ChapterOne
He wokesuddenly, coughing deeply, the room filled with smoke. Dade had no idea how long it had been this way, but his mind was barely functioning. Somehow, he managed to roll out of bed and onto the floor, where the air was better, and he was able to catch his breath… a little. His lungs ached, and he knew he needed fresh air, but in order to get it, he was going to need to get out of the apartment. And his head was almost as clouded as the room. He tried to remember where the door was and crawled toward it. He sat up and managed to get it open, only to encounter another wall of smoke.
Staying low, Dade slowly crawled to the front door, thankful there were no flickering flames climbing up the walls, just rooms filled with smoke that made his lungs ache and his head lighter and lighter. Breathing hurt. Reaching the front door, he looked up at the knob, which seemed like it was ten feet away. He was never going to reach it. He lay on the floor and hoped like hell he could gather the strength to open it.
Somehow he managed to unlock the door and turn the knob, falling back as the door opened inward. At least there was less smoke in the hall, but he was just too tired to move. Maybe if he rested a minute, he could get out there and crawl down the stairs to get out of the building. Yeah, that sounded like a really good idea. He lay down and closed his eyes, feeling better already.
His head was floaty, taking him for a ride on a cloud. He liked that, until some giant tromped his way over, shaking everything around him. Against all odds, Dade opened his eyes again. The cloud was gone, but the smoke remained, and sodid the giant, standing over him, wearing camouflage, like, everywhere.
“We need to get you out of here,” the giant said, and lifted him into his arms.
Dade didn’t want to go with the giant, so he struggled for about two seconds, but succumbed and settled into his embrace. They traveled somewhere, but Dade was too weak to care. Soon, fresh air surrounded him, and he could breathe, but his lungs ached, so he tried not to breathe too much.
“I’ve got you,” a deep voice told him. “It’s okay. You’re going to be safe.” Why the giant was telling him that, Dade wasn’t sure. Giants were supposed to be mean, but this one didn’t sound that way.
“Lay him down here,” someone nearby said, and the giant put Dade down on a sort of bed thing and someone put a mask over his face. Dade breathed in what they gave him. His lungs still hurt, but after a few breaths, his head began to clear. The blackness around him faded to gray and then it grew lighter and clearer.
“That’s it. Just relax and let the oxygen do its work,” a gentle voice said.
“Where am I?” Dade managed to ask.
“You’re outside your apartment building. There was a fire in the unit below yours, and it smoked like hell. It filled your apartment with smoke.”
Dade turned toward the voice. “But you’re the giant,” he said, though he didn’t seem as giant like as he had a few minutes ago. Maybe he’d shrunk. Dade blinked as his head continued to clear. No, he was coming out of it, and for a second, he wondered if his father was standing next to him.
A deep chuckle greeted him. “I think he needs more of that stuff,” the man said, a smile on his lips that told Dade this was definitely not his father. “I was passing your building on my wayto work and saw the smoke pouring out. One of the neighbors said you were still inside, and I went in to get you.”
Dade slowly sat up, his mind working and the pain in his lungs starting to recede. “I’ve seen you before,” Dade said, trying to remember where. When it came to him, he knew he blushed like hell. This guy jogged past his building almost every evening in a small white shirt and olive-green shorts. So, Dade knew two things: he was super hunky and military all the way. And if he had any doubts, the full fatigues he had on now were a total giveaway.
Damn, jogger guy had been hot, like scorching-pavement-in-the-summer-sun hot. Hell, even in the fatigues, he was pretty stunning. But there was no way in hell that he was going there. It was a shame, because he seemed nice, but military guys were somewhere he had no intention of going, and he already felt himself mentally pulling away.
“I live on post, but I jog past here quite a bit on my way to the park trail,” he said. “Are you doing better?”
“How is your breathing?” the woman on the other side of him asked. “Let me check your blood oxygen and see how you’re doing.” She put a thing on his finger. “It’s coming up. Let’s give you a few more minutes.”
Dade nodded, his gaze shifting to the army guy no matter how much he might want to ignore him. He was just too perfect not to look at. The hair was predictably short, but he filled out that uniform in all the best ways. Jesus, there should be a law about looking that good. Blue eyes, a jawline carved from marble, and full lips filled out one hell of a package.
“It’s a good thing I got here when I did,” he said. “You had passed out.”
“And I thought you were a giant trying to carry me away,” Dade said, instantly wondering if smoke was like weed and made him talkative as hell. What he needed to do was breathe andkeep his damned mouth shut. He had on a mask, after all. He could just lie there and be quiet. Yeah, that was his excuse, and he was going to use it.
“I should check you out,” the EMT said to the army guy, but he waved her off with an easy nod.
“I’m fine. I was in there only a few minutes, and he was right by his door, trying to get out.” The EMT was pretty enough, but when the army guy smiled, Dade realized it was for him. “He didn’t weigh much, so I scooped him up and brought him to you. The fire is already out, and they’re clearing the building of smoke and stuff.”
“But what about my place?” Dade asked.
“Everything in there is going to smell. Call your insurance company, and they’ll probably send out one of those crews to clean everything. That should get the smell out.” He was a fountain of information, and Dade lay back and just breathed in the good stuff until the EMT declared that he was doing well enough. Then she took off the mask, and Dade slowly got up off the gurney and put his feet on the ground.
“I’m okay,” he told himself as he looked up at his building. Windows had been opened, and smoke drifted out. The front door had been propped open as well.
“There’s a breeze, so the building will air out pretty soon.” Dade got a good look at him and saw the name, Rogers, on the uniform, with a major’s insignia on the collar.
“How do you know about this stuff?” Dade asked.
“I was a volunteer firefighter back home before I enlisted,” he said. “Major Clifton Rogers, at your service.” He swore the guy stood straighter, like he was addressing a superior officer. He knew that damned stance. When he was five, his father had drilled that stance and all the military salutes into him. Now he refused it all, even if he knew it when he saw it.
“Dade Saracina,” he said, and shook his hand. “Thank you for saving me.” He coughed slightly and breathed slowly. He was probably going to be coughing up gunk for days. “I appreciate it.” He didn’t know what else to say, standing there in front of the hunk of the year. Still, this was someone he couldn’t have, even if his gaze made his insides flutter.
