Amber looked in every direction, surprised and excited by how many of the guests she recognized. Her eyes noticed a pretty, petite blond woman sitting on the arm of one of the large lounge chairs, talking to a brunette woman sitting in the chair. “Is that Melanie Hartwell?”
Richard looked in the direction she nodded. “In the flesh.”
When the brunette turned in her direction, Amber’s mouth fell open. “And that’s Sanaa Lathan she’s talking to! She’s one of my favorite actresses.”
Richard smiled at her. “I see you know your actresses. Come on, I want to introduce you to some people.”
She started to follow him through the crowd, but couldn’t stop from looking around in every direction. Which was why she didn’t see the large man standing in her way. Bumping hard against his lower back, she stumbled, but felt a hand reach out and catch her before she fell.
“Are you okay?”
Shaking it off, Amber looked up and up, and up. The farther up she looked, the wider her eyes got. “You’re Zeke Henry,” she said in utter amazement.
He smiled. “I know.”
Richard was beside her again. “Having a good time, Zeke?”
The athlete looked at the other man over her head. “You always know how to throw a party, Richard.”
“Have you met Amber Lockhart?” He settled his hands on her shoulders, possessively.
“I guess you could call it a meeting.” Zeke winked at Amber, and laughed.
Amber tried to smile through her mortification.
“Can you excuse us?” Richard was already guiding her away. “There are some other people I want her to meet before they leave.”
“Not a problem. Nice meeting you, Amber.” Zeke smiled again, and turned back to the group he was talking to earlier.
“Likewise.” She barely had time to call over her shoulder, before Richard was hustling her through the crowd.
True to his word, Richard introduced her to almost everyone there, and by the end of the evening, Amber thought she had met almost every celebrity she knew and many she did not know. Most were nice people, but there were a few who definitely altered her opinion of them. Especially Lacy Hill, who turned out to be a complete bitch. Although, in truth, Amber knew it wasn’t really her fault.
It was because of a conversation she’d overheard coming out of the bathroom. Lacy was with another celeb, telling her about some guy she wanted to bed. Amber had thought nothing of it until Lacy mentioned the name Paul. Amber had stopped dead in her tracks, knowing there was no way Lacy could be talking about her Paul. But as Lacy continued talking, using words like hot Latin lover, the impossible became possible.
Amber didn’t realize she was glaring at the woman, until Lacy said, “Do I know you?”
Amber held onto her temper with both hands, and managed to give a civil answer. “No, it’s just you look a lot like my favorite singer.”
Lacy smiled. “Yes, it’s me.” She puffed up her chest, expecting the adoration she was certain was to follow.
Amber put on her best face of awe and innocence. “You mean, you’re really Christina Aguilera?”
Lacy’s eyes narrowed on her face with murderous intent, before she turned her back on Amber.
Amber turned away with a pleased smirk. It was little compensation but it would have to do. Imagine that woman thinking she could have Paul.
Paul is mine—and he’s going to stay that way.
As she moved back into the main room, Richard was suddenly at her elbow again, where he’d been most of the night.
He offered her a drink for the hundredth time, and Amber refused for the hundredth time. After Mason, the cruise ship guy, she made a rule never to accept drinks from men at parties.
Richard placed the drink on the tray of a passing waiter. “Are you having a good time?” He spoke loudly to be heard over the music.
Amber smiled and nodded. “A great time! Thanks for inviting me.”
He licked his lips. “Thank you for coming.”
Something in his expression seemed sinister. “You know, I noticed you haven’t asked where Paul is.”
He shrugged. “I figured if you showed up it wouldn’t be with Paul.”
“Why not?”
Richard’s lips turned up in an almost boyish grin. “Paul’s not exactly my biggest fan.”
Amber tilted her head to look at him, becoming more intrigued by the second. “What’s the history between you two?”
Richard looked away dismissively. “It’s a long, boring story.”
“I’ve got time.”
He looked at her again. “Ask Paul. If he wants you to know, he’ll tell you.”
“Does it involve a woman?”
His expression turned cunning. “Surprisingly, no. At least, not up until now.”
Amber looked away, breaking eye contact. She knew Richard thought her appearance tonight meant she was making herself available to him. And in truth, she wasn’t sure herself why she’d come, but she knew that was not the reason.
Richard Burrow was handsome, famous and, from what she’d seen tonight, charming…but he was not Paul. In the end, that was all that mattered.
She made a deliberate glance at her wristwatch. “Richard, I’ve had a great time, but I better be getting back to my suite.” She turned to walk away and felt Richard grab her arm.
“So soon?” he asked, with a strange expression in his eyes.
Amber tried to understand that look. It wasn’t disappointment, more like a challenge, or more precisely, the acceptance of a challenge.
But she hadn’t challenged him—had she? “Yes, it’s getting late, and Paul will be expecting me back soon.”
He snorted.
She frowned and glanced down to where he was still holding on to her. “Will you let my arm go?”
He stared at her for several long moments. With his tongue pressed against the inside of his cheek, he looked like he was in deep contemplation. Amber feared that after such an enjoyable evening, she was going to have to end it with a bad scene.
Then suddenly, he let her go. “I have to admit, Amber, I’m more than a little disappointed. I’d heard good things about you—really good things.”
Her eyes narrowed on his face. Considering they’d only met earlier that afternoon, she didn’t understand what he could possibly mean.
He smiled and lifted his hand to her face. “D said you were a lot of fun.”
“D?” she asked hesitantly, fearing she already knew who “D” was.
“Oh, didn’t I mention that we had a mutual friend?” He leaned forward. “In fact, I was a bit surprised when Paul introduced you as his fiancée earlier. From what Dashuan said, you are not the settling down type.” He winked. “If you know what I mean.”
Amber felt her heart sink. She knew exactly what he meant. She felt her hands begin to tremble. She had to get out of there. “Dashuan Kennedy doesn’t know a damn thing about me,” she said between clenched teeth, then turned and began to push her way through the crowd toward the door.
Once she was out in the hallway again, Amber leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. Will it ever end?
“What is wrong with me?” She hit her head against the wall. “What the hell is wrong with me?” she shouted at no one in particular. The only answer was the tears that formed in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
Just then she heard the suite door opening. She hurried down the hallway. She could hear a group of people laughing and talking behind her, and not wanting anyone to see her crying, she darted past the elevators and into the stairwell. It was the perfect place to have a good cry. So, she sat down on the top stair, buried her face in her hands and did exactly that.
D said you were a lot of fun. How many times had she heard statements like that? And still after all this time, it hurt like hell. To know you’d been reduced to nothing more than a name men tossed around when someone was looking for an easy score.
How do I end up in these sit
uations? Amber replayed the day in her head. It started so good, leaving Moreno Valley with Paul, checking in to their beautiful hotel suite, playfully flirting with him about making love in public.
The memories were enough to bring a smile to her face, and she used her index finger to wipe the tears from her eyes. So, where had it all gone so wrong?
When you left the suite and went looking for trouble.
Sitting alone in the hotel stairwell, Amber forced herself to look at her actions. For the first time, she considered her own behavior and what part it played in her life.
Paul had said more than once that she was to blame for the way men treated her. Could that be true? Did she sell herself short?
If she just took into account the things that had happened today, she would have no choice but to admit that there was some truth to it. After all, she’d left the safe, comforting arms of a man she knew loved her to go in search of a playboy, movie star looking for a quick hit. If that was not self-destructive behavior, what was?
And Paul did love her, almost as much as she loved him. And she did so love him. Only him. In fact, what she felt was so strong, so all-consuming Amber was certain she had fallen in love for the first time. Nothing, no man, no relationship, nothing in her life had ever felt like Paul. But would love be enough to hold them together?
After all, as much as Paul wanted it, she could never be the typical suburban housewife. He wanted to marry her, but she knew he was thinking from his heart, not his head. And what kind of mother would she be to Joachim? Poor little dove had already had one lousy mother, he didn’t need another.
But if she mustered the strength to walk away, what kind of life would she have without Paul? Somehow the thought of returning to her soulless existence held no appeal. Back to the Dashuans and Richards of the world. Back to the endless rounds of meaningless parties and meaningless relationships. Back to being Amber, the party girl. The Amber her friends and family knew.
But not Paul.
Paul saw her creative side and encouraged it. Paul saw the tiny ember of her innermost desires and fanned them into flames. Paul saw deep inside her soul and understood her. He’d even said as much. You wanted me to understand you. Whether it was conscious or not, you reached out to me, and I accepted the invitation.
But why? Why could Paul see the Amber no one else bothered to look for? Why was he willing to offer her a life she never dared to hope for?
Shamefully, her conscience let her sit there in ignorance for several silent minutes before it finally provided the answer. Because he loves you, dingbat!
Chapter 28
Paul was awakened by a warm, feather-light touch gliding across his lower back. He turned on his side to see Amber sitting beside him on the bed.
Once she saw he was awake, she folded her legs beneath her and held up her left ring finger. “It doesn’t fit.”
He glanced at the slightly oversized diamond and felt his heart skip a beat. Could it be? Was she real or was this all just a dream? Would he wake up and find he was still alone?
Some part of him was content to let the dream continue. Amber sitting beside him wearing his ring was far better than the reality he’d fallen asleep to. But the other part of him needed to know the truth, no matter how painful. So, he reached out and took her hand in his.
She was real.
With a deep sigh of relief, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. The motion shook the ring, and it slid from her finger.
Amber scooped it up out of the folds of the bed comforter. “See? It keeps sliding off.”
Paul braced himself on his elbows as his eyes narrowed on her face. “Does it matter?”
She huffed. “If you expect me to wear it, it does.”
Paul sat up. “Don’t play with me, Amber. What are you saying?”
Amber bit her lip, and he could see she was having trouble finding the right words. It would’ve been so easy to fill in the blanks for her. But he had to hear her say the words herself. She had to tell him, or he would never know for certain if what happened next was her idea or his.
She shrugged. “I’m saying…yes.”
Her words were spoken so softly, Paul almost didn’t hear her. He wanted to let it be enough, but letting her off easy now would only cost them later. “What did you say?”
She turned glaring amber eyes on his face. “You want me to beg?”
He sat up and pulled her into his arms. “No, angel, never that, but I have to know that this is want you want. Amber, I have no idea what brought you back here tonight. I know what I want to believe. But how can I be sure, if you don’t tell me?”
Amber wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tight against her. “This is what brought me back here.” Her soft lips kissed his neck. “I feel so good when you hold me. I don’t mean just sexually good. Just…good—if that makes any sense.”
Paul buried his head in her hair. It made complete sense to him. It had from the moment those elevator doors opened and she stepped into his life. In his heart he knew they always would make sense.
Paul pulled away from her and took her face between his hands, forcing her to look into his eyes. “Amber, will you marry me?”
She smiled, and it quickly became a grin. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Amber threw herself against him in excitement, and they both tumbled back onto the bed. The diamond solitaire bounced off her finger and across the bed.
“My ring!” Amber raced after it, breaking free of Paul’s hold. She reached over the side of the bed and recovered it from the floor.
She slid it back on her finger, twisting it this way and that. Paul noticed that she seemed fascinated by the way the light reflected off of it. He was more fascinated by the perfect round bottom laying across his midsection.
“You have great taste, by the way,” she said, examining her engagement ring.
“I know,” he said, running his open palm across her upturned butt.
“It is beautiful.” She twisted her mouth thoughtfully. “Three-carat?”
Coming from any other woman, at any other time, Paul might’ve been offended. But he was so satisfied with life at that moment, he would’ve provided a full appraisal for her, if she’d asked. Instead, he playfully slapped her. “You are such a gold digger.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “I am not. I’m just curious.” She pushed him back down and sat up. She twisted her mouth, trying to hide the smirk she felt forming. “What woman doesn’t like to feel appreciated?”
Suddenly, Paul was over her, his heavy weight bearing her back down. Busy fingers worked the buttons of her sweater. “You are appreciated, Amber.” His lips traced a line along her cheek until he found her mouth. “More appreciated than you can ever imagine. More valued than all the diamonds in the world. More beautiful than anything I’ve ever seen. And I will treasure you the rest of my life.” He kissed her with gentle persuasion. His warm tongue gliding across her bottom lip, darting in and out until her lips parted beneath his. Then he was inside, tasting, savoring her sweetness.
His mouth traced the path along her collarbone and along the opening of her sweater. His large hand skimmed across her waist.
Paul ran his tongue over every inch of her exposed skin as it came into view. As the sweater slid off one shoulder, then the other, he was there, kissing and tasting her warm flesh. Only then, holding her in his arms again, was he able to silently confess the fear that had held his heart in a tight grip for the past few hours. Only then was he able to release all his doubts, his secret terrifying thoughts. And as her fingers tightened around his neck, only then could he express his silent thanks that his worst fear had not come to fruition. At that moment, he knew, in his bones he knew, that wherever she’d been that evening, no man had tasted what belonged only to him. Wherever she’d been, she’d come back to him the same as she left.
Just before dawn, the couple stood waiting outside the double doors leading into the small wedding chapel. Amber could not stop the tremblin
g in her hands as she stood next to Paul, holding a small bouquet of red roses.
She was looking around the small foyer, trying to ignore the fear that was threatening to take over every part of her body.
Her attention was brought back to Paul as she felt him tugging the bouquet out of her hands. “Angel, you’re about to snap the stems. Let me have them.”
She hesitantly released the flowers, and Paul took her hand and guided her to the wood bench a few feet away.
“Come and sit with me.” He sat down and tugged on her hand until she sat beside him. He pulled her close against his side.
Amber took a deep breath and snuggled against him and relaxed. What was it about this man that he had this kind of calming effect on her?
He placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. “Better?”
She smiled against his chest. “Yes.”
“I know this is not the kind of wedding you wanted, but I promise we’ll have a big ceremony as soon—”
She shook her head, wanting to ease him. “No, that’s not it.”
He lifted her away from him so he could see her face. “Are you having second thoughts?”
She smiled, seeing the fear and uncertainty in his eyes. Paul always seemed so confident and self-assured, she found it comforting to know he was as nervous as she.
“No second thoughts. I love you with all my heart, and I want to be your wife more than anything in the world.”
“Then what is it?”
Amber toyed with the large diamond ring that now fit snug on her finger. The Bellagio had proven their superior service once again, finding a jeweler to size the ring at four in the morning.
She frowned, trying to find the right words. “I’ve never had to take care of anyone but myself. I wonder what kind of mother I’ll be to Joachim.”
He smiled. “You’ll be a wonderful mother. Joachim loves you as much as I do. And you won’t be alone. We’ll be together.”
“I know, it’s just…” Her frown deepened. “I’m scared.”
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