‘And, you think if I’m too close to Amber that’s gonna happen, is that it? You… you can’t trust me to just get on with it, to forget all that.’
‘Can you forget all that, Ryan?’ Max stared back, his eyes asking their own set of questions. ‘Can you live near her and not want what you once had? Can you honestly stand there and tell me you can cope with seeing her and Jim Allen together all the time? Believe me, Ryan, they are one hot couple right now. Everyone wants to know them, everyone wants to talk to them, and you are gonna be seeing them everywhere. Everywhere, Ryan. Can you honestly cope with that?’
Ryan said nothing for a beat or two. ‘I need to be near my son, Max.’
‘Can you cut yourself off from his mum?’
Ryan broke the stare, turning his head away, raking a hand through his hair.
‘Ryan?’
‘I don’t know, Max.’ His voice was quiet, almost a whisper.
‘A “don’t know” isn’t good enough, son.’
Ryan turned back to face his agent, confusion sweeping over him so fast he felt dizzy. ‘It’s all I have.’ But there was one thing that was clear in his mind now. This game wasn’t over. He could still win it. He could. Because, if there was one thing Ryan Fisher didn’t do, it was give up without a fight. So this game, it really wasn’t over.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
‘Where are you going?’ Debbie asked, shielding her eyes from the sun as she closed her car door and walked over towards Ryan’s house.
‘Majorca,’ Ryan replied, throwing a holdall into the back of a taxi. ‘Managed to get a late-afternoon flight.’
‘Erm, does Dave French know you’re popping off to the Balearics for an impromptu holiday?’
‘What’s he gonna do, Debbie? Sack me? My contract’s up in a couple of weeks. And it isn’t a holiday.’
Debbie leaned back against Ryan’s black Jaguar, watching as he said something to the taxi driver. ‘Does Amber know you’re on your way?’
‘No.’
‘Shouldn’t you tell her?’
‘She’ll find out in a couple of hours, won’t she? Have you got her address over there?’
‘You don’t know where she’s staying?’
‘I know she’s in Palma Nova.’
‘Then maybe you should call her. Find out exactly where she’s staying.’
‘Jesus, Debbie, come on. Just give me her address, okay? I need to get to the airport.’
Debbie’s eyes narrowed as she looked at him. ‘Why are you going over there, Ryan?’
‘My son’s over there, Debbie.’
‘She’s bringing him home in a couple of days.’
‘Yeah, and home to her is London now.’
‘Newcastle Red Star’s next match is in London. At the weekend. You’ll be seeing Rico then, surely.’
‘Have you got her address, Debbie? Please. This is really important.’
Debbie continued to stare him out for a few more seconds, folding her arms and cocking her head slightly. ‘She’s married, Ryan.’
‘So people keep telling me.’
‘Please tell me you’re not going over there to mess with her head because she is happy now. She’s happy.’
‘I’ll ask Max,’ he said, opening the taxi door. ‘He’ll know where she’s staying.’
‘Where’s he off to?’ Gary asked, joining Debbie on Ryan’s driveway.
‘Majorca,’ Debbie replied, taking out her phone.
‘Majorca? Ryan, what the fuck are you doing? Does the boss know…?’
Debbie looked at Gary, shaking her head.
‘He’s gonna go frigging ballistic, mate, you know that, don’t you?’
‘Yeah, he knows,’ Debbie sighed, handing her phone over to Ryan. ‘Here. That’s where she’s staying. A little villa near the marina.’
Ryan took the phone, scribbling down the address on the back of a card he pulled out of his pocket. ‘Thanks.’
‘I’m not even getting involved…’ Gary said, turning and walking back towards his own house.
‘You won’t tell her, will you?’ Ryan asked, his eyes almost pleading with Debbie.
‘I should.’
‘Debbie, please.’
‘What are you playing at, Ryan? I thought this was all over. Can’t you just accept that she’s made her choice? And that choice is Jim.’
Ryan shook his head, shoving the card back in his pocket. ‘I’ll see you in a day or so.’
‘Ryan!’
But it was too late. He’d already closed the taxi door. His mind was made up. And nobody was going to stop him.
*
‘Please tell me you’re naked.’
‘I can tell you I’m naked, but it wouldn’t entirely be the truth.’
‘Just humour me, Amber, I’m dying here.’
‘You haven’t had sex for a few days, Jim, it’s hardly a matter of life and death. Surely a couple of days’ rest wouldn’t do a man of your age any harm.’
‘Oh, that’s right. Make me feel good about myself, go on.’
Amber laughed quietly down the phone, sitting back on the couch that faced the huge French doors in her rented villa; doors that looked out onto that stunning view of the sea and the marina. The sun was just beginning to set and the colours it was giving off were nothing short of beautiful. ‘I wish you were here,’ she whispered, and she meant it. She wished he were there more than anything. This time away had been welcomed, and she’d enjoyed it. But missing him was becoming too much now. Her ache was becoming a physical pain. All she could think about were his kisses and his arms holding her; all she could think about was the sex they’d have the second she was through their front door.
‘I wish I was there, too, baby.’
She smiled, sliding a hand up her dress. ‘Do you want me to get naked?’
She felt a small wave of excitement wash over her as he groaned down the line. ‘Take your panties off.’
She felt that excitement rise as she hooked her fingers into the sides of her knickers, slowly sliding them off. ‘Done. Now what?’
‘Jesus, Amber… haven’t you got Skype over there? Get yourself in front of a computer, honey, and open those legs for your husband because he really is dying here.’
‘No Skype, darling. You’re just going to have to use your imagination. Now, what do you want me to do next?’
‘Touch yourself.’
‘Already doing it.’
‘I can’t do this… baby, I need you so badly right now.’
‘You know what you need to do, then, don’t you?’
‘You’re leaving me no choice, beautiful…’
‘I’m still touching myself.’
‘Are you wet?’
‘Soaking.’
Another groan down the line, and Amber smiled to herself.
‘Put your fingers inside, Amber.’
She closed her eyes as she slowly slid her fingers inside herself, opening her legs wider. ‘I’m putting you on speaker phone,’ she said, laying her phone down on the couch beside her. ‘I need two hands for this.’
‘Amber, honey, I am so close…’
She threw her head back, biting down on her lip as her fingers pushed deeper, her other hand stroking the part of her that was crying out to be touched, and she moaned quietly, for his benefit more than anything, as she felt that all-familiar wave start to wash over her. ‘I’m coming, too, baby,’ she breathed, rubbing faster, pushing harder, digging deeper, her legs open as wide as they could go, and as that wave finally finished its journey, as her self-inflicted climax hit her like a shock to the system, she cried out his name, pushing down to make sure she felt every second, every tingle.
‘Jesus-fucking-Christ,’ he groaned, and she could hear how out of breath he was, which sent a shiver right through her, as she pictured what he’d just done. She wished she’d been there to see it. ‘What the hell did we just do?’
‘Phone sex.’ She smiled, pulling her fingers out of herself and
closing her legs, enjoying the final few seconds of a lingering tingle. ‘And I needed that like you wouldn’t believe.’
‘I love you so much,’ Jim said, his voice finally starting to return to normal. His wonderful, low, deep voice, with that undeniably sexy accent had won her over all those years ago, and it was still doing the same to her now.
‘I love you, too,’ she whispered, wriggling back into her knickers. ‘And I miss you like crazy. I can’t wait to come home.’
‘Then we get to do what we just did then for real, right?’
‘The thought of that happening is the only thing getting me through these last couple of days.’
Another groan, and Amber smiled again, her hand absent-mindedly touching her breasts. Oh, God, she wasn’t going to go for this again, was she?
‘You hold that thought, honey. You hear me?’
‘I hear you, handsome. Good luck for the game tomorrow.’
‘You’ll be watching?’
‘I get to see you if I do, don’t I? Goodnight, baby.’
‘Goodnight, beautiful.’
She ended the call, looking down at the phone for a few seconds, as though staring at it would suddenly make him materialise.
‘I need a drink,’ she sighed, hauling herself up from the couch and heading over to the kitchen. She washed her hands, then found the last of the cava she and Ronnie had opened yesterday, pouring herself a glass. She hoped the bubbles would go straight to her head, because she always liked that feeling. That slightly woozy but not-quite-drunk sensation that anything with bubbles caused her to feel.
Taking another quick sip she put her glass down and walked out into the hall, gently pushing open the door of the nursery. Rico was asleep, curled up on his side, his little cuddly rabbit snuggled in beside him. She smiled, walking over to his cot, pulling the blanket he’d obviously kicked off back over him.
‘Sweet dreams, baby boy.’
A knock at the door made her jump, and she quickly left the nursery, closing the door behind her. She had no idea who it could be; she didn’t know anyone around here. Her family were a good few miles away from Palma Nova, and they’d call her first if something was wrong.
She walked over to the door, putting a hand on it but making no attempt to open it. ‘Who is it?’
‘Amber, it’s Ryan.’
‘Ryan?’ She flung open the door. There he stood, bold as brass and twice as sexy. His dark hair was pushed back off his face, which carried that heavy stubble he always liked to sport – he’d let it grow back to verging on the point of a beard length again, and she couldn’t help but think how hot it made him look, along with those tattoos that she still found incredibly sexy. Despite herself. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Can I come in?’
‘What are you doing here?’
‘Are you gonna keep asking that?’
‘Until you give me an answer, yes.’
‘I came to see Rico.’
She raised a sceptical eyebrow, folding her arms. ‘Does Dave French know you’ve absconded?’
‘I haven’t “absconded.”’
‘Does he know you’re here?’
‘Well, he probably does by now.’
Amber threw her head back and sighed. ‘Ryan! What about Max?’
‘What about him? Look, Amber, it’s really nice out here and everything, but, can I come in, babe?’
She stood aside, letting him through, closing the door behind her. ‘Does Max know you’re here?’
‘I didn’t tell him I was coming, no. But then, I didn’t know I was coming myself until last night.’
Amber narrowed her eyes, her arms still folded. ‘Why? What happened last night?’
‘Amber, baby, can I just see Rico and grab a drink first before we get into anything? I could murder a beer.’
‘There’s some in the fridge. And Rico’s in the nursery, but he’s asleep. So don’t pick him up, okay? He’s slept all through the night since we’ve been here, and I’d quite like to keep it that way.’
She waited until he’d gone into the nursery before she walked back into the kitchen, grabbing him a beer, and one for herself. She had a feeling she was going to need it.
She took a sip, looking back out at the rapidly darkening view in front of her. The lights of the marina were starting to twinkle in the distance, the sound of crickets becoming louder now that the sun was fast disappearing. It was peaceful. It was beautiful. But she had the wrong man here with her. The man she wanted to share all this with was back home.
‘Has he been okay? In the heat, I mean.’
She turned around to see Ryan walk into the room. ‘He’s been fine. He’s been getting loads of attention, everywhere he goes. And not just from his family here. Everybody loves him. And, he’s been asking for you.’
Ryan’s face broke into a huge grin. ‘He said “dada?”’
‘He said “dada.”’ Amber smiled.
‘Shit! Who’d have thought a couple of years ago that something like this would make me the happiest frigging man on earth?’ He looked at her, their eyes locking together. ‘We did good, huh?’
She broke the stare, looking down at the white-tiled floor. ‘He’s our beautiful little man, so, yeah.’ She raised her head to meet his gaze. ‘We did good.’
‘Amber…’
‘I’ve got you a beer. Come and look at the view from outside, come on.’
He picked up his beer and followed her out onto the terrace. ‘My contract with Newcastle Red Star – it’s up at the end of the season, you know that, right?’ He sat down beside her on a huge wicker couch covered in deep-red cushions.
‘It’s my job to know these things, Ryan.’
‘Max wants me to join L.A. Gamers.’
Amber looked at him, her head turning so fast she’d made herself dizzy. ‘L.A. Gamers? I don’t… why would he want you to move to Los Angeles?’
‘He says it’s an amazing opportunity. The Gamers is one of the biggest and best clubs over there; it attracts the biggest names, it gets some of the largest crowds. They average gates of over fifty thousand a match, Amber. That’s more than most top-flight clubs over here in the UK attract, even during the biggest, most important games. They… they’re offering me this relocation package I can’t even begin to get my head around, and the money I could make out there in sponsorship deals alone, before we even start to talk about the wages…’
‘Why would he want you to move to Los Angeles, Ryan?’
Her eyes weren’t leaving his now, they were staring at him, asking him a question he was going to answer for her. Because he had to.
‘He thinks if I… he thinks if I move to a London club, if I stay in the UK – he thinks I’m going to lose my focus.’
‘Lose your…?’ She frowned, confusion sweeping across her beautiful face.
‘I’m in love with you, Amber. I’m head-over-heels, ridiculously in love with you and he’s right. Max is right. If I stay in the UK – if I move down to London, I’m not gonna leave you alone. I’m not. Because I can’t be around you and not want you. I can’t watch you with Jim and not want to be him. I can’t do that. So Max is right. Maybe a brand-new start, well away from all that – maybe that’s exactly what I need.’
‘But… Ryan, you’ve… you’ve tried that before. You went to CD Adeje…’
‘That was on loan, Amber. I always knew I was coming back home, but this time – this time it’d be permanent.’
‘I… Jesus! This is a shock, I… what about Rico?’
Ryan bowed his head, closing his eyes for a brief second. ‘It’s gonna kill me, being away from him for so long. It’s gonna fucking kill me, because I love him so frigging much, Amber…’ He looked at her, and Amber felt her heart ache as she saw the tears in his eyes. ‘I love him. And I love you.’
‘Ryan, I… Are you going?’ she whispered, trying to get her head around everything he was telling her, because she was finding this really hard to understand.
/> ‘I don’t know.’
‘This is crazy…’
‘Come with me.’
Her head shot up again, her eyes instantly meeting his. ‘Come with you?’
‘We could have a fucking fantastic life out there, Amber. Me, you, Rico… think about it, babe.’
She shook her head, getting up and going back inside. ‘You don’t know what you’re saying.’
‘I know exactly what I’m saying, Amber. I love you, and I love that baby of ours, and all I want is a life for the three of us…’
‘I have a life, Ryan, do you understand that yet?’
‘He’ll hurt you.’
‘Oh, Jesus, we’re back on this now, are we?’
‘He’ll hurt you.’
‘And I’ll get over it, but I’m not leaving him.’
‘Think about it, baby. A whole new life in Los Angeles, with more money than we could ever possibly spend in our whole frigging lifetime…’
‘Is that all that matters? Money? Because I have money. I have more money than I ever thought I’d have. And Jim, well, he’s a multi-millionaire so I doubt we’re ever gonna have trouble paying the bills.’
‘No, Jesus, of course money isn’t all that matters. I’m just trying to say… we’ll have no worries, Amber. None. We could even get a house on the beach. How great would that be for Rico, huh? And they’d love you over there…’
‘Is this why you’ve come here? To put all this on me? Because it really isn’t fair, Ryan.’
‘A whole new start, Amber. Away from someone who is only going to hurt you, and you don’t deserve that.’
‘But I deserve you, huh?’
‘We were good together once.’
‘Once,’ she repeated, turning and walking into the kitchen.
‘Why do you keep going back to him, Amber? Why do you keep marrying him?’
She swung around, glaring at him. ‘He is my world, Ryan. Why does nobody seem to understand that?’
‘You keep marrying him because I think you’re scared to face up to something else – something you know is there. You just don’t want to face it.’
‘What the hell are you talking about?’
Final Score Page 38