“I’ll get the boxes,” he barked.
She looked at him over her shoulder. “I’ve got it.”
He grabbed her by the hips and pulled her out of the way. Then he delivered three boxes to her feet. “There.”
She stared at him strangely as she settled cross-legged in front of them. “Thank you?”
He grunted. “We have a date on Saturday.”
And then it would be perfectly acceptable for him to move forward with these urges that were driving him insane.
She pulled open the flaps of the box. “I remember. All I Want and sushi.”
She’d picked the movie, but now he was starting to think watching a chick flick with her was a bad idea. He wouldn’t be into it, and that would leave him free to fantasize how quickly he could get her into bed and whether or not they really needed to eat dinner at all.
He could hear the plink of the piano running through the song in the auditorium nearby and considered how long he had before he had to go back on stage.
She pulled out a few hats—a cowboy hat and a Native American headdress—and a feather boa. “Not much here,” she muttered, tossing them back in the box. She shoved the box aside and opened the next box. “Lookee here.”
She held up a gold genie bottle and rubbed it. “Three wishes. What will it be?”
He settled himself on the floor next to her, placing his hands on the bottle, on top of hers. “Wish number one, to be with you.”
“Aww,” she said. “You are. Wish one granted.”
“Wish number two, to kiss you.”
She gave him a quick peck and grinned. “Wish two granted.”
“Wish number three…” He stopped himself. Not all women liked dirty talk. And they still hadn’t had that date yet.
“Wish number three?” she prompted.
He stroked her cheek and ran his fingers down her neck to her collarbone. Her breathing quickened. Her skin was so soft. And she smelled like roses. He cradled her face and kissed her. This had to be enough. Just kissing and tasting. He buried his hand in her long hair, but his body was already urging him for more. He wasn’t sure who moved first, but the genie bottle hit the floor with a clatter, and then their arms were wrapped around each other, and he was pulling her into his lap.
He could feel her hot through her leggings. He shifted her, so she was cradled in his arms, not riding him like he desperately wanted. Not yet. He couldn’t stop kissing her, couldn’t stop touching her. The music stopped next door, and she tore her mouth away from his.
They were both breathing hard.
“I know what wish number three is,” she said.
“And?”
“Granted.”
He groaned and reached for her again, but she slipped out of his grasp.
She scooped up the genie bottle and stood. “You didn’t hear my three wishes.”
“They’re all granted.”
She tilted her head to the side and smiled at him. “No questions, just granted?”
“Yes, yes, and yes.” He stood. “Wish number three gives you an all-access, no-questions-asked pass.”
“We need the pirates on stage!” Toby hollered.
“I like your style,” she said.
He really had to go, but he just couldn’t resist asking, “When does my third wish come true?”
“Soon enough, matey,” she said jauntily.
Soon enough sounded like very, very soon.
“Soon enough, me beauty.” Then he turned and strutted back on stage.
~ ~ ~
Amber would be the first to admit things were moving fast with Bare. Once he got into that pirate swagger, she wanted to rip his clothes off. For the rest of that week, every night at rehearsal, she teased and flirted with him relentlessly. She loved watching his gaze heat up, loved having him corner her whenever he got the chance, loved his hands on her, even loved getting him riled up just before he went on stage because he always paid her back for it in hot kisses and whispered promises for more.
“Soon,” he’d whisper. “Soon.”
It was the hottest week of foreplay of her life. And then, finally, it was time for their date on Saturday. She had a feeling the date was what he was waiting for. Like they had to do things right with a date that didn’t end in disaster after their first two dates went so badly. She really hoped this one went smoothly. They were having an afternoon date since they still had rehearsal that night.
He showed up at her door right after lunch on Saturday and handed her a small wrapped gift.
“Bare, you didn’t have to get me anything,” she said even as she opened it eagerly. It was a box of chocolates. “Mmm, chocolate. I love it.” She took one and popped it in her mouth. It was chocolate with coconut. She loved coconut.
She held the box up to him. “You want one?”
“I’ll take one,” Kate called from her permanent spot on the sofa. Her sister was glued to her laptop, working on whatever mathematical or sciencey thing grabbed her interest.
“Hi, Kate,” Bare called.
“I’m reading a fascinating paper on using lasers to cool a nanowire probe to an incredible level of sensitivity,” Kate responded. “You can imagine the implications for the resolution on atomic-force micro—”
“Bye, Kate!” Amber stepped into the hallway and shut the door behind her.
Bare smiled. Then he reached into his pocket and handed her a small Tiffany blue box. She nearly choked on the half-chewed candy in her mouth. She swallowed it down and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She stared at the box. Stared at him.
“Open it,” he said.
She did. Diamond stud earrings glittered back at her.
“They match your piercing,” he said.
She pulled an earring out of the box and examined it closely. “Omigod! Bare! Are these real?”
“Yes. Less than a carat, but real.”
She stared at him in wonder. “You really didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to.”
She handed him the candy and slipped the dangling black and silver posy earrings from her ears, replacing them with the studs. “Thank you.”
Ian poked his head out the door. “You like it?” he called. “The three Cs?”
She turned to Bare in confusion. “Three Cs?”
“Mind your business,” Bare told his brother. He offered his arm. “Shall we go?”
She took his arm. “We shall.”
~ ~ ~
Barry headed to the movie theater, working hard to tamp down his irritation at his brother. He just had to stick his nose out and mention those three Cs. Barry was trying to be smooth. He’d like to get through one date with Amber without making a royal mess of it.
Amber pulled the visor mirror down and admired her earrings. “So, spill. What are the three Cs, and does every woman get them?”
“Fucking Ian,” he muttered.
“Chocolate,” she said. “Right?”
It was candy. Whatever.
“Right?” she prompted.
“Ian made up the three Cs. I’ve never done them. Forget he opened his big mouth.”
He glanced over. She was smiling, and he could just tell she wasn’t going to let this go. He wasn’t going to help. Geez. He pressed play on the iPod he had hooked into his car, hoping The Pirates of Penzance soundtrack would distract her. That lasted two songs when she suddenly shouted, “Carats!”
He groaned.
“I’m right!” she crowed. “Chocolate, carats, what else?” She tapped her finger against her lips, thinking.
“Actually, it was two Cs.”
“No, Ian said three Cs. Cage?”
He sputtered. “Cage? No, it’s not a cage.”
“Cake!”
“Yes, it’s cake.”
“You’re such a bad liar.”
“No, it’s cake. You like chocolate cake?”
“Well, yeah, but I already had candy and chocolate cake doesn’t exactly go with sushi.”
“Another time.”
Shwoo. Got a little dodgy there, but at least they were off that topic. He was about to ask her what she was working on in her latest painting when she went right back to the Cs like a starving dog on a bone.
“Ah, I know,” she said. He bit back a groan. “Candlelight. It’s very romantic. It goes with chocolate and carats. Did I get it?”
“Yes.”
She pointed at him. “I’m not giving up, Bare. I’ll get it out of you.”
God, he hoped so. It was candy, carats, climax (hers) in that order.
~ ~ ~
The movie was romantic and funny, and Amber really appreciated that Bare was man enough to sit through a chick flick. He’d held her hand in the dark and laughed right along with her. Some guys suffered through chick flicks. He seemed to like it. She still couldn’t believe he’d given her diamond earrings. He either had money to burn, or he really, really liked her. Maybe both.
When they got to the sushi restaurant, they decided to share a large assorted sashimi platter with yellowtail, tuna, sea urchin, and salmon. The fish was fresh and tender. So far this date was going much better than the other two. She loved the movie and the sushi. So did he. At least she thought he did.
“Did you really like the movie?” she asked.
He nodded once. “I really did. It was funnier than I thought it would be.”
She grinned. “Chick flick. That’s the other C.”
“Yes.”
“Now why don’t I believe you?”
He raised his palms. “You have a very suspicious nature.”
“Hmmm…”
“So tell me what you’re working on.” He picked up a piece of tuna with his chopsticks and dipped it in soy sauce. “What’s the latest Amber Lewis original painting?”
“I’ve barely had any time to paint between work and rehearsals,” she said. “I hope to start again tomorrow. And a lot more after that too now that school ended.”
“I can’t wait to see it.”
She smiled and snagged another piece of the salmon. He’d always been so encouraging about her work. She hadn’t sold anything in a couple of weeks, but she hoped sales would pick up again soon.
“Tell me about your family,” he said.
She stared at the platter. “Why do you want to hear about them?”
Talking about her family was one of her least favorite topics.
He took her hand across the table. “I want to know everything about you.”
“I don’t want to talk about them.” She forced a smile. “Tell me about your family.”
“Not much to tell. I told you my dad died, then there’s my mom, really sweet lady, and you met Ian. Daniel works for the military. Not in the field. He’s behind the scenes. Intelligence work. That’s everyone.”
“Cool.”
“Why don’t you want to talk about your family?” he asked.
She set down her chopsticks and blew out a breath. “Fine. Dad is a physicist at Princeton, my stepmother same deal, you’ve met Kate. That’s it.”
“And your mother?”
She forced her jaw to unclench. “She’s an artist living in Paris.”
She left out the worst part. The part where her mother had planned a solo trip to Paris and never looked back. The part where her mother had left a surly teenage Amber, pissed to be missing out on a trip to Paris and stuck at her father’s house away from her friends for what she thought was a whole two weeks. The part where her mother had hugged her and whispered, “I love you, Amber. Goodbye.”
Amber hadn’t hugged her back. Worse, she’d said only one word in reply: “Whatever.”
“We don’t have to talk about her,” he said, gently squeezing her hand.
She relaxed a little. She appreciated his understanding about a topic that still jabbed painfully in her heart. She met his eyes. He was studying her.
“So how long until you give me the third C?” she asked.
She watched as his gaze heated. Knew instinctively she had him now. Knew where he was going with this.
“When do you want it?” he asked, his voice a near growl.
Her heart kicked up. “Now.”
His grip on her hand tightened. “Not now.”
She smiled. She’d guessed correctly. He was off that horrible topic, and she’d get her third C soon. They finished dinner and headed back to the apartment building. They still had an hour and a half before they had to get to rehearsal. That was plenty of time.
They rushed up the stairs, hand in hand. “My place or yours?” she asked.
“Ian’s at my place. Yours.”
“Kate’s at mine.”
“She’s easier to move. Tell her I have the latest issue of Information Technology & You at my place.”
“That’s a real thing?” she asked as she unlocked her door.
“Yes. She’ll love it.” His hand cupped her bottom, giving her a jolt. She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside.
Chapter Eight
“My mother’s here,” Kate said miserably from the sofa. Amber’s hopes for her date did a spectacular crash and burn.
“Hello, Amber,” Maxine said, her voice tight and clipped. Her stepmother was petite, her gray hair in a severe short cut that emphasized her sharp, elf-like features. She wore a tailored pant suit like she’d just left work, though more likely she’d absentmindedly put it on this weekend because it was hanging in her closet.
Amber let go of Bare’s hand. “Hi, Maxine. What are you doing here?”
She’d driven up from Princeton, New Jersey. More than a two-hour drive. With no advance warning.
“I’m here to collect Kate. She only has eight weeks to prepare for graduate school. There are no slackers at M.I.T.”
Bare snorted.
Maxine turned. “Who are you?”
“Oh, sorry.” Bare crossed to her, holding out his hand. “Barry. Nice to meet you. My brother’s at M.I.T. He’s sort of a slacker. But a very smart one.”
“Your brother’s at M.I.T.?” Kate asked.
“Yup.”
“Katherine,” Maxine said sharply, “pack your things.”
Kate turned pleading eyes to Amber. “Amber said I could stay. Right?”
Amber couldn’t make her little sister study physics all summer. But wait. Wasn’t that what Kate was doing all on her own?
“Kate’s been studying physics on her laptop,” Amber offered.
“See, Mom?” Kate said. “I can study remotely. I have access to the university’s library online. I can keep up with all the latest journals. Please.”
“Amber, may I speak with you privately,” Maxine said.
“Sure.” She gestured for her to follow her to the kitchen. She could hear Kate happily talking Bare’s ear off.
Maxine stared at Amber stone-faced across the table. “Kate has expressed interest in changing her virginal status before graduate school.”
Amber grimaced.
“I suspect that’s why she’s come to you,” Maxine went on. “She’s hoping you’ll guide her in meeting an appropriate man.”
“I-I didn’t know. I would never—”
Maxine held up a hand. “She looks up to you. Always has. Can I count on you to keep her from getting into trouble?”
“You mean birth control?”
“No, we’ve had that talk with her every year since she first got her period. And we don’t have a problem with sex per se.”
We, Amber supposed, meant her father and Maxine. Geez. All she’d gotten was a book tossed in her room. Of course, she hadn’t been all smiles and sunshine as a teenager. Her dad probably didn’t have a clue where to begin that talk.
Maxine went on. “We just don’t want Kate throwing herself at some guy who’s going to…”
A few moments passed in silence. Amber waited, used to Maxine’s halting conversations. Her stepmother’s brain was whirring a mile a minute though nothing was coming out of her mouth.
Fi
nally Maxine stood. “I’m glad we had this talk.”
Amber’s head spun. What exactly had they decided? She followed Maxine into the living room.
Kate stood. “Can I stay?”
Maxine nodded. “You may stay if you send me weekly progress reports on your studies. Amber will take care of the other thing.”
“You will?” Kate asked, her eyes lighting up.
Amber had no idea what she was supposed to do. Was she supposed to pimp her sister out to some guy? Buy her birth control? Have heart-to-heart talks with her?
“Sure,” Amber said.
“I will stay for dinner,” Maxine announced.
Both Kate and Maxine turned to Amber.
“I’ll call for takeout,” Amber said. She went for the Chinese take-out menu, knowing that’s what her family always ordered on Saturday night.
“Excellent,” Maxine said. “Barry, what do you do?”
Bare grinned. “I’m a pirate.”
Kate laughed. “Isn’t he funny? That’s just a part in a play. Mom, this is Barry Furnukle. The guy behind Giggle Snap.”
Maxine raised a brow. “Have you heard the latest with the sparse Fourier transform and its impact on audio recordings?”
“Yes, actually,” Bare replied.
The three of them settled into a deep discussion. Amber called for takeout, on the outside of the science nerds once again. Her heart sank. She’d never wanted to be in that brainy circle as badly as she did now.
And, dammit, she still hadn’t gotten her third C.
~ ~ ~
“So did you have a good time talking to Kate and Maxine?” Amber asked as Bare drove them to rehearsal later that night.
“Sure, they’re good people.”
She went quiet. She felt stupid around her family, and now Bare was right there with them. Not that they excluded her. At least not on purpose. She just didn’t have any idea what they were talking about half the time.
“That was a good date this time, wasn’t it?” he asked.
“Did you ever think you should be dating someone more like Kate?” she asked, hating herself for even mentioning it.
“Now why would you say that?” He stopped at a stop sign and looked at her with his kind eyes.
She felt all kinds of petty for even bringing it up. “Nothing.”
He hit the accelerator. “You think I want a physics-obsessed girlfriend?”
Almost in Love Page 10