Sweet Fire

1. Jesse

Chapter One

Jesse

“Did you just tell me to go to hell?” Dr. Lane asked without even looking up from the screen on the small computer tablet she held.

Total fail at keeping my thoughts to myself. Dr. Lane finally looked up, pushing her glasses up on her nose as she did.

“I guess I did,” I finally said with a sheepish smile. “I can’t believe you’re making me wait another two weeks before clearing me for full duty.”

She c****d her head to the side from where she sat on a rolling stool by the counter. Her gray eyes scanned my face, and I wondered what the hell she was thinking. She was so f*****g uptight.

I was at a doctor’s appointment for a follow up after I’d had some tendon problems in my shoulder. I’d dislocated it a few months back and maybe, just maybe, didn’t take it easy long enough. Dr. Lane was a new doctor in Willow Brook. I was used to Dr. Johnson, or Doc as I called him, a rather cantankerous older man who definitely wasn’t as uptight.

I shifted my shoulders, thinking Dr. Lane could loosen up. For God’s sake, the woman wore her hair in a bun. I had no idea what her body looked like because she was always shrouded in a white lab coat. I suspected she had a banging body, or at least my c**k thought so. Every damn time I saw her, I got tense — all over.

I rolled my offending shoulder, ignoring the slight twinge of soreness. “Helen said it was fine and I might be ready to be cleared,” I explained, referring to my physical therapist.

Dr. Lane was not nearly as warm and friendly as Helen. My physical therapist had a grandmotherly warmth to her and made me feel better every time I saw her. Unlike Dr. Lane who made me feel tense and irritable. If only she would clear me to return to full duty, maybe I could relax.

Dr. Lane adjusted her glasses again, turning her head slightly as she set the computer tablet on the counter. As she turned, I noticed for the first time that she had a streak of purple in her dark hair. I did not know what to make of that.

Before I had much time to contemplate the implications of said purple streak, she spoke. “I could, but honestly that tendon got irritated because you probably pushed too fast last time. If you wait a little longer this time, you probably won’t have the same problem again. I know you’re frustrated with me, but I actually do have your best interests at heart.”

I bit back another curse. Even if she made me tense, I wasn’t an asshole and prone to telling women to go to hell. I took a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair as I let my breath out in a sigh. I might’ve been annoyed, but I wasn’t an i***t. “Fine. I get your point. Helen said the same thing. She’s just a little easier to persuade than you,” I said, flashing a grin.

I couldn’t say why, but that streak of purple relaxed me. I supposed it cued me to the fact Dr. Lane might not be as uptight as I’d assumed. Dr. Lane‘s lips twitched, but she didn’t say anything. Something about her made me want to ruffle her feathers. Big time.

Except for days like today, the only other times I’d seen her had been on the heels of a shift when I was dirty and grimy from dealing with a fire. Perhaps that was why she set me off—the contrast of her tidy form in comparison to mine. I was a hotshot firefighter, so when I came in after a day’s work, I was about the complete opposite of tidy. It also annoyed me to no end to deal with injuries.

“So you don’t mind waiting another two weeks?” she asked.

I shrugged, my shoulder giving a slight twinge as I did, which should’ve been my cue that waiting was smart. I was bored out of my f*****g mind being off of duty. It wasn’t that I couldn’t work. There was plenty to do, but I was relegated to light duty tasks when I preferred to throw myself into work. I loved my job as a firefighter. I loved the hard work and the physical challenge.

“I’ll manage it,” I finally said, sliding my hips off the examination table and standing.

It just so happened that Dr. Lane stepped off of the rolling stool at precisely the same time. When I lifted my head, I found her standing barely more than an inch away from me.

Electricity hummed to life at her nearness. She smelled good, a wisp of lavender drifting up to me. Her eyes flicked up to mine, widening slightly. This close, I noticed her gray eyes contained a hint of violet. Her mouth parted slightly when she gasped, drawing my eyes right to her lips. I’d never even noticed her lips before.

Just now, I became acutely aware that they were full and soft. Damn, I wanted to kiss her. She stepped back quickly, her hips bumping into the counter against the wall behind her. The clipboard she’d been holding clattered to the floor.

“Oh s**t!” she blurted out as she leaned over to pick it up.

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how I looked at it, I leaned down reflexively at the same time. Our hands brushed and a hot jolt zinged through my arm. Her head bumped into my shoulder.

When she straightened, her cheeks were flushed pink. If I thought I’d wanted to kiss her a minute ago, now it was close to irresistible. I shackled the urge.

Meanwhile, the tidy Dr. Lane looked flustered and embarrassed. For the first time, I wasn’t annoyed with her. She finally seemed human.

“So you swear,” I said with a wink.

Her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink. “Obviously I swear,” she muttered.

It was almost as if I could see her internally gathering herself back together. She straightened, smoothed a hand over her hair, and then adjusted her glasses. I was starting to get the idea that might be a nervous habit of hers. I’d have given just about anything to see her hair loose.

My words were ahead of my brain. “Do I make you nervous?”

Slick, dude. Because that’ll help her relax.

I caught myself about to roll my eyes at my own thoughts.

Dr. Lane looked taken aback by my question. She adjusted her glasses again, looking down at the clipboard I held in my hands. I handed it over to her, and she clutched it tightly to her chest.

“I don’t know if nervous is the right word,” she finally said. “You seem annoyed whenever you’re here, and I’m sorry for that.”

Her answer took me off guard. “Oh.” For a moment, I almost denied that I’d been annoyed both times I’d been here. But what the hell? It was the truth. Until now that was.

I shrugged. “Sorry about that. It’s not your fault. I don’t like being injured.”

She smiled—and promptly took my breath away.

With her eyes tilting at the corners and the curl of her lips, her sharp features softened. “I don’t suppose anyone likes being hurt. Plus, you have a demanding job, and I imagine it’s hard for you to take a break.”

“That’s one way to put it,” I answered wryly, shackling my body’s out of control response to her. I needed to get out of this small room because her scent was filling my head and making me crazy. Just as I considered what to say to quickly leave, there was a knock at her door.