Crashed Read online

  CRASHED

  Dawn Robertson

  One Thing Emily Taylor has always longed for is a happily ever after. After a series of losses, betrayals, and a few crap-tastic dating experiences, she has settled into a simple life which includes little more than her cat, work, and a foul-mouthed best friend. Then, she meets Avery....

  Avery Martin is a simple man, a country boy at heart who is working at his dream job as a fireman. When he responds to a nasty car accident, he is immediately taken with the petite blonde he finds pinned in the wreckage. Crossing professional lines, he strikes up a friendship with her.

  But can they settle for friendship when their forever is staring them in the face?

  Or will an ex with a vendetta drive them apart?

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

  Copyright © 2013 Dawn Robertson

  All rights reserved.

  http://eroticadawn.com

  Published by Beau Coup Publishing – http://beaucoupllc.com

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  Prologue

  After all the company backed up and headed home, and the trays of mourning casseroles found their way into the trash, Emily Taylor sat on the back deck of her childhood home overlooking the massive Atlantic Ocean, taking in the chaotic nature of the waves crashing on the shoreline. Her life had been turned upside down a week ago when her parents were killed in a car accident. Even though she had her sister, Jared and Becca, losing her parents was a huge blow. Looking out at the far horizon, she felt so alone, as if there wasn’t a single soul in the world to comfort her.

  Jared Hart passed through the sliding glass doors of his girlfriend home, only to come to a stop next to her on the back deck. He watched her eerie peace in silence, regretting every minute of the past week. Despite his love and devotion for the tiny blonde firecracker, he knew their relationship had no chance of a future.

  Shaking his head, he knelt and took her small shaking hand in his and kissed the palm. “Ems, we gotta talk.” His words were soft and low. Emily barely heard them over the loud crashes of the choppy waves. Her sad face turned to the side, taking in the deep dark eyes she’d fallen in love with two years earlier.

  “This isn’t workin’ out anymore, Ems. I was going to do this before the accident, but I just can’t pretend anymore. You’ll be better off without me.” A tear pooled in the corner of her downcast blue eyes, which were normally so vibrant and full of life. Part of him wanted to wipe that tear away. Just seeing it brought a lump to his throat. Jared rose, dropping her hand, and turned for the door. The silent condemnation in her gaze hurt, but he knew he deserved it for what he’d done. “Two years. Two fuckin’ years, Jared, and that’s all I get?” Her words stopped him, but only for a quick moment. Before Emily knew it, Jared Hart walked around the corner of her house and out of her life. What kind of man abandoned her when she needed him the most?

  It’s okay. I don’t need him. She thought to herself as she walked directly for the surf. Step-by-step the salty water of the Atlantic washed away the memories while soaking her fully clothed body.

  “Till we meet again, Mom and Dad,” she cried as she sank down to her knees and cried into the waves.

  Chapter One

  What’s the Buzz?

  A strong hand caressed the side of Emily Taylor’s soft breast as she bit her lower lip and let out a soft moan of appreciation. His perfect mouth kissed every inch of her sun-kissed stomach, making his way to her heated core. His soft blue eyes looked up and locked with hers just as a buzz snapped Emily Taylor out of her deep slumber.

  Dammit. She thought as she pined over the loss of her dreamland love. The dry spell in her love life certainly was beginning to get to her.

  Leaning over, she hit the snooze button and slowly blinked her eyes open to examine the time. Eight-fifteen. Crap! Late already! She jumped out of the bed, disturbing Flip, her tabby cat, who was snuggled comfortably on her feet. Sliding her closet door open, she examined her plethora of work appropriate attire. A skirt or dress would require a shower and shaving her legs, neither of which she had enough time for. She quickly grabbed a pink top and black dress slacks, then ran for the bathroom.

  Looking in the mirror, she examined her chin length blonde hair. Running a brush through it, she pulled a petite silver glittery bobby pin from the vanity drawer and arranged her bangs to the side. This would have to do until tonight when she actually had time for a shower.

  She brushed her teeth, rolled on deodorant and got dressed as quickly as she could before applying some light makeup and making her way for the door. Son of a monkey’s uncle, fifteen minutes till I have to be in a meeting. Grabbing her keys and purse off the counter, she slammed the door, only turning back to make sure it was locked.

  “Morning, Emily!” an older dark haired man said while walking toward her apartment door.

  “Good Morning, Kevin, late for work!” Em replied, while jogging toward her white Volkswagen Beetle parked at the curb in her assigned spot. She fumbled with her keys, dropping them onto the ground. Bending over, she picked them up, trying to unlock the car once again.

  “Damn it all!” she said while climbing into the driver seat and throwing her purse on the passenger seat. Ten minutes. Please, please, please, let there be no traffic!

  She quickly backed out of her space and headed toward the main road in front of her complex. Barely stopping at the stop sign, she looked both ways before pulling out in the direction of work. If there was something Emily was always careful with, it was driving. After losing both of her parents in a car accident just two years earlier, she had become paranoid.

  She pulled into the left turning lane, and waited for the traffic signal to cue it was finally her turn. Turning on the radio, she caught one of her all-time favorite songs, Anything but Mine by Kenny Chesney. She hummed along with the song, chiming in occasionally with the words.

  Her mind flashed back to Jared. He’d always told her everything a girl wanted to hear. But the moment the world crashed down around her when her parents’ lives were ended, he walked away like she meant nothing to him. It hadn’t hurt her much at the time, not compared to the heartbreak she was feeling over her loss, but after everything had quieted down and when the loneliness set it, the heartache became fresh.

  The light changed, snapping her out of the daydream which had occupied the longer than usual wait, thanks to the cross walk. Her thoughts ran to the five minutes she had before she would be late and have to deal with her boss Mark Robertson. Overall, he was a nice guy, but had the occasional douche-bag streak in him which was often spurred, as you guessed it...by late employees.

  After checking all directions, she slowly made the corner at the intersection. Her turn was almost complete, when in her peripheral vision she noted a speeding silver pickup truck blow through the red light on the opposite side of the intersection, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. It happened so fast. The pickup slammed into the side of her petite car, tossing it like a rag doll. Metal crashed and crunched all around her. Her body was tossed about, her head jostled around, smacking hard against the side window and again on the headrest of the seat. Adrenaline shot through her vein
s as the car finally came to a stop after a final roll on its side, with the driver’s door on the bottom against the hot pavement, trapping her. As Emily panicked realizing exactly what was happening around her, she slowly faded out of consciousness.

  ***

  Avery Martin sat in the back of Tac 5, responding to yet another car accident at the corner of International and Atlantic. This particular intersection was nothing short of a nightmare at rush hour. Car accidents happened daily. But from the sound of this one, it was worse than the average fender bender.

  Pulling up on the scene, he could see a small white car on its side. Shaking his head in disgust, he wondered why people chose to drive such small, dangerous cars. They were an accident waiting to happen. Avery jumped out, placing his lid on his head and examining the scene before him. Looking through the windshield of the car, he noticed a woman trapped inside. “We got a victim trapped,” he yelled back to all the emergency personnel arriving on the scene. “Let’s stabilize this vehicle and get the Jaws of Life out and ready to move.”

  He went to work without a second thought. Approaching the vehicle, he cleared a small portion of the broken windshield away to try and talk with the poor woman stuck inside the car. He swept a portion of the glass to one side with his gloved hand. Dammit, she’s unconscious, he thought while the rest of the men worked quickly around him. Carefully pulling back piece by piece of the car to free her, he saw she lay suspended by her seat belt with a large cut across her forehead.

  “Get a backboard and neck brace ready. I’m going in to pull her out,” and like that he went to work, climbing into the barely stable vehicle. First he cut away her seat belt, and then moved her slowly.

  As if she was being jolted out of a bad dream, Emily woke up. Her body tensed up in the arms of a strange man. She shook her head and slowly moved her hand up to feel her injured forehead.

  “What the hell happened to me? Where am I?” She was barely able to speak, shaking uncontrollably against Avery’s chest.

  “You were in a car accident. I am Firefighter Martin. You have a cut to the forehead, and you lost consciousness. We’re transporting you to the hospital as soon as possible.”

  A car accident? Emily groaned as she tried to move. Her entire body throbbed with pain, especially her head.

  “Please, try not to move too much until we can get you in the ambulance and check you out. We’re going to take you right down the road to Halifax Medical Center...” he trailed off while lifting her up and placing her gently onto the waiting gurney.

  “I’m going to be late for work. I am already late for work,” she mumbled with concern. I am going to be in so much trouble with Mark, was all she could think as they packed her into the back of the ambulance.

  Another Firefighter chimed in, “Honey, work should be the last thing on your mind. Your car was just crushed like a potato chip by that asshole,” Avery continued, checking her vital signs. “Just relax and we’ll get you all checked out, and take care of contacting your work. What’s your name?” the attentive fireman questioned.

  “Emily, Emily Taylor. I think?”

  Emily lay there half dazed, watching this stunningly gorgeous man take care of her. If she’d known the firemen in Daytona Beach were this sexy, she would have lit her house on fire long ago. Firefighter Martin was one of those ruggedly good looking men. His dirty blond hair was short on the sides, but slightly longer on the top once he removed his helmet. She could see his hair was tousled and sexy and she had the inexplicable urge to run her fingers through it. He had the most gorgeous green eyes she suspected would sparkle if they weren’t clouded with concern and concentration on his job. His lips were full and looked absolutely delicious. She could imagine kissing them all night long. When he started to speak once again, she saw the flash of a metal barbell in his mouth.

  “We’re almost there. It looks like you’re going to be okay. A couple stitches in that nasty cut and you might be able to go home.” A soft smile spread across his face. Confusion started to settle over her once again like a thick fog she just couldn’t shake.

  ***

  It had been a long time since Avery had been so attentive to a patient. Normally he was all business, getting his job done and moving on to the next assignment. But the woman he’d just pulled out of her crushed car seemed different. Or at least she was different to him.

  “You see the tits on that one Martin?” Tom said while walking across the bay of the fire house.

  “Um, not really. I was doing my job, not trying to pick up the newest damsel in distress, dude.” Avery continued cleaning his gear in between calls. If he was being honest with himself, he would have admitted he not only noticed her amazing tits, but had felt them as well, when he’d held her close as he pulled her petite body from her totaled car.

  Her perfect blonde hair had caught his attention, and when her eyes opened meeting his, he swore they were as blue as the ocean. They were absolutely stunning. She’d mesmerized him, considering the women in his life were usually dark. Dark hair, dark eyes, dark secrets; which is why he was single and simply avoiding the opposite sex as much as possible. Avery couldn’t dwell on Emily, though. In a city of sixty something thousand there was no way he would ever see her again. Nor should he risk his job to chase her down at the hospital when he got off his shift in two hours. Though, he had to say, the idea certainly appealed to him.

  Chapter Two

  It’s a Blast from the Past

  Emily lay in her hospital bed thumbing away at her iPhone, trying to remember even the littlest bit of her life before the accident. The hit she’d taken to the head had certainly done a bit of damage, but the doctors insisted it would be nothing permanent. She worried they weren’t right about her lapse in memory.

  Her hospital room door slowly crept open, setting off a horrific screeching sound. The noise had annoyed the heck out of her during the past week in the hospital. She stared at the doorway as two firemen in black Dickies pants with pressed navy blue work shirts on, walked inside to stand at the end of her bed. One man looked familiar, with dirty blond hair and a small smile on his face. The other man appeared to be older by maybe a decade with dark brown hair, sporting a mustache.

  Emily pulled the scratchy white cotton hospital blanket upward, covering her exposed body in an attempt to be modest in front of the strangers. Quietly she spoke, “Hello, is there something I can do for you?”

  The older gentleman spoke with a serious demeanor, “I am Captain Sullivan, and this is Firefighter Martin. We were both on scene at your accident last Monday. Firefighter Martin pulled you from your vehicle and transported you here to the hospital.” He motioned toward the blond man who was approaching her bedside with a worried look on his face. Slowly, he reached his hand out in greeting.

  Hesitantly, Emily extended her hand, the hospital identification band slowly sliding down her arm. Her cold fingers met his warm, strong, callused palm. For a moment she could clearly remember him, lying in his arms as he moved her into the back of the ambulance just days earlier. But his touch ignited more than just her memory. Her insides flamed with lust for the man standing before her.

  Her body flushed and her heartbeat started to race as he slowly pulled his hand away. “I remember Firefighter Martin, actually. Vaguely, but I do remember his face,” she said, batting her eyelashes and looking up into his beautiful green eyes. “Is there something I can help you gentlemen with, today?” Emily asked with curiosity. It had been a little over a week, and only a police detective had visited her with information of the man who hit her that morning.

  “We just wanted to check in on you. We were worried and concerned you were still in the hospital. Nothing more, Miss Taylor,” Avery spoke, slowly stepping back toward Captain Sullivan.

  “It isn’t often an accident like the one you experienced turns into such a long hospital stay. We were both worried since we transported you that morning,” the superior said with a father-like concern she hadn’t seen since lo
sing her own dad.

  “Well, I appreciate it guys, seriously. I should be able to go home within the next day or so. I have some mild memory loss, but it must be getting better if I remembered you,” Emily spoke while looking at Avery.

  Her angelic like expressions tugged on his softer side. “That’s great to hear.” A smile spread across Avery’s face as he tried to remain professional in the presence of his superior. “If you need anything at all, please contact us,” he continued, handing her a small piece of paper with names and phone numbers scribbled on it. The two men turned to walk out of the room in unison. Just as Avery reached the doorway Emily called out to him.

  “Firefighter Martin!”

  He turned to the Captain, waving him on. “I’ll catch up in a minute.” Going back into the hospital room, he asked, “What can I do for you, Miss Taylor?”

  Emily wondered if she should even consider making a move on this gorgeous man. But the magnetic pull she felt toward him was just too strong to ignore. If he wasn’t interested, he would surely politely decline. It was now or never. “Call me Emily, please. I hate being called anything formal when I’m not at work.” She let out a small laugh, the first since her accident. “I was wondering if you could come back and visit, when you’re not on the clock?”

  Avery’s emerald eyes flashed a tender expression as he slowly moved closer to where she lay, pulling out the uncomfortable hospital chair at her bedside. Flashing a pearly white smile, he sat and reached out to touch her hand, comforting her with his electric touch. “Of course, Emily. Anything you would like. Just tell me when.”

  “Maybe later on tonight? I get lonely after everyone leaves for the day. I wish I could just go home really.” She started fidgeting nervously with her free hand, pulling at small balls of lint on the hospital blanket. His response had taken her by surprise; surely someone so beautiful would have a girlfriend in the wings. Just as she thought about retracting her previous request, Avery spoke again.