“As far as I know, with no eye witnesses and no surveillance footage, all leads have pretty much dried up,” Alex said.
“Have you seen her?” Bobby asked Seth, his tone making the question sound dangerously close to an accusation.
The room grew quiet waiting for Seth’s response. He could sense Sophie and Katie waiting with bated breath for his response. Again, Seth thought, they were going to be waiting a while.
“Wow, everybody’s here.” Amber stood in the doorway of the waiting room.
Seth looked up at her and he felt the same way he did every time he saw her. Wrecked.
She was just too beautiful. Too sexy. Too stunning.
Her dark hair hung loosely around her shoulders, framing her face perfectly, complementing her flawless olive skin. Long, full lashes outlined her huge hazel eyes. Her full red lips balanced out her large eyes, creating an enticing symmetry that uniquely set her apart from anyone he had ever met.
Everyone spoke at once, greeting her and asking her how she was doing. Seth remained quiet.
His dad got up and moved over to sit beside Jason, asking him about an account that Jason had just landed for Sloan Construction, leaving the seat right beside Seth's as the only chair available.
He didn’t think his dad had done that on purpose. Had he? The entire room seemed to be caught up in their own little conversations. The only two people not speaking were himself and Amber.
“Hi, Seth,” her soft voice rolled over him like a sensual wave.
He loved hearing the sound of his name on her lips. He had waited so many years for that to happen and now every time she said his name, even in general conversation, a primal feeling welled up inside of him.
“How’s your head?” he asked. She had seemed to be in quite a bit of pain the last time he had seen her. He had been worried about her the last two days.
“Better. The bumps almost gone.” She reached up and placed her long slender fingers in her hair rubbing up and down.
She lowered her eyes and tilted her head towards him. “See, feel - the bump is barely there.”
His hand instinctually moved, reaching for her, before he had even made a conscious decision to do so. The moment his fingers touched the silky softness of her hair he remembered what it had felt like when he had gripped it, hard, his hand wrapping around it in a fist as he drove inside of her.
He tried to push that memory down as his fingertips grazed over her scalp. There was a slight bump there. He hadn’t felt it a couple of days ago but it did seem small now. He let his hand linger there, lightly brushing over it.
Her eyes lifted to meet his as she breathed, “See?”
Being this close to her was dangerous. His fingers continued to softly stroke her scalp as she stared into his eyes. He felt himself moving closer and closer to her. Her lips parted as she sucked in a breath. He could hear his heart pounding in his head.
“Here she is,” Riley announced proudly, standing in the doorway and holding a tiny bundle of blankets.
The interruption caused Riley to snap out of whatever had come over him. Was he really about to kiss Amber? In the waiting room? In front of his whole family?
He glanced over at Amber’s chest rising and falling at a more rapid pace than normal and he knew the answer was…yes. Yes, he would have absolutely done just that if Riley had not come in.
Damn, she was just too potent.
If he was near her, he didn’t seem to have the ability to maintain control. He needed to stay away from her. Distance. That was his only option.
--- ~ ---
Amber was desperately trying to get her breathing to slow down as everyone jumped from their seats to go look at baby Mya. Well everyone except Seth, of course, who had risen no more quickly than normal. Seriously, you just could not rush that guy!
Standing up, Amber quickly realized her legs were a little shaky, no doubt due to the fact that Seth had just touched her. It didn’t matter that where he had touched her was completely innocent. It didn’t matter that his whole family had been in the room. It didn’t matter that it had only been for a brief moment. The second she felt the contact of his fingers, her body had come alive. Alive with passion, desire, and lust.
Not exactly the top three things you want to be feeling as you wait in a small, confined, crowded room with the person inspiring those inappropriate feelings and their entire family. She had only herself to blame since she had been the one to initiate the contact. She had naively assumed that she could handle a brush of his fingers against her scalp with some class, maybe even a little dignity. Instead, she had gotten more than a little turned on and started panting like a dog. Well done, Amber, she thought to herself. Well. Freaking. Done.
She moved beside Katie, who was holding the tiny bundle wrapped in blankets. Katie could not look happier as she cooed and made kissing noises down at baby Mya. Amber looked over Katie’s shoulder and spied the most perfect, beautiful baby girl she had ever seen.
Katie passed the baby along to Jason, who looked prouder than a peacock. Jason, in turn, passed her to Bobby, who smiled lovingly down at his baby niece before handing baby Mya to Seth. As soon as Seth took the baby in his arms, his face broke out into a huge smile and Amber almost stumbled back from the power of it.
It was as if the heavens opened and a light shone down on his strong profile. She could practically hear angels singing. Watching him, holding his niece and smiling, was a glorious sight.
She couldn’t believe that, before this moment, she had never seen Seth smile. The night they had met had been…intense. There wasn’t a ton of smiling (other than her nervous ones) going on. Even before they had gone up to his room, the situation had not been a happy one. Once they had arrived upstairs, well...even 'intense' seemed like a mild description of the atmosphere in the room.
Seth looked up at Riley and asked, “How is Chelle feeling?”
Seth’s deep timbre sent a shiver dancing down her spine. Before Seth, she could honestly say that a ‘voice’ had never turned her on. After Seth, she could not make that claim.
“Good, just a little tired. She wants to see you, Katie. Eddie is in with her now, so as soon as he leaves, you can go on and head back there.”
Eddie was Chelle’s brother and Riley’s best friend. Amber remembered he hadn’t been thrilled to find out that Chelle and Riley had hooked up, but he quickly got on board when he saw how much Riley loved his sister and how happy he made her. Amber was glad it had all worked out.
Seth looked up at Amber, his smile still in place. Whoa, he had dimples. Incredibly sexy dimples. Her knees felt even weaker at the sight.
“Do you want to hold her?” his baritone voice hit her square in the chest.
Amber nodded as she squeaked out, “Just let me sit down.”
As soon as her butt hit the chair she reached out and Seth placed baby Mya in her arms. Looking down at her perfect little lips, her chubby little cheeks, and her long dark lashes Amber felt herself begin to tear up. Even the weight of Mya in her arms felt perfect.
She sniffed, “She is perfect.”
“She is. She’s beautiful just like her mama,” Riley said proudly.
Eddie came around the corner, “Let me say goodbye to my niece before I go get her cousin to come and meet her.”
“Ooh goodie you’re out! I’m gonna go see Chelle.” Katie clapped her hands happily as she headed out to go see her best friend.
Amber stood and handed the tiny baby to her Uncle Eddie. Looking around the room she was taken aback for a moment at the sheer amount of testosterone in the small, confined space. Man with five uncles like these, no guy had a chance with this little girl.
With Katie, who had invited her, gone, Amber suddenly felt a little like an outsider. Everyone else here was family. She decided that now that she had seen baby Mya she would take off. She grabbed her purse and gave Riley a hug, congratulating him and asking him to send her love to Chelle. Then she said a general goodbye to the whole r
oom.
But before she slipped out she turned back to Seth and smiled. “Bye, Seth, it was good seeing you.”
He looked almost stunned at her words. He stared for a few moments before a slow smile spread across his face. “You, too.”
She turned and headed down the hall. Her mind kept repeating one thought. Damn, he has dimples. He has dimples!
Chapter Nine
Amber sat in her car outside Jason and Katie’s house and ran her hands down the bodice of her dress. She was dressed a little fancier than she had originally thought she would be. She had planned on wearing slacks, but instead had chosen a wrap dress in a deep caramel shade that perfectly matched her eyes. It hugged her upper body and flared at her hips. She paired it with her knee-high black high-heeled boots and simple gold jewelry.
She had blown out her hair and straight ironed it. Then she had spent over a half an hour meticulously applying her make-up. She didn’t think she had ever spent so much time getting ready for a Thanksgiving dinner before. But, since she knew Seth was going to be here, she decided that she wanted to put in the time to look her best.
This week had been crazy. With the break-in, Chelle having baby Mya, and - of course -the return of Seth (aka her Mystery Man) she had barely had time to catch her breath. She had, however, made a decision. Since she had seen Seth two days ago in the hospital, she had decided that life was too short not to go after what you want - and she wanted was to see where things could go with Seth.
Amber had noticed Seth’s motorcycle parked beside Jason’s truck as soon as she had driven up. Glancing between the house and the bike an almost giddy sensation filled her because she knew that Seth was inside that house. It may have taken her a little bit to come to terms with the arrival of her Mystery Man, but she was going to take the positive route and solely look at it as an opportunity.
It was go time.
Her hands shook as she picked up her store-bought pumpkin pie. She hadn’t had time to make anything from scratch, not that she would have, even if she had had the opportunity. Amber had always assessed her own strengths and weaknesses without judgment, and baking was not one of her strengths.
As soon as she stepped up to the front door it swung open. Sophie’s grandfather, Grandpa J, opened it as he whistled loudly, “Well, now, don’t you look just as good as you can.”
Amber smiled and hugged him tightly. She loved Grandpa J, or as the boys all called him The Colonel. She hadn’t lived in Harper’s Crossing that long when she had lost her brother Aaron. Grandpa J had run into her at the grocery store right after she had heard the news and he had pulled her into his arms and let her cry for at least an hour, maybe even two.
He had made sure to stop by and check on her a couple of times a week that first year after Aaron was killed. He took her out on ‘breakfast dates’ and would ask her questions about Aaron. He gave her the opportunity to mourn her brother. She would never forget it.
“How’s my girl?” he asked as he hugged her tightly.
“Good, Grandpa J. I’m good.” She smiled as he pulled back and took the pie from her hands.
“Pumpkin, my favorite,” he said as he headed to the large table that was set out in the middle of the room. It looked to be overflowing with a dish of deviled eggs, a vegetable tray, chips, brownies (hopefully Jamie’s, Amber thought, because she makes ah-may-zing brownies), and several pies.
She said her hellos to everyone in the front room. The crowd was pretty evenly dispersed between the big screen TV that had a football game on and the pool table in the garage. She immediately took note that Seth was out playing pool in the garage with his brothers. He looked insanely gorgeous. He was wearing dark wash jeans and a V-neck black sweater with a white t-shirt underneath.
Her entire body tingled with excitement at just the merest glimpse of him. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck rose and she could feel her heart pounding against her ribcage. She needed a moment to pull it together.
Glancing around, she didn’t see any of the girls, so she figured they were in the kitchen. Amber decided she would go see if she could help with anything. Hopefully that would distract her mind and give her a chance to regroup.
Pushing through the white wooden swinging door that separated the front room from the kitchen she found Katie, Jamie, Sophie, Haley and Katie’s mom Pam and Aunt Wendy all bustling around. The second she walked in she was hit with the most amazing smells of vanilla, cinnamon and spice, turkey, gravy and fresh bread. She inhaled deeply and her stomach growled.
“Wow, you look hot!” Katie exclaimed as Amber walked up to the kitchen island.
Sophie looked up from peeling potatoes and her mouth dropped open, “Dang! Sexy mama!”
Amber had spent extra time on her appearance, but she had not expected this kind of attention. Amber ran her hands down her sides. “It’s from my new dress line.”
Jamie looked up from chopping onions. “You look incredible! I want one in blue.”
“I love it! I want one in red,” Katie said as she moved to the oven holding a turkey baster in her hand.
“Done and done,” Amber smiled.
She loved seeing her friends wearing her own designs. She had gotten a rush the few times she had had runway shows. Of course. It was exciting when professional models were draped in your creations. But her favorite thing in the whole world was seeing the practical, everyday wear of her clothing line. That she could make women feel sexy and make clothes wearable was her greatest thrill.
She moved beside Pam, Katie’s mom, and sat on one of the empty barstools at the kitchen island, “What can I help with?”
“Ooh more hands, great! Let’s see, how good are you at mashing?” Pam was already grabbing a potato masher from the utensil drawer and pushing a bowl of boiled potatoes in front of her.
“I can mash with the best of them,” Amber smiled as she went to work on the spuds.
“So will your mom be joining us this year?” Pam asked with a friendly smile on her face.
“No. Not this year,” Amber tried not to let the disappointment bleed through in her tone.
Last year Susan, Amber’s mom, had been thirty days sober and had driven up to Harper’s Crossing and surprised Amber on Thanksgiving. It had been a great day. They had gone to Bobby and Sophie’s house. The then newly-married couple was hosting their first holiday gathering in their new house. Amber’s mom had met all of Amber’s friends and she had seemed to have a really good time.
It had gone so well, in fact, that Amber had done something that she never did…she had gotten her hopes up. She had really let herself believe that it was going to be different that time. That her mom was on the road to a full recovery.
Sadly, by Christmas her hopes were smashed to smithereens when she received a collect phone call from a police station in Chicago. Her mom had gotten a DUI and she wanted Amber to come and bail her out. Which she did. She had also immediately driven her to a rehab facility, one that, by New Year’s Day, Susan had checked herself out of.
“How’s she doing?” Pam’s brow furrowed in concern.
Amber just shrugged, she could feel tears starting to form in her bottom lids. She sniffed as she wiped under her eyes with her wrist.
“Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry. If you need anything, you just let me know.” Pam patted her back gently.
“Thanks.” Amber really loved Pam. She was so solid, so steady.
“Soooo,” Katie pulled up a barstool and began cutting what looked like banana bread, “any news on the Seth front?”
“Nope.” Amber had hoped there would be soon, but as of right this minute…no news.
“I noticed you guys getting cozy in the waiting room,” Katie sing-songed happily. Then she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “For a second there, I thought he was going to kiss you.”
Amber kept her head down and continued mashing. She had never understood it when celebrities would release a statement saying “no comment.” In fact, it had alway
s irritated her. She was a logical person and she figured that - it was their lives - so they must have a comment. But now she totally got the whole “no comment” thing.
“I see you blushing,” Katie said proudly as she pointed at Amber, “Shakira’s hips don’t lie and neither do your cheeks.”
The oven timer dinged before Amber had a chance to come up with a witty comeback. Probably for the best. She really didn’t think her wit could rise above the nerves that were currently spread through her entire body.
Katie pulled out a huge, delicious-smelling turkey and Amber’s stomach growled once again. She hadn’t meant to skip breakfast, it had just sort of worked out that way. Her morning had been hectic, getting ready for the big Black Friday sale tomorrow at Bella. She had needed to rush to jump in the shower and get ready. And she wasn't done yet, she would be heading back there right after dinner to finish up.
Amber really did love owning her own business. She wouldn’t trade it for anything. Still, it did come with a lot of responsibility, and it was definitely not a nine-to-five type of a gig.
“Alright! We are ready to get everything out to the table and start the feast,” Katie was through the door and heading to the dining room.
“If you could just fill up all of these,” Pam motioned to the serving dishes, “then we will take them out.”
“Got it.” Amber smiled as she grabbed the creamed peas off the stove and poured them into the first dish.
She missed her brother more than ever around the holidays but she was glad that she had her Harper’s Crossing ‘family.’ Even if they technically weren’t her blood relatives, they were the best family a girl could have.
--- ~ ---
Katie called everyone to dinner and Seth came in from the garage with his brothers Riley, Jason, Alex and Bobby. Man, it was great just hanging out with them. He hadn’t spent that much time with them all together since he had been back in town.
Well, except the breakfast at Gerard’s, but that didn't really count. They hadn’t gotton much of a chance to catch up during that meal since it had played out more like he was a guest on a bad episode of The View, with Jason playing the part of Barbara Walters.
My Everything - Seth & Amber Page 7