The Firefighter's Cinderella by Dominique Burton Page A

core.
    Anything could happen to her here. This was crazy. He couldn’t really be falling in love with Natasha Bennington.
    â€œC.J., I’ve got to go in.”
    â€œNot until you tell me what’s going on.”
    â€œUnfortunately, you and I are going to have to pretend we don’t know each other.”
    â€œExcuse me?”
    â€œListen, it took me a long time to get these people to trust me. I can’t destroy that.”
    He breathed in the delicious scent of her hair. “Go on.”
    â€œIt’s simple. I sit at a table and talk to people. I have a green card for one person waiting. There’s another family wanting to talk to me. They’ll have brought three other people who need help.”
    â€œWhat do you want me to do?” he said against her temple.
    She looked up into his eyes. “Get a beer at the bar, dance, have fun, I don’t know. You said you wanted to see what I do. This is what I do. This is what I am.”
    â€œFine. I’ll buy a drink, but I’m sitting at a table next to you.”
    â€œOkay. But from now on we don’t know each other. I’ll head in first and get a seat. Why don’t you come in about five minutes from now?”
    He didn’t like it, but he said no more. She was right. He’d gotten himself tangled up in this mess and would see it through for her. It went against every fiber of his serve-and-protect training, but he’d given his word. Strong-arming her wouldn’t work anyway.
    Now he watched that beautiful woman push open the big metal door and enter the seedy building alone. Tasha seemed unaware of the door clanging shut behind her. The reverberations echoed the terrified beating of his heart. Terrified for her.
    He tipped his hat lower, keeping one eye on his watch and the other on his surroundings. Field-workers passedby him in groups, going inside for a night of fun. And he was stuck out here. Damn it!
    The five minutes he waited were the longest in his life. He thought about his career as a firefighter. His job and Tasha’s were so different, yet they were both trying to save lives. Could the two be combined? Get a grip, C.J.
    Readjusting his hat, he finally opened the large metal door. Another group of workers pushed past him. One thing he had on all of them was size. He was at least half a foot taller than anyone else there.
    Amigos was not what he expected. A live band was playing on stage. If he wasn’t so frightened for a certain female he cared about, this bar with its high ceilings and partitioned alcoves might even appeal to him. The bright coral, blue and sage colors made it an inviting place to sit down and enjoy the music. It had a great-looking dance floor, and seemed to be packed with happy couples. It all blew his mind.
    No wonder Tasha felt safe. This was an appealing spot for workers to enjoy an evening away from home. Every time he thought Tasha was doing something crazy, she proved him wrong.
    Making another search of the crowd, he finally spotted her with a man. They’d seated themselves at a table in a back corner, drinking what looked to be bottles of root beer.
    From the papers spread in front of her she produced a green card and handed it to him. She smiled radiantly and the man jumped up, rushed around and hugged her.
    C.J. experienced a strange burning in his chest as feelings for Tasha continued to escalate. A small line ofpeople were waiting to talk to her. This was the kind of woman his mother would like. Her mother would likely have a heart attack at the sight.
    Tasha was doing everything her father was campaigning against right now in his race for another congressional win. That was Natasha Bennington. She was her own woman, one who went after what she wanted and never gave up.
    C.J. grabbed a beer at the bar and settled at a table close by, sending her covert glances and listening to her speak Spanish with her clients. The Latin music in the background all