Hearts Afire

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  “Are you okay?” Zak whispered.

  Maitlyn nodded. “Better than okay. How about you?”

  Zak tightened the grip he had on her, hugging her closer. “I love you,” he murmured as he let himself drift away, snoring softly against her ear.

  Maitlyn closed her eyes and exhaled, his comment spinning her into the sweetest of dreams.

  Chapter 10

  When Maitlyn woke the next morning, Zak was nowhere to be found. The cabin was quiet, almost too quiet, and Maitlyn was slightly unnerved. After rising from the bed, she moved to the top of the stairwell and called out his name. When she didn’t get a response, she let out a deep sigh, wondering where he might have gone off to.

  She moved into the bathroom and eased herself into the shower. Every square inch of her body was tender. Zak had been right about making love to her all night long. She’d lost count of the number of times he’d brought her to orgasm. She’d woken twice to him kissing her intimately, his mouth and tongue bringing her to eruption. He’d taken her from behind once, her on her hands and knees as he’d kneeled against her buttocks. Then there had been that moment when she’d ridden him, her body straddled above his. The sun had just begun to rise over the horizon when the last quivers of passion had shaken through them both; their lovemaking had taken them from the bed to the patio to the living room and back to the shower. Now it hurt her to even think about touching herself.

  The shower was exhilarating, and the pulse of hot water slowly revived her muscles. As she thought about Zak, she remembered his words before he’d fallen to sleep. He had said that he loved her. The sentiment had been endearing and had carried her right into her own sweet dream. She wished it was that simple, that a man like Zak Sayed could love her so easily in such a short span of time. But like he’d pointed out, enjoying what they shared today was one thing; tomorrow was a whole other animal.

  Thirty minutes later she was dressed, her makeup and hair meticulous. Zak still had not returned to the room, and Maitlyn was famished. She made her way down to the breakfast buffet, eager to enjoy at least one cup of coffee before the ship was scheduled to dock at the next port.

  As she checked the schedule, Maitlyn was excited to see they would be porting in Barcelona for the next two days. She had been to Spain before, and she knew that Barcelona was a beautiful city, full of everything European cities were known for. She was anxious to revisit the outdoor markets, the restaurants and her favorite designer shops. If there was an opportunity, she hoped to visit a museum or two and to photograph the architecture of the ancient churches and some of the art nouveau buildings. She hoped to do those things with Zak but didn’t want to presume that he would want to do them with her.

  She couldn’t help but think about how quickly their time at sea was passing. More than once she’d lost track of time, a few days shifting into full weeks. They’d built comfortable routines with each other and each day allowed them to discover something new about the other. They’d taken advantage of the plans her family had made for her, each excursion and adventure a sheer joy as they did them together. There was rock climbing, cooking classes and more spa treatments. They’d also done sightseeing and walking tours. She didn’t want to think about their time ever ending. A smile pulled at her mouth, joy shimmering in her eyes.

  The elevator she was riding came to a halt. When the doors opened, Alexander Lloyd was standing on the other side. They’re meeting was abrupt; the two practically knocked each other down: he was eager to get in and she was just as anxious to get out.

  “Alexander, good morning!” Maitlyn said, surprised by the encounter.

  He nodded, tossing an anxious glance over his shoulder. “Ms. Boudreaux, how are you?”

  “Very well, thank you. Are you enjoying your cruise?”

  His head bobbed against his shoulders and she noticed that his black eye was less black-and-blue. “I am,” he answered. “How about you?”

  “I’m having a wonderful time,” she said.

  There was an awkward moment of silence, as neither had anything else to say. “Well, you have a nice day,” Maitlyn finally offered.

  As she turned to leave, Alexander grabbed her arm just above her elbow.

  Maitlyn’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell?”

  “I just want to warn you,” he said, meeting her stare. “Sayed isn’t who you think he is. You can’t trust him. That man’s trouble, and you need to be careful. If you don’t believe me, ask him about Debra.”

  After eyeing him a second longer Maitlyn snatched her arm from his grasp. “Don’t you ever touch me again,” she hissed between clenched teeth.

  She then watched as Alexander stepped into the elevator. As the conveyor doors closed, he snapped, “I warned you!”

  Maitlyn was breathing heavily, her heart racing. The exchange had unnerved her, and she hated that he’d been able to throw off her balance so easily. She took a quick glance around to see if anyone had witnessed the confrontation, but there were no other passengers in hearing range. She took a deep breath and held out her hands—both quivered ever so slightly.

  After making her way into the dining space, she waited for the hostess to guide her to the table. The young woman was English with big baby-blue eyes and ice-blond hair.

  She greeted Maitlyn warmly. “Good morning, miss.”

  “Good morning,” Maitlyn answered, still trying to compose herself.

  “Mr. Sayed is expecting you,” she said.

  Maitlyn nodded as she followed behind the girl. Zak was seated near the rear of the restaurant by the window, reviewing a host of papers. He smiled and stood as she neared the table.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” he said as he reached out to embrace her.

  Maitlyn wrapped her arms around his neck, locking her hands behind his shoulders. She hugged him tightly, holding on as if her life depended on it, her body still shaking with a mind of its own.

  “What happened?” Zak asked, sensing her distress.

  Maitlyn was reluctant to release her grip and pressed her body tighter to his. Zak tightened his hold, saying nothing. She finally eased her grip and kissed his cheek before she pulled away. Her lips lingered a second longer than necessary. Zak pressed his palm to the side of her face.

  Maitlyn smiled. “I’m sorry. I’m just being silly. Everything’s fine. I missed you,” she said.

  Zak stared at her before gesturing toward the waiter to bring them both coffee.

  “You look like you’re working,” Maitlyn said, nodding toward the papers he’d been focused on.

  “Something like that,” he said. He picked up the loose documents and returned them to the leather attaché that rested in the chair at his side.

  Maitlyn thought that Zak might expound further, and when he didn’t she couldn’t help but wonder why. Alexander’s words came back to her. Did she know Zak as well as she thought she did? And who was Debra? Did she have any right to know? She took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. Zak lifted his eyes to stare at her.

  She met his questioning gaze with one of her own. “I ran into Alexander Lloyd at the elevator.”

  “Did he do something to you?” Zak asked, his eyes shifting to the red marks on her arm that she’d been rubbing since she’d sat down.

  She shook her head, clasping both of her hands together in her lap. “He just said some things that unnerved me.”

  “What things?”

  “About you. He said that I shouldn’t trust you. That I don’t know who you are.”

  Zak nodded slowly. “You really don’t know me,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “He said I should ask you about Debra.”

  At the mention of the woman’s name, Zak bristled. To someone who had never spent time with him, it would’ve gone unnoticed. But Maitlyn noticed. In fact, she felt his e
ntire demeanor shift, and something did not feel right. She suddenly realized that she knew him better than either of them thought.

  She reached out and dropped her palm against the back of his hand, her fingers gently caressing his warm skin. “I know we’ve only just met and we’re just really getting to know each other. But—” she paused, taking a deep breath before she continued “—but I trust you. And I trust that if there was something I needed to know that you would tell me. Anything else is none of my business,” she said.

  Before Zak could respond, the waiter appeared at his elbow, two mugs of hot coffee in hand.

  “Are you ready to order breakfast, sir?” he asked. “Or will you be partaking of the buffet this morning?”

  The diversion was appreciated, and Maitlyn showed it in the wide smile that filled her face. “I really want pancakes,” she exclaimed. “I want a short and maple syrup. With a side order of bacon and a glass of orange juice. I’m famished!”

  Zak nodded. “That actually sounds good,” he said. “I’ll have the same, without the bacon.”

  The waiter nodded. “Very good. I’ll put that order right in for you,” he said as he lifted the menus from the table and walked away.

  Once the man was out of earshot, Zak turned to look her at her. There was an awkward moment of quiet. Maitlyn smiled, biting down against her bottom lip. It bothered her that there was tension between them, and she said so.

  “Please don’t be upset.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not. I’m sorry that Alexander upset you. He obviously hasn’t learned his lesson.”

  “Forget him. He is so not worth our time and energy.” She smiled brightly. “So, what are your plans today?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “We should be docking in the next hour. I didn’t know if there was something special you wanted to do while in Barcelona.”

  “I just want to spend the day with you,” she said.

  Zak smiled. “That’s what I want, too,” he said.

  Zak seemed very familiar with Barcelona, and the minute the ship was docked and the captain gave them permission to debark, he guided Maitlyn downtown. Their first stop was Purificación Garcia, renowned for its Savile Row tailoring of men’s wear. Their designs were sleek and sophisticated, and the staff knew Zak by name and were excited to be seeing him again. The young woman who greeted them at the door seemed particularly excited, rushing to give him a warm embrace as she kissed one of his cheeks and then the other. She seemed surprised to see him there with a woman, and she gave Maitlyn the once-over, an obvious up-and-down appraisal, before she spoke.

  “Hello! My name is Ana.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Ana,” Maitlyn said, smiling politely.

  Zak chuckled under his breath. “Is Javier here?” he asked.

  She nodded. “In his office. I’ll call him for you,” she said as she moved back behind the counter and reached for the telephone.

  Seconds later a robust man, balding at the crown, bounded up the stairs. He rushed to shake Zak’s hand. “Sayed, my friend, it’s good to see you,” he exclaimed excitedly.

  Zak smiled as the man pumped his hand up and down. “Javier! You look well.”

  The man shook his bulging belly between both hands. “The wife feeds me well and makes love to me a few times a week. How can I complain?”

  Zak laughed. “You can’t. How is Adriana?”

  “Beautiful as always,” he chimed. He tossed a look over Zak’s shoulder, and his gaze met Maitlyn’s curious stare. “But who is this exquisite creature?” he questioned. He pushed past Zak and extended his hand to her.

  “Buenos días!” he said as he kissed the back of her hand.

  Zak laughed. “Maitlyn Boudreaux, Javier Amador. Javier, this is my very special friend, Maitlyn.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, pretty lady,” Javier said, still holding Maitlyn’s hand tightly. “My friend has finally settled down, I hope?” He looked from her to Zak.

  She smiled, shrugging her shoulders slightly. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

  Javier smiled as he winked an eye at her. “We’ll work on him, then,” he said. “He needs a good woman.”

  Zak shook his head. “He also needs new suits,” he said, changing the subject.

  Javier laughed. “We can do that, too. I have some beautiful silks from a new Spanish designer that you will love. Classic designs with a very youthful edge. Come look,” he said as he gestured for the two of them to follow him.

  As they made their way toward the menswear section, the women’s leather section caught Maitlyn’s eye. She grinned at Zak, who must’ve noticed the glint of excitement in her eye. “I’m going to take a peek.”

  Zak nodded. “Don’t miss the shoes,” he said teasingly.

  “I wasn’t planning on it,” she said.

  As she turned, Zak called her name.

  “Yes, dear?” She turned back to look at him.

  He reached into the breast pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out his leather billfold. He extracted a credit card and handed it to her. “Whatever you want,” he said.

  Maitlyn looked from it to him and back. It was on the tip of her tongue to argue, but something in the look he was giving her stopped her.

  He moved toward her and kissed her mouth, his tongue teasing her briefly. “Whatever you want,” he repeated as he turned, moving behind his friend Javier.

  Ana was watching as Maitlyn stood staring at the American Express Black Card in her hand. “He’s a very special man, Zak Sayed,” Ana said.

  Maitlyn met the woman’s gaze. She nodded. “Yes,” she replied, “very special.”

  She tucked the credit card into her pocket and moved into the other space. No man had ever given her his credit card to use for her own personal purchases. Her ex-husband had not been that generous. Maitlyn had never known what it might be like to have a man want to take care of her, to ensure she had pretty things on a whim, or even help pay her bills. By the time they’d been able to walk and talk her parents had taught her and her sisters to depend on themselves and only themselves for anything and everything. It had been sacrilege for them to even fantasize about any man swooping into their lives to take care of them.

  Maitlyn had a pocketful of her own credit cards and the means to pay them. She owned property, had a successful business, was well traveled and the balance on her bank account was six figures high. She had always been self-sufficient and independent. Her ex-husband had hated that about her. She ran her fingers around the edge of the credit card in her pocket and shook her head.

  Minutes later she was trying on shoes. Beautiful leather heels that were fueling her serious shoe obsession. She stood up in a pair of butter-soft, white leather, spiked-heel pumps and walked across the marble floor. The fit was perfect—they felt wonderful on her feet. They looked good, too, and Zak told her so.

  “I like those,” he said as he came into the room and took a seat. He extended his arms across the back of the chair he was sitting in and crossed his legs. “I like those very much. Pedro Garcia?”

  She strolled back in front of him. “You know your designers! I’m impressed again.”

  “I know beautiful things on a beautiful woman.”

  Maitlyn giggled. “You silver-tongued devil you! Keep talking like that and a girl might fall in love,” she said. She dropped her eye to admire the shoes on her feet, extending one and then the other out in front of her. When she looked back up, Zak was staring at her. She smiled, lifting an eyebrow curiously. “What?”

  “Is that all it will take for you to fall in love?” he asked.

  They locked eyes, and Maitlyn found his intense look intriguing. Her heart was racing, the pit of her stomach doing flips. She reveled in the sensations for a quick minute. “Throw that in with everything els
e you’ve done since I met you, Mr. Sayed, and a girl won’t be able to stop herself from falling in love with you,” she answered, her voice a loud whisper.

  Zak smiled and extended his hand toward her. Maitlyn took it, and he pulled her down against his lap. He wrapped one arm around her waist and his other hand cupped her chin. He stared into her eyes for a brief second, and then he kissed her, his lips dancing easily over hers. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Maitlyn kissed him back, her body melting against his.

  Javier cleared his throat as he entered the room, interrupting the moment. “Passion!” he exclaimed. “It is a beautiful thing. You two have great passion.”

  Zak rubbed her back, his large hand skirting easily from side to side. He winked an eye at her when she noticed the rise of nature that had grown beneath her buttocks. Zak shifted, and his hard-on moved against her backside. She simply giggled.

  Zak laughed, turning his attention back to his friend. “Javier, I see that Maitlyn has picked out five pairs of shoes. If you would deliver them and my suits to the ship, it would be greatly appreciated.”

  “Not a problem, my friend. And that other thing, too?”

  “No,” Zak said. He tapped the breast pocket of his suit. “I’ll carry that with me.”

  Javier nodded. “Smart man. And if I may, I would recommend Can Gaig for dinner. It’s very romantic and the perdiz asada is the best in the country,” he said as he puckered his lips and kissed his fingers in the air. “The food is muy delicioso! I can make arrangements for you.”

  Maitlyn looked from one to the other. “Perdiz asada is...?”

  Zak smiled. “Roast partridge.”

  “Oh,” she said, giving him a look. “Interesting.”

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Oh,” she exclaimed as a light bulb moment washed over her expression. “Your credit card.” She reached into her pocket, pulled his card into her palm and extended it back to him.