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“Tuck, the door is jammed.” Another voice rang out as Danica’s breath quickened.

“Get the jaws,” the first man replied. “Have Wade cut into the furthest hinge, and the first chance you get, I want the door open.”

“I don’t want to die,” Danica whispered, finally allowing her tears to fall.

“Can you look at me?” The rhythm of his voice was calm and steady, everything she needed in that moment to keep her from losing her shit more than she already was. It called to her, so much so that it was impossible to avoid. Shifting slightly, Danica’s eyes met the warm, unsettlingly deep brown eyes of the man squatting at her shattered window. “What’s your name?”

“D-Danica.” She stuttered her response.

“That’s a pretty name, Danica.” His smile was just as inviting as his eyes were.

“Thank you, it’s Slavic.” Danica had no idea why she was rambling about something so stupid. The thought of her family sitting around waiting on her sent her into a fit of hysteria, and her tears started all over again. “I’m supposed to be with my family.” She wailed, jerking in her seat to try and free herself from the restraint holding her place. “I can’t die!”

“Danica,” the power in that voice was enough to still her movement, but not her rapid breathing.

“Sweetheart, listen to me, my name is Keaghan Tucker, and I promise you I’m not going to let you die, okay? I’m gonna get you out of here. I just need you to trust me and take deep breaths.” Closing her eyes, Danica tried her hardest to do as he asked. “Can you undo your seatbelt?” He questioned, and she shook her head no.

A screeching sound rocked through the car, her eyes popped open and she let out a scream before realizing it was just the firemen wrenching her door away from the wrecked vehicle.

“Danica,” Tucker called again. “Can you get out of your seatbelt?”

“No,” she whimpered in response. “It’s stuck.”

“WADE!” He yelled, making her wince. “I need the seatbelt cutter!”

“Heard!”

“Okay, sweetheart,” his voice dropped as he focused his attention back on Danica. “When I cut you out, I need…”

“TUCK, WE GOT A LIVE WIRE!” Someone screeched, sending a wave of nausea through her.

“Fuck,” Tucker hissed lowly. “I need those cutters, NOW!”

Everything seemed to go in slow motion as somebody rushed over to him with an instrument that she couldn’t make out. Tucker pushed his arms inside the vehicle for just a moment, and before she knew it, Danica was free.

Frantically grasping at his shoulders, she heaved a sigh of relief as he pulled her out and into his arms.

“Everybody get back, NOW!” He shouted, holding Danica tightly in his arms. The words had barely left his mouth before the thundering sound of an explosion pierced her ears. A spurt of flames shot into the air, licking away at the descending snowflakes.

The rush of heat that engulfed Tucker and Danica went away just as quickly as it came, and he pushed forward to get her to the back of the ambulance.

“You okay?” He questioned gruffly, placing a gloved hand against her cheek. Their eyes met again, and Danica’s breath evaporated. Now that she was able to get a good enough look at him, Tucker was one of the most handsome men she’d see in her life.

His skin was the color of rich, dark chocolate, and even with him wearing the bulky turn out gear that most firefighters wore, she could tell his body was a sight to see. What threw her off was that he seemed just as taken with her as she was with him. When their eyes connected again, the both of them found themselves suspended in time.

Even amid all the chaos surrounding them, Tucker and Danica remained fixated on each other until the spell was broken.

“Tuck, I got her.” A soothing, singsong voice called out. “I need to stop the bleeding of her wrist.”

Until the woman said it, Danica didn’t know she’d suffered another injury outside of the one on her head.

Nodding once, Tucker gave Danica a small smile before rushing to help out the rest of his crew.

“Okay, honey,” a pair of hazel eyes replaced the ones that Danica found herself longing for. “I need you to let me know if any of this hurts, okay?”

“Okay.” She replied meekly, only half listening. Her eyes were glued to the man who saved her life, and in the same token, called out to her heart.

Keaghan Tucker. It was a name that she’d remember for the rest of her life.