Burning Heart (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Air Force Fire Protection Specialists Book 5) Read online

  Burning Heart (Special Forces: Operation Alpha)

  Air Force Fire Protection Specialists Book 5

  Jen Talty

  Contents

  Foreword

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Jen Talty

  More Special Forces: Operation Alpha World Books

  Books by Susan Stoker

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  © 2018 ACES PRESS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this work may be used, stored, reproduced or transmitted without written permission from the publisher except for brief quotations for review purposes as permitted by law.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy.

  Dear Readers,

  Welcome to the Special Forces: Operation Alpha Fan-Fiction world!

  If you are new to this amazing world, in a nutshell the author wrote a story using one or more of my characters in it. Sometimes that character has a major role in the story, and other times they are only mentioned briefly. This is perfectly legal and allowable because they are going through Aces Press to publish the story.

  This book is entirely the work of the author who wrote it. While I might have assisted with brainstorming and other ideas about which of my characters to use, I didn’t have any part in the process or writing or editing the story.

  I’m proud and excited that so many authors loved my characters enough that they wanted to write them into their own story. Thank you for supporting them, and me!

  READ ON!

  Xoxo

  Susan Stoker

  About the book

  Air Force Fire Protection Specialist, Declan Rivers, gave his heart once, and it got charred beyond recognition. While deep down he still wants it all, the career, the wife, the family, he can’t put himself out there. That is until his best friend’s wedding where he finds comfort in the arms of Becca Knowles, a sexy senior firefighter and co-worker. He’s had eyes for Becca since she first stepped onto the base, but after one hot night, they decide it’s best if they remain friends.

  Well, he decides thanks to that aforementioned reluctance.

  Becca Knowles understands a broken heart and after a one-night stand with Declan, she vows to give up on men for a while and focus only on her career. Only that declaration lasts just one measly month when she first finds out she’s pregnant, and then that her younger sister is missing. Not knowing where to turn, she asks Declan for his help, to which he readily agrees, not knowing about the baby.

  While searching for her sister, they find themselves dealing with betrayal, lies, and a love so deep it burns the heart.

  Prologue

  “Hey, wait up.”

  Becca Knowles glanced over her shoulder, trying not to trip in her three-inch heels as she stumbled down the road headed toward home just a few blocks away. Spiked shoes were not her thing. Nor were dresses. It had less to do with being a tomboy her entire life, and more to do with her lack of grace.

  Klutzbutt, as her family called her.

  “You shouldn’t be walking home alone,” Declan Rivers, fellow Air Force Fire Protection Specialist, called out as he jogged across the street. He had his suit coat draped over his shoulder and his tie pulled loose with the first two buttons of his shirt undone.

  A warm shiver glazed over her body like soapy shower water. Declan looked like he should be the front cover for the fireman puppy calendar.

  “Because our neighborhood is so dangerous,” she said with an eye roll, waiting for him to catch up. For the last year, she’d tried to get the man’s attention. Every once in a while, she thought she might have succeed, but tonight, when he brushed her off, she’d finally given up.

  He just wasn’t that into her.

  So why the hell was he chasing her down now?

  “I’ve watched you fall three times tonight without having any alcohol, and now that you’ve had a few drinks? Well, I don’t want you getting hurt.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” She couldn’t wait to kick the damn things off, drop the dress, and put on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. She felt totally out of her element. “I let Hunter’s wife, Claire, do my makeup. I look like a clown.”

  “Not even close. You look quite pretty, though you don’t need the make-up. You’re beautiful no matter what.”

  “Why Declan Rivers, are you giving me a compliment? Or are you just drunk?” For as long as she’d known the man, he’d waffled between being sweet and flirty to practically ignoring her all together. After all of the yo-yoing, she’d decided he was still hung up on his ex-girlfriend.

  Or, he just wasn’t that into her.

  “You dress up real nice.” He took his coat and wrapped it over her bare shoulders. The temperature had dropped a tad, but chilly was still at least ten degrees away.

  Slipping her hands through the sleeves, she glanced into his russet eyes and her heel twisted, causing her body to shift as her ankle gave way.

  “Shit,” she muttered, grabbing his thick biceps before she face-planted on the asphalt.

  He laughed. “Hop on.” He stepped in front of her, offering her a piggyback ride.

  “What are we, twelve?”

  “Just do it before you break your leg.”

  She hiked up her dress and jumped on his back with more gusto than she planned. He stumbled before his fingers curled around her thighs, digging into her skin, sending warm pulses to all the places that made her a woman.

  His dark hair smelled like coconut, and she had a wicked desire to ruffle it. What the hell. His hair was always too perfect anyway. She dug her nails in and gave the strands a good yank.

  “Hey. Not the hair. It takes a lot to get it to look this good.”

  “You do have great hair.” She rested her chin on his shoulder and let out a long breath. Being with him was almost too easy. There was a comfort level she had with him that by all means should only come from a boyfriend.

  The warm Florida air tickled her pores. The white, full moon glowed high. The stars filled the sky in abundance. She took in a deep breath and let her eyelids drift shut. “It was a nice wedding.”

  “Romantic, small, and quiet,” he said.

  “I can’t get over how much Brodie’s twin sister is like him. It’s weird.” She opted to divert the conversation, even though she was the one who brought it up.

  “Try dating her.” He cocked his head, catching her gaze.

  A hum filled her throat. If there were ever a perfect specimen of a man, it would be Declan. At five-eleven of solid muscle, tan skin, smoky eyes, and a devilish smile, he might as well have been a Greek God.

  Okay. She had most defiantly consumed one too many dr
inks tonight.

  “You dated Madison?” she asked.

  “I took her out a couple of times and while she’s a great girl, she’s way too much like my best friend, and it just got all mucky.”

  “Mucky?” She laughed, adjusting herself on his back, draping her arms over his shoulders. “That kind of word only comes out of your mouth when you’re buzzed.”

  “Speaking of which, you have any beer at your place? I’m going to need to quench my thirst after hiking you all the way home.”

  She slapped the back of his head.

  “I was kidding. Well, not about the beer.”

  For the next block, they remained silent. She concentrated on the night sounds of crickets and an owl hooting in the background, instead of the sexy man who carried her down the street. At twenty-six, she had her entire life ahead of her and it wasn’t that she was in a rush, but she wanted it all. Career, kids, the entire ball of wax, and she wanted it sooner rather than later. The one thing she took from being raised a Mennonite was the strong sense of family.

  The rest of it, she’d turned her back on when she left for the military at age eighteen, something she worried her parents may never truly forgive her for. And it wasn’t just that she chose to leave her roots behind, but being the oldest, it seemed she inspired curiosity in her younger siblings.

  “Keys?” Declan asked, snapping her mind back to the present.

  “Here.” She pulled them from her clutch, wondering why he didn’t just set her down on the stoop. Instead, he carried her into the kitchen where he set her ass on the counter, then turned, his body snug between her legs. Every muscle tightened with pure delight, but he was just being nice.

  Yeah. That had to be it.

  “Let’s get these off your feet before you kill yourself.” Gently, he lifted her leg, his fingers sizzling across her ankles as he slipped the black heels from her feet.

  She tried not to moan, but her vocal cords defied her wishes. “What are you doing?” she asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist. His hands running over the top of her ass.

  She should have been asking herself the same question when she purposely placed her hands on his broad shoulders, arching her back just a tad. While she felt the alcohol, she wasn’t so drunk that she didn’t understand the vibe she sent Declan.

  Only, she’d been sending it for months and he had ignored all but maybe a half dozen times and one kiss.

  Just one. But it knocked her socks off.

  “Something I probably shouldn’t be doing,” he whispered, leaning in and licking his lips. “We work together, and your ex is always showing up different places and you don’t seem to turn him away.”

  She cocked her head back. “Seriously? You’re going to bring him up while my legs are wrapped around your waist.” Before he could back away, she locked her ankles together, pulling him closer.

  He groaned.

  “You either want me, or you don’t,” she said, wishing she’d kept her mouth shut because it didn’t sound sexy at all.

  “Oh, I want you all right. But I don’t know if I can give you more than a good time, and I’m not into being with someone else’s—”

  She covered his mouth. “You watched me toss him out on his ass a few months ago, and that was the last time he showed up. Why are you using that as an excuse to walk out that door?”

  Only, she knew the answer, and her name was Vivian. From what she knew about her, Declan had been head over heels in love and wanted the world with her, but Vivian ended up breaking his heart into a million pieces.

  His thick lashes fluttered over his whiskey-colored eyes. He opened his mouth and shut it at least five times.

  “Look, I’m not asking for anything.” She hoped her voice hadn’t trembled like her insides. “But a good time.” What a lie, but if she couldn’t have him forever, one night might get him out of her system.

  “Becca, I should go.”

  She cupped his face. “Why are you still pining over Vivian? What made her so special?” She bit down on her lower lip. Clumsy and diarrhea of the mouth. Not a good combination. “Why can’t you get over her?” She had no right to be getting up in his face, and it certainly wouldn’t help her get him in bed.

  She unclasped her legs, dropping her hands to the countertop. Maybe it was best to really forget about ever being with him since it would probably be a constant battle of proving she was worthy.

  A place she didn’t really want to be.

  He took her legs and wrapped them around him again as his lips crash-landed on hers. Their teeth smacked as their tongues twisted and turned over each other. His hands groped at her dress, tugging at the zipper in the back. She wiggled out of his coat and pulled at his tie, desperate to feel his bare skin against hers.

  She didn’t care about anything other than being in his arms right here, right now. If this was all she would get, then okay, she’d manage to live with that.

  Or at least that is what she told herself.

  As he lifted her off the counter, she let the dress the pool at her feet. She stood before him in nothing but a tiny, yellow thong. She’d never been ashamed of her body, but in that moment, the urge to cover up forced her hands to cup her breasts. She didn’t know why. He stared at her with adoring eyes as he undressed, eagerly tossing his shirt to the table and kicking out of his pants before taking her into his arms.

  “You’re so pretty,” he murmured, circling her fingers around her wrists and tugging her hands from her chest. “You’re amazing just as you are.”

  His hands glided up and down her back while his lips burned tiny kisses on her neck, making his way to her breasts.

  She gasped as he took her tight nipple into his mouth. Her breath came in short, choppy pants. She’d fantasized many times about what it would be like to be with Declan and not a single one had her reeling like this. His touch was both gentle and scorching. He made her feel like she was the only woman in the universe for him, which was crazy.

  This would be one night. If it didn’t turn into anything more, she’d find a way to move on.

  He looked up at her as he dotted her belly with sweet kisses, his fingers rolling her panties over her hips. “You’re special, Becca, and you deserve better than me.”

  She hadn’t time to ask what the hell he meant by that as he hoisted her back onto the counter and kissed her intimately. His velvet tongue glided over her and in her in a way no one else had ever touched her. It was soft yet carried the kind of pressure needed to take her to new heights.

  Threading her fingers through his hair, she pressed her heels into his shoulders. She watched him with a sense of awe, enjoying every lap of his tongue and stroke of his fingers.

  “Declan,” she whispered, tugging at his head. Her body quivered.

  But he didn’t take heed. No. He dug in deeper. Harder. Faster.

  She couldn’t fill her lungs with enough air. They burned with every sharp breath. When she’d first left her community, the idea of having sex before marriage had still been a foreign concept. It hadn’t been until after boot camp that she allowed herself the indulgence.

  It hadn’t gone quite as planned, but at least the young man she’d been with had done his best to make it comfortable for her. They dated for a few months, but she hadn’t loved him.

  But she loved Declan, making everything different.

  Over the years, she had a few lovers and a few long-term relationships with fantastic sex, but no one made her feel like Declan right now in this moment. It was as if he worshiped her body like a temple, his only focus was on her pleasure.

  Her stomach trembled on the verge of release. She tried to hold back, savoring the sensations as every cell erupted like a massive volcano.

  “Oh, God,” she said with a throaty moan, her thighs clamping down over his face as her body jerked. Before she knew what hit her, he’d lifted her from the counter as he sat in one of the kitchen table chairs, lowering her over him. “Oh, my, God.” He slid inside like h
e was made just for her. Rocking back and forth, she kissed him, tasting herself on his sweet lips. She rolled her hips over him, desperate to please him.

  He held on to her hips, pushing her back and forth in the same desperation. Their mouths joined much in the same way as their bodies moved against each other in the heat of raw passion. His hands roamed her skin, molding her muscles as if she were wet clay waiting to be transformed into a piece of art.

  The orgasm building inside promised to rock her wildly, sending her to place she’d only dreamed about.

  With Declan.

  And now it was happening for real.

  She wanted to pinch herself.

  He buried his face into her neck, nibbling at her earlobe, whispering her name as he groaned and grunted, and then something a kin to a low howl echoed in her ears.

  Even her wildest fantasy hadn’t come close to what he did to her body, mind, and soul.

  “Declan,” she cried out, digging her fingernails into his muscles. Thank God they were cut short or she might have drawn blood. Her moans filled the air like a fog horn on the river. Loud and proud.

  He cupped her ass, holding her still.

  Neither one was able to catch their breath as their chests heaved into each other, clashing like waves smashing the beach. She rested her head on his broad shoulder, doing her best to calm her pulse. Her legs squeezed around his waist, needing to hold onto him for a bit longer.

  For the next five minutes, he showered her cheek and neck with soft kisses while his fingers danced up and down her spine in a loving caress. It was so tender she thought that perhaps maybe he cared a little more than just a man and a woman sharing a night of raw heat.