Embraced by Fire Read Free Page B

flicker of pain, he threw back his arms and gave an elaborate bow. From below his lashes he watched Kait’s reaction.

Chapter 3
    Kait joined the enthusiastic applause breaking out from everyone watching. She couldn’t believe how good he was. She hadn’t seen a fire performance like that in… She hadn’t ever seen one like that. Ryu gave another smaller bow in thanks. He’d earned every iota of appreciation. He simultaneously captured the danger of fire-work and managed to exude raw sex appeal.
    She drew in a shuddering breath. When he sucked those flames from the tips of his fingers all she could think about was what those lips could do to her. Her legs felt as shaky as if he’d actually touched her. A man so mesmeric shouldn’t be allowed near women without a warning label.
    Moreover, she knew him, had lusted after him in the past. It was a high school fantasy come true, or since he was still unattainable, a nightmare. Ryu MacKay after all these years. She shook her head. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t recognised the guy she’d had a serious crush on for two years. Of course, she excused herself, he was wearing sunglasses when she met him, and his body had moved from boy to man since she last saw him. One hundred percent man.
    At school he’d been a good-looking boy and quite a few of the girls in her class swooned over him, but now…now he was downright hot . Not that he’d ever seemed to notice the way girls fluttered around him. The boys, on the other hand, had always been wary, like puppies careful not to antagonise a wolf.
    There was no remnant of boyishness now. She watched the flex of his muscles as he packed away his gear. His shoulders were broader and a hint of dark stubble shadowed his jaw in a way it never had at school. Then there was the scar riding across the top of his left cheekbone, that was new. Oddly enough she liked it; it stopped him being too handsome and gave him a dangerous, don’t-mess-with-me edge.
    She remembered the way he’d ducked his head when he asked for a job, his apparent humility sitting awkwardly against her initial impressions. An image of a toy she’d had as a kid popped into her mind. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. The little soft-toy dragon had been one of her favourites. When you squeezed his tail he squeaked and his little fabric flame flapped.
    She looked at Ryu’s broad back as he crouched to zip his bag closed. It was like looking at an actual dragon trying to appear as harmless as a toy. She took a deep breath, dangerous or not, she couldn’t stand here admiring his physique.
    “That was amazing.” She walked over to join him.
    He looked up and her stomach fluttered as eyes the colour of burnished copper met hers. He definitely needed a warning label.
    “Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He straightened, hooking the bag over his shoulder.
    “I’ve never seen some of your tricks.” Damn, she sounded more like an awe-struck teenager than one professional conversing with another.
    A smile crinkled the corners of his eyes and she couldn’t help smiling back. “I don’t reveal my secrets. So, I’ve got the job?”
    She chuckled. “I think the rest of the staff would have me committed if I said no. When can you start?”
    “When do you want me?”
    Right now , she thought before she could stop herself. Heat coloured her neck, and she hoped like hell she hadn’t said that aloud. She cleared her throat. “We’re not in peak season at the moment, but we’ve got a huge children’s party on Saturday and a big engagement the next Thursday if you’re free?”
    “Not a problem, the sooner the better. What’s the Thursday gig?”
    “Corporate event celebrating some kind of anniversary. Indoors, starts at five, ends late.”
    His body tensed and she wondered if he had something against indoor gigs, some fire workers did.
    “Does that suit you?”
    “Perfect.” His smile was a flash of teeth.
    She must have misread his tension. With