Chapter One
Rachel Webber grabbed Jay's blue tie and pulled him in the elevator. He hurriedly pressed the button for the sixth floor and, when the steel doors shut, he pushed her against them. She pulled his head down to hers and devoured his mouth. He shoved his knee between her legs and lifted her against the wall. She couldn't believe she was in the elevator about to have sex with her best friend Grace's brother. Maybe it was the alcohol or watching her best friend get married tonight, but whatever it was, she refused to let her brain take over. She was listening to her body and letting go. She'd had a thing for Jay for so long but he'd never given her the time of day, until tonight.
They'd both consumed several bottles of champagne and ended up dancing half the night away. She ripped the buttons of his white shirt open and ran her hands across his six-pack down to the V of his pants. Before she could get them undone, the bell of the elevator door dinged. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. He carried her down the short hall and managed to swipe the key and walk into the room. With Jay's help, she worked her dress over her head and she freed him from his zipper. With no hesitation, he ripped her underwear away and entered her with one thrust to the hilt.
She gasped for air as he pounded into her. She held on as her orgasm soared through her. He followed not long after and somehow managed to get them both over to the bed. Breathing heavily, he slowly finished undressing them and crawled into bed beside her. He gave her a slow, lingering kiss, his eyes revealing more than she knew he wanted them to. She knew this would be her only night with him and she refused to be sad about it. Jay didn't do commitments or relationships. Hell, after tonight, they may not even be friends. The fact was she wasn't that great at them, either. Her inhibitions down, she made up her mind to enjoy this one night, even if that's all they would ever have.
***
Rachel cracked her eyes open and grabbed her pounding head. Her mouth was full of cotton and her body ached in several places. She peeked under the sheet and realized she was butt naked. Slowly, she reached beside her and almost screamed as she felt a very muscular back. Pieces of last night began filtering through her fog-ladened brain as she jumped out of bed. "Shit, shit, shit." She really did it. She slept with James Scott. She quickly threw her dress over her head and gathered her bra and what was left of her panties and shoved them in her purse. She let herself out of the room as quietly as possible and headed for the elevator.
When the door opened, she blushed as flashes of ripping Jay's shirt open came to her mind. Her phone buzzed and she looked at it to see she had three missed calls from her partner, Blake. She was a paramedic with the Nashville Fire Department and she and Blake were heading to Dallas, Texas for a few weeks of intensive training with the crew of Station 58. Lt. Zach Raines, her best friend Grace's now husband, worked with the guys at 58 and had set it up. They would be training with Paramedic, Lexi Fletcher, and her partner, Trent Barnes, on SWAT medic procedures.
Rachel loved being a paramedic, and despite her hangover, she was looking forward to SWAT training. When the local SWAT team goes on a call, SWAT medics go with them to not only treat SWAT team members but, also, are first on scene to provide medical care in hostage or active shooter situations. The sooner medical care can be provided, the better the chances of survival for victims. She enrolled in medical school after college but had to drop out to care for her grandmother when she became ill. She was disappointed, at first, for not finishing, but she wouldn't trade her job for anything.
Before she could return Blake's call, her phone rang again.
"Hey, Blake," she answered.
"Rachel, where have you been? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Blake, I just overslept."
"Our plane leaves in a couple of hours; are you ready?"
"Give me thirty minutes and I'll be ready, okay?"
"Okay."
"Oh, and, Blake, please bring coffee."
Luckily, it was a short cab ride to her apartment from the hotel and she'd packed the night before. She made it inside her apartment, took a quick shower and dressed. She grabbed her bag, locked her apartment door and made it downstairs just as Blake pulled up. She didn't have time to wash her hair so she pulled her long black locks into a ponytail. Her head was pounding as she climbed into his SUV and immediately turned the radio down.
"Here, you look like shit, Rachel," he said, handing her a steaming hot cup of coffee.
She wrapped both hands around the cup and took a long sip while glaring at him.
"Who was he and how much did you drink?" he nagged her.
"It's none of your business, Blake," she responded, getting more annoyed by the minute.
Blake was like a big brother to her and she knew he asked out of concern. She leaned her pounding head against the window of the SUV and rubbed her temples.
"Here," she heard Blake say as he handed her the bottle of Tylenol.
"Thanks," Rachel replied as she swallowed three pills and downed it with her coffee. "You are too good to me."
"Yeah, yeah. You just want me to stop asking you about last night," he told her, smiling.
Rachel just rolled her eyes at him. They had been partners for almost five years. Blake was a handsome man at almost six feet tall. He was a few years older than her twenty-nine years and his hair was sandy blonde, which he kept closely cropped. He was built like a linebacker with rippling muscles and gray eyes someone could get lost in. Oh, how she wished she could feel for him what she felt for Jay. As hard as she denied it, when it came to Jay, she knew her stubborn heart loved him, even if he never returned her feelings.
She wondered how Grace would feel about her sleeping with her older brother. She and Grace met at the Nashville Fire Department, where she worked as a paramedic and Grace, an arson investigator. She was severely injured in a fire, a few years ago, and Rachel was the one who treated her until she made it to the hospital. She spent a lot of time with Jay as they nursed Grace back to health. Their parents were killed years before, so Jay was the one who raised Grace, even though he had been practically a kid himself. Rachel lost her heart to Jay, watching him day after day, sitting by Grace's beside. He was a good man, but when it came to settling down or giving himself to one person, he wouldn't do it.
They arrived at Nashville International Airport, a few minutes later, and after parking, they headed to the ticket counter. Luckily for Rachel, the flight was delayed by an hour so they had time to grab a quick bite before boarding. Rachel settled for a bagel and another cup of coffee while Blake ate a plate of bacon, eggs and toast. She took her seat on the plane near the window with Blake on the isle. She was grateful the flight was only two hours because her breakfast kept threatening to make a reappearance. A massive hangover and flying didn't mix well.
Rachel stepped off the plane, a short time later, and made a beeline for the airport bathroom. She made it just in time before she lost her breakfast. What a way to make a good impression, Webber. Thank goodness, she kept a small bottle of Scope in her purse. She rinsed her mouth and splashed cold water on her face. When she stepped out of the bathroom, Blake was there waiting for her.
"You gonna make it?" he asked in his deep southern drawl.
"Yeah. Let's go; we have to meet Lexi out front," she replied and flung her backpack over her shoulder.
When they walked through the automatic doors of the airport, Rachel saw a beautiful dark-haired woman standing beside a tall hunk with dark hair and the deepest blue eyes she'd ever seen. They were both wearing EMT patches that indicated they were with Dallas Fire and Rescue Station 58. Rachel extended her hand to both Lexi and Trent and watched as Blake did the same.
"Welcome to Dallas; I hope you like it hot," Lexi told them, smiling.
"If you think it's hot in October, you should have been here in July," Trent replied. "Come on, you two, the truck's over here; let's get you to the station and settled.
Rachel walked through the bay doors at Station 58 and was immediately in awe of the sheer size. It made her station in Nashville look tiny in comparison. Blake went with Trent to the male sleeping areas and she went with Lexi. They walked through the massive kitchen and into the dayroom. There were TVs, gaming stations, big leather couches, and even a pool table. Lexi showed her to the locker room and shower area and then to her bunk.
"Chow is at six p.m., and I believe BBQ pork is on the menu tonight. You don't wanna miss it. Feel free to look around and freshen up and I will see you in a bit. You might want to get to bed early, tonight. Training starts at five a.m., tomorrow," Lexi told her.
"Sounds good; thank you for everything, Lexi," Rachel replied.
She took a quick shower and dressed in her NFD sweats. She pulled her long hair into a ponytail and checked her phone for what had to be the tenth time. Did she really think Jay would call her? He was probably regretting what happened between them, too. Ugh! You did it this time, Webber. Trying to focus on her upcoming training, she decided to put that night out of her mind and went in search of her partner. As she walked through the dayroom, she saw Blake playing pool with a few of the firefighters of 58. Rachel wasn't in the mood for pool so she made her way to the kitchen to help with dinner. She would take the next two weeks to focus on her training, not Jay.