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“You and Ruby rode to work together?” It would explain why her car wasn’t there.
“Today, we did.” She shifted out from his hold and crossed the room.
Gavin stared at her ass for a moment before glancing around the rest of the room. He hadn’t been inside Precious Gems since his men finished the remodeled. New cream-colored tile covered the floor, and there was a reception desk, a long conference table with several chairs, three bookcases, a desk along the back wall, a file cabinet, and printer stand.
Light spilled out from the open doorway at the back. Amber’s domain. The catering part of the business. “So Martin went home before you did?” Her co-worker wasn’t one of Gavin’s favorite people.
“He did.”
Gavin’s dislike was more than Martin’s attention to Amber. When Amber wasn’t around, he talked down to the staff. Not a smart thing to do. So far it hadn’t seemed to affect the business.
Amber motioned to the waiting room chairs. “Give me a minute, I need to make sure I put everything away.” She walked to the back.
A smile tilted his lips as he watched her hips sway. While he waited, he thought back to the first time his father hired her. She’d voiced her suspicions about being hired because of the relationship between her sister and Peter, his brother, but his father showed her it was all business. Nothing more, nothing less. The first event had been an emergency since their normal caterer flaked out on them. Amber did the job quickly and efficiently, and his father put her under contract the next day.
Gavin had been careful about hiding his attraction to her, maybe too careful. Until the night of his brother and her sister’s engagement party. He wanted to blame the wine, but he couldn’t. It was Amber and his need for something more. He’d spent hours watching Peter with Ruby, and something inside him cracked. He wanted a relationship, a meaningful and lasting one.
After dancing with Amber, he’d led her to the balcony. A momentary indulgence, nothing more. But when their lips met, every thought of stopping went out of his mind.
Her fingers tangled in his hair, and she pressed her body against his. When she slipped a hand between their bodies and squeezed his dick, he lost all control. The kiss went from soft and sweet, to hard and needy. He broke the kiss when someone opened the balcony doors. Without a word, he took her hand, led her to his car and then to his bed.
Soft footsteps brought him back to the present. Amber turned off the lights and made her way back to him.
He cleared his throat. “All done?”
“Yep. Everything’s back in its spot.”
“You work too hard.” He watched as she grabbed her purse and coat.
“From the man who puts in ten hour days, even on weekends.”
“Guilty.” Gavin cupped her elbow and escorted her out of the building. He waited while she locked the door and then guided her to his SUV. “How were you planning on getting home if we weren’t going out?”
“Martin would have driven me home.” She took his hand as he helped her up into his vehicle.
He gripped the door, unable to stop himself from asking, “Has he tried to get into your pants yet?”
“What kind of question is that?” She glared at him from her seat. “Martin is my co-worker, nothing more. Stop being an ass, or you can take me home right now.”
“I’ve seen the way he looks at you.” He held up his hand as she opened her mouth. “I’ll drop it.” He closed the door. “For now.” Gavin took a calming breath before he climbed behind the wheel. He needed to watch his words with Amber, or they’d end up fighting. And a fight was the last thing he wanted tonight.
No, he wanted her back in his bed. He would need to tread carefully. After backing up the vehicle, he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road.
“Where are you taking me?”
“My house. I have some of Mom’s famous stew waiting.” It was all part of his plan. Dinner at his house, talk, and…
“We’re not going to a restaurant?”
“Not tonight. I’d rather we talked in private.” Traffic was light, and they were at his home in no time. He stopped and let the headlights shine for a moment. He loved his place. The outside had an old-fashioned log cabin look, but inside was anything but rustic. Gavin liked his creature comforts. It had taken him over six months with the architect to get the design right and another six months to build.
Amber undid her seatbelt and reached for the door handle. “Wait for me to help you out, please.” He shut down the engine and turned off the lights before jumping out. He opened her door. “It’s a little dark out here.” He held his hand out to her.
He hadn’t realized how dark the front of his property was. Why hadn’t he thought about motion lights outside? He made a mental note to have his younger brother Ben come out and help him install some outdoor lights. Gavin slipped his arm around Amber’s waist as she slid out of the vehicle. He didn’t relinquish his hold as he guided her to the front door.
“I’m capable of walking on my own.”
“Running too.” The comment slipped from his lips. “I don’t want you to trip and hurt yourself in the dark.”
