Free All I Want is You (Hearts on Fire Book 1) by Ashley Mullins Page A

now.  “His Upper West Side apartment.  It’s in the same building.  Actually, same floor as mine.  Right next door.”
    “His apartment?” Alex gives Ellie a sober look.
    “Yeah.  Upper West—”
    “You must mean Tanner’s apartment?  Newly renovated?”
    “Yeah, renovated,” Ellie says in surprise.  “I didn’t realize when we, when he, spent the night there…  I guess I just naturally assumed it was Jake’s.”
    Alex laughs.  “It’s okay,” she says with a friendly smile— the kind a close girlfriend would share.  “You’re pretty lucky.”
    Ellie is comforted, but can’t stop the look of embarrassment from covering her face.
    “Don’t be surprised,” Alex’s hand gently touches Ellie’s forearm.  “You don’t become Jake Harlow’s Personal Assistant without him being able to confide a few things in you.”
    “Care to dance?” the deep voice breathes across the back of Ellie’s neck.  His warmth sends chills down her spine.  
    “You didn’t give us enough time to finish talking about you,” Alex winks at Ellie and turns to walk away.
    “Is there ever enough time for that?” Jake asks with a cocky grin.
    Tanner walks up behind Jake and clutches his left upper arm with one hand, his right shoulder with the other.  “Looks like you finally rubbed off on him,”
    “Who?” Jake glances back at Tanner.
    “The Senator.  He’s changed his position.”
    “No one’s dying to talk about that ,” Jake says.  “Not exactly a great topic for a dinner party.”
    “Right Jake, like everyone isn’t talking about it behind his back anyway.”
    “What are you talking about?” Naomi asks.
    “The Senator is backing the bill for the state death penalty,” Tanner obliges with a nod of his head for good measure.  “It’ll be on the ballot in November.”
    Ellie flashes a curious look at Jake, but his eyes are locked on Tanner.  
    “Oh no, here we go,” Naomi says.  She turns to walk away, but Ellie grabs her elbow and brings her movement to a halt.  
    “No one should ever be put to death because of a mistake they’ve made,” Ellie says firmly.
    Tanner tilts his head up, raises his brow.  “Even if they killed someone?  And there’s no doubt they’re guilty… if they admit they did it?”
    Jake shifts his position, moving his weight from one leg to the other, and folds his arms over his chest.
    Ellie stares at Tanner.  “Nope.  I believe they can be rehabilitated.  Everyone is capable of it, no matter how bad of a person they might be,” she says.  “I believe people can change.”
    “The issue has more to do with the current penal system problem,” Jake interjects, “than it does with the death penalty itself.”
    “Keep your penile problems to yourself, bro.” Tanner laughs.
    “Let me be more to the point,” Jake glares at Tanner.  “This isn’t the kind of conversation a man has over Mint Juleps… and I'm not in the mood for scotch.”
    “What happened to the party?” Naomi says.
    “Exactly,” Jake says to Naomi, taking her hand, leading her to the dance floor.
    Tanner turns to Ellie.  “He gets a little excited when he drinks,” he motions his hand to his mouth.  “Anyway, I’ve got to go see an old friend, but I don’t want to leave you all alone.  Wanna come with?”  
    “No, uh, thanks,” Ellie responds.  She’s skeptical of his motives for reasons she can’t explain, and is slightly embarrassed because of it.  “I’m going to get some air.”
    Tanner looks around and up to the open sky above, perplexed by the paradox in Ellie’s words.  “Suit yourself,” he says in a low voice.
    Ellie walks to the place where Jake stood moments ago, overlooking the water.  Her mind wrestles— for what seems like hours— with his take on the death penalty, turning it over in her mind, countless ways.   Our values don’t all have to line up exactly, do they?  
    In the end, she can't fight it any longer.  The questions