Love and Fire Read Free Page A

a few moments.  He was handsome of
course.  Women like that didn’t gravitate towards ugly or even average unless
they could sniff out money.  His open collared dress shirt and sports jacket
didn’t necessarily speak of wealth, but it was obvious he wasn’t hurting either. 
His face looked vaguely familiar.  Or maybe she just hoped it did.  His perfect
features fit well into his tan face.  Black hair showing the beginning of gray
at the temples gave him a distinguished and sexy look.  She had no idea where
he might be from, but he definitely had perhaps Spanish or Mediterranean blood
running through his veins.  Tall, dark, and handsome was the cheesy phrase that
came to mind. 
       
    “Tammy? 
Do you?” 
    Tammy
blinked in surprise as she turned her head back to Timothy.  “I’m sorry, that
was rude of me.  What were you saying?” 
    “I
was asking if you had any children under the age of seventeen.” 
    “Oh
goodness no.  I have a daughter that’s twenty-seven and one that’s twenty-four.” 
    “Really? 
You look a little too young for that.”  
    Tammy
enjoyed the compliment.  “Thank you.  That’s the best thing I’ve heard in a
while.” 
    She
tried to stay focused on Timothy until the announcement for dinner.  She felt
bad that she had trouble focusing, especially since numbers and tax code were
his obvious passion, but she refused to indulge the man at the bar a second
longer.  Let him stare, and scowl, and do whatever!  She had every right to be
on the ship just like him and his pretty little airheads!  But she did secretly
hope that Timothy would be seated at a different table for dinner.
     
    Dinner
was a wonderful affair.  The room opened into a large expanse of tables with
two separate bars.  There were two levels that overlooked the main floor, which
wrapped around the large area in a half circle that reminded Tammy of Timothy’s
remaining hair. 
    Tammy
was seated at a round table on the main floor.  Two young women and a man in
his early twenties were seated with her.  An empty chair was to her right, but
no one came to claim it as the captain began his speech to welcome the
passengers.  It was a quick speech, he seemed as eager to eat the lobster as
everyone else.  Tammy tried to seem interested and polite to the young people
she was seated with, and they in turn asked her polite questions and tried to
engage her in conversation, but it was soon apparent that they had far more in
common with each than with her. 
    She
was eating her lobster in silence, listening to the chatter from her dinner
partners, when a shadow fell over her plate.   She looked up to see the man
from the bar staring down at her. 
    “I
guess I’m sitting here.”  His voice held a faint accent that Tammy couldn’t
place.  She pursed her lips slightly while noticing the star struck look of the
females.  Yes, he was handsome, but he was also older.  What was the big deal? 
    “I
suppose you are.”  Tammy tried to smile. 
    He
sat down and nodded to the others.  “Hello, I’m Jake Butler.” 
    The
others offered their names and reluctantly went back to eating and
conversation, while keeping an eye on him with side long glances.  Tammy didn’t
offer her name. 
    “And
who are you?” 
    Tammy
could feel impatience welling up within her threatening to choke, or at the
very least, cause a scathing word to leave her lips.  She looked up and met him
eye to eye.  She wasn’t expecting his eyes to look like melting chocolate, and
she certainly wasn’t expecting him to smell so good.  Dangerous.   Was
the only word that came to mind. 
    Tammy
turned slightly and extended her hand.  “Tammy Smith.” 
    He
shook her hand with the perfect amount of pressure.  His skin felt smooth and
warm.  “It’s a pleasure.”  She couldn’t help how her eyes lingered on his
mouth.  His lips were full but not in a feminine way, they were perfect.  Tammy
nodded and focused her