Fire and Ash (Immortal Touch) by Allie Gail Read Free Book Online Page A

flaps. She clutched his arm possessively, almost desperately, and Sami couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity. She might not be an expert on men, but she’d seen enough to know the poor woman was going to get nowhere with her ingratiating behavior. It was true that men like Asher Reid craved attention - that was a given - but they also grew weary of it very quickly.
    She ignored the spiteful voice that reminded her of her bare ring finger. Apparently she was no prize, herself. Otherwise her fiancé wouldn’t have felt the need to entertain himself with extracurricular activities of a sexual nature. The Adema song Betrayed Me ran through her head yet again, and she spent the rest of the day humming it to herself. Therapy.
    She was on her knees replacing a power supply at the front desk when she looked up to see him leaning against the counter, grinning like a dog with a bone.
    “Hey, Sam-I-Am,” he teased.
    “Hey,” she mumbled. What was it about the man that rubbed her the wrong way? Maybe it was that omnipresent narcissism. He seemed to expect the world to bow down and worship him.
    “How’s it going?”
    “Fine.”
    “Any problems?”
    “Nope.”
    “Anything I can help you with?”
    “No, thanks.”
    “Not much of a conversationalist, are you?”
    She gave him a cool stare. “Not really, no.”
    He crouched down so they were on the same level. “Tell me. Do you hate all men, or is it just me?”
    “At the moment, I hate them all. Nothing personal.”
    “Ah…a woman scorned, am I right?” His mocking ridicule made her want to shove him on his ass. She wondered how he’d react to that .
    “I’m busy. Do you mind?”
    “Not at all. I’ll just watch.”
    “Terrific.”
    “What are you doing?”
    “Replacing a dead power supply.”
    “And tonight?”
    “I…huh?”
    “What are you doing tonight?”
    Was he freaking serious? “Why do you want to know?” She frowned at him suspiciously.
    “Just curious.” He straightened suddenly and whisked a cell phone out of his pocket. “What’s up, Kendall?” He walked off without a backwards glance, his interest diverted.
    “ You need medication,” she muttered, slipping the screwdriver back into her tool case. Straightening, she almost bumped into Logan and Stuart.
    “I’m heading out, guys. I’m supposed to meet the wife for lunch,” Logan announced.
    “Why don’t we break for lunch too?” Stuart suggested to Sami.
    “Sounds good to me.” She pulled her own phone from the pocket of her khaki shorts and scanned it quickly for missed calls. “Is the poolside café any good?” It had only recently opened for the season, and she was dying to try it out.
    “Not a huge selection, but what they have is good. I was actually headed that way myself. Come on - I owe you lunch anyway, remember?”
    Ten minutes later , seated at a picnic table over grilled grouper sandwiches, Sami couldn’t help but smile as she took in the sights and sounds of the paradise surrounding her. The sky was a n unblemished blue whose brilliance was only rivaled by the Gulf of Mexico beneath it. A soft breeze tickled her neck, bringing with it the distinctly tropical aroma of salty seawater intermingled with the delicious smells from the café’s grill. Small children giggled and screeched while splashing happily in the shallow end of the heated pool as their mothers slathered on coconut-scented suntan lotion while keeping a watchful eye.
    “What’s so funny?” Stuart wanted to know, dumping what seemed like an obscene amount of ketchup into the basket beside his fries.
    “I was just thinking. This is worlds apart from the factory where I used to work.”
    He smothered a french fry with ketchup and popped it into his mouth before answering. “I can imagine. Pretty sweet, isn’t it?”
    “That’s an understatement. You know, I was worried out of my mind when I lost that job, but it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened.” She bit into her