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HANK

Sunlight tickles my eyelids. Is it morning already? Everything inside of me screams to roll over and go to sleep. I’ve only gotten three hours of sleep, maybe four. Damn late night calls. Even if weird hours are a part of the job, it doesn’t mean I have to like mornings like this one, especially when we'd been woken for the same old, same old.

Last night, some kid moved into his first apartment but didn't know how to use the gas stove. Unfortunately for him, it resulted in a small fire.

Fortunately for us, it could've been a lot worse. He had a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, so by the time we arrived, the fire was out. We calmed him and made sure the flames were completely gone. And then taught him how to use his stove.

All in all, it was a successful call, but too bad it had come in the middle of the night.

I stretch, knowing I have no shot of falling asleep. Might as well get up.

My foot catches on something at the end of my bed. Sitting up on my elbow, I realize someone is lying at my feet. "What the hell?"

The someone wakes up when I speak and sits straight up.

Holy shit. It's a woman. A very beautiful, very naked woman. I try to force myself not to look at her rack, but it’s impossible not to. Beautiful blonde goddesses don’t appear in my bed every damn day. For a few stretched-out seconds, I’m completely dumbstruck by the beauty staring at me, her big blue eyes wide in shock.

And then the moment between us shatters.

"Shit," she says, grabbing part of my blanket and pulling it to cover her body. "No fucking way."

I yank my gaze up to her confused, frightened face. She looks like she has no idea how she got here. Is there something wrong with her? Is she a beautiful nutjob?

"Are you okay?"

She shakes her head and looks around. "Where am I?"

Her voice is so soft and terrified that I can’t help feeling an instant need to protect her. To find a way to make this situation less awkward, even if she is some crazy girl who ended up naked in my bed.

"You’re at my fire station."

She still looks confused.

"Do you not remember how you got here?" I'd left my bedroom door cracked open all night, which explained how I didn’t hear her enter the room. Still, I can’t believe nobody noticed a naked woman walking into the firehouse. Especially this firehouse.

She looks down at her stunning long legs, still exposed, and tugs on the blanket, trying to cover herself better.

"Here." I untangle the blanket around myself and hold it out so she can cover herself up.

Her eyes widen as she stares at me, so I glance down. I’m not wearing a shirt or pants, but I do, at least, have boxer briefs on. She can’t have crawled into my bed naked and then feel uncomfortable with me being in my underwear, can she?

She jerks her gaze away and wraps the blanket around herself like a dress before standing up. "I'm sorry," she whispers. "I sleepwalk." She backs toward the door, half bent over. "I'm so sorry."

For some reason, my pulse picks up. She was sleepwalking? Maybe she isn’t crazy. Maybe she’s just a stunning woman who accidentally ended up in my bed, and I’m the idiot who doesn’t have a clue what to do or say. But I need to do something because I’m pretty sure she’s about to take off.

"Forget this ever happened, okay?" She turns around, looking like she's going to bolt.

Crap, she's going to run for it!

"Wait. It's okay," I say, but she slips out the door.

I snatch my exercise shorts off the top of my bureau and follow, heart pounding. In my mind, I can’t stop picturing her. I’ve never seen her before, which means she’s new to town. In a place this small, everyone knows everyone, so where did she come from?

I guess it doesn’t matter as long as I find out before she disappears. Hurrying out the door, my gaze locks onto her. She’s paused in the hall, looking both ways.

"Go right," I say as I step into my shorts.

The last thing I want to do is help her run away, but I also don’t want to be the asshole who takes advantage of her situation. She looks so panicked like she wants nothing more than to escape. I imagine it’s pretty scary for a woman to wake in a strange man’s bed, so I want to help her, even if I wish she’d stay and let me make her breakfast.

She darts to the right but pauses with her hand on the doorknob. "I'll bring your sheet back!"

I open my mouth to call after her, but I have no idea what to say. She opens the door to the truck bay and smacks right into James.

"Whoa." His face lights up as he looks at the pretty woman. "Who are you?"

She shakes her head, darting around him and toward the open bay doors. His jaw drops as I reach his side. For one second, we both stare after the beauty, dumbstruck about what the heck to do. We need to stop her, to get her name and number at the least, but how the hell do we do that?

Our volunteer firefighter, Sugar, walks in the doors as the mystery woman tries to exit.

"Stop!" Sugar orders, stepping in front of her.

Sugar’s in her street clothes. Her dark, swept-back hair and bright pink halter top don't scream authority figure. Yet, her hands on her hips, combined with her commanding tone, is enough for even trained soldiers to obey.

Thank goodness for Sugar!

Blondie, with the nice rack, skids to a halt and looks between us and Sugar. "Listen, I'll return the sheet, but let me go home." She looks panicked, but anger brews under the surface.

"You can wait two seconds," Sugar says in her bossy way.

That’s Sugar, always keeping life interesting.

"Who are you?" she asks, giving the mystery woman no choice but to answer.

But Blondie draws herself up. "Why do you need to know?"

Sugar raises a brow. "Uh, because if you'd been invited to be here, you wouldn’t be running out the door practically naked."

The blonde tosses her hair, a movement that’s comically confident, considering the position she’s in. "I’m sure with hot firefighters around, naked women are running out the door all the time. You know? Morning-after regrets?"

But Sugar isn’t buying it because even though we live at the fire station, it’s rare we have women here. As much as we look like stereotypical firefighters, some of us are plain relationship guys. And some of us got our man whore ways out of our systems a long time ago. Either way, a naked woman running out our door is weird, and Sugar knows it.

"You know what?" Sugar says, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Maybe we should call the cops and let them figure out who you are."

The two women lock eyes in a tense glare for one long second before the blonde sighs. "My name is Callie."

Sugar nods. "Good. Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Callie glares. "It would’ve been a hell of a lot easier to let me go."

James and I exchange a look, and then we both grin. No one talks back to Sugar.

Seems like we’re both kinda smitten with this Callie. Beautiful and gutsy? That’s our weakness.

I walk closer and see she's shaking. My smile fades. She might be acting like she’s ready to go toe-to-toe with Sugar, but deep down, she’s scared and embarrassed.

"Let her go, Sugar."

Callie shoots me a grateful glance. "Like I said before, forget I was here. Okay? It was a mistake. One I’ll try not to repeat."

When Sugar shoots me an annoyed look, Callie darts around her and out the door.

Sugar’s jaw drops like she can’t believe the girl went against her orders. But very quickly, her irritated look swings right to me.

"Why'd you go and do that?"

James and I approach the open door and watch Callie rush across our lawn and head for the house next door. When she reaches it, she hurries inside.

She’s our new neighbor? I saw a little moving truck outside recently, but I never imagined a woman that beautiful would be moving in.

"Guys?" Sugar says.

I jump a little. "What?" Did she say something?

"I asked why’d you go and give her an excuse to take off?"

I shrug, wracking my brains to try and figure out what I did wrong this time. "She told me she sleepwalks. She was embarrassed."

Sugar gets a look in her eyes, the one that usually means she’s coming up with an idea. Typically, an idea that is going to be a lot of fun, even if it gets us into trouble.

Then she grins. "You know what? She needs to get one of those alarms for her door."

"Probably a good idea," I say, wondering where she’s going with this.

"We can go get her one later today and invite ourselves over to install it."

I give Sugar a little side-eye. She's the loudest person I know, but she’s got a sharp mind. She probably knew the second she saw the beauty that we might be interested, which explains why she was trying to keep her here and get some information about her.

Again, I’m thankful for Sugar. "You know I'm in."

"I wouldn’t miss it," James adds, still staring at the house next door. He’s been a part of our team for so long that I rarely notice his English accent anymore.

She nods, then turns back to me. "How'd that go down?"

"Yeah, I'm curious about that myself," James says.

Is there an edge of jealousy to his voice? I almost laugh. I consider making up a story about her waking up and us going at it like rabbits, but then I decide to tell the truth. Sugar might not be quite as eager to help us if she thought I already banged her. So, I explain how fast it happened, leaving out a few choice details.

James lets out a low whistle. "That’s one way to meet the new neighbor."

When I look at Sugar, I realize she’s watching me again. "You like her."

I laugh. "Who wouldn’t? I mean, did you see what I saw?"

She punches me lightly on the shoulder. "I don’t mean you want to fuck her, you like her, right?"

My cheeks warm as I shrug. "She seems interesting."

"By interesting, he means stunning, intriguing, mysterious--"

"Yeah, yeah," I cut James off. "We both like her."

Sugar gives me a dead serious look. "Then you can’t fuck this up."

"We’re not going to--"

"Yes, you will," she cuts me off. "I love you guys. You’ve got big hearts and a lot to offer a woman, but I’ve seen you with the women in this town. I haven’t once seen you two half as interested in one of them as you were in this Callie."

"That doesn’t mean we’ll mess it up." I know I sound defensive, but I am.

Are we that bad?

She raises a brow. "You’ve all got baggage. If you want her, we need to make up for this screwy start. We’ve got to show her that you guys are total catches."

"She’s right," James says.

Internally, I sigh. Maybe she is. And maybe we could use a better plan than fumbling like morons, like usual, which might mean getting a little help from Sugar.

"I say, let's go get her a couple of those door alarms and a cake, then come welcome her to the neighborhood," Sugar says confidently.

I would’ve never thought of a plan like that. It seems too simple. But I’ve never made a relationship work, so trying something new is just the thing we need to do.

"Sounds good to me," James says, grinning. "And luckily for us, this place is already clean as a whistle. All we need to do is tank up the truck. Which leaves plenty of time for getting to know the hottie next door."

Sugar laughs at James’s British phrase. "Gas, James. It’s gas here. Or, in the case of the truck, diesel. We’ll fuel up the truck." We always keep the truck full of fuel. Never know when we'll have to drive out to help the county station with a fire. These firetrucks burn through fuel. Pun intended.

"Can we take the truck on our errands?" Sugar asks, the smallest pleading note in her voice. "I love taking the truck."

Like she needs to tell us. She’s obsessed with anything firefighter related.

"Sure," James says. He's the lieutenant of our shift. Captain usually rotates shifts, and he's on with the other crew this week. We work three on, four off, constant duty when on.

Captain had been on shift with us the week before. He's a good guy, but 'by the book' is a phrase he's never heard of. He and James clash sometimes because James is very by the book.

It all works out in the end, though. "Since we need to fill it up anyway."

"I'll get Will. They can radio us if we get a call." I walk out of the room toward the showers. Steam slips out from under the door, so Will is in there. "Hey man," I call through the door. "You about done?"

The water cuts off. "Yeah, we got a call?"

"No, but you missed all the excitement this morning." He cracks the door, and I step away from the wave of steam that exits.

"Tell me while I dry off."

I roll my eyes but tell him what happened.

"Okay, but tell me the part about her rack again."

"Are you coming or not?" I ask, rather than repeat the part about how gorgeous her breasts were.

"Hell, yeah. I'm coming." He walks out of the bathroom completely naked.

I should've known he would. He's the most uninhibited man I've ever known. "Dude, is that necessary?"

"I ain't got nothing you've never seen before," he says as he walks into the bedroom he shares with James when we're on duty. Our station is our home away from home.

"I'm going to get dressed," I tell him before returning to my room.

Our uniforms are relatively comfortable. Dark blue cargo pants, a belt, and a tee that has the Blackwater Falls emblem on the breast and back. Black boots finish it off. We're required to keep our hair neat and no facial hair, of course. I run an electric shaver over my face before stepping out into the hall.

Will waits for me, dressed and playing with his phone. "Nope, nope, nope, nope." He swipes at his phone while pictures of women go by.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to find someone in this town I haven't dated."

"There's always Sugar," I suggest.

His nose wrinkles. "That’d be like dating my sister."

I laugh. I guess he does have his limits.

"You think our new neighbor has her profile posted somewhere?"

I picture the beautiful blonde. "I don’t think she needs a profile."

He lowers his phone. "She’s what, a nine out of ten?"

I shake my head. "My mom would slap me if I rated a woman."

"A ten out of ten?" he asks, his eyes widening.

I turn. "I’m not saying a word, man."

He hurries behind me. "A fucking ten out of ten? You bastard! Why the hell didn’t you tell me?"

"And have you run out to meet her naked?" If she was scared before, I can’t imagine how she’d react to that.

He catches up to me. "She probably wouldn't have run away if she'd seen me ."

I laugh again. Will is so good at the cocky asshole act that sometimes he makes me forget about his squishy heart. "Yeah, sure, you keep telling yourself that."

He shrugs. "I’ve never had a complaint."

I knew him in his seed-sowing days. We even shared a bedroom wall. As much as I like to tease him, I’ve never heard his ladies complain, either. Just a lot of thumping against my wall and moaning.

We walk out into the bay to find the truck running with James and Sugar waiting on us.

"Let's go, baby!" Sugar calls from the passenger seat.

We wave at her and climb in the back, putting on the headphones that are necessary to communicate over the noise of the engine. "Sugar, don't you dare touch that siren," I say into the microphone.

She turns and gives me a toothy grin. "Who, me?" her voice crackles in my ear. "Would I do that?"

"In a hot minute," James replies for me. He pulls us out onto the street.

I peer out the window at our neighbor's house as we pass by. I'm fairly sure I see the curtain twitch in the upstairs window, but I can't be positive. "I wonder what her story is."

"With any luck, we'll show up with these alarms and a pie or something and she'll tell us." Sugar waves at Ms. Blevins walking with her new baby on the sidewalk. We know most everyone in the neighborhood. It's hard not to in a town so small.

It doesn't take long to get to the hardware store. We make it in about five minutes. The town is tiny, after all. Once there, we take a minute to let a child explore the truck and press the siren button. One of the perks of the job is being admired by all the kids we meet, and some of the adults.

Of course, Will flirts mercilessly with the little boy's mom. "C'mon, William," I say with a smile. "Time to go."

He salutes the woman, walking backward. "Man, your dick is gonna fall off," I mutter. "One of these days, you're gonna do the wrong woman, and it's gonna fall right off ."

"I'm sure there's a spell for that," he whispers.

"Not here, dude." I look around the parking lot as we walk in. People mill in and out of the building, but nobody is close enough to have heard him. The beautiful autumn day has half the county out, eager to start improvement-type projects now that summer is behind us, and before the winter freeze kicks in.

"Nobody heard me," he hisses. "Chill."

Will has always been more relaxed with our secrets, even as a boy. We lived next door to each other, and our parents were friends, so we spent a ton of time together. I knew him better than I knew anyone else, and the same went for him. But there was one issue with knowing each other so well: we knew exactly how to get under each other’s skin. And he knows I hate when he talks about our secrets in public.

"I am chill," I tell him, trying to hide my irritation but failing.

He grins.

James steps between us. "You guys fighting already?"

"All I mentioned was a spell."

James rolls his eyes.

The slight tension between us fades. James is the peacekeeper between us. He moved to our seaside town five years ago, joining the fire department as soon as the Captain would hire him, but it felt like he’d always been a part of our group, like the brother we never had.

Sugar squeezes between us. "Uh, we looking at alarms or talking about our feelings?"

Will squeezes her waist. "You’re the boss."

She winks. "That’s right, big boy."

We’re all grinning as we follow her through the store. There’s something about today that feels different. More exciting. And I know exactly why. Callie. The mystery woman.

I’m still smiling and thinking about her when we reach the right aisle. The debate over what model to buy, how many to buy, and whether we should also get window alarms takes a good twenty minutes.

James finally walks up to us and grabs the cheapest models, one for each door. "Let's go."

"Who died and made you boss?" Sugar asks. Her voice is loud, but we know she's not serious. It's her way.

"Captain."

"Maybe if I'm paying, I decide what model?" she argues but doesn’t turn around to get a different alarm.

"Who says you're paying?" Will asks. "I want to be the one to buy the door alarm for the hot naked woman."

"She's not still naked." I push him, and he dances around a paintbrush display.

"I can hope, can't I? You got to see her naked; I want to see her naked, too."

"Will you two shut up?" James gives us an exasperated look. "You're like a couple of teenagers."

I point at Will with my lips pressed closed.

Sugar laughs. "You hide behind the smart guy look, Hank, but you're as horny as Will is. You can't fool me. One of these days, I'll show you boys how it's done."

I snort. "Sugar, we all know you're banging the captain."

"You know nothing of the sort." She sticks her nose in the air. "Mind your business."

Snickering, we follow her to the checkout counter, where she insists on paying. She has some sort of inheritance that enables her to volunteer with the fire department instead of seeking a paid position. She swears she has no need to work for a living but wants to contribute to her community all she can, so she volunteers.

My respect for the woman grows every time I learn more about her. On first contact, she's bossy, loud, and borderline rude. All that hides a heart of gold.

The trip back to the station is quick, interrupted only by a quick fill-up at the gas station. Sugar runs in, buys a dozen donuts and then we're on our way back. As James backs the truck into the bay, Will snatches the bag and jumps out of the moving truck. "I'll go give them to her!"

"The hell you will!" Sugar throws open her door and races after him. "You wait for me, you horny son of a bitch!"