6. Nick

Nick

There wassomething different about Rayne when he arrived at the training center for week three, but Nick couldn't put his finger on what, exactly. There was the "it" factor that made him stand out and had first drawn Nick's eye. Then there was the time he'd spent with Rayne in the booth at the Boulder Creek Festival that showed Nick a glimpse of the man inside—who'd drawn him in even more. But there was something extra in Rayne's step today, a brighter sparkle in his eyes, and try as he might, Nick hadn't been able to look away. Even when he'd been helping another trainee or chatting with his coworkers, he'd been hyperaware of Rayne, knowing where he was at all times in the training yard.

And when did he start thinking of him as Rayne and not simply Hamilton, using surnames like all the rest of the trainees and most of his coworkers?

He sighed and refocused on Captain Poverly as he addressed the trainees and outlined what they'd be doing today.

"Live fire training starts now, with the burn box," Poverly was saying. "But we won't be doing drills. Today all you're going to do is fully suit up in your PPE gear and crouch down in the back of the box. That's it."

"Doesn't seem like much," Thatcher mumbled to Garcia, who stood beside him along with Hamilton and Wash.

"It may not seem like much," Nick interjected, smiling to himself when a light blush crested Thatcher's cheeks and he bowed his head. Nick knew he wasn't supposed to have heard the comment, but he'd found himself so unconsciously tuned into Rayne that he picked up anything in his orbit, including comments he wasn't meant to hear. "But I guarantee, after a few minutes in there, it will feel like you ran a marathon all out in full turnout gear with a stampeding herd of buffalo bearing down on you."

"Agreed," Poverly said. "Today is all about observing smoke behavior and fire dynamics, and getting a taste of what it feels like to be inside a burning building."

Once the trainees were fully suited up, Nick and the other FTOs double-checked that they were properly set to go. His pulse quickened when Rayne sauntered over for a check, the light in his eyes dancing and his lips tipped into an enticing grin. He didn't say anything, but his stare was steady and all-consuming, and Nick's hands trembled as he tested the hoses on Rayne's SCBA. He placed a hand on Rayne's shoulder, meaning only to give him a quick pat, but for a second he couldn't move. Even through layers of thick protective gear, Nick's skin sizzled at the connection.

"Am I good to go?" Rayne's voice was low and there was a seductive edge to it that had Nick locking gazes with him.

Words fled. He swallowed through a thick throat and nodded.

"Mask up," he croaked.

Rayne's grin widened. He winked before fitting his mask into place and joining the rest of the trainees as they lined up to enter the box. The excitement in the air, and on their faces, was palpable.

Nick hung back for a few seconds to collect himself. Whatever the hell had just happened couldn't happen again. Especially when they were dealing with live fire.

He followed everyone into the burn box—which was two large sea-cans modified to create one large room, and an eight-by-eight-foot "crib" at one end where they'd set the fire. He stood off to the side as the trainees crowded toward the back wall. Poverly explained where the exits were, how the windows opened, and where the fire would be.

"Do not stand up until we tell you it's okay," Poverly reiterated. "The floor of this burn pan will get up around five- to six-hundred-degrees Fahrenheit. You all know heat rises." He pointed to the low ceiling. "In the event of a flashover, that heat is immediate and intense, with temperatures reaching upwards of twelve-hundred-plus degrees. Even with your full PPE and SCBA, you won't survive more than a few seconds."

"Will we be experiencing a flashover?" one trainee asked, his voice muffled by his mask.

Poverly shook his head. "Not today. We'll let the fire lick along the ceiling a little, but a full flashover is too dangerous for training."

Nick's heart pounded in his chest, remembering the first time he'd experienced a flashover. For a split second, he had thought that was it. His ticket was up. Fortunately, his training had kicked in and he and his team had the fire out quickly.

"Okay, everyone down," Poverly's voice boomed as Sabrina started the ignition. "Here we go."

Once the flames caught, Sabrina stepped back and picked up a safety line, crouching low with the hose aimed at the barrel, to keep the fire under control. Outside, two safety officers were on standby in case anything went sideways.

Heat ratcheted up quickly as the particle boards on the sides and the roof above the barrel caught fire. Flame roiled along the ceiling, stretching toward them as smoke filled the air, obscuring visibility. Over the cacophony of hissing and popping flames were the beeps of personal alarms and the trainees' Darth Vader-like breathing sounds through their SCBAs.

Through it all, Poverly peppered questions at them.

Nick hadn't realized Rayne had crouched next to him until he shouted out the correct answers. His voice was strong and sure even through his mask and breathing apparatus.

Sabrina doused the flames a minute later, and the fire recoiled as though it were a living thing. Smoke thickened and embers fluttered around them.

With the fire safely out, Sabrina and Poverly swung the windows and vents open to clear the air before ordering everyone to exit the box.

"Wow, you weren't kidding, Lieutenant," Thatcher said as the trainees gathered around outside the building, pulling their masks off. "My heart is pounding so hard I think it's bruising my ribs."

Nick glanced at Rayne, who had also taken his helmet off and was rubbing his hand over his head.

"Now imagine if you were a regular citizen," Nick said. "Without training and all that protective gear, they don't have as much time as you just had in there for survival. Everything we're teaching you here is so can do your job not only safe, but quickly. Any questions?"

Rayne raised his hand. "Can we go back in?"

Everyone chuckled, and Nick nodded. "Let's go."

After two more turns inthe burn room, Nick, Sabrina, and Capmany observed as the trainees hosed off all their turnout gear to ensure proper cleaning and wash away carcinogens from the fire and smoke. They tossed questions at the trainees, pop quiz style, as they worked.

But Nick's attention kept getting pulled back to Rayne. He watched as Wash hosed his back and a little green ember of jealousy sparked to life in his chest. He wanted to be the one hosing Rayne down. The thought sending images cascading through his mind of water sluicing down Rayne's bare back in a hot, steamy shower.

Rayne pulled off his wet T-shirt, and Nick's breath caught in his throat. His imagination coming to life. He knew Rayne had a beautiful body, that his muscles were fine-tuned and hard-earned from his career in hockey, but to see all that bare skin flexing over solid, defined muscle made every nerve ending inside of him go haywire.

He cleared his throat and looked away to find Sabrina watching him with a contemplative expression on her face. Guilt flashed through him as though he'd cheated on Geoff by ogling another man. But it was more than just ogling. Rayne featured in too many of his dreams and fantasies over the last few weeks. He wanted to spend time with Rayne, to know him—the feel of his skin, the taste of mouth, the desires of his heart. To maybe go on that date Rayne kept hinting at. But could he? The last date he'd been on was with Geoff, when they'd been in high school. Sure, they'd had date nights throughout the years, but having already been in a steady relationship, there was an easiness to those dates. With someone new, with Rayne, he didn't know what to do or how to act.

He cleared his throat and returned his attention to the trainees—and, because he couldn't help himself, Rayne. This time, the hitching of his breath had nothing to do with longing.

There was a massive purple-black bruise on Rayne's shoulder blade.

"What is this?" Nick demanded, not aware that he'd even moved, let alone now stood directly beside Rayne, pointing at his back.

"What?" Rayne tried to look at himself, twisting around like a dog chasing its tail.

"You have an enormous bruise on your back," Nick barked, wincing at himself for the sharpness of his words. "Surely you would have felt that. It's the full span of my hand."

"Oh, that." Rayne shrugged. Shrugged. "It's nothing. I landed hard during the floor collapse session in the training tower."

"That is not nothing." Nick growled.

He knew he was overreacting. Any other trainee, he'd have simply told them to keep an eye on it. But Rayne Hamilton wasn't any other trainee, and Nick did not want to see him injured—even if only bruised.

Rayne tipped his head to the side, and a grin tugged at his lips. "Are you worried about me, Lieutenant?"

Nick stepped back. It was that or drag Rayne behind the building to kiss that smirk off his face.

"You need to inform me right away if you have any kind of injury. No matter how minor you think it is." Nick took a breath and added, "You could have a deep hematoma or hemorrhage under the skin that could become more serious if not immediately addressed."

Rayne closed the distance Nick had just opened. "You mean . . . I should tell the safety officer?"

Heat flushed over the back of Nick's neck and into his cheeks, and he knew it had nothing to do with the warmth of the day.

"Right," he said, his voice tight. "Inform the safety officer."

Rayne leaned a little closer, the space between them becoming heated and frenetic.

"I will tell you everything from now on."

His voice was low and growly and so damn sexy, it sent shivers racing down Nick's back and into his groin.

Goddammit

He would not get a hard-on at work. Nick stepped back and hurried away, his footsteps pounding to the beat of his racing heart. He kept walking until he was in the command center. He stopped in the middle of the room, not sure what to do next. His gaze landed on the kitchenette. He grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it halfway with cold tap water.

"It wouldn't be the first time you know," Sabrina said behind him as he lowered the now empty glass on the counter.

"First time for what, Rina?" Nick asked, but knowing damn well what she was getting at. He'd acted unprofessionally. So much so that he hadn't even realized she'd followed him into the office.

"It wouldn't be the first time an instructor and a trainee made a love connection," she said.

Nick snorted. Love connection was pushing it, though he couldn't deny there was absolutely a connection. He just didn't think he'd been that obvious. Until today.

She raised an eyebrow, and he ran a hand through his hair.

"Am I that obvious?"

"To anybody who knows you and is looking," she said with a shrug as she leaned her hip against the counter. "And I've noticed the way you both look at each other."

"Nothing is happening between us," Nick said, cringing at the defensive note in his voice.

"And it's fine if it does," Sabrina said softly. "It's okay to feel again, Nick." Then she smiled. "Just keep it in your pants until the program is over."

"It's more than that." Nick huffed a sigh and copied Sabrina's pose, leaning against the counter, but he couldn't make eye contact with her. "I feel like . . . Like I'm betraying Geoff. That feeling anything for somebody else is breaking my vows."

"Oh, honey." Sabrina pulled him into a hug. "You are the last person on earth who could betray anybody. But do you really think Geoff would want you to spend the rest of your life alone? Would you want that for him if it had been you instead of him?"

He shook his head, his throat too thick to speak.

"You two had a wonderful relationship," Sabrina continued, "but don't let his loss be the end of your life, too."