Page 3 of Slow Burn (Forbidden Heat 2)

Shelly sat me down on the ground and helped me to my feet. Everyone was murmuring that they understood. “Good. Pair up and take turns. We are going to practice this for the next ten minutes.”

“Thanks for helping me,” Shelly said as everyone paired up.

“No problem,” I said.

“You’ve been with the company a while?”

“Over eight years,” I said. “How about you?”

“I’ve been a firefighter for seven years,” Shelly replied. “I’ve been a trainer for two.”

“Which do you prefer? Here or in the field?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. I kind of go back and forth on that,” she said. “Well, you’d better partner with someone. I’ve got to make a call.” Shelly pulled her phone out of her pocket and stepped out of the room.

I paired up with Max and we started to practice the drill. “So, what were you two talking about?”

“Ah, nothing,” I said. “I just asked her a few basic questions and asked her if she was glad to be here.”

Max nodded. “Sure, you did.”

I smirked at him. ?

?What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you had better get any thoughts of dating this girl out of your mind right now.”

I laughed and quickly looked around to make sure that no one could hear us. Max laid down on the ground. I bent over and proceeded with the moves that Shelly had just taught us. As I hoisted Max onto my shoulders, I was amazed at how easy this was. Shelly’s technique was brilliant.

“I have no such thoughts,” I said before letting Max back down to his feet. I laid down on the ground and he proceeded the technique on me.

“I know you, my friend. You have that crazy eye about you. It’s the same look you had when you met Paula. And you see how that ended.”

“That was different and she didn’t work here. Besides, we broke up six months ago. That’s history. We both moved on.”

Max shook his head. “No, she moved on. You have been pining and stewing about your apartment ever since. You don’t date. And when you are out with us, all I see is girls hitting on you and getting the cold shoulder as you ignore their beautiful charms. What is wrong with you? Are you turning over a vow of celibacy or something?”

I laughed. “No. I’m not celibate. I’m just not looking for one night stands, or easy hookups. I want more in life. I’m not a kid anymore. People change. I thought that the thing with Paula was real and it ended badly. Oh, well. Life goes on.”

“Well, how do you know what any of these women might have to offer you if you don’t put yourself out there? And don’t give me the age thing again. We are the same age. I’m not feeling that pull any more than you are.”

“You’ve been with the same woman for five years,” I reminded him. “You are set. Consider yourself lucky.”

“I am,” Max said. “When is your luck coming?”

“I do consider myself lucky,” I said. “But I’m lucky that I’ve had a lot of time to throw myself into my passions. I’m doing a lot of great things. I don’t need a woman in my life. And I’m not going to risk my career I’ve busted my ass for by trying to do something crazy.”

“That’s good to know,” Max said. “You had me worried for a second.”

We continued practicing the routine for several more minutes. When Shelly came back in, she sent us through several rounds of squatting routines until our legs were so sore we could hardly stand up. This girl was brutally tough. Standing was becoming something of an issue for me and we were just getting started.

As we went through the exercises, I found that I tried to work just a little bit harder when Shelly was close to me. It was bit juvenile, but a part of me wanted to impress her with my abilities. I’ve always been in shape, ever since high school, but this was a workout that I had not expected and it was even harder than the grueling weight workout I’d already put myself through that morning.

Maybe Max was right. I was developing something for this woman. The spark that I hadn’t felt in a long time for anyone was finally there. And it was the worst place that it could have happened. No, this was wrong. I had to be very careful here. I needed to remind myself of what might happen if I even gave any serious thought to pursuing this woman. Even if there was a mutual spark between us, I wasn’t going to let this flourish knowing what it would mean for both of our careers.

No, I would have to keep it well hidden and do my best to ignore those feelings I was now having for her. She was perfect. I could have watched her all day. I loved the sweet sound of her voice, the smooth, confident manner that she explained things, and the way her body moved gently through the air as if she were walking through some sort of invisible water fall.

When we finished the training class, my shift was over. I left the room and said goodbye to some of the fellas before heading home. But as I walked out of the training room, I noticed something peculiar. Shelly was looking at me. It was only for a moment and then she was gone, busy with something else. But I could have sworn that she was staring right at me with a little smile on her beautiful face.

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