Page 8 of Sparks Fly

Kaia never saw it coming. She had thought high school ended years ago, for all of them.

She paces the confines of the tiny square space like a caged lioness, gripped by the overwhelming urge to hit something, break something, unleash this torrent of frustration somehow. All the while, her dad’s voice is echoing in her skull.

“Who would ever take a female firefighter seriously? Stay in your own lane, Kaia. Leave the tough jobs to the men… You have a real pretty face, kiddo. You ever considered teaching kindergarten?”

Her breaths come in short, harsh pants, blood boiling hotter as visions of her dad’s patronizing smile melt and blur, replaced by flickers of dismissive sneers and muttered slurs from her crewmates. The growing crowd of naysayers presses in on her like the looming, white walls. Suffocating the inferno of her fury until it starts to bank.

What if I can’t endure this fight for the rest of my damn career?

The vicious, unbidden thought pierces straight through the swirling red of her fury like a frozen dagger. She halts mid-pace, swaying a little as a wrecking ball of doubt crashes through her ribcage. Kaia has never doubted her own capabilities, her enduring strength, but she had also never stopped to think for a minute about the steady, eroding exhaustion she’d have to bear battling everyone else’s doubts day after day.

The fight drains out of her in a rush, leaving her hollowed out and tired in her very bones. She crumples sideways onto the couch, burying her face in trembling hands as the waves of uncertainty threaten to drown her.

But then, another face swims into her mind.

The memory of Lieutenant Hunter’s fiery defense in the captain’s office, the blaze of pride flickering in those bright, blue eyes as she stood up for Kaia’s honor.

She believes in Kaia, in her right to a position on her crew.

Wiping her eyes, Kaia pushes up from the sagging couch cushions with renewed determination. If Hunter believed she could carry on the fight and win, she sure as hell wasn’t going to let her down.

Kaia makes the silent vow to herself, and to Hunter, and to every other woman in their field who has to tirelessly rage against being dismissed by arrogant neanderthals. As her resolve is forged iron-clad in her veins, a glorious desert sunset slants through her window. The fiery orange glow like a sign, illuminating her path forward.

5

HALLIE

The slight chill of the early morning desert air nips at Hallie’s exposed skin as she hops out of her truck in the almost empty parking lot of Fire Station 3. She shrugs her jacket tighter around her shoulders, partly to ward off the cold, but mostly to disguise the tremble in her hands. Her pulse has been thrumming with a restless energy ever since she opened her eyes a full hour before her alarm this morning.

She had to begrudgingly admit, these one-to-one training sessions with Montgomery were a decent idea from the captain. The showboating has to stop, and Kaia needs to learn communication and protocol in an environment where she isn’t constantly tempted to lash out at her crewmates. Hallie understood better than anyone the urge to reject the rest of the recruits before they had a chance to demonstrate how thoroughly they would reject her. But the division in the squad will get someone hurt sooner or later. Montgomery needs to learn to fall in line, while not also feeling like she’s been bullied into submission.

Glaring as they are, however, none of these truths were what had Hallie’s skin prickling with anticipation in the time it took her to roll out of bed and make her way here at the crack of dawn. Fact is, Hallie is stupidly looking forward to the chance to be alone with Montgomery. Ever since the captain suggested the private sessions, she’s been haunted by images of that powerful frame glistening with sweat, of her dark eyes flaring with determination as she pushes to impress her lieutenant. Hallie had tried to ignore it in regular training, but she couldn’t help feeling more and more like Montgomery’s performances were intended to impress her more than the other rookies.

Get a grip, Hallie.

This undeniable attraction between them is fast becoming a dangerous distraction. A fresh wave of anxiety mingles with the anticipation writhing in Hallie’s gut as she makes her way towards the station building. She wants more than anything to explore this connection she feels, and she’s sure that Montgomery feels the same way—at least, if her little demonstration in the showers is anything to go by—but Hallie can’t shake the fear that anything happening between them would damage both of their careers. Shaking her head against her warring thoughts, she pushes through the heavy door into the training facility, steeling herself for a totally professional training session.

Of course, Montgomery isn’t going to make it easy.

Feet planted at either side of a stretching mat, Kaia is bent at the waist, her sinfully peachy ass thrust straight in the air.

Lord, help me.

Hallie forces herself not to stare as she marches across the garage, sheepishly glancing side to side to check no other colleagues are present to enjoy the show.

“Good morning, Lieutenant.” Montgomery’s greeting is a low rumble, muffled slightly as she presses her fingertips into the mat. The coy rasp in her tone has Hallie’s mouth instantly going dry.

“Montgomery,” she grits out, sounding harsher than she had intended. She quickly tears her gaze away from the hypnotic stretch of Montgomery’s form-fitting workout attire, hugging every delicious curve. “I trust you’re ready for a focused training session this morning?”

“Oh, I’m ready,” Kaia practically purrs, before she languidly unfurls to her full height. She twists at the waist, those intense brown eyes immediately seeking Hallie’s as she raises one sculpted arm in an overhead stretch. It’s only too tempting for Hallie to be enraptured by the rippling contours of her bicep, the tantalizing sliver of revealed midriff as her shirt rides up over those chiseled abs. The lieutenant gives herself a harsh inward shake, heat flooding her cheeks. With an impassive clearing of her throat, she nods toward the staging area.

“Let’s get to it then. We’ll start with sprints and communication relays. You’re falling way behind on grasping those particular skills.”

A spark flashes in Montgomery’s eyes and Hallie knows her criticism has struck a nerve. The obstinate rookie lifts her chin in blatant challenge, a rakish smirk slowly blooming over her full, tempting lips.

“Whatever you say, Lieutenant,” she tosses over her shoulder, already striding away. Her hips sway with that same arrogant swagger that drives Hallie crazy. “Just try to keep up.”

The next forty-five minutes is a blistering gauntlet of start-stop sprints while Hallie and Montgomery bellow coded instructions back and forth. The commanding officer keeps her tone as clipped and authoritative as she can muster, attempting to squash any hint of the lingering want simmering in her veins. It proves nearly impossible, what with the rich rasp of Kaia’s sexy laughter floating across the mats between repetitions. Hallie finds her mind wandering, clouded with daydreams of Montgomery’s breath washing over her face, her lips tantalizingly close. Close enough for Hallie to lean in and capture them with her own…

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