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

“Yeah, I started last month.” He’d let her think she’d influenced him. “And they’re going great, Sis. Just finished my advanced open-water certification.”

“Wow, that’s fast!” Carm said. “You told me you didn’t have any diving experience.”

Angelina looked up from arranging tea bags in a bowl, her gaze going from one to the other. He’d better explain so as not to potentially give away the surprise for her birthday party.

“Carm and I ran into each other at Capitol Lake during one of my SAR missions last month.” No lie there. “She turned over her tent to Ryder and me when we couldn’t be evacuated safely until morning.”

“Um, yeah,” Carm said, her shoulders relaxing a bit, making her robe gape open a bit more and allowing him to see the swell of her breast—a breast he no longer had to use his imagination to picture after that vision of her coming out of the hot tub had been seared into his memory. “We had some time to catch up overnight.” Which also was true, they just hadn’t talked about diving until later.

Angelina seemed to accept that nothing was going on between them, and Carm asked where he’d been diving. He told her which lakes and pools he’d trained in so far.

“Why don’t I take these into the other room,” Angelina said as she picked up the tray of pastries. “Feel free to stay here and talk diving between yourselves.” She smiled at them, and Tony sensed her matchmaking radar was up. “Grab what you’d like off the platter before I take it in the other room.” She held the tray out to them. Carm chose a cranberry muffin and he picked up a raspberry-cheese danish. He pulled a couple of paper towels from the dispenser to eat off of since he’d taken the plates into the other room. “Help yourselves to coffee or tea, too,” she said as she left them alone.

They sat down at the island after pouring themselves some decaf and ate in silence a moment. A crumb from her muffin rested at the corner of her mouth, and he had to hold himself back from the temptation to kiss it away.

“What do you think of diving so far?”

Diving? Oh, yeah. Focus. “I’m hooked. Can’t get over the peaceful feeling that comes over me when I’m listening to the sound of my regulator and watching the fish swim by. It’s like nothing I’ve experienced before.”

She nodded and licked the crumb into her mouth before taking another bite. “It’s an amazing feeling. I can’t wait to dive again next week.”

Her plump, full lips made him ache to dive into something else. Memories of his mouth forging a path up her leg with the garter between his teeth came back full force, coupled with the kiss they’d shared after their first non-date last month. His cock jerked.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, when a crumb fell into the cleavage of her robe, he almost choked on his danish.

What the shit was the matter with him?

Carm loved how Tony’s eyes lit up when he talked about diving. When they’d eaten dinner together last month, that liveliness had been missing, as if his inner spark had been doused. Was diving responsible for the change?

A lock of hair fell over Tony’s forehead. She wanted to brush it back in the worst way. The longing for such an intimate gesture—even an imagined one—caught her by surprise. All this talk about a new Carm emerging from the ceremonial waters of the hot tub must be messing with her brain. But Tony? Why not Tony? That kiss they’d shared on her doorstep had curled her toes.

Despite her better judgment to steer clear of a man who didn’t appear to be all that interested in anything serious—after all, he hadn’t contacted her after they’d hiked the Ute Trail—Carm smiled at him, a move she instantly regretted. Their gazes locked for a moment too long, and her smile faded when he cocked his head. Did he want to kiss her again—or worse yet, know she wanted him to?

When her face grew warm, she took a sudden interest in the last bite of her muffin. When she glanced his way, she caught him looking at her chest and resisted the automatic instinct to pull the robe closed more tightly. He couldn’t really see anything he hadn’t seen earlier tonight. She only wondered how long he’d stood there watching her.

“What’s up next in your dive training?” Yeah. Diving was a safe topic for them.

“After my shift ends Saturday morning, I’m scheduled for my first dry-suit lesson. It will prepare me for dives in deeper mountain lakes and at higher altitudes.”

“That should come in handy here. I’ve only gone diving in the Caribbean, so haven’t had to worry much about the cold. But I can see that would be important if you were doing most of your diving in Colorado.”

Serious again, Tony nodded then finished his danish, washing it down with some coffee. Standing abruptly, he wadded up his paper towel, tossed it in the trash, and rinsed his mug in the sink. “I’d better head home. It’s been a long day, and I’m sure you ladies have plans that don’t include having a guy hanging around.”

Carm had forgotten all about the women in the other room, but Angelina came into the kitchen as if she’d been listening for Tony’s departure. “I do appreciate you stopping by to check on me, Tony,” she said before giving him a peck on the cheek. “Be careful. The deer should all be in bed by now, but you never know what will pop out at you on these mountain roads.”

“I always try to be watchful, Sis.”

While Angelina busied herself refilling the coffee carafe, Carm stood up. “Good to see you again, Tony.”

He turned toward Carm and gave her a full-blown smile. “You, too, Carm.”

She had a sudden urge to cross the room and kiss him