Rescue Me (Book 2)

Derrick is a firefighter with a deep-seated connection to his job—it's in his blood. After a devastating loss, he becomes emotionally closed off, vowing never to let love bring him pain again. Seeking a fresh start in a quiet northern town, he encounters a beautiful woman who challenges every emotional barrier he's built.

Halee, a full-blooded dragon shifter, is an anomaly among her kind. Her elder brother pressures her to choose a mate, leaving her torn between loyalty and desire. To escape her impending fate, she shares a passionate night with a stranger named Derrick, hoping to forget her responsibilities. However, fate has other plans, as Derrick turns out to be the new recruit at the fire station where Halee's loyalties lie.

Both seeking an escape, Derrick and Halee find themselves drawn to each other in a way they never anticipated. Every encounter ignites a powerful passion neither knew existed. When a new fire strikes, Derrick faces an agonizing choice: break his vow to protect Halee or walk away from her forever.

Two years later

Halee propped her boots on her brother’s desk as she inspected her nails.

“Do you think it wise to keep putting Mason off?” Kadin asked, his brow lifted high.

She couldn’t stop the roll of her eyes. “I wish you would stop trying to involve yourself in my love life.”

Kadin tossed his pen and it bounced across the expanse of his wooden desk. He focused blue eyes that reminded her of glacial ice straight at her. “How many times do we have to have this conversation?”

Halee’s left eye twitched. She loved her brother but so help her... “We’d never have to if you’d just let me live my own life.”

He grunted. “Our species––”

She held up her hand. “Needs you, Halee. Yada, yada.” She crossed her arms. “Spare me, please.”

Kadin rose and leaned over his desk, palms flat on the dark surface. “I’ll spare you nothing. Mason is a good man and you need to get these silly ideas of love out of your head. You’re a full-blooded shifter, and I don’t have to tell you how rare that is. We need more shifter females, and mating with one of your own will guarantee that.”

Halee pushed from her seat so fast the chair scooted across the room. “Then why don’t you settle down and find a mate?” Even though she already knew the answer to that.

“If there were more full-bloods, I would consider it.”

“You can mate with a human. With our family’s DNA, you stand a good chance of having full-blooded daughters.” After all, their mother was human and had born two boys then Halee, before she had the youngest of the Murphy children. Isabella, their baby sister, was human.  

He simply glared at her. “I’ve no desire to mate with a human.”

“You’re such a fucking hypocrite. Human women are good enough to wet your dick, but nothing more?” She uncurled her fingers trying to relax, or she was going to punch her brother in the throat. “Our mother is human.”

“I know damn well what mother is and I love her. A human.”

Counting to ten, Halee reminded herself that her eldest brother wasn’t a bad person. He did love their mother and worshipped the ground she walked on. Kadin was simply stuck in the same ancient thinking many males of her species had held for the past thousand years. There had been a time when an illness had spread like a plague and killed almost all of their females. Being resourceful, the men soon realized they could mate with human women and produce offspring. Granted, the females born were usually human or halflings. Babies like Halee came along... Well, only one other full-blooded female had been born since the plague, and she had died giving birth to an over-sized baby boy.

How could Halee walk away from her people? But she didn’t want to simply be someone’s mate. She wanted love. Acceptance for who she was and not what. Could she find it with one of her own? Doubtful. Men had been fighting over her hand in marriage since she was a young girl, but none of them loved her. She was an end to a means, so they could beat their chests and claim their seed produced a shifter daughter.

“My shift’s over. I’ll see you in a couple of days.” She didn’t bother to wait for his reply but headed out the door. Inhaling the pine-scented air of her beloved Minnesota, she made a snap decision. She’d be going out of town for a few days. The urge to throw caution to the wind and do something outside her comfort zone overwhelmed her. For once in her life, she wanted a man to want her for what she was. A sexy woman. 

* * *

Derrick stretched his neck as he exited the highway. Except for gas and piss stops, he’d been driving for ten hours straight. Time to stop and relax for the evening. A Hyatt loomed in the distance so, he decided to splurge on a little luxury. Besides, they would have a bar and restaurant. He liked one-stop shopping, and the thought of getting out of this truck for several hours was beyond appealing.

Pulling into the lot, he located a spot close to the front and parked. He hopped from his truck and reached into the backseat to grab his overnight bag. A change of clothes and a toothbrush was all a guy needed. Once inside, it took him all of ten minutes to check in. 

As the clerk handed him his credit card along with a smile, she asked, “Is this your first time in Iowa?”

“Yep, passing through on my way to Minnesota.”

“I hope you enjoy your stay. Here’s a coupon for a free appetizer with dinner.”

“Thanks.” He gave a nod, picked up his bag, and headed for the elevators. Moments later, he was on the sixth floor and sprawled across his bed. Damn, but the mattress felt good against his aching back. However, the growling beast in his stomach forced him up and to the shower. He’d feel better after he washed the road grime off his skin, fed his stomach, and had a beer or two.

A medium-rare steak and baked potato later, Derrick was full and ready for that beer. After paying, he headed to the nightclub at the back of the hotel.

Music filled the room but not so loud as to be a distraction. The wooden boards creaked under Derrick’s boots as he made his way to the last open stool at the bar. The only thing he wanted now was a cold beer sliding across his tongue, and this looked like a great place to let loose and wash the dust from the back of his throat. As he slid onto his stool and caught sight of a well-toned calf that led up to a creamy thigh, he knew he was going to enjoy the view.

“Evenin’.” His salutation to the female seated next to him was greeted with a warm smile that reached wide brown eyes. Damn, the woman was every man’s wet dream and then some. Her round eyes held innocence, but those lips. They spoke of whispered promises, seductive kisses, and moans of pleasure.

“Hello.” She tilted her head; her long dark hair tumbled across a bare shoulder. “You’re not from here.”

He chuckled. “What was your first clue?”

“I detect a southern twang. It’s cute.”

So, she thought his accent cute? He could deal. The bartender arrived, waiting to take his order. Derrick studied the near empty glass in front of the exquisite female next to him. “What are you drinking?”

“Summer ale.”

Not his usual, but what the hell. What was the saying? While in Rome? He turned to the man behind the bar. “We’ll have two if you please.”

“Coming up.” The bartender stepped away, and Derrick brought his attention back to the vision of beauty next to him.

“Name’s Derrick, and yes, I hail from the south.”

Her lips curled into a dreamy grin. “Halee, and thanks for the beer.” She stuck out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Derrick from the south.” Her laugh was contagious.

Damn, he loved how his name rolled off her tongue and suddenly had the urge to hear more of it as she screamed it in the throes of passion. He shook those thoughts from his head and accepted her slim fingers. He wasn’t here to pick anyone up, though it had been a long dry spell by his own choosing of course. After the fire that changed his life, Derrick had taken himself off the market. Relationships were not on his agenda, but then again, neither were one-night stands. It had been easier to go celibate. Now he questioned his sanity. The growing pressure behind his zipper said it was definitely time to break his fast.

“Nice to meet you, Halee. Pretty name.”

“Thanks. So, business or pleasure?” 

“Excuse me?” he asked.

“Are you traveling for business or pleasure?”

Their beers arrived, and he took a long swig, the hint of lemon and hops cooling his throat. “Pleasure.” No reason to tell her he had packed up his entire life and shoved it into a U-Haul. “You?”

“Business, but I’m not adverse to pleasure.”

He scanned her left hand. Nothing and no indication she had been wearing a ring and taken it off. “What do you like to do for...pleasure, Halee?”

She wet her lips and slid her hand along her thigh, resting it on the edge of her short denim skirt. He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry again while his pulse skyrocketed. Derrick hadn’t thought about being with a woman in a long time. Now, it was all he could think about. Was he reading the signs correctly? Well he’d just have to rely on his southern charm and the head on his shoulders. The one between his legs wasn’t very bright at the moment.

“Careful darlin’ or a guy might get the wrong impression.”

Her smile turned so seductive it nearly knocked him off his stool. “And what kind of impression would that be?”

“The kind that says you want my tongue between your thighs.” She would either slap him or continue the flirtation.

She shuddered then sipped her beer, her pink tongue darting out to lick a speck of foam from her lips. He bit back a moan and settled into his stool. This was going to be an intoxicating evening in more ways than one.

* * *

Halee had come to the Hyatt to try and forget. A dart thrown at a map and here she was in the middle of bum-fuck Iowa. No one knew her and that was the way she liked it. An unknown beautiful female. Human in every way, or so they thought, and she wasn’t about to correct anyone. Here, she could brush her troubles under the rug. She only wished she could brush her brother under said rug as well. His insistence she mate with one of their own was tiring. Part of her understood. To say she was rare was like saying the Hope diamond was scarce. At least her brother Gaelen encouraged her to follow her heart. Trouble was, she had no idea what the beating thing under her breastbone wanted either. Duty meant everything to her, but there had to be more.

At the moment her thoughts were focused on the guy named Derrick, who had taken the seat next to her. She had started to give up hope of finding what she was looking for, then Mr. Sex-on-a-Stick sauntered in. A strand of chestnut hair swept over his eyes. Blue eyes that a girl could drown in, and dimples that came alive under a dusting of dark whiskers when he smiled... Well, it was enough to swoon a girl into his bed. Couple that with a sexy as hell southern drawl and a body built for sin. She didn’t have to see him naked to know, evidence of hard muscle was packed under a navy tee. The blasted thing was like a second skin. One she wanted to peel off him.

Halee stared into her beer as second thoughts raced through her brain. She was a good girl, so why did she suddenly want to do bad things with the dark-haired stranger next to her? Would it hurt to have one night of passion with this man? There was no mistaking he desired her. The way his pupils dilated said so. He would have no idea what she was. The human males who did know only wanted her because they could brag about bedding a shifter. She meant nothing to them either. Was her need to be desired as a woman wrong?

“Tell me, Derrick.” Growing bolder.  “Married? Girlfriend?” No going back now.

His blue eyes shimmered like the Caribbean Sea. “Nope. Been a dry spell for some time now.” He leaned closer. “Why you ask, darlin’?”

Shit! The way he called her darlin’, it made her panties wet. “What do you think about strings?”

“Strings?” His brow arched high and even that was sexy as fucking sin. Was he a tender lover? Or did he like fast and hard? At this point she’d take either.

“You know, the kind that shouldn’t be attached to one night of fun.”

His eyes became hooded. “I’m a man who believes in gettin’ to the point. If you’re wanting to know can I show a woman the time of her life and walk away tomorrow? The answer would be yes.” This time he was bold enough to place his hand on her knee, sending searing heat through her skin. 

“My southern manners always mean a lady’s pleasure comes first.” He brought his lips to her ear. “And I do mean come. Over and over again.”

Her body a sudden pool of searing desire, she bit her lip and stifled a whimper.  Derrick leaned back into his stool, removing his hand from her thigh. And it left her cold. 

“I need someone to make me forget the world for one night.” She wanted to stop thinking and simply feel. “Are you that man?”

“I’ll be whatever you want.” His reply was laced with promise.

She swallowed a lump. Was she really going to do this? “My room or yours?”

He smiled. “Lady’s choice.”

He was letting her set the ground rules. She liked that. “Yours. I’ll not be spending the night, just so you know.”

He tossed cash on the bar and stood, offering her his hand. She slipped her fingers into his and allowed him to help her up. “Stay as long as you like.” Then he led her to the door.