Page 13 of Flame it Up

Not that she wasn’t nonstop sexy in her work clothes.

Far away, near the buffet table, Gerri suddenly came into view. Pyrus excused himself from the reporter and dove through the crowd after Gerri. At least people seemed to have settled down about his heroics, and no one asked him to step in and shake their hand.

Pyrus chased Gerri, wondering how such a tiny woman could move so fast. Finally, he flagged her down by the champagne fountain.

“Pyrus!” she exclaimed. “Where have you been?”

“Finding a suit and being interviewed,” he answered.

“You met Mazie?” Gerri asked, her tone light and teasing.

“Yes, I met her,” Pyrus said. “She’s my mate. I’m sure of it.”

Gerri nodded. “She certainly is. I knew it would be a good match.”

Pyrus nodded, slightly thrown. He’d known Mazie was his mate, but hearing it confirmed sent his mind into a bit of a spin.

“If you check your calendar, you’ll find that your appointment in Johannesburg has been canceled,” Gerri said. “I also have a tent set up for you to stay in during the event with your possessions already brought in from the hotel.”

Pyrus frowned. “What? I thought it was an important meeting.”

Gerri laughed, waving a hand at him. “All a ruse, darling. I just needed to get you on a plane, and at this event, so you could meet Mazie.”

“How did you know?” asked Pyrus, amazed. “How did you know we were mates?”

Gerri shrugged. “I didn’tknow, exactly. I meet a lot of people through these events, and I take note of the interesting ones. I knew you and Mazie were a likely match, so I conspired to get you together.”

Gerri grinned as she took a sip of champagne. There was a twinkle in her eye that Pyrus couldn’t ignore.

“Wait,” he said, shaking his head. “This whole event was for us? You planned this thing just so we could meet up?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Gerri said. “It’s a worthy cause. Besides, I love a good party.”

“But what if I hadn’t agreed to come?” Pyrus asked, confused. “You’ve spent millions here.”

“And I’ve made millions for the charity and the sanctuary itself,” Gerri said with a very satisfied smile. “The event is a huge success. Besides, I knew you’d come.”

“Really?” Pyrus asked, grinning. “How did you know that?”

Gerri shrugged as she took another sip of champagne. “I’m good at convincing people. I also know you pretty well, Pyrus. I was sure you’d show.”

Pyrus looked around at the luxury involved in the party. It was a massive event, and he was stunned to find it was all in his honor. “I just don’t know what I did to deserve this kind of gesture from you, Gerri,” Pyrus said softly. “Thank you.”

“I appreciate your gratitude,” Gerri said. “But maybe it’s not about you. Maybe, it’s about Mazie.”

Hearing her name sent waves of warm pleasure pulsing through Pyrus’s body. His sense of smell sharpened immediately as if his dragon was attempting to track her.

“You know what, Pyrus?” Gerri asked. “It’s an incredible night out, don’t you think?”

“Yes, it is,” Pyrus agreed, looking up at the flawless black sky studded with stars that glinted like chips of shattered crystal.

“I think you should take a walk around the perimeter of the compound,” Gerri said, winking. “You might find something out there that you’ve been looking for.”

Gerri turned and disappeared into the crowd. The place was quieting down, and guests were beginning to leave. Some die-hard partygoers still danced and helped themselves to food, though.

Pyrus was able to leave the main crowd without being stopped and quickly walked out to the farthest edge of the sanctuary. The night was very still, only broken by the odd, haunting sound of insects or night birds calling from the trees.

The farther away from the event he went, the more peaceful the night was. Pyrus was beginning to enjoy the solitude when he saw a soft light up ahead.

---