Page 3 of Steamy Dreamy Hearts

“Make way for the couples’ dance!” shouted the gleeful DJ.

Eager couples, a few of them stumbling out from too much champagne, circled the dance floor. Phin dipped James and then kissed him. Near them, Kamira, a fellow firefighter, did a sillytwo-step with her husband. Her braids were done up for the wedding in a fancy style, and her low-cut red dress displayed her substantial leg muscles. Her husband couldn’t take his eyes off her. Other couples jumped to the music. Some danced close, like Kamira and her man; others had some distance between them, but they all appeared to be having fun.

“There you are!” Tanner’s voice boomed from behind me.

Damn it. I’d been so distracted by Erin and Smack, and the couples’ dance, that I’d almost forgotten why I’d fled the main hall.

“Here I am,” I said reluctantly as Tanner came over and flung an arm around me with casual possession. He looked good, I had to admit that much. Tanneralwayslooked good, like a runway model with his perfect teeth and floppy blond hair, not to mention his carefully tailored suit. He knew how to show off his body. He was prince-worthy, all right.

“Let’s share.” Tanner held out a thick slice of wedding cake, but before I could take a bite, he yanked it back to his mouth and chomped down, devouring half the wedge.

“Hey!” I protested.

“What?” He smacked his lips. Tanner finished the cake without a crumb on him. No icing smears. No bits caught between his teeth. My headache came back full force, only it wasn’t from the noise or drinks; it was a heartbreak headache.

“You shouldn’t be here. I asked younotto come.”

“Relax. Don’t get all weird about it. You’ll be glad to have me during the dancing.”

I gritted my teeth. “Don’t tell me to relax.”

The music quieted as James tapped his fork against his champagne glass.

“Oh, not a speech,” Tanner groaned. “And this dude? He yaps so much.”

“He’s one of the grooms? Plus, James is a professor. Of course, he’s articulate and wants to talk.”

Tanner let out a belch and shrugged. “Whatever. As long as we can go to some real dance clubs after this dumb shit is over.”

“I don’t want to go anywhere with you,” I hissed.

“Attention, everybody,” James called. “I’d like to say something. If Phin would please join me up here?” James held out a hand to Phin as he joined him near the DJ.

“Phin and I just want to take a moment and thank you all for coming to our party. We appreciate you celebrating our wedding with us. Thanks again, everybody,” James said. “Most of all, I want to thank Phin for seeing me when others didn’t. For believing in me. And for loving me.” He pushed his thick glasses up the bridge of his nose before going in for a giant kiss. Phin melted against James, cupping the sides of his face. By the time he let James go, James was blushing fiercely.

Phin raised a glass of soda; he was sober after a long struggle with alcohol. James picked up his champagne. Who would have ever thought that bookish James and adventurous Phin would be a couple? But they totally worked together. They clinked glasses, basking in the joy of a future just for them. Phin glowed with pride in their matching tuxedos, and I was a bad friend again because I could only think about myself and how lonely I was trapped with Tanner. Even if Tanner had shown up unannounced, I was the idiot standing next to him instead of actually taking chances with my heart.

All my failures at love rushed through my mind like a toxin. As a firefighter, I had breathed my share of black smoke, but no smoke was as poisonous as my thoughts.

CHAPTER

TWO

SMACK

Weddings made me grumpy.

Orgrumpier, some might argue. I’d have been fine with a quick court wedding when I married all those years ago. The expense was crazy, even then. But Dan had wanted a big, flashy wedding, so that’s what we did. He’d said we should be proud and celebrate our love. He’d had a point there. I remember how good he’d looked in his white tux, walking arm in arm with me down the aisle.

Turning my attention back to the grooms standing in the room’s center, I couldn’t imagine what Phin and James had paid for this banquet hall. Seated at a table with only half-empty glasses and plates for company, I undid my tie since it was already loose. Beside me, Erin cheered at James’ wedding speech.

“Hi, Erin!” Kamira loaded some cookies onto her dessert plate and smiled at Erin. “My boys are around if you want to go join them.”

“Okay!” Erin scrambled away before I could even give permission.

“She loves your sons.”

“And they love her. Too bad we live so far from each other.” Kamira commuted to our Mesa area from a good distance away due to her husband’s job on the other side of town.

---