“She’s not a mare, Becca,” Zack scolded her, but his lips quirked in amusement. Sometimes Amanda was like a wild horse, skittish.
Becca grinned impishly. “Taken her for a ride yet?” She giggled at her inappropriate question when her brother choked back a laugh and flushed red. “Was it short trot, or a long hard gallop?” she continued to tease.
“Becca! Enough! I’m not discussing my sex life with my baby sister!” But he puffed up with unintended pride. It had been a long hard gallop, but only after he’d taken her through all her paces. He couldn’t wait to do it again. Of course, that was probably going to be difficult if she wouldn’t even talk to him. Ugh! He didn’t believe she was still angry with him, this…this avoidance had to be due to something else altogether.
“I’m going to tell you the same thing I just told Amanda. David is dead. Stop using him as an excuse,” Becca stated calmly.
Zack was thunderstruck. “You told her what?! How did she respond? Jeez, Bec, that had to have hurt her.” He frowned deeply in his disapproval.
“I told her to stop pushing you away because she’s afraid of growing more attached to you. She has a fear of losing you, like she lost David, so she’s being proactive in sending you away now. And I’m telling you to stop driving her away every time you can’t control a situation. You don’t see yourself very clearly, Zack, and your anger and focus can become overwhelming. To someone like Amanda, it’s suffocating. Get a handle on yourself before you ruin this for good.”
“And what did she say to your pop psychology theories, Becca?” He asked curiously.
Was he suffocating, as Becca suggested? To him he was caretaking. Maybe Amanda did see it differently. He wished he could explain himself to her, but, again, she wouldn’t answer the damned phone! Maybe he’d just drop in on her tonight. Did she have a date, he wondered? His stomach twisted uneasily.
“She told me I should have become a shrink. She knows I’m right.” Becca laughed. “She just has to wrap her head around it. Now, do you want to know where she’s having lunch, or not?”
Zack thought for moment. If she told him, he’d ditch Rachel, who wouldn’t be very happy with him and then wouldn’t help him. Shit! He wanted to track down Mandy and pull her into his arms and taste her sweet skin, nibble down her neck, hold her close to him, and do a million other things. Damn! He redirected his thoughts as his groin tightened. He didn’t want Rachel to think he was too happy to see her.
He shook his head. “Gotta run, sis. Please, just stop counseling Amanda in relationship matters, huh? Will you? When you’ve had a successful one of your own then you can feel free to jump in, until then, lay off. Also, keep her as safe as possible throughout this Tabott fiasco. Get someone on that soon, preferably before I lose my ever-loving mind worrying about her!”
As he turned away he heard Becca mumble something about not being appreciated and some nonsense about finding a guy who was tall, blond, and gorgeous. He kept walking. Everyone in his family, including Amanda, was going crazy. It was his job to pull them back into order.
Chapter 14:
Oh Boy! (And Girl)
When Amanda arrived at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in PPG Center to meet Jared she was running just a little bit behind schedule. She was also flushed and slightly breathless, having practically jogged from Becca’s office near the courthouse, four city blocks away. Finding him at the bar she apologized profusely for keeping him waiting.
“It was no problem. I only just got here myself.” Jared McGinty smiled down at her.
For the first time Amanda realized he was a very attractive man. How had she not noticed before, she wondered?
“What did you do, run? Amanda, seriously, I’d wait for you. Don’t kill yourself rushing around.”
In his early thirties, he was a successful divorce attorney. Unlike Zack who was tall, well muscled, and broad shouldered, and who had a dangerously rugged kind of sexuality, Jared was perhaps five-ten or five-eleven and had a hard, slim, and wiry runner’s build. He also had wide-spaced sparkling light brown eyes that usually glowed with the amusement he found in life. His nose was sharp and narrow and drew attention to his generous mouth. His sandy brown hair contained a hint of red and fell over his forehead in a boyish way. He was a more carefree individual who seemed to let things roll off of him. No deep, dark, brooding for Jared. He was dressed casually in khakis, red polo shirt, and loafers, so he must not have had to appear in court that day.
When she extended her hand to shake his she found she was literally drawn toward him when he clasped her hand in both of his and gently tugged her closer to him.
“You look beautiful today,” he said meaningfully and his eyes expressed his appreciation.
In an aqua-colored blazer with matching flared skirt and a cream colored silk blouse, her ensemble set off her chestnut hair. Since she’d left so early this morning she’d only pulled back the top and sides of her hair, French braiding it then securing it with a small clip, not wanting to spend the time required to put it up as she normally did. The length of it fell over her shoulders and waved halfway down her back. In the heat and humidity of the summer day she’d wished she’d taken the time to put it up. She thought again about cutting it short. She was tired of dealing with it.
She self-consciously cleared her throat and ran her free hand down her skirt, smoothing it unnecessarily. She wasn’t sure how to take Jared’s well-intentioned words. It almost sounded like a come-on of sorts. Not quite, but with a hint that he wished she would read into it.
“Thank you, Mr. McGinty. You look well, too,” she responded formally, trying to put them back on familiar footing. She gently tried to disengage her right hand from both of his without making a production of it.
“Jared, remember?” he asked, holding her gaze and squeezing her hand before finally releasing it. “I’ve told you time and again, you don’t have to be so formal.”
Oh Lordy, Amanda thought semihumorously. He’s flirting. Great! A ghostly husband, a controlling boss and lover, and a hopeful divorce attorney! Her life just kept getting more interesting. She blushed as she read an errant fantasy from him. She had to give him credit, he certainly liked to plan ahead! Too bad he didn’t know what her answer was going to be. He was in for a disappointment.
Jared placed a hand on the small of her back, ushering her toward the hostess and keeping it in place until they were seated toward the rear of the restaurant.
“I’m treating my architect to lunch for a change,” he told her. When Amanda opened her mouth to disagree he held up a hand and said, “No arguments. You’re forever treating me on your expense account. At least I’m hoping it’s on an expense account!” He grinned at her. “Today, it’s my turn. I’m very pleased with the progress on the project. You’ve been an absolute miracle worker, and I want to show some appreciation.”
Amanda was shaken up by the turn of events. While he’d said he was treating his architect his tone had implied more. The way he was behaving began to seem more date-like than client-like.
Hmm…how should she handle this? While she appreciated his interest, she was in no mood to deal with more romance. What she’d been going through with Zack was bad enough, and she still wasn’t certain what to do about him. She’d missed him like crazy all week. It drove her nuts that she was already so used to being in his arms, and that she’d longed for him to hold her every night when she got into bed. Her dreams, for a change, hadn’t been nightmares of David and the accident. They’d been of Zack making sweet love to her.
She had gathered her thoughts to issue a gentle rebuff and direct them back to their previous project manager and client status when over Jared’s shoulder her gaze was caught and held by a large, ruggedly good-looking man in the company of a tall gorgeous woman with short dark hair and a body to die for. She was curvy in all the right places with well-endowed breasts and long shapely legs.
Amanda’s heart painfully skipped a beat and she hated her on sight, because she was w
ith Zachary. The way the woman clung to his arm bespoke long familiarity. Something told her the woman was not a client.
So much for being in love with me! Boy, was Becca way off base, was her first thought. On the heels of which came, Didn’t take him long did it, Amanda? Remember how worried you were about becoming one of his cast-offs? And finally, kicking herself, she thought, What did you expect when you didn’t return his calls?
Knowing she must look like a gaping fish, she clamped her mouth shut in a grim line and schooled her expression into a semblance of what she hoped looked like calm interest in her date. Yes, date! Two could play this game, her competitive and self-defensive nature declared. She was slightly vindicated when Zack finally noticed her and realized she was with another man. His face turned forbidding for just a moment before he turned to the lovely woman with him and pulled out her chair to seat her. When he turned again his expression was as unreadable and bland as she hoped hers was.
Wonderful! She closed her eyes briefly, and rubbed her temples, while praying for strength as Zack seated himself, facing her, several tables away.
“Amanda, are you all right?” Jared inquired. “Headache?” He reached over to take her hand across the table and Amanda caught Zack’s gaze and saw him stiffen in anger. She left her hand in Jared’s and did her level best to block her mind from receiving anything from his.
Pulling together a smile for him she told him she was fine and asked him what he planned to order. Forcing herself to act normally and to keep her eyes on Jared’s face she quizzed him so thoroughly about his work, family, and hobbies that for the next hour of their lunch he’d talked nonstop. All she’d been required to do was come up with the next question and respond appropriately. In between personal questions she’d talked to him about the project, filling in gaps for him as to their progress. She knew later she wouldn’t remember a single word either of them uttered.
She pushed her filet mignon around her plate to make it appear as though she’d been eating. She felt bad, momentarily, because the food there was always awesome, but today she had no appetite. Actually, for most of the week, she’d barely eaten anything. She’d felt sick from the stress of dealing with Zack.
She congratulated herself at the end of the meal on how well she’d done. She’d focused on Jared, perhaps a bit too much, but still. And, she had not allowed herself to look at Zack once. She had smiled and laughed at, she hoped, the right times. She thought she’d probably inadvertently encouraged Jared, but at that moment she didn’t care. It wouldn’t hurt Zack to see that someone else was interested in her. He probably didn’t care anyway. He was in the company of a woman whose body was undeniably beautiful. There was no way Amanda felt she could compete with her. Her chest ached as pain shot through her. Taking a deep breath she placed a stiff smile on her face once more.
“Amanda?” She was abruptly pulled away from her thoughts as she realized she’d missed whatever question Jared had asked her. He was standing at the side of the table with a hand extended, ready to go. She hadn’t even noticed he’d paid the bill.
“Thinking some deep thoughts?” he asked with a slight smile. “You’ve been a little distracted, huh?” he observed ruefully.
Crap! She really had thought she’d gone a good job of covering. She smiled back at him, laughing at herself. He didn’t seem too upset with her.
“I’m so sorry. I was hoping you didn’t notice. Now I know all that effort was wasted,” she ruefully acknowledged.
“You did a masterful job, up until about five minutes ago.” He laughed with her. “Want to share with me what’s going on?” he encouraged.
Amanda shook her head. “I apologize, but it’s personal. I shouldn’t have brought that with me to our meeting.” She flushed slightly in embarrassment and was surprised when Jared took her hand and pulled her to her feet.
“That’s fine. I won’t push. But I want you to know that I’m here and wouldn’t mind offering a shoulder if you need one,” he offered gently.
Amanda’s eyes suddenly filled with tears and she looked away from Jared, blinking rapidly to keep them at bay. Unfortunately she’d chosen to look away in Zack’s direction and found his gaze focused on her, both concern and frustration written on his features. Quickly dropping her eyes, she took the arm Jared offered her.
“Thank you, I appreciate it, but I’m sure you have more important things to do than to listen to me whine,” she tried to joke.
When he gazed at her seriously and told her he had absolutely nothing better to do with his day than to spend it with her, she stopped breathing she was so stunned. Good grief! He was serious. She could see his plans play out in his head for the day. He’d told his partner not to expect him back. Hesitating, she tried to decide what to do and say. Realizing they were standing there awkwardly in the middle of an aisle she suggested they leave and discuss it outside. She desperately needed to get away from Zack’s scrutiny.
Jared turned, holding Amanda’s arm captive in his own, and began to proceed out of the restaurant but paused as he recognized Zack. “Your boss is here,” he informed her unnecessarily.
Coolly she replied, “Yes, I know. He arrived shortly after we did.”
Apparently she said it a bit too coldly because Jared looked at her in confusion and opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong. She shook her head subtly, letting him know that she couldn’t discuss it right there.
It would have made Jared very suspicious if they didn’t stop at Zack’s table, so she did, mentally cursing the necessity. Reintroducing the two men, she saw each size up the other.
Zack stood and offered his hand to Jared. “Good to see you again. Is there a problem with the renovation that I need to be aware of?” He looked at Amanda, clearly warning her that this lunch better have been business related. She shot him an annoyed look in return, letting him know that she didn’t give a shit what he thought.
Zack returned to his seat, trying to control the urge to strangle Jared. He clenched his fists under the table and tried to maintain an outwardly calm demeanor, shooting a warning look at Rachel as she kicked him under the table in her amusement at his reaction.
Jared watched the silent conversations between Amanda and Zack, and then Zack and the woman he was with before replying, “I actually invited Amanda to lunch, to thank her for all her efforts. She’s done an amazing job with the old place. Let me tell you, you have a hell of talented architect on your staff.” The more Jared complemented Amanda the darker Zack’s expression became and Jared finally clued in on what had Amanda so distracted all lunch.
Looking at Zachary’s beautiful companion he asked, “And who is this lovely lady?” forcing Zack to offer introductions. He could feel the tension throughout Amanda’s body and felt it in her grip on his arm, and squeezed her hand comfortingly. This was getting interesting. Zack grudgingly introduced Amanda and Jared to Rachel, who looked at him in open amusement at his predicament.
As they’d been seated it hadn’t taken Rachel long to see that Zack had been distracted. Tracking his gaze over her shoulder she’d turned around to see who had his complete and utter attention. A delicately beautiful pixie-like young woman with long sorrel hair, flashing emerald green eyes, and a heart-shaped face, who was in a very focused conversation with a casually dressed gentleman, was the object of Zack’s rapt concentration.
Within five minutes she’d dragged the whole story from him and had continued to quiz and tease him unmercifully for the remainder of their meal. This was the woman Zack had fallen head over heels for, and whom he was dying to find the biological parents of. This was the woman who had told Zack to stop trying to control her and who had refused to answer his calls all week. Good for her! She’d need to keep him in check. He needed someone as stubborn and strong-willed as he was or he’d ride roughshod all over her. When she’d stated as much to Zach, he’d asked her what the hell was up with all the damned horse analogies today. She couldn’t come up with a response for a moment but then dr
ily asked if he was still having problems with his little filly. She had to laugh at his dark expression. This woman was really giving him a run for his money! She asked if betting was still open and he’d threatened to take her to a fast food restaurant.
As Rachel was introduced, she noted Jared’s claim on Amanda’s arm, and Amanda’s unease with the entire situation. Rachel tried to determine how to play this. Obviously Amanda was jealous, though she was doing a hell of a job of hiding it. It was only the slight defensive tightening around her eyes and reflexive grip on Jared’s arm that gave her away.
If Rachel hadn’t seen some jealousy she would have played it up, acting like Zack’s date, but not wanting to cause more harm she introduced herself as “an old friend” and made sure to flash her engagement ring as she informed them, falsely, that Zack had met her for lunch to help her plan a surprise party for her fiancé’s birthday.
When she shook Amanda’s hand in greeting she immediately saw Amanda relax, somewhat. Then her eyebrows drew together in concentration, but so briefly Rachel thought she might have imagined it, and wondered what was going on in the other woman’s mind. Upon its release the hand Rachel had shaken unconsciously moved to press against her stomach as though she had indigestion. Rachel smiled to herself, this young lady was very much in love with Zack. Unfortunately, the gentleman with her didn’t know that, because he was clearly into her. Rachel almost laughed aloud as Amanda introduced herself simply as a member of Zack’s staff and Zack looked as though he’d been punched in the gut. Oh God, he had it bad!
Zack literally had to grip the table to keep himself in his seat as Amanda and Jared took their leave. He glared at Rachel as she finally let loose with a long stream of giggles once Amanda was out the door.
“This is so not funny!” he declared.
Amanda's Touch [D.A.R.E.ing Women] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 42