Out of the Frying Pan
Fearless 7
Julia Talbot
Genre: Gay romance, action adventure
Publisher: All Romance
Date of Publication: July 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-945193-22-4
Word Count: 20000
Cover Artist: Erin Dameron Hill
Book Description:
Trust comes at a price.
Jenson Parkinson can't believe it when Sloane Marlen shows up at his Colorado mountain fire station. They were lovers years ago, until Sloane broke Jenson's trust, and his heart.
Sloane knows he's not guilty of the misdeeds Jenson believes he committed, but he never figured out how to convince Jenson. Or how to get over him. Can Sloane grab this second chance with both hands and teach Jenson he's worthy of trust... and love?
Excerpt:
“The training
session will start tomorrow morning at nine AM.” Jenson looked at his guys,
some of them volunteer, a few career, and gave them the stern eye. “I know we
all have jobs to do, but they’re expecting a wildfire season like no other this
year thanks to the drought, and the Forestry Service wants all able bodied
personnel to be able to dig firelines, offer support to hot shots and
smokejumpers, and know how not to die.”
They all
murmured, but no one argued. Carroll, Colorado was big enough to have a
permanent fire crew only because of the ski areas that surrounded it, the
population transient but relatively wealthy. Their very existence in this Rocky
Mountain paradise was predicated on the fact that people had expensive homes
and vacation rentals which they’d never let burn down. Jenson frickin’ loved
his life. He didn’t want to have to move back to Denver or Boulder or
someplace.
“They’re sending
several scientists who should help map possible fire routing and containment,
as well as two of their lead trainers in hot shots and smokejumping. In
addition to our regular duties, we’ll be giving full attention and support to
the training team so that we can deploy and offer assistance during the
wildfire season. Clear?”
His men and
women all nodded, and Jenson gave them all a tight smile. “Good deal.
Assignments have been posted for the new shifts. See Josh for all the deets.”
Jenson left the meeting room, ready to get on with his day as best he could. He
had to get the station ready for the influx of personnel he was about to have,
not just the trainers but the firefighters from other small towns around the
area. He knew it was a coup for the mayor that Carroll was chosen for this big
get together of high mucky mucks, but really, all he knew was he was going to
be handing out coffee and doughnuts to a bunch of assholes who did a lot of
dick measuring and making a mess in his territory.
“You ready for
this, Cap?” Carson Diets asked. Carson was a Forestry guy, and he worked
closely with the Carroll department to keep their area clear and keep the
campers educated.
“No.” He winked,
though, trying for light and happy. “If I get through this without losing my
shit we’ll all be grateful. It’s good for the guys, though, right? Trading
ideas and shit.”
“Yep.” Carson
stepped close and lowered his voice. “There are a couple of real big names in
the biz coming, Jenson. Just be diplomatic, huh?”
“Don’t make you
look bad, is that what you’re saying?” He grimaced. “Come on, man, I got your
back. You know that.”
“I do know
that.” Carson clapped him on the back. “I also know you have a reputation for
ruling this place with an iron fist and being pissy when someone invades your
territory.”
“Well, I’ll try
to be all sweetness and light. I don’t suppose you have a roster of who’s
coming so I can prepare myself?”
“I do.” Carson
pulled out his phone. “I’ll email it to you.”
“Great. Thanks.”
His head started to throb, his temples tight and his neck freezing up. Lord. He
needed more coffee before he could deal with this shit. His phone chimed, an
email popping up from Carson when he looked at his notifications. Jenson walked
into his office and set up his K-Cup coffee maker for a hazelnut cream latte.
That was his one luxury, because he was from Boulder, dammit. He loathed the
Folgers sludge the other guys seemed to adore so much.
He sat at his
desk and opened the email, a forward of an interdepartmental memo. When he read
the list of presenters, Jenson’s eyes widened. Oh, Jesus fuck. No way. He tried
to blink away the name he’d just read, but when he opened his eyes it was still
there.
Sloane Marlen.
Jenson leaned
back in his chair, letting his head thunk against the backrest. He hadn’t seen
Sloane since they were probies, and he really never wanted to see the bastard
again.
There wasn’t
enough coffee on earth to make this shitty day better now. Jenson was never
gonna make it through tomorrow.
About the Author:
Julia Talbot lives in the great Southwest, where there is hot and cold running rodeo, cowboys, and everything from meat and potatoes to the best Tex-Mex. A full time author, Julia has been published by Samhain Publishing, Dreamspinner Press, All Romance eBooks and Changeling Press. She believes in stories that leave a mark, and that everyone deserves a happy ending, so she writes about love without limits, where boys love boys, girls love girls, and boys and girls get together to get wild, especially when her crazy paranormal characters are involved. Find Julia at @juliatalbot on Twitter.
For more information on other books by Julia, please visit her official website:
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