AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Amber, I told you, I just checked the work myself. You don’t need to worry about it. Maybe we could get out of here and do something fun.”
She shifted uncomfortably for a moment. There was really no temptation to go with him, but she still cared about his feelings.
“Just the same, I’d feel better checking the work myself. I planned to come in today, my head’s in the work, and since I’m here, I might as well make the most of it. But thank you for the offer.” She started to turn back, forgetting about the coffee, but Eric’s deep sigh and shaking head stopped her. “What?”
“Amber, just go home. They asked me to check the work. If you go back, I have to do it again. It won’t be like this forever, but for now, they don’t want you to be the last person to have access to something before it goes out. Obviously they value your work and they don’t want to lose you. They just can’t risk… I’ve been here for hours, I’m asking you not to go into the files, because then I’ll have to be here all night.”
The color drained from her face and her stomach plummeted at his words. She was barely able to agree before she had to spin away, hoping the tears wouldn’t spill in front of an audience. Eric didn’t need to see that. She hurried back to her cube, shut down her computer and left.
—
She didn’t know what she was looking for. Not true. She was looking for Brian. But she didn’t know what she was expecting. It was after ten and the day had been a bust. Throwing herself into work wasn’t an option, and she was trying hard not to think about it. There was nothing she could do until Monday when she had a meeting scheduled with the director. Spending time with girlfriends hadn’t appealed to her, either. The last thing she wanted was to get into a discussion about what had happened with Brian. She couldn’t stop thinking about him. The way she felt when he touched her. The way she felt when his eyes lost that hard guarded quality and opened up to her—the way they had been the first night. That look in his eyes never lasted though.
She was looking for a new fantasy to live out and lose herself in. Something to take her breath away when she remembered it later. She wanted more of Brian’s singular focus. That was what she was looking for.
She walked into the bar dressed in jeans and a black tank top. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders. The floor was crowded with the usual Saturday night rush and Amber had to elbow her way through to find the bar. Danny Riley looked up from the corner where he was pouring drinks and, seeing her, waved her over. “Amber, I tried calling you today. I heard what happened here last night. Do you see any of those guys now? Daisy wasn’t sure who was involved, but whoever they are, I’m not interested in their business. That’s for damn sure. I’m glad Brian was here to take care of it and see you home okay. How’s it going with you two?”
It was hard not to let the bitterness gurgle out with a snide comment, so she kept her answer brief. “I’m fine. Last night was an unfortunate accident I’d just as soon forget. And nothing is going on with Brian. I was actually just looking to see if he was here, to…thank him. I take it you haven’t seen him.”
“No. Sorry, not tonight. Nothing going on with you guys?”
His expression conveyed his disbelief.
“No.”
“Well, too bad. I would have thought you two a good match. You certainly looked good together last week. Daisy’ll be happy to hear it. I probably owe the poor girl an apology for shutting her down when she came in here raving about him.”
Amber’s stomach tightened at the mention of another woman’s interest in Brian. It was crazy. She knew it. He wasn’t hers. But she still took a long sideways look to the pretty girl behind the bar, dressed in a tight miniskirt and barely-there halter. “She’s pulling out all the stops tonight.”
Danny smiled. She hadn’t done a very good job covering the catty tone in her voice.
“Suppose she is.”
“I’m sorry. I know she’s sweet. And,” she paused, seeing the look Danny was giving the barmaid, “I can tell she’s got your attention.”
The look of embarrassment that crossed his face was quickly masked when he returned to pouring drinks. “Yeah, but she works for me. Office romances. I don’t have to tell you.”
&nbs
p; “No, definitely not.”
Danny’s company was nice, but his time was limited. Amber had come to the bar for one reason, to find Brian, and he wasn’t there. She stepped off the stool.
“I’m going home. Not up for much conversation after all tonight.” With a quick nod goodbye, Danny moved down the bar to take orders.
Amber walked home in a funk. It was silly really, wanting to find him again. For crying out loud, he’d had her bent over every piece of furniture in the apartment last night. Hadn’t she gotten enough? With a heavy sigh, she knew the answer was a resounding no. She felt like an addict. He was bad for her, but she wanted more of him just the same.
Every step of the path back to her apartment brought her another memory of his touch and by the time she’d gotten to the stairs, she could feel her juices pooling between her legs. What had he done to her? At the top of the flight her nipples were pebble hard, rubbing in torturous friction against her shirt. She slipped one hand up under her shirt and pinched the tight bud. Pleasure pulsed in a shot from her core and a fresh wave of moisture seeped from her depths. Damn it, why hadn’t he been at the bar?
Rounding the corner, she stopped short. His huge frame leaned against the wall next to her apartment. He looked over at her, his expression dark. She felt another gush of wet heat at the mere sight of him.
“Are you alone?” he asked in a low voice, taking a menacing step to her. He reached for her breast and cupped it over her shirt in his wide palm. Circling in to the nipple, which pointed out hard against the fabric, he brushed the tip lightly and then pinched it hard. “Or is there someone you need to get rid of?”
Her inner walls contracted hard as she moaned. “There’s no one.”
Moving her hand over his own, intertwining their fingers, she encouraged him to do more. To pinch harder, to pull and squeeze. She shuddered under his touch, chilled under his glare.
“I was out…looking for you.”
