6. Kaia

6

KAIA

K aia's heart is still thundering as she strides to join her crewmates for roll call, the ghost of Hallie's breath still lingering on her lips. She fights to school her guilty expression, to stamp down the raging want still coiling low in her belly from their heated almost-kiss.

Hallie had been so tantalizingly close, close enough for Kaia to drown in the azure pools of her eyes, to trace the sharp lines of her jaw with her fingertips. She had been powerless to resist, throwing caution to the wind as she had leaned in to obliterate the charged boundary between her and her superior. And for one delirious, endless moment it had seemed like Hallie might finally give in.

But of course, the arrival of the other rookies had shattered that fragile tension just when things were about to combust between them. Hallie had coolly reassembled her professional mask as always, not even daring to meet Kaia's eyes as she ushered her toward their crewmates. Leaving Kaia to wonder, not for the first time, if this crackling heat between them was recklessly one-sided after all.

Maybe she had only imagined the reciprocal want darkening Hallie's eyes to swirling storms. The same blazing desire Kaia felt every time she drank in the lieutenant's powerful presence. Every passing minute of their private training sessions had slowly been driving Kaia to unravel at the seams.

Well , she supposes as she takes her position alongside the other rookies for inspection, at least the bitter sting of rejection won't be anything new.

Straightening her shoulders, Kaia clears her hazy thoughts and concentrates on the morning briefing. Her pulse still hammers with chaotic adrenaline, but she forces herself to keep her expression as coolly impassive as Hallie's always is. As though absolutely nothing had occurred between them mere minutes ago.

Of course, controlling her restless desire for the lieutenant proves to be the least of her worries, as the sudden blaring signal of an emergency call-out rings throughout the station.

Hallie immediately assumes command, calling out the report of a raging house fire in a residential neighborhood nearby. She barks precise instructions, and Kaia springs into action with her fellow rookies.

The metallic wail of the truck sirens proves effective in yanking Kaia fully back into the moment with harsh clarity.

This was real, this was what she had been training so relentlessly for all along.

No more time to dwell on the heated morning with her fiery commander, they had a job: save lives at any cost.

The smoke is already thick and acrid when they arrive on the scene, the house nearly engulfed in blinding shades of orange and red. Lieutenant Hunter's authoritative bark rings out over the chaos as the engine roars to a halt, throwing the crew into a seamless flurry of coordinated response. Within seconds, Kaia has her mask secure, helmet on and a hose in hand, eyes flicking back and forth between her crewmates and their leader.

I won't let her down today.

Though she knows better than to be distracted on the job, Kaia can't help the possessive rush that comes over her at drinking in the sight of Hallie at her peak—jaw taut with intense focus, every muscle toned and primed as she deftly maneuvers her team into position. Kaia's admiration only burns more feverishly at the unwavering confidence with which Hallie commands her role in the field. Her lieutenant is poetry in motion, magnetic and unstoppable.

Squashing down the forbidden embers of attraction, Kaia hurls herself fully into attacking the blaze with the rest of her crewmates. Sweat instantly soaks her uniform as scorching smoke plumes around her, the roaring hiss of the pressurized hoses filling the air with their deafening white noise.

For several endless minutes, Kaia loses herself completely in the adrenaline-spiked focus of combating the relentless torrent of flame and fumes. She works flawlessly alongside her unit, seamlessly alternating positions and hose trajectories without having to so much as raise their voices over the din. A savage thrill surges through her at how synchronized they've become, the culmination of Hallie's grueling training finally paying off in the field.

They have the makings of a proper crew, moving and breathing as one.

Just as that rush of hard-earned pride swells in Kaia's chest, a noise abruptly cuts through the chaos. She snaps her head up in alarm. Over the shriek of the water cannons and the roar of the devouring blaze, she's certain she can hear a faint, pitiful whining of an animal's muffled cries.

Without a second thought for protocol, she slams her end of the hose into Cochran's hands with a terse shout to take over. He gapes at her in bewilderment as she sprints away, barreling towards the smoke, her senses straining to pinpoint where the noise is coming from.

The heat sears her skin even through her protective gear as she surges through the house. She hears Cochran's alarmed shout behind her but presses on, laser-focused on locating the source of those cries.

There!

Toward the very back of the building, a mournful bark echoes. Kaia can't see anything through the smoke but she follows the sound to what she is pretty sure is the kitchen.

Without pausing to consider the risk, Kaia begins to clamber over the fallen debris in her path, swerving and bending to avoid the remnants of blackened beams sagging from the ceiling.

The seconds seem to blur into one dizzying, scorching haze as she ventures through the heart of the rapidly consuming inferno. Her pulse roaring in her ears is almost loud enough to drown out the bone-shaking screech of the crumbling structure.

Finally making it across the charred rubble, she stoops to grab the trapped dog in a blind rush, hissing when a shard of wood stabs at her gloved palm.

"Easy there, buddy," she murmurs as she slips her own mask free and holds it over the dog's muzzle giving him air. "I've got you now, you're gonna be just fine."

With a gentleness that seems at odds with the sheer power of her frame, Kaia carefully scoops the quaking pet into her arms, keeping him swathed in the folds of her coat. She has to get them out of here fast before the flaming debris raining down around them blocks their path.

A deafening crack explodes over her head, and she instinctively curls herself over the dog's trembling form as a jagged chunk of plaster crashes onto the space she had occupied only moments ago.

Chest heaving against the toxic smoke, Kaia shoves off at a desperate sprint, following the path back out she had forged on her way in.

Every bone in her body screams in protest against the blistering heat, but the precious cargo whimpering in her arms keeps her bolting forward with her remaining strength.

At last, Kaia bursts back into the smoke-hazed daylight, gulping down cleaner air in deep, convulsive gasps. But no sooner does she stumble from the red-hazed danger zone than a furious shout rings out and a blurred figure storms towards her.

Hallie's electric eyes seem to bore directly through Kaia's very soul. Without another word she knows that the look on her lieutenant's face doesn't bode well at all.

Kaia barely has time to carefully hand the wounded pup to a paramedic before Hallie is on her, grabbing her roughly by the bicep and dragging her to the relative safety of the sidewalk.

"What the hell were you thinking, Montgomery?!" The lieutenant's shout makes Kaia wince, while the tumultuous mix of fury and terror plastered on Hallie's face takes her aback. "You never, NEVER enter a burning building without backup and a goddamn plan ! We never go alone!! You could have been killed in there!"

Despite the blistering heat still pulsing from the flames at her back, Kaia feels an icy chill lance through her at the raw anguish contorting Hallie's beautiful features. She opens her mouth to defend herself, to insist that she had no choice but to save the helpless animal. But Hallie's hands tighten on her shoulders, giving her a rough shake that rattles Kaia to her core.

"I don't want to hear it! You completely flouted protocol and put your own life at risk!" Hallie's chest heaves with the force of her tirade. "Get your ass back on the truck. Now!"

With that, the lieutenant releases her grip and storms away, barking orders at the rest of the crew still working to fully contain the blaze. Kaia stands rooted to the spot for a long moment, her heart jackhammering against her ribs as she watches Hallie's retreating form.

Swallowing hard against the acrid taste of smoke and shame, Kaia slowly makes her way back to the engine, every muscle aching with fatigue and the aftershocks of adrenaline. She passes the rest of the crew without a word, jaw clenched as she stares straight ahead, not daring to meet their no doubt smug stares.

The ride back to the station is thick with silent tension, broken only by the occasional crackle of the radio. Kaia can feel Hallie's molten glare boring into the side of her head from the seat next to her but refuses to acknowledge it, her pride still smarting from being dressed down like an errant child in front of the rest of the crew.

It's not until they've arrived back at the station and the rest of the guys have filed out of the vehicle that Hallie finally breaks the suffocating silence between them.

"Locker room. Now," she grits out, not even sparing Kaia a glance as she jumps down from the cab and slams the door with enough force to rattle Kaia's teeth.

Heart in her throat, Kaia follows after her, steeling herself for the impending confrontation. She finds Hallie pacing like a caged tiger in front of the lockers, hands clenching and unclenching at her sides. As soon as Kaia shuts the door to their female-only safe zone, Hallie rounds on her, eyes flashing.

"Do you have any idea how stupid that little stunt was? What were you trying to prove back there?"

Kaia bristles at the scathing accusation in Hallie's tone, her own temper flaring to life. "I was trying to save a life! Isn't that what we're supposed to do?"

"Not at the expense of your own!" Hallie takes a menacing step forward, crowding into Kaia's space until they're practically nose to nose. The charged energy crackling between them is so intense Kaia swears she can taste it on her tongue.

"You are not invincible, Montgomery. I don't care how badly you want to be the hero. You follow protocol or you'll get yourself killed!"

"Why do you even care so much? It's my life to risk!" The words explode from Kaia's lips before she can stop them, her fists clenched at her sides to keep from reaching up and clasping Hallie's face.

For a moment, Hallie looks as if Kaia had struck her. Something agonized and raw flashes across her face, there and gone again in an instant. When she speaks again, her voice is deadly soft.

"You're under my command. Your safety is my responsibility. And I'll be damned if I let you throw your life away on my watch just to prove you have balls."

They stare at each other for a seemingly endless moment, chests heaving and pulses roaring in the suffocating silence between them.

This time, there's no one to interrupt them as Kaia fists the front of Hallie's shirt and hauls her against her body. Their lips collide in a frenzied kiss, Hallie crowding Kaia back into the wall of lockers behind her.

Greedily exploring Hallie's body with slightly trembling hands, Kaia reaches the lieutenant's waist and immediately yanks her shirt free from the confines of her belt. She releases a satisfied groan as her fingers make contact with Hallie's sweat-slicked skin, consumed by the thrill of finally crashing through the barrier that had held them both back.

"Whatever you're thinking, we don't have time," Hallie whispers through a breathless chuckle. "The guys will be showered and gathered for the debriefing soon."

"Well then, Lieutenant, you had better debrief me pretty quick, don't you think?"

Hallie's answering laugh is louder this time, she nips playfully at Kaia's lips before plunging her tongue back into her mouth. The heavy exhaustion from this morning's rescue has dissipated completely and Kaia's blood is singing with wanton desire. She grips the firm cheeks of Hallie's ass and grinds her hips into her own, desperate for her body to be as close as humanly possible.

Kaia barely represses an outraged whine when Hallie eventually breaks their kiss, panting slightly as she backs away. But the devious smirk spreading across her lieutenant's face tells her this is not quite over.

"We better hit the showers, Montgomery. You taste like charcoal."

Kaia huffs an amused snort as she makes a show of sniffing her armpit, before promptly tearing her shirt over her head. She relishes in the way Hallie's eyes rove shamelessly over her body, while she quickly shrugs out of her own uniform.

They are both a mess of stumbling limbs, shucking off their boots and discarding their underwear in a haphazard trail towards the showers.

Thank fuck we have this locker room all to ourselves.

Kaia gasps at the shock of cold water that hits her shoulders when Hallie shoves her back into a cubicle, but the stream soon heats up, trickling over their sticky skin. Spurned on by the fact they only have a few minutes before their absence becomes suspicious, Kaia immediately dips her head and draws Hallie's nipple into her mouth. She wants to claim as much of her skin as she can before they're forced to dry off and slip back into work mode.

Hallie's head drops back as she moans, fisting the back of Kaia's unruly curls while she nips and sucks at each breast in turn. The rush in Kaia's veins is overwhelming. She devours her lieutenant's body like a starving animal, reveling in the deep groans that rumble through Hallie's chest. She releases her own soft yelp when Hallie pulls her head up by the scalp and presses her back against the wall with a consuming kiss.

Whatever lines they're crossing, whatever risks they might be taking with their own careers, they're the last thing on Kaia's mind as she tastes nothing but restless lust on her lieutenant's tongue.