looking gorgeous in his khakis and a muscle shirt.

“You stalking me?” She knew it was a special kind of torture, but she couldn’t stop her eyes from soaking up every last inch of his exposed skin, gleaming with a sweat. Tyler was of the best rookies she’d seen come through the program in the last five years, and if that wasn’t enough to get her panties good and wet, he was also hot…and funny…and caring…and his voice did things to her libido…

“No,” he looked at her with the most innocent smile possible, “I wanted to follow your orders and put on my protective gear. Which happens to be in here.” He took his Kevlar suit from the hook, leaving Jules annoyed at her own stupidity. Now he’ll think I did this on purpose.

Too caught up in scolding herself, she didn’t notice his grin broadening as he unbuckled his belt. “Wanna stay and watch?”

She jerked from her thoughts, shaking her head violently. “You wish, rookie. But there wouldn’t be anything interesting to see, so I’m outta here.”

“Your loss. If that epic kiss was anything to go by, we’d both immensely enjoy what happens—"

Jules felt hot desire raging through her body and said, “Training run in five. Put on your full gear including the pack.” Then she escaped from the heated ready room. She’d make him hot and bothered all right, but not lusting after her. A satisfied smirk broke out on her face as she bumped into Kelly.

“What’s that smirk doing on your face?” Kelly asked.

“Training run. In five on the track.”

“Hey… why don’t I think that’s the reason for you grinning like an evil dervish?”

“You just wait and see.”

Five minutes later her team assembled beside the track, everyone wearing shorts, t-shirts and running shoes, except for Tyler. The moment Kelly saw him in full outfit, she pursed her lips at Jules, and whispered, “What exactly has he done to deserve this?”

“Lusting after me.”

Kelly almost doubled over with laughter. “If I remember right you were the one attacking him back in the bar.”

“We’ll do a nice and easy five-mile run, the trail up the mountain and down the other side,” she said, putting her feet into motion.

* * *

Tyler cursed beneath his breath. The afternoon sun blazed down at him, and rivulets of sweat ran down his back, his chest, his forehead. The fifty-pound pack on his back turned every step into drudgery. He didn’t mind the extra exercise, since this would prepare him for the emergency. But he minded that everyone else rushed light-footed ahead of him, and he vowed to stay away from Jules.

She’d shown him that despite the passion simmering in her eyes every time she watched him, she clearly wasn’t interested.

In fact, she’d gone too far in the other direction, needlessly tormenting him. Like some kind of masochist.

When he finally reached the mountain, he saw the rest of his crew way ahead, leisurely jogging downhill. An unknown rage took hold of him and he increased his speed, feet hammering into the ground. His heart pulsed staccato, and the sweat ran in streams as he tried to run off the frustration and the anger.

Jeb and Blondie, absorbed in a conversation cast him shocked looks when he passed them heaving and hissing like a heavy freight train. He rolled up the field of his unsuspecting crew members from behind and reached the finish line third, dropping down like a felled tree.

When Jules raised an eyebrow at him, as if she were expecting him to complain, he did not acknowledge her, but rolled over, got up and trotted off to his quarters.

After taking a much-needed cool shower he sank down on his bunk, cursing the fate that had him wanting the one woman on earth who seemed immune to his charms. But since she’d taken her stand, he’d rather go without sex for the rest of his life than make another move on her.

Intent on not dwelling in self-loathing, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the first number in his call list.

“Tyler, and here I thought you’d vanished from the face of the earth,” his brother Preston’s voice came over the line. “Have you even received my voicemail?”

“Sorry, bro. I was busy.” Lusting after a woman who kisses like a sex goddess but has decided she doesn’t want me.

“Weren’t you supposed to be finished with the hotshot training by now?” Tyler’s initial idea to tell him about Jules evaporated at the detestable undertone of sappy happiness in Preston’s voice.

“I am. Passed the test, too. But with all the training and stuff I haven’t found the time to return your call.”

“Stuff? Or should I rather say women? When will you finally settle down Ty?” Ever since his oldest brother had fallen in love with the fierce Italian girl Gina, he behaved like a hippie spreading the love.

“Just one.” Tyler bit on his lip. “We don’t get out of camp often and I really was too busy to go on the prowl. How are plans for your wedding coming along?” A billionaire, Preston owned dozens of resorts and hotels across the world. One of them in Rome, where he’d met Gina and after a whirlwind affair, they’d become engaged in a matter of weeks. Gina, a tourist major, now lived with him in L.A., but travelled to Italy frequently to oversee the construction of another hotel.

“Perfect. That’s what I wanted to talk with you about. Gina would love to get married in Rome, since her family and friends are all in Italy. So, I was wondering if you’d be able to make it across the pond?”

“You know I wouldn’t want to miss your wedding for anything in the world, bro. But during fire season I can’t.”

“Yeah. While Gina would love to get married today, a more realistic date would be October or November.”

“That would be perfect. Unless the entire western United States lights up, I don’t see why I should miss it. I could fly over early to help with anything you might need.”

Preston chuckled into the phone. “Help with what? Cozying up with the bridesmaids?”

“Why not? Someone has to make sure the single girls are cared for and it looks like none of our brothers is up for the task.” It was true, one by one, the Armstrong siblings had fallen madly in love and turned monogamous.

“I’ll let you know about the exact date. I’d hate to have the wedding without my baby brother,” Preston said, but Tyler was way past getting annoyed at the teasing of his older siblings. They might top him in age, but no one in his family had his level of fitness, except maybe his sister Vivian’s boyfriend Rock Martens, a former Iron Man winner.

“Thanks, man.”

“So, how’s the firefighting in the wilderness?”

“Haven’t had one so far. We’re in wait mode.” Tyler shook his hurting legs. Wait mode was a peculiar description for the murderous run he’d just finished.

“Wait mode? As in, waiting for lightning to strike and start a fire mode?”

“Exactly.” Tyler gave a deep sigh.

“What’s wrong? Not the job you asked for? You know, nobody would hold it against you if you returned to your job at the fire station.” Preston had been the spokesperson of his family, trying to talk Tyler out of becoming a hotshot. He’d been a firefighter for five years, and while they’d become used to him risking his life on a daily basis, they were worried about his new plans.

Vivian – as always – had soaked up the Internet about hotshot training, requirements, workload and especially the dangers. It hadn’t helped that the same week he’d told his family about his plans an entire crew of hotshots had died in a tragic wildfire accident.

“Nothing, just tired. Just returned from a pretty tough training run.”

“A run? Tough? Man, you’ve become weak,” Preston teased him.

Tyler preferred not to go into details and changed the topic once again. “Almost forgot. Did you make plans for Mom’s birthday?”

“Well, I think Gina has something cooked up but…”

The alarm sounded, and Tyler jumped, pushing to his feet.

“Tyler? What’s up?”

“The alarm. Gotta go. Hear ya!” Tyler threw his phone onto the desk and rushed to the ready room to put on his Kevlar suit, for the second time today. This time for real.