Dante's Fire Read Free

likes of him. Still, the flash of hunger on her face told him she felt the same kick of energy between them.
    Dante wished he were the man to bring her that type of passion. He wondered if she was sexually satisfied. Wondered if she pleasured herself late at night to some fantasy of the perfect male figure in her life. Wondered if he got the chance to take her to bed if he’d ever be able to let her go.
    He caught her quick indrawn breath. It was too much today. He couldn’t trust himself. Left to his own devices, he’d go after what he wanted. Sometimes he lingered when she invited him to join her for a quick cup of coffee. Most times, he beat a quick retreat. No need to torture himself for too long in her presence, or delve further into the strange vibrations between them. They were casual friends, yet a galaxy apart. Economically. Physically. Emotionally.
    At least on the surface.
    Unfortunately, Dante knew that the surface was all that mattered.
    She opened that lush mouth to speak, but he backed up with a wave and turned on the heel of his sneakers. “Better get back. See ya, boss. Good luck with Forrester."
    "Thanks, Dan." She paused. "See ya."
    The door clicked behind him. He never hesitated, just pushed his mail cart to the next office without a glance back.
     
    ***
     
    Selina Rogers stared at the closed door and shook off the idea that Dan was more than a mailman.
    She enjoyed Dan’s daily visits, and looked forward to the break in her day. He was witty, intelligent, and always seemed to sense what she needed. It struck her as odd he knew things about her that no one else did. As if he had the ability to look deep into her whole being. One time she was feeling under the weather but pushing through, and he came with chicken soup from the cafeteria, forcing her to eat. He knew when she had sleepless nights and needed the coffee strong. Knew when she neared deadline she craved cupcakes from Magnolia bakery. She found out Dan fed her personal assistant updated information so she’d be taken care of. Who did that? A friend. A concerned co-worker? Or a man wanting...more?
    For the first time, he’d finally gazed at her with a raw hunger she’d never seen.
    And she’d liked it.
    But she shouldn’t, and for a variety reasons. She’d spent a lifetime getting to this place in time. She had goals and she wasn’t about to get distracted by a kind and sexy mailman who, while he was generous, sweet, and wickedly smart, seemed to have no aspirations to better his position in life. She wasn’t really a snob, but any long lasting relationship needed to be with someone who walked the same path and understood how seriously she took her career.
    Selina dragged in a breath, picking up the contract on her desk. Focus . She was dealing with one of the biggest deals of her career and shouldn’t let a man shake her up. Selina read the first few paragraphs, but the words began to blur. Instead, she remembered the intensity of Daniel Stark's eyes. Inky black with smoldering depths and ancient secrets. Pain. He rarely let her glimpse the emotion; content to share only distant warmth he kept in check. But sometimes during one of their chats, he let the real stuff escape.
    God, she remembered the first day he strolled into her office. After exchanging a few polite words, she figured he’d be a bit of eye candy and they’d never move beyond a polite greeting. Instead, their relationship grew, until she looked forward to his appearance, and their casual chats. Her gut screamed there was something so much deeper hidden within his piercing eyes. Daniel didn’t talk like a mail carrier without any natural ambition. Yet, two years had passed and he still held the same routine, not seeming to want to do anything else with his life.
    And then there was that scar.
    A chill skittered down her spine. She'd never asked what had happened to him, and he’d never offered. Most people averted their gaze pointedly - the jagged, deadly gash