Center City First Responders Series by Reina Torres

Pilar Bravo moved from San Antonio to Center City not just for the job, but because she needed a new start. Including, time away from her huge and over attentive family. In Center City she could focus on her job as a Police Officer and live her own life. She wasn’t expecting to find anyone who could handle a woman who didn’t need a man to protect her. She could do a fine job on her own. Roan Ashley is the top ER Trauma Doctor at Cole Medical. He’s not just cool under pressure, he’s an iceberg... morePilar Bravo moved from San Antonio to Center City not just for the job, but because she needed a new start. Including, time away from her huge and over attentive family. In Center City she could focus on her job as a Police Officer and live her own life. She wasn’t expecting to find anyone who could handle a woman who didn’t need a man to protect her. She could do a fine job on her own. Roan Ashley is the top ER Trauma Doctor at Cole Medical. He’s not just cool under pressure, he’s an iceberg. That all goes out the window when he sees CCPD Officer Pilar Bravo injured during the apprehension of a robbery suspect. It doesn’t stop there. While they begin to know each other off the clock, she keeps coming into the ER for injuries on the job. He’s falling fast for Pilar, but it seems like everywhere she goes, danger follows and while his calling is to heal people, to treat their wounds, the idea that she could be taken from him at any moment makes him question if he’s the right person for her. Being a female officer adds layers of stress onto an already stressful job. Equality is a great idea, but not everyone subscribes to that ideal. Pilar struggles with the difference between experience and seniority, and personal clashes lead to a dangerous showdown on patrol. Roan is left to struggle with his own fear of losing someone he loves and lending his strength when he can’t use his medical skills to save her. Standing on the side of the fight is not something he’s used to, but he’ll do what he needs to do… for her. less

If there's someone in pain or in need in Center City, these courageous men and women are there to help. Fire, Police, Medical and Dispatch: they'll be there. Her Rock. Martin "Rock" Ferris & Kate Turner. A Sergeant in the CCPD, Kate Turner has always known what she wanted to do with her life... moreIf there's someone in pain or in need in Center City, these courageous men and women are there to help. Fire, Police, Medical and Dispatch: they'll be there. Her Rock. Martin "Rock" Ferris & Kate Turner. A Sergeant in the CCPD, Kate Turner has always known what she wanted to do with her life. She wasn’t the kind of person who could sew up a wound or deliver a baby… okay, she’d done that once, back when she was on patrol, but now her job was watching out for her people and making them better officers. Who was watching out for her? She didn’t need someone to do that, thank you very much! Martin “Rock” Ferris was a man who would walk through fire for his friends and did so on a regular basis as a member of the Rescue Crew from House 29. As broad in the shoulder as he was brave, he never left anyone behind and he was always there to lend a hand in the thick of a crisis. The problem in his life was that the very person he wanted to protect more than anyone else didn’t want him around. It wasn’t that they weren’t compatible. They knew how to get along fine enough when they had their hands on each other and their clothes off. And while Kate used her sharp tongue to tell him exactly where to step off, she also knew exactly how to drive him wild. And when she let him, he returned the favor over and over again. But that’s all she’ll give him. Those stolen moments in the dark. Kate doesn’t want to let him into her heart. Men don’t stick around for long and she’ll never give Rock the chance to break her heart into a thousand pieces. When her world is upside down and everything is falling down around her ears, she knows her family is there for her, but she’ll never let them see the abject fear and deadly doubt that’s creeping into her mind. She hides that away and puts on a brave face. Martin is determined to tear down her walls because he knows that he’s ready to stand there between her and danger. He’ll always be Her Rock. less

If there's someone in pain or in need in Center City, these courageous men and women are there to help. Fire, Police, Medical and Dispatch: they'll be there. The Man for Her. Theo Noble & Irish Healy. It took Theo Noble months to meet Irish Healy. He’d seen her at Ciro’s Bar and liked the way she looked. She wore retro clothes, dyed her hair in amazing colors, & had curves that he hungered after, but she never seemed to stay long enough for him to start up a conversation... moreIf there's someone in pain or in need in Center City, these courageous men and women are there to help. Fire, Police, Medical and Dispatch: they'll be there. The Man for Her. Theo Noble & Irish Healy. It took Theo Noble months to meet Irish Healy. He’d seen her at Ciro’s Bar and liked the way she looked. She wore retro clothes, dyed her hair in amazing colors, & had curves that he hungered after, but she never seemed to stay long enough for him to start up a conversation. He had to do it the hard way. After responding to a 911 call that Irish was on. It took a few times to get her to agree to meet him, but he was determined to show her how much fun they could be together. She was convinced that he was making a mistake. Guys who looked like him didn’t end up with girls like her. Or so she thought, until Theo broke down all kinds of walls and didn’t even need his Halligan to do it. When she struggled to believe in herself, he believed enough for both of them. He was the man for her. less

If there's someone in pain or in need in Center City, these courageous men and women are there to help. Fire, Police, Medical and Dispatch: they'll be there. Silent Night. Jon Lee Matsumoto & Josephine "Joe" Swan. Jon Lee “Mats” Matsumoto knew that life would never be dull when he joined the Center City Fire Department. Life at Firehouse Twenty-Nine had never disappointed him. There’s always something going on... moreIf there's someone in pain or in need in Center City, these courageous men and women are there to help. Fire, Police, Medical and Dispatch: they'll be there. Silent Night. Jon Lee Matsumoto & Josephine "Joe" Swan. Jon Lee “Mats” Matsumoto knew that life would never be dull when he joined the Center City Fire Department. Life at Firehouse Twenty-Nine had never disappointed him. There’s always something going on. But lately, there’s been more action in the personal lives of his friends than dangerous fires to fight. Not that he wanted danger, but the amount of romantic action around him has started making him wonder if its not just another adventure that he’s missing out on. Then again, he’s happy being a single guy in Center City, until he comes face to face with a woman who can literally sweep him off his feet. Josephine “Joe” Swan always hung out with the guys. She was a Tomboy from day one. She played Little League. Ran everywhere. And if someone managed to wrangle her into a dress it never stayed clean for long. If mud was on her face, it wasn’t a mask at a spa. Lately, she’s begun to realize that there’s a flaw in her thoughts. She thought that to get the boys to treat her as an equal, she had to be just like them. But she’s seen love happening around her and heaven help her, she’s starting to realize that she can be an equal and let the woman inside of her out to play. He breaks through her walls with laughter, fun, and kisses that make her weak in the knees. She makes him realize that love isn’t a four-letter word and that there is a woman in the world who makes forever seem like it’s not enough time. Like their friends and first responder family have found out, their path to happiness isn’t going to be easy. They’ll have to make their way through a minefield of complications and danger that both of their jobs put them through, but sometimes it’s those minefields that make you realize that love, true love, is worth every bit of trouble. And having an extended family in the first responder community of Center City when the chips are down? Priceless. less

If there's someone in pain or in need in Center City, these courageous men and women are there to help. Fire, Police, Medical and they'll be there. Detective Walker Ashley & Kennedy Heart. Walker Ashely is a lone gun in a family of couples and they’re everywhere his brother is getting married, and his sister is ridiculously happy with her firefighter. He’s been circling around reporter Kennedy Heart for awhile now... moreIf there's someone in pain or in need in Center City, these courageous men and women are there to help. Fire, Police, Medical and they'll be there. Detective Walker Ashley & Kennedy Heart. Walker Ashely is a lone gun in a family of couples and they’re everywhere his brother is getting married, and his sister is ridiculously happy with her firefighter. He’s been circling around reporter Kennedy Heart for awhile now. They snark at each other, bite at each other, it’s all crazy foreplay as far as he’s concerned. Kennedy Heart is the roving reporter for WCCN, and she loves her job. Some of the other talent at the station thinks her stories are ‘cute’ and ‘fluff’ but Kennedy loves telling stories that affect people. She wants to do more. She wants to bring people together. Except for Walker. He irritates her. But she just can’t stay away. Thrown together over and over, they realize that what’s between them is less their magnetic personalities repulsing each other and more gravity pulling them together, ever closer. There’s something seedy going on in Center City and when it boils over, it puts Kennedy in the crosshairs. What is this going to mean for the hardened detective and the reporter when everything is on the line? Discover the interwoven lives of first responders in Center City. When there’s trouble, the brave and devoted members of Center City’s Fire, Medical, Law Enforcement, EMT, & 911 Call Center entities band together to make their home a better place, falling in love along the way. less

Kaleo “Duke” Kenney & Lexie. Kaleo just relocated to Center City from Hawaii, looking for a change in both climate and job opportunities. Okay, so he loved his family, but they were really pushing him to do more in life, and he felt like he was happy. Being a firefighter was everything he’d ever wanted. He wanted to do what he could to save lives, just like his father before him and his grandfather before that. Then there was his family’s pressure to have, well, a family... moreKaleo “Duke” Kenney & Lexie. Kaleo just relocated to Center City from Hawaii, looking for a change in both climate and job opportunities. Okay, so he loved his family, but they were really pushing him to do more in life, and he felt like he was happy. Being a firefighter was everything he’d ever wanted. He wanted to do what he could to save lives, just like his father before him and his grandfather before that. Then there was his family’s pressure to have, well, a family. He’s not ready for that at all. Hell, he wasn’t ready for anything outside of his job. Until he met a woman within an hour of arriving in Center City. Lexie was going after her own dreams. Within reach of her goal of becoming a nurse, she’s taking classes and burying herself in work. She barely has time to listen to music or go dancing. Fun will come later when she’s got the job she’s been dreaming of her whole life. She’s hustling along in her life when a cell phone falls at her feet, broken and cracked. She takes its owner to a shop to get it repaired. He’s new in town and he’s going to need that phone to get around. How did she know that a good deed would end up getting her a date. She wasn’t planning to find someone like Kaleo or anyone at all, but he’s the breath of air that makes every day seem so much better. Lexie finds herself swept up by the handsome firefighter, but life in a big city isn’t easy and danger seems to come from all around them. Will they find it worth it to cling to each other and their deepening emotions? Or will this relationship go Up in Flames? If there's someone in pain or in need in Center City, these courageous men and women are there to help. Fire, Police, Medical and they'll be there. Discover the interwoven lives of first responders in Center City. When there’s trouble, the brave and devoted members of Center City’s Fire, Medical, & Law Enforcement entities band together to make their home a better place, falling in love along the way. less