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“I don’t want to be transparently obvious.” Cassie stabbed at her lettuce.
“Why not? Everyone else is.” Tammy placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hands, ogling the men in uniform.
“You don’t have to be so blatant about it.”
“I’ve never seen so much male testosterone in one place. Eight of them. Right here in the middle of this room.”
Jealousy prompted Cassie to suggest, “You could trade places with me.”
“Not a chance.” Tammy’s smile grew bigger.
“You’re embarrassing me.” Actually, she’d embarrassed herself with her senseless envy. Because, if she was to be honest with herself, she wished she had Tammy’s self-confidence. Cassie placed her fork beside her plate. “Now I’ve really lost my appetite.”
“Mine just increased.” Tammy’s eyes twinkled with mischief.
Cassie resented her friend’s taunting. “Can you tone it down a bit?” She grabbed her beer bottle by the long neck.
Green eyes shot to hers. Their sparkle of glee now glinted with annoyance. “It’s been a while, okay? I may have two challenging boys, but I’m far from over-the-hill. I’m in my prime.”
Guilt made Cassie’s face flush. Who was she to criticize when—if she had the guts—she’d do the same thing? Tammy was her best friend. A single mom, she was pretty with strawberry hair, green lively eyes, and a face that always held a welcoming warmth. She loved food, had no willpower and was thirty pounds heavier than she wanted to be. They came to the Mexican restaurant on an average of once a week, which anyone with an ounce of good judgment knew that was no way to lose weight. Cassie had ordered a salad tonight, but she loved El Puerto’s food. With the chips and salsa, she would have to run an extra mile on the treadmill.
Expecting to exercise tonight, she had pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She suddenly wished she’d left it down where it could flow over her shoulders, so the lights in the ceiling would bring out the golden highlights of her natural blonde hair.
Her fingers tapped a rhythm on the wooden table while she sat there, looking daggers at her friend. She refused to turn around and display barefaced interest in the men who’d drawn such attention.
Oh, hell.
She was dying to have another look.
Chapter 2
This happened every time a bunch of the guys got together. People would stop whatever they were doing and watch. The clientele of this restaurant stared in awe like they’d never seen a firefighter before. Or a group of men in uniform having dinner, or drinking a beer instead of putting out a fire.
Hell, Mike was human just like anybody else. His job happened to be putting out fires. Saving lives, if it came down to it. He should be used to the attention but being called a hero made him feel uncomfortable. Since he’d been a little kid, he’d wanted to be a fireman and ride on a big red truck, like his dad. Of course, children only saw the glamor and excitement. Once he’d joined the fire department, he learned a whole new respect for the term firefighter.
After the day he’d had, he needed a beer more than food. Even though both shifts had come to eat, only the guys off duty would be drinking. His shift officially over, he was allowed. He ordered a combination platter and grabbed one of the bottles Laredo brought to the table. He took a long pull, allowing the frosty chill to sooth his dry throat.
The back of Mike’s neck prickled. He’d felt a singe earlier but chalked it up to patrons checking out the uniforms. Jared sat across from him, staring over Mike’s shoulder, giving one of his leering grins. Without a doubt, women had to be the reason.
Jared couldn’t help his pretty boy looks, and he had the charm to go with them. Since the team already had a Casanova in the group, the guys at the station called Jared Pretty Boy. He craved action, enjoyed life in the fast lane, and was not the type one usually found applying for a fire-fighting position. But he’d been an asset to the department. One thing Mike shared with him—there was nothing he valued more than his bachelorhood.
He lifted one hand and rubbed the skin on the back of his neck above his collar. Jared scrutinized him with a smirk.
“You’ve already found someone to hit on?” Mike asked.
“Can’t stand it, can you? Might as well turn around. She’s a real looker.”
“She must be. You’ve been staring ever since we sat down.”
“There’s two. One for each of us.” Jared flashed a smile. “The blonde only peeked once. She must be shy. Bet I could liven her up.”
“Maybe she doesn’t like pretty boys.” Although Mike had yet to meet a woman who could resist Jared’s charm.
“Whoa,” Jared said and dropped his chair back on all four legs. “Think I might change my mind. The blonde is the looker, but damn, that smile.”
“I heard that.” Cooper, the youngest and newest member of their group, spoke up.
“Good sign you aren’t deaf.” Jared took another pull of his beer and kept his gaze on the woman he’d been observing.
