One Hot Secret by Sarah J. Brooks

 

Chapter 1

Grace

I love sitting on the bench sipping coffee and taking a moment to breathe and enjoy the morning. LA is great in that the weather is always perfect, even in the morning. The sun warms my bare arms and face as I watch the guys play a game of basketball. Behind me, I can hear the sound of feet pounding the treadmill.

My cell phone vibrates in my pocket, and I half stand to pull it out. I smile as I glance at the name on the screen. I swipe to answer. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, sweetheart,” she says in her soft voice that instantly warms my insides.

We exchange pleasantries, and I ask about Dad. He’s a retired firefighter but still volunteers in the fire station at Newtown, my childhood home. Mom is a gardener and has a greenhouse at the back of her house, from where she sells her flowers and plants.

“Have you met a nice young man yet?” she asks. She never fails to ask me this in our weekly phone calls.

“I go on dates, but nothing materializes.” I let out a sigh. I’m as eager to meet someone and fall in love as Mom is to marry me off. She and my dad worry about my single life; to them, marriage represents security. Thanks to them, I’ve changed my views of marriage. Once upon a time, in another life, I had vowed that I would never get married. Living with my adopted parents has shown me that marriage does not have to be a violent string of drama after drama.

“I’m not willing to settle for anything less than what you and Dad have.”

“Oh, Grace,” she says. “Sometimes, you have to drop your standards a little bit. A diamond starts off as a chunk of coal.”

I let out a sigh as I take in her words. Even getting that chunk of coal is proving to be difficult. Maybe it’s my age, and I left it too late.

A shadow falls over me, and I look up. It’s Michael, one of the guys, and by his gestures, I assume that he needs to talk to me.

“I have to go, Mom. I’ll call you soon.” I disconnect the call.

“Sorry for interrupting your call, Grace, but the chief wants to see you in his office,” Michael says.

“No prob. Thanks.” I carry my mug to the kitchen before going to the chief’s office. I knock lightly on the door, and his booming voice calls from inside that I should enter.

I push the door open and step in.

“Come in, Grace, and have a seat,” the chief says, smiling at me in his warm fatherly way.

The chief is not alone in his office. I cast a quick glance at the visitor, and as soon as I meet his blue stare, my breath quickens. The sight of him jolts something in me. His face is handsome but scarred, and I find myself wanting to trace my fingers over the deep lines on his left cheek. I’m struck by the masculine planes of his face before my gaze drops to his full mouth. My body heats up as an instant attraction for a stranger comes over me.

I catch myself and tear my gaze away, knowing that he must have read the turn my thoughts had taken. He’s probably used to having strange women make fools of themselves over him.

I cast another covert stare at him when I sit down. He’s the finest species of a man I have ever met. His shoulders are broad, and he has a barrel of a chest, which is not a surprise if he’s a firefighter. All firefighters are muscled from all the working out they do at work and the heavy equipment they carry in their regular duties.

He’s perfectly imperfect.

“Grace, this is Jack Acker, and he’s going to apprentice with us for a short time,” the chief says in a voice that surprises me. He sounds almost in awe of Jack, and I wonder what is so special about him, except, of course, apart from being hot as sin.

I glance at him, and our gazes meet. A current of electricity zaps between us. He wants me as much as I want him. My face heats up. I’ve never had such a reaction to a man. I’ve only had two relationships in the past, and all of them were slow burns, not this intense, physical, instant attraction.

“You’ll be partnered with Grace here,” the chief continues, his voice a distant whirl as the stranger and I practically eat each other with our eyes.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Grace.” Jack’s voice is low and husky. A voice that I can easily imagine whispering sweet, dirty words into my ear.

I take his hand, and his strong masculine one engulfs mine making me feel too hot. Raw need races through me, and I quickly take my hand away.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” I manage to say.

“If you need anything, just come and see me and I’ll sort you out,” the chief says as both men stand up. “Give him a tour, Grace, and then show him the locker room. Your locker and everything you need will be ready.”

Lean ropes of muscle strain against his pants, and as if pulled by an invisible force, my gaze rises to the bulge at the front of his pants. Catching myself, I scramble to my feet and meet his amused gaze. To say that I’m embarrassed is an understatement. I tear my eyes away and lead the way to the door. Jack shuts the door and follows me down the hallway. I slow down and wait for him to catch up.

“You’ll enjoy it here,” I tell him. “Everyone is friendly and welcoming.”

“That’s good to know,” he says, casting a glance at me that makes goosebumps clothe my bare skin.

In the day room, I introduce him to the guys hanging around drinking coffee or reading the papers. Michael, Jason, Ace, and deputy Collins. My closest friend, Isla, walks in as I’m doing the introductions. She winks at me, and I stifle a giggle. The station tour takes us to the kitchen, the fitness room, the training, the bay, the backyard with a basketball court, finally ending in the changing rooms.

“I’ll be in the bay when you’re done,” I tell him.

“Thanks, I appreciate this,” he says, holding my gaze.

I blush as if I’m sixteen years old. “You’re welcome.”

As I head to the kitchen for another coffee, Isla follows me. She comes to my side and grips my arm. “That is one hot guy! Is he married?”

I laugh. “We never got to that part, but I didn’t see any ring.”

“So you did look,” she says. “I don’t blame you. If I were single, I would definitely be interested. I assume the chief has partnered him with you.” Isla has been dating a pediatric doctor for the last year or so, and from the way things are going, I wouldn’t be surprised if he pops the question soon.

“He did.” I don’t want to say too much in case I get disappointed. It’s true there was some serious chemistry between us, but it could end up being meaningless.

We are interrupted by a dispatch call. Silence fills the station as the dispatcher’s voice comes through. There’s a fire in a fried chicken place on Park Street. I pour my coffee in the sink, and as I leave the kitchen, I bump into Jack.

“This is it, I guess,” he says, his voice calm. I’m impressed. I was sure that this was his first time in a fire station.

“You ready to rock and roll?” We put on our protective gear and head to the rig.

There’s no debate over who will drive, plus I love driving. Adrenaline flows through me as I turn the ignition key and start the siren. In minutes, we are driving out of the station, heading to Park Street. There are five of us in the rig and my co-driver, Michael, mans the GPS, picking the shortest routes. I hit the horn a few times when a driver won’t give way. It always happens. Some people are just rude … until the day they are caught up in an emergency.

I’m tense as I navigate through traffic. Accidents are pretty common, and all it takes is a driver on his phone or with music too loud in his car. Thankfully, we get to the fried chicken place without incident, and for the next couple of hours, we get people in the building and adjacent buildings out and then work to put out the fire.

All the while, Jack, the apprentice, is glued to my side, which is perfect as I don’t have to worry about him. I shout instructions to him. He’s a quick learner, and soon, anyone watching him would think he was a seasoned firefighter. I’m glad he’s all covered up, and I don’t have to keep staring at his sexy body.

By the time we’re done, we’re filthy and tired but exhilarated. We haven’t lost any lives, and although there are a few injuries, none are serious.

Lucas drives on the way back to the station, and I sit at the back with Jack.

“You were great out there,” he says, his voice filled with awe.

“So were you,” I tell him. “Is it your first time doing this?”

“Yes,” he says. “It’s just a taster of what it’s like to be a firefighter.”

The other guys hear our conversation, and they weigh in with questions of their own. Not that Jack offers a lot of information, but I figure he’s in the army and wants to change careers. It’s not uncommon for them to request a short stint at the fire station to see if the job will be a good fit. It makes sense as well because whatever job Jack does, he works out a lot.

Back at the station, we go separate ways to shower and then meet up in the kitchen for a late lunch.

“Are you from around LA?” I ask him as we sit at the table and tuck into a nice meal of meatballs and mashed potatoes.

“Yeah, I live not too far away from here, but I was born in Texas,” he says. “What about you?”

I tense as I invariably do when someone asks me about my past, however innocent the question is. The first thing I think is that they recognize me, which is silly because I’m twenty-seven years old, and the last time my picture was splashed across the newspapers, I was ten years old. No one would recognize me, and of course, I changed my last name and took up my adopted parents’ name.

I inhale deeply. “My parents live in Northern California.”

“Mine live in Texas,” he says. “As do most of my family.”

I’m curious about his scars, and close up they look like something sharp sliced him across his face. He has a drawl in his voice, though it’s not strong. I’m surprised at how easily conversation flows between us. I come across as friendly, but I have invisible walls that go up when I feel as if someone is getting too close. With Jack, I don’t get that feeling, and we laugh like old friends.

“You look familiar,” Michael says to Jack. “I feel as if we’ve met before.”

Jack peers at him and then grins. “Can’t say that I’ve met you before.”

Michael shrugs. “Maybe you resemble someone I know.”

Later, when we’re left alone in the dining room, Jack turns to me. “Hey, do you want to go for a drink after work?”

I was hoping he would ask. I smile. “I would love to.”

He grins back at me. “Awesome. I haven’t gone out with such a beautiful woman in ages.”

I raise my eyebrow. “Is that a pick-up line? It’s terrible.”

“I haven’t needed to do that in years. No more pick-up lines,” he says. I love the way his full lips curve over his teeth. Makes me wonder how it would feel like to kiss him.

We both laugh.