Lifeline

By K.C. Wells

All Charlie had to do was lie there and act wounded.

All Daniel did was pick him up and carry him.

 

Charlie doesn't mind helping out his buddies at the Fire station. It's been seven years since he walked away from the police force to concentrate on being a single dad, but he still drops by to shoot the breeze, shoot some pool… Helping out on their paramedic training day is no big deal.

Until a pair of piercing blue eyes lock on his, and a hunky paramedic firefighter picks up Charlie's 180lbs of dead weight as if he were nothing, then carries him like he's something fragile.

 

Daniel thinks he's seen the last of the cute guy covered in fake blood, so it's a pleasant surprise when they run into each again – and again – and again.

When the supposedly straight ex-cop asks to meet him for coffee, Daniel agrees. And after that, inviting him to Daniel's birthday party is only fair, right?

Charlie asking him to dance though? That was unexpected.

And then one of Daniel's buddies makes a request for a slow dance…

• Language: English
• Publisher: K.C. Wells
• Release date: Apr 22, 2024
• ISBN: 9781916853621

K.C. Wells

K.C. Wells lives on an island off the south coast of the UK, surrounded by natural beauty. She writes about men who love men, and can’t even contemplate a life that doesn’t include writing. The rainbow rose tattoo on her back with the words 'Love is Love' and 'Love Wins' is her way of hoisting a flag. She plans to be writing about men in love - be it sweet and slow, hot or kinky - for a long while to come. If you want to follow her exploits, you can sign up for her monthly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cNKHlT You can stalk – er, find – her in the following places: Email: [e-mail] Facebook: www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld KC’s men In Love (my readers group): http://bit.ly/2hXL6wJ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/K-C-Wells/e/B00AECQ1LQ Twitter: @K_C_Wells Website: www.kcwellswrites.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/k.c.wells BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/k-c-wells

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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.

Lifeline

Copyright © 2021 by K.C. Wells

Cover Art by Meredith Russell

Cover photo by Furious Fotog

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Cover content is being used for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.

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The trademarked products mentioned in this book are the property of their respective owners and are recognized as such.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law.

All Charlie had to do was lie there and act wounded.

All Daniel did was pick him up and carry him.

––––––––

Charlie doesn’t mind helping out his buddies at the Fire station. It’s been seven years since he walked away from the police force to concentrate on being a single dad, but he still drops by to shoot the breeze, shoot some pool... Helping out on their paramedic training day is no big deal.

Until a pair of piercing blue eyes lock on his, and a hunky paramedic firefighter picks up Charlie’s 180lbs of dead weight as if he were nothing, then carries him like he’s something fragile.

––––––––

Daniel thinks he’s seen the last of the cute guy covered in fake blood, so it’s a pleasant surprise when they run into each again – and again – and again.

When the supposedly straight ex-cop asks to meet him for coffee, Daniel agrees. And after that, inviting him to Daniel’s birthday party is only fair, right?

Charlie asking him to dance though? That was unexpected.

And then one of Daniel’s buddies makes a request for a slow dance...

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

THANK YOU

CONTACT KC

ALSO BY K.C. WELLS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chapter One

Charlie

Just when I thought I had everything figured out...

When I was seventeen, I knew exactly how I wanted my life to go. I had it all mapped out. I was going to be a cop. And I was—for all of five minutes.

Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration. I worked my ass off for two years getting my degree from the technical college, and I applied for the police academy when I was twenty. I passed the physical, the written exams, my background check came up clean... I was on my way. Nothing could stop me.

Well, nothing except one night of too much booze.

I had no excuses. I wasn’t some jerk of a teenager, getting drunk at a party and ending up in bed with my BFF. No, I was some jerk of a twenty-six-year-old, getting drunk at a party, and ending up in bed with my BFF. It was a train crash caused by bad timing. Neither of us had been lucky in love, both of us had been too damn long without... well, you know... And talk about regrets...

Sleeping with your best friend can put a real strain on a relationship.

Then three months later, Kara broke the bad news. Of course, I did the decent thing—I proposed, she said yes, and there I was, a married cop. We got us a house two streets from the Milwaukee police department, District 6, and then Tommy came along.

My granddad used to say plans were written in sand at low tide—yeah, he was a sailor, what gave it away? I guess I missed that one, because I thought that was it, a done deal. I was going to be a cop with a wife and a kid, and Tommy was my world.

Then that world blew up.

The short version? Kara ended up checking herself into a hospital, and then it seemed as if we met with a bajillion doctors, each with their own theory why she was depressed. She once confided in me that she thought of suicide on occasion, just to get the pain to stop. Tommy was ten months old when Kara decided she needed the help and moved out. He was a year and a few months when the divorce was finalized. She wasn’t in a position to be responsible for someone else, and I understood that. She wasn’t a bad person, she just couldn’t cope.

The sand shifted again, and I quit the police force. I wanted Tommy to have one parent who was devoted to him, so I did some training, and became a systems analyst. What do you know, that Communications degree came in handy after all.

So there I was, thirty-five, with an eight-year-old son, and working from home. My life was pretty well mapped out again. And maybe when Tommy reached his twenties, I’d think about dating. Yeah, it was kinda low on my list of priorities.

Guess what? That shifting sand got me again, and I never saw it coming.

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It wouldn’t be a typical day without Delia stopping by to drink—okay, share—my morning coffee. I swore klaxons went off in her house next door when I so much as turned on the coffee pot. Not that I minded. She’d been a wonderful neighbor ever since we moved in. Tommy adored her, which was just as well, seeing as she’d been his sitter on more than a few occasions.

That fateful day was no different. She walked into my kitchen—the back door was always unlocked in the morning because duh, there was coffee—and grabbed a cup from the cabinet. I was sitting at the island, reading the news on my phone. Tommy was still asleep but not for long. It was already seven o’clock, and we had to be out of there by eight-fifteen to get him to school on time. Tommy was not one of those kids who bounced out of bed every morning, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

The only things around there with tails remotely bushy were Pip and Squeak, his sugar gliders, and they were asleep too, curled up in the nest they’d made from small scraps of material and strips of newspaper. It had taken me a few weeks to get Tommy not to wake them up in the morning: he could play with them when he got home from school.

Delia poured herself some coffee and joined me, taking the stool next to mine. Did you watch the news last night, Charlie?

Nope. I was playing a rousing game of Mario Kart with Tommy. He cheats, by the way.

She gave a gasp of mock surprise. You’ve only just figured that out? Anyway, on the news they were talking about firefighters, cops, and these other groups doing a calendar. She fanned herself with her hand. "Oh my Lord, the hottest men are taking part in it. They showed pictures of a few of them and.... She glanced toward the door to Tommy’s room, then lowered her voice. I had to change my panties."

I snorted. If you think that’s gonna gross me out, you’re wrong. Just because I’m divorced doesn’t mean I don’t know about those things.

Man of the world, huh?

I grinned. Plus, I’ve dealt with all manner of... excretions from Tommy, so yeah. Sorry.

Delia waved a dismissive hand. "I’m just saying, a few years ago, you could have been part of this calendar idea."

What the hell?

I glared at her. What do you mean, a few years ago?

She poked me in the stomach like I was the damned Pillsbury Doughboy. A few years, and a few pounds. Working from home has made you a little soft.

Okay, she had me there. Yeah, I get it. Women only go for hard-bodied men. Those of us with the affectionately named dad body don’t stand a chance. I helped myself to another cup. I don’t get what you see in those guys.

She gazed at me with incredulous wide eyes. Did you miss the part where I said they were hot?

I wasn’t done. "And you try having a kid whose favorite meal is chicken tenders and macaroni and cheese, then sit at a computer most of the day, and keep your girlish figure."

She patted her ample tummy. I lost that years ago. I’m okay with being pleasingly plump.

"Oh, I get it. So it’s okay for you, but I should still have my six-pack abs?"

She rolled her eyes. Well, duh. How can we ogle you if you’re not still super-sexy, and have been downgraded to plain sexy?

That made me smile. Okay, you’re forgiven for that part about me being soft.

Delia sipped her coffee. You won’t be a single dad forever.

Stop it. We’ve talked about this.

Aw, but I met this really nice woman the other day. She—

Delia. I gave her a hard stare. If I needed a matchmaker, I’d join one of those dating sites. But who’d want to take on a guy with a kid? Besides, I won’t bring someone into Tommy’s life that might not stay. After Kara left, Tommy... Well, he doesn’t remember much about her. She’ll call on occasion, and he’ll say hi, but it’s like he’s talking to an aunt he never met. There’s no emotion there. I don’t want him getting attached to someone, only to have them go away.

I get that, but it’s not good to be alone. And there might be someone just for you, who’s perfect. But I guess you’ll never know if you don’t put your ass out there and find out. What are you waiting for? Them to come knocking on your door and sweep you off your size fourteens?

No. And they’re thirteens. She stuck her tongue out, and I laughed. How old are you? Maybe that was part of why I liked her so much. For a woman in her fifties, she sure didn’t act like one.

Dad? Tommy stood in the doorway, rubbing his eyes, looking so cute in his PJs with dinosaur skeletons all over the bottoms, and a scary-looking T-Rex on the top.

Morning, buddy. Ready for some breakfast?

His eyes lit up. Lucky Charms?

I groaned internally. That was the last time I let Tommy pick his cereal. He’d only gone for that one because it had unicorns in it. What was it with kids and unicorns? Fine, but when you finish the box, no more Lucky Charms.

Aw, Dad. Tommy stuck out his lower lip.

And don’t you ‘Aw Dad’ me. You need a healthy breakfast, not that gunk. Can’t think why I ever let you put them in the cart.

Because you’re a pushover? Delia whispered.