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  "Yeah." Max laughed and bit into a bread stick. "Guess it does. You may want to check back into this conversation though, sis, as what we were talking about pertains to likely the very thing that pulled you into the zone."

  Rayne narrowed her eyes at her brother and didn't miss the quick mischievous tilt to his lips. Yeah, he'd been unable to resist that little dig. He knew full well what had been going through her mind had little to do with any sort of project and more to do with exactly how mouth wateringly handsome she found his co-worker.

  But, okay, wait. In her defense, Cory Nox's drool factor did have everything to do with her latest project. Well, not everything, but it was a decided mega plus. And hadn't she been locked on exactly how perfect he would be for the calendar? That's what she'd meant when she'd put her foot in her mouth and told him he was perfect. Then she'd shoved her other foot in by telling him, oh dear Lord, that she had a proposition for him.

  It wouldn't have been that bad if she'd only explained herself first. But no, she'd plowed right in and gave him the way wrong impression. He'd looked at her with those very sweet, very green eyes she could easily imagine looking down on her while he covered her body with his and prepared to shove his exquisitely packed package inside her, and his expression told her he'd immediately taken her words for the innuendo she hadn't meant them to be. Seriously, at that moment in time, her gaze had locked on him and she'd taken in his incredible body with all its delicious lines and angles and thought, Hello, Mr. January.

  Of course, in the time between her ‘you're perfect’ comment and her near brush with death by jalapeno pepper, the Mr. January thought had manifested to one of roaming hands, exploring mouths, sweaty bodies, and a whole lot more.

  She squirmed and shut off her mind, feeling her cheeks start that blasted heating thing again that matched the flames erupting in her already sodden channel. Yeah, sometimes she got way too caught up in her work.

  "I was telling Cory about the calendar." Max took a pull from his beer. "That is why you invited him to join us tonight, isn't it?"

  That question held way too much amusement and brotherly knowledge. Rayne would've slapped him if she'd been close enough, playfully, of course.

  He had the audacity to waggle his eyebrows. Mortified, she shot a glance at Cory who'd, thank you, looked down to put the finishing touches on the fourth half-eaten slice on his plate. Still, she adapted that playful slap to a full-blown punch and decided it would be just as satisfying even if she had to wait until after Cory left.

  "It's exactly what I wanted to talk to him about." Work, the project, she could do this. Rayne knew she was capable of losing her heart far too easily. A tender smile, captivating eyes, handsome looks and she was a total goner. Cory Nox possessed all of the above, and no way, no how, would she allow herself to fall for him. It was bad enough she already couldn't get her speed ticket writing detective out of her thoughts for long. She should've been pissed enough at him to see him wearing devil’s horns rather than floating hearts in his whisky eyes.

  When she settled into work mode, she could usually manage to say anything without sticking her foot in her mouth. Usually. She didn't stammer or fidget. She didn't blush or lose her head. She could even manage to face down a perfect nose and Jolly Rancher eyes. Too bad she hadn't stayed in that mode when she stared down the whisky eyes and Hayden Christensen-worthy smile that morning.

  Okay, this was not the time to bring Detective Drink Me into the picture. Focus of EMT Sugar Rush instead. Yeah, like that helped. If she looked at Cory as the piece of eye candy she wanted to photograph for the calendar rather than the Jolly Rancher she'd love to suck, she might actually be able to think and keep her hormones and heart in check.

  Rayne shifted, bending her knees and pulling her legs beneath her bottom as she let the excitement of the project take over. "Southern Paradise Magazine wants to put together a Silver Springs Fire Department B shift calendar and they've asked me to take the photos."

  "Why B shift?" Cory asked.

  Rayne shrugged. "Because Chad, the publisher, knows I'm Max's sister and that Max is the lieutenant of B shift. Inside connections and all that. Anyway, all the proceeds, less a small percentage for my expenses, will go to a special fund specifically for the people of the city and surrounding areas who lost so much in Hurricane Emilio.

  I haven't run it by your captain yet." She plowed ahead, on a roll now. "But if he okays it, I'll want to set up a time with all the guys on B shift to take some shots. If it goes well, maybe I can talk the magazine into sponsoring more with the guys from A and C shifts and even other departments."

  It was another idea that had come to her about three seconds before she'd noticed the flashing red and blues in her rearview mirror that morning. One calendar would surely raise a good deal of money, but a series of them with the right marketing and promotion could raise thousands. They could donate the money first to the city of Silver Springs, Billings, and the other areas affected by Hurricane Emilio and then to other causes, other people in need. Burn centers, victims of the wildfires and forest fires that often devastate the far west and east coast states.

  "You want me to pose for a…what? Hunks of the SSFD calendar?" Cory shot a look at Max, his expression a mix of shock, amusement, and more Rayne couldn't quite define.

  Max laughed as he got to his feet and walked around the coffee table. He stopped to pat Cory on the shoulder. "You're on your own with this one, dude. I should warn you she can be a pit-bull when she's after something she wants."

  He leaned down and whispered something in Cory's ear. Rayne couldn't hear what her brother said, but as he straightened, Cory gazed at her and the look in his eyes nearly made her heart stop. It lasted only about a second and a half, yet it was long enough to have her nipples beading, her core throbbing, and her mind snapping erotic fantasy images that made her breathless.

  So much for staying in work mode. Right now, the only thing she wanted to work was him. Dear Heavenly Father, she was in trouble.

  * * * *

  "I need to walk Sunshine."

  Rayne stood abruptly and Cory felt momentarily struck dumb. Sunshine? It had to be after ten at night. He shot a glance at the clock on the cable box. Wow! It was after ten. How did that expression go? Time flies when you're having fun. Apparently, it wasn't a joke. Time sure did fly, especially when spending it with an incredible woman.

  A woman he couldn't have, he reminded himself. Except, hold on, he could have her. He'd just been given the go ahead, the green light, and a crystal clear one at that. But now she was cleaning up their pizza mess and preparing to walk…sunshine? Somewhere along the line he'd missed something.

  "I'll help." Not quite sure what he was volunteering for, he leapt up, gathering his plate and bottle as he stood.

  Rayne followed Max out of the living room, Max turning left toward the bedrooms, Rayne going right into the kitchen. The apartment had the same setup as Cory’s, though the second bedroom where he'd helped Rayne put her stuff earlier was smaller than his.

  He took a step, intending to follow Rayne and nearly tripped over a bundle of excited black fur. It clicked. Sunshine. She needed to walk Sunshine. She needed to walk the dog. Now he understood.

  "Oh, I'll take that." Rayne came around the corner and took the plate and empty bottle from him. "Guests don't clean."

  "They always did at my house. Do you have a leash for Sunshine?"

  "I, well, yes, but—"

  "Where is it? I'll put it on her while you take those to the kitchen." He angled his chin at the trash now in her hands and then, before she could protest, added, "I'll go with you to walk the dog."

  Cory saw it in her eyes when she relented, realizing it would do her no good to argue. She nodded slightly as if accepting the obviously inevitable or maybe allowing herself to accept she'd lost before an argument even got started.

  "Her leash is on the hook on the wall behind the front door. I'll, um, just put these in the kitchen and get my shoes.
"

  Cory felt like he was holding the dog hostage. Leash securely fastened to her bright yellow collar, Sunshine led the way moments later as the three of them walked out of the apartment building. Rayne had offered to take possession of the leash, but Cory held firm. Why did he have the sudden feeling she would bolt if he let go?

  Rayne would bolt, not the dog.

  No, Sunshine pranced down the steps to the sidewalk like the perfect doggie princess. It was Queen Rayne who seemed to be gearing up for a sprint to the next state. He found himself glancing down at her shoes, the same well-worn tennis shoes she'd been wearing earlier. Were they too worn out for a long run?

  "It's a beautiful night." Rayne tipped her head back and took an audible breath. She shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans, her stride easily matching his though he had her by several inches in height. "I love it when it's like this, clear with a gentle breeze to keep it from being too warm." She sighed. "It really makes me miss my little spot on the beach."

  Oh no, they were not going to talk about the weather. That kind of small talk screamed of getting nowhere fast. But her little spot on the beach, now that was a spark for more directional conversation.

  "Is it bad? Your place, I mean. I'm guessing since you’re moving in with Max that something happened to it."

  "You'd be right. Emilio decided to spawn a tornado and then proceed to send it dancing the polka over my house." She sighed again. "It's in pretty bad shape."

  "You had insurance, right? Has an adjuster been by to inspect it yet?" Though it had been over six months since the hurricane, he knew many people were still waiting for their insurance company to investigate their claim.

  "He's made the initial visit. We're meeting again tomorrow at the house with a contractor of the company's choice to assess the damage."

  "Company's choice, huh? Yikes!"

  "Yeah, and we both know that usually leads to a rip off from another galaxy. I'll get my own contractor to come out, of course." She pursed her lips and blew out a hard breath. "It's a long, drawn out process without a foreseeable end."

  "Which is why you're enthusiastic about this calendar project," Cory concluded. Was enthusiastic really the right word?

  You're perfect. He remembered the way she'd said those words to him, the slow appraising way her gaze had slid down his body, Christ, the way she'd been staring at his crotch when she thought he wasn't looking. No, enthusiastic was not the word he would use to describe that. Sultry, wicked, amazingly hot, were far better choice adjectives.

  "You got it in one." She shot him a smile, but it seemed forced around the edges. "At least in part. My own loss isn't the only reason I want to do the calendar. There are so many people around here who lost far more than I did. Elderly people who can't do for themselves, disabled people, young people, families with children, many of them now without homes, jobs, any money at all to start rebuilding their lives. And the worst of it is, a lot of them didn't even have insurance."

  Sadly, she was right. Dozens of homeowners barely made it by with the minimum insurance required by the state and loan institutions. That was to say nothing of the families who rented rather than owned. Few ever worried about renter’s insurance until the day they lost everything. He'd seen it happen far too often. A fire, a tornado, a hurricane and everything was gone in a blink.

  "FEMA, the Red Cross and other organizations, they'll do what they can, but it won't be enough. It's never enough. And what about those who don't qualify? All the rules, the regulations and loop holes, most are set up to protect the system. I understand that. But in protecting the system, a lot of people in need get left out, overlooked, or denied. Something has to be done to help those people, too."

  "And putting together this calendar, distributing the proceeds in a way the other charities and organizations don't is a way to reach them." He'd been wrong, Cory realized, enthusiastic was the better word choice. Her little rant, the vehemence in her voice as she spoke of something she obviously believed aroused him more than any look she'd given him.

  Cory glanced at her. Were those tears glistening in her eyes? Talk about being emotionally involved in her work. He started to reach for her, to feed this growing need within him to touch and comfort, but Sunshine picked that moment to find something interesting in the patch of grass off the sidewalk. The dog lunged for it, yanking on the leash and damned near choking herself in the process. It made him think of the dog's mistress and the jalapeno incident and he smiled.

  He let Sunshine lead him into the grass. When the dog finally stopped to nose at whatever it was she'd found, he turned to see Rayne still back on the sidewalk. She'd pulled her hands out of her pockets in favor of folding them just below her breasts. She stood with one foot slightly out, her hips cocked, head angled, and looking at him. Even with the distance, he saw that wicked gleam in her now seemingly dry eyes again, and his cock flexed in involuntary response.

  What was she thinking when she stared at him that way? Did she see how he would look decked in his uniform for a calendar spread? Or did she see how he would look sprawled naked on her bedspread?

  Make that his bedspread, because thinking of either of them in her bed just seemed too weird, considering her bed was currently in his lieutenant's spare bedroom. Permission or not, he simply couldn't go there.

  "Why Sunshine?"

  Puzzlement crossed her expression. "Why what Sunshine?"

  He shot a pointed glance at the dog. "She's black. I'm assuming she's a she. Yet, you named her Sunshine. I wondered why."

  "I left town for the hurricane, evacuated north. When I returned, the first few days were dreary. The hurricane had ended, sure, but there was all this destruction everywhere you looked and the sky seemed to be stuck in this perpetual shade of gray. I went over to what remained of my house, hoping to see what I could salvage. I was walking around the corner when the sun finally peeked between the clouds." She gave a low chuckle remembering. "I said something like, well, hello sunshine, and this little dog came ambling to my feet."

  "That would be this little dog, I take it." Cory smiled at Sunshine as she found a spot to do her business and squatted.

  "I tried to find her owner, but she didn't have a dog tag or a microchip. I kept her."

  "And named her Sunshine. I love it." Cory smiled, feeling himself already half in love with this woman stupidly because she'd kept a stray dog and gave it a bright name. “I’ll do it." The puzzlement in her expression gave way to confusion and, oh man, was that actually arousal, and he clarified, "The calendar. I'll do it. You know, provided the captain approves it."

  She beamed at him. It was fascinating to watch. Her whole face simply lit up, the daylight cutting through the rain. The smile that spread her lips planted images in his mind he didn't need to see right now.

  The calendar, it was obvious that's what she'd been thinking when she looked at him that way. She hadn't been picturing him in her bed or anyone else's for that matter. Unless of course, that was the setting she planned for his pose. God, he hoped not.

  The woman proved harder to read than a book written in German, backward! He'd met her mere hours ago and for much of that time, he'd been completely uncertain about what was on her mind. One second he felt absolutely positive she was as attracted to him as he was to her and the next he knew without a doubt she only wanted him for her calendar.

  Like now, for instance. No way could he misconstrue the happiness on her face to be from anything other than his agreement to be in her calendar. Any other fantasies he might have entertained with or without Max's permission were totally irrelevant.

  "Oh, this is great! You're going to be great!" She all but jumped up and down and Cory squashed the bug of heated desire to show her just how great he could be. She didn't mean it the way his mind and yeah, his cock, wanted her to. Just like her perfect comment. He was perfect, great but only for the calendar. Didn't it figure?

  Back on the grass, Sunshine jerked at the leash, drawing his attention j
ust as she decided to go for another squat. This one was likely the quickest squat in history and in a flash, the dog returned to his side looking up at him as if to say, "All done now. We can go home."

  Once again, Cory let the dog take the lead as she pranced back to her mistress, brushed against Rayne's leg—apparently Sunshine was having a cuddly kitty cat moment—then started strutting back down the sidewalk.

  "I really appreciate you doing this," Rayne went on when he joined her on the walk. They followed Sunshine back to the apartment building. "I hope the rest of the guys are easily convinced."

  Cory doubted they would be. Sure, a couple of the guys on B shift would be all gung ho for the idea. Ryan Magee sprang to mind. The former SEAL might be off the eligible market now, but the women still drooled at his feet. He stopped playing the field when Tina Walker latched onto him, but the man still ate up the attention. Kyle Shannon would probably be eager to take part, too. One of the youngest on shift and Joe average in every sense of the word, he'd no doubt find the prospect of modeling for a hunks calendar flattering. As for the rest of the guys, he wasn't so sure.

  "When is your birthday?"

  His what? Cory looked at her. Just when he thought he had her figured out, she threw him another curve ball. "June 15. Why? Already planning my birthday party?" He could give her a few ideas. Her in red lace and high heels would be a good start. She would have to stop fighting her attraction to him before that would happen.

  Holy shit, Batman, that was it! The realization hit him with all the force of a batarang and he nearly stumbled from the blow. She was attracted to him. Those looks and innuendos and entendres, while not necessarily always intentional, weren't simply because she wanted him for the calendar. She wanted him for her!

  "I had you pegged for January," Rayne told him. "Your eyes, they're such a pretty winter green."

  "Pretty?" He winced. She laughed and touched his arm. It was a light, playful touch, but the contact sent slivers of electrified awareness splintering through him.