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Some Like It Sizzling(4)

By:Robbie Terman


Ah, shit.

“Wait a minute,” Mattie hooted. “The blond ice princess from a few months ago? The one who came in looking like a Neiman Marcus mannequin and left practically undressed?”

“She was dressed,” Luke said, rolling his eyes. Rumpled, yes, but definitely dressed. “And I’m not distracted because of Jenna. I’m not distracted at all.”

“Sure.” Mattie quirked up one side of her lips.

He shot her an annoyed look, which she returned tenfold. Not hard to wonder why Kai had nicknamed her Medusa.

Damn, this teasing was exactly the reason he hadn’t wanted his teammates to know. The firehouse thrived on gossip; secrets were nearly impossible to keep. And if someone thought you were holding something back, they’d badger you until you broke. Donut claimed it was about trust. If you couldn’t trust your fellow firefighter with a secret, how could you trust him or her with your life?

Well, Luke wouldn’t hesitate to put his life in the hands of any man or woman in this house, no questions asked. Didn’t mean he wanted them nosing around his personal life. Especially when it came to Jenna. If only Donut hadn’t seen him looking at Jenna’s wedding announcement.

“She was your old girlfriend, right?” Kai asked as he shuffled the cards and dealt a new hand. “Dude, she was hot. You still tappin’ that?”

“You’re a pig,” Mattie said with a scowl before Luke could reply. “She’s getting married. To another man.”

Kai shrugged. “You’re the one who said she left here half dressed. Do you get what that means, or do you need me to draw you a picture, Medusa?”

“Enough,” Luke commanded as he put an arm out to his left, keeping Mattie in her seat. Her green eyes shot darts at Kai, no doubt tipped with poison. Kai didn’t look that concerned, but Luke was pretty sure everyone at the table knew Mattie could take him in a fight.

“Whatever you say, Lieutenant,” Mattie said icily.

Luke needed to end this before things got out of hand. This was what happened when a group of people spent nearly twenty-four hours together without much action. He let out a long sigh. “Yes, Jenna and I dated in high school. She left after graduation to model in Europe, and I didn’t see her again for nearly fifteen years. No”—he leveled a glare at Kai—“I’m not ‘tapping’ that. She’s married by now, and I have no interest in resuming our relationship anyway.” He threw down his cards, not even bothering to glance at them. “The question and answer period on this subject is over. Forever.”

Some divine force must have been looking out for him that day, because just as three mouths opened to protest, the loudspeaker came on with a squeak, alerting them to a call.

Their chief stepped out of his office. “We’ve got an alarm triggered at the Church of the Everlasting. No reports of smoke but, because it’s a historic landmark, we’re being sent in to back up Station Fourteen.”

Not exactly the exciting end to his shift he’d been hoping for, but at least Luke dodged any more questions. As he grabbed his gear, a nagging thought pricked at his brain. Church of the Everlasting. Why did that name sound so familiar?

As the engine pulled onto Delaware Street, with Donut at the wheel, the answer hit Luke with the force of a freight train. Jenna’s wedding was being held at that church.

His pulse went into overdrive, and not from the adrenaline that usually hit him on the way to a fire. “Step on it, Donut,” he ordered.

“I’m trying,” Donut grumbled. “Damn cars think the siren’s for show.” He stuck his head out the window and bellowed, “Move outta the way, jackasses!”

“Something wrong, Luke?” Mattie asked, concern in her green eyes. She and Kai may have gotten along like spaghetti and tuna fish, but more than once she’d offered to lend an ear. He’d just never been willing to talk.

“I’m just anxious to get there,” Luke said, forcing calm into his voice. “We’re here to save lives, right?”

“It’s probably a false alarm,” Kai said.

Luke’s jaw tightened. “We don’t make assumptions. Until we assess the situation, the threat is real.”

Kai and Mattie shared glances. “Sure, Lieutenant,” Kai finally said.

Luke glanced out the window as his foot twitched impatiently. Traffic was finally beginning to clear, and Donut picked up the pace.

Jenna is fine, he told himself. The wedding ceremony should have been long over by now. Jenna and her asshat husband were probably miles away at some fancy country club, stuffing cake in each other’s faces. Or, in Jenna’s case, daintily licking frosting off the edge of the knife merely to uphold tradition.