Page 13 of The Mating Fire

“Why?”

“Because you look interesting.” He tilted his head at her. “Much more than the other women I’ve met.

Curious, she paused and studied him. Was he trying to pick her up? It made no sense. Why would he want her?

Up close,Harper Ashley was prettier than he anticipated, with a full, Cupid’s bow mouth perfect for kissing. Her cheekbones were high, her skin baby smooth. Blue eyes the color of Egyptian lapis he’d seen once during his travels held a touch of wariness.

How would they look emblazed with passion? Glazed with pleasure as he took her, stroking deep inside?

Harper’s fingers curled around her purse straps as if she could read his mind. She backed off two steps.

Jared shook off his lust. Xavier made it clear. Romance, not sex.

“That guy is a pint-sized imbecile for what he did to you.”

There, gallantry.

Didn’t work, for her eyes narrowed. “Mind your own business.”

As she walked away, he kept in step with her. “I apologize for my gender. We can be right bastards at times.”

There.

“I’ll say.”

Jared pushed on. “I’m Jared. I overheard you tell that …guy… that you’re a volcanologist? I’m into volcanos.”

He winked. “They’re hot stuff.” Like me, he hinted.

Harper rolled her eyes.

“Have you ever seen Indonesia'sKawah Ijenvolcano, on Java?”

She halted and stared. “You know about Kawah Ijen? Few people do.”

“I’ve been there.”

Harper narrowed her gaze. “Are you serious? Then tell me, Mr. Hot Stuff, how to get there? By helicopter?”

Jared grinned, glad for the challenge. “You can do a midnight hiking tour. Tourists love it. Takes about two hours to reach the crater, and there’s another 45-minute hike down to the bank where the lake is and the blue flames.”

Sensing her interest, Jared warmed up to his subject. “The blue fire is actually sulfuric gas coming up from the cracks, more than one thousand degrees Fahrenheit.”

“One thousand, one hundred twelve,” she amended.

He smiled, not annoyed at the interruption. Hooked her, like a fish. Forget sweet words and romance. This woman could be seduced by gas and heat. What irony. He knew these areas quite well.

“The flames are blue, the largest on the planet. Locals refer to the flames asApi Biru, or blue fire.”

A wistful look came over her. “I’ve always wanted to go. My department at the university has organized an expedition, but I’m last on the list.”

“Then convince your boss you need to go. You won’t regret it. It’s magnificent.”

She blinked. “How do you know about it?”

“I’m something of an expert on hellfire,” he said.

Seemingly lost in thought, Harper kept walking. She didn’t look up and nearly crossed in front of a car.