TONY: Slow Burn (Raging Fire Book 1) by Kallypso Masters (the false prince TXT) 📕

At the summit, Tony spotted a restaurant near the gondola. Most of the tables had been taken by guests enjoying beers and appetizers, but people probably didn’t hang out that long.

“Want to stop for a drink?” he asked.

“I’m famished after that hike. Make it an early dinner, and you’re on.”

He liked that she didn’t fuss about food and had a healthy appetite. “Sounds good to me.” They each headed to the restrooms after he put in their names for a table. When she approached him standing at the railing overlooking Aspen, his body instantly sensed her presence, and he turned to her and smiled.

They soon were seated at a table with a fabulous view—for him, that was of Carm. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He didn’t bother picking up the menu. “What do you recommend?”

She checked the menu briefly. “Oh good. They still have the smoked trout appetizer. And you can’t go wrong with their Teriyaki or Cajun chicken salads. I like the Cajun one myself.”

When the server came, she ordered a glass of Chardonnay and he a beer before placing their meal orders.

Carm’s cheeks were rosy from the exertion from the hike here, and her eyes sparkled. Today had been comfortable but without the strong sexual urgency between them there had been on her doorstep that night after dinner. He’d simply enjoyed her company without a thought to whether or when they’d have sex. Oh, he’d been supremely aware of her body whenever she came near him on the trail. But the sparks certainly were flying now.

“What else do you do for fun, Tony, besides hike?”

Drawn out of his thoughts about the beauty seated across from him, he thought about telling her he was taking scuba lessons, but opted not to, in case it didn’t work out.

“I run. Hang out at daVinci’s…” Pick up women I hardly know. “Volunteer for SAR missions. Oh, and I like to cook.”

“Tell me what your specialties are.” She took a sip of her white wine.

He ran down the list and she seemed impressed with the scope. “All firefighters have to know how to cook for each other. Usually we take turns. Sometimes…”

He almost told her about stopping by the station on his off days to cook, but he didn’t do that anymore. He took a long drink of his beer.

“Sometimes what?”

“Sometimes I take someone else’s turn.”

“I’m sure your firefighting brothers don’t mind that at all.”

Nowadays, he only took his own turn, and his meals weren’t as ambitious as they used to be. He missed cooking special meals, though. Cooking used to relax him. Maybe he’d pick it up again on an upcoming shift, but he wasn’t ready to put in any extra time at the station yet.

“You seem to love a variety of foods too,” he noted.

She laughed. “I’ll eat anything except squid.”

“I bet I can get you to even like that.”

“Oh, I doubt that!” She gave a pronounced shudder, then laughed.

Mama had him make the family’s Christmas Eve calamari every year. Maybe he’d share some with Carm this year. Not that he’d force anything on her. Some people just didn’t like the same things he did, and that was okay. She didn’t even have to try it if she really had an aversion to it.

Of course, if they started dating, it would be over by December anyway. But they’d always see each other, given how connected their families were.

Then don’t screw this up by having sex with her.

It wasn’t like she couldn’t have her own Christmas Eve celebration without him. “Does your family celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes?”

She smiled. “Doesn’t every Italian family? Mama always hired the best chefs for her restaurants and one of the requirements was that they could put on a Feast beyond compare. Sandro and I continue the tradition. We invite anyone staying at the resort who is interested in joining us. Most of the Italians show up, but I think others would rather be dining and drinking elsewhere. You’re invited, if you’d like to this year.”

Tony’s mama’s gathering was much less grand than what Carm described, but he wouldn’t trade it for anything. “Thanks, but Mama would disown me if I missed her meal on Christmas Eve.”

“Sounds nice.” Did he detect a hint of envy in her voice? Tony started to extend an invitation to her but thought better of it. That was months away, and who knew where their relationship would be then? Tony had no staying power with women.

And had no business getting involved with Carm in any way other than platonically. She deserved a guy she could raise a family with, and Tony’d already decided he didn’t want to bring kids into the world only to leave them if there was a tragedy in the line of duty.

Their appetizers were served, and all thoughts of Christmas Eve and dating were pushed aside. For now.

Carm was tempted to invite Tony over to cook something for her, but her kitchen was ill-equipped to say the least. He’d have to bring all the supplies, and that seemed a bit much to ask of him.

“This trout’s amazing,” he said as he savored his last piece.

One thing they had in common was a love of food. Watching him eat was a joy to behold.

As they ate their salads, Tony shared stories about some of the pranks his station’s brothers played on each other.

“There’s one called endless dishes where you have a rookie rinsing the dishes. He hands the dish to another guy who pretends to stack it in the dishwasher but instead passes it behind the probie’s back to a third who dirties it up and gives it to a fourth to place it again on the stack to be rinsed again. Always takes a while for the probie to catch on, but it’s good for a laugh no matter how many times you see it.”

“I’d think you’d have more important things to do.”

He shrugged with