Aftershocks (Six-Alarm Sexy) Read online

  AFTERSHOCKS

  When Seattle is struck by a devastating earthquake, technical rescue firefighter Jamie Caldwell must save his estranged wife and daughter from the wreckage of a collapsed building. He's defied the odds hundreds of times, but will his luck finally run out for good?

  Aftershocks is the catastrophic incident that sends reverberations throughout Seattle Fire Department’s Station 44 team of rescue firefighters long after the earthquake is over. The Six-Alarm Sexy series follows these brave men and women into their personal lives as they re-evaluate what's important to them. Some will delve deeper into existing relationships, while others will take on new and unexpected partners.

  Given that Aftershocks was originally written as part of the Romance in the Rain anthology, which was a collective effort, I wrote it as a romantic suspense. The Six-Alarm Sexy series that follows is erotic romance.

  PRAISE FOR KRISTINE CAYNE

  “Highly flammable and unforgettable. My favorite erotic romance of the year. Cayne’s debut erotic romance was impossible to put down.”

  —MsRomanticReads Romance & Erotica Book Reviews on Under His Command

  “A Romantic BDSM story, Kristine Cayne’s erotica debut hits all the right spots and set them on fire.”

  —Provocative Pages on Under His Command

  “UNDER HIS COMMAND is an edgy, sassy, and oh-so-sexy novel! In other words, erotica at its sizzling best. Another 5-star achievement from talented author Kristine Cayne!”

  —Laura Taylor, 6-Time Romantic Times Award Winner, 2-Time Maggie Award Winner, & RWA RITA Finalist

  “This baby gives new meaning to the word HOT! Insanely creative, toe curling and to top that, an amazing story as well! If this is Kristine’s first erotic romance, imagine what she’ll think of next!”

  —Jackie Munoz on Under His Command

  “Stock up on ice cubes because this is definitely one sizzling debut…. As rich as a white chocolate cheesecake, Cayne’s entrance into the suspense genre is invigorating, explosive and simply intoxicating….”

  —RT Book Reviews, 4½ stars, Top Pick! on Deadly Obsession

  “This is a read that will have you staying up late to not only enjoy Alyssa and Remi’s out of this world chemistry, but so see what lengths some will go to in order to preserve what they feel is right.”

  —Night Owl Reviews, 4.5 Stars, Top Pick! on Deadly Addiction

  “...Cayne creates an entertaining tale, packed with distinctive characters and a suspenseful storyline.”

  —RT Book Reviews on Deadly Addiction

  Other Books in the Six-Alarm Sexy Series

  Aftershocks (Prequel)

  Under His Command (Book One)

  Everything Bared (Book 2) coming summer 2013

  AFTERSHOCKS

  SIX-ALARM SEXY

  PREQUEL

  KRISTINE CAYNE

  Kindle Edition

  Copyright © 2012 Kristine Cayne

  Excerpt from Deadly Obsession © 2012 Kristine Cayne

  All rights reserved.

  Book cover design by Judi kat Fennell, 2013

  www.formatting4U.com

  ISBN (ebook): 0984903488

  ISBN-13 (ebook): 978-0-9849034-8-1

  dpgroup

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I’d like to thank all the wonderful people who encouraged me to write this new erotic romance series that I’d been considering for some time. I’ve always admired the strength and courage it takes to be a firefighter, but I also wanted to acknowledge the hardships that come with such a dangerous profession. I believe the Six-Alarm Sexy series does just that.

  To my wonderful husband for your constant support even when I’m far less than a perfect wife because my fingers are glued to the keyboard and my eyes to the computer screen. And to my fabulously talented boys, for showing me that ability has nothing to do with age.

  To Dana & katz Delamar for having such enthusiasm for this project and for keeping me focused on weekly deliverables. I hope someday, we’ll be writing one of these together!

  To Kyle Moore, Public Information Office for the City of Seattle Fire Department, for your patience in answering my numerous questions. Your answers helped make my firefighters and the rescue scenes realistic and exciting.

  To the brave men and women of the SFD’s Technical Rescue Team. The world is a safer place because of you. Colin, as promised, your namesake appears in Aftershocks and he will appear in later books in this series as well. Stay safe.

  To the Rainy Day Writers for including me in this wonderful group. Thank you for coming up with the idea for the Romance in the Rain anthology and for creating all of Jamie’s wonderful family and ancestors.

  Last but definitely not least, to all my readers for taking a chance on a new author. I hope you’ll enjoy this fictional, yet all too plausible account of Seattle’s “big one.”

  CHAPTER 1

  Seattle, Washington State, July 2014

  Resentment burned in Erica Caldwell’s chest as she knelt and wiped a tear off her daughter’s cheek. Chloe’s big blue eyes rimmed with long black lashes—the mirror image of her father’s—pleaded with Erica to make everything better.

  “I’m sorry, sweetie. I know you were looking forward to staying with Daddy tonight. But he had to… work.”

  She almost choked on those last words. Jamie kept letting Chloe down, the same way he’d always let her down. The man couldn’t ever do anything as planned or on time. He was always cancelling, postponing, or forgetting. Just like he’d forgotten to sign their divorce papers. Again.

  “But Daddy said we’d watch The Little Mermaid and eat ice cream sundaes in the living room,” Chloe whined.

  Pulling her daughter close, Erica smoothed her hand through Chloe’s brown curls. “We can watch the movie together.” Work was piling up and she’d been counting on the free evening to catch up. But Chloe came first. She always would.

  A smile lit Chloe’s face and she clapped her small hands. “And can we eat ice cream sundaes in the living room, too?”

  Erica couldn’t help cringing at the thought, but seeing the hopeful look on her daughter’s tear-stained face, she caved. “Just this once.”

  “I love you, Mommy,” Chloe said, flinging herself at her mother.

  Erica’s heart melted as her daughter’s warm pudgy arms circled her neck. There was nothing in the world like a child’s hug. “I love you too, sweetie.” Straightening, she helped Chloe snap up her pink Hello Kitty raincoat, then slipped the small matching backpack over her shoulders.

  After popping open her umbrella, they headed out of the daycare, hand in hand. “We have to run over to the courthouse before we go home. I forgot some important papers on my desk.” When Erica stepped off the curb to cross the street, her sneaker landed in a puddle, splashing the hem of her pants. Good thing she’d taken a moment to change out o
f her heels before racing over to pick Chloe up. Her new Vera Wang pumps would have been ruined.

  Back on the sidewalk, Chloe pulled her hand free to hop up the steps and into the courthouse lobby. After waving to Mr. Simmons, the security guard, she placed her backpack on the conveyer belt. Chloe had once told Erica he reminded her of a skinny Santa, and given his round face and ever-shiny bald head, Erica had to admit her daughter had a point.

  “Now, don’t you be working too late tonight, Miss Caldwell,” he teased Chloe as he motioned for her to walk through the metal detector.

  Chloe laughed as she skipped through it. “Oh we won’t, Mr. Simmons. Mommy said I could have an ice cream sundae for dinner.”

  Simmons turned an arched brow on Erica. Heat rushed to her cheeks. “That’s not what I said,” she muttered, hurrying after her daughter and away from Simmons. By tomorrow lunchtime, every employee in the courthouse would think she was the worst mom in the county. The way Simmons could go on, he’d probably have child services coming to interview her about her parenting skills. And it was all Jamie’s fault.

  Ushering Chloe into the elevator, she jabbed the fourth floor button. When the doors didn’t close fast enough, she punched it again. Chloe stared at her, a puzzled expression on her pretty face. An expression that looked exactly like the one Jamie frequently gave her. A headache began pounding at her temples. And that was Jamie’s fault too. Sure, it was irrational, but she didn’t care. Right now, she needed to vent. Fumbling in her purse, she pulled out her cell phone and as soon as the elevator doors opened on her floor, she pressed the call button.

  Chloe started skipping down the hall. Since the building was empty except for a few stragglers, Erica didn’t bother telling her to stop. “Don’t go too far, sweetheart. Stay where I can see you.”

  As if he’d been waiting, Jamie answered immediately. “Rickie, is everything okay?”

  The nickname arced through her like an electric shock. “Stop calling me that! You know I hate it.”

  “You used to like it.”

  “Well, now I don’t,” she shot back.

  Hearing his weary sigh, she bit her lip to keep from apologizing. She didn’t need to try to please him anymore.

  “Did you get to the daycare before it closed?” he asked.

  Considering he’d barely given her four minutes’ notice that he couldn’t pick up their daughter, it was a darn good thing the daycare was just across the street from the courthouse. She’d had to race through the halls and jaywalk across the street and still she’d arrived just as the clock struck six. The daycare charged ten dollars for every minute past closing, and the charge doubled every five minutes. He might have money to burn, but she certainly didn’t.

  She gritted her teeth and took advantage of the fact that her daughter was out of hearing range. “Chloe’s upset.”

  “I’ll make it up to her.”

  “Don’t bother.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Jamie, life with you is a roller coaster. She’s only four years old and already you’re making promises you don’t keep. It’s too confusing for Chloe.” And for her. Half the time she didn’t know whether to hate him or love him, so as much as the failure of their marriage rankled her, she’d settled on leaving him.

  “I’m sorry, Rickie. I just couldn’t make it tonight.”

  “Uh-huh. And why is that? You traded shifts with Hollywood, and there’s no big hockey, football, baseball, or basketball game on tonight.” She paused and when he didn’t comment, she knew. The bastard had a date. He hadn’t even waited for their divorce to be final before going back to his old ways.

  Pain stabbed her chest and she had to lean against the wall to catch her breath. After all this time, he shouldn’t have the power to hurt her like this anymore. She wasn’t like her mother—she could survive without a man. After her father had died, Erica had been shunted from one relative to another, while her mother floundered, unable to care for herself, much less her young daughter. Orphaned at seventeen, Erica had had to dig herself out of the hole her mother had made of both their lives.

  Until Jamie’s humanitarian mission to Indonesia, Erica had thought she’d been achieving her goal of self-sufficiency. But the emptiness she’d felt after he’d left, the loss that had filled her, said differently. Just like her mother, Erica had allowed herself to become reliant on a man. But no more. She’d used the time he was gone to make changes, to grow and strengthen herself. And good thing too, given how they’d ended up. Not only had she survived without Jamie since their separation, she’d built a happy and secure life for herself and her daughter.

  After all that, hadn’t she earned her get-out-of-jail free card?

  “Which fire bunny is it? I bet it’s Belinda. That witch was always trying to get into your bunker pants even when we were still together,” Erica spat into the phone.

  She shouldn’t care. It really didn’t matter who he was dating anymore. But no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, she did care. She did want to know. When he didn’t respond, she pushed like a sick masochist desperate for pain. “Well?”

  “I’m having dinner with Dani.”

  Oh God. “You’re going on a date with a member of your team?” The earth seemed to shift under her feet. “How long has this been going on?”

  “Rickie—”

  “Forget it.” She cut him off. Some things she was better off not knowing. Their relationship was over, and she really didn’t want to hear that he’d been cheating on her. She needed a clean break from him—the sooner the better. “Just sign the damn papers.”

  Silence filled the line.

  Pushing off the wall, she looked around. While she’d been caught up in the conversation with Jamie, she’d let Chloe wander off. Her office lay just around the corner, thirty yards away. Chloe loved the whiteboard. She’d probably raced ahead to draw a nice picture for her. Hurrying down the hall, she covered the mouthpiece and called, “Chloe? Sweetie?”

  “I can’t sign them,” Jamie said, his voice thick with something she couldn’t identify.

  Was he having second thoughts? When a spark of hope made her traitorous heart flutter, she swore silently. Jamie was bad for her. They were bad for each other. “Why not?”

  “I lost them.”

  “I thought you’d only forgotten to sign them. How could you lose them again?” She’d already had to go through the trouble of getting new certified copies and delivering them to him once. “Enough with the games, Jamie. You don’t want me and I don’t want you. Find the papers and sign them.”

  The floor shifted again, rippling before her eyes, and this time, she knew it wasn’t just due to her emotional state.

  Earthquake.

  She had to find Chloe. Now.

  Swaying, she staggered around the corner and shouted for her daughter. “Chloe!”

  No answer.

  “Where are you, Chloe? Answer me! This isn’t funny.”

  All she heard was the groaning of the old building. No one was in the hall, so Chloe had to be in her office. Hopefully, she’d remembered Jamie’s earthquake training: drop, cover, and hold on. Erica propelled herself into her office. The room was empty. Her lungs seized and her stomach bottomed out. Where was her daughter?

  Jamie Caldwell shot to his feet as a wave seemed to warp the floor of the firehouse kitchen. With one hand, he braced the big pot of spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove. His other hand gripped the phone. “Rickie! Erica! What’s going on?”

  No answer. No sound. Nothing.

  He checked the screen. Great. The call had dropped. The tremor ended and he blew in relief, glad it was just a small shake-up. Before enrolling Chloe in the daycare across the street from the courthouse, he’d made sure it was up to the most recent earthquake codes. Erica and Chloe were safe there. He couldn’t say as much for the old courthouse where Erica worked. Following the big Nisqually quake, the building had been seismically retrofitted, but two
years ago, they’d discovered weak spots in several of the carbon-fiber wraps used to reinforce support columns throughout the courthouse.

  While the city and county governments agreed that the retrofitting needed to be redone, in a move typical of Seattle’s political squabbling, the project had been put on hold until they could decide which department would pay for the work. He’d told Erica he didn’t want her working there, told her it wasn’t safe. Lot of good it had done. She’d dug her heels in. In fact, he was pretty sure that was the exact reason she’d accepted the position of administrative specialist with the King County Prosecutor’s Family Support Division.

  Quickly he dialed Rickie’s number. They weren’t at the courthouse, but he needed to know they were okay. Her voice had sounded more than a little anxious when she’d called for their daughter.

  Instead of a ringtone, he got a fast busy signal. The circuits were no doubt overloaded with people calling to check on their loved ones. People like him. Damn. He’d keep trying until he got through.

  He dropped back into his chair and his gaze landed on the papers he’d been staring at for the last hour. The divorce papers. He’d lied to Rickie to stall for time. Once he signed on the dotted line, his marriage would be over forever. And he wasn’t sure he wanted that. Wasn’t sure at all.

  Flipping through the pages, he stopped at the one outlining his visitation rights. In an utterly unsurprising move, Erica was suing for full custody of Chloe. She’d graciously consented to him seeing his daughter for one weekend a month and one day a week according to his work schedule. At that rate, by the time his daughter was in elementary school, she wouldn’t even remember she had a father.