Free Where There's Smoke by M. J. Fredrick Page B

Seth?
    She couldn't think at this close range. She needed air. She glanced around, saw everyone was taking their seats. Dinner would be served, toasts would follow. She couldn't wait that long. Quietly, she pushed back her chair and slipped away.
    Okay, maybe the air she wanted wasn't quite the fifty degrees she found out on the patio. And the peace she was searching for certainly wasn't in the man smoking a cigarette near the railing. How fast could she duck back inside? Not fast enough. Her heels had already made too much noise on the flagstone. He turned.
    "Hello, Eddie."
    His expression in the dim light didn't register the same surprise she felt. Of course, he'd known she'd be here. He'd probably seen her with the wedding party. She hadn't expected him at all.
    "You look good,” he said, moving closer, into the light.
    "Thanks.” So did he, but she'd be damned if she'd tell him. The man had a big enough ego. Definite proof of her tier theory.
    Why was he here? Was the universe dropping “Caution” signs as she considered how a romance with Seth would change her life? After all, she had vowed never to love another playboy, and here was the playboy she once loved. The one who said he was committed to her while committing all kinds of sexual acts with other women.
    When he saw she wouldn't pursue a conversation, he looked past her into the ballroom. “They look really happy. I'm glad they made it."
    More than once the four of them had gone on double dates. She'd always thought she and Ed would be the ones to make it; they had so much in common. Both were the children of firefighters, both only children.
    Both thought Ed hung the moon.
    He looked back at her. “You don't come by the station anymore."
    "I do, every now and then. On your off shift.” She winced as she realized how much that statement revealed. Though to be honest, she hadn't checked his schedule in months.
    He frowned. “I never meant to hurt you so much, Lauren."
    "I've recovered.” That it was true surprised her. But what really sent her reeling, as she stood looking at the man she'd thought she loved, was the reason it hadn't worked out. It wasn't that he was a fireman, or that he was arrogant, or that he was three tiers above her.
    It was that he wasn't Seth.
    Seth stepped out on the patio to see Ed Sheridan standing way too close to Lauren, his head cocked to one side. Seth had seen that pose, many times, usually when Ed was seducing someone. And even though Lauren had broken up with Ed, she'd still been destroyed when their affair ended. He hoped she remembered it. The boiling in his gut was because of that. It wasn't jealousy.
    When Ed stroked the backs of his fingers down Lauren's cheek, Seth's skin crawled and he cleared his throat. Ed dropped his hand and Lauren jolted.
    "They're ready for the toasts."
    Lauren turned, picking up her skirt and crossed the patio to Seth. She offered him a too-bright smile, more for Ed's benefit than his own. He knew that smile. She was covering something up. She wasn't falling for this damn fool again, was she?
    "Escamilla,” Ed greeted, almost affably.
    Seth merely glanced at him, then took Lauren's arm and guided her back inside. If she was, he needed to set her straight. He couldn't watch her go through that pain again.
    "What the hell were you doing out there with him?” he asked low.
    "I wasn't with him,” she hissed, but didn't pull away. Her skin was chilled and he let go to shrug out of his jacket. “I didn't even know he was here. Why is he here?"
    He tucked the jacket around her and she pulled it tight. “Dad invited the whole house.” Just more proof the old man didn't care about anyone but himself.
    "You might have mentioned it."
    "He didn't say if he was coming. If it's bothering you that much—” He gestured for the door, ready to give Ed the boot.
    She waved his concern aside, but she wasn't looking at him. The jacket slipped and they both grabbed for it. He closed his hand over hers as