Fighting the Flames (Firefighter Romance #1)(2)

“Hmm?” She forced her eyes open, one at time. “Yeah, I’m awake.”

Ryan brushed the hair from her face and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. “You seem a million miles away.”

She rested her chin on his chest and looked up at him. “I was just thinking about the day we met.”

No matter how often she looked at him, he always managed to steal her breath. He was the most handsome man she had ever met.

“Yeah?” He smiled.

“Yeah.” She smiled in return. Things had been off between them all night. Sexually they’d connected—they always did, but there was an elephant in the room and one of them had to put a voice to it and deal with it. “I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“I know.” They were both silent for a few moments. “I’ve been thinking about it all week.”

“You have?” That surprised her. And warmed her. And concerned her. She was leaving, end of sentence. What could he possibly be thinking about?

She had been trying to avoid letting her thoughts flow that way. Instead, she’d focused on spending every last moment she could with him before she left, making beautiful memories.

“Yes.” He adjusted his body so that they were face to face. “I want you to come home with me, Jess.”

She pulled the sheet tightly around her, as if protecting herself from the intensity of his words. “What?”

Ryan took both of her hands into his. “I’m in love with you, Jess. The thought of not waking up next to you every morning and falling asleep with you in my arms every night is killing me. Please. Move to Silver Creek with me.”

She looked into his gorgeous green eyes, her heart expanding, burst into little pieces. It would be so easy to throw her arms around him and say yes, but they’d agreed from the beginning that this was nothing more than a summer fling. They’d been living in a bubble, away from real life and the day-to-day grind that reality presented. There were no doubts that she loved him. She’d loved him from the moment they’d shared their first kiss. No man had ever made her feel like Ryan did and she wasn’t sure how to handle it. It terrified her and she didn’t trust it… or herself.

“Jess?”

“It’s just so sudden.” Her mind and her heart were in a tug of war. She wanted to be with Ryan, but there were loose ends at home she had to deal with; namely Derrick and his marriage proposal, which she had conveniently forgotten to tell Ryan about.

“Maybe, but you can’t tell me it doesn’t feel right.”

“No, I can’t.” She shook her head. “Everything with you feels right.”

He grinned that sexy boyish grin that she’d never been able to resist. He raised her hand to his lips and asked, “So, is that a yes?”

Head or heart? Both were screaming at her… encouraging her, judging her, criticizing her and reminding her of the past. As she processed through all the right and wrong reasons, her heart won out and she simply said, “Yes.”



Jessie tossed and turned, trying to find sleep but it wasn’t coming. Tomorrow she would leave with Ryan. Tomorrow she would move to a new town and start a new life with a man she was hopelessly in love with, a man who, for all practical purposes, she knew almost nothing about. Her mind was racing. She always thought she’d been a good judge of character, but after what happened with Derrick and her so-called friend, she wasn’t so sure anymore. She would never have suspected them of being so deceitful and her inability to pick up on the affair left her filled with self-doubt. How could she be sure Ryan was any different? And what about her dad? She didn’t even want to go there!

But then, who was she to judge? What about her deceit, she thought, the guilt tying her stomach in knots. Ryan had no idea Derrick even existed. What would he do when he found out? How could he trust her again? The questions kept tumbling around in her head.


Who was she kidding? She couldn’t go with him.

Throwing the covers off, she got out of bed and quickly dressed. Her stuff was already packed and in her car. The plan was to leave first thing tomorrow morning. What was she thinking? She’d only know this man for a couple of months and now she was willing to uproot her entire life, surrender her independence and follow him anywhere?

Panic sent a rush of adrenaline through her veins. She’d done that once, trusted her life to another and had her heart pulled out of her chest as a result.

Not again.

No matter how she felt about him, she just couldn’t place her future in the hands of another man. There were too many unknowns, too many unanswered questions. Her heart was already breaking with what she was about to do. But it was on her terms. She couldn’t risk her heart any more than she already had.

Jessie kneeled on the bed and gave Ryan’s cheek a kiss. Tears burned her eyes as she pulled a folded piece of paper from the bedside stand and placed it on her pillow. “I’m sorry, Ryan,” she whispered. “Please forgive me.”





Chapter 2


The saltiness in the early morning air greeted her as she quietly opened the door. Those ten agonizing steps to reach her car feel like a million, but she took them, one foot in front of the other. Was she really going through with this? Was she really walking away from the most beautiful experience of her life? Walking away from the man of her dreams?