by Rayne Reilly
Oh no, Amara, what have you done? She gazed at his short brown hair and his handsome rugged face. His sexy masculine jaw flexed slightly as he slept.
Chewing her bottom lip, her eyes moved down to his chest. Oh my god. He's hot as hell. His abdomen was taught and firm, with a delectable six pack. He was covered from the waist down but it did nothing to hide the size of his manhood. Her eyes grew wide as she had flashbacks of the night before. She'd had way too much to drink and was feeling lonely and dejected – a bad combo. She hadn't set out to have sex. But from what she recalled of the night...it was mind-blowingly awesome.
Easing the covers off her, she moved to slide out of bed.
Quietly, she tiptoed around the bed to gather up her clothing from the floor and retreat to the bathroom. Quickly, she pulled on her clothes, carrying her shoes in one hand while using the other to prop her bag on her shoulder.
Carefully, she closed the door behind her and crept out of the room without waking the slumbering man.
As the elevator doors closed, she heaved a great sigh of relief knowing she had escaped without any “morning-after” awkwardness. Checking her purse, she found a little taxi money and headed outside to call for a ride home.
During the ten-minute ride home, she sat in the back of the car, eyes closed and trying to remember exactly what had transpired with the gorgeous hunk in whose bed she had spent the night. She was grateful that he hadn't asked her to explain the scars that her top had hidden. She was terribly sensitive about them and usually tried to hide them from her sexual partners.
Never before had she spent the night with one of them. It had always been, “Wham, bam, thank you, Sam.” But last night had been different. Amazing.
You'll never see him again, you know that right? She rolled her eyes at her own inner voice. She tried not to be ashamed for her lack of ability to avoid sex with men she didn't know. She enjoyed sex. Nothing wrong with that.
The problem with her carefree attitude around sex meant that no one had ever said he loved her. And she couldn't recall one single time when a man aimed to please her in bed...not like Mr Hotness had done. She felt herself flush at the memory of him and smoothed her hair back while glancing over at her driver. He wasn't looking, thank god.
The ride home was quick. She paid the driver and made her way to her apartment, trying not to notice that she was a little bit sadder than she had awakened less than an hour earlier.
Her phone rang as she put her bag on the kitchen table. Thank heaven for Caller ID; she could see that it was Mark. Ignoring it, she made a pot of coffee. She was glad she didn't have to go to work today, her head hurt and her stomach needed food.
With the coffee brewing, she fried an egg and buttered a slice of toast to accompany it. Curling her legs under her in an armchair and munching on breakfast, slowly her head began to clear. She recalled when the man from last night had come over to her table...What was his name again? The way he'd looked at her throughout the night sent electric charges through her. He seemed to be staring right into her soul. It was as if he knew her.
In fact, now that she thought about it, there was something different about him...something almost familiar. Even though she had been drunk at the time, her body seemed to respond to him in ways she had never experienced. She loved the way she felt when she was with him. He wasn't like any other man she had known. He had been so attentive and was so into her that she was certain he must be a playboy putting on an act.
She didn't even know if he was single. A wave of embarrassment washed over her as she remembered boldly inviting herself to his hotel room. She had wanted him something fierce and didn't regret it once she saw him naked. Most certainly, he did not disappoint. His chiseled abs and hard physique had left her begging for him to be even closer to her. To take her and make her his.
Just at that moment, her delicious daydreams were interrupted by the terrible idea that he might be married.
Doesn't matter, you fool, she thought. You won't ever see him again.
"Well, if he is married, she's an awfully lucky woman," she said aloud to the room.
Her phone rang again, and as before, she did not bother to look at it while continuing to eat. After filling her belly and changing her clothes, she was ready to spend some time looking for jobs within the city. She was certainly curious about the job at the company where Marcy worked, but she had to at least try to find something else, just in case that fell through.
Besides, there was no guarantee she would even like her boss at the Pleasantville job. Hell, she didn't even know if she'd like living in the town. She had only visited a handful of times in the six-plus years since Marcy moved there.
Growing up in the same small town out west, they had both been happy to not only get into the same university but also to be able to live together while they went to school. It was Marcy who generally came to the city to visit Amara. In the past, they had always hung out for the weekend, shopped, or gone clubbing. She loved those visits and always looked forward to them.
But in recent months, Marcy had been busy with wedding plans and unable to visit very often. One thing for sure was that Amara couldn't wait to see her friend again.
Chapter Four
Bern rolled over and shut off his cell phone alarm. He slid up onto one elbow, and turned to discover that he had awakened to an empty bed.
Sitting up, he called, "Amara?" His heart sank when there was no reply.
Sighing with disappointment, he slid out of bed. Padding sleepily to the bathroom, he peered inside, hoping – but not expecting – to see the beautiful young woman who had stolen his heart.
Running his fingers through his hair, he let out a low growl. She had left without even leaving her number.
Sitting on the end of the bed, he rubbed the morning whisker growth on his chin. Her scent still permeated the room, filling him with frustration. Last night had been life-changing for him. He had finally found his mate, only to have her run out on him.
He admonished himself for not waking up earlier. He had been tired from the drive and the long work hours the previous day. Replaying the intimacy between them from the night before, it was clear that she had been truly hungry for him. He had given so much of himself because he had felt a connection with her.
Hadn't she felt it as well? His inner bear was just as confused as he was. He felt certain that she was his mate and he had hoped that she would feel something for him as well.
Shaking his head, he got up and headed to the shower. He couldn't wait to get through his work day in order to return to the pub where he had met her, just in case she showed up again. But given that she had vanished before he was awake, he wasn't holding his breath about seeing her again.
He was meant to be in the city for just five days before heading back to Pleasantville and to the company he co-owned with his friend, Austin. With some luck, during his remaining days in the city he would see Amara again and find out more about her.
Her concern about him seeing her scars made him wonder exactly what had happened to her in the past. She had certainly seemed like a confident woman in bed.
In fact, he rather liked her directness. He didn't see much of that anymore and he appreciated that trait in a mate. He also loved how her body had felt underneath him and next to him. Her soft skin and sexy curves filled him with want and desire.
Even though she'd been drinking – or perhaps, because of it – she had revealed quite a bit about herself over the course of their evening. Two of the most significant aspects of her life that she had shared were that she didn't have a job or a boyfriend.
These two things told him that she could be ready for a move to Pleasantville for a fresh start. He had speculated pretty much right away that she might be Marcy's friend.
Knowing that the company needed someone to fill a hole in the marketing department, Marcy had told Austin that she had a friend in the city who would be perfect for the job. Both of the men agreed to hold the position open u
ntil Marcy's friend could come and meet them, as the rest of the marketing department could make do for a while.
Neither Marcy nor Austin had mentioned the friend's name and Bern wondered if Austin even knew it himself. Now he was praying that by some perfect miracle, Amara was the woman about whom Marcy had spoken.
Missing Amara already and deeply upset that she had run off and left him sleeping, something told him that he would see her again soon. And he was going to make darned sure he found out why she had disappeared without a word.
Chapter Five
Ten Days Later
Amara had decided on taking the train to Pleasantville. It cut her journey down by a half hour and she could relax and watch the scenery, instead of having to concentrate on driving.
She looked forward to spending the next week outside the city. Mark had finally stopped calling her and she was grateful for it. She had considered blocking his number but thought better of it, curious to see if he would leave a message apologizing or begging her to take her job back.
He didn't.
In fact, he didn't even leave any voice messages at all. She assumed he was too scared of what she could do with the information she now had, and decided to leave her alone.
Looking back, she wished she had left Wilbur and Company much sooner. She had allowed herself to be treated appallingly and now in hindsight, she realized that she was worth more than that.
Unfortunately, so far she'd had no luck finding a new job in the city. She hadn't even had an interview at either of the two places to which she had applied a week earlier. Slowly, she had been coming to terms with the possibility that she could be moving out of the city and closer to her friend Marcy after all.
As the train pulled into the Pleasantville station, she collected her things. Following the crowd along the platform into the terminal, she could hear Marcy before she saw her.
"Amara!" her friend called loudly. Despite the surprisingly large crowd of commuters in the station, in a heartbeat Amara spotted a very happy Marcy and rushed to give her dear friend a hug.
"I'm so happy you could come," Marcy said in her ear as they squeezed each other affectionately.
"Me, too!" agreed Amara. The women stood back and gazed at one another.
"You look good!” bubbled Amara.
“Your relationship agrees with you," she added with a wink.
"It's Austin that agrees with me,” gushed Marcy. “I've never been so happy before!" She was beaming. "I can't wait for you to meet him. He's at work right now. He suggested I take you there to introduce you to his partner. Maybe you can talk about the job they have open?" Marcy asked, hopefully.
Amara was happy that Marcy had thought of her and had gone to the trouble of having them hold the job until she got there. However, a part of her just wanted to relax and get through the wedding before making any long-term plans.
She had not told Marcy about quitting her job, telling herself that it was to keep her friend from worrying about her. But the truth was that Amara wasn't sure if she was ready for such a big change.
While she knew she needed to decide something soon, her past still haunted her and moving here might only make it worse. It wasn't something she was happy to admit to herself, but the idea of going back to living in a small town frightened her. Not because of the new job, but because of what she'd faced the last time she had done it.
Marcy was looking at her expectantly.
"Shouldn't I get changed first? I'm not exactly dressed for an interview," Amara said, looking down at her jeans and tank top. Her hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail and she was only wearing mascara and lip gloss. Not an interviewing look, by any stretch.
Marcy waved her hand, "You look fine. It's very casual. They know I'm picking you up and they won't expect me to take you home and then go back into town again. They will totally understand."
"How far out of town do you live?" Amara wondered. She hoped they weren't in what she termed, 'the boonies.'
She didn't like being out in the middle of nowhere. It made her nervous.
Marcy put a hand on her arm and soothed her. "Only ten minutes. I have my car and Austin gave me the week off to do wedding stuff, so don't worry. You won't be alone at the house...unless you want to be."
Amara sighed with relief, "Great. Okay, in that case, let's go see your man."
Linking one arm through Marcy's, with her other hand she grabbed her suitcase. Together, they walked out of the train station to Marcy's waiting car.
Within a couple of minutes they were pulling into the rear parking lot of an historic-looking building. Amara raised her eyebrows when she saw the nice cars parked outside. Luxury SUVs parked side by side sat in the spots closest to the back door.
"Who owns the Porsche Cayennes?" Amara pointed at the two vehicles, one silver and one blue. With eyes twinkling, Marcy smiled and replied, "The owners! One of them is my sexy fiancé. Nice, huh? The other one is his business partner's."
"Yes, very nice," Amara agreed with a wink and a big grin.
Marcy motioned for her friend to follow her through the back entrance of the building. A couple of staff members walked by and said, “Hello” or nodded to Marcy as they went passed.
Amara liked the fact that they seemed so friendly. They had even made eye contact with her. Probably because she's sleeping with the boss, Amara joked to herself.
Side by side, the two women padded up a couple of flights of stairs to the top floor. Out of breath, Amara stopped at the last step and wheezed.
"Don't you have an elevator in this place?" she struggled to calm her racing heart.
Marcy laughed. "Yes, we do. Sorry, I've gotten used to taking the stairs. I didn't think. There is a small elevator off reception. We'll go back down that way."
Amara rolled her eyes and joked, "You're just trying to kill me," she laughed.
Marcy chuckled as they headed down the hall. The halls were decorated in neutral colors to match the hardwood floors. Amara was impressed by the classy décor. There was an air of professionalism about it that belied the fact that it was a construction company. She would never have guessed their business if Marcy had not told her in advance.
Marcy knocked on a door and waited to be invited in. A deep male voice responded from behind the door. Marcy entered and motioned with her arm for Amara to follow. She walked over to the man behind the desk as he rose and turned to meet her.
Pulling Marcy into his arms, he squeezed her tightly before kissing her tenderly on the lips. They smiled at each other and turned toward Amara, who was feeling slightly awkward at the display of affection in front of her.
She had truly never seen Marcy so happy. Nor had she ever expected her friend to be with such an incredibly handsome man. Now she understood what Marcy had meant in saying she had never met anyone like him. He stood well over a foot taller than Marcy. He appeared to be solidly built with a broad chest and a perfect face.
She felt a slight twinge as she remembered the man with whom she'd had the one night stand just over a week ago. He'd had a similar build and was equally attractive, if not more so, than this man was.
"Austin, I'd like you to meet Amara."
Austin took a couple of long strides and he was around the desk. He extended his hand to Amara and she shook it.
"Nice to meet you, Amara. Marcy has told me a lot about you," He said, smiling.
Amara hoped that Marcy had spared him the details of her sexcapades. She didn't need everyone knowing about her and the choices she made in her private life.
Marcy must have realized what she was thinking because suddenly, she piped up, "I told him we grew up together. And that you were my roomy in university," she said quickly.
Amara breathed easier, grateful that Marcy had kept her secrets. Marcy turned to Austin and beamed at him.
"I'm going to take her to meet Bern so she can find out more about the job," she said.
Austin wished Amara luck and said he would see her at home la
ter.
"Nice to meet you," Amara said, closing the door behind her. She let out a huge sigh.
"You weren't kidding about him!" she exclaimed, putting a hand on Marcy's upper back. "He's pretty damned hot!"
Marcy grinned and turned to face her friend.
"I'm glad you think so. Wait until you meet Bern. I think you'll really like him," she winked.
Amara followed Marcy down the hall, watching her friend's head full of curls bounce as she walked.
***
A couple of doors down from Austin's office, Marcy knocked on another light-colored wooden door. A male voice welcomed them to enter. Something about the voice made Amara's legs quiver just a little. The voice sounded familiar.
Marcy pushed the door open and stepped inside the room. Amara followed closely behind and froze when she looked up and made eye contact with the man seated behind his desk. Oh. My. God. It's him! The guy from the hotel! What did she say his name was? Bern? ...That's right, his name was Bernard.
Amara swallowed hard and wiped her hands on her jeans. She could feel perspiration on her brow and resisted the urge to wipe it.
Marcy was looking at Bern and smiling widely.
"Bern, meet Amara,” said Marcy cheerfully. “Remember when I told you about my friend in the city who might be perfect for the marketing job?”
It was clear to Amara that Marcy had, indeed, told him all about her. Had he known who she was when they had sex?
Without smiling, Bern rose from his chair. His face bore not even the slightest hint that he recognized Amara. Deeply disappointed, she did not understand how he could have been so attentive and so good to her that night they spent together, and then completely forget her just one week later.
She frowned as he approached and shook her hand.
"Nice to meet you Amara," he said, coolly. Amara stiffened. Bolts of electricity coursed through her body at his mere touch.
Flashes of their wild night together raced through her mind. Obviously detecting something not quite right, Marcy looked at Amara with a slight furrow in her brow.