Hearts Afire. Deborah Fletcher Mello

the vehicle.

      Maitlyn tossed her sister a look and shook her head. “Only your brother,” she said matter-of-factly.

      They both watched as Kendrick shook hands with the traffic officer on duty. The two men exchanged words before he returned and opened the rear hatch to the automobile.

      “You’re going to get a ticket,” Maitlyn said.

      Kendrick laughed. “No, I’m not,” he responded casually.

      “How are you not going to get a ticket?” Tarah questioned, cutting an eye toward Maitlyn.

      Their brother smiled and winked and then passed Maitlyn’s luggage to a porter, who seemed almost too eager to be of assistance. Kendrick was the master of not answering questions. Tarah was used to it, but it galled Maitlyn to no end. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance as she dug into her handbag for a tip, but the man and her luggage were gone before she could get her hand out of her billfold.

      Kendrick laughed. “What’s wrong, Mattie? You’re usually on top of your game. You seem a little slow this morning.”

      “I don’t know what I’m doing,” she admitted. “And I definitely don’t know why I agreed to do this!”

      Her brother shook his head, dropping his large hands against the curve of her shoulders. “Go have yourself a good time.”

      “How can I have a good time when I don’t even know what it is I’m supposed to be doing every day?”

      Tarah jumped up excitedly. “We took care of that,” she said as she passed her sister the bag with all her travel documents. “Me, Mom and Katrina have booked you for all the spa treatments and offshore excursions. You’re going to have a blast!”

      “All of them?”

      “Well, the good ones,” Tarah responded, shrugging her shoulders easily.

      Kendrick laughed, shaking her lightly before wrapping his arms around her in a warm hug. “It’s going to be okay. Just go have fun!”

      In that moment Maitlyn couldn’t fathom what fun might entail. But she had to admit that all her sister’s teasing had her fantasizing about a prospective encounter that might leave her completely satisfied without the burdens of commitment. Wild, passionate sex with a nameless, hard body just might be the kind of medicine she needed to get past the drama that had been her life. And if she could have wild, passionate sex with a stranger and never have anyone in her family find out, then why not, she reasoned. Her thoughts were interrupted when Kendrick suddenly did an about-face and called out to a stranger who was handing off his own luggage to a porter.

      “Zakaria?”

      “Kendrick Boudreaux!”

      Kendrick moved forward in greeting and eagerly shook the handsome stranger’s hand. The two slapped palms and gave each other a warm hug.

      Maitlyn took a step forward, staring at where the two stood. Both men had clearly captured the attention of everyone around them. Her brother’s good looks had never fazed her, but his friend, with his warm complexion, luxurious black curly hair and his chiseled features, was tall, dark and handsome to the nth degree. Behind her, Tarah murmured under her breath, “My, my, my!”

      Both women stood back as the two men fell into conversation. Maitlyn cut her eye toward Tarah, who was grinning like the Cheshire cat as she moved her body in closer and leaned heavily against her arm and shoulder. Mischief danced in the younger woman’s dark eyes.

      “Don’t you dare,” Maitlyn admonished between clenched teeth.

      Tarah giggled, whispering back, “I was just going to say that you might want to rethink doing it with the cabin guy and consider doing it with that guy.”

      Kendrick suddenly gestured in their direction.

      “Maitlyn, let me introduce you. This is Zakaria Sayed. Zak and I did some business together years ago, and we’ve been friends ever since. Zak, this is my sister Maitlyn Boudreaux. This is her first cruise.”

      “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Boudreaux,” Zak said as he wrapped a large palm around her hand, his dark gaze meeting hers evenly.

      “It’s very nice to meet you, too,” Maitlyn murmured, heat wafting in a large wave up her spine. She pulled her hand from his, her fingers tingling from his touch. She clenched her fist, drawing her hand behind her back to stall the sensation. Her eyes were still locked with his.

      Tarah cleared her throat, her eyebrows lifted.

      Kendrick laughed. “Oh, and that’s Tarah, our baby sister.”

      “Hey,” Tarah exclaimed, waving her hand in greeting as the man turned his attention in her direction. “So will you be cruising today, too, Mr. Sayed?”

      “Please, call me Zak,” he said. His tone was deep and rich, a melodic vibrato that would have been perfect for a late-night radio program. “And, yes, I’ll be traveling on this cruise.”

      Kendrick interjected, “Zak is participating in the World Series of Poker tournament. He’s made it to the grand finale, which will be played out on the ship.”

      “You’re a professional gambler?” Maitlyn questioned, curiosity peaking her interest.

      The man’s smile was brilliant as he tilted his head to stare down at her. His deep gaze caused her breath to halt and air to catch in her chest.

      “I would not call myself a professional,” he said, the deep timbre of his voice heating her feminine spirit. “I’m just a man who likes a challenge,” he professed.

      Maitlyn felt herself nodding, her head moving up and down foolishly. She was grateful when her brother interjected.

      “Mattie, Zak has promised to keep an eye on you, so I know you’ll be in good hands.”

      Her eyes widened as she forced herself to smile. “That’s very kind, Mr. Sayed, but my little brother shouldn’t have imposed on you. I really don’t need a babysitter.” She cut an eye at Kendrick, whose mocking gaze made her want to give him a good punch.

      Zak chuckled softly. “That’s a good thing, Ms. Boudreaux. I had no plans to babysit anyone on this trip,” he said matter-of-factly.

      Kendrick laughed. “Well, you two had better head inside,” he said, glancing down to the gold watch on his wrist. He leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Have a great trip,” he chimed.

      Maitlyn hugged him and then Tarah.

      Her sister moved in to whisper into her ear. “Tap that,” she murmured under her breath. “Pleeeease!”

      Taking a deep breath, Maitlyn could only shake her head. She tossed one last look over her shoulder at her brother and sister, who were waving excitedly as she proceeded to board the ship.

      She was suddenly aware of the warm palm Zak Sayed had rested against her elbow as he led her through the doors into the terminal. Neither spoke a word as they cleared the metal detectors and checked in at the registration desk. Maitlyn was surprised when he paused to wait for her after they were pointed in the direction of the gangway, especially since he had yet to utter one word to her. His expression was nondescript; the man seemed focused on something other than her.

      But Maitlyn couldn’t comment, either. She found herself completely tongue-tied in his presence. She took a deep breath and held it, fighting the wave of anxiety that threatened to consume her.

      Suddenly a wide-eyed redhead rushed over, greeting them cheerily. “Hello! Welcome to Coastal Cruise Lines,” the chipper attendant chimed.

      “Thank you,” Zak responded politely.

      “Let’s get your arrival photo taken care of and then you can board,” the young woman said as her associate guided them both in front of a cardboard stand-up of the cruise line’s logo.

      “Just stand a little closer to your