Burning for Love: Los Angeles Armstrongs 2 (The Armstrongs Book 8) Read online

  Green potted plants and miniature trees strategically dotted the space giving the people inside some privacy. The barbecue was still in full swing on the terrace, but compared to the rooms downstairs it was peaceful and quiet.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked.

  “Yes. I haven’t eaten all day. It’s been a very hard week at the school, because we’re preparing year-end reports,” Roxy said and he noticed how tired she looked.

  “You want to stay here and relax, while I get you some food?” Drake asked.

  Much to his delight, she nodded. “That would be wonderful. My feet are killing me and I’m so exhausted I almost declined Carlos’ invitation to come tonight.”

  Drake observed her cute face with those vivid brown eyes and answered, “I’m glad you didn’t.” Then he trotted off to fetch them some food.

  He returned balancing two plates full of grilled meat and other delicacies along with two cups of red wine. Roxie had propped her feet on an empty planter and leaned against the back of the bench. She greeted him with another of her mega-watt smiles.

  “Thank you. That looks yummy.”

  Drake nodded and sat next to her, carefully avoiding an accidental touch. Any further sensations might send him into orbit.

  He looked out at the horizon, marveling at the mountainous volcano in the distance and the city lights below. He couldn’t wait to explore. But that urge paled in comparison to the gorgeous woman sitting next to him. She was near enough for him to smell her fresh, flowery scent and feel the warmth radiating off of her.

  “The view is spectacular from up here,” Drake said.

  “Yes, it’s amazing.” Roxie turned her head to say something else, and caught him staring. The moment she realized he was watching her and not the city, a cute flush covered her cheeks.

  Drake cleared his throat and asked, “So, tell me more about your work.”

  “It’s not that interesting. I’d much rather hear about yours. Carlos said you were here to study volcanoes?” When he nodded, she beamed a smile at him. “That sounds exciting. And Ecuador is full of them.”

  It wasn’t a question, but a statement and he wanted to offer further explanation. Before he could open his mouth, a light breeze swept over the rooftop terrace and he watched her shiver in reaction. Without thinking about it twice, he removed the lightweight jacket he wore.

  “Here, put this on,” he said as he leant over and tried to slip it around her shoulders.

  “No, you don’t have to do that. I’m fine.” She refused.

  Another gentle wind caused goosebumps to rise over her arms and another shiver. “You’re cold. Please, take the jacket.” Once again, he moved to swing it over her shoulders, and this time he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  “I don’t really…”

  He met her eyes and said, “You do really.”

  She allowed him to settle the jacket around her shoulders and then ducked her eyes away. Drake leaned back into his seat and watched her, his heart melting at the sight of her in his jacket. Almost as if he’d claimed her as his own with the simple action.

  “Have you had a chance to explore the city yet, Roxie?”

  She bit her bottom lip and then lifted her head up, meeting his eyes. “A bit. Not as much as I wish. Dealing with older kids is harder than I thought. Basically, every evening after school I drop dead on my bed and am happy if I make it to the local market for groceries.”

  “I bet.”

  Drake noticed how she self-consciously tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, and then he swallowed hard to fight off the urge to lick her earlobe and kiss a path down the bare skin of her neck. He surprised himself. It wasn’t like him to be so captivated by a female, and wanting to nibble her ears and neck after knowing her for less than an hour? No way. Must be the jetlag. He had to divert his attention back on solid grounds.

  “Why Ecuador of all countries?” he asked.

  “Coincidence. When I decided I needed some time off, a friend told me that the Ecuadorean government has a program titled ‘It’s Time to Teach in Ecuador’, where native English speakers with a background in education can come to Ecuador for one to three years and teach English.” She shrugged as if picking up and moving halfway across the world amounted to next to nothing.

  “Sounds like you are quite an adventurous woman.” Drake teased, bringing another flush to her cheeks. She was a mixture of shy reserve, and daunting curiosity, and he found he wanted to get to know both sides of her better.

  “Not at all.” She laughed out loud and suddenly his entire body was strung tight. How on earth would he be able to keep his hands off the woman one minute longer, if she looked at him like that?

  “Did you already speak Spanish before you came here?” Drake asked, just to stop thinking about how her luscious lips would feel pressed against his.

  “Yes. I thought I was quite proficient, but the minute I came here, I changed my opinion. The Ecuadorian dialect is so different from what I learned at college, I had a hard time adapting. But I think I’ve mastered it now.”

  From the short snippets of conversation she’d exchanged with other partygoers, he was sure she had it pat down.

  “How long have you been here?” he asked.

  “Three months. I’m here for a year before I go back to the States.”

  Drake frowned. “I thought Carlos told me his son had summer break coming up soon?”

  “Summer break is almost there. I’ll have two months off and then I’ll teach one more semester before returning home.”

  “So, what are your great and fabulous plans for summer break?” he teased.

  “I want to travel the country. See all the exciting things. Venture out.” Roxie smiled and excitement laced her voice, before she scrunched her nose. “Only…”

  Drake waited for her to continue, but she seemed stuck. “Only, what?”

  “I’ve never done that before and I’m not sure how to go about it.” She shrugged and he could see insecurity creeping into her excitement. From his own experience he knew that travelling into the unknown – as fun and exciting as it was – required a lot of courage.

  “Well, the first step is to determine where you want to go, or what you want to see. Then you simply figure out how to get there and go.”

  “It’s that simple?” she asked, doubt lacing her voice.

  Drake chuckled at her surprise. “No, but knowing where you want to go is sure helpful. I’ve travelled all over the world and parts of it get easier, but there are always unforeseen problems that arise. The key to having fun is to not take it all too seriously.”

  “So, where have you been?” Roxie asked with wide eyes.

  “Everywhere. If there’s a volcano around, I’ve probably been there. You’ve heard of the Ring of Fire?” he asked.

  “I think so. It has something to do with the Pacific Ocean, right?”

  “Kind of. The Pacific Ocean definitely sits inside the region, but it has more to do with tectonic plates than anything else. As they move and rub together, they create friction and buckling, and large cracks in the Earth’s crust form and allow molten magma from below to rise to the surface.”

  “What exactly do you do at these volcanoes?”

  “My job has two parts. In the field, I take photos, lots of measurements, and samples. Then, I put everything I observe into field models on a computer and it helps us predict what is likely to happen next.”

  She gave him a wide-eyed look. “You can predict when a volcano is going to blow up?”

  “Erupt, not blow up. And, no. We can’t predict the exact day and time, but we can have some forewarning when conditions are getting close to the breaking point. This gives us a chance to warn and evacuate people who might be affected.”

  “That sounds so exciting,” she said giving him her rapt attention.

  “Well, that’s the field part. And then there’s the office part. When I have to write up very lengthy and detailed reports. Many of my
colleagues consider this boring and tedious, but I wouldn’t give it up for the other. I have the best of both worlds.”

  Drake honestly loved his job, even the so-called boring calculations and the testing and re-testing of theories. He had to tamper down his enthusiasm if he didn’t want to scare Roxie away. Few women appreciated the beauty of a complex geophysical formula.

  But she smiled.

  Smiled.

  “You mentioned taking samples…of the magma…or lava…” She broke off on a self-deprecating laugh. “I’m butchering the terminology.”

  Drake chuckled. “Just a bit. Magma is what’s inside the volcano. Lava is what we call it when it comes out of the volcano.”

  He watched her mouth the words and the definitions and when she met his gaze he almost doubled over by the intensity of her chocolate brown eyes. “Got it. Tell me what else you do.”

  “Well, in a lot of ways I’m kind of like a glorified geologist. I collect rocks and survey landmarks. I place seismic monitor, gas monitor, and another set of monitors that can measure ground deformation.”

  “Ground deformation?”

  “You’re familiar with Mount St. Helens?” When she nodded he continued, “Right before the first explosion, the side of the mountain swelled. It was physically visible to the naked eye from miles away. Small changes can be detected using satellite imagery and GPS coordinates. We can even predict where a new volcano or vent is forming.”

  He paused, hoping he hadn’t gotten too carried away with the topic. “Sorry, that’s probably a lot more than you wanted to know.”

  “Not at all,” she said, shaking her head. “You came here to research the Pichincha? At school they keep telling us it’s active and can erupt any time. We practice volcano and earthquake drills with the kids every month.”

  Drake nodded and turned his eyes toward the large volcano that rose above the city. At almost sixteen thousand feet high, it was like a giant sentry keeping watch of the city of Quito. His last eruption in 1999 had covered the entire city with more than three inches of ash. Scientists – including Drake – believed there’d be an even bigger eruption within the next decade.

  “I plan to climb Pichincha, to get a feeling for the mountains and acclimate myself to the climate and altitude. But Cotopaxi is my real goal.”

  “Cotopaxi?” Roxie inquired, her eyes alight with excitement.

  “Yes, Carlos and I have planned this excursion for years. I actually had wanted to come last year, but then it erupted and the government revoked all climbing licenses. It’s a shame.” He narrowed his eyes and looked at Roxie. “Or maybe not, because then I hadn’t met you.”

  She ran her tongue across her teeth and tilted her head. “Isn’t Cotopaxi the highest mountain in Ecuador?”

  “Second highest.” Drake pressed out the words, fighting his rising desire for her. “I want to take several seismic measurements and collect lava stones for my research.”

  “That sounds so exciting…”

  “Well, I don’t know how exciting it will be. Hard work and strenuous climbs, most definitely. The peak is just under twenty thousand feet high.”

  “I can’t imagine actually doing something like that, although I would like to one of these days.”

  Another gust of wind caused her to shiver and pull the edges of his jacket tighter around her body. She glanced at him and then frowned. “You must be chilled through to the bone. I have your jacket and am still cold.”

  Drake started to reply, thinking that he could most definitely keep her warm. In his arms. But Carlos stepped into the cozy pergola and interrupted what he was about to say. Just in the nick of time before he embarrassed himself by revealing too much.

  “Hey, you two. I wondered where you’d ran off to.”

  “Eating your excellent food and admiring the view,” Drake said with an easy smile.

  “I should probably head home,” Roxie said to both of them. “This is the last week before summer vacation and I have to get up early tomorrow morning.”

  Carlos grinned. “Javier is very excited about no school.”

  “All of the kids are. Hey, before I leave…are you still available to come talk to the kids?”

  “Sure, in fact, since Drake is here, he should accompany me,” Carlos said with a devilish glint in his eyes. Now Drake was sure, his introduction to Roxie hadn’t been serendipity.

  “That’s a wonderful idea. I bet you could tell the kids some pretty fantastic stories.” Roxie beamed with enthusiasm.

  Drake shook his head. “Carlos, you should go. You’re the parent here and you can tell just as many stories as I can.”

  “Not hardly and Javier won’t mind.” Carlos slapped him on the back.

  Roxie added her plea. “Say you’ll come? Please. The kids live here, surrounded by volcanoes. I bet you could help them see them differently.”

  Drake sent a scowl toward Carlos and then sighed. How could he resist Roxie’s excited pleading?

  “Fine. I’ll do it.”

  Roxie beamed a smile at him and then slipped his jacket off. “Thank you for the use of your jacket. I really do need to head home now.”

  “I’ll walk you out,” Carlos offered.

  Roxie turned to Drake. “It was nice talking with you.”

  “You too. See you soon.”

  Drake watched as Carlos escorted her back downstairs, disappointed that she’d left. He followed them downstairs and grabbed his gear from the front door, where he met Carlos coming back inside.

  “Hey man, I’m beat. Mind if I duck out and get some sleep?”

  “Sure. I’ll show you to the guest bedroom. I’ll try to keep people out of this hallway so you can get some rest. See you in the morning. It’s good having you here.” Carlos slapped him on the back.

  “I’m glad I came. Thanks for inviting me.”

  Drake covered a yawn with one hand and stepped inside the room at the end of the hall. It was a small bedroom, with a large bed, covered with a brightly colored quilt in green and blue blocks. One window, with wooden shutters, allowed the night breeze to cool the room. A small television sat on a stand across from the bed, and several lamps and end tables provided additional places to set things.

  An attached bathroom yielded a private sink, toilet and shower, and he quickly rinsed off and then and slipped between the sheets in nothing but his boxers. His eyes closed even as he tried to ignore the muted sounds of the party going on in the house. He gave into sleep, his dreams filled with visions of volcanoes and a dark haired pixie with deep brown eyes and a cheerful smile.

  Chapter 4

  Roxie arrived home, her mind stuck on the handsome stranger she’d just met. She was on a self-imposed break from all men, and while one part of her brain said, “Don’t start anything; it wouldn’t be worth it”, the other part of her focused on the butterflies taking flight just at the memory of his smile and gorgeous blue eyes. The butterflies won.

  Even though worn out, Roxie couldn’t still herself to rest. After arranging the materials needed for school the next day a dozen times, she gave up. A glance at her watch told her it was probably too late to call her best friend Charlene Diamond, a ski instructor who lived with her boyfriend Evan Armstrong in Chestnut Mountain Resort, just outside of Chicago, Illinois.

  Instead of calling Charlene, she sent her a text and then set her phone down on the bedside table, figuring she’d have to get herself to sleep because Charlene was probably doing the same.

  Seconds later, her phone chirped and Charlene’s picture appeared on the screen.

  “Hey, how come you’re still awake?” Roxie asked.

  “Because I knew you’d call me,” Charlene fired back. “No, seriously…I was about to go to bed when your text arrived. What’s up? It sounded urgent.”

  “I met this guy tonight…” Roxie grinned into the phone like a lovesick fool.

  “Oh my god! Tell me all about him. Do you have a picture? Will you stay in Quito with him?”

&n
bsp; Roxie chuckled at her friend’s enthusiasm. “Slow down. No, I don’t have a picture. He’s an American geologist, over here to research volcanoes.”

  “Did he kiss you?”

  “No.” But I wish he had. “Remember I told you about the party I was invited to at one of my student’s parents house? Drake is staying there while he’s in the country.”

  “Drake? An unusual name…”

  “It suits him. He’s absolutely gorgeous. Tall, broad shoulders, nice muscles, and his smile can make a girl go crazy. He’d just arrived here and with his tousled dark hair and the stubble on his jaw, he looked like a pirate. A dangerous, swarthy bad-boy capable of almost anything.”

  “Oh girl, you have it bad for him.”

  “Well, he definitely is hot, but…” Roxie hesitated.

  “…but? What’s wrong with him?” Charlene asked.

  “Nothing. That’s the problem. He seems to be perfect. All gentleman, but with a predatory look in his eyes that lets you know exactly what he’s thinking.”

  Probably something similar to what I’m thinking. Roxie giggled. Drake had done a rather bad job concealing the attraction he felt for her. Not that she minded. She mirrored it right back to him.

  “Who-hoo. So what is bad about that? Go for it. Just remember to always use protection.”

  “Charlene!” Roxie’s voice filled with indignation. “You are supposed to give me advice.”

  “I am, girl. What you need is some hot action between the sheets to forget about your loser ex,” Charlene said.

  “I’m on a break from all men. What I need is adventure, and not new chains. That’s why I came here.”

  “And you will have adventure. Most men don’t look for a serious relationship anyways. Especially, not when they’re travelling away from home. There’s no need to keep him forever. Take what you can, have a great time with your hot pirate while it lasts and then each one of you returns to their lives. No strings attached. No harm done,” Charlene advised.