Page 6 of Sparks Fly

Through the days that follow, Hallie dials up the intensity for their outdoor training session, pushing the recruits through a merciless rotation of skills and drills. Hose bundling, hose line advancement, Rescue Randy carries, ladder raises—she cycles them through it all relentlessly with only a few minutes’ break between each fresh hell. Anything to keep their bodies moving and minds occupied rather than dwelling on the simmering tension in the air.

Because no matter where Hallie positioned herself on the training grounds, she could feel the heated energy rolling off of Kaia in thick, intoxicating currents. Even surrounded by her grumbling, stumbling squad mates, the strutting young firefighter moves with the same primal, effortless power as a panther slinking through the underbrush.

“C’mon, Cochran, are you serious right now?” Hallie can’t resist sneering as the winded recruit struggles to heft his bundled hose over his shoulder. “If a woman half your size can kick your ass that easily...”

She jerks her head to where Kaia is casually flipping her lead-filled bundle into the air and back down again with each prowling step she takes. A thin sheen of sweat glistens on her skin and Hallie has to force herself to quickly look away.

“Then it’s just embarrassing for the rest of you,” she finishes, allowing the barest hint of a smirk to twist her lips as she can’t fight the temptation to meet Kaia’s molten gaze. The glistening recruit gives an infinitesimal nod of acknowledgement, like they are two alpha predators communicating in some silent, ancient language. Then she lurches back into her steady advancing, pausing by Cochran to swipe his hose from his sagging shoulders, and continuing across the yard with double the load.

That alone makes Hallie’s gut clench and body thrum with awareness. God, she really needs this relentless onslaught of drills to come to an end soon. The front row seat to Kaia’s brazen performance is becoming too distracting. Hallie lets herself believe for a moment that it might be more for her than the band of grumbling males. But the venomous muttering of snide remarks from Cochran and his crewmates snaps Hallie’s awareness back to the task at hand. As much as Kaia’s power lures her in, she needs the rookies to be a team. All of them.

“Montgomery, you’re gonna run three full laps for that little show-pony stunt! Let’s move!”

There. Hallie swallows hard as she watches Kaia respond instantly to the barked order, dropping her effortless rhythm to toe the line and take off at a ground-eating lope. If she has to keep piling on the discipline, no matter how arbitrary, to keep that sizzling current of attraction from growing into a raging fire...so be it.

Finally done with the hours of brutal training, Hallie stands under the lukewarm stream of water in her locker room shower, letting it sluice over her aching muscles. She rolls her shoulders, trying to release some of the knots of tension that had taken up permanent residence there. For today’s training session she had been ruthless, even more so than usual. But it seemed to be the only way to keep her raging thoughts from spiraling out into the wildly inappropriate whenever a certain cocky rookie was around.

“Lieutenant?”

The single, softly spoken word very nearly makes Hallie jump out of her skin. She spins with a violent splatter of water, mouth dropping open in surprise. There stands Kaia in just a sports bra and compression shorts, filling the doorway to the showers with her powerful frame.

“Montgomery!” Hallie sputters, instinctively crossing her arms over her bare breasts even as her eyes drank in those glistening ab muscles. “What are you—what do you want?”

Rather than looking chastised, Kaia merely arches an eyebrow in clear amusement. The smug little grin playing over those full lips makes the thundering of Hallie’s pulse echo in her ears.

“Well, you made me run so many extra laps today,” Kaia drawls, “obviously I need a nice, long shower.”

Hallie feels a creeping blush mar her cheeks as she grabs her towel to cover her dripping skin. So accustomed to having this locker room to herself, she’d completely forgotten that, of course, Kaia would be using the women’s showers. Hallie’s mouth goes impossibly dry as Kaia’s dark eyes roam overtly over her barely concealed body. The younger woman doesn’t even try to make her open appraisal a secret as she starts to slowly close the distance between them.

“Wh-what in the hell do you think you’re doing, Montgomery?” Hallie’s voice comes out a strangled rasp. She can’t seem to decide whether she wants to maintain her glare or keep drinking in Kaia’s own exposed curves that draw her gaze like a magnet.

“I just wanted to thank you for hyping me up in front of the guys today. I appreciate the support more than you know,” Kaia murmurs silkily. She is nearly within arm’s reach now, close enough for Hallie’s skin to prickle with apprehension. The rookie lifts her chin in that stubborn, challenging way, pinning Hallie with that signature smoldering stare she was coming to crave.

Hallie’s throat bobs as she swallows hard. She can actually smell the warm, earthy aroma of Kaia’s skin overpowering the chemical tang of the locker room now. Feel the exquisite tension thrumming between their bodies in the humid air like a live current sparking at her nerve endings.

The truth is, Hallie wanted nothing more than to grab Kaia and slam her against those steamy tiles.

“Don’t even think about it.”

The sudden razor’s edge in Hallie’s tone makes Kaia freeze in place, tantalizingly close but not yet breaching the lieutenant’s personal space. Hallie can see that playful glint in her dark, hooded eyes shutter instantly at the blatant warning.

Hallie marshals every ounce of her authority and willpower into a tone that would allow zero space for misinterpretation.

“We’re going to go our separate ways. You’re going to shower off, then report for equipment inspection before the end of day notes. And we’ll both pretend like you didn’t just barge in here looking for...whatever fresh hell that was supposed to be, understood?”

Kaia’s jaw tightens, that stubborn line forming between her eyebrows like she’s gearing up to argue. But Hallie has been pushed entirely too far already. She closes what little space remains between them with an authoritative step, putting them nose-to-nose as she glares up into those churning, brown depths.

“I’m serious, Montgomery,” Hallie growls. “You do not want to fuck around and find out. This shit? Stops here and now before we both end up regretting it for the rest of our careers. Are we crystal-goddamn-clear?”

For an endless moment, they stay locked in that heated stand-off, the air between them practically sizzling with unreleased tension. Hallie watches a series of flickering micro-expressions chase themselves across Kaia’s breathtaking features. Surprise. Hurt. Indignation. And something rawer that Hallie won’t dare let herself name, for both their sakes.

Then Kaia lets out a soft huff through her nose, her dark eyes glinting with obvious disappointment. She takes one slow step back, re-establishing the appropriate space between her scantily clad chest and Hallie’s own racing heart.

“Understood,” she mutters, her deep voice gone husky. They hold each other’s stare for another few fraught seconds. Then Kaia turns on her heel and marches from the showers with powerful, ground-eating strides.

Hallie closes her eyes, letting out the harsh breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. That was one bullet successfully dodged...for now.

4

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