Striker (Book 1 in the 'Striker' Trilogy)

by Michelle Betham

  ‘Hey, handsome,’ she said, leaning back in her chair, looking out of the window at the traffic streaming past the News North East building. ‘You not at training?’

  ‘Sneaked off for a few minutes. No-one’ll notice. There’s a story about Rob in the papers today – he’s managed to get himself photographed with a married soap star so the headlines are his, for a change.’

  Amber smiled, absentmindedly turning her pen round and round between her fingers as she spoke. ‘Is it good to have a day off, then?’

  He laughed – that gorgeous, sexy, low laugh that made her stomach flip over and over, turning her into a giggling, teenage fan-girl. ‘Yeah. You could say that. Things alright with you? And the press, I mean.’

  Amber looked out of the window again, straining her eyes to see if she could see Red Star’s training ground from where she was. You could see Tynebridge, but she’d never actually tried to see if the training ground was visible from her office window. ‘Ryan, baby, I am the press. Nothing bothers me anymore.’ Since her return to Ryan’s side, media interest in their relationship had grown all over again, but Amber had learnt to deal with it. She’d had to learn fast, but she could handle just about anything they threw at her now, even if it was still a part of the package she could do without.

  ‘That photo they had of you in the Herald the other week…’

  ‘What photo?’ Amber asked, her search for Red Star’s training ground now over. You couldn’t really see it from where she was, even though it wasn’t all that far away from Tynebridge, which was clearly visible from her window, looming large on the horizon with its ominous, imposing, edge-of-city-centre presence.

  ‘The one of you looking hot as hell in nothing but a bed sheet and a smile, because that was no holiday snap, babe, I’m telling you.’

  She smiled to herself, remembering the photograph he was talking about. It had been printed alongside a story concerning her relationship with Ryan, and even though they’d had her down as a bit of a cougar, making a reference to the eleven-year age gap between them, Amber had just been flattered they’d used a picture that made her look good. Yes, even she let vanity get the better of her sometimes. ‘That was from last year’s News North East charity calendar. I was July.’

  ‘Were you now. How come I never knew about this?’

  ‘Because we didn’t meet until August. Anyway, I’m sure you didn’t call me in the middle of the morning to talk about calendar shoots.’

  ‘Why not? Have you seen this year’s Red Star calendar? There’s something rather sexy in April you might be interested in.’

  ‘Oh yeah? Would that have anything to do with a particularly hot, tattooed footballer showing us his considerable talent?’

  ‘You’ve seen it, then.’

  ‘Tracy’s got one hanging up in the communal kitchen. Tell Gary he’s cheering up January no end.’

  ‘Yeah. I’ll be sure to pass the message on. Listen, beautiful, do you fancy going out tonight? One of the lads is having a private birthday do in the nightclub at Tynebridge and…’

  ‘Is that wise, Ryan? I mean, thing have been going so well…’

  ‘Amber, baby, I’m not suddenly going to set foot inside a club and fall off the wagon, am I? If that was going to happen then I had more than enough opportunities when I was away over Christmas. But I was a good boy, wasn’t I?’

  She couldn’t help smiling. ‘Yeah. I suppose you were. You were only bad when I wanted you to be.’

  He laughed that low, sexy laugh again and it was all Amber could do not to grab her coat and head off to the training ground, find him, and give him some training techniques of her own. ‘Why don’t we both misbehave a little bit tonight, huh? I mean, you’ll be there to keep an eye on me, won’t you?’

  ‘Ryan, please, I’m not your mother. I don’t need to “keep an eye” on you. I trust you.’

  ‘Yeah,’ he said quietly. ‘I know you do. So, you up for this, then? Come on, babe. Let me be a stereotypical footballer for a night, huh?’

  ‘Yeah, okay,’ she laughed, crossing her legs and resting her chin in her hand. ‘Just don’t expect me to be a stereotypical WAG. I’ll see you later, handsome.’

  ‘Talking dirty in the middle of a work day, are we?’

  She swung her chair round and smiled as Ronnie pulled a chair over and sat down at her desk. ‘Happy New Year to you, too. Kevin said you were on your way. I didn’t expect you to be here quite so soon, though.’

  ‘Traffic’s quiet. And anyway, I was only coming from Hexham. I came up from London yesterday.’

  ‘You look good. I take it the holiday was a success?’

  ‘Yeah. I suppose so.’

  Amber frowned slightly. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Oh, I dunno, Amber,’ Ronnie sighed, pushing a hand through his hair. ‘Anyway, what about you?’

  She looked at him. ‘Are you sure you’re alright?’

  ‘You’re back with Ryan, then?’ he asked, ignoring her question.

  ‘I think you already know the answer to that one.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I love him.’

  ‘As simple as that.’

  ‘Yep. As simple as that.’

  ‘I thought you loved Jim.’

  She looked at him again. ‘I will always love Jim, Ronnie. In some misguided, pointless kind of way. But I need to be with Ryan.’

  ‘Do you?’

  ‘Look, what is this? It’s my first day back at work, okay, and I really don’t need you turning up here with your interrogation techniques and a lecture.’

  ‘So, your dad narrowly avoided learning about your relationship with his close friend. That was handy.’

  She continued to stare at him. ‘It could never really work, me and Jim. Too many memories. Too much history to get past. With Ryan it’s… it’s a new start. It’s a brand new start.’

  ‘And you think he’s capable of that, do you? Of leaving all that shit behind and settling down?’

  ‘Look, Ronnie, do you want to tell me what’s bothering you? Because you’re beginning to give me a headache I could really do without.’

  ‘Nothing’s wrong, okay?’

  Amber arched an eyebrow. She didn’t believe that for a second. ‘Come on. We’re going to the pub across the road.’

  ‘Drinking? On your first day back?’

  ‘It’s lunchtime, Ronnie. And they serve soft drinks over there, too, y’know. Get up, come on. You’re not leaving my sight until you tell me what’s on your mind. Then maybe you can stop taking your bad mood out on me.’

  *

  Ryan jumped to reach the ball, heading it into the back of the net with more ease than any striker should be allowed to have. Jesus, he loved this game. Now Amber was back in his life that renewed energy she’d given him was back with a vengeance, despite the strained relationship he now had with Jim Allen. But, hey, in the fight for Amber’s affections, guess who’d won? Jim would just have to deal with it.

  ‘You coming tonight?’ Gary asked, kicking the ball back to Ryan, squinting slightly as the winter sun shone low in the bright January sky.

  ‘Yeah. I called Amber. She’s coming, too.’

  ‘She’s still on baby-sitting duty, then?’

  ‘Fuck off, Gary. You more than anyone should know how much I need her right now. She trusts me, and I want her to see that I’m trying, okay?’

  Gary shrugged, running along the touchline as Ryan kicked the ball out to him. ‘What’s with you and the boss, anyway? One minute everything’s fine with you two and the next you could cut the atmosphere with a knife.’

  ‘He’s just pissed off at what happened, that’s all.’

  ‘Still?’ Gary stopped running, bending over slightly, his hands on his hips as he tried to get his breath back. ‘All that shit happened before Christmas. And, yeah, I mean, everyone expected him to be pissed off at us for a while, but that was weeks ago. You’d have thought he’d have calmed down by now. He’s fine with me, s
o what’ve you done?’

  ‘Leave it, Gary, will you? How should I know what’s bugging Jim Allen.’

  Gary stood up straight, a smirk spreading over his face. ‘Hang on… no, it couldn’t… Amber and Jim Allen…? I know he’s a friend of her dad’s, but… were they having some sort of relationship? Y’know, I always thought there was something strange about the way he was around her, the way he looked at her, I mean, we all look at her like that because she’s pretty hot, y’know, for an older woman, but…’ He looked at Ryan’s expression. ‘Jesus Christ, I’m right, aren’t I? Jim Allen was fucking Amber! Then you go and get all messed-up, she comes running, and leaves him to come back to you! I knew there was more to it. I knew it.’

  ‘Will you keep your fucking voice down, Gary?’ Ryan hissed, coming over to him, shoving the ball at him so hard it almost winded the defender. ‘Nobody knows about that, alright? Nobody knows, and that’s the way it’s gonna stay because I do not want her hurt, do you hear me?’

  Gary threw the ball down and held up his hands in mock-surrender. ‘Hey, okay. Chill out. Her secret’s safe with me.’

  ‘Yeah. I wish I could believe that,’ Ryan said, bending down to pick up the ball before throwing it back at another team-mate. ‘Seriously, Gary. I mean it. I don’t want anything to mess up what I’ve got with Amber. I managed that all by myself once and I’m trying really hard not to repeat that mistake. So, any outside interference could really fuck things up.’

  Gary folded his arms, looking straight at his best friend. ‘You’re serious about her, aren’t you?’

  Ryan nodded, pushing a hand through his dark hair. ‘I love her, Gary. I frigging love her so much it scares me. And knowing the history she and Jim Allen have…’

  ‘History?’ Gary gasped, his face brightening at the prospect of more unexpected gossip. ‘You mean, it wasn’t something that just happened?’

  ‘Jesus…’ Ryan sighed, throwing his head back. ‘Look, Gary, it’s complicated, okay? Just keep your mouth shut because you tell anyone about Amber and Jim and I will fucking kill you…’

  ‘Not literally,’ Gary smirked, watching as Rob was sent flying in the wrong direction by a glorious shot from Joey Gardner, Ryan’s striking partner.

  ‘Try me,’ Ryan said, fixing Gary with what he hoped was a warning look. ‘Ruin this for me, Gary, and I will never forgive you. You may not feel much like settling down, but I do, okay? After tonight, Ryan Fisher’s partying days are over.’

  *

  ‘I’ve left Anna,’ Ronnie said, looking down into his pint.

  Amber was speechless for a few seconds, trying to take in what her best friend had just told her. She’d thought everything was going so well, that Anna and Ronnie were made for each other. This was the last thing she’d expected to hear.

  ‘Ronnie, I… Shit! What… why? What happened? I thought everything was good, that you two were getting on so well…’

  ‘We were, Amber. Anna is such a great girl; she’s a fantastic, funny, beautiful woman and, yeah, the holiday was good, but…’

  ‘But, what?’ Amber asked, reaching out to take his hand as his eyes looked up into hers.

  ‘It just wasn’t going to work, Amber.’

  Her eyes locked onto his, staring deep into his soul. He was her best friend, her very best friend, and he deserved to be happy. She’d thought Anna could have brought him that happiness, but it didn’t look like that was the case anymore.

  ‘Why?’ Amber whispered, still holding his hand, her thumb gently stroking his knuckles. ‘What went wrong?’

  ‘Nothing, really,’ Ronnie shrugged, breaking the stare, looking down at their joined hands for a second before pulling his hand away. ‘Nothing went wrong. It was me, not her.’

  ‘Christ, I hope you didn’t tell her that. It’s probably one of the worst things you can say when breaking up with someone, even if it’s true.’

  Ronnie looked at her again, downing a long mouthful of lager. ‘Are you happy, Amber? This time? With Ryan, I mean. Given his reputation, his behaviour – his track record with women?’

  ‘He’s changed.’

  ‘Well, forgive me for being cynical here, but you spun me that line before and look what happened.’

  ‘What is wrong with you, Ronnie? Just because your relationship has broken down don’t come here and rain on my parade, okay? What happened with you and Anna, it isn’t my fault.’

  Ronnie downed the last of his lager before standing up, his eyes fixed firmly on Amber’s. ‘Isn’t it?’

  Chapter Twenty-One

  ‘I really hate this side of things,’ Amber said, walking out of the en-suite bathroom, running her fingers through her damp hair. ‘You said it was just going to be a birthday party for one of your team-mates. I didn’t realise that meant a full-blown, Z-List celebrity, footballer-filled event with press and paparazzi lurking all over the place.’

  Ryan looked at her, arching an eyebrow, a slight smirk on his face. ‘Y’know, for an intelligent woman you can be extremely naive.’

  She poked her tongue out at him. ‘You should let me know the full details before you make me commit to this kind of thing. I hate being photographed, and I’ve never liked being the centre of attention. I guess I should have thought about that, shouldn’t I? Before I got involved with you.’ She smiled as he walked over to her, half-naked and handsome, sexy and dangerous. Everything she should be avoiding but, at the same time, everything she couldn’t leave alone.

  ‘I always thought you were a bit of a local celebrity yourself round here. Y’know, this beautiful sports reporter with a father who once played for one of the region’s biggest clubs.’

  ‘It’s not the same thing at all, Ryan,’ Amber said, still smiling, running her fingers lightly up and down his naked chest. ‘There’s a big difference between being a face people see on local TV now and again and being the girlfriend of a famous footballer. And not just any famous footballer, but Ryan Fisher. You are a bit of a publicity magnet, mister.’

  ‘Yeah, and not always for the right reasons,’ Ryan sighed, pulling her closer against him, quickly kissing her forehead. ‘I want things to change, Amber. I want to forget all of that crap and start thinking about getting my life in order. Coming so close to losing you, it… I’ve never been in love before, y’know? Never felt the things you make me feel, and it scares the hell out of me.’

  She reached up and put a hand to his face, her fingers stroking his bearded jaw line, her eyes looking deep into his. In just a few short weeks he’d changed so much and her only worry was that it was happening too quick, that he was doing it all because he felt he had to. Because he wanted to prove something to her. ‘You don’t have to do everything at a million miles an hour, Ryan. Just take it easy, let things happen by themselves.’

  He trailed his fingers slowly up and down her spine, and even through the thick cotton towel she was wearing she could feel those familiar sparks of electricity sending her stomach into spasms of somersaults. ‘I want things to happen, Amber. I want to forget the past and concentrate on the future – our future. Don’t you want that, too?’

  She smiled again, continuing to stroke his cheek, feeling so many things, so many emotions all jostling for space in her already over-crowded head that she felt quite dizzy. Had everything she’d felt for Jim actually been about Ryan? When she’d thought that being with Ryan was nothing but a way of avoiding her true feelings for Jim, had it not really been the other way around? She wished she had a definitive answer to that question, but she couldn’t really say for sure. ‘Yeah, of course that’s what I want…’

  He shut her up with a kiss, his mouth moving slowly against hers until she had no choice left but to give in to him, let his strong arms hold her close, his body hard, his breathing desperate as he pulled the towel away from her body. ‘And I want you,’ he whispered. ‘A million fucking ways, I want you.’

  She felt her stomach flip over and over, an excitement only he was able to generate bui
lding up inside her – which was where she wanted him, and soon. Inside her. Deep, deep inside her.

  ‘I want to take you places you’ve never been before.’ His mouth was close to her ear, his breath warm on her face, his fingers playing with her, touching her, pulling away before they had a chance to do what she so badly wanted them to finish. ‘Places only we’ll ever go, away from the world and all the fucking shit it throws up. Away from everything, until it’s just you, and me.’ He moved his head so his mouth was resting on hers, their bodies so close, so very close the heat was almost unbearable. Amber was burning up so fast, just the sight of him was enough to turn her legs to jelly and make her heart beat so loud she was sure he could hear it.

  She put her hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating just as hard as hers was, signalling the start of a game that was going to be played out before either of them went anywhere. Unplanned, spontaneous sex. Something she’d never been all that used to, but with Ryan it was fast becoming the norm.

  ‘Just me and you,’ she whispered, closing her eyes as he pushed her back onto the bed, her body aching to welcome him, the pain of wanting him hurting so much she wasn’t sure how much longer she could wait. But Ryan seemed in no hurry to end the game, no rush to take it to those final stages.

  ‘I just want to look at you,’ he whispered, letting his fingers slide slowly down over her breasts, making her gasp out loud as they continued their journey down over her waist, her hips, their eyes locked together all the time, neither of them breaking the stare. Not until the urge became too much, so overwhelming it was impossible to hold back any longer and she almost forced him inside her, raising her hips up so hard against his, desperate to finally feel him where she wanted him to be.

  Closing her eyes, her stomach dipped as the combined feeling of his mouth kissing her slow and deep and his body entering hers took over, rendering anything else unimportant. When he was with her like this, when there was nothing else to distract him, nobody else there to tempt him away from her, this was a heaven she’d never even realised could exist. She’d never wanted to fall for a footballer; it had never been an option for her, after everything that had happened with Jim, but you couldn’t help who you fell in love with, could you? As the old adage said. Because sometimes all those clichés were true.