Forbidden Heat: A Prequel Read online

  Forbidden Heat

  A Prequel

  Bella Winters

  Copyright © 2019 by Bella Winters

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Blurb

  1. Ricky

  2. Gary

  3. Lance

  4. Tyler

  Blurb

  Four damn HOT Firefighters of LA.

  Brave. Heroic. Selfless. Extremely SEXY.

  Each with their own secrets.

  Ricky, Lance, Gary and Tyler didn’t even know that the hottest flames often burn from within…

  And now they face the struggle in their quests to find everlasting love.

  Will they be able to rescue their own hearts?

  Feel the HEAT by joining them in their journey in this Forbidden HEAT Series!

  1

  Ricky

  I sat the pizza down on the table and opened up the box. Ah, it smelled delicious. This was the second night in a row that we’d had pizza, but with the later shifts I’d been working this week, I hadn’t had time to really cook anything, or even get to the grocery store to pick up anything to fix. That was the life of a firefighter. There was always something that needed your attention. But so far this week there hadn’t been any catastrophes or lost lives. That was a bonus and a reason to celebrate.

  I grabbed a few plates from the cupboard and sat them on the table. After that I picked up a few glasses and the bottle of soda from the fridge. As I poured I called out, “Zoe! Dinner!”

  A moment later my eight-year-old daughter, Zoe came bounding out of her room. She’d been doing her homework. Apparently, she had a big spelling test tomorrow and she had to be ready for it. I tried to think back to the struggles of the third grade, but it had been thirty years for me and I couldn’t for the life of me remember a damn thing about it. That was ok. I’d live vicariously through my daughter. That was the plan, anyway. I supposed that all parents eventually went through that sort of thing where you felt totally disconnected from your kids and anything they could relate to. On the one hand that made their problems seem trivial, because you knew that much more important things were going to come much later, but at the same time you wanted to respect what they were going through and be as interested as you could be.

  “Pizza again? Sweet!” Zoe squealed with delight as she slid into her seat.

  “I thought you might like that,” I said.

  I took out two slices from the box and sat them down quickly on her place. “Careful, it’s still hot.” I put my finger in my mouth to soothe the slight burn.

  I sat down and placed a few slices on my plate as well, careful to not get burned again. It looked and smelled delicious. I could remember when pizza night was a once a week thing, if we were lucky. Amanda had always insisted on us eating healthy most of the time, and she was the one who did all of the cooking, so whatever she decided we ate was fine with me.

  Amanda… my angel. I couldn’t believe it had been two years since we’d lost her. Every time I looked in Zoe’s face, I saw her. She was the spitting image of her mother. They looked like twins. Why did she have to go? The cancer came out of nowhere. It all happened in a flash. She suddenly started getting sick. She discovered the lump in her breast and then when they discovered it was cancer… my entire world spun out of orbit. Then they told us that the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and then a few months later after it appeared to be responding to the chemo, it had spread to her brain. There was no way to operate. A month after that my sweet wife, my angel, my whole world was gone. I was devastated. My little girl’s mother was now gone as well. She would have to grow up without her.

  I wiped a tear from my eye and started to eat.

  “What’s wrong, daddy?” Zoe asked. She’d noticed me crying. She was probably used to it by now, but she always asked anyway, trying to be supportive in her own little way. She was an amazing little girl.

  “Nothing, honey,” I said. “I’m just fine.”

  We started eating and for a few minutes we didn’t really say anything. Unlike most kids her age, Zoe did not fidget or get bored with food. She was happy to sit there and entertain herself with her own thoughts. She was by far the smartest kid in her class.

  “So, how about that spelling test? Are you ready?” I asked.

  “I think so,” Zoe replied. “I studied really hard.”

  “Good. Do you need me to help you?”

  “No,” she said.

  “How about after dinner I quiz you? It might make it easier to know for sure.”

  “Ok,” she replied.

  “So, anything weird happen at school today?” I asked.

  “No. Well, Alex Jenson said that I have cooties and he spent the whole recess teasing me.”

  I smiled. “Well, he probably just likes you.”

  “Then why would he tease me?”

  “To get your attention. It gives him a reason to talk to you.”

  “That’s dumb.”

  “Yeah, it is. But boys are dumb sometimes. I wish I could tell you that would change, but it’s a lifetime curse of the male condition.”

  “What?”

  I laughed. “Just give them time. They will eventually stop teasing you and be nice when they like you.”

  “I don’t like them. Boys are stupid.”

  “Agreed,” I said. “What else did you do today?”

  “My teacher, Mrs. Warner, she had us all write a fun story about summer time.”

  “Ah, that sounds cool. I’d like to read your story.”

  “She hasn’t given them back to us yet, but I’ll let you read it.”

  “Good.”

  She continued eating her pizza and sipping her soda. The pizza was delicious. I hoped that tomorrow I could actually get to the store and get some meat and veggies. I did have a growing girl to raise.

  “Mrs. Warner is really pretty,” Zoe said. “Don’t you think so?”

  I smiled. “Um, I guess she is.”

  Mrs. Warner was actually very pretty. I’d met her a few times. She was about twenty-six, blonde, great figure, and very attractive.

  “You should take her on a date,” Zoe said.

  I almost spit out my soda. “A date. Why do you want me to go on a date?”

  Why was my eight year old thinking about this? I wasn’t sure if it was natural childhood curiosity or if Zoe sometimes hoped I’d give her another mother figure at some point. I wanted to date. But just when I thought I was ready to move on, something stopped me and I didn’t let myself. The pain was still too much.

  “Because, you are lonely.”

  “How do you know I’m lonely?”

  “Grownups get lonely when they don’t hang out with other grownups,” she replied. “At least that’s what my friend Kathy says.”

  “Well, I’m not lonely. And I’m not going to go out on a date with your teacher.”

  “Why not? I like her.”

  “Because her name is Mrs. Warner. Mrs.—that usually means that she is already married.”

  Zoe looked confused a moment. “Oh.” Then she shrugged and forgot about it.

  I smiled as I watched my daughter’s childlike innocence. That was something I’d lost so long ago that I could barely ever remember being so open to the world. That would eventually fade, so I wanted Zoe to keep as much of that wonder with her as she possibly could for as long as she could.

  After we finished dinner I had Zoe get her wor
d list and I practiced with her until she could spell them all easily without any problems. She already had them down for the most part. She was really great at reading and spelling. The moment they started teaching it, she just really fell into it and had loved reading ever since. Even so, after she took her shower, she wanted me to read a bit to her anyway.

  I finished reading “Dumbo” her favorite for what had to be the five hundredth time and then turned out her light. I kissed her on the forehead. “I love you, sweetie. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight daddy,” she replied as she yawned into her pillow.

  I closed the door behind me and made my way back to the kitchen to clean up after dinner. After putting away the leftovers, and rinsing off the plates to put them in the dishwasher, I sat down with a cold beer on the couch to relax for the first time all day. I’d started my day at six that morning, and I’d been going nonstop ever since.

  My body was aching and my eyes were tired. It was only eight-thirty, but I felt like hitting the hay anyway. Yet, I was sure I’d change my mind after I found something intellectually stimulating to watch on television. I found a baseball game and settled into it. The Dodgers were playing. Great. Our local boys tearing it up as usual. I’d always been a Dodger fan, but since moving to Los Angeles about ten years before, I’d become totally obsessed with watching every single game that I could.

  I was just getting into it when the phone rang beside me. I checked the caller I. D. surprised to see that my good friend Ben was calling me. I’d known Ben since I’d first moved out to Los Angeles. We’d been neighbors for a while, but then they moved farther downtown to be closer to their jobs. His wife, Becky, was an attorney for a lucrative firm downtown. Me, I preferred to live a bit outside of the city. I loved the drive and didn’t mind one bit that I lived a bit farther away from all the action. I saw enough action at work.

  “Hey, man,” I answered.

  “Hey, what are you up to?” Ben asked.

  “Hey, Ricky!” Becky chimed in on the line as well. They occasionally called me together on the speaker phone. I’d become pretty good friends with both of them. Amanda had been very close with Becky, and since her passing I’d stayed good friends with her as well.

  “Hey, Becky. I’m just relaxing for the first time of the day after putting the little one to bed. What are you guys doing?”

  “We just got back from dinner and realized we hadn’t talked to you in a bit,” Ben said.

  “Ok,” I replied. “Well, I’m still alive. We need to hang out soon.”

  Every now and then I found a sitter for Zoe and the three of us would go out to dinner and sometimes even do some bowling or some Top Golf. Fun activities all the way. It had been about a month or so, but lately I’d just been feeling really down. I was overworked, and I was really struggling with Amanda’s death lately. Just when I thought I’d gotten over it, or at least I was going to be able to move on and be ok, then suddenly those feelings would rise up and I would be thrown right back into the flames. The devastation would take over me.

  I felt sick about it and when that happened, I tended to isolate and not want anyone around me. Ben and Becky realized when this was happening and they usually reached out to me. It was like they had some sort of psychic powers about this sort of thing.

  “Sure, that sounds great,” Becky said. “Hey, the reason we called, are you still looking for a new nanny?”

  “Yeah. I haven’t found anyone yet.”

  Zoe’s last nanny, Sally was really good. She was middle aged, nice, sweet, loving, and very good with Zoe, but her husband was having some health issues, so she was going to take some time off to tend to him. I fully understood. But it had been almost a month and even after interviewing a few people, I still hadn’t found anyone that was right for the job. I was getting really desperate. Zoe needed someone here more than I could be. The money I spent at daycare was too much, and it was only for a few hours in the afternoon after school. Zoe didn’t like it there, and it was tearing me up as well for her to have to deal with it. After school, she wanted to come home and have someone there who could help her and tend to her needs, especially since I was going to have to start picking up more shifts to make ends meet. Amanda’s medical bills still needed paid. I put forth what I could towards them every month, but they were a huge chunk of change out of my pocket.

  “Great. We have someone,” Ben said. “Her name is Julie Peters. She is twenty-five years old, and she has a lot of experience. Our neighbors, the Pattersons have been using her for a while, but they are moving out of state with a new job, so she is without work. I told her you might be interested.”

  “Ok, great,” I replied. “Yeah. If you think she is good.”

  “Oh, she is great,” Becky added. “I think you will really like her. Shall I set up the meeting?”

  “Yeah, absolutely. I’m getting pretty desperate here.”

  “Oh, she is also totally beautiful,” Ben said with a giggle.

  I rolled my eyes. “I don’t care what she looks like as long as she can do the job well.”

  “It doesn’t hurt to have a nanny that looks attractive, especially when you are single and on the prowl.”

  “Becky? Are you listening to this? That’s the sort of cornball you married. I hope you realize this,” I said.

  “Believe me, I’m well aware. If we have kids one day, no nannies for us.”

  I laughed. “I don’t blame you with that guy. But yeah, just let me know when. I can meet her any time.”

  “Great,” Becky said. “And just so you know, I think you will find her attractive as well.”

  I laughed. “Wow, is this a nanny, or a date you are setting me up with?”

  “It can’t be a little of both?”

  “No. I would never cross that line. It’s completely unprofessional.”

  “Well, there isn’t a ton of pressure with her anyway, because she is a virgin. So, you can take things easily.”

  I blushed at what I was hearing. “Are you listening to yourself?” I couldn’t keep the laughter out of my voice.

  “And how the hell do you know she is a virgin?” Ben chimed in. That was an excellent question.

  “Girls talk,” Becky said with a laugh. “Besides, are you looking for dates at all? A man as handsome as you should not be single this long,” Becky said.

  “I’m right here,” Ben chimed in.

  “Oh, hush,” Becky said to him. “Seriously, Ricky. You need to move on and put yourself out there. I knew Amanda pretty well. She would not want you to spend the rest of your life alone.”

  “I know. But it’s not so easy. It’s just been too damned hard. I’m not sure I am ready to date. I am just broken. Still, so broken. Anytime I even think about another woman, I feel sick to my stomach and I get nervous. It’s like she is watching me. I just don’t know what to do right now. Maybe after Zoe is a bit older.”

  “Zoe wants you to be happy too. That sounds to me like a copout. Stop thinking about things so much. You will be happier if you learn to just let some of those feelings go.”

  “It sounds easy in theory, but harder in practice.”

  “I know, buddy,” Ben said. “But just try. You force yourself to take that one step and then everything else will fall into place.”

  I appreciated what they were saying and I thought they may have been right, but at the moment, I didn’t think that I could really do that. I ended the call after a few more minutes of chatting with my friends. Then I slumped back in my chair with my beer to think over what had just been said.

  I was meeting with a new nanny soon. And she was supposed to be very attractive.

  I was both worried and excited.

  2

  Gary

  I finished the drill and slumped to the ground to catch my breath. The training exercise had been brutal, but I knew it was necessary. It was worth all of the time and the dedication we were putting into it because in the end it was going to help save lives, and that was the
most important thing to me. That was the reason I had become a firefighter anyway.

  I tried to stand up but my legs were wobbly. I’d just carried a one-hundred and fifty pound dummy on my back up and down three flights of stairs in under a minute and a half, with flames all around me while wearing all the heavy gear that I needed to protect myself. I’d been a firefighter for three years, but the training that we’d been doing lately was the hardest thing that I’d ever put myself through. It was almost as hard as basic training for the army had been and I never thought that I would get over that.

  “Great job, Gary,” Shelley Henry said to me as I stood up and began to peel some of the gear off my body. I was spent. I could tell that I was covered head to toe in sweat and I felt a little bit sick to my stomach, but I had the satisfaction of knowing if that had been a real person over my shoulder then they would have survived thanks to me. I could have been a hero. That was why I got into this. I wanted to be a hero. And I loved the action of it.

  And now I had a new reason. That reason was Shelly. She was so beautiful. Shelly had been hired to be our new trainer a month before. All the guys instantly noticed how hot she was, but romance between anyone in the company was strictly forbidden. I could see their point. If you cared more about the safety of the people you were working with on a fire than the victims, then we were not doing our jobs. Those feelings could interfere with all of the hard decisions that might have to be made one day.

  But I could not stop thinking about Shelly. Not since the moment I met her. She was beautiful, sweet, tough, and smart. She also had a wicked sense of humor and could out drink most of the guys on the crew. That was so hot.

  I desperately wanted to make a move, but I couldn’t. I knew that the second I did, even though those feelings were reciprocated that we would both be jeopardizing our careers. I’d dreamt of being a fireman for a long time, and now it was a reality. I was with a great company and with a group of amazing friends every single day. We all had each other’s backs. We’d become like a family in some sense.