Free How to Tame a Wild Fireman by Jennifer Bernard Page A

closed her eyes until they reached the cot.
    Patrick gently set down this new, disturbingly compelling, woozily sexy version of Lara Nelson.
    “Good thing I’m a trained paramedic.”
    “She’s got you beat. She’s a doctor,” said the gorgeous Annabella. It was kind of strange. What were all these beautiful women doing in the med tent? Didn’t make sense. Nor did . . .
    “Lara’s a doctor?”
    “She’s extremely skilled and highly respected. She’ll have her pick of jobs when she finishes her residency.”
    “Residency.”
    “In San Diego. We’re extremely proud of her.”
    “I’m right here, you know,” Lara mumbled.
    “How does your head feel?” he asked. “Any nausea? Dizziness?”
    “I know the symptoms of concussion. I don’t have one,” she said grumpily. “But yeah, my head hurts.”
    She put her hand to her head, which made her grubby white tank top rise up, revealing pale gold flesh. So that’s what Lara’s skin looked like. He’d wondered often enough back in high school. Now that she wasn’t saturated in black, everything about her had a gold sheen. Even her eyelashes, which were mink-­brown with bronze tips. And there on her shoulder was the infamous goldfish, just as he remembered from that horrible night. Her eyes, gold as whiskey lit by a sunbeam, made his breath hitch. When the fuck had Lara gotten so gorgeous?
    She sat bolt upright, wincing. “What exactly happened?”
    “I took my shirt off and you fainted,” he told her, remembering how much fun it was to tease her. She gave him a look that was vintage, cut-­the-­crap Lara. “Don’t be embarrassed. It’s totally understandable.”
    She gave a loud sniff. “Yes, when you consider what you smell like right now.” She pushed her tumbling blond hair off her face. “Like a gas leak at a petting zoo. There are showers out back, you know.”
    So she still gave as good as she got. And she still remembered things about him, like the fact that he didn’t enjoy touchy-­feely crap like massages. Make that, didn’t used to enjoy them. Working as a firefighter made you appreciate anything that took away the soreness. He’d even gotten interested in acupuncture.
    But Lara didn’t need to know all that. If she wanted to despise him, he wasn’t going to stop her. He deserved it.
    “Let me call Romaine to pick us up,” said Annabella.
    “No. I’m fine,” Lara said. “Headache, that’s all. Get me some Tylenol and I’ll be good to go.” She put her hand to the side of her head. “Where’s the llama?”
    “Out cold,” Patrick told her. “We’re not sure what to do with her next, but Donnell is back. He can handle it.”
    “No! That llama is my patient.” Lara tried to get up, but Annabella stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
    “Don’t be compulsive now, querida . Goldie’s in good hands. You can stay and flirt with the handsome fireman.”
    A slow wave of pink traveled up Lara’s face. Something about that endearing, telltale flush, which he knew she had always hated, gave him a funny, almost nostalgic feeling. It made him think of the times he’d ditched his own friends to goof around with Liam. They’d pick up Lara, grab Cokes, and hike out to the canyon, him acting the fool to make his brother laugh, while Lara rolled her eyes at the silly boys. He could practically smell the dust on the road, the wild daisies dotting the fields.
    It made him remember everything he’d lost that long-­ago night.
    “I should go,” he said abruptly. “Check in with the I.C. Let’s catch up later, Lara.” He needed to get back to work. He’d drink some water, fuel up, and get back to the fire lines, where he knew what he was doing.
    “But you need to rest,” Annabella called after him. “And what about the massage? I can help you.”
    He raised a hand in a gesture he hoped she’d interpret as “Thanks but later,” and kept going. Give him a new T-­shirt, maybe scrub off some of the stench, and he’d be