Flashpoint Read online

  Carl shoved his fingers through his hair, still trying to catch his breath. “See, I was supposed to have this hot date last night, but Mr. Winky wasn’t working. So I took a vitamin V.”

  “Vitamin V?” Brooke pulled out a chair and firmly but gently pressed him into it. “What’s vitamin V?”

  “Viagra.”

  Brooke processed that information while Carl stared down at his lap with a mixture of pride and bafflement. “It worked, too. A little too well.”

  “Okay.” Brooke opened her bag and began to check his vitals, carefully not looking at the guy’s zipper again.

  “So…can you fix this? I’ve never had a twelve-hour case of blue balls before. Could it…kill me?”

  “No one’s dying today.” Behind her, Dustin was checking in with the hospital, as was protocol. From the victim she took the basics: name, age, weight, etc. Dustin set down his radio and turned to her. “We have a few questions.”

  “Not you,” Carl said, shaking his head. “Her.”

  “Right.” Dustin wrote something down and pushed the piece of paper toward Brooke. It was the questions the E.R. doctor wanted answered. She paused, tucking a nonexistent stray piece of hair behind her ear while she tried to figure out how to do this and keep Carl’s dignity, not to mention her own. “Carl? How many Viagras did you take?”

  “Oh. Um.” He looked away, catching Aidan’s and Zach’s eye. “Just the one.”

  Brooke gave him a long look. She was not a pushover, not even close. “One?”

  “Okay, two.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Mr. Vitamin V caved. “Four. Okay? I took four. I really wanted to do this.” Still breathing unsteadily, he put his hand on his heart. “Am I going to have a heart attack? Because I feel like I’m having a heart attack.”

  Brooke was waiting on Dustin, who was talking to the E.R. about the four pills. “Just hang tight for a second.”

  “Hanging tight. Or at least my boys are.” He smiled feebly at his joke. “Do I have to go to the hospital?”

  “Finding that out now.” She did her best not to squirm, extremely aware of all the eyes on her, especially Zach’s, as Dustin gave her another piece of paper, which she read. Oh, boy. “Carl, when did you last have sex?”

  Carl blinked. “When did I last have sex? Are you kidding me? That’s why I took the pills in the first place!”

  Again Brooke accidentally met Zach’s gaze. He was cool, calm, and not showing a thing, but she felt her own face heat. If she had to answer this question, she’d have to admit that she couldn’t even remember. “We need to know when you last ejaculated.”

  “Oh.” Carl let out a long breath. “Jesus. Yesterday. In the shower.”

  Nodding, she made the note.

  “Twice.”

  Brooke dropped her pen.

  “That’s normal, right?” He looked at Aidan, Dustin and then Zach for affirmation. “Back me up here, guys. It’s just what we do, right?”

  Aidan got really busy, fast.

  Dustin scribbled on his notepad.

  Zach just raised a brow.

  “Damn it!” Carl slapped his hands on the table. “Don’t you guys leave me out here hanging alone! Tell her.”

  Dustin sighed, then after a hesitation, nodded.

  Aidan, too.

  Brooke looked at Zach, who met her gaze evenly, not looking away, neither embarrassed nor self-conscious as he nodded, as well.

  Carl was waiting for her next question, but she couldn’t stop staring at Zach, couldn’t stop picturing him—

  Oh, perfect. And here came the blush.

  Dustin nudged her and she jumped, jerking her gaze off Zach.

  “Really, it’s what guys do,” Carl was still saying.

  It was what guys did.

  Drive her crazy.

  They made the decision to transport, and while loading the patient in the small kitchen, Brooke bumped into Zach. She looked into his face, feeling hers heat, watching him smile as if he knew what she was thinking.

  It’s what guys do…

  She moved past him but their arms touched, and damn if she didn’t feel her stomach quiver. Because their arms touched. How ridiculous was that? If he ever touched her in a sexual way, she’d probably come before he even got her clothes off.

  “You okay?” he murmured. “You’re looking at me funny.”

  “Me?” Her voice was as high as Mickey Mouse. “No. Not at all.” I was looking at you like I wanted to gobble you up for my next meal, that’s all.

  He cocked his head and studied her a moment. “Sure?”

  “Sure.” Liar, liar…

  4

  “HEY, NEW HIRE SEVEN,” Cristina said several days later, the next time she saw Brooke. “Any more Viagra calls?”

  Brooke looked over as Firefighter Barbie entered the fire station living room grinning from ear to ear. “Brooke. My name is Brooke.”

  “So. You ever have a patient with a perma-boner before?”

  “No. That was a new one,” Brooke admitted.

  “At least you didn’t have to climb a tree to get to him, huh?”

  “At least he was human.”

  Cristina laughed and walked past Blake, who was on the computer, and affectionately rumpled his hair. “You get the message that your sister called?”

  “Yep, thanks.”

  “Kenzie sounds good. I saw her on Entertainment Tonight last night, she was being interviewed about being nominated for a daytime Emmy for her soap.”

  “I taped it.”

  “We still all having dinner tonight, right?”

  “Yep.”

  Brooke knew that they did that a lot, got together. All of them. They’d asked her to join them weeks ago, on her first night, but she had been anxious to get started packing up her grandma’s house. Now that she’d been doing that for two weeks, she’d love to be included, but didn’t know how to ask.

  A lifelong problem—not knowing how to belong. But for the first time in her life, she wanted to. She didn’t know if it was her grandmother’s house with all that family history, or the way she yearned and burned for Zach at night, or just wanting more for herself from life, but she wanted to be a part of this team. A part of their family. At least for the month she had left. Then, when she did go, she’d have these memories. She’d have her own history to look back on and remember.

  Cristina leaned over Blake’s shoulder. “Got anything good today, Eeyore?”

  Blake pulled open a drawer and held out a candy bar. “Careful,” he warned. “I rigged it. The person who eats that is going to turn sweet.”

  “Not a chance.”

  With a sigh, Blake went back to the computer.

  Brooke headed into the garage to restock their rig as end-of-shift protocol dictated. And then, blessedly, she was off the clock. Stepping outside, she was immediately hit by a sucker punch to the low belly area—not by the hot, salty summer air, but by good old-fashioned lust.

  Zach stood on the bumper of the truck, hose in hand, leaning over his rig, squirting down the windows. Stripped to the waist, his skin glistened with a light sweat. She broke into a sweat, too, just from looking at him.

  His back was sleek, smooth and sinewy, and improving the already fantastic view was the fact that his pants had slid low enough to once again reveal a strip of BVDs, blue today. His every muscle bunched and unbunched as he moved, hypnotizing her, fusing her to the spot. She didn’t mean to keep staring, she really didn’t, but was unable to help herself as she eyed his sun-streaked hair, his rock-solid and ready-for-action body, all corded bulk honed to a fine edge, topped with so much testosterone she could hardly breathe. He looked like the perennial surfer boy all grown up—and it hit her.

  This might be more than a crush.

  “If you come help, you can get a better view.”

  Oh, for God’s sake. She jerked her gaze off him and pretended to search her purse for her keys while silently berating herself. “I’m sorry, I—”